Oak Ridge Today

Moody of Anderson County finishes third in state in cross country

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Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in the Division I Large Schools girls cross country 5k championship race at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in the Division I Large Schools girls’ cross country 5k championship race at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Maddy Moody, a junior at Anderson County High School, finished third in the state in cross country in the championship race in Nashville this month.

Moody improved 13 spots from last year, when she finished 16th as a sophomore in the girls’ Class AAA state cross country championship meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.

Moody finished the 5,000-meter, or 5k, race in 18:51.53 this year in the Division I Large Schools category. That compared to 19:30.59 last year in what was previously the Division I Class AAA category.

“It’s a huge improvement,” said Derek Wallace, who coaches cross country and boys’ basketball at Anderson County. “You don’t often see those types of improvements down there.”

Moody normally races with a pacing watch, but she handed it to her mother this year, Wallace said. [Read more…]

Photos: Wildcats beat David Crockett on way to state

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Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) goes for a block against Paul Arrowood (44) of David Crockett during a 90-60 win for the Wildcats in a sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. Also pictured is Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) goes for a block against Paul Arrowood (44) of David Crockett during a 90-60 win for the Wildcats in a sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. Also pictured is Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge beat David Crockett 90-60 in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, advancing to the state basketball tournament in Murfreesboro next week. Here are photos by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Cool under pressure, Jones, Gibson lead Wildcats to state

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Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones (3), who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots from three-point range during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones (3), who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots from three-point range during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. March 7.

Cool under pressure, Oak Ridge seniors Tajion Jones and Anthony Gibson helped lead the Wildcats to the state Class AAA boys’ basketball tournament in Murfreesboro next week.

Jones, a Mr. Basketball finalist, scored a game-high 27 points during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday.

“Tonight, he showed why he’s a Mr. Basketball finalist,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Though the team lineups aren’t exactly the same, it was somewhat of a rematch of last year’s sectional, also played at Wildcat Arena, when David Crockett eliminated Oak Ridge 73-70 in overtime. The sectionals determine which eight teams play in the state tournament.

This year’s game wasn’t close.

“We played really well,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “This is not easy. It’s hard to get to the state tournament.” [Read more…]

Wildcats win Region 2 championship two years in a row

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Oak Ridge beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. The team is pictured above with coaches, cheerleaders, and the student section. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. The team is pictured above with coaches, cheerleaders, and the student section. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones bounced back with 24 points and the Wildcats beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA championship at home on Thursday.

It’s the second consecutive regional championship for the Wildcats and their third in the past five years.

Oak Ridge (29-2) will now play David Crockett, the Region 1-AAA runner-up, in a sectional at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Monday.

Bearden (21-9) will play at Science Hill, the Region 1 champion, in another sectional at 7 p.m. Monday.

The eight sectionals will determine which teams get to play in the Class AAA state basketball tournament from March 15-18 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said the Thursday night win over Bearden, which started four sophomores, was a collective effort. [Read more…]

Bush, Higgins will not play in Arby’s Classic this week

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Oak Ridge senior E.J. Bush (2), pictured above, led the Wildcats with 20 points during a 76-56 win over Cleveland in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout at Science Hill High School in Johnson City on Friday, Dec, 16, 2016. (File photo by Robert Kell)

 

Two of the top players for the Oak Ridge Wildcats, E.J. Bush and Tee Higgins, will not play in the Arby’s Classic in Bristol this week. It’s a basketball tournament that has featured dramatic games, record-setting performances, and close wins—and losses.

Bush, a 6-foot-4 senior who was injured in the 82-72 win over Science Hill in the Champion Chevrolet Shootout in Johnson City on December 17, has a knee injury. It’s not clear how long he might be unable to play, or if he’ll travel with the team to the Arby’s Classic this week.

Bush can score 16-20 points per game and pull down six to 10 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, Higgins, a wide receiver who has committed to Clemson, is leaving Tuesday for the 10th annual Under Armour All-America Football Game in Orlando on January 1. That game features more than 90 of the nation’s best senior high school football players. Besides Higgins, they include wide receiver Amari Rodgers of Catholic—he’s also committed to Clemson—and punter Joe Doyle of Farragut. [Read more…]

Good, Day, three-pointers deny Wildcats fourth consecutive trip to state

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Oak Ridge senior point guard Geevantay Gee (12), playing in his last game at Wildcat Arena, goes for a layup during a 73-70 overtime loss to David Crockett in a Class AAA sectional on Monday, March 7, 2016. Gee is guarded here by Pioneer Patrick Good (12), who had a game-high 29 points, including six three-pointers. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:15 a.m.

David Crockett denied Oak Ridge a fourth consecutive trip to the state basketball tournament on Monday with 11 three-point shots, including a winning three-pointer by senior Patrick Good with 3.5 seconds left in overtime, and the 17 second-half points of senior Dustin Day.

It was the second time the two teams have met this year. Both games went into overtime and were decided on less than three points, and David Crockett won both. The first game was during the regular season, when the two teams combined to make 30 three-point shots, and the second was during a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday. Good scored the winning baskets in both games.

After their 73-70 overtime win in the sectional game on Monday, the Pioneers (30-5) advance to the state tournament for the first time in the 44-year history of the program.

“They don’t get much tougher than that,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said after the three-point overtime loss.
[Read more…]

Lady Wildcats to play Dyer County in state basketball tournament Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats and cheerleaders celebrate a 39-32 sectional win over Dobyns-Bennett at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 5, 2016. The win sends the Lady Wildcats to the state tournament for the first time since 2010. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play Dyer County in the quarterfinals of the state girls basketball tournament on Wednesday.

The 2016 BlueCross Basketball Championship is scheduled on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for the Division I Class AAA girls teams. It’s at the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

The game between Oak Ridge and Dyer County on Wednesday is the first Class AAA quarterfinal game of the day. It starts at 10 a.m. Central time.

Oak Ridge, the number one seed in District 3, has a 27-4 record. The Lady Wildcats beat Dobyns-Bennett, the number one seed in District 1, 39-32 in a Class AAA sectional game on Saturday to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2010. [Read more…]

Led by Gee, Wildcats win Region 2 championship; Bush named MVP

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Oak Ridge senior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) led the Wildcats with a game-high 15 points, including three three-point shots, during a 70-40 win over Karns in the Region 2-AAA championship on Thursday, March 3, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 5:15 p.m.

Continuing a string of successes on the basketball court, the Oak Ridge Wildcats won the Region 2 championship in a 70-40 victory over Karns on Thursday. The boys’ regional win at home came one day after the girls won a Region 2 championship at Bearden.

This year, the two teams both won the District 3-AAA championships and the Region 2-AAA championships. It’s the first time that’s happened since 2008.

The Wildcats (34-2), the Region 2 champion, now move on to play David Crockett, the Region 1 runner-up, in a Class AAA sectional game on Monday. The winner advances to the state tournament. David Crockett (29-5) is one of only two teams that beat Oak Ridge this year.

“They are one of the better teams we’ve played all year,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “It’s going to be a tough game. It should be a tremendous basketball game. There’s a lot on the line.”

The Pioneers eked out a two-point 89-87 win over the Wildcats on two free throws in double overtime in the Arby’s Classic on December 29. [Read more…]

Wildcats finish fifth in Arby’s Classic with win over Taylor County, Ky.

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This photo is property of Allen Greene. Unauthorized use of this photo is not permitted without consent.

Oak Ridge senior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) dribbles during a 91-73 win over Taylor County for fifth place in the 2015 Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats finished fifth in the 2015 Arby’s Classic basketball tournament with a 91-73 win over Taylor County, Kentucky, in Bristol on Thursday.

The Wildcats had been bumped into a consolation bracket in this year’s tournament after they lost to David Crockett of Jonesborough, 87-85, in a double-overtime second-round game on Tuesday. They advanced to the fifth-place game with a 56-54 win on Wednesday over North Mecklenburg of North Carolina, the 2014 Arby’s Classic champion.

Oak Ridge junior Anthony Gibson led the Wildcats (17-1, 5-0 District 3-AAA) with 22 points on Thursday and 100 percent shooting from the free throw line. Junior Tee Higgins added 20 points, and he pulled down eight rebounds and had five assists and two steals. He also got the crowd on its feet with two dunks in the second half.

The Wildcats had three other players in double digits: senior forward Javien Johnson with 17 points (seven rebounds, one assist); junior guard E.J. Bush with 13 (six rebounds, two blocks, one assist); and junior guard Tajion Jones with 12 (six rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal). [Read more…]

Wildcats wallop Dobyns-Bennett 81-35 in first round of Arby’s Classic

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Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) led the Wildcats with 15 points during a 81-35 opening-round rout of Dobyns-Bennett in the 2015 Arby’s Classic in Bristol on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. (Photo courtesy Heather Williams/WCYB-TV, Bristol, Va.)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 a.m.

For the second time in less than two weeks, the Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Dobyns-Bennett Indians by more than 40 points.

The first time was at Wildcat Arena in the Rick McGill Toyota Classic on Friday, December 18, when Oak Ridge won 88-36.

The second time was on Saturday, December 26, when the undefeated Wildcats trounced the Indians 81-35 in the opening round of the 2015 Arby’s Classic basketball tournament at Tennessee High School in Bristol.

At 15-0, the Wildcats are off to their best start ever. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity volunteers install three roofs in March

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Habitat Volunteers on Lake City Roof

Student volunteers for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County help install a roof in Lake City. (Submitted photos)

Two families and the Holiday Bureau have new roofs this month, thanks to volunteers from two different colleges and local men that routinely volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a press release said.

The first week of March, a group of students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering came to Oak Ridge as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program. The students were housed at First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. First Baptist shared their facilities for four weeks in a row with four different groups.

The Holiday Bureau has a bicycle storage shed, measuring 16 feet x 78 feet, that had a very old and leaky roof. Now, the shed has a new roof, and it only took the students four days, the press release said. Tim Marcum, HFHAC’s chief operating officer, coordinated this project in an effort to help another nonprofit. [Read more…]