Oak Ridge Today

Gibson again leads Wildcats, this time in quarterfinal win over West

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Oak Ridge senior Anthony Gibson (23) again led the Wildcats in a playoff win, this time in a 68-38 Region 2-AAA quarterfinal win against West at home on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Anthony Gibson (23) again led the Wildcats in a playoff win, this time in a 68-38 Region 2-AAA quarterfinal win against West at home on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9 a.m. Feb. 28.

Oak Ridge senior Anthony Gibson again led the Wildcats in a playoff win, this time in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal win against West at home on Saturday.

Gibson, a 6-foot-1 guard, scored a game-high 18 points in the elimination game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday. He had four three-points shots for 12 of those points.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Gibson led Oak Ridge with 24 points as the Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 defeat of Powell.

With the Region 2 quarterfinal win on Saturday, Oak Ridge advanced to play Maryville at Wildcat Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in a semifinal elimination game. The winner of the Tuesday night Oak Ridge-Maryville game will move on to play in the Region 2-AAA championship. The season will be over for the loser.

“This is the toughest game of the year,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “There’s a lot on the line across the state.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge eliminates Bearden, despite second-half rally by Lady Bulldogs

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Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points, in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats eliminated Bearden 62-56 in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at home on Friday, despite a high-scoring second-half rally by the Lady Bulldogs.

After scoring only 15 points in the first half, the Bearden girls scored 41 in the second, narrowing an Oak Ridge lead of 24 points in the third quarter to three points late in the fourth.

“It was a fun ball game,” Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said. “They did not back down. They did not quit…They went on a great run. We managed to contain it.”

Bearden (24-4) struggled to make three-point shots in the first three quarters. They made only two, both by junior Trinity Lee. That changed in the fourth quarter, when Lee hit four. She led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points and had 17 of Bearden’s 27 points in the final quarter. She had all six of Bearden’s three-point shots.

Oak Ridge (27-3) was led by sophomore guard Jada Guinn with 32 points, a game high and career high. Like Lee, Guinn also made six three-point shots. She knocked down four in the second quarter alone. [Read more…]

Jones named MVP as Wildcats win fifth straight district championship

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones was named most valuable player as the Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge (26-2) will play West, which finished fourth in District 4-AAA, in a first-round Region 2-AAA game at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday. West (15-17) lost to Hardin Valley 64-58 in the third-place District 4 game on Tuesday.

The Wildcats, the top seed in the District 3-AAA basketball tournament, advanced to the district championship at Clinton High School on Tuesday by beating Clinton, which had been the number five seed, 111-77 in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Oak Ridge was led against Powell on Tuesday by senior Anthony Gibson. He scored a game-high 24 points, with 22 of those in the first half. Gibson knocked down three three-point shots.

Jones scored 21, with 12 of those on four three-point shots. Jones, a Mr. Basketball finalist in Class AAA, also had a baseline drive for a dunk. [Read more…]

Boys basketball photos: Oak Ridge-Powell

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Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4) is pictured above during an 86-58 win over Powell in the District 3-AAA championship at Clinton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4) is pictured above during an 86-58 win over Powell in the District 3-AAA championship at Clinton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones was named most valuable player as the Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday. Here are photos from the basketball game by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Girls basketball photos: Oak Ridge-Powell

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Oak Ridge junior forward Mykia Dowdell (34) was named most valuable player and she led the Lady Wildcats with 21 points during a 59-34 win over Powell at Clinton during the District 3-AAA championship at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge junior forward Mykia Dowdell (34) was named most valuable player and she led the Lady Wildcats with 21 points during a 59-34 win over Powell at Clinton during the District 3-AAA championship at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Oak Ridge junior Mykia Dowdell was named most valuable player and the Lady Wildcats won their second straight District 3-AAA championship with a 59-34 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday. Here are photos from the basketball game by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Dowdell named MVP, leads girls in District 3 championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 3-AAA girls' basketball championship in 59-34 victory over Powell at Clinton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 3-AAA girls’ basketball championship in a 59-34 victory over Powell at Clinton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Oak Ridge junior Mykia Dowdell was named most valuable player and the Lady Wildcats won their second straight District 3-AAA championship with a 59-34 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge (26-3) will play Bearden in a first-round Region 2-AAA tournament game at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Friday. The Lady Bulldogs (24-3) lost to Hardin Valley 58-50 in a third-place District 4-AAA game at Hardin Valley Academy on Monday.

Dowdell led the Lady Wildcats with 21 points in the District 3 championship game against Powell on Tuesday, and she had at least six rebounds. She had eight points in the first quarter alone, and another six in the second.

While Dowdell was named MVP, three other Oak Ridge players were also named to the District 3-AAA All Tournament Team on Tuesday: senior Courtney Ellison, junior Jaymi Golden, and sophomore Jada Guinn. [Read more…]

Basketball: Wildcats, Lady Wildcats to play for district championships today

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play for the District 3-AAA basketball championship against Powell at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 21, at Clinton High School. The Lady Wildcats are pictured above with Coach Paige Green in the championship game of the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic in Greeneville on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—The Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats will both play Powell for District 3-AAA championships today. The girls’ game starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 21, at Clinton High School, and the boys’ game begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Lady Wildcats (25-3) advanced to the championship game by beating Anderson County 61-45 in a District 3-AAA semifinal game at Clinton on Saturday.

It’s the second year in a row that Oak Ridge is playing for the district championship. Last year, the Lady Wildcats won the title by beating Campbell County 52-34 at Anderson County High School. That was their first district championship since 2010.

Oak Ridge went on to play in the state tournament and finished as runner-up in Class AAA. [Read more…]

Wildcats put on show. The highlight: A between-the-legs dunk

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Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) crosses the ball between his legs, from his left hand to his right, on a dunk during a 111-77 semifinal win at Clinton in the District 3-AAA tournament on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—You’ve probably never seen this in a high school basketball game before. You might not ever seen it again. A between-the-legs dunk.

It happened Saturday night in Clinton. Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins told Coach Aaron Green at halftime during a District 3-AAA semifinal game that he was going to do the between-the-legs dunk if he had a chance.

That was okay, Green said, as long as Higgins made it. He did.

Higgins was wide open on a break from half court, and after launching into the air, he moved the basketball between his legs from his left hand to his right before winding up and slamming it through the hoop with his right.

The move fired up fans. Even Clinton fans enjoyed it.

Green said you might not even see that kind of dunk in college or NBA games.

“Those are dunks that are done in dunking contests,” he said. “I wish I could do that, to be honest with you.” [Read more…]

With win over Cougars, Lady Wildcats now the only undefeated team in district

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Oak Ridge junior Destiny Kassner (30), who scored 13 points, plays defense against Campbell County sophomore Lexy Richardson (24) during a 56-39 win for the Lady Wildcats in Jacksboro on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

JACKSBORO—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats became the only undefeated team in District 3-AAA with a 56-39 win over Campbell County in Jacksboro on Tuesday.

Both basketball teams were undefeated before the game.

The Lady Cougars (13-5, 6-1 District 3-AAA) led or were tied with the Lady Wildcats for much of the first half, and Oak Ridge trailed 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.

But the Lady Wildcats (15-2, 7-0) led 24-21 at halftime and never trailed again. Oak Ridge outscored Campbell County 21-9 in the fourth quarter.

Oak Ridge Paige Green called it a huge win. Campbell County has shooters and players who can drive to the basket, and the team is well-coached, she said. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats, Campbell County—both undefeated in district—play Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats huddle with Coach Paige Green during the championship game against Bradley Central in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic in Greeneville on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge and Campbell County girls’ basketball teams are both undefeated in District 3-AAA, and the two teams will play today.

One team will remain undefeated, and the other will pick up its first district loss of the season.

Oak Ridge, ranked number seven in the first Class AAA poll of 2017, is 14-2 overall and 6-0 in District 3-AAA.

Campbell County is 13-4 and 6-0 in District 3-AAA. [Read more…]

Young has another big night as Wildcats give Karns its first district loss

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Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young (4) had another big night for the Wildcats, scoring 27 points and pulling down 16 rebounds in a 97-68 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. Behind Young is Cole Cooper (34) of Karns. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge senior Tyshawn Young had another big night on Tuesday as the Wildcats gave Karns its first district loss of the season.

Last week, Young scored 29 points, a personal best, during a 64-56 win over Science Hill in the Arby’s Classic in Bristol on December 27.

On Tuesday, he almost matched that, scoring a game-high 27 points during a 97-68 win over Karns. He also had 16 rebounds.

“He’s playing really, really well,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Young said he was surprised by his 29 points against Science Hill.

“We’ve always had the ability to play well,” Young said. “It’s not unexpected. I’ve just got to step up and play harder.” [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats score more than 100 for first time since 2003

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Oak Ridge was led by sophomore Jada Guinn (24) with 30 points, the most for one of the Lady Wildcats since 2014, in a 104-19 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats scored more than 100 points for the first time since 2003 in a 104-19 win over Karns at home on Tuesday.

The girls were led by sophomore Jada Guinn with a game-high 30 points, the most for a Lady Wildcat since Mykia Dowdell, who is now a junior, scored 32 against Central in 2014, according to broadcaster David Clary.

It’s the 11th time the Lady Wildcats (14-2, 6-0 District 3-AAA) have scored more than 100, Clary said. The last time was in 2003 against Alcoa.

Coaches said the 30 points for Guinn, including 17 in the first quarter alone, was likely a personal best. [Read more…]