Oak Ridge Today

Community honors, pays tribute to Kocak in candlelight vigil at ORHS

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Joey Kocak Candelight Vigil Balloons

Sophomores release balloons as other football players watch during a community candlelight vigil at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday for student-athlete Joey Kocak, who died at home on Wednesday. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:32 p.m.

The Oak Ridge community honored sophomore James Joseph “Joey” Kocak during a candlelight vigil at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday.

Friends and coaches shared their memories of Kocak, who had played on the football and basketball teams this year, during the candlelight vigil at Ben Martin Track at ORHS.

They encouraged the large crowd that attended to preserve their precious memories of Kocak, a 16-year-old sophomore who passed away at his home on Wednesday, March 4.

“I really hope that this isn’t the last time we’ll honor him,” said Mollie Turner.

Friends and coaches recalled Kocak’s memorable smirk, his playful moments, and his high-pitched singing on the back of the bus, belting out tunes like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” [Read more…]

Lady Bobcats lose in state semifinal 63-45

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Oliver Springs Lady Bobcats Rachel Griffith and Clarkrange

Senior guard Rachel Griffith (22) of Oliver Springs, who scored 15 points, looks for a shot during a 63-45 loss to Clarkrange in a Class A state tournament semifinal game in Murfreesboro on Saturday. (Photo by Kindell Moore) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:19 p.m.

MURFREESBORO—The Lady Bobcats made it to the final four, but they fell short of advancing to the state championship game, losing to Clarkrange 63-45 in a state semifinal game in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

The Lady Bobcats (29-7) were unable to repeat their shooting performance of a day earlier. On Friday, Oliver Springs shot 60 percent from the field in a 67-41 blowout over Decatur County Riverside in a Class A quarterfinal game. But on Saturday, the Lady Bobcats were 32 percent from the field (16 of 50).

The Lady Buffaloes (31-5) got off to a 17-1 start and were up 34-17 at halftime, thanks in part to six three-point shots, or 18 points total. The Lady Bobcats were able to narrow the lead to seven (20-13) on a jumper by senior guard Emily Griffith late in the first quarter, but that was as close as they got.

Oliver Springs, which hadn’t been to the state tournament since 2009, narrowed the lead to 44-33 on a 15-10 run in the third quarter. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to state tournament on late free throws by Higgins, block by Johnson

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Javien Johnson Geevantay Gee and Science Hill

Juniors Javien Johnson (11) and Geevantay Gee (12) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats defend against the Science Hill Hilltoppers during a 55-53 win in a Class AAA sectional game in Johnson City on Tuesday. Johnson blocked a shot by Malik McGue, who scored five of his eight points in the fourth quarter of his final game for Science Hill, with 0.8 seconds to play to help win the game. (Photo courtesy Trey Williams/Johnson City Press)

 

JOHNSON CITY—The Oak Ridge Wildcats are heading back to the state tournament in Murfreesboro next week after their comeback 55-53 win against a hungry Science Hill group at Tuesday night’s Class AAA Sectional game. Two free throws by sophomore Tee Higgins with 5.1 seconds left and a defensive block by junior Javien Johnson with 0.8 seconds left helped the Wildcats pull away with the victory.

It seemed that Science Hill (23-15) couldn’t miss from the floor in the first half. The Hilltoppers hit six three-pointers in the first half—four in the first quarter alone. One of those four included a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first quarter. With the buzzer-beater, the Hilltoppers had a 16-12 lead on the Wildcats.

In the second quarter, Oak Ridge (29-3) fell behind quickly. At one point, the Wildcats were down 24-14. However, thanks to two three-pointers by sophomore DeAndre Gibson, the Wildcats were able to gather themselves and go on a 13-6 run to end the quarter. With one half in the books, Oak Ridge was trailing 30-27.

The second quarter was the only quarter of the game that didn’t have a tie or a lead change. Oak Ridge had three three-pointers in the first half, all of them courtesy of Gibson (2) and sophomore Tajion Jones (1).

The Hilltoppers battled back in the second half. After Oak Ridge jumped out to a 34-30 lead, the Hilltoppers rattled off seven straight points to take the 37-34 lead. Oak Ridge pulled within a point of taking the lead back, and Science Hill drained a three. There actually was a span of 30 seconds in the third that had four consecutive combined threes hit by both teams. However, the Wildcats scored late in the third to give themselves a 44-43 lead with one quarter left to decide who went to the state tournament and who stayed home. [Read more…]

Blackmon, 3-pointers give Maryville a 60-56 edge over Wildcats in Region 2 final

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Javien Johnson at Region 2 Championship 2015

Junior forward Javien Johnson (11) was the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 16 points. T.D. Blackmon of Maryville (33), who led all scorers with 23, is pictured at lower left. Senior post Bryce Miller (32), partially obscured at center, added 15 for the Rebels.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 p.m.

Sophomore guard T.D. Blackmon hit three three-pointers in the first half and knocked down 10 of 11 free throws in the second to give Maryville a 60-56 edge over Oak Ridge in the Region 2-AAA Championship at Wildcat Arena on Sunday.

But the playoff run isn’t over for the Wildcats (28-3). As Region 2 Runner-Up, they’ll travel to Johnson City to play Science Hill, the Region 1 Champion, in a sectional game at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Blackmon led all scorers with 23 points in the regional final on Sunday.

“He got to the foul line. He got to the basket,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “We didn’t do a good job of guarding him.”

Oak Ridge Wildcats Geevantay Gee at Region 2 Championship 2015

Never afraid to drive to the rim through traffic, junior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) scored 15 points for the Oak Ridge Wildcats in the Region 2-AAA Championship against Maryville on Sunday. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)

 

The Rebels (25-6) hit seven three-pointers against the Wildcats on Sunday, including five in the first quarter alone. That gave them a 29-26 lead at halftime, with 18 of those points coming from three-point shots. [Read more…]

Steal helps save OT win for Wildcats, who play for Region 2 championship Sunday

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Student Section at Region 2-AAA Semifinal 2015

The Region 2-AAA semifinal basketball game between Oak Ridge and Heritage came down to the wire at home on Saturday. Above the Oak Ridge student section watches the match, which wasn’t decided until the final seconds. (Photo by Terri Blair)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:54 a.m. March 1.

A steal by senior Ted Mitchell late in the game helped save an overtime win for the Oak Ridge Wildcats in a regional tournament semifinal game against Heritage on Saturday.

The Wildcats (28-2) were also helped by a big basket by sophomore Tee Higgins late in overtime, when Oak Ridge was down by one. Higgins’ shot off the glass gave the Wildcats a one-point 44-43 lead with about 1:10 to play. A free throw by junior Geevantay Gee after Mitchell’s steal widened the margin to two.

Heritage (23-12) missed their final two back-to-back shots with about seven seconds left, and the final score at Wildcat Arena was 45-43.

Oak Ridge moves on to play Maryville (24-6) in the Region 2-AAA championship at home at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Saturday at Oak Ridge: Wildcats play Heritage, Bearden takes on Maryville

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The Region 2-AAA basketball tournament semifinals will be played in Oak Ridge this evening.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will take on Heritage at 7:30 p.m. That game will be preceded by a match between Bearden and Maryville that starts at 6 p.m.

The games will be played at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats play Farragut in regional Monday, boys play LC Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Caelyn Thompson and Courtney Ellison

Oak Ridge junior Caelyn Thompson (22) had seven points during a district tournament semifinal game against Powell on Saturday, February 14, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here running slightly behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. The Wildcats haven’t played since because of weather. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:21 a.m. Feb. 24.

The final district tournament games were first postponed and then canceled, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats’ basketball teams will start the Class AAA regional tournament this week.

Update: These games have been postponed again as of Tuesday, February 24, due to weather. The latest is that the games will be played Wednesday.

The Lady Wildcats (19-11) play at Farragut (21-8) in the Region 2 quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Monday.

The Lady Wildcats are the number three seed from District 3, and Farragut is the number two seed from District 4. The games are played at the higher seed. [Read more…]

Headed to championship, Wildcats open up large 80-49 lead over Central

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Javien Johnson, Geevantay Gee, and DeAndre Gibson of Oak Ridge Wildcats

Javien Johnson (11), Geevantay Gee (12), and DeAndre Gibson (10) of Oak Ridge react to another three-pointer by sophomore Tajion Jones in the third quarter of a 80-49 win over the Central Bobcats in a district semifinal game in Knoxville on Saturday. Jones hit three three-pointers and scored 11 points in the third quarter. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 a.m. Feb. 15

KNOXVILLE—Oak Ridge opened up a large 80-49 lead over Central in the second half of a district semifinal game in Knoxville on Saturday, and the Wildcats will move on to play Karns in the district championship at Central on Tuesday.

The game had been closer at halftime, with Oak Ridge (25-2) ahead 35-27.

But the Wildcats’ defense improved in the third quarter, and Oak Ridge outscored Central 27-12. Sophomore shooting guard Tajion Jones came off the bench to knock down three three-pointers within about one minute in the third quarter to give Oak Ridge a 20-point lead at 56-36. [Read more…]

Clinton boys advance, girls lose; Oak Ridge girls play tonight

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

The Clinton boys’ basketball team advanced to the second round of the District 3-AAA tournament in a 67-58 first-round win over the Gibbs Eagles at Central High School in Knoxville on Wednesday.

J’Quan Thomas led three double-digit scorers for the seventh-seeded Dragons, who will take on third-seeded Halls at 7:30 tonight (Thursday, February 12). The winner of tonight’s tilt will move on to the district semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m. against Karns and earn a berth in next week’s region tournament, while the loser’s season will be finished, WYSH Radio reported.

In the first game on Wednesday night, Gibbs’ girls closed out the Karns Lady Beavers, blowing open a close game in the third quarter on their way to a 50-37 win and a second-round matchup with the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats that will tip off at 6 p.m. Thursday at Central.

Meanwhile, the Clinton girls’ basketball season ended in a Tuesday loss to Campbell County at Central. [Read more…]

Wildcats wipe out Fulton lead on three-pointer by Higgins

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins at Fulton

Tee Higgins (5) of Oak Ridge had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and the game-winning three-pointer against Fulton on Saturday. (Photo by Luther Simmons) 

 

KNOXVILLE—The Wildcats needed a big basket late in the game, and Tee Higgins hit one. With his team down by two, the sophomore stayed cool under pressure and hit a three-point shot with 3.1 seconds left to give Oak Ridge a one-point victory over Fulton in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Jody Wright Arena in Knoxville on Saturday.

The dramatic all-out battle was the last regular-season game for the two top-five teams.

The Falcons dominated early, applying pressure that hurt Oak Ridge, and they led by as much as nine points through much of the fast and furious first half. The Wildcats were “out of whack” offensively, Coach Aaron Green said.

But Oak Ridge got back into the game behind sophomore Anthony Gibson, who came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half and 13 on the night. [Read more…]

Undefeated in district, Wildcats end regular season at Fulton on Saturday

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Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge Wildcats at Karns

Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge (12) had eight points and 10 assists against the Karns Beavers in the last regular-season district game on Friday. (Photo by Terri Blair)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:55 a.m. Feb. 7.

Oak Ridge ends regular season at Fulton on Saturday

KARNS—The first game was a blowout. The second wasn’t.

In early January, the Oak Ridge Wildcats rolled over Karns 83-49.

But on Friday night, the Beavers kept it closer, pulling within one point (32-31) late in the second quarter.

But the Wildcats gave themselves a five-point cushion going into halftime and stretched their lead to 16 late in the third. Karns struggled to cut into the Wildcats’ double-digit lead throughout the fourth. [Read more…]

ORHS athletic director recognized for distinguished service by TSSAA

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Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins, the athletic director at Oak Ridge High School, has been honored by the TSSAA for his distinguished service as an administrator.

The TSSAA, or Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, administers junior and senior high school sports. A story in the Winter 2015 issue of TSSAA News said Mullins is finishing his ninth year as athletic director at ORHS and his 29th year in interscholastic athletics and education.

[Read more…]