Oak Ridge Today

Powell beats Lady Wildcats in overtime 60-54

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. (Photo by Luther Simmons) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:08 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats took a one-point lead on a three-point shot by Princess Bates with nine seconds left, but Powell rallied in overtime to beat Oak Ridge 60-54 in a district tournament semifinal game in Knoxville on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats, who have qualified for the Region 2 tournament, will play for third place in a consolation game against the loser of the Saturday afternoon game between Anderson County and Halls. The consolation game starts at 6 p.m. Monday at Central High School in Knoxville.

The Lady Wildcats led 27-22 at halftime and stayed on top for much of the second half, leading by as much as seven points. They got big momentum boosts from the three three-point shots of sophomore point guard/wing Courtney Ellison, who led Oak Ridge with 17 points, and three more from freshman wing/post Jasmine Hembry, who scored 12.

Bates, a freshman wing, and Caelyn Thompson, a junior post, each had seven.

Oak Ridge hit a total of eight three-point shots, for 24 points total.

“You hate it for them,” Oak Ridge Coach David Scott said of his team’s loss in the high-pressure game, undecided until the final seconds of the four-minute overtime. “They worked so hard.” [Read more…]

Fans ask for dunks, Mitchell gives them two

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Ted Mitchell of the Oak Ridge Wildcats Dunks Against Gibbs

All year, fans had been asking senior guard Ted Mitchell (4) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats to dunk the ball, and Tuesday night, he obliged. Mitchell dunked twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)

 

All year, fans have been asking Ted Mitchell to dunk it. On Tuesday, the senior gave the fans what they wanted—and more. He dunked the ball twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena.

It was a dramatic finish in a high school career that included trips last year to the state championship game in basketball and the state quarterfinal game in football. The Wildcats’ basketball team finished first in District 3-AAA this year and will advance to the playoffs.

Mitchell, who has plans to play football in college, was the only senior to play for the Wildcats on either the boys’ or girls’ team at home on Senior Night against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday.

Here’s more on those games from freelance contributor Trenton Duffer:

Oak Ridge celebrates Senior Night with two victories over Gibbs

Tuesday night, the Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats celebrated Senior Night in the home finale at Wildcat Arena. However, only one senior would be playing his last game in the arena: Ted Mitchell. In some ways, it seemed like “Ted Mitchell Night,” as both sets of Wildcats rolled to easy victories over the Gibbs Eagles and Lady Eagles. Neither set of Eagles had the lead the entire night.

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Mykia Dowdell against Gibbs Eagles

Freshman Mykia Dowdell (34) had 15 points against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Lady Wildcats Stomp Lady Eagles

The Lady Wildcats (17-9, 12-3 District 3-AAA) were the first up to play, and they did not disappoint. The Lady Wildcats would go on to crush the Gibbs Lady Eagles (6-18, 5-10) by a score of 65-29. A one-two punch of offense and defense helped the Lady Wildcats walk away with this victory unscathed.

The first quarter was actually very close. Within the first 1:30, Oak Ridge jumped out to an 11-2 lead before the Lady Eagles came storming back, making it 18-14 after one quarter. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge knocks out Knox Central on Autism Awareness Night

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Hoops for Autism at Wildcat Arena

The student section holds up a poster for autism awareness during Hoops for Autism on Friday night during the Oak Ridge and Central basketball game at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Trenton Duffer)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats and Wildcats battled the Knox Central Lady Bobcats and Bobcats on Friday night in Wildcat Arena. Both sets of Wildcats left their home stage victorious against their district rivals on Autism Awareness Night.

Lady Wildcat head coach David Scott discussed Autism Awareness Night and its significance after the game.

“It’s part of our responsibility to get the word out,” Scott said. “We’ve been blessed in Oak Ridge. We have some great teachers and therapists…It’s (autism) a number that’s going up and not going down. The more word we can get out there that the autism spectrum is so large…There’s a lot to it, and no two are the same. Anytime we can get the word out, we appreciate that opportunity. To have people respond really means a lot to us.”

At the halftime of each game, fans were encouraged to come down to the court and pay $1 for a half-court shot contest. These proceeds are going to autism awareness foundations.

Lady Wildcats keep Lady Bobcats winless with physical play

The Lady Wildcats of Oak Ridge improved to 88-1 all-time against the Knox Central Lady Bobcats (0-22, 0-14 District 3-AAA) on Friday night by defeating Central 64-26. Oak Ridge could do no wrong in this game. [Read more…]

Wildcats, Lady Wildcats edge Halls, set sights on first place

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

The Lady Wildcats and Wildcats of Oak Ridge traveled to Halls on Tuesday to take on the Lady Red Devils and Red Devils. The crowd at Halls is always loud and troublesome for visiting teams, but both sets of Wildcats came out unscathed against their opponents. The victories helped solidify each team’s place at the top of the district leaderboard.

Girls’ Team

A strong first half defensively for the Lady Wildcats proved to be the difference-maker in the end. Oak Ridge would squeak by the Lady Red Devils of Halls by a score of 50-42.

The Lady Wildcats opened the game up with a 13-4 run before going on to finish the first quarter ahead 18-6. The second quarter was a low-scoring quarter for both teams, as the Lady Wildcats only put up 10 points compared to eight by Halls. The score was 28-14 at the half. [Read more…]

Wildcats, Lady Wildcats extinguish Dragons

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins Dunk

Sophomore Tee Higgins (5) of Oak Ridge had two dunks in the first quarter and led the Wildcats with 14 points against the Clinton Dragons at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday. (Photos by Melissa Livesey)

 

Eleven miles is all that separates the bitter rivalry between the Oak Ridge Wildcats and the Clinton Dragons. However, since 1990 the rivalry has been nothing but Oak Ridge. For 57 straight games, Oak Ridge has bested Clinton on the basketball court, and Tuesday night was no different for the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats. Both teams went on to soundly defeat their opponents.

Girls’ game

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats were the first matchup of the night. Clinton’s players and coaches were pumped up before and during the entire game, and it was obvious that they had upset on the mind. However, thanks to a strong fourth quarter, the Lady Wildcats were able to defeat the Lady Dragons by a solid score of 65-54.

Clinton actually jumped out to an early lead on Oak Ridge. With a little less than 5:20 left in the first quarter, the Lady Dragons had an 8-1 lead. However, the Lady Wildcats fought back to a 10-8 lead thanks to a three-pointer by Jasmine Hembry with 3:51 left in the first quarter. Hembry would finish with 14 points, which was second on the team. After fighting back and forth, Oak Ridge would score a basket with :20 seconds left, and the score after one quarter was 15-13. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats play William Blount Monday after defeating Loudon Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Courtney Ellison of Lady Wildcats

Lady Wildcat Courtney Ellison (10) was one of four players who scored in double digits against Loudon on Saturday. Ellison led all scorers with 12 points, and she made seven key free throws down the stretch. (Photos courtesy David Scott/Tom Scott)

 

By Coach David Scott

The Lady Wildcats defeated Loudon 55-50 on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats (10-5, 5-1 in District 3-AAA) had four players in double figures. They were led by Courtney Ellison’s 12. Ellison made seven key free throws down the stretch. [Read more…]

Wildcats get first 14-0 start in OT win over Indians

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge Willdcats and Dobyns-Bennett Indians

Oak Ridge Wildcats junior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) is surrounded by four defenders as he drives to the basket during a 68-67 overtime win over the Dobyns-Bennett Indians in Kingsport on Saturday. Gee scored 20 points before fouling out early in overtime. (Photo by Allen Greene Photography)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team started the season 14-0 for the first time after a one-point overtime win over the Dobyns-Bennett Indians in Kingsport on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore guard E.J. Bush had a game-winning layup with about three seconds left in the four-minute overtime period, giving the Wildcats a 68-67 win. Bush, who ended the night with 13 points, scored all seven of the Wildcats’ points in overtime, after starters Geevantay Gee and Tee Higgins and junior center Darel Middleton had fouled out.

Oak Ridge was led by Gee, a junior point guard who scored 20 points, and Higgins, a sophomore shooting guard and small forward who had 14. [Read more…]

Dowdell scores 27 as Lady Wildcats beat Halls 82-41

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Mykia Dowdell

Freshman post Mykia Dowdell (34) had 27 points for the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats in a 82-41 win over the Halls Red Devils on Friday night. (Photos by Luther Simmons)

 

Freshman post Mykia Dowdell scored 27 points for Oak Ridge as the Lady Wildcats opened up a large lead in the second half of a 82-41 win over the Halls Lady Red Devils on Friday night.

The game was closer at halftime, when the Lady Wildcats were up 30-24. Dowdell led all scorers then with 11 points.

But Oak Ridge’s rebounding and defense improved in the second half, and the teamwork was better, Oak Ridge coach David Scott said. The Lady Wildcats scored 52 points in the second half alone.

Other leading scorers on Friday were Caelyn Thompson with 14 points, Princess Bates with 12, Courtney Ellison with 10, Jas Hembry with nine, and Destiny Kassner with seven. [Read more…]