Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge to play Jefferson County in state tournament Wednesday

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Oak Ridge Wildcats 2014 District Champions

The Oak Ridge Wildcats are pictured above celebrating a district championship win over the Hall Red Devils in February.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team will play Jefferson County in the first round of the state tournament on Wednesday.

The Division I Class AAA quarterfinals game starts at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats are 30-7, and the Jefferson County Patriots are 30-5. The Wildcats are Region 2-AAA runner-ups, and the Patriots are Region 1 runner-ups.

Oak Ridge beat the Dobyns-Bennett Indians 62-55 in a Class AAA sectional game on Tuesday to advance to the state tournament for the second year in a row. The Indians were Region 1 champions, beating Jefferson County 63-52 on Feb. 27. [Read more…]

Wildcats headed back to state tournament after 62-55 win over Dobyns-Bennett

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Seth Davis Oak Ridge and John Fulkerson Dobyns-Bennett

Dobyns-Bennett’s John Fulkerson (#20) and Oak Ridge’s Seth Davis (#5) scramble after a loose ball. (Photo by Ned Jilton II/Kingsport Times News)

Note: This story was last updated at 12:05 p.m. March 5.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play in their second consecutive state tournament after a 62-55 win over Dobyns-Bennett in Kingsport on Tuesday.

It was another comeback victory for the Wildcats, who had been down 27-35 at halftime.

“We won the game in the second half defensively,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

He said senior Kevin Steen, who led the Wildcats with 16 points, sparked the team with 10 points in the third quarter, including a two-handed dunk off a rebound. [Read more…]

Déja vu with twist: This time, in Region 2 final, Wildcats fall

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Geevantay Gee and Oak Ridge Wildcats

Sophomore guard Geevantay Gee had seven points during a Region 2 championship game against Powell on Thursday.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

For a few minutes, it looked like Oak Ridge might repeat its comeback overtime win against Powell.

Down by eight points in the third quarter on Thursday, the Wildcats tied the game 59-59 with less than one minute to play with a flurry of baskets by seniors Jaylin Henderson, Isaac Merian, and Kevin Steen.

But this time, with a Region 2-AAA championship on the line, Oak Ridge was unable to muster a miracle in overtime. Led by the six points of senior Dallas Fields, Powell pulled away from the Wildcats just enough to win. The final score was 72-70, and Powell was named Region 2 champions for the first time since 2006.

But the Wildcats (29-7) aren’t out of the playoffs. They travel to Kingsport on Monday to play Dobyns-Bennett (21-8) at 7 p.m. in a Class AAA sectional for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to Region 2 finals with 61-58 win over Karns

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Region 2 Semifinals

Oak Ridge advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena. The game’s theme was “America.”

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of the one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena.

It was the third time this year that the Wildcats (29-6) have beat the Beavers, and the win guarantees them at least two more post-season games.

“It’s hard to beat any team three times, especially a good team,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Oak Ridge will play Powell (22-9) at 7 p.m. Thursday at home in the Region 2 finals. The outcome will determine whether the Wildcats play at home or away in a Monday sectional game where teams will fight for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Mavericks win district title 19-6 as Wildcats struggle on offense

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Mavericks Tyler Hicks and Wildcats Harry Boston

Harry Boston, senior defensive end for the Oak Ridge Wildcats, pursues Tyler Hicks, senior quarterback for the Anderson County Mavericks. The Mavericks won the district championship at Blankenship Field on Thursday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

With a chance at a district championship hanging in the balance, the Oak Ridge Wildcats fell to the Anderson County Mavericks 19-6 on Blankenship Field on Thursday.

The Wildcats (7-3, 6-2 District 3) struggled offensively throughout the night, recording only 239 yards of total offense, 58 of which came from a single deep ball from Jaylin Henderson to Jiminquas Johnson late in the fourth quarter.

The offensive woes, however, did more than just keep Oak Ridge—who also saw their three-game district winning streak come to an end with the loss—off the scoreboard as they kept the defense out on the field and in tough situations for most of the game.

“We just didn’t get it done on the offensive side. If we do anything offensively, they probably don’t score 19 points, but we kept giving back to them over and over,” Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said. “Our defense played pretty well, giving up 19 points while having to play defense all night long. I think their defense and our offense was the biggest key of the ball game.” [Read more…]

Jaguars eliminate Wildcats from state tournament

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The Southwind Jaguars opened up a wide lead in the fourth quarter and eliminated the Oak Ridge Wildcats from the state basketball tournament in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday.

The final score at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro was 69-47.

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Defense, team effort propel Wildcats past Sevier County to state tournament

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Jaylin Henderson of the Oak Ridge Wildcats

Jaylin Henderson scores with about two minutes left in the first half, helping to lead the Oak Ridge Wildcats to a 61-45 win over the Sevier County Smoky Bears in a sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Monday.

Defense and a team effort propelled Oak Ridge past the Sevier County Smoky Bears on Monday, sending the Wildcats basketball team to the state tournament for the first time since 2007.

The final score was 61-45.

Oak Ridge (28-5) will find out who they play in Murfreesboro next week during a drawing on Saturday.

[Read more…]