Title game could be a classic
Clinton and Oak Ridge square off for a third time
Lane Harrison and a Central defender jump over Clinton’s Jeremiah Blauvelt for a rebound in the district semifinals. Dragons won 70-67. (photo:Collin Riggs )
Clinton has faced and lost to the Wildcats twice this season, first in December at Oak Ridge, where the Dragons lost 85-65 two days after one of their starting players came out of quarantine. The first two quarters of that game stayed close, with both teams taking and losing the lead multiple times before halftime. After halftime, though, the Wildcats made adjustments that the Dragons struggled to counter.
The second time the two teams faced each other, Clinton hosted, and started strong, outscoring Oak Ridge 19-13 in the first quarter before losing their footing in the second quarter. Clinton hit a wall, only scoring seven points in the second quarter while Oak Ridge upped its game, scoring 19. The Dragons tried to recover at halftime, but, unfortunately, couldn’t get their momentum back and still struggled to keep the Wildcats out of the paint, where they scored 44 points.
The Dragons lost that game 69-56.
Chris Lockard, the head coach for the Dragons, said that everyone’s aware what a tough game it will be for Clinton.
“Obviously Oak Ridge is undefeated in the district again this year, and it’s the exact same match-up we had last year in the district finals,” he said. “They’re the best team. Their size is a big advantage for them, they’re strong on the offensive glass. We’ll have to make some adjustments to slow that down. Their overall team speed is something, and I think a big thing is to slow their transition down. That’s hard to do, but we’ve got a couple of game plans we’re looking at.”
Lockard said that Clinton will have to play incredibly well to come out with a win, but he thinks his team can do it.
“It’s going to be tough, but I think this group is ready for it, and I think they’re excited for the challenge,” he said.
“We’re going to have to play well and shoot the ball well and see if we can make it a skill game. Hopefully we’re able to get our shooters some good walk-in three looks and still have the ability to attack the paint when we can.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s the district finals, and it gets you a home region floor for the tournament,” Lockard said.
“That would be motivation for any team to want to win and push harder. I believe if we can get it to a possession game, then I like our chances. I have a lot of confidence in this group and they just need to believe it and go achieve it.”
Whether they win or lose, the Dragons will face either Farragut or West High School in the first round of the region, and their first game will be at Clinton.
When the schedule is made available, it will be posted on The Clinton Courier’s website.