Oak Ridge holds off Fulton in season finale
Oak Ridge’s Malik Howard had 18 points against Fulton on Saturday night. The Wildcats closed out regular season with a 54-49 win on the road. (photo:Tony Cox )
“I think this game was good for both us and Fulton,” Green said after Oak Ridge outlasted the Falcons 54-49 on Saturday night at Jody Wright Arena. “We always schedule this game late in the year, on the last Saturday of the regular season.
“Thankfully, we’ve been able to keep that game on the schedule,” he said. “I want to play a game like that late in the season because it’s a tough game, and it always gets us ready for the postseason.”
Oak Ridge (22-3) has long been one of the top teams in East Tennessee, while Fulton, under longtime coach and Hall of Famer Jody Wright, has built a dynasty.
Wright has guided the Falcons to multiple state championships, including back-to-back Class AAA titles in 2023 and 2024. He is in his 40th season as Fulton’s head coach.
The Falcons (13-15) are in rebuilding mode after being hit hard by graduation following last season. Still, they won the District 3-AAA title with a perfect 8-0 record.
“We’ve had some great games with them in the past, and they won the last two state championships,” Green said. “When you look at Coach Wright’s program and his legacy, you know they’re always going to play hard and play good defense.”
The Falcons lived up to that reputation over the weekend in North Knoxville. Oak Ridge led 10-9 after the first quarter, then appeared to take control with a surge that put the Wildcats up 25-15 at halftime.
But Fulton never went away, outscoring Oak Ridge 34-29 over the final 16 minutes.
The Wildcats played much of the night without one of their top scorers, senior Garrett Giles, who missed the game due to illness. His absence gave sophomore Malik Howard a rare opportunity.
“With Garrett being out, Malik got the chance to start, and I think that was only his first or second start,” Green said. “He’s been one of our top scorers off the bench, and every time they made a run at us, he made a big shot.
“He had 18 points and seven or eight big rebounds. He has that football mentality, and I like it.”
Howard was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures. Shamar Greene had 15 points, and Ray’Quan Watson added 11. Cooper Williams chipped in eight points.
Fulton’s Derrick Smith led all scorers with 18 points, including 16 after halftime. He knocked down four 3-pointers in the second half to keep the Falcons within striking distance. Nick Steen had 15 points, 13 of which came after halftime, and Rejuan Womble finished with 10.
Oak Ridge hosted Sevier County on Monday for Senior Night, but results were unavailable at press time.
