Lady Wildcats head to region championship
For the first time since 2017, the Oak Ridge High School girls basketball team is headed to the region championship.
The Lady Wildcats (28-3) secured their spot in the title game with a 70-62 victory over Farragut in an elimination semifinal at Wildcat Arena on Monday night.
Despite battling illness, senior point guard Ayana Porter, the District 3-4A Player of the Year, delivered one of her most impressive performances of the season, scoring 33 points.
“She was sick before the game and she was sick at halftime,” Oak Ridge coach Paige Taylor said of Porter. “That was a big win for us.”
Monday night’s victory was particularly sweet for the Lady Wildcats, as it avenged last year’s loss to the Lady Admirals, who went on to win the region championship in 2024.
“That’s a really good basketball team, and they didn’t lose anybody off that team (from last year),” Taylor said. “I’m just super excited for these seniors because they’ve been to this (semifinal) game at least two times and they’ve never been able to get over it.
“Our effort defensively tonight was tremendous, and I’m super proud of all these girls, especially the seniors after all they’ve been through. This was a total team effort.”
The Lady Wildcats will host Bearden tonight (March 5) in the Region 2-4A Championship Game, setting up a battle of district champions.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Wildcat Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs (31-4) advanced to the championship game with a 62-41 victory over Hardin Valley Academy.
Porter received solid support from her teammates, including seniors Jenna Johnson, who contributed 14 points, and Ze’Yana Stewart, who added 11.
Oak Ridge reached the semifinal by defeating Maryville in the opening round of the region tournament Friday night, while Bearden advanced with a win over Karns.
