Battle-tested Wildcats eye District run
Oak Ridge High School’s boys basketball team endured its share of late-season turbulence, but the Wildcats still locked up the No. 3 seed for the District 4-4A Tournament, which begins this week at McMinn County High School.
Oak Ridge (15-11 overall, 7-5 in the district) closed the regular season with three games last week, dropping two of them.
The Wildcats opened with a 54-44 victory over Cleveland in a makeup game at Wildcat Arena on Monday, Feb. 9.
From there, however, the margin for error proved razor-thin.
Oak Ridge wrapped up district play with a 50-49 loss to Lenoir City on Tuesday, Feb. 10. Senior Charlie Taubenheim, the Wildcats’ lone returning starter from last year’s Class 4A state runner-up squad, poured in 28 points — more than half of Oak Ridge’s total — to keep his team within striking distance.
Ja’Rell Jemerson added 11 points against the Panthers, who earned a split in the regular-season series.
The Wildcats closed the regular season Friday night at home, but Wildcat Arena offered little comfort in a 61-48 setback to the Falcons.
Taubenheim and Luis Soria scored 12 points each for Oak Ridge, while Justice West chipped in 10.
The Wildcats return to the hardwood tonight (Wednesday) to face the winner of the play-in game between Rhea County and host McMinn County High School in a district quarterfinal elimination game. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
A victory would secure a berth in the regional tournament and keep Oak Ridge’s postseason hopes alive.
