Clinton, Oak Ridge city employees ball out for Isaiah 117 House
by Ken Leinart Special to The Courier News
Basketball fans will have the chance to have some fun while supporting a worthy cause on Saturday, Jan. 25, when employees from the city of Clinton face off against employees from the city of Oak Ridge in a charity hoops spectacular at 2 p.m. at Clinton High School.
This inaugural showcase of basketball talent will benefit Isaiah 117 House.
And yes, basketball talent will be on display — but not in the Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, or Steph Curry sense of the word.
The real talent lies in these employees’ dedication to their everyday jobs, which serve the residents of their respective cities.
Their commitment to their communities will shine through as they step onto the court to raise awareness of and, hopefully, ly, mega funds for a worthy cause.
Sure, there won’t be windmill dunks on display, and the Triangle Offense probably won’t be highlighted, but the game will feature several things you won’t find on the court or courtside even in an NBA arena.
Clinton’s Camden Nelson advances the ball past mid-court during the Dragons’ home game against Livingston Acadamy on Tuesday, Jan. 7. - Ellie Hatmaker
In its only game last week, the Clinton High School boys basketball team endured an offensive drought.
“We just couldn’t hit a shot; we had good looks, but we just couldn’t make shots,” Dragons Coach Chris Lockard said after his team’s 38-29 loss to Livingston Academy on Jan. 7 at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
“Our defense was really good, and it’s been the same thing over the last few games,” he said. “[Livingston Academy is] a really good three-point shooting team, and we did a good job guarding the three-point line. I think they were 1-for-8.
“Our defense is good, but we’re just not making shots.”
Lockard said the team has gone back to the drawing board.
“We’ve changed some things practice-wise and rep-wise,” said Lockard, Clinton’s veteran coach. “I always say that offense is the easiest thing to fix because everybody wants to score.
Anderson County High School’s wrestlers won four of their five dual meets last week.
On Thursday, the Mavericks hosted Union County and Powell, defeating the Patriots 70-12 and shutting out the Panthers 78-0.
Against Powell, Anderson County had eight wrestlers win by pin.
Michael Mattson (120 pounds), Tripp Haire (132), Edmund Presson (138), Max Wolfley (144), Joseph Matchette (157), Evan Prewitt (165), Isaiah Tuckey (175) and Joshua Bingham (285) all secured victories by fall.
Three Mavericks won by forfeit: Chris Baldwin (106), Joe Rygelski (190) and Eli Bratton (215).
In the 126-pound weight class, Zed Houlet earned five team points with a technical fall victory. Hayden Harrell (150) won by major decision, while Aiden Reed picked up a decision win.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Mavericks traveled to Blount County, where they defeated Heritage 67-9 and edged out Alcoa 39-31. Anderson County fell to Samuel Everett 44-36.
Against Alcoa, Bingham, Tennessee’s top-ranked 215-pounder, moved up to the 285-pound class and pinned No. 1-ranked Kenny Harris in 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
Houlet, Haire, Tuckey and Baldwin also won by fall, while Wolfley claimed an 8-3 decision over Alcoa’s Nolan Henry in a match held at Eagleton Academy.
In the loss to Samuel Everett, Bratton, Baldwin, Rygelski, and Houlet each recorded pins.
Clinton High School’s wrestling program honored its two seniors Thursday night during a dual meet at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
The Dragons split their matchups, falling to Farragut 42-36, while edging Knoxville Catholic 34-29.
Against Farragut, Aaron Solberg, who competes in the 126-pound weight class, won by fall, one of four Dragons to record pins.
Bryson Bunch (150), Jordan Smith (175) and Dalton Kendall (215) also secured wins by fall.
Keenan Hoskins (134) earned four points claiming a major decision, while Adam Gonzales (157) added five points with a technical fall. Bryson Breeden contributed four points by winning via injury default.
Against Knoxville Catholic, Kendall notched another pin. Bunch, Jake Brown (165), and Jonah Hoskins (215) won by forfeit. Kendall, wrestling in the 285-pound division, earned a second pin. Hoskins and Smith both claimed technical falls.
Clinton seniors Dalton Kendall and Ace Johnson, the program’s only female senior, were recognized for their contributions to the team. Kendall, who surpassed 100 career wins, and Johnson were given commemorative awards.
Johnson capped the night with an impressive win, pinning Knoxville Catholic’s Julia Parrish, the top-ranked heavyweight in Tennessee.
When Anderson County High School’s Lady Mavericks basketball team returned to action last week after an extended holiday break, Coach Mitch Cupples thought his squad might need
time to shake off the rust.
He had nothing to worry about.
The Lady Mavericks cruised to a 68-45 win over Carter in their first game of the new year, held at Strawberry Plains.
It was Anderson County’s first contest since Dec. 21.
“That was the most points we’ve scored all season,” Cupples said. “We also had our highest assist total and the most field goal attempts we’d had all season.
“I thought we might be a little rusty, but we weren’t,” he said. “We played pretty well, and we played pretty well on defense.”
Macy Basford notched a double-double, scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Addison Grooms contributed eight points and eight rebounds, while Emerie Bullock finished with five points and a season-high 14 assists.
Anderson County senior Brandon Dake broke the Mavericks’ all-time scoring record of 1,324 points during the Dec. 17 game against Scott. - Tony Cox
Three area high school basketball players recently reached career scoring milestones.
Anderson County High School’s Brandon Dake became the Mavericks’ all-time leading scorer after breaking a record that stood for nearly four decades.
Dake, a senior, surpassed Paul Wallace’s record 1,324 points during Anderson County’s 60-28 victory over Scott on Dec. 17. He also holds the program’s single-game scoring record and the single-game record for three-pointers, both set last season against Gibbs.
Clinton’s Lanee Carmichael, a junior guard/forward for the Lady Dragons, scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season. She reached the milestone before the holiday break and was honored Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Oak Ridge High School’s Ayana Porter, a senior guard, recorded her 1,000th career point in the Lady Wildcats’ 44-42 win over Sevier County on Dec. 19.
Inclement weather is the only thing that has slowed the Oak Ridge High School boys basketball team’s dominance in District 3-4A play.
The Wildcats (10-3 overall, 3-0 district) had their Friday night league game at Powell postponed due to snow that blanketed East Tennessee on Friday morning.
The matchup between Oak Ridge and the Panthers (7-9, 2-1) has been rescheduled for Thursday at Powell’s Jeff Hunter Gymnasium, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said the postponement was frustrating.
“It just seems like the last few years, this has all just been part of it,” Green said. “It’s always frustrating when you lose a game due to weather because everything can get backed up.”
In their only game last week, the Wildcats routed Karns 96-43 on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at Wildcat Arena.
Norris’s Connor Dabney uses his height advantage while rebounding against Jefferson’s Max Keene (0) and CJ Stewart (32) during the Senators Thursday night matchup against the Eagles. - Dwane Wilder
The Norris Middle School boys’ basketball team outlasted Jefferson 51-44 in a home game Thursday.
The Senators jumped out to a quick start, outscoring the Eagles 16-10 in the first quarter. Jefferson responded with a strong second quarter, using a 15-8 run to take a 25-24 lead at halftime.
The Eagles momentum continued in the second half, holding a 40-36 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Senators then pulled away in the final period, closing with a 15-4 run to secure the win.
Cooper Downs led the Senators with 15 points. Conner Dabney added 10, Liam Childress had eight, Mason Ellis scored seven, William Norton added six, and Eli Lindsey finished with five.
Jefferson’s Max Keane led all scorers with 23 points.
Addie Blevins (45) gets tied up with Jefferson Middle’s Tamiyah Porter while shooting during the Lady Senators’ home game againd the Lady Eagles. Blevins finished the night with 16 points. - Dwane Wilder
Norris Middle School’s girls basketball team secured a key conference victory Thursday, defeating Jefferson 38-23.
Addie Blevins led all scorers with 16 points, and grabbed six rebounds for Norris, which held a 10-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Addison Willoughby and Kaitelyn Cofer contributed six points each, while Avery Goehring added four.
Harper Eckert led the Lady Eagles with six points.
Sayani Jones added five, while Jordyn Owens and Reese Tiller chipped in four points apiece.
Norris also notched a dominant 47-13 win over St. Joseph on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
Willoughby paced the team with 12 points and four steals. Emerson Irwin added nine points and two steals, while Cofer finished with six points and four rebounds.
Earlier in the week, Norris fell to Robertsville on Monday, Jan. 6.
After a holiday break, the Robertsville Middle School girls basketball team returned to action Monday, Jan. 6, with a lopsided win over Norris.
The Lady Rams defeated the Lady Senators 55-7, led by Azariah Lee’s game-high 15 points. Bella Bradley also scored in double figures with 14 points.
Jaida Lee, Alyson Wilson and Mazyah Thompson each contributed six points for Robertsville.
Coach David Scott praised his team’s performance.
“We’ve been working on things like valuing the ball and making good passes,” Scott said. “We’ll have a couple of days of practice before we play again on Thursday.
“We play Cleveland, and they’re always good; they’ll be a good challenge for us,” he said.
Robertsville faces crosstown rival Jefferson on Tuesday at Wildcat Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
The Oak Ridge High School girls basketball team maintained its perfect District 3-4A record with a decisive victory Tuesday, Jan. 7, in its return to the court following the holiday break.
The Lady Wildcats (11-3 overall, 3-0 district) used a dominant fourth-quarter run to defeat Karns 81-50 at Wildcat Arena.
The Lady Beavers, led by former Oak Ridge assistant coach Lauren Trent, kept the game competitive early.
Oak Ridge outscored Karns 21-12 in the first quarter and extended its lead to 39-24 at halftime. Karns cut the deficit to 52-42 by the end of the third quarter, but the Lady Wildcats pulled away with a 29-4 run in the final eight minutes.
Evayla Mitchell led Oak Ridge with 24 points, while Jenna Johnson and Ze’Yana Stewart added 14 points each.
The Lady Wildcats’ scheduled game at Powell last Friday was postponed due to inclement weather. That game has been rescheduled for Thursday at Powell’s Jeff Hunter Gymnasium, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
Oak Ridge was set to face Campbell County in Jacksboro on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
