Lady Dragons rout Fulton 71-33, now 5-1 on the season
by Ken Lay
Clinton’s Addi Gamble drives through contact for a layup during the Gibbs Thanksgiving Classic championship game against Fulton. Gamble delivered a dominant double-double performance, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the Lady Dragons’ 71-33 win over the Lady Falcons. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s girls basketball team capped the holiday week by winning three games and capturing the championship at the Gibbs Thanksgiving Classic.
The Lady Dragons (5-1) enter the new week riding a three-game winning streak, after routing Knoxville Fulton 71-33 on Saturday to win the tournament at Jerry H. Sharp Gymnasium in Corryton.
Senior guard Addi Gamble powered Clinton past the Lady Falcons with a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Gamble, who recently signed with Carson-Newman University, also tallied six steals and five assists.
She had plenty of help from her teammates. Josie Moody finished with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.
Caylin Taylor added 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lanee Carmichael contributed eight points, five boards and three assists.
Anderson County High School senior Macy Basford, one of the program’s most accomplished players, reached a major career milestone last week.
Basford scored her 1,000th career point Monday, Nov. 24, as the Lady Mavericks defeated Woodland (Georgia) 46-40 in the opening game of a holiday tournament in Pensacola, Florida.
She finished with 19 points in the win, helping ACHS (2-2) pull away after leading just 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Mavs made a second-quarter push to take control of the game.
Bethany Lowe also hit double figures, scoring 10 points.
“I was really happy with the way we played on Monday,” Lady Mavericks Coach Mitch Cupples said.
Anderson County couldn’t carry the momentum into the second game of the trip, falling 64-44 to Ider High School (Alabama), a defending state champion.
“They were a really good, really athletic team,” Cupples said. “We didn’t play well. We turned the ball over too much. They’re a lot like a team that we could see in the region — like Fulton or Austin-East.”
Basford scored 14 points in the loss, and Lowe added 11.
The Lady Mavericks hosted Oneida on Tuesday. Results were not available at press time.
Anderson County is scheduled to visit Powell on Friday for a matchup with the Lady Panthers at Jeff Hunter Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
A pair of local volleyball standouts earned statewide recognition as they were named to the Tennessee Volleyball Coaches Association’s Class AAA All-State Team.
Anderson County junior libero Emerie Bullock and Clinton junior middle blocker Parker McGhee received the honor following standout seasons for their respective teams.
Bullock led the Lady Mavericks in total digs and digs per set. Her defensive efforts helped Anderson County capture the District 3-AAA tournament championship as a No. 5 seed and finish as the Region 2-AAA runner-up.
McGhee powered the Lady Dragons to a second-place finish in the District 3-AAA regular season behind Knoxville Central. Clinton also finished runner-up to Anderson County in the district tournament and made its fourth consecutive Region 2-AAA tournament appearance.
McGhee led Clinton in service aces and blocks and ranked second on the team in kills.
Clinton basketball standout Addi Gamble is joined by her family, (clockwise) Ben, Daniella and Macy Gamble, as she signs her letter of intent to play basketball for Carson Newman University. - Dwane Wilder
Clinton High School senior Addi Gamble has finalized her college plans, signing to play basketball at Carson-Newman University.
Gamble, the Lady Dragons’ starting point guard, will continue her academic and athletic careers in Jefferson City, where she’ll join three of her AAU teammates on the Eagles roster.
“I have a really good relationship with their coach, and I have three AAU teammates already playing there,” Gamble said. “It just felt like home.”
She made her announcement just days after helping lead Clinton (5-1) to the championship of the Gibbs Thanksgiving Classic.
In the 71-33 win over Knoxville Fulton on Saturday at Jerry H. Sharp Gymnasium in Corryton, Gamble posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. She also had six steals and five assists.
Although she considered schools in Florida — including one in Tampa — Gamble said she’s happy to stay in East Tennessee so her family can watch her play.
“I didn’t necessarily want to stay close to home, but I’m glad it worked out that way,” she said.
Gamble hopes to become a radiologist, though she is still undecided on a major. She said she will likely pursue a degree in science.
Clinton soccer standout Riley Sharp, center, is joined by Roane State Assistant Coach Nathan Worley and Head Coach Donnie Green and her family, Heather Maples and Gary Sharp, as she signs her letter of intent to play soccer for Roane State in the fall. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School senior Riley Sharp will continue her soccer career at the collegiate level.
Sharp finalized her plans recently by signing with Roane State Community College, where she will play for former Oak Ridge High School girls soccer coach Donnie Green.
A veteran presence for the Lady Dragons, Sharp helped guide a young Clinton squad through the 2025 season. She had previously been part of the most-successful team in program history in 2024.
Assistant Coach Filip Leander said her commitment reflects her talent and dedication.
“She got recruited and signed to play college soccer,” Leander said. “Only 8% of players play college soccer. We’re the only country in the world where you can play college soccer, and you’re competing not only against kids from the U.S. but from all over the world.
“During her early years at Clinton, she started on teams that did things we had never done before. Then as a senior, she was on a young team with new players. I’m excited to see her play at the next level,” he said.
Lady Dragons head coach Sylvain David echoed that excitement.
“I’ve known her for a year, and on the pitch she’s been great,” David said. “I’m happy that she’s going to play for Roane State.”
Sharp thanked her family, coaches and teammates for guiding her journey.
“I would like to thank all the people in my life for helping make this moment possible,” she said. “Without them, this never could’ve happened, and I want to thank God for setting me on this path.”
Green said Sharp’s personality and energy will make her a strong addition to the Lady Raiders.
“Riley is the life of the party,” he said. “On my team, I want to create families. We are a family, and I think she’ll fit in just right.”
Clinton High School’s boys basketball team stayed busy over the holiday week while many classmates enjoyed a break.
The Dragons (4-3) finished second in the Food City Thanksgiving Classic in Northeast Tennessee, closing their stay with a 65-54 loss to Tennessee High School of Bristol on Saturday.
Veteran Coach Chris Lockard said he believed his team had a real chance to bring home the tournament title.
“I think we could’ve beaten Tennessee High, but the biggest thing was that we just didn’t make plays,” Lockard said. “We missed a lot of shots. We missed layups.”
Against the Vikings, Bryson Maddox scored a team-high 20 points. Jaxson Alcorn added 16, and Tristan Lundy finished with 12 for the Dragons.
Clinton advanced to the championship game with a 70-48 victory over Sullivan East on Friday. Maddox again led the Dragons with 24 points, while Lundy scored 13. Alcorn had eight, and Brendan Hayden added six.
The Dragons opened tournament play Tuesday, Nov. 25, with a 68-30 rout of Kachea. Clinton built a 24-7 lead after the opening quarter and led 40-17 at halftime before stretching the margin to 53-21 by the end of the third.
Maddox scored 24 points and added four rebounds and two steals. Alcorn finished with 12 points for Clinton, which played Kingston on Tuesday.
Results were not available at press time.
The Dragons travel to Karns on Friday, with tipoff against the Beavers set for 7:30 p.m.
Anderson County High School’s boys basketball team made a trip to Florida’s Gulf Coast recently, and the Mavericks faced a tall task as they competed without several key players who had just wrapped up the 2025 football season.
“We went with seven players, and then after football season was over, Elijah Johnson came down — his sister plays for the girls team — and he played a little bit and gave us an eighth (player),” Anderson County Coach Jordan Jeffers said.
“We played some great competition, and I thought the players played really hard,” he said. “I was really pleased with our effort. When we came back, we had our guys at practice, and we’re going to look a lot different. I don’t know if we’ll be better, but we’ll look a lot different.”
The Mavericks (1-3) opened play in the Sunshine State with a 76-58 loss to Cornerstone Christian (Texas).
A trip to the Midstate brought a little of everything for Oak Ridge High School’s boys basketball team early last week.
The Wildcats (2-2) split their two tournament games, opening with a narrow 61-58 loss to Rockvale on Monday, Nov. 24, before responding less than 24 hours later with a 61-58 win over Siegel.
Senior Charlie Taubenheim lit up the Stars on Tuesday, Nov. 25, finishing with 27 points.
“Charlie had a great game against Siegel,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “But the big X factor for us was Luis Soria. He had 13 points, and he hit four threes. I think he made three of those in the second half, and that really made the difference.”
Competing in their first individual tournament of the season, Oak Ridge High School’s wrestling teams had eight athletes reach the podium at the Bearden Kickoff Clash.
The event, held Saturday, Nov. 22, in West Knoxville, featured many of the area’s top wrestling programs.
“This was big for our program,” Wildcats Coach Bam Thomas said. “We had eight wrestlers place at a big tournament like this. We saw some good wrestlers and some good wrestling.”
Seven Oak Ridge boys earned medals, and Brooke Johnson (152-165 pounds) represented the Lady Wildcats with a medal in the girls division.
Boys medalists included Cole Callaghan (106 pounds), Nick Englehardt (113), Jett Craig (120), Easton Greenlee (132), Gary Carlisle (175), Rances Almendavez (190) and Joey Marinshipp.
“I don’t have where they placed, but I know they all did well in their first tournament, and I’m extremely proud of them,” Thomas said.
Just before Thanksgiving break, Oak Ridge competed in the Maryville Duals on Wednesday, Nov. 26, where it dropped matches to Jefferson County, host Maryville and Sevier County.
“We saw some good wrestlers in Maryville and we saw some good teams, but I think we did as well as could’ve been expected,” Thomas said.
Both the Clinton High and Anderson County High wrestling teams were idle last week during the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Dragons and Mavericks will return to the mats this week, but both were in action Friday, Nov. 21, at Anderson County.
Clinton and Anderson County renewed their rivalry even though Mavericks Head Coach Matt Slone was absent while coaching in ACHS’s football game, a loss to Greeneville in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.
Although he and several wrestlers were unavailable for the duals against Clinton and Pigeon Forge, Slone said he was pleased with the Mavericks’ effort against their crosstown rival.
Oak Ridge High School’s girls basketball team had a quiet Thanksgiving week, but the Lady Wildcats are preparing to return to action following a long early-season break.
ORHS (1-1) last played on Tuesday, Nov. 18, when it dropped a 67-27 road decision to Cookeville in a Hall of Fame game.
The Lady Wildcats won’t play again until they open District 4-4A play with a tough road test at Bearden, a perennial state power in West Knoxville.
“We’re just looking forward to getting to play again,” said Kevin Tubbs, Oak Ridge’s first-year head coach. “I inherited a schedule where we had the two Hall of Fame games, and now we’re getting ready to play what is really our first regular-season game.”
