HIGH SCHOOL

Oak Ridge holds off furious Bearden comeback, 62-56

MIKE BLACKERBY
KNS-sports@knoxnews.com

OAK RIDGE - The most improbable first-round region matchup almost had a most unlikely ending Friday night at Wildcat Arena.

Oak Ridge High School watched most of its 24-point third-quarter lead evaporate before regaining its poise in a 62-56 win over Bearden in the Region 2-AAA girls basketball tournament quarterfinals.

“It was a battle,” said Oak Ridge coach Paige Redman.

Oak Ridge's Jada Guinn, left, dribble past Bearden's Trinity Lee during Friday's Region 2-AAA game at Oak Ridge High School.

“Bearden is a very good ball team. They’re not a great match-up for us as far as size.”

The Lady Wildcats (27-3), led by sophomore Jada Guinn’s 30 points, host William Blount (21-10) at 7:30 Monday in the regional semifinals.

Bearden (24-4) has an offseason to search for answers after starting 19-0, but stumbling in the postseason.

The Lady Bulldogs won the District 4-AAA regular season title, but lost both games in the district tournament as they fell to a No. 4 seed in the region.

Guard Trinity Lee scored 17 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter to fuel Bearden’s furious charge.

The Lady Bulldogs trailed 49-29 heading into the fourth quarter before outscoring Oak Ridge 27-13.

Lee hit four long 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Bearden got as close as 59-56 with 19.9 seconds to play.

“In that fourth quarter she hit big shot after big shot,” said Bearden coach Justin Underwood.

Oak Ridge hit three of four free throws late to seal the win.

Oak Ridge's Terrika Dean, right, and teammates react during Friday's Region 2-AAA against Bearden at Oak Ridge High School.

“We didn’t lose our composure,” said Redman.

“We had some bad turnovers, and for a couple of minutes we were playing not to lose. But I’m extremely proud of our girls for battling and fighting.”

Desiree Bates was also a spark for Oak Ridge with 12 points and six rebounds. Mykia Dowdell added 10 points.

Jakhyia Davis was a force for Bearden inside with 11 points and eight rebounds.

“I was so happy with our finish,” said Underwood. “It would have been a whole lot tougher to swallow if we didn’t have that finish.”

Stat of the game 1: Guinn scored 18 first-half points. Her final stat line included 9-for-16 shooting with six 3-pointers, five rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Stat of the game II: Lee started 1 of 7 from the field. She finished 8 of 16 with six 3-pointers.