Taubenheim leads Oak Ridge in gritty holiday tourney
Oak Ridge High School’s boys basketball team, though in a bit of a rebuilding phase during the 2025-26 season, has faced one of the toughest schedules in East Tennessee.
The Wildcats closed out the pre-Christmas portion of their slate at the Hammer’s Classic Powered by 5-Star Preps on Monday, Dec. 22.
They competed in the Alcoa High School bracket, which longtime Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green called the toughest in the tournament, which was held across Knox, Anderson and Blount counties.
“We were in the toughest bracket and we played Sevier County, Fulton and (Knoxville) Catholic,” Green said. “The Smoky Bears, the Falcons and the Irish are always competitors for the state championship in their respective classifications.”
The young Wildcats (4-5) dropped two of their three matchups in the prestigious event.
Oak Ridge closed out tournament play with a 63-53 loss to Knoxville Catholic on Dec. 22 at Alcoa, despite a strong 24-point performance from Charlie Taubenheim, who buried four 3-pointers against the Irish. Ethan James added 16 points in the loss.
The Wildcats notched their lone win of the tournament by topping 2023-24 Class AAA state champion Fulton 51-43 on Saturday, Dec. 20. Taubenheim led the way with 20 points, while James scored 11 and Jemerson added eight.
Oak Ridge opened the tournament on Friday, Dec. 19, against a familiar postseason rival in Sevier County.
The Wildcats defeated the Smoky Bears twice last season, including a win in the state sectionals that sent Oak Ridge to the Class 4A state championship game in Murfreesboro.
But Sevier County avenged those losses, edging Oak Ridge 56-49.
Taubenheim led a balanced offensive attack with 15 points, including three shots from beyond the arc. Justice West scored 11, Jemerson had 10 and James chipped in seven.