Clinton senior guard Addi Gamble, shown during an early-season game against Oak Ridge, was honored Friday night, Jan. 23, after reaching the 1,000-point milestone for her career with the Clinton Lady Dragons. The recognition came during a home game against the Union County Lady Patriots. - File Photo
It was a milestone week for Clinton High School senior guard Addi Gamble.
Gamble, a Carson-Newman signee who already holds the Clinton program’s career steals record, scored her 1,000th career point during the Lady Dragons’ 64-30 District 4-AAA win over Gibbs on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
She filled the stat sheet with 23 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, three assists and three blocks in the blowout victory.
Gamble had plenty of support, as three other Lady Dragons also scored in double figures.
Josie Moody finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
Lanee Carmichael scored 11 points, pulled down three rebounds, had four steals and an assist. Cailyn Taylor added 10 points, seven steals, three rebounds and two assists.
Clinton kept the momentum rolling on Friday with a 76-40 rout of Union County at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
Anderson County’s Landry Sharp looks for an opening to the basket during the Mavericks’ 65-57 victory over Scott on Friday night. - Ace Dunegan
Anderson County High School’s boys basketball team opened the second half of its District 4-AAA schedule on a winning note late last week.
The Mavericks outlasted Scott 65-57 Friday night at home, completing a season sweep of the Highlanders.
Anderson County, which sits in second place behind crosstown rival Clinton in the league standings, edged Scott 60-58 in the district opener Tuesday, Jan. 6, in Huntsville.
Despite the win over a Highlanders squad that has dropped four of its five district games, Mavericks Coach Jordan Jeffers had high praise for the visitors.
“I’m telling you, Scott County is a good, old-school basketball team, and they’re going to be a terror to deal with,” Jeffers said.
“I’m proud of our guys for their willingness to play and compete. I know I sound like ‘wash, rinse and compete’ after every game, but we’re learning more about who we are.”
Clinton overwhelms district foe to remain unbeaten in 4-AAA
by Ken Lay
Clinton senior guard Bryson Maddox throws down a dunk during the Dragons’ 80-43 win over Union County on Friday, Jan. 23. Maddox led Clinton with 18 points and added seven rebounds and five assists in the victory. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s boys basketball team kept its perfect District 4-AAA record intact with a pair of dominant victories last week.
The Dragons (20-7 overall, 5-0 in the district) opened the second half of league play Friday night with an 80-43 home win over Union County at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium, completing a regular-season sweep of the Patriots.
While longtime Clinton Coach Chris Lockard is pleased with his team’s progress, he knows that the Dragons can’t afford to rest on their laurels or take any opponent lightly as the season continues.
“We’ve made some changes that have helped us offensively,” Lockard said. “We’re in first place, we just picked up our 20th win, but we’ve still got a long way to go to get ready for the (district) tournament.
“Our defense and rebounding are good, and I’m extremely proud of that. But we still have a lot of work to do.”
Revenge was sweet for the Anderson County High School girls basketball team Friday night as it returned to District 4-AAA play and avenged its lone league loss with a 45-33 home win over Scott.
“Their defense did a good job up there,” Lady Mavericks Coach Mitch Cupples said of Scott’s 39-27 win on Jan. 6 in Huntsville. “We didn’t execute, but they had a game plan and did a good job.
“We came out tonight and it started the same way. I called a timeout and we started picking up the defensive pressure. I told them in the locker room before the game that we were going to be aggressive. They want me to give them permission to be aggressive, and I told them to be aggressive.”
Ethan James scans the floor for an open teammate during Friday night’s game against the Farragut Admirals. - ORHS Sports Media
Oak Ridge High School boys basketball Coach Aaron Green couldn’t hide his frustration after watching his team let another one slip away.
The Wildcats squandered a 10-point second-quarter lead and dropped their third-consecutive District 4-4A game, falling to Farragut 73-67 Friday night before a packed house at Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
“Everybody looks at a game and says the team made a lot of shots and they won,” Green said. “We don’t look at it that way. You have to make them miss.”
Oak Ridge (11-9 overall, 4-4 in the district), coming off losses to Hardin Valley Academy and Bearden, started fast.
The Wildcats closed the first quarter with a 20-14 advantage and extended that lead to 31-21 midway through the second after a 9-7 run.
Autumn O’Daniel pushes the ball up the court during Friday night’s matchup against the Farragut Admirals. - ORHS Sports Media
Oak Ridge High School’s girls basketball team saw its struggles continue in District 4-4A play Friday night, falling 55-35 to Farragut at Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
The Lady Wildcats (6-12 overall, 3-5 in the district) got off to a quick start, opening a 16-13 lead in the first quarter. But momentum quickly faded after key injuries and offensive woes set in.
Senior guard Evayia Mitchell, Oak Ridge’s leading scorer, entered the contest battling a lower back injury. Despite being limited, she led the Lady Wildcats with 10 points.
Oak Ridge suffered another setback in the second quarter when post player Alani Mitchell went down with an ankle injury and did not return. She had six points before exiting.
Clinton Middle School’s Caroline Jones advances the ball into Lady Hawks territory during a district tournament game against Maryville on Wednesday, Jan. 21. - Tony Cox
A successful 2025-26 middle school basketball season came to an end for the Clinton Lady Hawks last week.
Clinton, which made the semifinals of its district tournament, was eliminated by Maryville, losing 37-9 on Wednesday, Jan 21, at Sevier County Junior High School.
The Lady Hawks finish the season with a 14-7 record.
Shelby Carroll scored seven of Clinton’s nine points in the contest. She also had seven rebounds for the Lady Hawks. Myla Queener scored two points against Maryville, which led, 26-5, at halftime.
Tora Beeler also grabbed three rebounds in the season finale for the Lady Hawks.
Clinton Coach Jason Love said he was pleased with his squad’s effort and ability to battle through adversity during the recently completed season. The final game of the season didn’t sully a successful season.
The Norris Middle School boys basketball team saw its 2025-26 campaign come to a close Thursday night with a first-round loss in the District 6 tournament.
The Senators dropped a 41-28 decision to Jacksboro in LaFollette.
Norris opened the season strong but faltered down the stretch.
“It wasn’t the way we wanted to end,” Senators Coach Trey Bingham said. “I thought we got better as the season went along, but basketball is a tournament sport — and unfortunately, what you do before the tournament doesn’t really matter.
“We’re just going to have to get ready for next year.”
Clinton’s Jordan Smith (175) had a decisive win over Hardin Valley Academy’s Nolan Sharp scoring points for the Dragons with a pin in 1:42. Smith also picked up a win by fall for Clinton against Sevier County. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s wrestling team showed resilience Thursday night, splitting a pair of dual meets at Karns High School.
The Dragons opened the night in Northwest Knox County against Region 2-AA runner-up Hardin Valley Academy, falling 56-23 to the Hawks after winning four bouts.
“Hardin Valley is a good team, but I don’t think they’re unbeatable,” Clinton coach Carl Nielsen said. “If we had a couple of things go our way, the outcome might have been a little different.”
Clinton recorded wins from Keenan Hoskins, Marshon Matthews, Adam Gonzalez and Jordan Smith.
Hoskins, the Dragons’ 132-pounder, earned a technical fall with a 21-6 victory over Sylas Flemming.
The bout was stopped at 3 minutes, 1 second.
Matthews, wrestling at 150 pounds, won by injury default over John Geiger. At 157 pounds, Gonzalez pinned William Wilmer in 3:26, while Smith (175) secured a pin of Nolan Sharp in 1:42.
Anderson County High School wrestler Danielle Connors added another tournament title to her growing list of accomplishments.
Competing in the 126-pound weight class, Connors captured the championship at the Halls Lady Devils Invitational, held Monday, Jan. 19, at Knoxville Halls High School.
She went 4-0 in the event, which featured several of East Tennessee’s top female wrestlers.
Connors won all four matches by pin en route to claiming the title for the Lady Mavericks.
Clinton Middle School’s Victor Barrett drives to the basket for a layup during the Hawks’ district tournament game against Maryville Middle School on Wednesday, Jan. 21. - Tony Cox
The 2025-26 season came to a close for the Clinton Middle School boys basketball team in the district tournament semifinals.
The Hawks were eliminated Wednesday, Jan. 21, after a 43-30 loss to Maryville at Sevier County Junior High.
“I would’ve liked to win one more game so we could’ve had a chance to go to the sectionals,” Clinton Coach Matt McGhee said. “I think we were playing some of our best basketball at the end of the season.
“When we played Webb School of Knoxville over there early in the year, they beat us by 30. When we played them here, we beat them by 11. That shows how much we improved.”
McGhee, who stepped in as head coach for the 2025-26 season, said the future is bright for the program.
“Our eighth-graders — some will go to Clinton, and some will go to Anderson County. They’ll move on to high school,” he said. “And our seventh-graders, who will be eighth-graders next year, will be good. So whoever the coach is next year will have some good players.”
