Basketball Game Preview: Oak Ridge Wildcats vs. Bartlett Panthers

A feisty cat fight will be fought as Oak Ridge Wildcats challenge Bartlett Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Oak Ridge comes in on 20 and Bartlett on seven.

Oak Ridge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Tennessee's top teams: Sevier County, who was ranked 13th at the time (Oak Ridge was ranked third). Oak Ridge pulled ahead with a 53-52 photo finish over Sevier County on Saturday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Meanwhile, Bartlett got the win against Henry County on Saturday by a conclusive 61-39. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 22 points or more this season.

Oak Ridge better focus on containing Anniya Bailey and Akya Woods as the pair were huge in Bartlett's win. Bailey posted nine points and six assists, while Woods earned 12 points. That's the most points Woods has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Faye Williams, who put up five points.

Bartlett was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They are 17-4 when they've passed the ball that well.

Oak Ridge pushed their record up to 30-3 with the win, which was their 23rd straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.9 points over those games. As for Bartlett, their victory bumped their record up to 23-11.