The Southern Conference announced Tuesday that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior forward Zaccheus Mason was the men's basketball player of the week. The junior from Nashville averaged 22 points and 8.5 rebounds in an overtime win against Appalachian State and a loss to Western Carolina. "I think we can get a lot more out of Z," UTC coach John Shulman said. "He's going at about 70 percent and he needs to go about 95 percent. If he would go 100 percent all the time, he'd be one of the better bigs in the league." Mason leads the Mocs with 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, and he's averaged 16.5 points in his last 11 games.
• The Lee University men's basketball team shot up to No. 2 from sixth in the NAIA Division I poll Tuesday and then rose to 18-1 overall, 9-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference, by slipping past Truett-McConnell's 4-16 Bears. That was after the sixth-ranked Lady Flames whipped their hosts in Cleveland, Ga., 87-42. Chase Dunn was 7-of-10 from the field in scoring 23 points for the Flames, and fellow Tennessee Tech transfer Will Barnes had 16 points and six assists. Jamorris Gaines scored 14 points and three other Lee guys reached double figures. Anthony Dorsey and Andretti Loyd scored 29 and 26 points for Truett-McConnell. Jenna Adams had 17 points, 13 rebounds and four steals for the Lee women (17-1, 8-1), while Julia Zimmerman tallied 16 points and Myriah Iles and Hollie German had 12 points apiece and nine rebounds and six assists, respectively.
• The Covenant College women's basketball team halted a three-game losing streak by winning 51-43 Tuesday night at Sewanee, and the Covenant men also edged the Tigers, 62-59, in overtime. Colton McGriff and T.J. Cox scored 17 and 15 points and Sam Bowman added 11 for the Scots (11-7), while Tyler Brown led Sewanee (8-7) with 11 points and eight rebounds. Haley Soles and Ruth Gibson scored 13 and 12 points with three 3-point baskets each for the Lady Scots (7-6). Kayla Sewell had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Paige Lowe and Jamie Chauvin scored 12 and 11 points for Sewanee (5-10), while Jamie Samociuk matched Covenant's Morgan Woodward with five steals.
• Alex Miller had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Georgia Northwestern men's basketball team Tuesday night, but the two-year Bobcats lost 73-70 at four-year school Toccoa Falls. Hunter Ivester and Bud Todd scored 14 and 10 points for GNTC (6-14), which will host Macon State in a 7 p.m. game Friday at the Rossville Athletic Complex. Youth-league basketball teams wearing their jerseys will be admitted free, and nonperishable food donations for the LaFayette Care Mission also will be good for free admission. Josh Barrett had 23 points and six assists for Toccoa Falls.
Softball
• Along with Northwest Whitfield's Emily Boyd and Jason Brooker receiving Class AAAA state softball player and coach of the year honors from the Georgia Dugout Club, as reported Tuesday, Dade County and Gordon Lee had pitchers and coaches likewise selected in their classifications at the GADC Coaches Clinic this past weekend in Atlanta. Madison Gossett and coaches Christine Core and Autumn Sigler earned Class AA statewide awards from Dade, and Kali Kimbrell and coach Dana Mull from the Lady Trojans were honored in Class A.
Bowling
• Tony Helms bowled the first 800 series of his life during the team competition Sunday as the 2013 men's and women's city tournaments got under way this past weekend at Holiday Bowl Hixson. Helms, who never had a 700 series before, had games of 268, 267 and 269 in helping James Lacey's foursome jump to the lead in scratch (2,895) and handicap scoring (3,115). Helms added a first-place 768 with handicap included and holds the handicap all-events lead at 2,458 with this weekend still to go. Carrie Lacey had an even better 779 for the women's handicap singles lead. Frank Massengale is the men's scratch all-events leader and the scratch doubles leader with his son Chris. Darlene Williams leads the women's scratch categories in all events, singles, doubles and team, the latter two including Donna Jones.
Baseball
• Star closer Craig Kimbrel is scheduled to headline the lineup for the Braves Country Caravan stop next Monday in Dalton, along with fellow pitcher Gus Schlosser, outfielder Jordan Schafer, general manager Frank Wren and third base coach Brian Snitker. They are scheduled to be at the Academy Sports + Outdoors store on Shugart Road from 3:30 to 5 p.m. That's the closest the caravan is coming to Chattanooga this winter; Rhea County graduate Cory Gearrin is part of the group scheduled for the Academy store in Mount Juliet on Sunday.