Photo by Ron Bush / Michael HawkinsThe nationally top-10 ranked Hamilton Heights Christian Academy boys' basketball team is hosting the second annual Hawks Havoc Classic tonight and Saturday at Tyner Middle Academy. Tyner personnel have been "very accommodating," according to Hamilton Heights' head of school Duke Stone, "and the facilities are fantastic for the needs of the event." Teams joining the Hawks will be The Rock from Gainesville, Fla.; Central Park from Birmingham, Ala.; and Charlotte (N.C.) Basketball Academy. The four have at least 15 players with official NCAA Division I scholarship offers and others who are being actively recruited, according to an HHCA release. The Rock will play Central Park at 6 tonight, followed by the hosts against CBA at 7:30. Central Park and CBA will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday with the Hawks facing The Rock at 2:30. Admission costs $6 per day for adults, $3 for students.
- The Reinhardt University women's basketball team goes into an Appalachian Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at Bryan College with a 5-0 season record greatly aided by five players from Chattanooga-area Georgia high schools. The Eagles beat Point 51-41 on Wednesday with 10 points and eight rebounds from freshman Rebecca Cheeks from Sonoraville, four steals from Sonoraville's Payton Smith, eight points from Dade County's Erika Woodfin, seven points from Heritage's Jada Hubbard and five rebounds from Ringgold's Bethany Headrick. Headrick had 13 points and 10 rebounds in one win and 11 and nine points in two others, while Cheeks had 25 points and seven rebounds in one game and 10 and 10 in another. In win four, 61-54 over Coastal Georgia, Cheeks had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Smith scored 13 points and Woodfin scored 11 with three 3s. Hubbard had 10 points in one game.
Golf
- Lee University golf coach John Maupin has announced the signing of Connor Pollman from West Forsyth High School in Cumming, Ga., for his Flames of 2017-18. Pollman picked Lee over Armstrong State, Valdosta State and Georgia College. "Connor is a young man with strong character and comes from a great family," Maupin said in a Lee release. "He came on really strong this summer and had some great finishes in big tournaments. He has proven himself against some of the best competition in the country, (but) I still think he's just scratching the surface of what he's capable of." Pollman, who plans to major in business, said he felt Lee "would be a place where I can really have the chance to improve on the course and thrive in the classroom." He won the Hurricane junior tour Major Championship at Pinetree in 2015 and was third in the Southeastern tour Forest Hills Junior Classic this year.
Baseball
- Silverdale Baptist Academy pitcher Michael Hawkins signed a letter of intent this week to continue his baseball career at Carson-Newman University in NCAA Division II. He said he got a chance to try out at the Jefferson City, Tenn., school a few weeks ago, within days got a call with a scholarship offer and then made an official visit. "I fell in love with the campus, and I really like the coaches, and I have some good friends going up there to play as well, so it really worked out," Hawkins said Wednesday. Gray Ange is in his first year as SBA's baseball coach but is well aware of Hawkins' abilities. "First of all, he's very talented, and he's a competitor," Ange said. "Carson-Newman is getting an absolute gem as a pitcher. He has a great fastball with movement and good off-speed (pitches), but the best thing is he hits spots and paints corners. He's going to start the bats and get guys swinging and then hit spots where they can't square up."
Volleyball
- Ooltewah senior hitter Sidney Killingsworth accepted an offer from Lincoln Memorial University volleyball coach Jenny Michael and is planning to sign scholarship papers today at Ooltewah. Killingsworth, who helped the Lady Owls advance reach the Region 3-AAA semfinals by leading them in kills and blocks, visited LMU the last weekend in October. "The campus is beautiful," Killingsworth said. "The girls were very welcoming, and I love the way she coaches." During Killingsworth's trip, the Lady Railsplitters halted a 21-match losing streak to Wingate that dates back to 2007. "It was really exciting for me to go where they play college games and getting to see what I'll be experiencing. Plus, they beat somebody they haven't beaten in 10 years. That was pretty cool also." Killingsworth plans to major in medical laboratory science.
Softball
- Grace Academy senior Summer Dean recently signed softball scholarship papers with Cleveland State Community College. Dean was an all-district selection as an eighth-grader, freshman and sophomore. She was chosen the team's defensive player of the year after her freshman season and got the hitting award after her sophomore year. The Lady Golden Eagles were unable to field a softball team last season but hopes to be able to this spring, her senior year. Dean was also a member of Grace's volleyball team, which advanced to a state sectional this fall. She has a 3.1 grade point average and plans to study to become a veterinarian. "The administration and athletic department of Grace Baptist Academy are very proud of Summer's accomplishments and are very excited about her future plans," Grace athletic director Tommy Morrell said in a school release. "We truly believe that Cleveland State will be a better place because Summer will be a part of that community."
Soccer
- The locally based Premier Soccer Academy under-17 boys, River Plate, won their division last weekend at the Impact Premier Cup in Canton, Ga. Coached by Pedro Kozak and assistant Maho Karajic, River Plate won 7-0 over the Thunder Soccer Club Elite, 2-1 over the Express Regional Soccer Association and 3-0 over the Auburn Thunder with a 1-1 tie against Crossroads 00 from Alabama. ERSA 02 was second with 4-0, 5-0 and 6-0 wins over the other three teams