Hamilton Heights Christian Academy's Keisha Hunt has been named by the Atlanta Tipoff Club one of five nationwide finalists for the 2017 Naismith High School Girls' Coach of the Year. Randy Coffman of Murfreesboro Riverdale also is a finalist, but the other three are from Las Vegas, Fresno, Calif., and Washington, D.C. Hunt joined the Hamilton Heights staff as an assistant in 2005 and became the head coach in 2009. Her record with the Lady Hawks is 175-53 with seven National Association of Christian Athletes national championships, and her 20 college signees include six who went to NCAA Division I schools. This year's team has six players with Division I offers and is 21-1 and listed fourth nationally in the MaxPreps CBS Computer Rankings and No. 10 in the USA Today high school poll. "This is a tremendous honor for Coach Hunt and Hamilton Heights," headmaster Duke Stone said in a school release Thursday. "It is also a testimony to her diligence and hard work in building our girls' basketball program into one of national prominence. But more than a basketball coach, Coach Hunt is helping our girls develop into productive young women who are excelling beyond sports when they leave Hamilton Heights."
- Covenant College sophomore Joanna Smith from Chattanooga Christian was voted to the USA South All-West Division basketball second team for the 2016-17 season, and senior Alex Quimby was the Lady Scots' representative on the league's all-sportsmanship team. Smith is averaging team bests of 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds a game going into their tournament opener tonight against LaGrange at Maryville.
- Erin Walsh made five 3-point baskets and scored 22 points and Abby Bertram had 17 points and seven assists as Lee University defeated visiting West Alabama 71-58 in Gulf South Conference women's basketball Thursday night. Lee won the men's game 77-75 in two overtimes. Lindsey Roddy scored 11 points and Carrie Cheeks had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Flames (18-7, 13-6). For the Flames, Rico Overall hit 11 of 12 free throws and totaled 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Cody Farley had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots and Keevin Tyus scored 14 points, hitting two free throws for a 76-72 lead.
- Dalton State beat visiting Middle Georgia State 81-72 in Southern States basketball Thursday night as Mike Harden scored 20 points and Carnilious Simmons contributed 19 plus 12 rebounds and five blocks. Sayvon Wilson had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Box had 14 points and three steals for DSC (21-3, 13-3).
- Erika Woodfin from Dade County hit five 3-point baskets and scored 15 points as Reinhardt's women clinched a share of first place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with a 76-60 home win Wednesday over Union College. Rebecca Cheeks from Sonoraville High had 10 rebounds and four steals with 10 points for the Lady Eagles (26-3, 18-3), and Jada Hubbard from Heritage scored 11.
Softball
- After going 2-3 last weekend in Clermont, Fla.,with an all-freshman pitching staff and young players throughout the lineup, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team begins its 2017 home schedule today at Jim Frost Stadium in the Chattanooga Challenge Presented by Ruby Falls. The Mocs are scheduled to face Radford at 4 p.m. and Tennessee Tech at 7 and then will play IUPUI and Kennesaw State on Saturday and Connecticut on Sunday. After the season-opening tournament, UTC sophomore Emma Sturdivant is batting .625, freshman Aly Walker is hitting .357 with four walks and freshman leadoff batter Hayleigh Weissenbach has a .308 average with five walks and four runs scored.
- Bryan College lost 8-3 to 12th-ranked Campbellsville and 3-1 to No. 8 Lindsey Wilson as the NAIA Softball Southeastern Challenge got underway Thursday in Bluffton, S.C., but the Lady Lions did take a 2-2 record into the tournament after losing 1-0 and winning 6-5 in nine innings Wednesday at Brenau. An incorrect box score sent Wednesday night had Bryan losing 1-0 in game two also. The Lady Lions scored four runs in the top of the second inning. Thursday, they got a three-run home run against Campbellsville from Becca Zimmerman, who against Lindsey Wilson matched Heidi Smith's two hits and scored on a Marissa Murray double. Bryan pitcher Sydney West allowed only three hits, but one was a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Hannah O'Shields was 2-for-3 against Campbellsville.