Marion County basketball point guard Autumn Towery is one of 10 girls’ finalists for the 2012 Wendy’s High School Heisman honor for Tennessee, and Ridgeland linebacker and baseball player Daniel Johnson in Georgia and Plainview volleyball standout Natalie Graham in Alabama are among their states’ finalists. From not too much farther away are Makayla Angel of Pickens High in Jasper, Ga., Hannah Leech from Cedar Bluff (Ala.) High and Victoria Davis from Cherokee County High in Centre, Ala. One male and one female winner from each state will be announced Monday, and 12 of those will be chosen national finalists for televised recognition in New York City and the announcement on Dec. 7 of one male and one female winner for the United States. The competition honors academic achievement and community involvement as well as athletic accomplishments. Each national winner will receive a $500 Wendy’s gift certificate and a crystal trophy, and the fast-food chain will donate $10,000 to each winner’s high school.
Basketball
• The UTC women’s basketball team will host Lee University at 7 tonight in an exhibition game at McKenzie Arena. For the Lady Mocs, the game is a final tune-up before the season opens against Tennessee at McKenzie on Nov. 9. UTC returns four starters from last season’s squad, which went 22-10 and finished third in the Southern Conference. Lee, which reached the NAIA Division I tournament last season as usual, opens Saturday at home in Cleveland against Milligan College. The Lady Flames went 30-4 last season.
• Tennessee Temple University swept the first National Christian College Athletic Association Division I basketball players of the week for the 2012-13 season for Weedlens Beauvil’s and Jessica Salera’s play in the openers against Bryan. Beauvil scored 14 points with three 3-point baskets in the Crusaders’ victory; Salera had 30 points with 9-of-11 free-throw shooting plus seven rebounds and three assists in a loss. The Temple men play tonight at old rival Lee, also 1-0. It will be their 87th meeting.
Soccer