Jeff Hart

Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch were scheduled for a Saturday morning meeting with NASCAR officials. It was a volatile start to Speedweeks and gave NASCAR a chance to show it was actually willing to let drivers be more emotional this season. Stewart and Busch were involved in the second of two wrecks during practice for Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout.

Not since 1991 has an East Hall boys basketball team not won a subregion or region regular season title. That streak is still in tact after the Vikings whipped Chestatee 70-59 Friday night in the regular season finale for both teams. The Lady Vikings also won the subregion with a 45-28 win in the girls game.

Class AAA eighth-ranked Gilmer County played slow down in the final four minutes and hit 9-of-9 free throws in that span to pull away for a 55-45 win over North Hall Friday night in girls basketball action.

Dawson County held Rabun County to no points in the second quarter en route to taking a 45-22 win in Region 8-AA action Tuesday night.

The Flowery Branch boys basketball team moved to within one game of completing a perfect run through the Region 7B-AAA subregion after whipping Gainesville 85-57 at home Tuesday night.

Devaris Finch led 13 Johnson players in scoring as the Knights rolled to a 77-40 win over Pickens in Region 7B-AAA action Tuesday night.

The Chestatee boys basketball won its fourth straight game and set up a showdown with Class AAA No. 10 East Hall Friday after routing Gilmer 88-58 Tuesday night in Region 7A-AAA action at home.

David Pruett poured in 29 points and the Lakeview Academy boys basketball team held off a fourth quarter rally to beat Athens Christian 79-71 Tuesday night at home.

For the first 24 minutes the Class AA sixth-ranked Buford girls basketball team played No. 1 Wesleyan toe-to-toe trailing just 38-33 heading into the fourth quarter Tuesday night. But Wesleyan was just too tough down the stretch outscoring Buford 26-19 in the final period to pull away for a 64-52 win in Region 6-AA action.

The Gainesville girls basketball team held Flowery branch to 10 points or less in every quarter in taking an impressive 59-30 win in Region 7B-AAA action Tuesday night.