Overtime

High School Basketball

'Chronicle' looking for area statistics

The Augusta Chronicle will begin running area leaders in the following statistical categories this Friday: Points per game, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

Player of the week nominations will also be accepted at this time. The evaluation period for player of the week will begin on Friday and run through Tuesday night's games.

Deadlines for stats and player of the week nominations will be 3 p.m. Wednesdays. No exceptions. Player nominations and team statistics can be faxed to (706) 823-3408 or e-mailed to Jeff Sentell at jeff.sentell@ augustachronicle.com.

College Football

LeZotte takes home top defensive award

James Madison sophomore Tony LeZotte, of Augusta, was one of two players awarded the 2005 Charles Haley Most Valuable Defensive Player Award by the university.

LeZotte, a free safety, was defensive player of the year in the Atlantic 10 and led the team in tackles for the second consecutive year with 95. Lezotte played for Westside.

Auto Racing

Stewart cleared to race after crashes

In Daytona Beach, Fla., Tony Stewart got clearance to drive in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the test session at the end of the month at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, following two separate flips last week in a U.S. Auto Club Midget race.

Stewart left a Tulsa, Okla., hospital last Friday with his right arm in a cast, but doctors said there were no serious injuries during a follow-up visit on Monday, team president J.D. Gibbs said.

"Everything checked out fine," Gibbs said. "We told him he's still driving in the Daytona 500 even if his arm was broken."

Major League Baseball

Marlins sign Willis for another season

In Miami, Dontrelle Willis avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a $4.35 million, one-year contract with the Florida Marlins.

Willis went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA last season and finished second to St. Louis' Chris Carpenter in NL Cy Young Award balloting. He gets a large raise from the $378,500 he made in 2005.

- In Cincinnati, Austin Kearns avoided salary arbitration with the Cincinnati Reds by agreeing to a $1.85 million, one-year contract. The outfielder batted .240 last season but set career highs with 18 homers and 67 RBI.

- In Toronto, the Blue Jays agreed to one-year contracts with new first baseman Lyle Overbay and pitcher Scott Downs, avoiding salary arbitration with both players. Overbay's will earn $2,525,000, Downs $705,000.

- In Pittsburgh, Pirates left-hander Oliver Perez bypassed salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth approximately $1.9 million.

Perez made $381,000 and was 7-5 last season, when he was sidelined for two months with a broken toe after he kicked a laundry cart.

Olympics

Hays leads bobsled selections for U.S.

Todd Hays narrowly missed Olympic gold four years ago. His next shot comes at the Turin Games, and he'll have Pavle Jovanovic this time to help the cause.

Hays and Steven Holcomb were the two drivers selected for the U.S. men's Olympic bobsled team, headlining a lineup with few surprises.

The rest of U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation picked 2002 Olympians are Steve Mesler, Bill Schuffenhauer and Randy Jones, along with Brock Kreitzburg, Curt Tomasevicz and Lorenzo Smith III to complete the roster.

- The final budget for next month's Winter Olympics was approved, covering a $96.3 million shortfall that caused delays.

The approved budget totals $1.4 billion. Overall spending, including construction, is estimated at more than $3.6 billion.