The tornado ripped the roof off parts of the school, in which students were sheltered in hallways as the storm struck, destroyed the gym and football stadium and left five students dead.

If your asking what this has to do with not only sports, but sports in the area then keep reading.

Today, beginning at 1 p.m., both the Flowery Branch girls and boys basketball teams will play Enterprise High School at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Hawks will play the Miami Heat at 7 tonight and often have high school games prior to Hawks’ home games as a promotional tool.

"It was just a blessing," Flowery Branch coach Todd Cottrell said. "We were supposed to play in Orlando, but that fell through. Enterprise was already scheduled to play in Phillips (Arena) but needed an opponent."

The Enterprise boys (8-3) made the Elite Eight in Alabama in Region 6-A, which is the highest classification in the state, in 2006.

They are led by eighth-grader Rhett Harrelson who is, in fact, in junior high since Enterprise High only houses grades 10-12.

The Class AAA No. 9-ranked Falcons (8-1) are coming off a 76-63 win over North Hall on Monday night while the Lady Falcons (5-4) enter today’s contest having lost three straight.

"Our kids are real excited," Cottrell said, "and hopefully we will play well."