Bulldogs beat Mansfield and Fordland, take Summit Conference win


Gainesville High School seniors Westin Wilson and Isaac Barnett lead the Bulldogs out onto the court Saturday, Feb. 13, for the final time before a home-court victory over the Fordland Eagles. The seniors were recognized for their contributions to the team and to their school at the game that evening. Photo courtesy Teresa Evans

The Gainesville High School Bulldogs varsity basketball team hosted Mansfield on Friday, Feb. 12, and Fordland on Saturday, Feb. 13, and added two wins to their season record, bringing it to 17-7.

GHS junior Bryce Hambelton led the scoring in the 55-45 victory over the Mansfield Lions. “This was a solid win where our team did a good job of competing for four quarters,” said Bulldog head coach Morris Jenkins. “We played consistent defense and had a decent game shooting the basketball. We had 14 assists on 19 made field goals, which reflects a willingness to make the extra pass to get good shots.”

Jake Leeker added 17 points to the Bulldogs’ scoring efforts, followed by Landry Jenkins’ 7 points. Jenkins led the assist column with 5, followed by Leeker with 4 and Easton McGee with 3. Other players scoring for the Bulldogs were Jenkins with 7, Carter Wise with 3 and Wyatt Alms with 2 points.

Hambelton led in rebounds with 12, followed by Jenkins with 6.

Gainesville’s JV played a close game against Mansfield but fell 57-48. Jarrett Hogan led the scoring with 19, followed by Sean Wallace with 13. Others scoring for Gainesville were Garrett Taber 7, Grayden Rowbotham 4, Andrew Hambelton 3 and Karson Hubbard 2.

Two Gainesville seniors – Westin Wilson and Isaac Barnett – were honored at the Fordland game Saturday, when the Bulldogs beat the Eagles 64-35. “This was a good win on senior recognition day,” said Jenkins. “We recognized our seniors for their contributions to our school and basketball team, and our guys were able to put together four good quarters to get the conference win.”

Hambelton led the scoring with 19 points, followed by Jenkins and Leeker with 15 each. Carter Wise and Wyatt Alms added 4 points each, while Ryan Poe chipped in 3 and Isaac Barnett and Westin Wilson added 2 each.

Easton McGee and Jake Leeker led in rebounds with 6 each. Leeker also led in assists with 7, followed by McGee and Poe with 3 each. Bryce Hambelton chalked up 2 steals, and Jenkins took a charge for the team.

The JV Bulldogs also added a win against Fordland, defeating the Eagles 67-46. Sean Wallace led the scoring with 16, followed by Camden Evans with 12 and Grayden Rowbotham with 11. Others scoring for Gainesville were Andrew Hambelton 9, Jarrett Hogan 8, Karson Hubbard 4, Deric Luna 3 and Garrett Taber 2.

The varsity team heads into the Class 2 District 10 basketball tournament set for Feb. 22-26 at Norwood High School. The Bulldogs are seeded second and will play on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Gainesville takes on either Bakersfield (seeded third) or Dora (seeded sixth), depending on which team wins the first round game on Monday, Feb. 22. Norwood is seeded in the number one spot, and they will play either Seymour (fourth seed) or Summersville (fifth seed) also on Wednesday, depending on who wins the first round game on Monday. Games begin at 6 p.m. The championship game is slated for Friday, Feb. 26.

Ozark County Times

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