Smith hits half court buzzer-beater for Bulldog win

With 2.5 second left on the clock and the game tied at 43-43, Gainesville senior Paxton Smith walked over to one of the referees and smiled and said, "Watch this! It's going to be marvelous!"
He was only joking, but Smith threw up a half-court prayer at the buzzer and sank it to give the Gainesville Bulldogs a 46-43 win over the Hartville Eagles for third place in the Gainesville Tournament.
The place erupted. "It was probably the loudest I've ever heard it in our gym," said Gainesville coach Aaron Dalton.
"That's something he will never forget," said Smith's mom, Karla. "Neither will his momma!"
The Bulldogs, down 12 to start the fourth quarter, scratched and clawed their way back into the game, outscoring the Eagles 19-4 in the fourth quarter.
"The kids did a great job defensively late in the Hartville game just giving themselves a chance to win," said Dalton. "I'm very proud of our team."
Smith led the Gainesville team in scoring with 12, followed by Jim Donley with 11 and Robbie Marshall with 8.

Dora wins second place
After beating Gainesville in the semifinals, the Dora Falcons lost to the Norwood Pirates in the championship game, 64-49. The Falcons claimed the second-place trophy. No individual stats were available from Dora.
Forsyth took the consolation prize in the tournament, which also included Ozark County teams Lutie and Bakersfield.
The Falcons and Bulldogs will go at it again on Jan. 24 at Gainesville.
Meanwhile Lutie will visit Bradleyville on Friday, while Bakersfield will host Gainesville Friday night.

 

<p>Gainesville's Paxton Smith hit a half-court shot to give the
Bulldogs a 46-43 win over Hartville and third place in the
Gainesville Tournament.</p>

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