Ozark County high school basketball teams battle through district tournament:

Ozark County’s high school basketball season came to a close this weekend at the class 2 district 10 championship tournament after the Bakersfield Lady Lions fell to the Norwood Pirates Friday, Feb. 23, and the Gainesville Bulldogs fell to the Hartville Eagles Saturday night.  

The second place finishes cap off admirable seasons for both teams.

Girls side of action

The Bakersfield Lady Lions wrote their own storybook underdog ending to the year by causing the biggest upset in the district tournament bracket during their semi-final game. 

The Bakersfield ladies entered the district tournament facing off against fifth-seeded Mansfield Lions. Bakersfield took the contest 61-58.

Ozark County’s other two girls teams, each from Gainesville and Dora, battled each other in opening play. The Gainesville Lady Bulldogs came out on top with a 56-38 win. 

The semi-finals saw fourth-seed Bakersfield face off against first seed Hartville Eagles. The Lady Lions didn’t back down and took the game 48-35.

In Gainesville’s semi-final game,  the third-seeded Bulldogs fell to the second-seeded Norwood Lady Pirates 21-51. 

That led to the district championship game where Bakersfield ended its game with Norwood, 49-62, taking second place at districts. 

With the district title, the Norwood Lady Pirates advanced to the state tournament. They beat Crocker 65-27 in sectionals. They advance to the state quarterfinals in a game against Miller March 1. 

Boys side of action

Ozark County’s boys teams entered the district competition on Feb. 20 with opening rounds. 

The fifth seeded Bakersfield Lions matched their lady counterparts, causing an upset against the fourth-seed Mansfield Lions, taking the game 90-87 in overtime. 

The second seeded Gainesville Bulldogs faced off against seventh seed Fordland in opening play, and won an easy game, 76-29.

In the semi-final round, the Gainesville boys kept fans on the edge of their seats, finally pulling out a 66-59 win in overtime. 

In Bakersfield’s semi-final game, they faced first-seed Hartville, and fell 65-46.

The Gainesville Bulldogs took a lot of heart into the championship game Feb. 24, but despite an early lead, they surrendered to the Hartville Eagles by game-end, 42-67. 

Hartville advanced to the state tournament where they faced Eugene in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Results were not available at presstime.