DISTRICT CHAMPS! Gainesville boys, girls win title

Gainesville High School history was made Friday night at Sparta as the GHS boys and girls each won their respective Class 2 District 10 championship on the same night in the same gym.
School officials and GHS alumni said they don't remember any time in recent history when the boys and girls teams both won the district titles the same year, let alone on the same night in the same gym. And here's a kicker — both teams won by 18 points each.
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Celebration was in the air at Sparta as the Lady Bulldogs fought off a tough Dora squad for rights to hoist the plaque. The Lady Falcons have had a great season, finishing 19-9, and kept the game close through three quarters trailing by only one at halftime, 18-17.
But Gainesville worked out their jitters and clawed their way for a 43-25 win over Dora.
Gainesville standout Madison Strong credited defense as the key to the win "We had great intensity on defense, we moved the ball well and we worked hard as a team," Strong told the <em>Times</em> after the game. Strong led Gainesville in scoring with 21 points.
On the other hand, the GHS boys jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead in their championship tilt against host Sparta and never looked back, cruising to a 50-32 win over the Trojans.
A surprise skiff of snow made the trip home from Sparta interesting, and the white stuff may put a damper on the Bulldogs' debut in the state tournament Wednesday.
At noon today (March 2) both GHS teams were still scheduled to play at Lebanon Wednesday in the sectional round of the state tourney. The boys will play Hartville at 6 p.m., weather permitting; and the girls will play either Crocker or Plato at 7:30, again weather permitting.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather statement for Wednesday involving the possibility of snow in the Ozarks.
Stay tuned for details or any cancellations. Look for a complete story from the district championship game, including individual stats and photos, in Wednesday's Ozark County Times.

<p>The Gainesville boys and girls high school basketball teams won their district titles Friday night at Sparta and move on to sectional play this week.</p>

The Gainesville boys and girls are the class 2 district 10 basketball champs.

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Ozark County Times

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