Bulldogs close out regular season with win over Sparta, Leeker reaches milestone
Photo by Karla Smith Gainesville High School senior Grant Leeker hit his 1,000th point during Friday’s night’s homecourt win over Sparta. Grant, pictured with GHS Coach Morris Jenkins, is the son of Tom Leeker and Jodi Leeker.
The Gainesville Bulldogs gave their home crowd plenty to cheer about Friday night, closing out the regular season with a 62-54 victory over Sparta in front of a packed and energetic gym.
With the win, Gainesville improves to 13-12 and carries momentum into the Class 3 District 10 tournament. The Bulldogs’ junior varsity squad finishes the season 15-7.
“As a coach, you hope your team shows growth through great effort, a team-first attitude and a willingness to stay the course and remain determined,” Coach Morris Jenkins said. “Overall, both groups showed good stretches of demonstrating these traits, which allowed us to be very competitive throughout the season. As the season ends, we hope the values that were emphasized through being on the team will give our guys some positive direction as they navigate through school and beyond. Varsity now heads into postseason play, where we are confident we will continue to compete hard and are capable of playing well enough to be successful in our district.”
Friday night was especially memorable for senior Grant Leeker, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Leeker finished with 15 points and a team-high six rebounds, reaching the milestone in fitting fashion during his final home appearance.
GHS junior Avery Rodrigue turned in a breakout performance, pouring in a career-high 21 points to lead all scorers. Rodrigue also made his presence felt defensively with three steals to pace the Bulldogs on that end of the floor. Leeker and fellow senior Owen Donley provided steady support in double figures. Donley added 14 points, while Dawson Hewett chipped in eight. Aden Gaulding rounded out the scoring with four points.
Hewett also directed the offense efficiently, dishing out a team-high four assists as Gainesville maintained control down the stretch to secure the eight-point win over the Trojans.
Gainesville’s JV also came away with a win, edging Sparta 43-40. Haden Evans led the way with 18 points, followed by Corbin West with 11, Chase Luna with nine, Keegan Crouse with three and Keaton Hand with two. The home-court victory followed Tuesday’s 73-53 loss at Hartville. Despite a strong fourth-quarter push, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the deficit. Leeker led the scoring with 19 points, followed by Hewett with 14, Donley with 10 and Luna with two.
Gainesville’s JV earned a 54-49 win over Hartville’s junior Eagles. Crouse had an outstanding performance with 20 points, followed by Luna with 13, Hand with seven and Evans with four. Now the focus shifts to postseason play. The Bulldogs, seeded fifth, will open district tournament action at Seymour High School against fourth-seeded Fair Grove at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24.
That game will be followed by second-seeded Sparta facing seventh-seeded Conway at 6 p.m. and third-seeded Greenwood taking on sixth-seeded Ava at 7:30 p.m. Winners will return to Seymour for the semifinals Thursday, Feb. 26, beginning at 6 p.m., when the Fair Grove-Gainesville winner advances to meet top-seeded Seymour.
If Friday night was any indication, the Bulldogs may be peaking at the right time.