G’ville Bulldogs split week with home loss, road wins
Photo by Karla Smith Gainesville senior Owen Donley goes up to score 2 more points for the Bulldogs during their 70-53 win over Reeds Spring at the Liberty Legends Shootout held at Mountain View Saturday. Donley led the scoring with 19 points.
The Gainesville Bulldogs battled through a busy week of basketball, dropping a home contest before rebounding with a pair of convincing victories to move their record to 7-6.
“We had a busy stretch to end 2025 and started off 2026 with a busy week,” said Coach Morris Jenkins. “Our teams are continuing to work to be more consistent and are focusing on areas we feel we can/need to be better at as we head into the conference and district part of our schedule.”
Gainesville hosted Blue Eye on Jan. 6 and fell 52-43 in a closely contested game. The Bulldogs and Blue Eye were tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter, but Blue Eye gained separation in the second period, outscoring Gainesville 17-11 to take a six-point halftime lead. Despite steady effort in the second half, the Bulldogs were unable to close the gap.
Senior Dawson Hewett led all scorers with 21 points for Gainesville. Owen Donley added 12 points, Avery Rodrigue scored 6, Chase Luna had 2, and Grant Leeker and Aden Gaulding chipped in 1 point each.
The Gainesville junior varsity team earned a 47-43 win over Blue Eye JV. Chase Luna and Keegan Crouse paced the Bulldogs with 13 points apiece. Corbin West and Keaton Hand each scored 6, followed by Haden Evans with 4, Keaton Dabney with 3 and Marvin Curtis with 2.
Gainesville bounced back on the road Thursday, Jan. 8, rolling past Dora 79-40. Senior Owen Donley delivered a game-high 30 points, while Grant Leeker added 23 and Hewett contributed 15. Gaulding and Crouse scored 3 points each, Corbin West and Avery Rodrigue had 2 apiece, and Kolby Anderson rounded out the scoring with 1.
Leeker led the Bulldogs on the boards with seven rebounds, followed by Gaulding with five. Chase Luna and Leeker each recorded three steals, while Hewett and Luna shared team-high assist honors with six each.
Dora was led by Braxton Mayberry, who scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Falcons.
The Bulldogs’ JV squad dominated Dora JV 44-9. Crouse led the way with 16 points, followed by Luna with 11. West scored 5, Daigan Hawkins added 4, Keaton Dabney and Evans had 3 each, and Keaton Hand scored 2.
On Saturday, Jan. 10, Gainesville competed in the Liberty Legends Shootout and earned a 70-53 win over Reeds Spring. Four Bulldogs reached double figures, led by Donley with 19 points. Leeker scored 16, Hewett had 12 and Anderson finished with 10. Avery Rodrigue and Gaulding added 4 points each, while Crouse scored 2 and Luna added 1. Leeker pulled down six rebounds to lead Gainesville, and Hewett dished out five assists.
The Bulldogs will return home to host Conway this Friday, Jan. 16, for senior night. “We are excited for senior night,” Jenkins said. “We will recognize Dawson Hewett, Grant Leeker and Owen Donley. These three young men have been a big part of Gainesville Bulldog basketball the past 4 years.”
Senior cheerleaders Faith Avila, Victoria James, Whitney Jarvis and BreAnna Rowland will also be honored Friday night.