Gainesville Bulldogs take second in Forsyth tourney
The Gainesville boys basketball team, seeded in the number five spot, wound up taking second place at the Forsyth tournament Saturday when Branson, a class 5 school, barely slipped by a tough Bulldogs team with 3-point win to take first.
The chance to play in the championship game came after upset wins over fourth-seeded Forsyth and first-seeded Carl Junction. After an opening round 79-70 win over Forsyth, the Bulldogs took on Carl Junction in the second round Friday, Dec. 1 and pulled off a 66-59 win.
“I was really proud of how the boys battled through this entire game. There were multiple points in the game where it could have been easy for us to quit on each other and let that game slip away. We continued to fight and were able to outlast a very good Carl Junction team. I hope that this type of game can set a good foundation for how we are going to compete all season,” said GHS head coach Chris Randolph.
Owen Donley led the scoring for Gainesville with 15 points, followed by Andrew Hambelton and Jace Headrick with 13 each. Easton McGee put up another 11, while Hunter Luna and Nathan Kiger added 4 each to contribute to the win. Hambelton led the rebounding column with 8, followed by McGee with 7 and Kiger with 6. Kiger and McGee led in assists with 5 each.
The win took the Gainesville Bulldogs to Saturday’s championship game against the number two seed Branson, who had defeated Spokane 85-46 in the opening round and went to beat number three seed Lebanon, 51-45.
The Bulldogs proved their mettle and did not make it an easy win for the Branson boys who had to battle to get the 68-65 win.
Scoring leaders were Grant Leeker with 17, Owen Donley with 11, Easton McGee with 12 and Andrew Hambelton with 10. Rebound leaders were Easton McGee with 7 and Andrew Hambelton with 6. Assist leaders were Andrew Hambelton with 4 and Easton McGee and Nathan Kiger with 3.
“We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted, but I couldn’t be more proud of the grit that this team showed in this game and throughout the tournament,” Coach Randolph said. “Branson played a very physical brand of basketball with us, and our boys did not shy away from it. We fought for the full 32 minutes of the game and just came up a little short. I’m excited to see what this team is able to accomplish this season.”
Gainesville will host Ava Friday with games beginning at 6 p.m.