Marianna Bulldogs are District Champs
By: Shelia Mader
In one of the best sports movies of all times, Roger says, “It could happen,” in reference to the California Angels winning the pennant. That must have been the same mindset of the MHS Bulldogs basketball team this year. If a district championship in basketball equals a pennant in baseball, Roger was right on the money. The Bulldogs, by any and everyone’s account, had a very long year, finishing 2-22 on the season before heading into the playoffs. No long faces, no sighs, no woe is me from any of the team players, coaches, or administration. Instead, each game was a new game, another chance for a win and with heads held high, they took the court looking for a win. Last Tuesday night, they got just what they were looking for too. They defeated Suwannee 55-48 in the first game in the district tournament to advance to the championship game. Thursday night, they made it two wins in a row with a hard-fought game through four quarters of play before taking the 61-57 win over Florda High.
Florida High didn’t go quietly into the night however. After Marianna led for the majority of the game, including a 21-12 first-quarter lead, the Seminoles took a slim 57-56 lead with 3:51 left in the game. Marianna bounced back to tie the game at 57 with just 2:03 left in the game. With just 17.3 seconds left in the game, Marianna had a 60-57 lead before taking it to 61-57 to secure the championship.
The Bulldogs had three players in double digits on the night. Ja’ques Spears led the way with 15 points, followed by Jamarion Gardner with 12 points. On board with 11 points was Gabe Knaus with 11 points. Also in double digits was Brandon Angerbrant with 10 points.
Marianna will travel to Jacksonville to compete in the quarterfinals for a chance to move one step further to the state championship. They will have their hands full facing the number one seed Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson enters the contest with a 25-1 record with a high-scoring offense. The Bulldogs’ defense is busy preparing to contain their offense as the Bulldog offense is ready for the challenge. Game time is 6:30 p.m. central time.
