Sports

March Madness Championship game recap

Dallas Mangold, Staff Writer

April 8, 2025

Florida Gators and Houston Cougars face off for the March Madness title.

On April 7, he Florida Gators and the Houston Cougars were set to face off against each other in the 2025 March Madness Tournament, playing for a chance at history and to bring a National Championship back home.

1 Florida vs 1 Houston

A Championship with two one-seed teams. Florida, a comeback team, was set to face off against a fierce Houston team that had lockdown defense the entire tournament. An offensive force in the Gators versus a defensive force in the Cougars was set for pure cinema, and that is exactly what it was. The game was close throughout its entirety, as Florida’s most promising shooters were quieted by Houston’s defense, but Houston also struggled to put some points up against Florida’s defense. Two evenly matched teams, both with nothing to lose. By the dwindling seconds of the last quarter, Florida was up by 2 and Houston had the last possession going into the final 8 seconds of the game. With the game on the line, Houston was left to find a perfect shot to either tie or win. Moving the ball pretty well, and the shot clock going down, Houston lost the ball after preventing an offensive foul, losing the ball to a Florida defender. With possession for those last 2 seconds, Florida ultimately won the game by a final score of 65 to 63. This is Florida’s third National Championship from the tournament, their first since back to back wins in 2006 and 2007.

About the Contributors

Dallas Mangold, Staff Writer

Dallas Mangold (12) is a staff writer, and this is his 2nd year with the Bulldog Times. Dallas hopes to keep students informed about all the important, cool, and informational things that happen throughout Ayala. He looks forward to continuing to write articles for everyone to read, as well as bonding with his journalism colleagues. Outside of basic academics, Dallas is also a football player, going into his 3rd year of the sport. He also enjoys reading, writing creatively, working on cars, and listening to classical and jazz music whilst learning to cook (he admits it works). Dallas hopes to succeed in his writing one day and make a difference in the world doing so.

Elisabeth Lee, Features and Managing Editor

Elisabeth Lee (11) is the Managing Editor and Features Editor of the Bulldog Times, and this is her third year on staff. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge in journalism and using her skills of writing to bring recognition to people and places on campus and in the community. Outside of journalism, Elisabeth is co-captain of the golf team, president of Foster Love, president of UNICEF, social manager of Art4Kids, president of HOSA, and founder of Cards to Cure. Elisabeth’s favorite parts of Ayala are the many opportunities for involvement and growth, which she hopes to take advantage of throughout her high school career.