Sparta basketball returned to the school district's former high school gym last week for the first time in 12 years and will remain at what is now its middle school gym for at least two more weeks.
The Trojans and Lady Trojans have been uprooted due to a sprinkler system bursting and flooding their gym, cafeteria and kitchen at the start of the new year.
The Lady Trojans' Sparta Tournament last week was moved to the middle school gym.
The Trojans' Sparta Tournament, to be held Jan. 23-28, is tentatively scheduled to be held at the high school gym.
Girls basketball coach Josh Loveland reports the restoration crew on hand will be able to restrict its work, for the time being, to the baseline along the east wall of the gym.
"They are going to be able to patch (the floor) up because most of the damage is not actually on the playing surface," Loveland said. "It's along the baseline, pretty much the length of the floor. The short-term (fix) to get us through the season is to repair that (area). Over the summer, they will do a total repair.
"They originally told us (the completion date would be) three weeks. We've got a couple more weeks," he added. "We are hoping to have our boys tournament at the high school."
The Lady Trojans host Ash Grove at the middle school gym Monday, before traveling to Forsyth on Friday and going to the Rogersville Tournament next week.
The Trojans will entertain Gainesville on Tuesday, before hitting the road for games at Purdy, Crane and Hartville.
Loveland, a 2000 Sparta grad, could relate to the Lady Trojans fans who felt last week like they were going back in time by being at the middle school gym.
"I played here and most of these kids' parents played here," he said. "It was nostalgic for everybody. The kids weren't excited about it. But I think they liked the atmosphere, with it being a smaller gym and all these people in here. The atmosphere was good."
