Middleton, Fla. — New gym, same old result.
The Villages High School boys basketball team kept up its run of recent dominance over rival Wildwood on Friday night, rolling to an 86-42 win before the first-ever capacity crowd of nearly 1,200 fans inside the new VHS gym.
Chris Washington Jr. tallied a game-high 26 points for the Buffalo (4-5), who enjoyed their fourth straight win over the Wildcats (2-5) and their largest margin of victory in the history of the series that's been played since 2006.
"I give credit to Wildwood and Coach (Richard) Jackson, because they had a good plan and made us work for our stuff early," said VHS head coach
Colt McDowell. "But our guys responded well and got it done. It wasn't as clean or efficient as we would've liked, but it's always good to get a big win."
Wildwood held a slight advantage early at 7-5 on the scoreboard, starting off with a physical presence inside that seemed to stun VHS early. A skirmish between the two rivals — the first of a handful of emotional flurries on the night — seemed to energize the Buffalo, as they marched on a 16-2 run to end the opening period for a 21-9 lead.
The Villages extended its advantage to 43-22 at the break, largely using its pressure defense to speed up Wildwood into turnovers and easy baskets in transition.
"When we decided to guard and play together, that's what got us going," Washington said. "Early in the game, we weren't really playing together. Once we did, it was over for them."
Washington led the charge in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in a period that VHS outscored Wildwood, 26-11, to initiate a mandated running clock en route to running away with the victory.
Both
Aaron Britt, Jr. and
Jared Thompson had 11 points for the Buffalo, while Wildwood transfer
Adyn Corbin tallied nine points against his former team in the win.
"It was a fun game to play in because it's a rivalry, and you have those emotions you have to keep in check," Britt said. "We've got a guy on this team who came to us from Wildwood. Either way, we wanted to win, but maybe there was a little extra something for us, too."
VHS will return to action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night, when they hit the road to take on Olympia in Orlando.
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.
