Middleton, Fla. — Evah Watterson splashed six 3-pointers en route to a season-high 24 points to lead The Villages High School girls basketball team to a 60-58 win over district foe Eustis on Wednesday night at VHS.
The senior kept the Buffalo (9-7 overall, 2-0 district) in it early with five first-half triples and sank another during a pivotal run in the third quarter, sparking VHS to a win and moving it atop the standings in Class 4A-District 6.
"I'm so proud of that girl ... I don't know if I can even talk about that girl," said an emotional Buffalo head coach
Marquez Porter after the win. "She deserved to play like that. Everything you want in a player, that's what
Evah Watterson is. She absolutely deserved to carry us in a meaningful game."
After two-time defending district champion Eustis (9-9, 3-2) opened the game on an 8-0 run, Watterson caught fire from deep with a trio of triples from beyond the arc.
That continued in the second quarter, as Watterson knocked down two more 3-pointers to pull VHS within 32-23 at the break. She accounted for 17 of the 23 first-half points for the Buffalo.
Watterson found plenty of open floor thanks to the attention brought upon by VHS leading scorer
Zion McRae, who drew the focus of Eustis' defense and held to a season-low three points in the first half.
"It was a great opportunity to come out and show what I could do," Watterson said. "It was huge not only for me to get a chance to prove what I can do, but also just us as a team and beating (Eustis) again."
A balanced attack spurred VHS to a 21-12 advantage in the third quarter, as four different Buffalo knocked down a 3-pointer in the period to pull things even at 44-44 headed into the fourth.
That's when the lane started to open for McRae, who knifed through the Panther defense time and time again — earning multiple trips to the free-throw line — and bringing a hearty midweek crowd to its feet with a pair of dazzling layups in traffic late. She finished with 17 points.
With VHS up 60-58, the Buffalo dribbled out nearly the entirety of the final 20 seconds of play, before a turnover fell into the hands of Eustis star Alena Seward. But the senior guard failed to get a shot off in time, leaving her with a game-high 31 points and giving the Buffalo the season sweep over the Panthers.
"Mentally, (Eustis) has owned us a little bit," Porter said. "Breaking through that mental barrier is huge. You can beat them one time, but think maybe it's a fluke. To get them again, that means a lot."
The Buffalo will return right to action at 7 p.m. Thursday night, when they take on South Lake in Groveland.
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.
