Middleton, Fla. — Overtaken by exhaustion and emotion, Zion McRae collapsed into a pair of waiting arms early in the fourth quarter of The Villages High School girls basketball team's final home game Monday against Lake Minneola.

Those arms belonged to her stepfather and the head coach of the Buffalo, Marquez Porter, who fittingly green-lighted — at the urging of McRae's teammates — the most incredible individual performance in program history.

McRae tallied a jaw-dropping 56 points — smashing the school's single-game record for any player, male or female — to lead The Villages to an 87-29 victory over the visiting Hawks inside the VHS Gymnasium in Middleton. 

The senior guard made 23 shots from the floor, including five 3-pointers, and finished 5-for-6 at the free-throw line to cap a historic Senior Night outing.

"I'm just so very blessed to have this accomplishment," said McRae. "It was all very emotional because I love my team and my coaches. With it being my last home game, I just wanted to come out and prove my name."

McRae broke the previous single-game record held by Zoe Tennell, who scored 52 points against Lake Weir on Feb. 1, 2023. The 56 points were also a career-high for McRae after scoring 41 while playing as a freshman for P.K. Yonge in Gainesville. 

"One of the things I've learned from coaching is that you can never get moments back, so you've got to cherish them while you're in them," Porter said. "I'm just so thankful for the kid and her buying into what we do. I'm just so very, very proud of her."

The spotlight didn't only belong to McRae on this historic night, however, as the 87 points scored by VHS were the most in any game in program history. Fellow seniors Iva Charles also scored a career-high 22 points and Ale'Jah Poole matched her season-high with a basket in the win.

"The basketball side of (these seniors) is great," Porter said of his trio of 12th-graders. "But what these kids learned and the life lessons they've learned, they'll take with them the rest of their life and it means so, so much more."

VHS (19-5 overall) jumped all over Lake Minneola (5-14) from the opening tip, as the Buffalo led 33-3 after one quarter of play. The 33 points were the most scored in any single period by The Villages this season.

After McRae opened with 23 points in the first quarter, the talented guard followed with 15 more in the second to sit at 38 points and VHS leading 64-15 at halftime.

It was then — and admittedly only then — did Porter start to realize what a historic night it could be.

"Honestly, the bench had to tell me … I didn't even know it," Porter said with a laugh. "But sometimes as a coach, you just have to go with your team. They wanted (the records) and that means we wanted it."

The Hawks struggled to get around the VHS defense in the half-court early and often in the third quarter, leading to several turnovers and easy baskets in transition for McRae.

And it was a 3-pointer with :26 seconds to play in the third quarter that gave McRae the record, as she confidently stepped into a 30-foot-plus shot that sank through the net without ever grazing the rim. 

"The chemistry we have as a team, it makes something like that moment even more special," McRae said. "We stay together and no matter what the outcome is, good or bad, we're always staying together and working together." 

VHS will close out its regular season on Thursday night, when the Buffalo hit the road in search of win No. 20 at Trinity Catholic in Ocala.


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.