Groveland, Fla. – The Villages High School boys basketball team got its 2025-26 season off to a roaring start Monday night in Groveland.
The Buffalo blitzed South Lake for an 80-27 road victory in their season opener, flashing a selfless offense and a stifling defense that looked reminiscent from the squad's state runner-up finish a year ago.
Five different players finished in double figures for VHS (1-0), who clipped the Eagles (0-1) en route to the largest margin of victory for a season-opening win in program history.
"I was really pleased with how selfless we were," said VHS head coach
Colt McDowell. "We've got a bunch of guys that are about winning and they don't care about stats, and I think that showed a little bit tonight."
The Buffalo jumped out to a 15-2 lead through the opening four minutes of play, a sign of things to come as VHS seized control early in each of the four periods of play. The Villages eventually led 24-11 through the first eight minutes of action.
A 7-0 run over the first 100 seconds of the second quarter extended the lead to an even 20 points at 31-11, with the Buffalo allowing just six points in the second quarter to enjoy a 49-17 lead at the half.
Herly Brutus finished a putback effort with 5:58 left in the third quarter, initiating a running clock for the remainder of the contest. The Villages held South Lake to just six points over the remaining 13:58 of the game.
"If we play like that, I feel like nobody in the country can stop us," said VHS junior guard
Aaron Britt, Jr. "I also feel like we have a lot more depth this year, too. Guys come off the bench and they're playing hard, and it's like a full in-and-out thing with us. Somebody goes out and there's really no drop off."
The 53-point win is the largest for the Buffalo in a season opener, surpassing an 81-29 victory over Hernando back on Nov. 23, 2020.
Jared Thompson led the way with 15 points – all coming from beyond the 3-point line – while Brutus finished with 14 points and the trio of
Zayden Garcia,
Miles Simpson and
Cam Lee each had 10 points off the bench.
The Villages, who earned the No. 16 ranking in ESPN's SC Next Top 25 national preseason poll on Monday, will return to action at 4:30 p.m. Friday against No. 4 IMG Academy in the Miami Tip-Off in Miami. The game will be streamed nationally on the NBA app.
"Preparation is where the game is won and lost, and I already can't wait for tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday," McDowell said. "What an opportunity to get ready for an opponent like IMG, a national name and a really good group of talented players, too."
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.
