Middleton, Fla. – The Villages High School basketball team sandwiched a pair of historic milestones around a home victory Tuesday night in Middleton.

Herly Brutus and Jared Thompson were each recognized for eclipsing the 1,000-point mark in their respective careers, as the Buffalo rolled to a 72-56 win over North Tampa Christian inside the VHS Gymnasium.

The Villages (6-1 overall) won the rebounding battle (27-22), committed fewer turnovers (16-9) and knocked down nine 3-pointers in the win.

The fifth straight win for VHS was complemented by a pregame ceremony for Brutus reaching 1,000 career points back on Dec. 5, while Thompson sank a 3-pointer with two minutes to play Tuesday to notch his 1,000th career tally en route to a game-high 19 points.

Aaron Britt, Jr. finished with 15 points and Brutus had 10, while Jomar Bernard added nine.








VHS head coach Colt McDowell: "Competitive greatness is doing your best when your best is needed. That's something we've been able to really pull from our games here lately. When we keep things simple and we make the easy plays, we're really hard to guard and play against. I'm proud of our guys for doing just that and I'm proud that we handled our business, kept a lead and kept playing the game the right way."

VHS senior Herly Brutus: "The moment tonight and this place means a lot to me because I've come a long way. There's been a lot of nights – some great nights, some bad nights – but it's all come together and we're here now. To hit 1,000 points here, I'm really grateful and it's a great feeling."

VHS senior Jared Thompson: "It's a special moment, but I really pride myself on defense, rebounding and being there for my brothers. That's all that really matters. If we have each other's back, that's the most important thing for us getting to where we want to be."



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