Middleton, Fla. – The Villages High School boys basketball team opened its Battle at The Villages title defense in dominant fashion Monday night in Middleton.
The Buffalo cruised to their largest margin of victory ever at the three-day, eight-team event, as they enjoyed an 85-28 win over East Hall (Gainesville, Ga.) inside the VHS Gymnasium.
Jadence Kennedy scored a career-high 16 points,
Zayden Garcia tallied 13 and
Aaron Britt, Jr. finished with 12, as VHS (9-3 overall) advanced to Tuesday night's semifinal against McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 7 p.m. in Middleton.
"I thought we (executed) really well," said Buffalo head coach
Colt McDowell. "The emphasis tonight was on shot selection and understanding the different types of shots that are good in press, in transition and in half-court offense. I thought our guys did a good job and they were really locked in."
The runaway victory began in earnest early, as the Buffalo sprinted out to a 26-0 lead before the Vikings scored their first points with nearly seven minutes gone in the first quarter. The opening onslaught is believed to be the most consecutive points scored by VHS to start any game in program history.
"I think the starters came out real hot and with a lot of energy," Britt said. "When we start like that, I don't really think there's anybody that can beat us."
The Villages led 55-12 at halftime, with the entirety of the second half played with a mandatory running clock. The Buffalo finished with 22 assists offensively and 19 turnovers forced defensively.
"Sometimes you end up bringing a knife to a gunfight," East Hall head coach Joseph Dix said. "(The Villages) was clearly a superior team. … Tonight was a different level of basketball that we're probably just not ready for."
Myles Johnson and Prince Smith led the way for East Hall (2-9) with six points apiece. The Vikings will play Victory Christian (Lakeland) at 3 p.m. Tuesday in a consolation semifinal.
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.
