Middleton, Fla. — It was all about the love for The Villages High School boys basketball team Thursday night in Middleton.

Come next week for the Buffalo, however, it'll be all about Lakeland.

That's where VHS is headed after an 83-79 victory over Tampa Catholic in the Class 3A-Region 2 final, as the Buffalo punched their ticket to the state Final Four for a third consecutive year.

Behind four players tallying double figures and with a raucous sold-out crowd inside the VHS Gymnasium providing support, The Villages (25-5) captured the program's fifth regional championship to advance into the Class 3A state semifinals.

"I love this team as much as I've ever loved any team that I've ever had," said VHS 10th-year head coach Colt McDowell. "That's saying something because I've had some groups here that I've absolutely adored. But this team has put in all the work, had all the tough conversations, gone through some real growth, and they're playing for one another at the right time of the year."

With the win, the Buffalo will take on Andrew Jackson on Feb. 28 inside the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. A tipoff time between the two teams who met last year in Lakeland — a 47-43 victory for the Tigers — has yet to be announced.

In a rematch of a 10-point win for Tampa Catholic back in late November, it was a much better start for VHS. After falling behind 22-12 after the first quarter on Nov. 26 in that neutral-site contest, the Buffalo led 18-15 following the first eight minutes on Thursday night in Middleton. 

The Villages eventually led by as much as 17 in the first half, before the visiting Crusaders dug back in for a 43-32 lead for the Buffalo at the half.

The visitors from Tampa closed within seven at the end of the third quarter, with VHS clinging to a 64-57 advantage. 

Neither team was able to string together multiple combinations of scores offensively and stops defensively throughout most of the second half, with the two Class 3A heavyweights trading proverbial haymakers down the stretch.

The VHS lead fluctuated from 10 to five on several occasions late, before back-to-back turnovers by the Buffalo resulted in Tampa Catholic scores — bringing the Crusaders within a pair at 81-79 with less than :10 seconds to play. 

That's when Adyn Corbin stepped to the line and calmly sank two free throws with yet another Final Four appearance hanging in the balance, sealing the win and sending the Buffalo back to Lakeland once again.

Corbin finished with 20 points — making 15-of-16 free throws on the night — while Herly Brutus had 18 points, Aaron Britt, Jr. had 17 and Jared Thompson finished with 14.

"Our guys dug in when it got hard, and we were tough and we were together," McDowell said. "We have a ton of respect for Tampa Catholic. Most teams when we get up 15 or 20 (points), we put them away. But they are tough and really forced us to just be tougher, and we got it done."


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