Lakeland, Fla. – With 5:39 to play and The Villages High School boys basketball team facing its largest deficit in Friday's Class 3A state semifinal, the Buffalo emerged from a timeout huddle to a familiar roar.
Those who made the pilgrimage from Middleton to the RP Funding Center made their voices heard, rising to their feet to help motivate VHS into a comeback effort that could potentially be talked about for quite some time.
And it's time to start having those chats.
The Buffalo pulled themselves out of a nine-point hole and pushed aside what would've been the worst shooting performance of the season, rallying past No. 2 Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) late for a 57-55 victory.
The Villages (26-5) stunned the Tigers (28-3) by way of four made 3-pointers in the fourth quarter – all coming after the team missed its first 13 attempts from beyond the arc – surging ahead one final time with 1:28 remaining.
With the win, the Buffalo will battle Calvary Christian (21-1) for the Class 3A state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday night in Lakeland. The Eagles are ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 1 in Class 3A.
"We talked about not letting your teammates down, with your attitude or effort, no matter what," said Buffalo head coach Colt McDowell. "I'm just so proud of our guys because it was hard, it was really hard. Andrew Jackson made it really tough on us, but we just found ways to make plays and get it done."
VHS trailed 50-41 at that pivotal timeout with a little over five minutes to play, having gone nearly 10 minutes without a basket made from the field since early in the third period.
But it didn't matter.
"We've been there too many times before," said VHS junior guard Jared Thompson, who hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. "We knew that even though we were down, it didn't matter because we feel we can always come back. So we kept pushing, we didn't give up, and we just kept playing Buffalo basketball."
The rematch of last season's Class 3A state semifinal – a 47-43 win for Andrew Jackson – was a competitive one from the start. The two teams exchanged the lead eight times and tied six more times in the first half, with VHS eventually holding a 34-33 lead at the break.
That advantage came despite the Buffalo, who averaged 10.1 made 3-pointers per contest during a nine-game win streak entering the Final Four, missing all seven of their 3-point attempts in the first half. The Tigers also kept it tight by shooting 50% from the floor over the first two quarters of play.
The poor shooting caught up with VHS in the third quarter, as the Buffalo went ice cold and made just 1-of-13 shots from the field in the period. All that aside, Andrew Jackson only led 44-41 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tigers went on to score the first six points of the fourth, giving the Jacksonville natives a 50-41 lead after VHS came up empty on its first three possessions.
That's when McDowell called for his first full timeout of the afternoon and regrouped his squad for what proved to be a memorable stretch run.
"I told the guys, 'Stop trying to be perfect and start playing basketball,'" McDowell recalled. "And it turned out, that's exactly what they did."
Herly Brutus started the comeback with an offensive rebound and putback basket, before the junior forward then hit the first VHS 3-pointer with 4:32 to play to cut the deficit to 50-46.
Another 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor, this one by Jomar Bernard, pulled VHS within 50-49.
After a response triple by Andrew Jackson's Jahari Simmons, it was then Thompson who donned a hero's cape and saved his best for last. The junior recorded a steal and then hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession with 2:24 to go, before later knocking down the go-ahead shot from beyond the arc with 1:28 left.
"We heard (the crowd) get loud, and it just gave us so much energy," Thompson said. "That's the moment we knew. We got energy from that and we weren't going to lose it."
VHS had to fend off a pair of 3-point attempts by Andrew Jackson late, including one final heave with 0.5 seconds left, but fate belonged to the Buffalo.
"We really just trusted in one another and believed in each other," said Buffalo senior guard Adyn Corbin, who scored six points and added five assists. "We always knew we'd be able to do it, it was just a matter of time."
Brutus led the way for VHS with a double-double, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Thompson added nine points in the win, while Bernard and Aaron Britt, Jr. each finished with seven.
"We've got one more," Brutus said. "We'll go over the scouting report, we'll go over what we need to run in the morning, and then we'll get ready to play for this championship."
The Buffalo now have their focus on capturing the school's first-ever team state championship, as they get set to square off with one of the nation's best in Calvary Christian on Saturday night. VHS fell to Mater Lakes in its only other state title game appearance back in 2023.
"We can't be more excited about the opportunity," McDowell said. "We've got a ton of respect for Calvary Christian and Coach (Cilk) McSweeney. We want to play the best and we want that challenge, but I like us. And if we find a way to continue to be tough and together, we will get it done."
Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.
