Middleton, Fla. — A momentous third quarter led to a seventh straight district title for The Villages High School boys basketball team Friday night in Middleton.

The Buffalo picked apart South Sumter (Bushnell) in the penultimate period on their way to an 85-49 victory in the Class 3A-District 5 Tournament championship, as VHS hoisted the district trophy for a seventh consecutive year before a near-capacity crowd inside the VHS Gymnasium.

The Villages outscored the Raiders, 31-9, in the third quarter, thanks in large part to 15 points — on five made 3-pointers — from Aaron Britt, Jr. en route to a game-high 28 points from the sophomore guard. Junior forward Herly Brutus also poured in nine of his season-high 16 points in the third quarter, helping VHS turn a seven-point halftime lead into an eventual runaway romp.

"Winning district championships are never easy to come by," said VHS head coach Colt McDowell. "We're growing together and we're getting tougher, and we're going to get to a few more days together. That's what this time of year is all about ... winning so you can get some more time with the guys you love."

VHS (22-5 overall) led 34-27 at halftime, after South Sumter (12-12) put forth a physical performance in the first half that threw the Buffalo out of rhythm at times offensively.

Brutus established himself in the paint to open the third quarter, helping the Buffalo out to a 15-3 run over the first four minutes of the period to push the lead to 49-30.

That's when Britt stole the show, knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer — the final two coming with a hearty portion of the VHS crowd on its feet — as Britt's fifth make of the quarter ultimately gave the Buffalo a 28-point lead at 62-34.

"All the glory goes to God, honestly," Britt said. "There's not much else really to say, especially because He is the one who made all of that possible."

The Buffalo eventually held a 65-36 lead at the end of the third quarter, stunning the visitors from Bushnell with seven made 3-pointers in the period.

"We knew the most important minutes of the game were going to be the first few minutes of the third quarter," McDowell said. "Everybody sort of knew once (Britt) hit that first one, let's go ahead and give him the ball, get out of his way, and everyone was cool with it. That's what made it fun — we all knew what was happening and we knew what we needed to get the job done."

Britt continued to fire away in the fourth quarter, making three more 3-pointers to end up with eight makes from beyond the arc on the night.

The Buffalo hit five 3-pointers as a team in the fourth quarter — including a make from Kyle Staun with 4:50 left to initiate a running clock at 79-42 — as VHS went on to tie a single-game record with 17 made 3-pointers in the win.

Up next, The Villages will look ahead to the Class 3A-Region 2 Tournament, with the FHSAA playoff bracket revealed Saturday. The Buffalo are projected to hold the No. 1 seed in the region.


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