High School Boys Basketball: The Villages punches ticket to first state final in school history
LAKELAND — After 23 years, The Villages is making its first trip to a State Final Four. The Buffalo have been the bridesmaid twice, but Thursday afternoon, they captured an elusive state semifinal win in boys basketball.
The Buffalo (23-8) didn't come this far to lose in the semifinals. With Ribault (25-5) throwing everything it had at them, they came away with a 45-41 win.
The first half was all green and Vegas gold as they controlled the boards and shot 36% from the three-point line. The Villages was up by 11 points by halftime.
"I'm very proud of our guys. They executed the game plan really well for the first three and half quarters," said Villages head coach Colt McDowell. "Got to give a ton of credit to Ribault and the pressure they put on us."
The pressure McDowell referred to nearly turned the game against the Buffalo. Ribault forced The Villages to speed up with its half-court press. Its first-half efficiency fell, and the Buffalo struggled to get the easy baskets they thrived on in the first half.
It wasn't enough to stop The Villages from completing its destiny. Despite losing the turnover battle 24-19, the Buffalo won the rebounding battle 43-39 to anchor their win. Sam Walters and Chris Washington Jr., led the way on the boards with eight rebounds apiece.
The Villages will have 36 hours to soak in their achievement and prepare for their next battle against Mater Lakes Academy. While they put their game face on, let's look at three story lines that drove them to this historic feat.
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A tough road to the Final
The Villages didn't lack for adversity this year. The Buffalo played the best competition they could find inside and outside of the state all season.
Their playoff run was just as difficult. They entered the regionals as the second seed playing a tough Bishop Moore team, then North Marion and four-star forward Sammie Yeanay, and finally Santa Fe on the road.
"We wanted to play the best of the best. It's not in a cocky, arrogant way; we do this to become our best," said McDowell.
The trials and tribulations have been well worth it for the historic moment earned along a challenging road.
Sam Walters' leadership came through in playoff run
When you have five seniors on your roster, they're usually at the top of the pecking order. But when your young core is as talented as The Villages', it's a different story. It's been up to Sam Walters to keep his young teammates on the straight and narrow.
McDowell preached about Walters' leadership growth during their playoff run. When his teammates are down, Walters is the first person to pick them up and make them focus on the next play.
"Growing as a leader and player was one of the main things from last year," Walters said. "I think I did a solid job last year, but definitely, this year, as you can see with our success, I think I'm doing a better job."
Walters may have had his best display of leadership on the biggest stage. He scored nine of The Villages' 15 second-half points, including shooting 4-for-6 from the free throw line when his team struggled to score.
The Villages live by N.O.W.
McDowell and his team have lived by the acronym N.O.W. all season. It stands for: Next play, On a mission, We're together. It's the glue that binds the coaching staff and players together.
It's helped them settle into the moment and perform when the pressure is on. The Buffalo have played for each other all season.
When Chris Washington Jr. turned the ball over, Walters encouraged him to stay in the N.O.W. Walters looks up to McDowell, and Walters' teammates look up to him. That brotherhood has given them accountability from top to bottom.
"That's the leadership I'm talking about. It would have been so easy early in the year to put your head down and give up a three to an uncontested shooter and we would have lost," said McDowell. "Now, we don't."
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: The Villages defeats Jacksonville Ribault to reach state basketball final
