Preview: Umatilla Bulldogs vs. Belleview Rattlers
The Umatilla Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Belleview Rattlers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Umatilla will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Even though Lake Weir scored an imposing 57 points on Tuesday, Umatilla still came out on top. Umatilla walked away with a 66-57 win over Lake Weir. Given Umatilla's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 185th, while Lake Weir is ranked 463rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Umatilla got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Herly Brutus out in front who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Brutus is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jalen Pressley, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Belleview lost to Citrus on the road by a decisive 56-39 margin on Thursday. Belleview has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Umatilla's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-3. As for Belleview, their loss dropped their record down to 2-15.
Umatilla beat Belleview 61-51 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Umatilla since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
