Basketball Recap: Josiah Gillard's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Lake Minneola over the Villages Charter

Lake Minneola fought the good fight in their overtime match against The Villages Charter on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to The Villages Charter Buffalo 93-87. The Hawks have struggled against the Buffalo recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Lake Minneola's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josiah Gillard, who went 10 for 16 on his way to 26 points and five assists. Tyrell Thomas was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 19 points and eight rebounds.

The Villages Charter was led to victory by Adyn Corbin and Aaron Britt, Jr.. Corbin dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Britt, Jr. went 12 of 17 on his way to 30 points and eight rebounds. The dominant performance gave Britt, Jr. a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jared Thompson, who posted 16 points and six rebounds.

Lake Minneola's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-4. As for The Villages Charter, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-1.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lake Minneola will head out to square off against Lee County at 8:00 p.m. on December 26th. As for The Villages Charter, they will venture away from home to challenge Buchholz at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.