With a playoff game on the line, the Umatilla Bulldogs rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They managed a 58-52 win over the Hurricanes. Given Umatilla's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 214th, while Lake Weir is ranked 482nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Umatilla found their leader in underclassman Herly Brutus, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. Brutus hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Artis James, who scored nine points along with seven assists and four steals.
Kevin Shell and Amari Kiner certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. Shell dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds, while Kiner scored 12 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Shell has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Kiner, who scored seven points.
Umatilla has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. As for Lake Weir, their loss dropped their record down to 9-13.
Umatilla will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against The Villages Charter at 7:30 p.m. on February 8th. One thing working in The Villages Charter's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 13 matches. Lake Weir does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
