The Umatilla Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Mount Dora Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Umatilla has four straight victories, Mount Dora has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Umatilla proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 31) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 62-60 victory over Mount Dora Christian Academy. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Umatilla's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Herly Brutus, who scored eight points along with 12 rebounds and eight assists. 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 Tyler Demetski, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and five steals.
Mount Dora suffered their biggest defeat since December 4, 2023 on Monday. They were outmatched by Oviedo at home and fell 61-15. Mount Dora was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 44-7.
Umatilla's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Mount Dora, they bumped their record down to 1-12 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.
Umatilla took their win against Mount Dora when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 66-43. With Umatilla ahead 34-13 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
