It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact the Umatilla Bulldogs can now relate to. They were dealt a 89-62 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo on Thursday. Umatilla has struggled against The Villages Charter recently, as their contest on Thursday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Umatilla's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Herly Brutus, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds. Brutus has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Jay Miller was another key contributor, scoring 21 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
The Villages Charter's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jared Thompson, who scored 25 points along with six rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thompson has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ben Koubek, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds.
Umatilla's defeat dropped their record down to 19-6. As for The Villages Charter, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 16-11.
Umatilla does not have any more games scheduled as of now. The Villages Charter's road trip will continue as they head out to face Eustis at 7:30 p.m. on February 10th. The Villages Charter has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,054 points over their last 15 contests.
