No better way to celebrate the year that was 2025 than being at The Villages for its annual Battle at The Villages tournament. An eight-team event that brings in quality programs from inside and outside of the Sunshine State, the third and final day of The Battle was highly competitive and entertaining.
Seventh Place Game: GA East Hall vs. IL De La Salle
Prior to the start of the season, both teams suffered some personnel losses due to transfer, making them a bit lesser versions of what was expected. Still, the teams were comparable in terms of size and skill.
De La Salle out of Chicago got off to a fast start and led 11-0 with 4:22 left in the first quarter, forcing an East Hall timeout. The stoppage in play helped as East Hall “won” the rest of the period and was down just four, 17-13, heading into the second period. East Hall continued to battle its way uphill and tied the score at 21-21 with 3:30 left to play. At that point De La Salle regained control of the contest, finishing the half on a 12-1 run to lead by eleven, 33-22.
The teams played relatively even in the third quarter but that only means that East Hall was still down going into the final period by the score of 50-41. East Hall wasn’t done and looked to be making a run down 56-50 with 3:30 remaining. Thanks to the tournament using a thirty-five second shot clock, a comeback was more than possible. However, four quick baskets by De La Salle in the ensuing ninety seconds pushed their lead back to double-digits at 60-50. With under two minutes to play, time was a factor that East Hall could not overcome. De La Salle wins the seventh-place game by the score of 65-54.
De La Salle was led by 6’2 senior guard Lucas Johnson who finished with 26 points, earning All-Tournament honors. Chaden Harvey, a 6’1 junior added 14 points.
East Hall was paced by 6’3 senior Chasen Jones with 13 points.
Consolation Championship: Lakeland Victory Christian vs. OH Upper Arlington
Each team lost their respective opening round matchup but found redemption by winning their next contest. The pace of the opening quarter was up-tempo with both teams finding their respective offensive grooves early on. Victory was able to grab a lead of 12-10 with 3:30 left in the first and had a 16-12 lead at the end of the first period. In the second quarter, the defenses picked up a bit. With 3:30 left to play, Upper Arlington tied the score at 22-22. They seized momentum from that point forward to finish the half up three, 30-27.
UA was able to keep Victory Christian at arm’s length for most of the third period. Finally, with 3:34 left in the quarter, Victory tied the score at 36-36. However, they were unable to take back the lead and with one period left to play, UA still had the upper-hand, leading 45-41. Both teams struggled offensively in the first few minutes of the final period but Victory Christian was able to tie the score at 45-45 with 4:30 remaining. Upper Arlington hit a three on its next possession and after a VC bucket inside brought them back to within one, UA hit another three to go up 51-47. Victory got a score and then put UA on the foul line. UA made the first but missed the second, making it a three-point game with fourteen seconds left. Upper Arlington put the missed free throw back to make the score 54-49 in their favor with just eleven seconds left. Victory Christian would not get a good look at a final shot and Upper Arlington takes home the consolation title by the score of 54-49.
Luke Mitchell, a 6’1 junior, led UA with 17 points in the contest and earned All-Tournament honors. Brody Larrison, a 6’6 senior added 16 points and 6’2 senior Hayden Henry finished with 11 points.
For Victory Christian, 6’4 senior M.J. McCalla led the way with 12 points. Tucker Fox, a 6’0 senior, was named to the All-Tournament team.
Third Place Game: AZ St. Mary’s vs. TN McCallie
Both teams lost their respective semi-final contests by narrow margins, so each team was looking to make amends. St. Mary’s Cam Williams, a 6’11 senior and Duke commit, was the highest ranked player in the event, a national top five prospect.
St. Mary’s grabbed momentum and the early lead. After one quarter of play, they lead by five at 17-12. McCallie played evenly with St. Mary’s through the first four minutes of the second quarter, down just five at 27-22. At that point, St. Mary’s reeled off a 12-5 run, opening up a double-digit lead. At the break. SM was up a dozen, 39-27.
An 11-2 run by McCallie over the first three minutes of the third quarter brought them back to within three at 41-38. They continued that roll and seized their first lead at 45-44 with four minutes left in the period. St. Mary’s got things back in order and with one period left to play, the game was tied at 53-53. St. Mary’s gained control in the early moments of the fourth quarter, building a 64-58 advantage. McCallie was unable to mount another run and St. Mary’s would go on to win by the score of 79-68.
Not surprisingly, Williams of St. Mary’s fashioned a spectacular stat line of 27 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. He was named the tournament’s Impact Player. He got help from 6’0 junior Noah Ondoua with 18 points. Mick Riordin, a 6’3 junior, was named to the All-Tournament team.
For McCallie, Ernas Valauskas, a 6’4 senior scored 23 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. Trell Knight, a 6’5 senior, added 20 points.
Title Game: The Villages Charter vs. Bartow
It was an all-Florida affair in the title game. Both teams have legitimate state championship aspirations in their respective classifications. The Villages has taken on a demanding national-level schedule that can only help them in the long run. Bartow has only one loss to this point and has it shares of battle scars as well.
From the outset, one could tell this was going to be tight the entire way. After the first four minutes the score was 8-8 and after one period of play, Bartow had the slimmest of leads at 18-17. The Yellow Jackets built upon that lead in the early moments of the second quarter and led 27-20 with four minutes to play at which point The Villages called time out. Magic words must have been said because after that break, The Villages finished the period with a 15-6 run to lead by two, 35-3 at the half.
The third quarter was just as tight as the first two. Bartow was able to grab back a lead at 44-42 with 4:35 left in the period but was not able to maintain it. Heading into the final period of play, the game was tied up at 53-53. Moving closer to the end of the contest, Bartow was down two, 68-66, but at the line to shoot three free throws. Bartow only made one of the shots and with 1:42 to play was down 68-67. After a Villages turnover, Bartow drained a three with 1:10 to play to go up 70-68. The Villages didn’t blink and with thirty-five seconds left connected on a mid-range jumper to tie the score at 70-70. After a Bartow timeout and no shot clock in play, the Yellow Jackets looked to get the best shot possible or head into overtime. With five seconds left, 6’2 junior Matthew Williams found himself with the ball on the right baseline. A Villages defensive scramble gave him enough room and time to take one dribble and loft an eight-footer at the basket. The ball dropped through the net just before the final horn sounded to end the contest. The Bartow Yellow Jackets win a thriller, 72-70.
Bartow got 18 points each from 5’11 sophomore Syrus Sinfort and 6’4 senior Ja’kylen Crossley. Sinfort was named All-Tournament while Crossley was named the events Most Outstanding Player. James Ratteree, a 5’11 sophomore, added 13 points. Derwynn Link, a 6’6 sophomore for Bartow, was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Villages placed five players in double-figures. Both 6’6 senior Herly Brutus and 6’0 freshman Cam Lee tallied 14 points. Brutus was named the event’s Most Valuable Player. Aaron Britt, a 6’1 junior, scored 12 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. Ethan Bevis, a 6’5 senior finished with 11 points while Jomar Bernard, a 6’6 junior added 10 points.