High School Boys Basketball: The Villages halts North Marion's run in region semifinal

THE VILLAGES — Tuesday night’s sold-out region semifinal boys basketball game between North Marion and The Villages came down to the wire. That did not disappoint the fans, who stood in a line that extended from the door to the parking lot to buy tickets at Villages Charter High School.

The game went back and forth as four-star recruits Sammie Yeanay and Sam Walters answered scoring calls all night. The Villages would move on to the next round with its 54-53 win over North Marion with a last-second winning shot by Alvon Isaac.

“I saw a group of young men still looking to put it all together, but faced a very good opponent that’s well coached. Our word is relentless and always has been since we started this eight or nine years ago,” said Villages coach Colt McDowell, whose team is now 21-8. “It was a very relentless win.”

It’s Villages’ first time in the regional final game since 2019. They fell to Satellite by one point in the semifinals a year ago.

For North Marion (21-7), it’s time to reflect on its most successful season in over a decade. While they’re done fighting for a spot in Lakeland, there’s more than enough to be proud of.

“It was a battle … Two high-level teams going at it. The ball bounced a little bit more in their favor tonight,” said North Marion head coach Tim Yarn. “We did an excellent job on Sam. The kid’s a heck of a player, but some other guys stepped up and made plays.”

It was a thrilling night on the hardwood. Let’s discuss four storylines we’ll remember from the Class 4A, Region 1 semifinal.

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North Marion deserves its flowers

At the beginning of the season, most people wouldn’t have predicted the Colts would make it this far. That is the beauty of high school basketball.

North Marion fielded a team with eight football players, and their toughness and grit turned them into one of Marion County’s most formidable teams. The Colts earned their first district title in 28 years.

“I love our program," Yarn said. "I love where we’re at. I’d love to go to war with these guys and wouldn’t trade them for nothing in the world.”

North Marion was strong well before the addition of the 6-foot-8 Yeanay via transfer. His size, strength, and athleticism fit right at home with the Colts' rugged style. The team continued to blossom in the second half of the season. The growth the team experienced over the last two months turned a steady program into a champion.

“First, we had to absorb that haymaker they hit us with," McDowell said, referring to North Marion's fast start. "We’ve been getting off to fast starts in districts and the playoffs, so we hadn’t been in that situation for a while. It was 'calm down and relax. We’ve been here before.' ”

It wasn’t The Village’s only time clawing its way into the game. There were seven lead changes and five ties in the second half. The Buffalo may be a young team, but this win shows they have the fight and Walter's senior leadership to continue their push to Lakeland.

The Buffalo storm back

North Marion’s size and physicality shocked The Villages out of the gate. Five of The Colts’ 15 points came outside the paint in the first quarter. The Buffalo faced a 15-7 deficit after the first quarter and were down by as much as 12 points.

In the second quarter, The Villages did what few teams could do against the Colts this season - slow them down on the offensive boards. With that part of the game under control, they chipped away at the lead one big shot at a time.

Ben Koubek, who finished with a team-high 16 points, scored eight in the second quarter. Freshman Jared Thompson, who added 15 points, scored eight in the same quarter. The two outscored North Marion alone, but buckets from Walters who finished with 15 points, freshman Chris Washington Jr., and Kymani Weathers had them within 1 point at halftime.

A shot to remember

With 15 seconds left in the game, Isaac stood at the top of the three-point line before darting into the paint. When Yeanay stepped up to meet him, he threw a dart to Jared Thompson, who hit a three to take a 1-point lead.

North Marion went back ahead on its next possession, 53-52, less than 10 seconds away from victory.

Isaac, who had one point, received the ball on the break and jetted up the court for the final Buffalo possession. He then dodged defenders for the game-winning shot and his first made field goal of the night.

“It’s crazy; I just had to go when I got it. Coach told me to go, so when I saw the rim, I made the shot,” said Isaac. “I knew someone had to come up clutch, and my number got called for it. I’m a big clutch guy and had to do what I had to do.”

Sammie Yeanay was in takeover mode

Twenty-six points and 12 rebounds nights have become routine for four-star forward Sammie Yeanay. There may only be a handful of players in the state who can challenge him one-on-one, and that’s why teams have thrown everything at him all season.

It didn’t matter if The Villages had one 6-9 defender on him or three. He couldn’t be stopped. North Marion started the game on a 15-3 run. Yeanay scored 11 of those points.

“I’m not worried about the performance; I’m worried about the last two layups I missed. If I didn’t miss them, we would have been going to the next round,” Yeanay said.

As one of the country’s best juniors, he’ll continue to prove why he’s highly regarded every time he steps on the floor. His emotion after the loss tells you how much he cares about the game, his teammates, and his community. He’ll remember this game for a long time, which will be a problem for next year’s opponents.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Alvon Isaac last-second shot sends The Villages to win over North Marion