Umatilla Undefeated As Holiday Tournament Nears

    The Umatilla High School boys varsity basketball team's season-opening hot streak continued Friday night, when the Bulldogs dispatched the visiting Lake Weir Hurricanes by a score of 70-45. After a tight first quarter that saw Umatilla leading by just two points, 11-9, the Bulldogs broke open the game with a 23-point second quarter, leading 34-16 at the break.
   Lake Weir turned the tables on Umatilla in the third quarter, outscoring Umatilla by 23-9, but the Bulldogs outscored the visitors 27-6 in the fourth quarter, pulling away to a comfortable win.
   Umatilla was led by Freshman Herly Brutus and Senior Jeric Hutto, who both scored 18 points on the night. Brutus and Senior Mekhi Benn led Umatilla with 10 rebounds each, and Brutus contributed a game-high three blocked shots to his performance.
   After another win this past Monday night against Tavares, by a score of 67-27, Umatilla now stands at 5-0 on the season.
   The undefeated Bulldogs will next play this Thursday night at home against East Ridge, at 7 p.m., and then host Upperman High School out of Baxter, Tennessee on Saturday, December 17 at noon. From December 20-22, Umatilla will play in its own holiday tournament. That event, dubbed the Lake County Tournament of Champions, will run December 20-22 at Umatilla High School, and include Umatilla, Eustis, South Lake,
East Ridge,Hope, and Mount Dora. Action begins at 4:30 p.m. on December 20 and 22, and at 3 p.m. on December 21.