January 28, 2025
Villages Charter’s Zion McRae Breaks School Record with 56-Point Performance In Historic Win
By Kyle Coppola
Villages Charter’s Zion McRae Breaks School Record with 56-Point Performance In Historic Win
THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Senior Zion McRae made history Tuesday night, shattering Villages Charter School’s all-time single-game scoring record with a staggering 56 points in an 87-29 rout of Lake Minneola High School. The 87 points also marked the most ever scored by the Villages girls’ basketball team in a single game, adding another historic milestone to the unforgettable night.
(Coach Quez Porter celebrates with his team after the record-setting performance. The Villages as a team scored the most points in girls varsity basketball history with 87.)
The game held special significance as it celebrated the careers of McRae and fellow seniors Ale’jah Poole and Iva Charles. Poole and Charles also contributed to the win, capping off a triumphant senior night for the trio.
“It meant a lot to go out here and do that,” said Head Coach Quez Porter. “I hope the girls got a lot out of this. It shows we can have fun, and I hope we can carry that fun and momentum into districts and the postseason.”
(The Villages Charter School girls basketball stand together after a dominating win. Zion McRae holds the ball which she scored 56 points with. It’s now the all-time record at The Villages.)
McRae’s record-breaking performance was the highlight of the evening, earning praise from Coach Porter, who credited her relentless work ethic. “Zion works so hard at this. She earned this, and I am very proud to see her with the record. Also, a big shoutout to all her teammates for helping her achieve it,” Porter added.
With the win, the Villages improved to 19-5 on the season, positioning themselves as a strong contender heading into the district tournament. This is a big moment for this program to go out and dominate like that.
Congratulations to Zion McRae and the entire Villages Charter girls’ basketball team for a historic and record-setting night!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
