Florida Flight Fly High at the Kia Center; Defeat the Volusia Serpents 97-86 In Home Opener

Grant Gullett and Clarence Tillman teamed up to lead the Florida Flight past the Volusia county Serpents 97 to 86 on Sunday, March 17th at the illustrious Kia Center, home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. 

The Flight was all business after enduring their worst season in history last season. They jumped out to a dominant 9-1 lead to start the game against last year’s FBA Champion runner-ups, but the Serpents rallied back to capture a 27-18 lead to end the first quarter. 

Gullett kicked a high post pass to Flight newcomer Ignacio “Nacho” Padilla who drained a deep 3-pointer to start the 2nd quarter, initiating an 11-point run to recapture the lead. Trailing once again 32 to 28 shortly after, the Flight went on another 15 to 3 run to take the lead and never look back, outscoring the Serpents 31 to 15 to close out the first half. 

The Flight had a solid day shooting from inside the ark, shooting 52% on the night, but it was their defense that anchored them, as they blocked 11 shots and grabbed 12 steals. Flight forward Sam Theriault had a game-leading 3 blocks. Ulrich “Bulb” Paul, another Flight newcomer, had a game leading 5 steals in the contest. The team also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Serpents 59-51. 

Gullett led the Flight in scoring with 23 points. Tillman led the team with 12 rebounds to go with his 14 points. Ron Burr-Madalone also contributed 15 points, and rookie Tyler Rodrigue finished with 12 points in his debut as a professional. 

The Flight host the Winter Park Storm next on Saturday, March 30th at the Silver Spurs arena, home of the NBA G-League’s Osceola Magic. Tip off is scheduled at 1:30pm. To secure tickets to this special event, email info@flighthoops.com or visit http://www.theFBA.com. 

The FBA is a Florida-based professional basketball league providing a development, branding and exposure platform for athletes, referees and other individuals seeking to further their professional basketball careers.