ANAHEIM – Savanna proved it is not a one-man team in a 78-55 win over Anaheim on Tuesday in an Orange League boys basketball game at Anaheim High.
Mark Butler, among Orange County scoring leaders at 22 points a game, scored 19 points in the first half for Savanna.
In the third quarter, Butler was shut out, but Savanna scored 25 points. Allen Perez scored 10 points in the quarter and Abraham Mansaray added eight. Savanna was able to turn a five-point lead in the third quarter into a 21-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Butler, a 5-foot-7 senior, finished with 22 points, adding a fourth-quarter 3-pointer to his 19 first-half points. He made some spectacular end-to-end drives, weaving around and between Anaheim defenders, and had four nifty assists.
Perez scored a season-high 16 points with 11 rebounds. Mansary scored 13 points with seven rebounds and Romulo Howard added 10 points.
The win gave Savanna outright possession of the Orange League championship. The Rebels (15-12, 9-0) have won seven consecutive league titles. They conclude the regular season Thursday at Magnolia.
Anaheim (10-16, 6-3) plays its final regular-season game at home Thursday against Santa Ana Valley. A win Thursday would give Anaheim seven league wins for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
With Butler’s foot on the accelerator, Savanna’s fast-paced style led to plenty of fastbreak layups. Perez said that is the Rebels’ chief asset.
“It’s the speed,” Perez said. “Teams that have the height advantage on us, we’ll out-run them.”
Butler scored 10 points in the first quarter as Savanna built a 20-15 lead. Anaheim’s Joe Salas scored nine of his team-high 13 points in the second quarter to keep the Colonists in it. Savanna took a 37-30 lead into halftime.
Anaheim trimmed its deficit to five points before Savanna went on a 14-1 run to go up by 18 points midway through the third quarter. Anaheim did not challenge Savanna’s lead the rest of the way.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
