Servite was led (from left) by Tariq Johnson, Jake Schutt and Carlos Galvan Tuesday night. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Servite senior forward Jake Schutt scored 31 points and was a force at both ends of the court to help the Friars capture a hard fought 71-65 victory over La Habra in a non-league basketball game Tuesday night at Servite.
The game was tight throughout as neither team never built more than a six-point lead. However, Servite (17-6), behind the tenacity of Schutt, and freshmen Tariq Johnson, Carlos Galvan and Saiger Smith, went on a 13-6 run over the final three minutes to pull away to the delight of the capacity crowd.
“We made some clutch shots down the stretch, but we stayed together and that was the key,” said Schutt, who is considering playing at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. next season. The 6-4 Schutt pulled down numerous key rebounds at both ends of the court late in the game and it proved to be the difference.
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The three freshmen Smith, Johnson, and Galvan were impressive, playing way beyond their years as the trio combined to score 39 points and disrupted the La Habra attack.
“We expected a battle, but I think the difference was that we got good looks and executed, and we could feel the energy from the crowd,” said Johnson.
Galvan agreed.
“Our rebounding was the key, and we were excited by the crowd; they gave us a lot of energy and it’s good to get a win like this after we lost our last game to Mater Dei,” Galvan said.
Josh Desatoff nailed three 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the opening quarter to help La Habra take a 19-16 lead after the first quarter. The game remained tight in the second quarter. Aaron Wilson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave La Habra a 34-30 lead at halftime.
Acen Jimenez heated up in the third quarter, scoring eight points but the Highlanders (16-6) failed to score over the final 2:42 of the quarter and fell behind 50-46 after three quarters.
Schutt’s dunk ignited then crowd and gave the Friars a 55-53 lead with 4:41 left in the quarter. He followed it up with 3-pointer as Servite gained the upper hand and never trailed after that point.
Servite closed out the game by scoring on six of their final eight possessions and turning up the defensive pressure on La Habra. Desatoff scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, and Jimenez added 19. The Highlanders did connect on 11 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough.
“Down the stretch they out rebounded us and that hurt us,” Desatoff said.
La Habra assistant coach Evan Barry said the team has a quick turnaround.
“We’re playing our crosstown rival, Sonora, on Thursday, so these guys have to have short term memory and bounce back,” Barry said. “We have a tight team, and these guys will be ready.”
Servite Coach Matt Kanne was pleased with his team’s effort.
“Our team played a complete game from start to finish,” said Kanne. “We battled and played together and that’s what we preach, playing together, together, together. Jake (Schutt) did it all scoring, rebounding, steals, defense, and our freshmen (Smith, Johnson, and Galvan) played great defense, especially down the stretch. It was a great win. We haven’t lost two games in a row all season.”
NOTES:
—-Kanne’s brother, Chris, was an All-CIF Division IIIAA basketball player (2003-04) for Servite. A banner hangs in the Servite gym in his honor.
—Acen Jimenez surpassed the 2,000-point milestone in a game last week against Cypress. Jimenez is the all-time leading scorer in La Habra history. He also has won more basketball games than any other player in school history.
—-Mark Campanaro served as honorary captain for Servite on Tuesday night. Campanaro was a former center for Servite and graduated in 1972. He went on to play for Cypress College and UC Santa Barbara. He then played 19 years professionally in Italy, and played with Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe’s father for two seasons in Italy. He said he knew Kobe Bryant since Kobe was 5-years old.
—Rosary Academy sophomore Kate Kimbale sang an electrified rendition of the National Anthem prior to the game that stirred up the hometown crowd.
—Friars junior guard Marcus Gragg-Buchanan is out for the season with a broken ankle he suffered in a game against Cypress.
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