ANGELUS LEAGUE : Anderson’s Play Sparks Servite to Easy Victory

LA PUENTE —  Servite High is an extremely patient basketball team.

Last season, the Friars were so patient they waited until the end of the season to play their best ball and wound up winning the Division III state championship.

Servite was calm, cool and composed again Friday night, even after falling behind early at Bishop Amat. But the Friars stayed faithful to Coach Rick Smith’s game plan and ground out a 62-44 Angelus League victory.

“We’re not the kind of team that can race down the floor and outrun the other guys for easy baskets,” Smith said. “We have to take our time, and make sure we get something we want out of each possession.”

The Friars (16-6, 6-2) erased a 15-9 deficit by halftime, then pulled away with a disciplined spread offense.

Bishop Amat (14-8, 4-4) got 18 points from its leading scorer, point guard Jelani Gardner. But Servite swingman Adam Anderson, a 6-4 defensive specialist, frustrated Gardner throughout the game and forced him into rushing several shots.

“It doesn’t matter who the other team’s best scorer is, Adam gets him,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter if the guy is smaller or taller. Adam figures he’s got a job to do and he does it.”

Anderson also led Servite with 15 points. Guard Matt Kenney (seven rebounds) and forward Dan Coady each scored 13 for the Friars.

Bishop Amat trailed by only three midway through the third quarter, until Anderson fired up his teammates with an alley-oop lob pass to Coady for a dunk and a 37-32 lead.

Even though the Friars shot only 16 times in the second half, they made seven baskets, several of them coming on backdoor layups generated by the spread offense.

Servite shot 44 percent from the field (17 for 39).

“The first half was not typical Servite basketball,” Smith said. “We panicked a few times. In the second half, we were much more composed and intelligent.”