Orange League : Brea Beats Savanna in OT, 47-45

With his Tex Wallis-style crew cut, Brea-Olinda High School basketball Coach Gene Lloyd looks a little older than his 47 years--and a little wiser, too.

That may be why Lloyd sounded like a wise, old man Friday night after the Wildcats’ 47-45, overtime victory over Savanna, a win that gave Brea its second straight Orange League championship and its sixth title in the past eight years.

Lloyd and 1,000 fans in Brea’s gym had just watched Wildcat center Kevin Walker sink a short, baseline jumper with one second left in overtime to give Brea the win.

The crowd also witnessed a Savanna team--with no players taller than 6-3--nearly beat a Brea team that included the 6-9 Walker and 6-5 David Fox.

Lloyd, who has been in the coaching business for more than 20 years, thought it the right time afterward to speak out on the so-called height advantage.

“I’ll tell you something about size,” said Lloyd, in his philosophical voice of experience. “Height is the most overrated aspect in basketball, and quickness is the most underrated. That’s why they (the Rebels) were able to outrebound us, 21-19.

“But when you have guys like Fox and Walker, who have height and quickness, you ought to win the league, which we did tonight.”

Lloyd couldn’t have put it better. Walker, who scored 19 points, and Fox, who added 16 (9 in the fourth quarter), were the difference in this game, but not because they towered over most of the Rebels. Most of their points actually came on outside jump shots.

“Many compare Kevin to Johnny Rogers (former La Quinta star now at UC Irvine),” Lloyd said. “Our two big guys are excellent shooters. They hit consistently tonight from 15 feet.”

Walker’s final shot put an end to a close, exciting game, in which neither team could build more than a three-point lead. Savanna controlled the overtime tip, but Brea got the ball after Jay Koh missed a jumper early in the three-minute period.

The Wildcats knocked two minutes off the clock and called timeout with 43 seconds left. Brea, working for a last shot, then got the ball to Walker, who drove the baseline on the right side. His shot hit the rim, then the backboard and fell through the basket with one second left.

Orange League

League Overall School W L W L Brea 8 0 20 4 Savanna 6 2 17 7 Valencia 5 3 13 8 Western 4 4 9 13 Anaheim 1 7 3 16 Magnolia 0 8 0 18

That gave the Wildcats an 8-0 league record (20-4 overall), while Savanna dropped to 6-2 and 17-7. Wins over Magnolia and Valencia next week would give Lloyd his first undefeated season in his 11 years as the Wildcats’ coach.

Brad Veal and Tim Pittman each scored 15 points for the Rebels. Veal’s biggest basket came with 10 seconds left in regulation, when he took an excellent pass from Alex Madas and dunked it through to tie the game, 43-43.

Vincent Francis missed a long jumper at the other end, and Walker’s follow shot at the buzzer missed, thus sending the game into overtime.

Pittman hit three straight jumpers in the third period, but went scoreless the rest of the game after Lloyd switched from a 1-3-1 trap defense to a diamond and one, with Francis guarding Pittman.

“Francis is one of the most unsung players around,” Lloyd said. “The only thing we see is points, but Vincent helped turn the game around. They were still able to stay with us, but it threw their tempo off. And Pittman hardly touched the ball in the fourth quarter.”

In their first meeting this year, the Wildcats whipped the Rebels, 67-40, but Savanna Coach Tom Gregory was much happier with his team’s performance this time.

“It doesn’t feel like we lost the game,” he said. “We played a good game, and I couldn’t ask for more from my kids. This proves we can play with anyone.”

SAVANNA (45)--Hoffman 9, Madas 4, Veal 15, Pittman 15, Koh 2.

BREA (47)--Francis 6, Barcelo 6, Fox 16, Walker 19.