3-AA BOYS : Servite Picks Up the Pace, Rolls to 57-49 First-Round Victory Over Troy

ANAHEIM — Servite High School Coach Richard Smith didn’t recognize his players early in the first quarter of the Friars’ Southern Section 3-AA first-round game Tuesday, but he undoubtedly was happy to make their acquaintance.

The Friars, normally slow starters, took a 10-point lead before Troy managed a field goal and went on to a 57-49 victory. Servite (14-10) advances to meet Trabuco Hills, a 92-65 winner over La Quinta, Friday.

“We’re usually not fast starters, so an 11-1 lead was a pleasant surprise,” Smith said. “Sometimes, we don’t score 11 in the first quarter. Tonight, we got it in 2 1/2 minutes.”

Troy Coach Bill Morris recognized his team was in trouble early when Servite opened with a tight, man-to-man defense. As a result of the pressure, the Warriors had seven turnovers after the first quarter and 13 by halftime.

“We’re not used to playing against that type of pressure defense,” Morris said. “They caused a lot of those turnovers by playing good, man-to-man defense. They did a good job of taking us out of our offense.”

Making matters worse, Troy was playing without starting guard Jermaine Butler. Morris said Butler, short on credits for graduation, was at a night class he could not miss.

Still, Servite wasn’t able to coast to the victory. Led by reserves Randy Abbott and Eldon Davis, who combined for nine points, Troy cut the lead to four at halftime.

Smith said his team played with “tremendous intensity” early, then got complacent.

“It was 11-1 at the beginning, then we laid off a little bit,” Smith said. “We had trouble sustaining it. But it’s a credit to our kids they did what it took to win. It’s a win. That’s what counts.”

Fortunately for Servite, Steve Marusich seemed to have no difficulty staying intense.

After scoring 10 points in the first half, the 6-foot-7 center added 11 in the third quarter. He started the quarter with two field goals inside. Several minutes later, he completed a three-point play for a 40-27 Servite lead.

Dan Coady added a basket to give Servite its biggest lead of the game, 42-27. Troy would get no closer than seven points the rest of the game.

Marusich, posting up often against the smaller Warriors, finished with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.

“They had a smaller front line than what he’s been seeing in league,” Smith said. “He wanted to win. He’s the type of kid who will do what it takes to win.”

Morris said his team was nearly helpless against Marusich. “We couldn’t stop him,” Morris said. “Our tallest player is only 6-3. Their defense and Marusich. Those were the two keys to the game.”

The game’s pace also slowed in the second half, which worked to Servite’s advantage, Smith said.

“Once we got in the lead, we played with a tempo we weren’t comfortable with,” he said. “We started shooting the ball quickly, not getting in position for rebounds.”

Smith stressed that his team will need to “play with intensity” for 32 minutes against Trabuco Hills (17-8). He could only watch as Servite’s lead was cut to eight midway through the fourth quarter, largely because of poor free throw shooting. The Friars missed five one-on-one attempts in the final three minutes.

Paul Stapleton scored eight points for Servite; Mike Coady and Adam Anderson each added seven. Guard Mike Abbott led Troy with 15 points, including 11 in the second half.