ANGELUS LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Rubio’s Only Three-Point Shot Is a Timely One for Servite

Eddie Rubio, Servite’s point guard, hadn’t made a three-point basket all night. But when he finally did, he couldn’t have picked a better time.

Rubio’s three-pointer from the top of the circle erased a 53-52 Santa Margarita lead with 32 seconds left Friday night, and Servite held on for a 57-53 Angelus League victory in Anaheim.

Servite (18-6, 8-2) finished second in league to Mater Dei and will likely go to next week’s Southern Section Division 3-A playoffs as the No. 2-seeded team in the division.

Santa Margarita (14-9, 4-6) trailed by 13 in the third quarter but fought back to take a 53-50 lead on a reverse layup by center Jeff Layne with 2:49 left.

Two free throws by Servite’s Eric Osterhues made it 53-52, then Dan Coady intercepted a Santa Margarita pass with 57 seconds left, and Servite called a timeout. A play was designed for Rubio to fake a pass to swingman Adam Anderson, then pass inside to either Coady or Osterhues.

But Santa Margarita double-teamed Anderson, which left Rubio alone on the perimeter. He stepped up to the arc and swished the shot.

“Usually, I just throw it across in that situation,” Rubio said. “But the shot was there for me. I had to take it.”

Servite Coach Rich Smith jumped off the bench when Rubio’s shot went in. “He just went up and drilled it, like there was never a doubt in his mind,” Smith said.

Anderson and Coady each scored 14 for Servite, which also got 11 apiece from Osterhues and guard Matt Kenney.

“We play a deliberate style, so we’re not going to blow out a lot of teams,” Smith said. “We play a lot of these close games. But it seems like when the games are on the line, our guys come through.”

Both teams shot 45 times from the field, with Servite making 20 (44%) to Santa Margarita’s 18 (40%).

Guard Mike Carpenter led Santa Margarita with 19 points, including three three-pointers, and Layne added 14.