Tape Clearly Most Valuable as Santa Ana Clinches Title

Santa Ana scored a victory for persistence and Lohnnie Tape made a strong case for postseason honors as the Dons beat host Fullerton, 74-69, to clinch the Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball title Wednesday.

Santa Ana started the season with four consecutive losses and was 2-3 in conference at one point. But the Dons (18-11, 10-3) have since won eight in a row and stormed to the title behind Tape, a sophomore forward who had 30 points Wednesday and is the favorite for the conference’s most valuable player award.

Tape, who had 20 points in the second half, scored nine consecutive points during a key second-half stretch during which Santa Ana opened a 10-point lead. That grew to as much as 12, 66-54, with 6 minutes 52 seconds left. But Fullerton came back.

Ben Sanders scored five consecutive points with less than a minute left and Fullerton got within 72-69 with 17 seconds left. But Santa Ana sophomore Mark Saukkola made two free throws with 14 seconds left to give Santa Ana a 74-69 lead.

Santa Ana Coach Dana Pagett was impressed with the defense of both teams, but one sequence stood out.

Santa Ana was up by six with 54 seconds left when guard Chris Mattice blocked a three-point try. Fullerton’s Erick Ashe got the rebound and tried another three-pointer, but Mattice slid to his right and blocked that shot as well.

The ball went into the middle and Tape came up with a block, got the rebound, was fouled and made two free throws.

“We just knew we needed a stop so we dug down,” said Tape who made 12 of 18 from the field. Saukkola added 11 and Jimmy Alapag had 10 for Santa Ana.

Sanders had 23 points and Ashe added 11 for Fullerton (20-9, 8-5), which trailed Santa Ana by a game at the start of the night.