Anaheim was led by (from left) AJ Rodriguez. Aydan Ibarra, Drew Cervantes and Tony Spagnoletti in a win Thursday night. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Tony Spagnoletti and Drew Cervantes each scored 18 points and Aydan Ibarra added 17 points to lead Anaheim to a 75-65 victory over Orange in the opening Grove League game for both teams Thursday night at Orange.
The Colonists evened their overall record at 5-5 while the Panthers, despite a gallant effort, fell to 1-11.
“We came out with so much energy tonight,” said Spagnoletti, who scored 10 points in the third quarter to pace Anaheim. “We knew they would make a run, but we didn’t let down.”
Orange trailed 41-28 at the break but started the third quarter out strong.
Vic Ceja’s bucket cut the lead to 46-43 at the 3:06 mark of the quarter, but the Colonists went on a 13-6 run to finish the period. Spagnoletti, Cervantes and Ibarra accounted for Anaheim’s 13 points in the final three minutes of the quarter that lifted the Colonists to a 59-49 lead after three periods.
“Communication and good ball movement were the keys for us,” said Cervantes. “We battled back and played as a team.”
The Panthers hurt themselves late in the third quarter when they were called for a technical foul and Anaheim converted four consecutive free throws. Orange also committed 24 turnovers in the game.
“Turnovers killed us,” said Panthers’ first-year coach Jacob Rhodes. “We lost our composure at times and the turnovers really hurt us. We played hard and battled but we have things to correct.”
Bob Castillo scored six points in the final minute of play to combat any Orange hopes of a comeback. The Panthers couldn’t draw any closer than six points in the final period.
“They made a run at us and their No. 32 (Mark Hernandez-Chino) was tough on us inside, but we battled and didn’t give up,” said Anaheim Coach Alfonso Rodriguez. “It’s a good way to start off league play with a tough win.”
AJ Rodriguez scored eight points, Castillo added seven points and Ibarra added three 3-pointers for the Colonists.
Four Panthers reached double figures. Ceja led the way with 15 points. Ivan Kim scored 14 points, Sebastian Nunez had 13 points and Alex Villa drilled four 3-pointers and scored 12 points for Orange.
The game was tight in the first quarter until Anaheim went on a 10-0 run to end the period, aided by six Panthers turnovers in the final two minutes.
Cervantes scored two baskets, Iberra nailed a 3-pointer and then Spagnoletti drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Colonists a 24-11 lead after eight minutes of play.
Anaheim maintained a double-digit lead in the second quarter and took a 13-point advantage into the locker room.
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