Fast start propels Santa Ana Saints to Golden West League victory over Buena Park

Santa Ana’s top players Friday were (from left) Issac Alvarez, Pedro Moran and Aaron Rivera. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Santa Ana High School’s boys basketball team came out of the gate hot in Friday night’s Golden West League game at Santa Ana and never let up as the Saints cruised to a 65-37 victory over Buena Park.  

Santa Ana senior forward Issac Alvarez led all scorers with 24 points as the Saints (6-15, 2-2) won their second consecutive game. Santa Ana will host league-leading Valencia on Wednesday.

“It wasn’t one player, it was a whole team effort,” said Alvarez, who scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half. “This win helps boost our confidence and will keep us going as we drive towards the playoffs.”

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The Saints scored on seven of their first nine possessions and built a 15-0 lead as co-captains Alvarez and Aaron Rivera combined to score the first 15 points while the Santa Ana defense forced six turnovers and put the Coyotes (5-17, 1-3) in an early hole.

“They jumped on us early and that’s been a soft spot for our team all season,” said Buena Park Coach Robert Summers. “It was too much ground to make up and they had the momentum.”

Ernesto Portas scored the Coyotes first basket at the 3:21 mark of the first quarter and the Buena Park trailed 22-8 after one quarter. Portas led the Coyotes with 14 points.

Rivera and Pedro Moran chipped in and played strong games at both ends of the court for the Saints.

“We needed a win coming in and we moved the ball around well and played unselfish basketball,” said Rivera, who scored 11 points. “We’re gaining extra momentum and we’re playing better as a unit.”

The Saints never let up on the gas as they extended their lead to 35-16 at halftime and 55-21 after three quarters. Santa Ana forced 18 turnovers and the Coyotes missed 14 free throws.

“They didn’t have their starting point guard (Emmanuel Charagu) and we took advantage of that,” said Saints Coach Rick Mares. “I was happy with our energy and the way our team moved the ball around. We were getting a lot of touches on each possession. Now we get ready for a big one on Wednesday, at home, against Valencia.”

Noel Zamora turned in an effective game on the boards for Santa Ana, freshman Logan Rivera was impressive as he scored 11 points and Pedro Moran played well at both ends of the floor and scored eight points for the Saints.

“I think the difference was our hustle and our rebounding,” said Moran. “We came out hard in the first half and played with force throughout the second half and never lost control.”

Despite the setback, Summers said his team is improving.

“I think 90 percent of our guys have never played at the varsity level before, but they are developing,” Summers added. “I really feel we will play much better in the second half of league.” 

Buena Park was without its leading scorer Emmanuel Charagu, who averages 17.6 points per game. Charagu was out ill. “We missed not having Emmanuel available to play, but he is expected back by next Tuesday,” Summers added.