On the court for East Aurora, the sibling rivalry stays in check for brothers Amarion and C.J. Savage. Amarion is a senior guard, while C.J. is a freshman reserve guard.
C.J., however, is actually listed as “Calvin” on the roster.
Asked about it, Amarion couldn’t help himself.
“He prefers C.J., but I call him Calvin,” Amarion said. “Just to mess with him.”
The Savage brothers weren’t messing around Tuesday night, both scoring in double figures to lead the Tomcats to a 72-46 win over Fenton in the first round of the Upstate Eight Conference Tournament.
The 6-foot-1 Amarion Savage led the way with a game-high 23 points for East Aurora (7-2), which advanced to a Thursday semifinal against host Larkin.
Two of Amarion’s five assists went to the 5-8 C.J., who came off the bench to score in double figures for the first time this season with 10 points.
Due to the abbreviated season, East Aurora’s administration decided to field only a varsity team. C.J. Savage was one of two freshmen who made the final roster and has been in the rotation of 10 players employed by coach Rick Robinson.
“It’s really been fun just seeing him on the court with me,” Amarion said. “It’s like he knows me best. I was screaming at him (Tuesday night), ‘Be ready to shoot.’
“It was his best game, by far.”
Amarion wasn’t bad either, scoring 12 points in the first half as host East Aurora opened up a 32-20 lead.
The Tomcats played in front of home fans for the first time this season, with approximately 30 family members allowed to sit in the bleachers in the balcony above the south basket.
They didn’t disappoint.
Michael Rago, who led Fenton (3-7) with 16 points, started the third quarter with a basket on a shot from the lane to cut the deficit to 10 points.
Amarion Savage then accounted for an 8-2 spurt with a pair of 3-pointers and a rebound basket to extend the edge to 40-24.
“I didn’t want to go home,” Amarion said. “So I came out with a little energy.”
Later in the second half, Savage fed senior forward Jacques Kelly for a pair of dunks and a layup. Kelly finished with 11 of his 20 points in the second half and matched sophomore Jabian Acosta with a team-high five rebounds.
Acosta is half of the Tomcats’ other brother act. He had no points but added a pair of steals and three assists. Jabian’s brother Jullian, a junior guard, had four points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, two assists and two steals.
“I said, ‘Let’s not look past these guys,'” Robinson said. “Fenton shot the ball pretty well against us the first time.”
A 35-18 rebounding advantage helped the Tomcats.
“We were confident, knowing we got our first win against them the last time,” Savage said. “And this time, we were prepared for their 1-3-1 defense. It gave us some trouble the first game.”
C.J. Savage’s work, meanwhile, helped the Tomcats gain a 20-5 edge in bench scoring.
“I didn’t think I was going to be playing with him this season,” C.J. said of Amarion. “But it’s been a lot of fun and a great experience.”
C.J. hasn’t been overwhelmed or intimidated.
“He better not be,” Amarion said. “He was always around. It was just like, ‘Next up.’ If he wasn’t playing, he was always watching. Now it’s his turn.”
Robinson is not surprised by the younger Savage.
“He’s been one of those guys who is going to be a standout,” Robinson said. “Calvin has been playing with Amarion so long, he fits right in with the system. It’s just like the Acosta boys.”