Anthony Wayne boys basketball coach Bryan Borcherdt hoped to get a good performance out of the Generals Saturday night while hosting perennial Northern Lakes League favorite Perrysburg.

The Generals came out and didn't disappoint.

AW posted a decisive 71-54 victory over Perrysburg with University of Michigan commit Mark Donnal leading the way with a 27 points.

"This game was probably the best four quarters we've played all year," Borcherdt said. "When you play a very good team like Perrysburg -- that's well-coached and works hard and has a great system -- it takes four quarters.

"We had a very good game plan, and we worked very hard. If you want to be successful in this league you have to go through them."

The Generals (6-1, 5-1 NLL) were the epitome of offensive efficiency en route to knocking off the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 4-2). They sank 20 of 36 shots from the field and went 28-for-30 from the foul line. They made 21 of 22 foul shots after halftime.

Donnal, the Generals' 6-foot-9 center, scored 21 of his points after halftime and finished the game 13-for-13 from the foul line.

"He played within himself tonight," Borcherdt said of Donnal. "He played aggressive defensively tonight without fouling."

Matt Fox pumped in 12 points, including two 3-pointers, and Hunter Debo added 10 for AW.

Jake Pfleghaar led Perrysburg with 13 points, and Scott Milne finished with 11.

Perrysburg coach Dave Boyce said Donnal's presence near the basket, particularly in the second half, was a major factor in the outcome.

"We didn't get it done executing our game plan for guarding him [Donnal]," Boyce said.

The NLL rivals went into halftime with the Generals owning a 27-24 advantage after Perrysburg's Dan Johnston swished a 3-pointer just before the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter. Johnston's third 3-pointer of the quarter helped Perrysburg close out the half by scoring the final five points.

Johnston's nine points led all scorers in the first half.

Yet, AW looked like it was on the verge of running away from Perrysburg after bolting to a 9-2 lead to start the game. Fox drained two 3-pointers in the opening five minutes to help AW get out to a fast start.

However, the Generals ended up owning a 14-8 edge over the Yellow Jackets after one quarter.

In the third quarter, AW worked the ball into Donnal, and the Generals' center went to work near the basket. He scored eight of his points during the period and the Generals took a 41-33 lead into the fourth quarter. They increased their lead to as many as 20 points during the fourth.

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302, or on Twitter @demmonsblade.

First Published January 8, 2012, 6:51 a.m.