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Too bad I missed Wilder’s buzzer-beater in Oxnard

By Austin KnoblauchSenior Editor, Sports 
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By around 8:15 on Friday night, I realized I was watching a dud. Don’t get me wrong -- it was a pretty awesome sight seeing Simi Valley’s Mike Meza and Lorne Jackson work Westlake into the ground, but if I had just stayed on the 101 for about 20 more minutes, I could seen a Tri-Valley League thriller in Oxnard.

Leading scorer James Wilder hit a jumper at the buzzer to lift Santa Clara to a 55-53 victory over Oaks Christian. The win pretty much secures the league title for the Saints because we know they’re going to roll past fourth-place Carpinteria in their final regular-season contest on Wednesday.

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Santa Clara, ranked No. 6 in this week’s Division III-AA coaches’ poll, has a remarkable 18 victories this season, which is the most the Saints have had since taking a state divisional title in 1999.

As for Wilder, this kid has been the MVP for the Saints. A virtual unknown last season, the 6-foot-2 junior forward has developed into the league’s most-feared player behind Carp’s Jacob Ranger.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Varsity Times Insider
Austin Knoblauch

Austin Knoblauch is a senior editor in Sports at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing NFL coverage and digital initiatives. He previously worked as an editor and writer at NFL.com. He initially joined The Times in 2005, serving in various web editing and reporting roles. Knoblauch’s favorite sports are football, hockey and auto racing. He is a native of Southern California and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

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