ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASKETBALL : Tournament of Champions : Ocean View Wins at the Free-Throw Line : Seahawks Earn Chance at Title With Eighth Straight Victory, 56-52

Ocean View High School’s basketball team made some key free throws in the last quarter to gain a 56-52 victory over Santa Clara Friday night in the semifinals of the 15th Tournament of Champions in Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Gymnasium.

The victory, the Seahawks’ eighth straight, moved them into the championship game of the 16-team tournament for the second time in three years. Ocean View plays Dominguez for the title at 8:30 tonight.

The Seahawks held Santa Clara scoreless in the third quarter until forward Dan Jones made a jump shot with only 2:20 remaining. By then, Ocean View had a 37-29 lead.

Ocean View took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter and then made 8 of 12 free throws to clinch the win. Santa Clara, a 2-A division school from Oxnard, is 6-2.

“We should have blown it open with the defense we were playing in the third quarter, but they wouldn’t let that happen,” said Ocean View Coach Jim Harris. “But our play in the third quarter changed the course of the game.”

Ocean View held a 30-27 halftime lead and increased it to 34-27 after center Ricky Butler scored on a short jump shot. Butler led the Seahawks with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Teammate Desi Hazely added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Seahawks led by 10 points on two occasions in the pivotal third quarter, but Santa Clara refused to give up. The Saints moved to within three points, 49-46, with 1:59 left when Jones scored on a 16-foot jump shot, but it was the closest the Saints could come.

Ocean View outrebounded Santa Clara, 36-27, and Harris said that his team’s rebounding has been responsible for the Seahawks’ three victories in the tournament.

“We’ve been surviving in this tournament with offensive rebounding,” he said. “I’ve poured it into Ricky’s brain that Wayne Carlander made a career out of rebounding. Wayne is making a $100,000 in Spain because he can rebound.”

Santa Clara, didn’t shoot well and didn’t have the depth to match Ocean View. The Saints made only 20 of 55 shots.

Jones, a 6-foot 2-inch senior, led all scorers with 24 points. He made 12 of 20 shots.

Santa Clara Coach Lou Cvijanovich, who has won more Southern Section titles than any other coach, said his team’s play in the third quarter was the turning point.

“We started standing around instead of doing our own thing,” he said. “A few breaks here, and a few breaks there, and things might have been different.”

In other tournament games:

Servite 79, Verbum Dei 76 (2 OTs)--The Friars overcame a six-point deficit with 50 seconds remaining in regulation and won a consolation semifinal game in the second overtime period behind the free-throw shooting of forward Nick Marusich.

Verbum Dei appeared to have the game won after guard Ronnie Gipson made two free throws for a 68-62 lead with only 50 seconds remaining in regulation. But Marusich scored on a bank shot and made two free throws to cut the lead to 68-66.

After a Verbum Dei turnover, Servite guard Brian Kenney made two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Friar guard Brett Caya scored four points in the first overtime period as the score remained tied, 72-72.

Caya made two free throws to move Servite ahead, 74-72, in the second overtime, and Marusich sealed the victory with three free throws in the finals 37 seconds.

Marusich finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Caya scored 6 of his 13 points in the two overtime periods for Servite (5-4). The Friars meet Inglewood for fifth place at 5:30 today.

Pomona 64, Capistrano Valley 46--Forward Tank Collins scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Red Devils into today’s consolation championship against St. Anthony.

Capistrano Valley fell behind, 27-14, early in the third quarter after Red Devil guard Allen Caveness made two straight jump shots. Pomona outscored the Cougars, 25-13, in the third quarter.

Collins was 13 of 24 from the field and made 8 straight shots in the second half. Forward Todd Kostoff led Capistrano Valley (5-4) with 15 points.