SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS 2-AA BASKETBALL : Tarver’s 31 Points Lead Santa Clara’s Easy Win

For the second consecutive year, All-American guard Shon Tarver and his Oxnard Santa Clara teammates made it look easy in winning a Southern Section boys’ basketball championship.

Behind Tarver’s 31 points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists, the Saints (24-0) rolled past Verbum Dei, 76-48, for the 2-AA Division title at the Sports Arena Saturday before a crowd of 2,733.

Last season, 6-foot-5 Tarver led Santa Clara to a 78-54 victory over Orange Lutheran in the 2-A championship game.

Against Verbum Dei (14-14), he did not wait long to show his dominance, scoring 10 first-quarter points in a variety of ways. He scored on twisting layup drives, three-point jump shots and finished the quarter with a two-handed rebound dunk at the buzzer as Santa Clara led, 16-2.

“Verbum Dei just caught us on a bad day,” said Santa Clara Coach Lou Cvijanovich, who is 11-1 in Southern Section basketball finals. “We stressed getting off to a good start, and it just turned into the best game of the season for us.”

Tarver, who was the State and Southern Section Division IV player of the year last season, made 11 of 18 shots, including three three-pointers.

Point guard Bruce Howarth added 12 points for the defending State Division IV champion Saints, who have won 41 consecutive games.