Santa Clara Takes Division IV Title

Oxnard Santa Clara won its second consecutive State Division IV boys’ high school basketball title Friday night as the Saints’ Shon Tarver nearly doubled the division’s championship-game scoring record.

Tarver scored 35 points as the Saints defeated Fairfield Vanden, 56-38, before 5,615 at the Oakland Coliseum.

The 6-foot-5 guard broke the record of 20 set in 1988 by Fresno Washington Union’s Curtis Stroud and Marc Jones. He also set division records for most field goals made (12), assists (five) and three-point field goals (three).

Santa Clara (28-0) extended its winning streak to 45 games, the longest of any boys’ team in the state. The Saints haven’t lost since December 1988, when they were beaten by Huntington Beach Edison in the Estancia Tournament. Vanden ended the season at 29-4.

Tarver, who has narrowed his college choices to Notre Dame, UCLA, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Nevada Las Vegas, scored 14 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter.

“I wanted to make a point that I can score in a big game,” Tarver said. “I was on a mission since last year. We wanted to prove we were as good as we were last year.”

With the score tied, 9-9, Tarver sank a jump shot from just inside the top of the key with 6:53 left in the second quarter to start a 19-10 run. The Saints led, 28-19, at halftime.

Tarver added a free throw and a follow shot in the first 55 seconds of the third quarter to tie the scoring record. He broke it with 6:01 left in the third quarter on a soft three-pointer from the left side of the key. His shot gave Santa Clara a 35-20 lead.

Santa Clara’s mixture of zone and man-to-man defenses frustrated Vanden throughout the third quarter. The Vikings missed their first five shots of the quarter and had three turnovers as Santa Clara led by as many as 19 points.

Tarver scored 12 points, including two dunks, in the third quarter, and Santa Clara outscored Vanden, 15-5, in the period.

Tarver was the only Santa Clara player to score in double figures. Chris Cole scored seven points and Anthony Ziuraitis added five.

Guard Danin Bryant scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead Vanden.