BOYS’ DIVISION IV : Santa Clara Rally Falls Short, 62-60

Art Barron’s right ankle was sprained, swollen and in a brace, and Coach Lou Cvijanovich could only wonder.

“You never know what these kids will do,” he said, an hour before his Saints faced San Diego Lincoln on Saturday night in the Southern regional Division IV final. “They may fall straight down or they may come up with something.”

But without its starting point guard Santa Clara came up empty. The Saints fell one victory shy of a fourth consecutive trip to the state final, losing to Lincoln, 62-60, at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Still, Santa Clara (27-4):

* Fought back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit and trailed, 57-53, with 2 minutes 15 seconds left.

* Used the bench. Previously limited to mop-up duty, James Wachsman (a senior forward), Kris McLucas (sophomore forward), David Varela and Jason Guerrero (junior guards) were pressed into action. Varela made a three-point basket that cut the lead to 60-58 with 40 seconds left.

* Senior Stevie Amar had game-high totals of 25 points and 12 rebounds. The point total was highest for a Santa Clara player this season. And the forward-center even made two three-point shots.

But none of that could make up for a lackluster performance early in the game. Santa Clara had 10 first-half turnovers and 16 overall.

It also did not help that senior forward Isaiah Mustafa fouled out with 3:15 to play. The Saints had not used a reserve forward or center in a close game during the playoffs.

Joe Evans, a junior guard, came off the bench to lead Lincoln with 18 points. Richie Robinson and Berry Randle each added 12 points. Lincoln (24-8) advances to the state final Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Danville San Ramon at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

“Any time we can beat a team like Santa Clara, with their track record, that’s quite an accomplishment,” said Lincoln Coach Ron Loneski, whose team lost to Santa Clara, 68-52, in last year’s regional final.

Barron sustained the injury during practice Friday, one day after he scored 23 points in a 64-52 region semifinal victory over Serra.

Lincoln committed only two turnovers in the first half and led at intermission, 33-27.