Santa Clara Squeaks Past Feisty L.A. Baptist, 44-43

Those seeking perspective on high school basketball should have been present Friday night at the Southern Section Division IV-A boys’ playoff quarterfinal between Santa Clara and L.A. Baptist at The Master’s College.

For it was after Santa Clara’s tense 44-43 victory in front of a crowd of about 1,500 that Lou Cvijanovich--the Saints’ coach of 35 years--explained to all interested parties why the game often does not make sense.

“They played a good game and we played a crappy game, and we won,” Cvijanovich said. “We were out of sync the whole game. We had no patience. The better team did not win. It’s like I have been saying all along: Basketball is a crazy man’s game.”

That self-described “crazy man” will be leading perennial Frontier League power Santa Clara (21-5) in the semifinals against Serra on Tuesday night at a site to be determined. Two more victories will give the Saints their fifth consecutive section title.

However, Santa Clara’s season came dangerously close to ending against the Knights (15-8), who finished second in the Alpha League. Santa Clara held a 41-33 lead with 5 minutes 26 seconds to play, but the Knights stormed back behind the backcourt tandem of Jeff Baumsteiger and Zaki Rabadi, who had 11 and 12 points.

Rabadi, who kept the Knights in the game by scoring all seven of his team’s points in the third quarter, got the ball to Baumsteiger in the fourth--and he knew what to do from there. Baumsteiger connected on three-point shots 33 seconds apart to tie the score at 43 with 2:57 to play. The poor shooting and turnovers that hurt both teams in the game’s previous 29 minutes continued as neither could make another field goal.

Santa Clara took the lead on a free throw by forward Scott Carranza (14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) with 33 seconds to play. L.A. Baptist had a chance to win with three seconds to play, but Baumsteiger could not get off a shot.

“I just couldn’t get open,” he said. “I don’t know what to say.”

Forward Bill Meredith tied Rabadi for team-high scoring honors with 12. Carranza was the lone Saint to score in double figures. Guard Brian Clark contributed eight points and six assists.