A Saintly March to Title XIV

The script stayed much the same it has all season for Santa Clara High on Friday in the Southern Section Division V-AA boys’ basketball final at the Bren Center.

In the climatic scene, one of the Saints’ younger players takes over in the fourth quarter, making big plays on offense and defense, propelling Santa Clara to victory.

Only in a 51-48 victory previously undefeated over Pasadena Poly, it wasn’t sophomore Nick Jones, whose heroics earlier this week against Serra carried the Saints to the section final.

Rather, sophomore sixth man B.J. Ward came through with the big plays, including two free throws with 20 seconds left and Santa Clara (23-4) clinging to a one-point lead.

The section title is the 14th for Santa Clara Coach Lou Cvijanovich, the first since 1992.

“I feel as good about this one than I do about the first because of the group of kids I have,” Cvijanovich said.

One of whom was Ward. Besides the free throws, the 6-foot-1 guard had two rebounds in the final minute, two critical fourth-quarter steals, 10 points and four assists.

Top-seeded Pasadena Poly (27-1) twice had a chance to tie in the final 20 seconds but three-pointers by 6-7 center Robert Reeder and Matt Lawler were off the mark.

Third-seeded Santa Clara won despite twice going scoreless for two five-minute stretches.

But even when the Saints didn’t score for the first five minutes, the game turned in Santa Clara’s favor.

Reeder, who averages 22 points, picked up his third foul three minutes into the game and sat out the rest of the first half.

Santa Clara trailed, 9-5, after a sloppy first quarter.

The Saints found their rhythm midway through the second quarter with a 9-0 run capped by consecutive layups by Jones, who had 10 points, for a 23-17 lead.

Reeder, who had 15 points, returned in the second half but the Saints stretched the lead to 42-32 on three-pointers by Scott Sorich, Peter Lee and Skye Peterson.

A few minutes later, Poly scored 12 consecutive points and led, 46-44, with four minutes left.

Lee scored Santa Clara’s first points of the fourth quarter with just under three minutes left and Sorich’s basket put Santa Clara ahead for good, 48-46.

After Jones made a free throw, Reeder scored with 1:07 left to cut the lead to 49-48.

Lee was called for a five-second violation, but Reeder missed a 15-footer. Ward was there for the rebound and was quickly fouled.