BOYS’ SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFF ROUNDUP

Santa Clara 62, Pilgrim 44--With two of his top players fighting foul trouble, Santa Clara Coach Lou Cvijanovich pulled an ace from his sleeve and the Saints advanced to the Division V-AA semifinals with a victory at Daniel Murphy High.

The ace was Ryan McGill, who stepped in for guard B.J. Ward and swingman Nick Jones to lead all scorers with 24 points and tie for the team lead with 10 rebounds.

“That kid is tough,” Cvijanovich said. “He’s been doing that all year.”

After a sloppy first half that saw Ward sit out most of the second quarter with three fouls, Santa Clara sleepwalked to a 30-23. The Saints woke up in the third quarter, reeling off six consecutive baskets, including a three-pointer by Scott Zorich that put Santa Clara (13-12) up 43-25 with six minutes left in the quarter.

Jones, who sat out most of the third quarter with four fouls, finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Ward had nine points. Zorich scored 13..