SUPPORT CREW

They don’t wear Nos. 41 or 35, which automatically qualifies them for membership in the “Excuse me, you need a ticket to enter the gym” club.

They don’t get the attention of UC Santa Barbara-bound Nick Jones and B.J. Ward, who together average nearly 45 points a game for Santa Clara High.

But the remaining three Saint starters do more than just run around the court during games. Permanent pick-setters, they are not.

Center Terrance Dotsy and guards Anthony Camper and Mel Angell might not always score in double figures, but their contributions are invaluable to Santa Clara (28-3), which plays El Cajon Christian in a state Division V boys’ basketball semifinal at 11 a.m. today at the Pyramid in Long Beach.

As Price Coach Michael Lynch said after Santa Clara defeated his team Thursday in a state quarterfinal: “You don’t win the way they’ve been winning with just two players. It’s more than just those two.”

Dotsy, 6 feet 4 and 265 pounds, is the most difficult to overlook. A tight end on a losing football team, Dotsy is used to banging bodies. But winning is a new concept for him this school year.

“In basketball, we’re more like a team,” said Dotsy, who was on the winning side in football just five times in the last two seasons.

The basketball team can thank Dotsy for putting in a full-night’s work against Price. With Jones and Ward having off nights, Dotsy scored 18 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and pulled down 12 rebounds against a taller Price front court.

The agile Dotsy, who can leave opponents flat-footed with his quick spin move, is the lone low-post threat on Santa Clara.

Camper, who stands 5-10 in his basketball shoes, apparently thinks he can play power forward.

Against taller Price, Camper grabbed four second-half rebounds to help Santa Clara rally from a 13-point deficit, its largest of the season.

“They were much bigger than us, so I knew I had to get in there and box out,” said Camper, who required three stitches over his left eye after being elbowed by freshman Adrian Santana in practice Wednesday.

An unfazed Camper assessed his role on the team as the playoffs wind down.

“[Opponents] are always going to be chasing Nick and B.J.,” he said. “[The other starters] just have to step it up.”

Angell usually steps back whenever he gets the ball.

A three-point shooter, Angell nailed one during the Saints’ most impressive half of the playoffs.

In a Southern Section Division V-AA semifinal against Pacific Hills, Angell scored six first-half points to help Santa Clara take a 40-17 halftime lead. Coach Lou Cvijanovich called it the “greatest first half a Santa Clara team has ever played.”

Considering this is Cvijanovich’s 41st season, that’s impressive.

Not to be forgotten is Angell’s younger brother, Jason, who scored seven points against Price in a reserve role.

“I keep telling you [media] guys that that’s why we’re so good,” Cvijanovich said. “We have a lot of fine athletes out there.”

Even the two finest on the court take notice.

“I think that at any other program, they’d be scoring more points,” Ward said of his and Jones’ supporting cast. “They’re a major factor in our winning.”

Said Jones: “[Ward and I] score what we score because of them. There’s no jealousy on this team. It’s all for one and one for all.”

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SOUTHERN REGIONAL BOYS’ DIVISION V CHAMPIONSHIP

Santa Clara (28-3) vs. El Cajon Christian (25-5)

11 a.m. at the Pyramid in Long Beach

* Santa Clara had some problems against a taller Price team in a semifinal Tuesday. El Cajon Christian isn’t nearly as physically formidable. The Partiots’ best--and tallest-- player is 6-3 forward Tim Brown, a junior who is averaging 15.2 points. Nick Gonzales, a 6-0 guard, averages 14.9 points. El Cajon Christian is champion of the San Diego Section.

Santa Clara center Terrance Dotsy had 18 points and 12 rebounds against Price, but Saint guards Nick Jones and B.J. Ward will probably be the best players on the court.