SANTA CRUZ >> Leave it to Santa Cruz High boys basketball coach Lawan Milhouse to produce the best explanation of Tuesday’s California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Division IV playoff game against Venture Academy of Stockton.

“They wanted to give me a heart attack.”

The No. 3 seeded Cardinals saw a 12-point halftime lead go slip-sliding away, but rallied in the fourth quarter for a 68-56 victory over the No. 14 Mustangs to advance.

Santa Cruz (19-11), the newly crowned Central Coast Section D-III champion, hosts No. 6 St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo in the second round on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Bruins defeated No. 11 Burbank 78-57 on Tuesday in their first-round game.

Venture Academy (22-9), which also lost in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section D-IV tournament, also had its season come to end.

The Cardinals got another stellar performance from DeMarco Hunter (32 points, 16 rebounds), but when the 6-foot-6 junior went to the bench in the third quarter with foul trouble, it took everyone in the pool to keep the Cardinals afloat.

Santa Cruz, which opened the game with 10 unanswered points, led by 12 at halftime, 40-28, but Hunter was forced to the bench after picking up his third personal foul early in the third quarter.

“Foul trouble hurt us tonight. But like we’ve always been, it’s our next guy up,” Milhouse said. “Our next guy stood up tonight. Guys came in and subbed in for guys and helped the team, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The Mustangs, who went 10-0 in Central California Athletic Alliance play, put together a late run in the third quarter to tie the game at 50 on a putback from Jayden Akuva, but that was as close as they would get.

Hunter had a pair of baskets to start the fourth quarter, followed by a 3-point basket from L.J. Legan that gave the Cardinals a six-point lead, 57-51 with 4:01 left.

Legan, a sophomore, finished with 12 points, all from behind the arc.

“That’s why I came here,” Legan said. “We have a great team, and we played as a team today. When we play as a team I don’t think anyone can beat us.”

Santa Cruz iced the game on the free throw line, making all six of its attempts in the final 1:03, including a 4-for-4 effort from senior Seth Jin.

“The next man up was Seth Jim. He came in as a senior and did a great job,” Milhouse said. “We know everyone who comes in here is going to give us a good punch and they did.”

Venture Academy closed to within three points, 57-54, with 4:31 left, but were held to just two points, a basket by Kwasi Moses with 43.3 seconds left, the rest of the way.

“We got to slow them down. Play at our pace, not their pace,” Legan said. “We play fast too but not out of control.”

Venture Academy coach Eric King pointed to the stretch at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth as the key to the game.

“It’s just a game of runs. We made our run in the third quarter. Santa Cruz, being a well-coached team, they responded and they adjusted,” he said. “When they took out 14 (Hunter), we made our run. When they put him back in, he’s the X factor.

“I made a joke to him during the game when he was taking the ball out, saying ‘stay on the bench.’ ”

Hunter and Legan were the only Cardinals in double figures scoring. Kaden Mirtz added 12 rebounds.

Venture Academy was led offensively by Moses with 20 points.