Beyer repeats as Modesto Classic champion

Without several of its starters, the Clovis West High School boys basketball team still cruised into Saturday’s final of the Modesto Classic.

There, the Central Section power hit a roadblock – Beyer High, the now three-time defending tournament champion.

While Clovis West once again left its big guns on the bench, sitting four starters, the Patriots left nothing to chance.

Beyer closed the game on a 23-8 run and made all 15 of its free-throw attempts in the final quarter to pull away from the Golden Eagles at Enochs High, 86-72.

Brian Perry tallied 22 points and Deangelo Dancer scored 10 of his 21 in the fourth as the Patriots celebrated another Classic title.

Beyer (3-0) overwhelmed Atwater and East Union to advance to the final, where it matched athleticism, shotmaking and wit with Clovis West and decorated coach Vance Walberg, a former assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.

“It’s a cool experience to do it three years in a row,” Beyer coach Kyle McKim said. “Each year, in the championship game there have been huge challenges ... different challenges.

“The championship game the last three years has been against a big-time team. That’s the biggest thing we talk about. We want to play against talented teams. It’s not so much about the tournament, but playing and beating a very good team.”

In 2014, Beyer topped Central Catholic, the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV champion. The Patriots repeated with a runaway victory over San Joaquin Memorial last season.

Even with its top players in street clothes – including junior guard Adrian Martinez, a blue-chip quarterback reportedly headed to Cal – Clovis West (3-1) fit McKim’s description.

Adrian Antunez poured in a game-high 28 points, including a 3-pointer from the wing and a putback to give the Golden Eagles a 64-63 lead with 6:26 remaining.

Beyer didn’t panic.

Instead, the Patriots stiffened defensively.

Clovis West went nearly 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over five times.

With Beyer trailing by one, Perry snatched a pass out of the air and eventually found Dancer alone on the opposite wing.

The third-year varsity starter connected on four 3-pointers, but none as big as his go-ahead splash with about 6 minutes left. The triple triggered a 14-3 run.

Beyer’s experience reigned in the fourth quarter. Perry, Dancer and forward Dylan Weltmer are third-year varsity players emboldened by back-to-back 20-win seasons.

“You can’t replace it. They’ve been through it all. The moment is never too big for them,” McKim said. “When you have playoff experience, this isn’t big deal for them. They rode that even keel, and that’s how you have success.”

Dancer credited Beyer’s cool demeanor in crunch time to the intensity of its practices.

“We go hard in practice. We go at it all day and literally break out in fights,” Dancer said. “We work hard, keep fighting and don’t give up.”

Ben Polack contributed 17 points, Kris Fore had nine and Jaden Cobb eight for Beyer, which followed Thursday’s record-tying 92-point outburst in a season-opening win over Atwater with another 86.

Beyer averaged 86.6 points in three tournament wins.

“This team is athletic,” Dancer said, “and we can all shoot.”

Dom Dancer sparked the Patriots off the bench in the first quarter on Saturday.

The sophomore with the sloppy top and smooth handles helped the Patriots build a nine-point lead after checking in with 5 minutes left in the period. The youngest of three Dancer brothers to play for McKim, Dom Dancer had two points, four assists and a steal in the first quarter as the Patriots led 24-15. He finished with seven points and five assists.

“Coach told us before the game, ‘Let’s go get the three-peat. Whatever you do, whatever happens, just have fun,’ ” Deangelo Dancer said.

“We had fun.”

Can they keep it going, though? The Patriots open the McDonald’s Classic on Wednesday against Bethel (1-2) in Stockton.

“This is going to build us up,” Deangelo Dancer said. “The team is pretty fired up.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Beyer repeats as Modesto Classic champion."