With Holiday Hoop Classic on tap, all eyes on Beyer-Manteca showdown

The 17th annual Holiday Hoop Classic doesn’t officially tip off until Dec. 27, but gamesmanship between local entrants began Friday.

Coaches from the Modesto Christian and Central Catholic boys basketball teams were in the stands for Manteca’s 79-71 victory over Beyer at Winter Gym.

What they saw was an up-tempo game between two of the Stanislaus District’s top public school programs, and a down-to-the-wire finish that wasn’t in the cards at half time.

Dwight Young netted 20 points and led four players in double figures for the Buffaloes (5-3), who nearly squandered a 25-point lead. Young knocked down four 3-pointers and was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter as the reigning CIF State Division III champions staved off the Patriots’ furious charge.

Gino Campiotti had 17 points, sophomore shooter Jorge Cedano tallied 10 of his 15 in the second quarter, and Matt Ender had 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

Manteca has won three straight.

“We’re pretty good when we want to be. When we’re clicking and moving the ball, we’re dangerous,” said Manteca coach Brett Lewis, whose team led 38-22 at the intermission. “We don’t even have to run a set. We’re just playing basketball and having fun. But you also saw it could bite us in the butt, too. We’ve got to be smart and maintain a lead like that.”

Missing for most of the game was Tydus Verhoeven, the Buffaloes’ 6-foot-7 Division I prospect. Verhoeven, who possesses a 7-foot wingspan and fluid offensive game, went to the bench late in the first quarter after picking up a second foul. He didn’t return until there was 2:36 left in the fourth quarter and Manteca struggling to break Beyer’s press.

Another bit of gamesmanship with Central Catholic, a Valley Oak League foe, and Modesto Christian watching intently? Not at all, Lewis said.

With a double-digit lead, Lewis chose to rest Verhoeven, who has battled a balky back. One week after averaging a triple-double at the Cosumnes Oaks Tournament in Elk Grove, Verheoven had just three points, one rebound and one blocked shot but provided a calming presence in the frantic final seconds.

“His back has been bothering him. We thought we had a big-enough lead and could get by without him,” Lewis said. “We were trying to rest him a little bit and get him ready for the MC tournament. Those four days are going to be a grind.

“He said, ‘Hey, coach, I think I’m going to sit this one out.’ We thought we had a big-enough lead and thought we could maintain it. We needed him to get back in there. We might have lost that game if we didn’t have him.”

After starting the season with a Modesto City Classic championship and five straight wins, the Patriots have cooled off. Beyer (6-3) has lost three of its last four, but two losses were to programs with championship pedigrees: Central of Fresno, Central Catholic’s opponent in the first round of the Holiday Hoop Classic; and Manteca, which opens tournament play against Clovis East. The Patriots draw El Cerrito.

“It’s not as much about stacking up a bunch of wins in the preseason. It’s about challenging yourself and trying to do big things,” Beyer coach Kyle McKim said. “Whether you come out on the right end or the wrong end, we’re going to challenge ourselves. That’s where we’re at as a program right now. We’ve played a tough preseason schedule, and it’s going to get even tougher.”

The Patriots waited until they were down 25 to make their move against the Buffaloes, who led 52-27 with 3:24 left in the third quarter.

With no time to waste – and Verhoeven parked at the end of the Buffalo bench – McKim turned up the heat. Sophomores Dom Dancer (seven points) and Avalon White (six points) harassed the Manteca guards in the backcourt, forcing them to play at an uncomfortable pace.

Lewis and his staff begged their team to be patient and “run some clock!” Instead, they saw the Buffaloes nearly crumble beneath the full-court pressure.

The Patriots forced 13 second-half turnovers, fueling their transition offense. Beyer ripped off a 21-4 run to cut the deficit to 73-66 with 1:05 left in the game.

Brian Perry had eight points during the flurry and 13 in the quarter. He finished with a team-high 19. Junior guard Ben Polack was the only other Patriot in double figures with 16.

“Our level of aggression has to be high,” McKim said. “When we’re aggressive offensively and defensively, we’re in a really good spot. When we’re passive, not so much. I thought we were really passive in the second quarter, and that was the difference in the game. We were sitting back and letting things happen. They out-executed us and rebounded very well. In the second half, we put them on their heels with the press.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2016 at 12:27 AM with the headline "With Holiday Hoop Classic on tap, all eyes on Beyer-Manteca showdown."