Modesto Christian’s Grays has his way against Manteca

Darrian Grays didn’t just take over the third quarter Friday.

The Modesto Christian High School senior guard took over the locker room, the huddle and every big moment down the stretch as the Crusaders blitzed Manteca in the third-place game of the 17th annual Holiday Hoop Classic.

Grays refocused his teammates with an impassioned halftime speech and then scored nine consecutive points to end the third quarter.

All of Modesto Christian’s stars shined in the 63-48 victory, but Grays – a 6-foot-1 guard – saw his glow the brightest. He finished with 24 points, delighting a capacity crowd with deep 3-pointers, pull-ups and fearless drives.

“The kid isn’t scared of the moment,” Modesto Christian coach Brice Fantazia said. “During our playoff run last year, he stepped up. So we know he’s not scared, and he showed that this whole tournament.”

Grays’ triple from the wing capped an 11-0 spurt in the third and forced Manteca coach Brett Lewis to call a timeout. The Buffaloes led 37-35 on Matt Ender’s fall-away jumper when Modesto Christian’s superior size, speed and shooting ability finally aligned.

Six-foot-8 center Gabe Murphy (eight points) ripped down an offensive rebound and laid it back in. Tyler Williams and Chris Brown scored in transition, and Grays took aim from the wing.

“I was feeling it tonight,” Grays said. “I was on.”

Lewis did his best to stem Modesto Christian’s run with the timeout, but Modesto Christian was just warming up. The Crusaders outscored Manteca 28-11 after Ender’s basket.

For the second straight game, the Buffaloes, the reigning CIF State Division III champions, faded in the third quarter against a regional heavyweight. On Thursday, Manteca closed to within 42-41 of Salesian-Richmond before wilting.

On Friday, the fall-off was much more stunning.

For the first 17 minutes, Manteca junior Gino Campiotti – not Grays – was the best player on the court. The 6-2 guard scored 18 points in 17 minutes, and his steal and layup early in the third quarter gave Manteca a 32-31 lead.

Then Grays’ words took hold. Inside the locker room at the half, Grays demanded his teammates “gang rebound.”

Fantazia, a former professional point guard in Europe, gladly gave him the floor.

At the time, Manteca was dominating the glass, which led to several second-chance points for Campiotti. He had 14 points and six rebounds at the half, while 6-9 point forward Tydus Verhoeven had 10 points and five rebounds. Verhoeven finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Modesto Christian made the adjustment. Campiotti didn’t score another point and finished the game on the bench.

“At halftime, I told the team that we had to take over the boards. We had to rebound as a team; we had to gang rebound,” Grays said. “We came out and that’s what we did. We won the boards in the second half.”

Murphy finished with a game-high 14 rebounds. He was named to the all-tournament team along with Grays, who had 20 or more points in three of four tournament games.

The Holiday Hoop Classic stage, with its wall-to-wall crowd, college scouts and elite lineup, brought out the best in Grays, still unsigned.

“Darrian took a huge step this week,” Fantazia said. “I heard his locker room speeches. I heard him in the huddle. When I’d call a timeout to talk, he takes over the team. I’m fine with that. Player-led teams are better than coach-led teams. I give him all the credit in the world. Just this week, he’s matured big time.”

Williams was also deserving of an all-tournament honor, but the the third-place team is allotted only two awards, per tournament rules. The 6-3 junior scored 15 points, his fourth straight game in double figures. He also had seven rebounds and showcased his athleticism in the second quarter, rebounding his own block and taking it coast to coast for a layup.

One night after his team struggled to close out Central of Fresno – a game it eventually lost in overtime – Fantazia was pleased to see the killer instinct.

“We’ve had games like that earlier this year, where we’re up and stuff starts going bad and they kind of fold,” he said.

Grays wouldn’t let that happen. With college coaches in the stands – Northern Colorado and San Jose State, to name a few – he was determined to show them all parts of his game.

“I’m getting ready to go to college,” he said, “so (the college coaches) want to see the things I’m doing as a leader.”

On Friday, they could see and hear Grays.

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian’s Grays has his way against Manteca."