Beyer rallies past Modesto, is ready for shot at Crusaders’ streak

With the game hanging in the balance, Beyer High School boys basketball coach Kyle McKim didn’t say much in the huddle before the fourth quarter.

Instead, McKim let his team figure out how to overcome a four-point deficit to Modesto High on Wednesday evening.

McKim merely set the lineup, trotting out a second unit that turned energy into points.

Reserve forward Kris Fore scored eight of his 14 points in the final quarter and Avalon White knocked down a 3-pointer on the wing to cap a 10-0 flurry as the Patriots rallied for a 65-59 victory over Modesto.

“I didn’t really have a message, to be honest with you,” McKim said. “The kids were bringing the energy. They know if we play hard, good things will happen.

“It was one of those games where it wasn’t a lot about strategy, but more about them locking in and doing their job. They came over in the fourth quarter and decided it was time to go.”

The bench delivered the spark, fueling the decisive fourth-quarter charge. During an eight-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters, the Patriots’ reserves accounted for all 18 of the team’s points.

White had seven points, while Brandon Gray had three rebounds and three assists in the second half.

“Our second group, I don’t even look at it like a second group, because we start a bunch of different guys,” McKim said. “They brought great energy. They brought enthusiasm. They got after it on the defensive end and that turned into offense.

“They’ve taken another step with that this year, and that’s why we’ve been playing better lately.”

Through three quarters, Modesto looked as if it might finally get over the hump at Patriot Pavilion.

The Panthers had lost their previous two games at Beyer by a point, but led by as many as 12 on Wednesday.

The lead was fleeting.

Trailing 38-26 at halftime, Beyer cut the deficit to one with an 11-0 run early in the third quarter. The Patriots found success in the paint. Brian Perry (14 points) made two floaters, Dylan Weltmer scored on a feed from Jaden Cobb, and Ben Polack (16 points) finished with his left hand to make it 38-37.

Though tight-lipped at the end, McKim did all of his talking inside the locker room at the intermission.

He was disappointed with his team’s energy. Modesto dominated the boards, which fueled an up-tempo offense. Qimonni Myers scored 13 of his 15 points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Panthers a double-digit lead.

Myers thumped his chest as he left the court. Momentum belonged to Modesto, which closed the half with a 14-2 blitz.

“Our energy wasn’t necessarily where it should have been,” McKim said. “We lit into them at halftime and they came out and played harder in the second half. That’s all it comes down to at the end of the day – are you playing hard or not? They played hard in the second and good things happened.”

With the win, Beyer steams into Monday’s matchup against Modesto Christian, The Bee’s top-ranked large-school team and the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions.

The Crusaders defeated Enochs on Wednesday evening 88-62 for their 161st consecutive league victory. Freshman shooting guard Baljot Sahi had eight 3s, one shy of Darrian Grays’ record set earlier this year.

Modesto’s top private- and public-school programs will meet Monday at Patriot Pavilion. Tipoff is at 7:15 p.m.

“The MC game, it’s a huge game and it’s exciting that we have a chance to get a banner and get a number up there,” McKim said, pointing toward the rafters. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while.”

Beyer hasn’t won a league title since 2004 when it was a member of the Central California Conference.

It took a big step toward ending that drought Wednesday. Regardless of Monday’s outcome, Beyer will still have the inside track to the Modesto Metro Conference title.

Modesto Christian isn’t eligible to win the MMC this season, per a vote of the league’s athletic directors. That means Beyer has a two-game cushion on Modesto and idle Gregori.

“This is a big win,” Fore said. “It sets us up.”

The Panthers featured a balanced attack. Myers led the way with 15 points, but was held scoreless in the second half.

Markus Brady scored seven of his 13 points in the third quarter. His three-point play ended Beyer’s 11-0 run and helped create the four-point cushion heading into the fourth.

Also for Modesto, Ryan Silva had 10, Trae Nichols finished with nine before leaving with a bloody nose, and 6-foot-6 center Esteban Martin had just eight points after averaging 16 in two league games last week.

The Panthers had no answer for Beyer’s bench mob, which set a blistering pace to start the fourth. Gray triggered the run with a backdoor feed to White. Gray later found White alone on the wing for a 3, which drew McKim out of his seat.

Between those moments, Fore, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, went to work on the interior.

Hardened by his battles with starting center Dylan Weltmer – a South Dakota School of Mines football commit – Fore didn’t cower to the more experienced Martin.

Fore converted a three-point play, battled for an offensive rebound and putback, and then drove by Martin to make it 57-53.

“We just try to bring the energy and play as hard as we can,” Fore said. “When (McKim) puts us in, we play hard and get people hyped up.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:50 PM with the headline "Beyer rallies past Modesto, is ready for shot at Crusaders’ streak."