Beyer, Perry burn Gregori with barrage of 3s in fourth quarter

The Gregori High School boys basketball team committed a cardinal sin in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s clash at Beyer.

So sound and disruptive through three quarters, the Jaguars went to sleep on an inbound play in front of the Beyer bench, leaving one of the Stanislaus District’s top shooters open.

Senior Brian Perry collected a quick pass, sized up a 3-pointer from the wing and propelled the Patriots to a 73-57 victory.

Perry finished with a game-high 28 points, despite struggling from long distance. He connected on just 3 of 11 shots from beyond the arc but was pure without a hand in his face late in the game.

The 3-pointer opened the floodgates. Beyer made four of its 10 3s in the fourth quarter, blowing open a back-and-forth game between Modesto Metro Conference contenders. The game featured 16 lead changes, but none in the final 14 minutes.

“They just know how to win,” Beyer coach Kyle McKim said. “We don’t get too high or too low. When it comes down to winning time, they’re going to take care of it. They’ve done it for so long, and we have trust in them.”

Jaden Cobb scored 12 points, Ben Polack finished with eight and Kris Fore had seven off the bench for the Patriots (15-7, 7-2).

The Jaguars (10-10, 5-3) were paced by Blake Evans’ 17 points and six rebounds. Tremayne Whatley scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half and Drew McClellan finished with 10.

It just wasn’t enough. Gregori was outscored 25-12 in the fourth quarter.

“The biggest difference for us is that they started making shots,” Gregori coach John Ebster said. “We were matched up with them very well and they made some tough shots, made a couple of big 3s, and that’s what spread it out.”

Beyer grabbed the early lead on a 3-pointer by Fore at the first-quarter buzzer. The 6-foot-7 junior answered a 3-pointer by Chris Ebster with one of his own to make it 18-17.

Gregori clawed even at the half behind 3-pointers by Whatley and Kenneth Dieker. Whatley rattled home back-to-back 3s to start the quarter, and Dieker’s corner 3 gave Gregori a 34-31 lead with 20 seconds left.

Perry responded in the final seconds with a putback. He was fouled and made the free throw, salvaging a 34-34 tie at halftime.

Perry said the Patriots needed to make only a few adjustments.

“We had a lot of turnovers in the first half. We probably gave them 12 points on easy run-outs,” Perry said. “We had to cut down on that and play a little slower and under control. That helped us a lot.”

Cobb ignited a 9-2 run to start the third quarter with a steal and two free throws as the Patriots surged ahead 43-36.

Gregori didn’t flinch. The Jaguars drove the ball through the post, taking advantage of their height.

McClellan, Evans and James Bland scored the Jaguars’ final nine points, and Bland’s baseline jumper cut the deficit to 46-45 with under a minute left in the quarter.

“Offensively, I think we took advantage of our size,” coach Ebster said. “We didn’t get enough penetration into their defense, and that’s what really kind of separated it all.”

As he did at the end of the first half, Perry found space under the basket to create breathing room going into the final quarter. Dom Dancer found Perry with a bullet pass to make it 48-45.

After the teams traded the lead for three quarters, the final eight minutes were an ode to Beyer basketball under McKim, in his third year on the bench. The Patriots outscored the Jaguars by 13, sinking their teeth deeper with each 3-pointer.

“We just need one spurt with a couple of stops and it snowballs for us,” McKim said.

Perry punished Gregori for leaving him open on an out-of-bounds play, sinking a 3-pointer in front of his bench to make it 53-45. On a cold shooting night from deep, Perry found balance with the drive. He was 8 of 10 on shots inside the 3-point line.

“He’s taken (his game) to another level in terms of being able to get to the rim (and) making better decisions out there,” McKim said. “He’s always been a great player for us. That’s why he was a first-team all-league guy last year.”

On Beyer’s next possession, Avalon White hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc as the lead grew to double digits. Cobb and Polack also had 3s for Beyer.

“That’s what 3s do. That’s why the game has changed,” coach Ebster said. “The 3-point shot, if some guy gets hot – or some team gets hot – and they hit two or three in a row, your one-point lead turns into an eight-point deficit. That was the story of the night.”

Gregori will face Downey and Modesto Christian this week. Beyer will take on Enochs and Davis.

“We can’t have a big-game letdown,” coach Ebster said. “We have to move onto the next game and finish our season as strong as we can.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Beyer, Perry burn Gregori with barrage of 3s in fourth quarter."