Beyer clinches first section finals berth with double-OT win

Calm and collected, the Beyer High School boys basketball team was as methodical with its postgame celebration as it was with Burbank, its opponent in Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal.

The Patriots took their time exiting the arena at Pacific, thanking their fans following a double-overtime 63-56 victory over the second-seeded Titans.

Once in the locker room, though, the party popped off. Assistant coach Ron Weltmer bounded into the room, triggering a mosh pit.

Third-year coach Kyle McKim followed shortly thereafter with one mandate for his sixth-seeded Patriots: “Let’s go out and win this thing.”

“This thing” is the Division II tournament, and no team in school history has advanced as far as this loose, veteran-laden bunch.

Senior Brian Perry scored a game-high 29 points and sank 7 of 8 free-throw attempts in the overtimes to guide Beyer’s rally.

“This is big. For four years, we’ve gone 12 months out of the year,” said Perry, who set the school record for points in a season. “To finally get to your goal is big. It shows that all that you’ve done and sacrificed is worth it.”

Burbank led by 11 and limited the Patriots to 19 points in the first half, but Beyer, steadied by four senior starters, never lost its cool.

Instead, the Patriots chipped away.

By game’s end, the high-flying Titans had been grounded. Beyer seized control with a 9-0 run to start the second overtime.

Deangelo Dancer (10 points) knocked down three free throws to start the run, and Ben Polack (eight points) danced down an open lane to make it 61-54. Dancer tacked on a putback with 1:05 left, forcing Burbank to find its points from the perimeter.

The well was dry. The Titans had just three field goals in overtime and none for a three-minute stretch.

“As the game wore on, I think a little bit of fatigue set in and we were able to get by guys and put some pressure on them,” McKim said. “Defensively, we controlled the pace exactly like we wanted to. We stuck to the plan. We wanted the game in the 50s and 60s. If it was in the 80s, we didn’t like our chances.”

Beyer kept its cool, even when shots weren’t falling.

For all of his success, Perry was just 2 of 6 from the free-throw line in the first half. As a team, Beyer was 7 of 12 from the line, missed all five of its 3-pointers and shot just 30 percent in the first half.

For the second straight game, the Patriots were forced to claw their way out of a double-digit hole.

“You can’t ride the highs and lows,” Perry said. “You have to keep an even keel. You’re going to start hitting shots eventually.”

Beyer will play the winner between No. 1 Whitney and No. 12 Del Oro at 8 p.m. Friday at Pacific.

The Patriots are trying to become the first Modesto City Schools team to win a section title in 33 years.

“We’re in it for the prize,” Perry said. “We want to hang a banner.”

During the pregame walkthrough and in the locker room, Beyer did its best to appreciate the experience. The program had never made it past the quarterfinals, but under its boy-wonder coach, the Patriots have become a real player at the section level.

“We talk about it with every single big game, ‘Just have fun and play your freaking heart out,’ ” McKim said. “You’ve earned the right to be here.”

Beyer has won 20 or more games in all three seasons under McKim, a 2002 graduate. They’ve instituted a year-round program, dedicated themselves to the weight room and nurtured homegrown talents such as the Dancer and Polack brothers, and Perry.

Those investments have produced a historic season. With its semifinal berth, Beyer also booked an appointment in the CIF Northern California Regional tournament, another first for the top public school in Modesto.

“We’ve worked all summer for this. We went nine months strong, all for this moment,” senior Jaden Cobb said. “We’re not familiar at all with this (stage), and that’s what makes this so special. Like I said, we’ve put in a lot of work for this and it’s all paying off.

“We’re the only ones left. That’s our saying, ‘We’re the only ones left.’ ”

Only two Modesto City Schools programs had reached the championship round of the section playoffs before Beyer’s comeback Wednesday.

Modesto High was the last to reach a section final, qualifying in 2005 for Division I. The Panthers were beaten by Tokay 84-64. Grace Davis appeared in D-I finals in 1973 and 1974, losing to Stagg and Elk Grove.

Modesto is the only MCS program to win a championship. Former coach Wayne McGhee raised D-II banners in 1983 and ’84 with wins over East Union and El Camino.

Beyer hopes to end that drought.

Burbank stepped confidently inside the gym at Pacific, backed by blowout wins over No. 15 Rodriguez and No. 10 Yuba City. A third appeared to be in the cards early in the second quarter. Burbank turned a three-point deficit into an 11-point advantage with an array of mid-range jumpers and defense.

Keshawn Bruner had 12 points and Earvin Knox seven, including a 3-pointer from the wing to start the second quarter.

While Burbank had no issues generating offense, Beyer went seven minutes without a field goal, mustering just three free throws.

Dominic Dancer finally broke the dry spell with a runner and Perry followed with a layup, but the damage had been done. Spurred by a 17-3 run, Burbank led 27-19 at the break.

“We always believe in each other that we’ll right the ship at some point,” McKim said. “No matter how bad it gets, we all believe in each other.”

Perry passed Ryan Carter atop the program’s season scoring chart with his layup late in the second quarter. Carter scored 613 points during the 1995-96 season.

Perry has 637 points ... and counting.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Beyer clinches first section finals berth with double-OT win."