Beyer hopes slow and steady will beat Moreau Catholic in NorCals

There is the top freshman in the country, a man-child whose YouTube highlights have generated millions of views.

Then there’s the senior guard with a penchant for 30-point games and ties to Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Together, they form the backbone of a team as strong as any in the Bay Area and have the hardware to prove it.

“They’ve got a lot of great players,” Beyer High boys basketball coach Kyle McKim said of third-seeded Moreau Catholic, the Patriots’ opponent in the second round of the CIF State Regional Division II Tournament. “That’s a scary group.”

No. 6 Beyer (23-9) will travel to Hayward to face the North Coast Section Division II champions and their litany of stars. The game will tip at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Mariners have won 18 in a row with an offense that has been almost unstoppable. Moreau Catholic (22-9) topped Rio Linda 98-87 in the first round.

Senior Damari Milstead, a member of Curry’s Splash City AAU program, scored 31 in the victory, his second consecutive 30-point game. Kyree Walker, touted as the best freshman in the country, had 18 points.

Four players scored in double figures for the Mariners, coached by Frank Knight.

McKim understands his team won’t win many of the individual matchups. He’s more concerned about winning the game. To do so, the run-and-gun Patriots will need to ease off the throttle.

“I’ve learned from a lot of smart college coaches that controlling the tempo is the most important thing,” said McKim, who counts Fresno City’s Ed Madec as a mentor. Madec has won three California Community College championships and more than 400 games in 11 seasons.

“(Moreau Catholic) scores a lot of points, and their wins come in high-scoring games. For us, it’s about controlling that tempo and getting the speed where we want it.”

McKim said Beyer will need to avoid costly turnovers and limit run-outs by Moreau Catholic. The Patriots led by as many as 18 in the first round, but they let Mountain View back in it with 11 turnovers in the second half. The Spartans cut the deficit to five with three minutes left following back-to-back turnovers.

That can’t happen Saturday.

The Patriots will try to keep players behind the ball, defensively, by sending only two players to the offensive glass. That plan worked wonders in an upset of Burbank of Sacramento in the section semifinals.

The hope is that a slower tempo will keep flyers such as Milstead and Walker grounded.

“Limiting the turnovers is huge,” McKim said, “and we have to send less guys to the offensive boards. But I think the biggest thing is turnovers. If we can get a shot every possession and they’re having to take the ball out of the net, that’s big for us.”

The Patriots are playing with house money.

Before this season, Beyer hadn’t won a league title in 12 seasons and never reached a Sac-Joaquin Section final or qualified for the regional tournament.

They checked all three boxes with a cool approach, family bond and strong senior class.

Seniors Brian Perry, Dylan Weltmer, Deangelo Dancer and Jaden Cobb have steered this historic ride.

Perry was the Modesto Metro Conference co-MVP, while Cobb earned first-team honors. Weltmer, Dancer and Perry have played for McKim at the varsity level for three years now.

“This senior group, they took it on themselves,” McKim said. “When you look at Jaden, ’Gelo, Dylan and Brian, they set the tone for how we want it to be. They’re positive, which makes it fun to be in the gym. It’s not about racking up wins. It’s about being around a group you want to have fun with.”

Here’s a closer look at the other three CIF regional games involving Stanislaus District teams:

Division IV boys

Half Moon Bay (22-8) at Central Catholic (25-7) – The Raiders are the only show in town Saturday evening.

Riding a wave of momentum following a come-from-behind victory in the section final, Central Catholic cruised past Kerman in the first round.

Jared Rice had 27 points in the win, continuing his late-season surge. Since a 77-70 loss to East Union on Jan. 19, Rice is averaging 20.4 points with seven games of 20 or more points, including three in a row.

The Raiders are 12-2 during that stretch with a current 10-game winning streak. They have won their last five home games.

Half Moon Bay topped Stuart Hall in its regional opener, 55-44. The Cougars reached the Central Coast Section Division IV final, where they lost to Menlo School 42-40.

Junior Ethan Menzies averages 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds and is a terror on the glass, averaging 4.1 offensive rebounds per game. Senior Andrew Saffold leads the team in scoring at 11.6 points.

Ripon (25-6) at St. Patrick-St. Vincent (24-7) – The playoff gods have shown Ripon no mercy this postseason.

The Indians were knocked out of the section playoffs by eventual champion Central Catholic but rebounded with a stunning road win over Corning, the last of the state’s unbeatens.

Aaron Paschini had 25 points, 10 steals and six rebounds for Ripon, which needed a second-half rally to keep its season alive.

Now comes another monster. St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo beat Pierce in the first round, 91-18. The Bruins have three players scoring in double figures: Tavian Henderson, 16.1 points; B.J. Standley, 15.4; and Marquel Johnson, 13.6.

Division II girls

Modesto Christian (25-5) at Valley Christian (15-13) – Don’t be fooled by the record. Valley Christian of San Jose didn’t land here by luck.

Of the Warriors’ 13 losses, eight came to teams ranked in the top 12 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. There were three losses to No. 1 Archbishop Mitty, two to No. 12 Sacred Heart Cathedral, and one apiece to No. 2 Clovis West, No. 6 Pinewood and No. 10 Bishop O’Dowd.

All of those opponents are competing in the CIF Open Division tournament.

Valley Christian features a balanced attack. Senior Caitlin Keding leads the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game, and senior Kyanna Davis averages 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Modesto Christian won’t be intimidated. The Crusaders have routinely toed the line against the best in Northern California under coach Robb Spencer, who is 418-109 in 16 seasons.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Beyer hopes slow and steady will beat Moreau Catholic in NorCals."