Free-throw marksmanship carries CC Raiders over Half Moon Bay

The Central Catholic Raiders have grown in confidence as playoff games grind toward the pressurized final minutes.

So when Amrit Dhaliwal walked to the free-throw line Saturday night, he heard pointed encouragement from coach Mike Wilson.

“I heard him say, ‘Ice it,’ ” Dhaliwal said. “He gives us the confidence so we can play loose and fast.”

Dhaliwal, taking his coach’s words to heart, cashed seven of eight throws, part of the Raiders’ game-clinching 18 of 21 in the final eight minutes. The result was a 70-54 win over Half Moon Bay and the Raiders’ ticket to the semifinals of the Northern California Division IV playoffs.

Central Catholic (26-7), seeded fourth and winner of its last 11, leaves the comfort of the Mark Gallo Center for a difficult trip to Salinas to meet No. 1 seed Palma on Tuesday night. The Raiders have not forgotten their bitter loss at home last year to Palma, which moved forward with a 72-61 win over Menlo School.

“We’re excited to play Palma in the next round. It seems like we play better on the road this year,” senior guard Cooper Wilson said. “We’re all excited to try to get some revenge on them.”

Half Moon Bay (22-9), making its deepest-ever advance in the playoffs, extended Central Catholic more than the final score showed. The Cougars greeted their hosts with the game’s first seven points and forced Wilson into an early timeout.

The Raiders gradually adjusted to the visitors’ length and discipline. The Half Moon Bay zone challenged CC’s 3-point shooters – the Raiders hit only three from beyond the arc – but was left vulnerable in the paint.

Central Catholic countered with power. Senior post Conor Fenton (13 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) and Daron Bland (11 points) took turns snatching important rebounds and scoring near the rim. Dhaliwal dished the Raiders’ front line for seven assists. Ethan Menzies, Half Moon Bay’s usually productive 6-foot-6 forward, was limited to four points, seven below his average.

“We wanted to get into the seams of their zone,” Mike Wilson said. “Daron hurt their underbelly.”

The Raiders’ improvement was further reflected in pesky freshman guard Dayton Magana, who was promoted from the junior varsity during Valley Oak League play. Magana, unafraid to apply defense or take a big shot, contributed nine points. He buried a contested triple as the halftime buzzer sounded, a pivotal moment that vaulted the Raiders’ lead to 34-24.

Half Moon Bay proved more resilient, however, than first-round foe Kerman. A layup by Miro Cavanaugh sliced the lead to 43-41 as the CC crowd shifted nervously in its seats.

Cooper Wilson (11 points) netted three free throws after a foul, pushing the lead to 46-41 after three quarters.

Half Moon Bay’s Sam Treanor (13 points) parlayed a steal into a layup early in the fourth quarter, but that was the Cougars’ high point. Central Catholic, quicker to the ball most of the night, unleashed its free-throw parade. Besides Dhaliwal (12 points), Wilson hit all five free throws and Jared Rice (10 points) connected on four of four.

Fenton sustained Central Catholic’s momentum with a blocked shot at the rim as the Raiders pulled away. They totaled 31 of 41 free throws and overwhelmed Half Moon Bay’s six of 12.

Ryan Yerby, a target of CC’s game plan on defense, matched Treanor’s 13 points for Half Moon Bay. Andrew Saffold finished with 10 points.

“It’s definitely more fun. I know every game could be the last. We’ve talked about that a lot,” Fenton said. “It’s intense, so it’s fun.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Free-throw marksmanship carries CC Raiders over Half Moon Bay."