Beyer blows past Modesto for MMC boys basketball win
Beyer High took a step toward defending its Modesto Metro Conference boys basketball title with a convincing 74-48 road victory over Modesto on Wednesday night at The Pit.
The Patriots improve to 11-7 overall and 4-1 in the MMC while the Panthers slide to 3-2 and 10-7.
Beyer held Modesto’s leading scorer Ryan Silva, who entered the game averaging 19.5 points per contest, to just seven points, none after the intermission.
“Brandon Gray is the best defensive player we have,” said Patriots coach Kyle McKim. “And ‘Bam’ did a pretty good job for the most part. He just picked up the energy when Silva started doing well.
Silva scored five points in the first quarter and seemed well on his way to scoring his average.
“Coach McKim always tries to face-guard because he respects my jumper,” said Silva, who sat out the game’s final 10 minutes when the outcome was no longer in doubt. “And Gray did a good job on me. I was trying to feel the defense out and I couldn’t get open.”
Gray said his game plan was simple.
“Don’t let him get his shot and don’t let him get hot,” said Gray. “I just tried to get in his face and be aggressive and make sure he couldn’t go anywhere. And I tried to tire him out early.”
Silva admitted that all the extra movement trying to get open may have caused some fatigue, but that it didn’t affect his mindset.
“With his history, we know Ryan’s going to be a marked man going into every game,” said Panthers coach Pete Peterson. “We need others to step up and fill roles that need to be filled.”
The Patriots led by as many as 14 in the first half but Modesto weathered the storm and, thanks to its full-court press, came charging back to halve the margin. At halftime, Beyer held a 38-29 advantage.
Pats senior point guard Ben Polack steadied his troops, knocking down a couple of big jumpers in the third quarter, and senior post player Kris Fore asserted himself on the offensive glass, giving Beyer plenty of second and third chances, as the Patriots regained and maintained a double-digit margin for the remainder of the contest.
“I just tried to go get the ball and slow us down and run the offense,” said Polack, who has committed to play baseball at San Jose State. “I don’t shoot a lot. I try to drive and get everyone else involved, but if I’m open, I’m going to shoot it.”
The Panthers will see action again Friday when it hosts Enochs, while the Pats entertain Johansen. Both games are slated to tip at 7:15 p.m.
This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Beyer blows past Modesto for MMC boys basketball win."