Beyer basketball loses its cool and win streak in loss to Weston Ranch

Weston Ranch guard Fred Lavender intercepted a pass and sprinted downcourt like a jet ready for takeoff.

With a one-handed finish, the Stanislaus State-bound senior triggered an unfortunate chain of events for Beyer.

In a matter of moments, the Patriots lost their lead, their cool and their season-opening win streak.

Lavender’s slam shook the Cougars’ offense from a third-quarter slumber, igniting a 22-5 run that unraveled Beyer in a 65-59 loss.

Lavender led three Cougars in double figures with 20 points. He had 13 in the first half as Weston Ranch carved out a 30-28 lead in this battle of 2014 Sac-Joaquin Section playoff participants.

D’Angelo Finley had 13 points, and Jaelen Ragsdale scored nine of his 11 points in the second half as Weston Ranch coach Chris Teevan celebrated a victory over his alma mater.

The Cougars have won three in a row to start the season, including down-to-the-wire victories over Central Section power Immanuel and Salesian College Preparatory.

But the 2006 graduate will always have a soft spot in his heart for Beyer.

“That’s a good team. If there was no Modesto Christian, that school would run Modesto for the next five to 10 years,” Teevan said. “I can’t say more about a coach and a program, and I’m very proud of where they are now.

“This is the best team we’ve played so far – and Immanuel was 20th in the state. No one can tell me differently,” he said. “This was a tough one. They’ll have two home games for playoffs.”

The Patriots had won four consecutive games to begin the season but struggled to find a flow offensively.

Tanner Gentry and Ryan Frakes shouldered the scoring load with senior guard Georgie Dancer slowed by early foul trouble.

Gentry scored a game-high 21 points on four three-pointers. His steal and layup with 1:30 left cut the deficit to 60-54, but the Patriots would get no closer.

Frakes finished with 20 points on three three-pointers.

Dancer had just four points three days after erupting for 42 in the championship game of the Modesto City Classic.

“Both of those guys are seniors. Both are great players,” Beyer coach Kyle McKim said of Gentry and Frakes. “That’s what we expect them to do. We don’t need it to be one guy all the time. They did a great job of stepping up tonight.”

Beyer was doomed by its thin skin and late turnovers.

Dancer fouled out of the contest with 5:22 left in the game. The Sacramento State commit was whistled for a push near midcourt and then ripped at his jersey in frustration, drawing his fifth foul on a technical.

Dancer was sent to the end of the bench, where he was calmed by assistant coach Ron Weltmer.

With the Patriots’ best piece off the board, Weston Ranch would score 11 of the next 13 points to build an 11-point lead, 60-49. McKim was also assessed a technical foul during that stretch.

“We got to remain mentally strong in terms of not letting the crowd get to us or circumstances that we can’t control get to us,” McKim said. “That’s something we have to work on as a team. Stuff didn’t go our way tonight. We have to respond to adversity a little better than we did.”

The game was played with a playoff intensity. Weston Ranch advanced to the Division III semifinal round a year ago, while Beyer reached the second round of the Division II tournament.

There were 18 lead changes and 12 ties.

The Patriots took their final lead on Gentry’s three-pointer with 2:23 left in the third quarter. Sam Leventini wrestled an offensive rebound away from a Weston Ranch player and found Gentry alone in the corner to make it 41-38.

Frakes followed with a three-pointer from the wing, hanging his hand in quiet confidence as Beyer looked poised to pull away.

Weston Ranch had gone nearly three minutes without a field goal when Lavender stepped into the passing lane. His dunk rattled the Patriots, who had 10 second-half turnovers, and flipped momentum.

“He makes plays. I thought he was locked in defensively against (Dancer),” Teevan said. “That’s the best team effort I’ve seen against a top player.”

Ragsdale closed the quarter with a layup to pull Weston Ranch within 44-42. The Cougars started the fourth on an 18-5 run, scoring eight consecutive points, a flurry that culminated with Darren Igarta’s three-pointer.

“We got down (44-38) and finally stopped settling offensively and started really communicating and switching hard on defense,” Teevan said. “That got us some steals, and then Dancer went out, and then the pressure really got rolling.”

Beyer won’t have much time to stew on the loss; the Patriots will open the McDonald’s Classic Thursday against Franklin.

“These are the kind of games we want to play. We can go play easier teams and rack up wins, but that’s not what we want,” McKim said. “We’re trying to prepare for the playoffs.

“This isn’t just a playoff-level team. This is a section-level team. For us to battle with them the whole game, that shows we’re in a good place, too, right now.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Beyer basketball loses its cool and win streak in loss to Weston Ranch."