Wilson, Central Catholic boys expect Mother Lode champ to be a bear

Leave it to the economics teacher to be, well, economical with his scouting assignments.

With the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs looming, Central Catholic High School boys basketball coach Mike Wilson took advantage of a serendipitous turn on the Mother Lode League schedule.

In one night, Wilson scouted three potential Division IV playoff teams, each playing within a nine-mile radius of one another. On Feb. 16, Summerville hosted Calaveras in a showdown of the MLL’s top teams, while Sonora faced Amador at the opposite end of Tuolumne Road.

Summerville, Calaveras and Sonora advanced to the D-IV tournament, justifying Wilson’s mining trip.

“You never know how things could fall, so I was able to watch the first half of Summerville-Calaveras and catch the second half of Sonora-Amador,” Wilson said. “I had a chance to see all three, and I wanted to at least have a look at them.”

That intelligence will be put to the test Wednesday in the semifinals at Tokay High School in Lodi. The top-seeded Raiders (23-5) will take on No. 5 Summerville (23-6), which advanced with a 59-39 victory over No. 13 San Juan of Citrus Heights.

The MLL champs were propelled by senior forward Eli McLaurin, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, many of those coming with one good eye. Early in the game, McLaurin suffered a deep gash over his left eye that had to be held together by tape, according to the Union Democrat of Sonora.

Wilson expects the Bears to bring that same grit and physical play to their showdown.

“They rebound hard … where they got at least four guys crashing the boards,” Wilson said. “They’re relentless. We’re going to have to get bodies on them.

“There is no standing around and watching these guys. We have to box out and be strong about it. We have to get a body on them and go after the ball with two hands.”

Up for grabs: a chance to play among the Kings on Saturday afternoon. The winner will book a trip to Sleep Train Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings, to play the winner between No. 2 Liberty Ranch of Galt (29-0) and No. 3 West Campus of Sacramento (25-4).

Central Catholic needed extra time to dispatch No. 8 Ripon in Friday’s quarterfinal. Amrit Dhaliwal sent the game into overtime with a three-pointer that rattled around the rim, and the Raiders shored up the 64-59 win from the free-throw line.

Dhaliwal scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, but his offensive heroics with 36 seconds left actually began on the defensive end. The junior guard had a team-high four steals, feeding his confidence.

“I have a bunch of guys that would take that shot, but he really sparked us,” Wilson said. “He was motivated the whole game. It was an energy thing. He really wanted it, went after it, and you know how it is once you get the flow going.”

Wilson understands this about the section tournament: the do-or-die nature of each game heightens the drama and brings out the best in even the greatest underdog.

Though 11 of the section’s 12 No. 1 seeds remain in the hunt for boys and girls championships, none are promised smooth journeys.

“I expect (a close game) every game we play,” said Wilson, 2-1 in section semifinals. “Not that we’ll play bad, but the other team will play so well. You just anticipate it.

“The biggest thing from the other night, and really this is how it’s been all year, we’ve had games where we stepped up and played through adversity. We have learned that even against Summerville, it’s going to be one of those knock-down, drag-out deals. When we get to the semifinal, every game I’ve been in – whether it was sections or NorCals – they’ve always been close.”

Summerville is no stranger to Central Catholic’s brand of basketball. The Bears are 1-1 against the Valley Oak League, losing to East Union and defeating Oakdale.

Wilson has studied the tape of the Lancers’ 63-56 win over the Bears on Dec. 8. The Raiders swept their season series with East Union, including a 44-point victory Feb. 10.

“What I try to do is look at the matchups,” Wilson said. “We know how we match up against East Union, and we know how East Union tried to defend (Summerville). I’ve seen all the film.”

The Bears, just three years removed from their only section title, were even more impressive in person.

“They’re very aggressive,” Wilson said. “They get after you pretty hard.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Wilson, Central Catholic boys expect Mother Lode champ to be a bear."