Dhaliwal shoots Central Catholic boys to No. 2 seed in NorCal basketball

Amrit Dhaliwal positioned himself in the corner, toes behind the three-point line, eyes locked on the target.

The ball swung his way, like it has so often this postseason, and the Central Catholic High School guard didn’t hesitate to … pump fake?

The dead-eye shooter pumped and stepped inside the hard-charging defender, who had clearly done his homework.

Dhaliwal entered the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV final at Sleep Train Arena as the Raiders’ hottest shooter. He had come off the bench to score in double figures in three consecutive postseason games and rescued Central Catholic from a near knockout in the quarterfinal round.

His three-pointer with 36 seconds left helped the top-seeded Raiders avoid a stunning home loss to No. 8 Ripon. The trey sent the game into overtime, where Central Catholic survived at the free-throw line.

“I’ll compare him to just about (anybody) that plays the game of basketball. A spark off the bench, he’s definitely provided that,” said Central Catholic coach Mike Wilson, who captured his first section banner with a 47-46 victory over West Campus of Sacramento. “He’s been consistent, and we’ve talked about this before in regards to people on this team: Every game, someone will step up. If someone is down, someone else will step up.”

Dhaliwal, with hundreds of hours invested in his shot, thrives in the clutch. This time, though, he faked the three and bolted up the baseline on the unsuspecting West Campus defense, caught out of position by an aggressive move from a spot-up shooter.

The Warriors studied the scouting report. It read: Amrit Dhaliwal, a 5-foot-10 junior. First player off the bench. Lethal long-range shooter. Loves the corner three just as much as he loves the ball in his hands during the big moment.

Then how do you explain this – a layup when the moment begged for a back-breaking three?

Confidence, Wilson said. These days, his sixth man is the physical embodiment of swagger, a player totally convinced his next move will induce checkmate. And it did against West Campus.

Dhaliwal went hard and fast to the rim, kissing the ball off the backboard. The layup gave Central Catholic a 46-43 lead with 3:05 left.

His free throw seconds later gave the Raiders all they would need to hold off West Campus, granting the football school its first basketball section title in 28 years.

Dhaliwal scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, continuing a postseason tear. In four games, he’s averaging 14.3 points, roughly five better than his regular-season mark.

“He’s been real consistent the last three or four games to where it’s really paying off for him and us,” Wilson said. “We’re getting a reward as a group, too.”

Dhaliwal can build on those numbers Wednesday when Central Catholic (25-5) opens the CIF Northern California Division IV Regional tournament at home. The second-seeded Raiders will host No. 15 Kennedy of Richmond (19-13), which lost to St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo in the North Coast Section semifinals.

Also playing Wednesday are the Argonaut (19-10) and Ripon Christian (15-12) girls teams, seeded eighth and 10th in Division V. They’ll begin their state journey on the road, along with the Turlock Christian girls (20-9), seeded seventh in Division VI.

Modesto Christian (30-1) is the No. 2 seed in the boys Open Division, which begins Friday. The Crusaders will host No. 7 St. Francis of Mountain View (25-2).

The Weston Ranch (27-4) and Manteca boys (25-6), Valley Oak League rivals and section finalists, were awarded first-round byes as the top seeds in Division III. The section champion Cougars are No. 1 and the runner-up Buffaloes No. 2. They’ll host games Saturday.

Division V section champion Mariposa also earned a first-round bye. The Grizzlies are the No. 2 seed and will host a game Saturday.

Dhaliwal is second on the team in three-pointers with 42, but no one with at least 45 attempts shoots at a higher clip (45 percent). Only senior guard Cooper Wilson (71 for 182) has made more threes.

Dhaliwal has made at least one three-pointer in eight straight games. Wilson loves that option off the bench.

“He’s solid, and he brings solidity to the team when he’s out there,” Wilson said. “I can put him anywhere; he’s very versatile.”

Dhaliwal’s cold-blooded shooting stroke and moxie off the bench were born in the shadows of the Raiders’ success. He’s a relentless gym rat. It’s not uncommon to find him and sophomore point guard Joshua Hamilton shooting 500 jump shots … after practice.

Sweat and dedication have helped nurture his talent, which has given him the confidence to shoot every big shot. From any distance.

“I always try to stay confident. There have been points in the season where my confidence” declined, Dhaliwal said. “People around me have told me to keep shooting, keep letting it sling. It’s paying off.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 12:20 AM with the headline "Dhaliwal shoots Central Catholic boys to No. 2 seed in NorCal basketball."