Manteca High junior guards a study in chemistry

The dead-eye shooter deferred to the 6-foot-8 slasher, bouncing a pass between defenders for a crowd-pleasing dunk.

The touch, the timing and the hang time not only gave the Manteca High School boys basketball team the lead for good in a 70-45 victory over Bishop O’Dowd in the CIF Northern California Regional Division III final Saturday, but it changed perception.

Contrary to popular belief, the best backcourt in the regional final didn’t belong to the Dragons, who start two sophomores, including national team pool player Elijah Hardy.

The best backcourt belonged to the Buffaloes, who will play for the school’s first state championship of any kind Thursday.

Manteca (28-6) will take on Southern California champion Ayala of Chino Hills (33-3) at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Tipoff is 4 p.m.

While 6-9 forwards Anand Hundal and Kenny Wooten Jr. have garnered most of the headlines, the ever-evolving chemistry between junior guards Tydus Verhoeven and Dwight Young has played an understated role in Manteca’s historic season.

Verhoeven and Young outplayed their highly touted counterparts from Oakland at both ends of the floor. Verhoeven had 12 points and four rebounds, while Young finished with eight points and three assists. Together, they were 7 of 12 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

Hardy and Naseem Gaskins combined for 13 points on 5-of-24 shooting.

“It’s been a long road with me and Dwight,” Verhoeven said. “We’re finding out what we are. He’s more of the shooter, and I’m more of the slasher and playmaker. It’s about knowing where and when we want the ball and then helping each other out as much as we can.

“We’ve really worked on that in practice. We’re always talking to each other. I’m proud of how we’ve grown together and look forward to the next game.”

Their relationship on the court has changed the trajectory of the Buffaloes’ season.

Manteca coach Brett Lewis returned key elements – namely Hundal and Verhoeven – from a team that reached the the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals but didn’t lock down a starting backcourt until late December.

At the time, Lewis still was learning what he had in Young, a 5-10 point guard with uncanny range. The wispy junior transferred from Lincoln of Stockton, and early on, he shuffled in and out of the starting lineup as he struggled with consistency.

Verhoeven was the established talent, a third-year varsity player with as much upside as anyone in the Central Valley.

The two didn’t go together like hand in glove. At least not right away.

“Sometimes, we’ll bite each other’s heads off in practice – ‘Whatchu doing? Whatchu doing?’ We’ll be on opposite teams and talking smack, but it’s all love,” Verhoeven said. “We want to see each other get better and perform at the highest level.”

And here they are.

The season has reached its ultimate stage – the CIF State finals at Sleep Train Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings.

Manteca is no stranger to this floor. The Buffaloes lost to Valley Oak League rival Weston Ranch in the section Division III final March 4.

Since then, Manteca has found its stride, reeling off three consecutive victories.

Young has been the hero on most nights, penalizing teams for focusing on his taller teammates.

He caught fire late in a 59-52 win over Albany in the second round of the NorCal tournament, tallying 18 points in the final 3 minutes, 30 seconds.

In a 60-54 semifinal win over Archbishop Riordan, Young made six free throws in the final 40 seconds to deny the Central Coast Section’s all-time winningest program.

Part of Young’s maturation, though, has been knowing when to be a scorer and a facilitator.

On Saturday, he was in full control of his game. Face-guarded by Hardy throughout, Young deferred to his teammates. He attempted only three shots and missed his only three-pointer.

Instead, he navigated Bishop O’Dowd’s fullcourt press, made all six of his free throws and delivered a signature assist late in the first half.

With the game swinging back and forth, Young and Verhoeven teamed to give Manteca the lead for good.

Young drew the Dragons’ post out of the paint and split the double team with a bounce pass to Verhoeven, who glided unmarked to the rim.

His two-handed slam gave the Buffaloes a 27-26 halftime lead they didn’t relinquish.

“Dwight showed some maturity tonight,” Lewis said. “Earlier in the season, if someone were to guard him like that, he would have forced the issue. We knew they were going to guard him like that. We knew they had some great perimeter defenders. He stuck to the game plan and he didn’t get frustrated. … I want to give him some credit for that.”

Verhoeven said that play – like so many others throughout the postseason – is emblematic of their relationship. Whether it’s Young spotting up for a deep three-pointer or Verhoeven knifing through the lane, Manteca’s backcourt has developed a special chemistry.

“I cut back door, and he found me wide open,” Verhoeven said. “I know when I get double-teamed, he’ll relocate and get a wide-open three. That’s huge for us. We have another year of this, so it’s going to be fun.”

Ayala will present another challenge. The Bulldogs are blessed with a senior set of guards: 6-5 John Edgar and 6-3 Austen Awosika, who’s headed to Cal State Fullerton in the fall. The two combined for 43 points in a 63-54 win over Bonita in the Southern California final.

Still, Lewis like his ever-evolving backcourt.

“It’s been a growing process,” the coach said. “They both like the ball in their hands. We’ve had times where it’s been a struggle, but tonight they played great together. They’ve grown together, and they’re learning to play with one another at the right time.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Manteca High junior guards a study in chemistry."