SAN RAMON — Moreau Catholic doesn’t just play well under pressure – the Mariners thrive in it.
Three days after a thrilling wire-to-wire win over Cardinal Newman in the North Coast Section Division II title game, Moreau tapped into its clutch gene once again to defeat No. 6 Dougherty Valley 84-76 in overtime in the first round of an all-time classic CIF NorCal playoff game.
“We’re just conditioned for this,” Moreau senior Cole Loud said. “We’ve just faced these situations multiple times this year and tonight we pulled through.”
Moreau trailed until the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and withstood a miraculous buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Dougherty Valley guard Kenny Cloud that sent the game into overtime.
Tuesday’s contest was choppy as the two teams combined to shoot 78 free throw attempts. Dougherty Valley star Jalen Stokes fouled out late in the fourth and Cloud picked up his fifth infraction in the opening minute of overtime.
“It’s hard to put this game into perspective,” Moreau coach Frank Knight said. “We’re on one helluva run. We’re playing good. We’re clicking. The guys are doing it for themselves, and they’re playing hard.
“To do it on the road against the defending NCS Division I champions, who everyone thought should have been in the Open Division, is satisfying.”
University of Pacific-bound senior Kellen Hampton scored a game-high 43 points – 21 of which came in the fourth quarter – and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Moreau to the victory. He made all 15 of his free throws and knocked down five 3s.
“I knew the game was going to come down to the wire,” Hampton said. “It’s just about staying persistent, staying consistent and just doing what we could to get out of here with a W.”
It was clear early that the game was going to be called tight by the officiating crew. The first two quarters consisted of both teams taking turns getting fouled and shooting shots at the charity stripe.
By the end of the first half, the two teams combined to shoot 31 free throws.
Dougherty Valley took a comfortable 10-point lead into halftime after Cloud netted a ridiculous one-legged 3 from the right corner at the buzzer that got the Dougherty Valley crowd rocking.
With the game at risk of being lost and facing a streaking Dougherty Valley offense, Moreau needed some type of a spark.
That spark was Isaiah Clendinen.
Clendinen opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run by himself that closed the Dougherty Valley lead to just three a minute into the second half.
“Coach was just telling us to go to the basket,” Clendinen said. “I was just trying to deliver and get my team back in the game.”
Following a quick timeout, Dougherty Valley regrouped and ended the third quarter strong to take a 48-39 lead into the final period.
But foul trouble ultimately doomed the Wildcats.
Stokes picked up his fourth foul 36 seconds into the fourth, prompting coach Mike Hansen to sub him out. After an and-one fastbreak layup from Clendinen that gave Moreau its first lead of the game at 53-52, Hansen returned Stokes to lineup for the final five minutes.
Though Stokes picked up where he left off offensively, Moreau kept on coming.
Loud had one of the biggest plays of the game, slamming home a posterizing dunk that drew a loud roar from the Moreau crowd. On the ensuing Moreau possession, Hampton swished a left wing 3 that tied the game at 60.
Stokes fouled out with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter, putting Dougherty Valley at a disadvantage.
“Once Stokes goes out, it’s a whole different game,” Knight said. “He’s a load.”
Hampton knocked down two free throws to give Moreau a three-point lead with just five seconds left. With no timeouts, Dougherty Valley point guard Cole Roque dribbled up the floor and found Cloud, who found a sliver of daylight well beyond NBA range and swished a 3 to send the game into overtime.
But without Stokes and Cloud in the extra period, the Wildcats couldn’t stop Moreau and didn’t have a hot scorer to go to.
Moreau hit 11 of its 16 free throw attempts and outscored Dougherty Valley 15-10 in overtime to seal the win.
“We just weren’t good enough,” Hansen said. “We’re not going to put this on anybody else. Our depth was our strength all year and we didn’t have it tonight.”
Stokes scored a team-high 23 points and Cloud had 21. No other Dougherty Valley player had more than nine points.
Hansen said he’s going to remember this team as one that continued Dougherty Valley’s winning ways.
“It’s a great group,” Hansen said. “It’s just a misfit bunch of dudes just thrown together and they just kept the legacy going.”
After winning the NCS Division II title, Moreau felt the CIF committee gave it an unfair seed in Division I. The Mariners have used that as motivation throughout the playoffs.
“This is the state playoffs and it’s all about survive and advance,” senior forward Dominic Walker said. “We felt like they disrespected us with that seeding, but we came up here and got the W together and that’s all that matters.”
Moreau will hit the road once again when the Mariners play No. 3 Lincoln-Stockton in the second round on Thursday. Lincoln defeated Clovis West 57-46 in its first round matchup.
