SAN RAMON >> Moreau Catholic doesn’t just play well under pressure, the Mariners thrive in it.

Moreau tapped into its clutch gene once again to defeat No. 6 seed Dougherty Valley 84-76 in overtime in the first round of an instant classic CIF NorCal Division I playoff game.

It did this three days after the Hayward school scored five points in the last second to stun Cardinal Newman in the North Coast Section Division II championship game.

“We’re just conditioned for this,” said Moreau senior Cole Loud, whose team advances to play at No. 3 seed Lincoln-Stockton in the quarterfinals today. “We’ve just faced these situations multiple times this year and tonight we pulled through.”

Moreau, the 11th seed, trailed until the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and withstood a miraculous, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Dougherty Valley guard Kenny Cloud that sent the game into overtime.

Tuesday’s contest was choppy as the teams combined to shoot 78 free-throw attempts. Dougherty Valley star Jalen Stokes fouled out late in the fourth quarter 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 hell of a run. We’re playing good. We’re clicking. The guys are doing it for themselves, and they’re playing hard.”

University of the 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 the teams taking turns getting fouled and shooting foul shots.

By the end of the first half, the teams combined to shoot 31 free throws.

Dougherty Valley took a comfortable 10-point lead into halftime after Cloud netted a one-legged 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer that got the home crowd rocking three days after the Wildcats routed Redwood to win the NCS Division I crown.

Moreau needed some type of a spark with the game at risk of being lost and facing a streaking Dougherty Valley offense.

That spark was Isaiah Clendinen.

Clendinen opened the first minute of the third quarter with a 7-0 run by himself that closed the Dougherty Valley lead to just three.

“Coach was just telling us to go to the basket,” Clendinen said.

Following a timeout, Dougherty Valley regrouped and ended the 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 fast-break layup from Clendinen that gave Moreau its first lead of the game, 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 dunk that drew a loud roar from the Moreau crowd. On the ensuing Moreau possession, Hampton swished a left wing 3-pointer that tied the score 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 5 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-pointer 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 turn 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.