Garnet Valley Jack-owskys one up for win in third OT

CONCORD — If you could look beyond the shoddy end-of-game execution, Wednesday night’s Central League meeting between Penncrest and Garnet Valley was just about perfect.

Two coaching staffs that had scouted each other within an inch of their lives. Two squads getting contributions from up and down the roster. Thirty-two minutes of clean, defensive basketball, with an extra 12 tacked on just because everyone was having so much fun.

And a final irony that the only one of the five end-of-game chances to be converted — Aidan Carroll’s second-chance 3-pointer at the buzzer of the third overtime — mattered none to the final outcome.

Theres a Jackowsky 3. Hes got 6 in OT. Jags up 1 pic.twitter.com/bUIm1Ny26r

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2020

Despite Garnet Valley spurning chances to win at the end of regulation, the first overtime and twice in the second OT, the Jaguars managed to hold on, 64-62, in a loony three-overtime contest between two of the top teams in District 1’s Class 6A and 5A rankings.

Even before tipoff, there was intrigue. Wednesday was the first game back for Neel Beniwal, the Jags’ second-leading scorer last year, who had missed seven games with tendinitis in his knee while dealing with a torn ligament in his left pinkie. Perhaps the basketball gods just wanted to give Beniwal more time on the court, and he obliged with a game-best 20 points, despite just 2-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

“It was good,” Beniwal said. “They did really good without me the last seven games, but it feels good to be back and scoring 20. And playing with my teammates is really fun.”

Penncrest had a late lineup change to complicate matters, with Justin Potts unable to go, replaced by Ben Stanton. The sophomore scored eight points, including a late 3-pointer in the first overtime.

Garnet Valley (15-1, 10-1) had the final say thanks to not having to script a play for said final say. The Jags led by five with two minutes left, but a 3-pointer from Marquis Tomlin and two missed free throws from Carl Schaller left the door open for Penncrest (13-4, 7-4). Carroll obliged with 53 seconds left, coming off a screen and hoisting Stanton’s feed for a 3-pointer at the top of the key to even the game at 47.

Enter the Garnet Valley late-game adventure. Off a timeout with 18.6 seconds left, the Jags drew up a play that ended with Gannon McKee airballing an unplanned 3-pointer. The teams traded blows in the first extra session, but a Penncrest turnover gave the Jags the final look, which turned into a harried Max Jackowsky air ball from range.

“I was expecting the ball, but I had to rush because there was a little bit of time left,” Jackowsky said. “I wasn’t ready to shoot, I’d say.”

In the second OT, Garnet Valley doubled down, and not in a good way. Denzel Atkinson-Boyer, who had tied the game at 55, blocked a Jackowsky effort with 2.1 seconds left, and Stanton collected the rebound. But after a timeout, the Lions threw the ball the length of the court clear of everyone (one of only 18 total turnovers in a hard-nosed but clean game), giving the Garnet an in-bounds play at the hashmark in its half of the court.

Even still, they couldn’t cash in, Carroll blocking a Beniwal 3-pointer.

“We’re hyped at that point,” Tomlin said. “We knew at the end of regulation, we had to stop them. We had to lock it in and get the last stop regardless of what happened.”

Aidan Carroll for 3!! Tied at 47 pic.twitter.com/1QupvTg7wi

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2020

“At first, everyone keeps their head down and everyone’s tired and complaining and stuff,” Beniwal said. “But (forward) Chris Coyne helped us keep our heads up, and he helped us keep it going.”

Jackowsky’s day wasn’t done, though. He responded to the miss at the end of the first OT with an and-1 to start the second session, the Jags’ only points of the frame. Jackowsky also hit the 3-pointer that put the Jags up for good in the third extra session, off a curling dish from Beniwal.

“My teammates really helped me,” said Jackowsky, who scored nine points. “They said, ‘Keep shooting, keep shooting, you’ve got this.’ It was hard at first, but they were behind me saying, ‘you’ve got it.’”

Atkinson Boyer deuce. Tied at 55. pic.twitter.com/T4eV24g5Pa

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 23, 2020

Beniwal led the way since Schaller, locked up in a battle with Tomlin on both ends of the court, was limited offensively. Tomlin dogged him all over the court, and Schaller finished with 16 points but, crucially, no 3-pointers on only one attempt. Schaller had hit 31 3-pointers in his first 15 games. He did dish five assists and grab five rebounds.

“It was fun going back and forth with him,” Tomlin said. “I know he’s a great guard in the league, and so am I. It was a fun matchup for me, so I just had to give it all I got and I knew he was going to give me the same back.”

Jackowsky paired nine points (six in overtime) with eight rebounds, Coyne added seven points and eight rebounds before fouling out and Valantis Apostolopoulos added seven points, though the Jags were limited to 4-for-21 shooting from 3.

Carroll led the Lions with 15 points (though it took 4-for-13 shooting from 3) and seven rebounds. Tomlin had 14 points, Atkinson-Boyer flirted with a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds plus three blocks, and Saahir Lee added 10 points.

The Jags didn’t lose with Beniwal out, winners of 12 straight. But in tough games like Wednesday’s, the resolve that the rest of the roster built without him showed its value.

“It feels like I have confidence in anybody who shoots it at any time, even the guys off the bench,” Beniwal said. “It’s really good.”