Boys Basketball: Garnet Valley’s Sniras shows hot hand in win over Upper Darby
UPPER DARBY — Any given night, as a young Garnet Valley core has coalesced, any of four or five players could be the one to shoulder the offensive load.
Tuesday afternoon, two key members of that group hadn’t made a basket by halftime. Yet the Jaguars still entered the break with a lead over Upper Darby.
“It can be anyone’s night at any time,” sophomore Jake Sniras said. “We just like to support each other.”
Tuesday was Sniras’ night, the sophomore scoring 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting in outlasting the Royals, 71-68, in an engaging Central League affair.
Sniras scored 15 points in the first half to keep the Jaguars (5-1, 3-1 Central) afloat, though they didn’t get a made basket from Logan McKee or Max Koehler in the opening 16 minutes. Sniras hit five straight baskets in the second period, then connected on his last five looks from the field, including nine vital points in the fourth to hold off the Royals’ late charge. He drained a triple with less than 10 seconds left in the first quarter, then hit a floater at the horn in the third quarter to make it 46-40 after three.
Sniras drained four of his five 3-point attempts. But his ability to get to and knock down mid-range spots made the difference.
“I was just in a rhythm,” Sniras said. “I tried to feed off my teammates. It was just one of those days, I guess.”
Koehler would come around in the second half, scoring 15 points to go with four assists. He was 9-for-12 from the line as the Jags held on in the fourth. McKee was held to six points but grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Jags went ahead for good when Jack Krautzel hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the third. Krautzel scored 15 points. McKee had all six of his points in third quarter. Drew Van Horn supplied five fourth-quarter points, including a coast-to-coast and-1 to give the Jaguars their largest lead at nine, 60-51.
Yet Upper Darby (3-2, 1-2) kept coming. Yassir Joyner had a tremendous game, tallying 27 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. He hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to make the final margin closer, though the comeback attempt ran out of time.
Early, it was Nadir Myers doing the work. The point guard scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half. His defense, with a team-high four steals, contributed to nine first-half turnovers by the Jags and 14 for the game.
“Just taking what the defense gives me in how I read the defense,” Myers said. “And I’m trying to push the pace because I knew they want to get in their set defense and try to get everybody good shots.”
Myers and Joyner didn’t get much help, though. Niymire Brown was limited by foul trouble to four points and barely 10 minutes on the court. Khysir Slaughter scored six points in the fourth quarter but only one in the first three. All four of Ziggy Parks’ points came in the fourth.
Still, for a team that struggled mightily last season and already has a win over Haverford this campaign, the Royals are much improved. Going toe-to-toe with a states qualifier should be an apt measuring stick of progress.
“During the summer when we were working more, we were practicing more, chilling with each other, playing games with each other – it’s a better bond,” Myers said. “It brings everything together.”
The progress is clear for Garnet Valley, too. Last year was slated to be a transitional year, nonetheless one in which the Jaguars upset their way into the PIAA Class 6A tournament despite being the 24th and final seed into the District 1 field. A year ago, the Jaguars would have been reticent to play at the pace the Royals imposed, opting for more sedate, controlled games in the 50s. But while their reputation for half-court efficiency remains, the ability to win an up-and-down contest is another arrow in the quiver this season.
“I feel last year was really more organized and structured, and we didn’t have as much leeway,” Sniras said. “And now we have a year under our belt, and we’re just confident and coach lets us run out there.”
