Basketball: All eyes on him, Jauregui comes through at end again for Strath Haven

NETHER PROVIDENCE — It’s becoming a bit of a thing for Jaden Jauregui this season.

Once already on the young campaign, Strath Haven has given the senior guard the ball with the game on the line in the final seconds. With 32 seconds left and Tuesday’s meeting with Marple Newtown tied at 46, it was no mystery whose number the Panthers would call.

Nor was it a shock when Jauregui came through.

Jauregui’s runner in the lane spun around and down as he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left, completing Strath Haven’s comeback from a 17-point deficit for a 48-46 win.

“I like it. I don’t know what to say there,” Jauregui said. “I get excited. Everyone pretty much knew from last game, and I had to do it again.”

Jauregui, who hit a shot at the buzzer to beat Upper Merion on Saturday, was a one-man show in a win tinged with controversy. He scored a game-high 22 points. He had 13 points in the fourth quarter; while no other participant had more than 10 for the game.

Thus Strath Haven (4-1, 1-1 Central) was able to win on a night where second-leading scorer Jack Edwards was held scoreless, where the Panthers were 0-for-9 from 3-point range and where Marple Newtown (1-2, 1-1) led by 12 after three quarters.

The rally got an illicit boost from the scorer’s table. With 3:21 to play, Matt Gardler was whistled for what the home book ruled was his fifth foul, despite Marple Newtown’s bench (and this reporter’s stats) having him at four. After an acrimonious exchange, Gardler was forced out, with Haven leading by six.

The absence of the slick-shooting sophomore had much to do with the Tigers scoring just seven points in the final eight minutes, disturbed by a high 3-2 Strath Haven zone. It was also a symptom of a Marple team, whistled for 14 second-half fouls to Strath Haven’s seven, that never coped with the game’s physicality. Strath Haven shot 14 free throws in the final frame; Marple shot just 14 for the game.

Jauregui pressed that advantage repeatedly. His drives off the bounce were the only sustainable source of offense for Haven. Going 10-for-14 at the free-throw line, he kept hammering the ball into the paint.

“I’m still going to play my game, but in this kind of situation, I’m still going to look for shooters,” Jauregui said. “But I knew I had to get in there and play a little more toward the hoop than looking for a shot.”

Until the late-game struggles, Marple Newtown got the shots it wanted. With PJ Esposito and Ryan Keating returning from injury, the Tigers looked to be a more complete offense. They led by 10 at half, then proceeded to run their patient motion offense to get wide-open 3-point looks on five of their first six possessions of the second half. They only hit one, but a Gardler putback and a Corrado Fischetti leaner put them up 35-18 three minutes into the third.

They couldn’t sustain it, however, not in the face of a 4-for-24 shooting day from 3-point land, however quality the looks. Gardler led the way with 10 points but was 2-for-10 from 3-point range. Steve Hamson provided a huge boost with 10 first-half points, but he didn’t score after the break. He grabbed nine rebounds. And an uptick in turnovers meant Marple attempted only five field goals in the fourth, making both of their twos and missing all three 3s.

Steven Tansey added nine points. Esposito had five, though he took just three shots.

Blayke Reid was 3-for-3 from the field for eight points for Haven. He fueled a 9-2 run between the third and fourth quarters with a four-point possession, rebounding Jordan Draine’s missed and-1 and putting it back while being fouled, though he’d also miss his free throw.

“We were down 12. We said we needed to get three stops,” Jauregui said. “That didn’t happen. And then we had a huddle up, and we said, ‘everyone needs to talk on defense. We need to be intense and need to get the ball.’ And that’s pretty much what we did.”

Jauregui hit four free throws as part of an 11-2 run, capped by a putback of his own miss with 1:34 left to knot the game at 45. Esposito made one of two at the line to nudge Marple ahead, 46-45, then stripped Jahi Curtis after he rebounded a missed Jauregui free throw with the game tied at 46. Marple turned the ball over, though, which gave Jauregui the chance to play hero. Again.

“My teammates are great at getting me the ball,” Jauregui said. “They know when I’m driving. They know when I’m on. They know when I’m getting fouled. So credit to them, they know when and where to get me the ball.”

Also in the Central League:

Haverford 44, Conestoga 36 >> Googie Seidman and Brian Weiner scored 13 points each, and Gorman Bright scored all six of his points in the fourth quarter as the Fords outscored the Pioneers, 16-8, over the final eight minutes to nab their second significant Central League win of the season.

Tommy Wright added 12 points for the Fords.

Garnet Valley 75, Ridley 46 >> Logan McKee drained four 3-pointers for 23 points as the Jaguars romped. Max Koehler added 12 points, Ryan Faccenda chipped in 11 and Jake Sniras added 10 as nine Jags scored.

Cam Horrop led Ridley with 12 points.

Lower Merion 72, Upper Darby 62 >> Nadir Myers and Yassir Joyner scored 21 points each and the Royals led by three in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t finish it off at Lower Merion. Niymire Brown added 10 points.

Radnor 60, Penncrest 30 >> Jackson Hicke went off for 25 points, one of 11 Raptors to score in a rout.