Keating steps up as Marple Newtown cools hot-shooting Haverford

MARPLE — The attention of Haverford’s defense Thursday night, Ryan Keating knew, was always going to be tuned primarily to the threat of Matt Gardler.

While Gardler is uniquely capable of persevering with multiple hands in his face, the challenge on the night and on the season for his Marple Newtown teammates has been to punish opponents that fixate on Gardler.

Keating stepped to the fore in the second half of a tight affair Thursday, saving 15 of his game-high 22 points for the second half as Marple Newtown pulled away from Haverford, 55-38.

“Matt’s a great player and obviously he’s been doing great this season,” Keating said. “At halftime, they were playing Matt really well, and coach (Sean) Spratt told us, someone else has to step up. I think as a team, we did a really good job of that.”

Haverford did an outstanding job on Gardler. The high-powered guard scored 12 points in the first half. But the Fords (2-9, 0-6 Central) still led 28-26 at the break. With Keith Heinerichs as the primary defender shadowing Gardler from just about the instant the layup lines concluded, Gardler didn’t have a basket in the second half. He only attempted two shots, both forced 3-pointers, and none in the first seven minutes of the third, with the game up for grabs.

Gardler hit four free throws in the fourth to finish with 16 points, but there was no question that Heinerichs and Haverford won the matchup.

“He’s a really good player,” Heinerichs said. “He’s always moving. You’ve got to be hungry. You’ve got to want it. You’ve got to know he’s going to score sometimes but you’ve got to keep your head up and keep playing, even when he get his.”

The quieting of Gardler came at a price, in this case the space that Keating exploited.

The junior forward was 6-for-6 from the field in the second half and 9-for-13 on the night, as Marple Newtown (6-5, 4-2) shot better than 50 percent from the field (19-for-35).

“I just take what’s available for me,” Keating said. “We needed someone to step up. I got a couple of points and I got going, and that’s really all I needed.”

It was particularly needed given the way Haverford started the game from the field. The Fords connected on eight of nine first-quarter attempts for a 19-15 edge. They were 15-for-20 from the field when Andrew Steigleman pulled up for a jumper midway through the third to break a 36-all tie.

But after that, they cooled and never warmed up. Fourteen turnovers didn’t help, as Haverford misfired on its last 11 tries from the field.

“I thought we missed a bunch of good looks in the fourth quarter,” Heinerichs said. “Maybe we could’ve run offense better, but I just thought we missed shots. Sometimes that happens. They fell in the first half, but they didn’t in the second half.”

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Marple Newtown's Ryan Keating, left, dribbles in a game against Strath Haven's last season. PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)