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Jordan Loveridge might not have been so bold a year ago, he admitted after he led West Jordan to a gutty 54-52 season-opening win Tuesday over Davis. He likely would have deferred to a senior teammate.
But with a minute remaining in his team's first game, Loveridge, now a junior, established that things will be different this season. Moments after Davis closed within two points — after trailing by as much as 19 — Loveridge battled his way to the rim, earning a foul as he scored on a right-handed floater.
"I just tried to make something happen," said Loveridge, who finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. "I knew if I didn't score I had a teammate rolling to the basket."
The three-point play gave the Jaguars a 52-47 lead and enough of a cushion to escape a resilient Darts team that used a full-court press to force turnovers on four straight possessions.
"We got rattled," West Jordan coach Scott Briggs said.
But his 6-foot-6 star was a calming force in the final minute, starting with his aggressive hoop.
"That play right there, I think, was Jordan Loveridge saying, 'I don't want to lose,' " Briggs said.
The Darts were led by 17 points from Trever Webb.
A fourth-quarter flurry nearly doubled Davis' scoring total from the first three quarters — the Darts scored 25 points in the final quarter, and 29 in the other three.
The Darts used a 17-4 second-half run to give West Jordan a challenge.
"We were fortunate in the fact they didn't play well in the first half," Briggs said.
boram@sltrib.comTwitter: @oramb —
Highlights
R West Jordan scores first and never relinquishes its lead.
• Davis scores nearly as many points in the fourth quarter (25) as it does in the other three combined (29).