Willingboro falls to Moorestown

WILLINGBORO - Julie McGrory could not remember the last time the Moorestown girls' basketball team beat Willingboro. Neither could Willingboro coach Guy Fowler, and he's headed up the Chimeras' program for almost a decade.

McGrory won't have to ponder the question any longer. The Moorestown senior forward scored a game-high 19 points as the visiting Quakers turned back the favored Chimeras, 47-40, yesterday in a key Burlco-Liberty matchup.

"We had a heartbreaking loss to them last year at the end," said McGrory, who was 7 of 8 from the free throw stripe. "I'm just happy to put them away."

A win would have put Willingboro in excellent shape heading into tomorrow's matchup at Trenton Catholic, one of the state's top teams and the frontrunner in the division race. The loss cripples the Chimeras' conference title hopes.

"Now you just got to go back to the drawing board," Fowler said after his team dropped to 7-4 overall.

Willingboro, the defending Group III champs, trailed nearly the entire game. When McGrory sank a pair of free throws with 1 minute, 14 seconds to go in the third quarter, Moorestown led, 37-27.

But Willingboro pulled within four heading into the final quarter, as Nadirah Brown (15 points) sank a runner and Melanie Griffith netted a pair of baskets to close the third.

A jumper from Stefanie Bingham cut the deficit to two, and reserve JeNaye Ware took a Bingham feed and knocked down a three-pointer for a 39-38 Chimeras lead early in the fourth.

That's when Moorestown (7-5) stepped on the gas - and Willingboro seemed to run out of it.

Quakers guard Alyssa Ogle buried a jumper and McGrory added a pair of free throws as Moorestown regained the lead for good.

After an 0-3 start, Moorestown has won seven of its last nine games.

"This win, to us, is absolutely enormous," Quakers coach Katrina Kenney said. "We really wanted to contend this year. And beating them here really validates the amount of talent that we have."

The game showcased two completely different styles of play. Moorestown was deliberate in the halfcourt; Willingboro pressed most of the game, preferring to create off transition.

"It was tough, but we were very prepared," Ogle said. "We had a lot of press breaks [in practice], and when we ran them, it was a breeze."

Despite playing its aggressive, up-tempo style, Willingboro was limited to four trips to the foul line, compared with 17 attempts for Moorestown. The Chimeras also turned the ball over 20 times.

Weber and Wendy Garrett added eight points apiece for Moorestown. Bingham had 10 for Willingboro.

Moorestown 13 11 13 10 - 47

Willingboro 9 10 14 7 - 40

M: Julie McGrory 19, Wendy Garrett 8, Alyssa Ogle 8, Charlotte Fuller 4, Virginia Weber 8.

W: Nadirah Brown 15, Stefanie Bingham 10, Melanie Griffin 6, JeNaye Ware 5, Jasmine Rich 2, Angela Van Morter 2.