Delran girls top Willingboro again

Playing a team for a third time in a season can be a blessing or curse.

Both ends of that were in plain view Saturday at Willingboro as the fifth-seeded Delran girls' basketball team rolled to a 56-35 victory at No. 1 Willingboro in the South Jersey Group 2 semifinals.

The teams had split two regular-season meetings and, as a result, split the Burlington County Patriot Division title.

Saturday's matchup was widely viewed as the marquee meeting of the South Jersey playoffs - two talented, familiar teams battling for a spot in Monday's sectional final.

But thanks to a near-flawless effort by Delran, the game didn't really look or feel that way.

"We knew what their game plan was. We knew their presses. We knew how to break their presses," said Delran guard Taylor Umbrell, who led the team with 14 points. "We knew who their scorers were. We knew pretty much everything about them. And that helps us."

The Bears (23-5) looked and acted as if that knowledge not only served to give them confidence but also calmed them in the face of their biggest game of the season. As Willingboro scrambled and struggled to find a rhythm, Delran methodically took a lead, which just kept building and building.

"Willingboro is a great team, and we know they have great players and have beaten great teams," said Delran forward Aliyah Murray, who scored 12 points, grabbed 10 boards, and stood out in her defense of dynamic scorer Micahya Owens (15 points).

"And Owens is a really tough player. But I just tried to play the toughest defense I could and lock her down."

Willingboro (22-6), too, said it was confident in its knowledge of Delran's game. But the Bears jumped out to a 10-4 lead and, as in a chess match, seemed to make every right move to keep Willingboro from executing its plan.

The Bears forced turnovers and stayed glued to Owens and the Chimeras' other dangerous scorer, guard Kara Cezar. And Murray and center Crystal Cleveland (13 points, 12 rebounds) outmuscled Willingboro under the basket.

"We just didn't execute well," Willingboro coach Marchelle Coleman said. "We couldn't make a shot. We couldn't hold onto the ball. We just didn't play up to our level of expectation or our skill level."

The Chimeras' only glimpse of light occurred at the end of the first half. Cezar came up with a steal, ran the length of the floor, and converted a layup at the second-quarter buzzer.

Willingboro then scored the first four points of the third quarter, completing an 8-0 run that cut the Bears' lead to four. But, unfazed, Delran scored the game's next 16 points, holding Willingboro scoreless for 7 minutes, 6 seconds.

"I thought this game was going to go to the wire," Delran coach Pete Miles said. "This was a great matchup. . . . I think the difference was defense."

Ultimately, it was all familiar territory for Delran. Thanks to the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament, Delran had already played two of its other biggest rivals, Rancocas Valley and Holy Cross, three times this season. It was just one phase of a grueling regular-season slate that prepared the Bears for these situations.

"It's a great feeling that we made it to this point," Umbrell said. "I have no words for it. It's amazing."

Delran   14 12 15 15 – 56

Willingboro   9 9 4 13 – 35

D: Tara Ballay 13, Crystal Cleveland 13, Gena Gizzi 2, Taylor Umbrell 14, Kait Hunt 1, Katie Larson 1, Aliyah Murray 12.

W: Micahya Owens 15, Gabby Bennett 5, Kara Cezar 5, Aaliyah Saud-Lewis 3, Imani Stepni 7.