Trenton Catholic pressure dooms Willingboro

The game plan revolved around one word: pressure.

And in a 73-45 win over Willingboro, the Trenton Catholic Academy girls' basketball team had little trouble executing that strategy Wednesday.

The Iron Mikes played increasingly aggressively in each quarter. And as their aggression grew, so did their lead.

A young Willingboro team had trouble adjusting to a relentless full-court press in the second half at home. The result was the Chimeras' first loss in nine games. The only other defeat that Willingboro, The Inquirer's No. 4 team in South Jersey, suffered this year was a 53-52 loss at the buzzer to No. 2 Rancocas Valley on Dec. 21.

"Our youth definitely showed today," said Willingboro coach Guy Fowler, whose team fell to 12-2 overall and 5-1 in the Burlington County Patriot Division. "We just lacked patience at times, we turned the ball over too much, and we made some young mistakes."

Sophomore forward Micahya Owens led Willingboro with 20 points. Freshman guard Kara Cezar also looked strong, scoring 10.

TCA guard Briyona Canty, the No. 6 high school player in the country according to ESPN and a Willingboro native, finished with a game-high 21 points.

Willingboro stayed with TCA through most of the first half. The Chimeras were within five points of one of the top teams in the state with just 1 minute, 6 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Two quick baskets by center Queen-Tiye Jackson (17 points) in the final minute, though, put TCA ahead by 35-26 at the buzzer.

After that, TCA had little trouble opening up a significant lead.

Turning up the aggression on their full-court press, the Iron Mikes forced 10 turnovers in the third quarter. They went on a 12-2 run to open the half and never looked back.

The Chimeras were outscored by 20-10 in the period and went into the fourth quarter down by 55-36.

"We tried our best to break the press. We tried to finish our layups," Owens said. "So that's good. But we just need to be better."

In a game that stayed fast-paced throughout, there were 57 turnovers, 31 by Willingboro.

Throughout the game, when Willingboro turned the ball over, TCA's transition offense looked all but unstoppable.

There were very few outside shots in the game. Each team hit only one three-pointer.

Instead, TCA relied on its inside game, spearheaded by Canty, one of the best ballhandlers in the country.

"When you put the ball in her hands and when they're getting pressure, she's just really tough to stop," Fowler said. "And we definitely knew that coming into the game."

Despite the loss, Fowler is still happy with where his team is and with the progress it's making.

"We've had a lot of people step up this year," Fowler said. "We have a lot of young players, and they're gaining experience. So the team is really coming together."

Trenton Catholic   17 18 20 18 – 73

Willingboro   10 16 10 9 – 45

TCA: Briyona Canty 21, Miah Register 2, Queen-Tiye Jackson 17, Marquasia Aiken 3, Kolechi Okpera 3, Robin Perkins 9, Isis Young 6, Tyler Rayson 6, Dominique Ward 6.

W: Kara Cezar 10, Micahya Owens 20, Gabby Bennett 7, Taylor Lewis 7, Vanessa Francis 1.