Lady Eagles Soar to Opening-Round Victory Over Woodstown

Coach J McKeown couldn't remember the last time the Eagles girls' basketball team won a playoff game.

The players couldn't, either.

They'll remember now, though, after the ninth-seeded Eagles notched a convincing, 41-28 opening-round victory over eighth-seeded Woodstown Monday night.

Both teams wanted the win, as did the fans at the packed Woodstown gym, who chanted and drummed and otherwise built a wall of sound through the night.

And the West Deptford girls weren’t giving up an inch.

The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, then ratcheted back the tempo, just as McKeown had planned. His goal for the game was to “make it fast-paced. If we get ahead, hold the ball.”

By the end of the first quarter West Deptford held a 14-5 lead, due in part to the dominance of Megan Kirschling in the paint and a wicked steal by captain Lauren Boegly.

The Lady Eagles continued to own the court in the second quarter in a physical game under the boards, pushing their lead 22-13 at the half.

After a passionate courtside halftime speech by McKeown, the Eagles went for the jugular in the second half.

The cool-under-pressure Boegly had two more impressive steals and six points in the third, and junior Danielle McKeown sank her second three-pointer of the night, but Woodstown started to close the gap as Tori Smick, who had a game-high 18 on the night, scored eight points.

West Deptford’s defense kept up its signature press, though, and Woodstown couldn’t hold it together on offense, as the Eagles took a 36-21 lead at the end of the third.

The visitors held onto the lead in the fourth quarter, playing a more conservative, but fast-paced, highly physical game that saw both teams go over the foul limit, combining for 19 second-half fouls.

Looking forward to the next game, McKeown’s strategy was the same as all season.

“If we practice and prepare for Sterling the whole time, we’ll be ready.”

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Up next: The Lady Eagles will travel to top-seeded Sterling, a 53-20 winner over Lower Cape May, Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

NJSIAA South Jersey, Group II first round

West Deptford 41, Woodstown 28

Woodstown:  5  8  8  7 -28

West Deptford:  14  8  14  5 -41

Woodstown: Smick-18, Baldwin-6, Battle-4

West Deptford: McKeown-14,  Kirschling-7, Boegly-8, Bundy-3, Knoblock-3, D'Aiutolo-2, Brewster -4.

Editor Bryan Littel contributed to this report.