Westtown tops MFS to win first league championship in 23 years

 

PHILADELPHIA – Westtown girls’ basketball may not be a state powerhouse like the school’s boys’ team. Not yet anyway.

But under former Bishop Shanahan coach Fran Burbidge, the program is making steady progress. On Friday, the Moose found themselves in the Friends League Championship Game, and proceeded to pull away late and turn back top-seeded Moorestown Friends, 55-46, at Tom Gola Arena.

It is the girls’ team’s first league hoops crown since 1997.

“This game was kind of the way the season’s been,” Burbidge said. “When we started, they had to adjust to a new coaching staff and we were trying to figure out them. But they stuck with it, kept grinding, and are starting to turn into a pretty decent basketball team.”

Locked in a 35-35 battle early in the final period, the second-seeded Moose staged a difference-making 16-4 rally. Point guard Melia Van-Otoo started the surge with a 3-pointer, teammate Alexzia Brooke then added a 3-point play, and Josiah Lacey put an exclamation point with another from beyond the arc.

“We said the kids: ‘this is what we’ve been doing all season, taking punches and punching back,’” Burbidge recalled. “We regrouped and the kids made some really big plays at the end.”

In all, the aggressive Brooks scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, including 7-10 from the free throw line.  

“Once (Moorestown Friends) had to come out and play us man-to-man, the Brooks’ matchup was the one that we liked,” Burbidge explained.

The Moose actually had trouble cracking the MFS zone early, missed their first five shots, and quickly fell behind. But Westtown got hot from distance in the second quarter, reeled off 13 unanswered points and led 26-19 at the half.

Van-Otoo buried two 3-pointers, while Brooks and Lacey each added shots from beyond the 3-point line during the rally.

Just a sophomore, Van-Otoo finished with 16 points, and four of her five field goals came on 3-pointers. Lacey chipped in with 10 for the Moose.

“Melia has progressively gotten so much better as the year’s gone on,” Burbidge said. “She has to deal with me and she had to be on the same page with me and my assistants (Doug West and Myonie Williamson).

“She’s done a great. She is turning into a heck of a player.”

Westtown 55, Moorestown Friends 46

WESTTOWN – Van-Otoo 5 2-4 16; Brooks 4 11-16 20; Lacey 3 2-2 10; Revnell 1 1-2 3; Douglas 3 0-0 6. Totals 16 16-24 55.

MOORESTOWN FRIENDS – Coppola 4 0-0 10; Davis 4 2-3 12; O’Connor 5 0-0 10; Runyan 4 4-4 13; R. Kennedy 1 0-0 1. Totals 18 6-7 46.

Westtown                                        9 17 9 20 — 55

Moorestown Friends                    13 6 14 14 — 46

Three-point goals: Van-Otoo 4, Brooks, Lacey 2, Coppola 2, Davis 2, Runyan.