STOCKTON FALLS 67-63 IN NJAC TITLE GAME

Bill McDonough

Boxscore /  Video Highlights

In front of a raucous home crowd of over 1,000 people, Richard Stockton (19-8) fought gamely but could not hold a halftime lead and fell to #13 William Paterson 67-63 (24-3) in the NJAC championship game.

The Pioneers' victory prevented Stockton from winning its third NJAC crown in five years. Bill McDonough (Spring Lake/St. Rose) led the Ospreys with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

DiAndre Brown (Sicklerville/Camden County Tech) added 16 and Darnell McCargo (Woodlynne/Collingswood) chipped in with 12 counters. Ibn Moye (Toms River/Central Regional) scored all nine of his points on the second half on three shots from behind the arc.

The Pioneers scored the first 11 points of the game, including four by Lance Brown, before Stockton righted the ship and fought from behind. With William Paterson holding a 19-6 lead, Stockton ran off 11 straight points of their own to close within two at 19-17 with 6:10 remaining in the first half.

Two foul shots by McDonough forged the first tie of the game at 21. The Ospreys later closed the half with an 8-0 run that brought the crowd to its feet. The points came on a rim-rattling windmill dunk and three-pointer by DiAndre Brown sandwiched around a Dave Williams (Pennsauken/Pennsauken) trey for a 31-26 Stockton lead at the break.

Stockton again could not find the range as the second half began, starting out 0-8. The Ospreys still held a lead 45-41 after a three-pointer by Moye with 9:56 left in the game. The Pioneers took off on a key 11-3 run that Stockton could not recover from. Lance Brown tallied seven points during the spurt, which ended with William Paterson ahead 52-48.

McCargo’s three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining got Stockton within 65-63 but the Pioneers sealed the game with two foul shots by Rick DeStefano to take the title 67-63. William Paterson pulled down 14 offensive rebounds in the second half that led to 14 second-chance points.

Lance Brown, the 2012 NJAC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 20 points for William Paterson. Jacques Conceicao added 14 points while Corey Chandler finished with 11. Julio Rosario tallied 10 more counters for the Pioneers.