Ewing inched closer to capturing the Colonial Valley Conference-Colonial division title with its 67-57 win on Tuesday afternoon over Princeton on the road.
The victory pushed Ewing’s overall record to 10-7 and 5-0 within the division.
Both teams entered the contest unbeaten in the division as Princeton slipped to 12-4 on the season and 5-1 in the Colonial.
“This is great win for the division,” Ewing head coach Dan Montferrat said. “This is a team that we’ll see later. They are a senior team with experience. We have some experience of our own and our young kids played hard today. We fought through foul trouble, and this win is huge for us.”
Ewing has won the last 16 games against Princeton, though the last couple have been tight. Ironically last year’s game was also a 67-57 finish in Ewing.
Princeton last won on Feb. 16, 2011.
“We want to win the division and win a county championship, and this win was a big step for us toward those goals,” Ewing sophomore Analis Maldonado said.
Maldonado, who scored 12 points, was one of four players who scored in double figures for Ewing. London Bennett netted 19 points, Lillie Alston bucketed 16 and Ariana Wadley poured in 14 as well for Ewing.
Wadley (13 rebounds) and Maldonado (10 rebounds) each finished with double-doubles. Ewing out-rebounded Princeton, 41-29.
Maldonado helped open a 13-point lead in the third quarter with a coast-to-coast layup. A forward for Ewing but a guard by trade, Maldonado has the skills to do both.
“When I was younger I played guard because I was short,” she said. “I’ve gotten taller as I’ve grown up and I’ve played more and gotten comfortable in the post. Getting a rebound and getting a layup on the other side comes naturally for me still.”
“She does everything for us,” Montferrat said. “She’s a Swiss Army Knife. That’s what makes her dangerous.”
Ewing started out the third quarter on a 15-5 run after leading 30-27 at halftime.
“We talked about the game is played between the lines,” Montferrat said. “There’s a lot of noise and things out of our control, and we had to control what we can control.”
Princeton clawed back into the game with foul shots in the closing minutes of the third and a 3-point barrage to open the fourth. Made shots from behind the arc from Sephora Romain and Angela Cao made it 51-47.
Ewing surged right back ahead with a 7-0 run to push it back up to 63-50.
“We knew they were going to go on a run,” Montferrat said. “They are a good team who are going to hit shots. Katie Sharkey and Anna Winters are great. We had to lock in defensively and everybody was communicating.”
Ewing stepped it up on defense and Maldonado, Bennett and Wadley hit shots to keep Princeton out of arms reach.
“It was more about finishing the game and hustling. We had to play our game,” Maldonado said. “Talking to each other is a big part of our defense. Defense get us going.”
Katie Sharkey led Princeton with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She made five 3-pointers. Chloe Hunt also had nine points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Anna Winters recorded seven points, seven assists and three steals.
Ewing has played a tough schedule this season having played the likes of ranked teams in Trinity Hall and West Orange as well as tougher teams in Hillsborough, Camden Catholic and Wildwood Catholic.
The schedule has helped the Blue Devils in games in the division and county. It’ll also keep them battle tested for the postseason down the line.
“That’s how I’ve always scheduled,” Montferrat said. “If you want be the best you have to beat and play with the best. For us, it’s about mentality of showing up every day and being consistent and disciplined whether it’s practice or a big game.”
Ewing has had plenty of success in the past having won a Group 3 championship as recently as 2023. The Blue Devils are trying to get back there this winter.
“We can compete with teams that have a big name. We’ve had a big name in the past,” Maldonado said. “We’ve had some very good players over the years, and we’re still a good team now.”
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