David Gheysens has scorching fourth quarter as Moorestown basketball bests Burlington Twp.

MOORESTOWN – As fans of the Moorestown High School boys’ basketball team exited the home gym Friday evening, an elder spectator came up to junior David Gheysens and said, “struggled at the beginning,” then walked away with a chuckle.

Gheysens laughed too. He wasn’t smiling much the first three quarters as he missed his first seven shots from beyond the arc.

That changed in the final period though when he connected on four of his five 3-point attempts and carried the Quakers to a thrilling 47-46 triumph over No. 11 Burlington Township, clinching at least a share of the Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division championship.

“I know I can shoot,” said Gheysens, who finished with a game-high 18 points. “I’m going to end up finding it at some point in the game, it’s just a matter of time and how many shots I shoot till I make my first one.”

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The first one came in the nick of time for Moorestown (12-3). The Falcons had rallied from 11 down to take their first lead at the end of the third and were on a 12-2 run when Gheysens finally connected.

He hit three go-ahead 3’s in the fourth quarter, including two in the final two minutes. His last one gave the Quakers the lead for good with 53.8 seconds remaining.

“I tell him every time to keep shooting the ball, keep him confident,” said Nick DiMarino who picked up a pair of assists on Gheysens triples in the final quarter. “If he stops shooting, we don’t win that game. He’s one of our main scorers. We need him to shoot the ball and keep doing it.”

“That was clutch,” head coach Shawn Anstey added. “Any time you can hit some 3’s, it changes the dynamic of the game.”

Basketball has significantly evolved the last decade with 3-pointers being shot and made more frequently at all levels.

Moorestown won a state championship in 2019 because of its deep shooting as it drilled 248 triples on the season.

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That was a special group, but Anstey still has no problem when Gheysens or Leo Hinshillwood put it up this season.

He’s also encouraging other teams to shoot it as well.

Moorestown changed up its defense after back-to-back losses to Burlington Township and Washington Township on Jan. 12 and 15, switching from primarily man to a 2-3 zone.

While kids today are much better shooters than they were 20 years ago, in high school, the 3-ball is still a low percentage shot for most.

“The pros, they shoot 1,000 shots a day,” Anstey said. “These high school kids probably shoot 100 shots a day. It’s a little different. We’ll accept it.”

The Falcons were just 5-of-14 from deep.

“(The zone) gave us some problems,” Burlington Township coach Ryan Derry said.

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In the end, that and Gheysens’ hot streak was just enough to thwart the Falcons’ comeback bid.

“That was a Group 3 championship game right there, at least a feel for it with the stands and the overall play,” Anstey said. “That’s a good team and we’re a good team and it was a good battle.”

Game notes

► The final few minutes of the game were exhilarating.

Moorestown went up 39-33 with 5:31 to play, but Burlington Township responded with a 7-0 run grab a 40-39 advantage.

Gheysens hit a pump-fake 3-pointer to take the lead back at 42-40, then Jordan Poole responded with a triple of his own to put the Falcons up 43-42.

Gheysens then answered again with another splash for a 45-43 lead, but the Falcons missed a great look inside to tie the game in the final minute.

Maurice Crump hit a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to get Burlington Township within 47-46, but Gheysens got the ensuing inbounds pass and ran out the clock.

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► Moorestown can clinch the BCSL Liberty title outright with a win against Rancocas Valley on Feb. 11. If the Quakers lose, they share the championship with Burlington Township.

► Moe Airall scored the first six points of the game and Moorestown jumped out to a quick 8-0 advantage. He finished with 10 points.

► Mikail Richardson had some key rebounds late and finished with 6 points and 5 boards for the victors.

► Crump led the Falcons with 12 points, Poole had 10, Anthony Johnson posted 10 points and 7 boards and Amar Lane closed with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“Tough one,” Derry said. “I thought our effort was incredible in the second half. We dug ourselves too deep of a hole. When you play a team that good you can’t do that. My kids left it all out there the second half, most of the second quarter. They played hard. … We just came up a little short today. That’s all.”

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: David Gheysens leads Moorestown basketball to share of division title