It took a year, but Teaneck finally got its revenge when they beat Old Tappan 51-41 to win the North 1, Group 3 state section title.

In the 2007 title game Old Tappan went on an 11-2 run to break a 38-38 tie and win the championship. This year it was the Highwaywomen who turned on the juice.

Teaneck took a 10-point lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and Old Tappan never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

"We put a lot of pressure to the ball handlers and the shooters," said Teaneck guard Tamiel Murray. "We didn’t let them shoot as much as they had in previous games. In the second half we played more of our game. We were more composed."

Murray scored 21 for the Highwaywomen, including a layup off a steal which gave Teaneck the lead for good, 21-19, with 1:21 left in the first half.

After last year’s game Murray said the loss by the favored Highwaywomen was "upsetting," but she was happy about the accomplishment of getting to the title game.

"It will help us progress next year, maybe even help us win this," she said back in 2007.

Murray turned out to be a prophet.

After Monday’s title game Murray said that the difference with this year’s team is that they are more like a family.

"We call ourselves the Teaneck Family," she said. "That’s what our motto was this year. If feels good to be playing with them and having one more game and one more game."

Midway through the third quarter junior forward Tiffany Conner got the worst of a collision with Golden Knight Chanel Van Dyke and she was forced to leave the game.

"I said, "OK ladies, it’s Teaneck Family time.’ I told them we could do it," said Teaneck coach Shenee Clarke. "We can just keep doing the job until she came back in. If she’s not able to come back in we still need to get the job done because we want this. That’s what they all kept saying – ‘We want this.’

"I said if you want it you have to show it and you have to play like it."

Conner returned with 5:30 to go in the fourth quarter and played a pivotal role as the Highwaywomen controlled the ball down the stretch.

Teaneck got 10 points from junior Bianca Harris, eight from Conner and six from Rachel Furman, who, like Murray is a senior. Senior Rebecca Florczyk drained a backbreaking three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to boost a six-point lead back up to nine. Van Dyke scored 14 to lead Old Tappan.

"This is something we always wanted," said Murray. "At the beginning of the year we told our coach we had three goals. (League, county and state titles.) We only made two of the three goals. (They did not win the county title.)

"This is bigger than making three goals. It feels very good. We did it with our family."

E-mail: baumuller@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6702