Two days after being chosen to the play in the McDonald's Girls All-American Game next month in Chicago, Manasquan senior guard Michaela Mabrey did not play like one of the best offensive players in the country for the first three quarters of her team's highly anticipated game against St. Rose on Saturday.

When the Warriors needed her, however, Mabrey was at her best.

The senior guard and University of Notre Dame recruit scored six of Manasquan's final eight points, including two tie-breaking field goals in the final 2:27, to help the unbeaten Warriors beat the previously unbeaten Purple Roses, 43-39, in front of a sell-out crowd at the McCann Athletics and Activities Center.

Manasquan (21-0) entered the game No. 1 at the Shore in the Asbury Park Press rankings and No. 2 in the state, according to the Newark Star Ledger. St. Rose (21-1) was No. 2 in the Shore and No. 3 in the state.

"She loves the big moment," Manasquan coach Felix Romero said of Mabrey. "It doesn't matter what happened in the first three quarters, when the game is on the line, she wants the ball. That's when she's at her best and that's what makes her such a special athlete."

Mabrey finished with a game-high 16 points Saturday on only 4-for-13 shooting from the field, but made her final two field goal attempts and went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line in the game.

"I didn't have many good opportunities against their defense to be honest," Mabrey said. "They were doing a good job of helping and every shot I got up was really well-contested, so I never got anything easy. Even at the end, they played me tough, but I was finally able to get a couple to go in."

She converted from close range following up-and-under move in the post to break a 35-35 tie with 2:27 left and hit a difficult running shot with 1:19 left to give Manasquan a 39-37 lead.

"That shot, I don't know," Mabrey said with a smile. "I just kind of let it go and hoped in went in. They weren't really falling earlier, so I'm glad I made it when it counted."

St. Rose cut the Manasquan lead to 41-39 on a Kasey Chambers jumper with 27.8 seconds left, but Mabrey calmly buried two free throws with 13.5 seconds left to seal the win for Manasquan.

Freshman Marina Mabrey, Michaela's younger sister, turned in 15 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The younger Mabrey shot 4-for-9 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line, giving her a statistical line similar to that of her older sister.

"She's been huge for us all year, especially in big games," Michaela Mabrey said of her younger sister. "She can do everything - handle the ball, shoot, defend, get to the basket - and she did it all today. She's a really special player and I'm going to miss playing with her next year."

Marina Mabrey hit one of only two three-pointers in the game for Manasquan. Sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty hit the other as part of a four-point play that swung the momentum back in the favor of the Warriors.

"That was huge," Mabrey said. "We were kind of hanging in there, playing defense, getting to the foul line, and all of a sudden, she hits that shot and it was like, 'Okay, now we're in this.'"

Manasquan fell behind 14-8 early in the second quarter and after taking a brief 20-19 late in the quarter, St. Rose went ahead 26-22 early in the third. Flaherty then drilled her only field goal of the game, a three out of the left corner as she was fouled. She converted the ensuing free throw to even the game at 26, which ignited an 11-0 Manasquan run that stretched into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Marina Mabrey scored six points during the third quarter and four during the 11-0 run, with senior guard Melissa Pavia hitting a foul-line jumper early in the third as well. Marina Mabrey picked up her fourth foul in the final seconds of the third quarter and Pavia gave the Warriors quality minutes off the bench to help alleviate the foul trouble.

St. Rose got off to a fast start thanks to senior center and Fordham University recruit Sam Clark, who along with senior Morgan Barry finished with a team-high 11 points. Clark scored seven points in the opening eight minutes to stake the Purple Roses to an 11-8 lead after one quarter.

"We knew we had to slow down the pace of the game if we were going to win and for the most part, that's what we were able to do," St. Rose coach Joe Roman said. "(Manasquan was) able to get out and run at times, but for the most part we kept them in the half-court, which is exactly what we needed to do.

"What makes them so tough is Michaela. They have a number of girls who can beat you, but having her is the difference. She was able to take her defender in the post and have an impact there because that's where the advantage was."

Clark finished with nine rebounds and two blocks to go with her 11 points. Manasquan forwards Amanda Hagaman and Sam Sullivan helped keep her in check during the second half, as did second-half foul trouble.

Barry, who transferred from Red Bank Catholic to St. Rose before the 2010-11 school year, buried three three-pointers Saturday, including a crucial one to cut Manasquan's lead to 35-33 with three minutes left. After St. Rose stopped Manasquan on the ensuing possession, Sam Clark got position down low, took a pass from Sarah Kurtz and finished in the paint to tie the game at 35, her only field goal of the second half.

Kurtz contributed three assists off the bench, all of which came on three consecutive scores by the Roses during the fourth quarter.

After Mabrey hit the first of her two field goals in the final minutes of the game, Diana Malanga knocked down tow free throws with 2:13 left to tie the game at 37. Malanga left the game with right knee injury with 1:22 left in the first half, but returned for the start of the third quarter.

The game lived up to the lofty expectations, which were reflected by the capacity crowd that packed into the McCann Athletic and Activities Center to see the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state, according to the Star Ledger. St. Rose officials estimated a crowd of between 575 and 600, which reached its peak well before an hour prior to tip-off.

"It's great to get a win like that in this atmosphere," Romero said. "We're playing a good team in their building and every time they make a shot, the crowd explodes. That's tough, but it's fun to be a part of."

"It's great for high school girls basketball in the area," Roman said. "To pack our building for a home game on our Senior Day is a great experience for our girls and I'm sure for Manasquan too. These are two really good basketball teams and we both have players who work hard and want to play in games like this and it's great that they get an opportunity to play in a setting like that. We wish we would have won, but it was a good game and we'll get better because of it."