Berntsen, Timmes Lead Boys to Basketball Win

Solid second half decisions and strong defense propelled the boys basketball team to a 59-36 victory over Parsippany-Hills Tuesday in Parsippany.

Under the guise of Jonathan Berntsen and Joe Timmes, the Cougars proved that they could win in the toughest of atmospheres, even on their opponent's Senior Night.

The Vikings led a second-quarter run that pulled the home team to within three points, but the Cougars regrouped to put the game away in the third.

“We played good defense and made good decisions in the second half,” Chatham head coach Todd Ervin said.

Joe Timmes and Jonathan Berntsen lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter, combining for 13 of the team’s 22 points. Berntsen finished with 21 points.

Defensively, Timmes provided an inside presence that held the Vikings to five points in the quarter.

“Timmes has played really well in our last stretch of games,” Ervin said. “He has raised the bar for us.”

Looking forward to the end of the regular season and the state tournament, Ervin stressed that his team will continue to keep practicing what it always does.

“We will continue to focus on defending and making good decisions," he said. "We play our best when we don’t turn the ball over."