Strong Defensive Play Not Enough to Propel Chatham to County Title

An excessive amount of fouls and some tentative play hurt Chatham in its county championship game against West Morris Central High School at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Florham Park campus on Sunday afternoon. The team fell, 44-38, in the final.

Chatham, who struggled against the defending champions' strong defense throughout the entire game, kept it close thanks to its own ability to defend. The Lady Cougars headed to the locker room leading at the half, 21-19.

It was clear, though, that as the second half began, the Lady Cougars didn't have the confidence that Chatham fans have become used to seeing as the girls' inability to find—or take—open shots became very apparent.

"I think our youth showed a little bit," Head Coach Joe Gaba said after the game. "I think we got a little tense there for a bit. There were just a few possessions where we didn't execute and I think that was the difference in the game."

Sophomore standout Amanda Berntsen, who scored 13 first-half points, struggled to find open shots in the second half as she was limited to just six points in the third and fourth quarters.

"They did a good job in our half court offense limiting how many touches she could get, and there were just a couple of times in the second half that we didn't execute," Gaba said.

Chatham also committed an excessive number of fouls throughout the contest. After racking up five in the first half, the Lady Cougars' struggles to stop West Morris inside in the second half caused them to commit 11 in the final two quarters.

Luckily for Chatham, though, West Morris was unable to capitalize. The team made only one foul shot in the third quarter and Chatham kept the game close at 35-32.

Chatham's strength on the boards also helped, as junior forward Kelsey Hart and senior forward Caroline Murphy each recorded eight rebounds.

But in crunch time, Chatham's offense just wasn't enough.

"They're a very good defensive team and they did a really good job of slowing us down in transition," Gaba said. "It probably came down to three possessions."

Berntsen and Hart were each named to the All-Morris County Tournament Team for their exceptional play throughout the tournament.

"Our kids are great, and I'm so proud of this group," Gaba said. "This is the first group to get here, and they competed and they gave the defending champs all that they could handle, but we just came up a little bit short in the end.

"Hopefully we can get back here again next year," he said.

The Lady Cougars will now turn their attention to the NJSIAA state tournament. They will face Cliffside Park Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Chatham High School in the tournament's first round.