Lady Cougars Take Down Morris Catholic in County Tournament Semi-Final // The Alternative Press: NJ's Daily Hyperlocal Newspaper

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Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik
Chatham’s girls basketball team won a trip to the Morris County Tournament finals by finally getting by rival Morris Catholic, 44-40, in overtime on Friday night at FDU-Florham Park. The Lady Cougars take on Jefferson in the MCT final on Friday at FDU. A win over the Falcons will give the school its first county girls basketball title. Credits: Edward Kensik

Lady Cougars Take Down Morris Catholic in County Tournament Semi-Final

Edward Kensik

Saturday, February 18, 2012 • 7:13am

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - Amanda Berntsen and the rest of the Chatham girls basketball remember vividly what happened at about this time last year.

And the senior guard never wanted to have the feeling like she did last February when the Lady Cougars lost 32-30 to Morris Catholic in the 2011 Morris County Tournament final.

"I didn't want to leave FDU like I did last year," said Berntsen on Friday night

And there stood the Lady Crusaders again, this time in the MCT semi-final and in the top-seeded Cougars' way of making the Morris County final at FDU-Florham Park.

This time Chatham was facing fourth-seeded Morris Catholic in 2012 Morris County Tournament semi-final with the Cougars the favorite as the top seed and the Crusaders as the fourth seed.

Chatham (22-1) would finally able to shake Morris Catholic, but it took until overtime for a 44-40 win and a trip to the MCT final against Jefferson on Friday night at FDU in Florham Park.

"It's definitely really exciting and getting a chance to win it for the high school," said Chatham forward Grace Conroy.

Berntsen led the way with 21 points including a dozen points in the second half and the overtime period. "She hung tough for us tonight," said Chatham head coach Joe Gaba as the Cougars enter their third attempt for a county title.

As it turned out two of Berntsen's points turned out to big points in overtime, the first two points in the extra session after a steal near mid court. The layup would give the Cougars a 35-33 lead with less than a minute in overtime. "I just saw her eyes and decided to just going for it then get the basket," said Berntsen who admitted that she was nervous going in for the layup. "Nobody had scored and I wanted to take the pressure off the team."

Lauren Winschuh and Grace Conroy would add eight and seven points respectively for the Lady Cougars who will be looking for the basketball program's first county title against the Falcons, the third seed, who defeated seventh-seeded Randolph.

And this time Chatham would lead for most of Friday's game, but could not shake the Crusaders as Morris Catholic would pare down the lead as the game came down to the end of regulation.

Every time the likes of Berntsen and teammates Winschuh and Conroy would break out to a couple of possessions lead that Morris Catholic's Danielle Brown and Jessica Porada would come back and keep the Cougars from celebrating.

The Lady Cougars actually held an 11-point lead, 23-12 as Berntsen fed Grace Conroy who got an easy lay-up bucket about 90 seconds into the second half.

But after Morris Catholic would take a timeout, Chatham would see its lead go from double digits to two, 25-23 just before the start of the fourth quarter.

Again the Cougars started out quickly in a quarter as Berntsen tried to put the Lady Crusaders away with a pair of buckets and a seven-point lead, 33-26, three minutes into the final period.

But again Chatham could not put away Morris Catholic as Crusaders' Anna Toke would hit a bucket with 37 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 37.

Each time that Morris Catholic would make a run; Conroy said that Gaba would continue telling them. "He really was just telling us to keep our composure," said Conroy.

After a timeout Berntsen would get the ball and make her move but was called for traveling with a little more than 10 seconds remaining in regulation giving Morris Catholic a chance to win.

But the Cougars defense came through as both Crusaders Brown and Toke missed on shots and later Berntsen was relieved that her travel did not do in Chatham.

But after both teams would turn over the ball several in the four minutes Berntsen would get the key steal and the key basket for the first two points of overtime. "We were just trying to get the first points of the overtime," said Gaba.