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Sports

Lady Cougars Come Back Against Morris Catholic

Chatham scores 17 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

There were several star performances in Tuesday nights Chatham girls' basketball victory, but sophomore Kelsey Davies' steal and go-ahead layup with a minute and half left in regulation was easily the game changer.

The Chatham Cougars had been down most of the game against the visiting Morris Catholic Crusaders. Even though the team was outscored in every quarter but the last, Chatham benefited from solid defense, smart offense, and a composed demeanor to pull out a 46-41 victory.

"We stayed calm, didn't force anything, and maintained our composure," Head Coach Joe Gaba said.

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Freshman Amanda Berntsen contributed throughout the entire game, starting with a three-pointer seconds after the tip-off. With 3:54 left in the second quarter, she hit another big three to bring Chatham within two points. Berntsen drove by three players to score first in the second half and tied the game at 27 in the middle of the third. Her biggest play came with a minute left in the game when she stole the ball and hit a layup to put the game out of reach for the Crusaders.

Berntsen went on to score 22 points on the night, with five steals, three rebounds, and two assists.

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Even though she had an outstanding offensive performance, Berntsen attributed the team's success to defense.

"Our defense was key. In the last few minutes of the fourth quarter we really shut them down," Berntsen said. "It feels awesome to beat Morris Catholic. We played so good in the fourth quarter that we deserved to get the win."

Morris Catholic dropped to 9-2, while Chatham improved to 8-3.

On the other side of the ball, the scoring was much more balanced. Jeane Drury scored 13 points, Ashley Bay scored 12, Danni Brown had six and Gabby Brown and Jess Porada had five points each. The loss ended an eight-game winning streak by Morris Catholic.

Lady Cougars' senior captain Caroline Murphy scored 12 points with nine rebounds, and six of those points came in the final quarter. Junior, Kelsey Hart led the team with 10 rebounds and also added four points of her own.

"I think we just calmed down in the second half," said Murphy. "We came out strong and hit more shots."

Even though he said he was proud of Chatham's effort, Coach Gaba said the comeback victory can also help his team continue its successful season.

"We just need to keep building momentum," Gaba said. "This team is so young—we've just got to look at the next game at hand."

Chatham will have a couple of days to do so. Its next matchup is an away game against Academy of St. Elizabeth on Friday at 7 p.m.

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