The Chatham girls started Saturday's Morris County tournament game against Kinnelon with an uncontested 14-point run, giving themselves a comfortable lead they would continue to build on. The second seeded Lady Cougars went on to defeat the 18th seeded Colts 60-32 at home, as they moved on to the tournament's second round.
"This might have been our best game of the year, in terms of how well we executed both offensively and defensively," said Chatham Head Coach Joe Gaba. "We came right out of the gate and established what we wanted to do."
There was 1:52 left on the clock in the first quarter when Kinnelon scored its first basket. Sophomore Amanda Berntsen and junior Kelsey Hart contributed six points each in the 14-0 run that started the game. With a combination of solid defense, quality ball movement and a strong inside presence, the Cougars limited Kinnelon to only three points in the first quarter.
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"We played really well," said Berntsen. "Our shots were falling, which helped us create a big lead. We were containing them on defense and our shots were going in. I think everyone put in a really good effort."
Senior captain Caroline Murphy led the Cougars with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Berntsen tallied 10 points and five rebounds. Hart had eight points.
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"I thought we executed well, we shot well, we defended well," said Gaba. "It was just a well-rounded game by pretty much everyone who stepped on the floor tonight."
For the second round of the tournament, Chatham will take on the winner of Whippany Park and Roxbury at 3 p.m. Saturday at Morris Knolls High School.
"Any time you enter a tournament game, what you want do to is build momentum," Gaba said. "And this is just a great way of building momentum."
