Cougars fall to Atlantic City in sectional final

On Tuesday, the Cougars lost 52-41 to Atlantic City in the South Jersey Group IV sectional final. This was truly a day to remember for all, whether the Cougars won or lost. The DiBart Gym was a sea of red, with hundreds of Countrymen filling the stands. The lines wrapped around the front of the school more than an hour before tipoff. Cherry Hill East surely put its best foot forward before the game as it hoped for a Cougars victory. However, the game itself was a struggle for the Cougars as the team ended a great season on a disappointing note.

From the outset it appeared as though Atlantic City was simply too quick and athletic for the Cougars. The game was very low-scoring in the first quarter as both teams played tight defense. The Countrymen were extremely loud on defensive possessions for the Cougars as Atlantic City struggled on offense. The Cougars ended the first down 9-4, scoring only on a Jake Gurkin ('12) jumper and two Marc Schlessel ('12) free throws.

In the second quarter, the dominance of Atlantic City down low was evident. After the Cougars went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 11-9, Atlantic City scored ten points in a row, many off of second chance opportunities. The Cougars were down 14 as the time dwindled in the half until Schlessel hit a three and was fouled to cut the deficit to 25-15 at the half.

At the half, Schlessel and Gurkin had six points apiece to lead the Cougars. It was clear that the Cougars would need to take better shots in order to win, cut down on their turnovers (they had 17 in the first half) and limit second-chance possessions of Atlantic City. Unfortunately, this would not happen in the second half although the Cougars continued to fight until the finish.

Jake Silpe ('15) began the half with a layup for the Cougars. Then, Gurkin cut the lead to six by tipping the ball in off of an inbounds pass. Atlantic City scored five in a row before Silpe hit another layup for the Cougars followed by a Gary Hettinger ('13) layup plus a foul and free throw to cut the lead to six once again. Atlantic City hit a free throw before Silpe made an unbelievable play for the Cougars, doing a spin move and laying the ball in to cut the lead to 31-26. However, turnover problems persisted for the Cougars as Atlantic City scored four in a row. The quarter ended as Atlantic City held a 37-27 lead.

Schlessel started off the fourth with a bang by draining a deep three. However, Atlantic City answered right back, bringing the lead back to ten. Hettinger hit one of two free throws and Schlessel then hit free throws to cut the lead back to seven. However, things soon turned ominous once again for the Cougars. Gurkin fouled out with 4:43 left with the Cougars down 42-33. Then, Atlantic City extended the lead to 45-33. From then on, the Cougars were never really able to get back into the game completely, as the game ended with a score of 52-41.

Although it was a sour ending to the season, the legacy of this Cougars team will be a great one. This team took the school the farthest it had ever been and provided various unforgettable memories.

Key Stats

Jake Silpe : 9 points

Marc Schlessel : 12 points

Garry Hettinger : 6 points

Jake Gurkin : 8 points

Jesse Gold : 2 points

Andrew Brown : 4 points

Cougars reach first sectional final in school history by beating Shawnee!

Yesterday, the Cougars beat Shawnee 52-42 in the South Jersey Group IV semifinals. On Tuesday, East will play Atlantic City at East in the first sectional final in Cherry Hill East history. Before I start my recap of the game, I just want everyone to realize that the atmosphere in the DiBart Gym was absolutely crazy. Hundreds of Countrymen coupled with Shawnee fans and many other East supporters made for an electric atmosphere.

Additionally, I would like to thank leading-scorer Marc Schlessel ('12) for not only having a great game (as the entire team did), but also for picking up my notes on the game during the crazy storming of the court after the game. Without him, there would be no post tonight.

This game was truly an all-day event. Fans started lining up to buy tickets two hours before the game and the DiBart Gym was almost completely filled by tipoff. The Countrymen were pumped and ready to go, aiming to cheer on the Cougars to reaching their first ever South Jersey Group IV championship game.

The game was close and exciting from the start. After Shawnee scored the first basket of the day, Jake Gurkin ('12) hit a jumper to tie the game. Gurkin recorded the first seven points for the Cougars and played like a beast in the paint. The Cougars took a 9-4 lead after a Schlessel bucket and took an 11-8 lead into the second quarter.

Shawnee scored the first four points of the second, until Gary Hettinger ('13) stopped the mini-run with a layup. The Cougars generated very little offense in the quarter, scoring only seven points, while being extremely shaky on free throws. The game was tied at 18 at the half with Gurkin leading the way with 11 points and five rebounds.

The Cougars allowed Shawnee to score the first points of the second half before Hettinger scored four straight points for the Cougars to give them the 22-20 lead. After Shawnee re-tied the game, Hank Davis ('13) drained a three. After a Schlessel free throw and a Jake Silpe ('15) layup, the Cougars took the 28-24 lead into the final quarter. The third quarter showed one of the reasons why the Cougars have been so great this year, in that some of the complementary players picked up the scoring in vital situations, as Davis and Hettinger came through in the clutch to help maintain the lead.

Davis started the fourth quarter right where he left off, hitting a three then making a layup to extend the lead to 33-24. Shawnee cut the lead to 34-32 a minute later before Hettinger made a huge play, hitting a difficult layup, getting fouled and making the free throw to make the lead 37-32. Gurkin and Schlessel both scored to increase the lead to 41-32. The Cougars led 43-35 before they began to make the fans truly nervous. They missed the front end of two one-and-one free throws, giving Shawnee another chance to re-enter the game with only a few minutes left. However, Schlessel hit eight free throws towards the end of the game to seal the deal for the Cougars to send them on their way to the school's first ever South Jersey Group IV championship game.

Player of the Game: Everyone. Every single Cougar. You win a game like this and every player matters.

Key Stats

Hank Davis : 9 points

Jake Gurkin : 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks

Garry Hettinger : 9 points

Marc Schlessel : 17 points

Jake Silpe : 3 points

Jesse Gold: 3 assists, 3 steals

Cougars handle Toms River North in quarterfinal win

Yesterday, the Cougars defeated Toms River North in the South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals by a score of 47-30. The win marked the first time the Cougars have won in the quarterfinals since 2006.

The Cougars started off the game with a bang, as Hank Davis ('13) and Marc Schlessel ('12) hit threes to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. Toms River came right back by scoring five in a row before Schlessel hit another three followed by a layup to give the Cougars a six-point lead. The quarter ended after Brett Roseman ('12) scored right before the buzzer to give the Cougars a 13-5 lead.

The second quarter started with a Jake Gurkin ('12) layup as he contributed his first points of the day. The quarter was extremely low-scoring, ripe with missed shots and turnovers for both teams. A difficult Gary Hettinger ('13) layup was the only other scoring for the Cougars in the quarter as they took a 17-11 lead into the half.

The second half did not start off well for the Cougars as Toms River worked to tie the game at 18. However, Gurkin soon gathered in an offensive rebound and laid it in, giving the Cougars another lead. Gurkin scored four more points in the quarter as the Cougars maintained a 24-21 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Cougars began to take control in the fourth quarter. Gurkin grabbed yet another offensive rebound and laid it in to begin the scoring in the quarter. Then Schlessel hit a floater with 6:45 left to give the Cougars a 28-21 lead. Schlessel followed that shot by hitting a three to increase the Cougar lead to ten. From there on out, the Cougars lead never shrunk to less than nine as they slowly pulled away from Toms River. The scoreboard read 47-30 when the final horn sounded.

Player of the Game: Gurkin. Gurkin played an essential role in this victory, Although his scoring total was a relatively modest 13, he gathered in an astounding 23 rebounds and swatted away six shots on the game.

Key Stats
Gurkin-13 points, 23 rebounds, 6 blocks
Schlessel-15 points
Gold-5 points, 7 assists
Davis-5 points
Roseman-4 points

Next up: the South Jersey Group IV semifinal on Saturday at East against Shawnee.

Cougars crush West to begin playoffs

The second-seeded Cougars manhandled Cherry Hill West today in the first round of the South Jersey Group IV playoffs, 76-48. The DiBart Gym was a stellar environment for the game, with a humongous section of Countrymen diagonal from West's student section.

The game started off somewhat ominously for the Cougars. West hung in there to start off the game as they jumped out to a 7-4 lead. It seemed as though West had a chance in the game for a moment. Then, the Cougars came roaring back, going on a 17-0 run with all of the scoring coming from Marc Schlessel ('12) and Hank Davis ('13). Schlessel had 10 points in the quarter while Davis contributed nine. The Cougars led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

West scored the first points of the second quarter. Then, Jake Gurkin ('12) countered with two baskets of his own to drive the lead up to 16. However, West cut the lead to 10 by the end of the quarter as the Cougars went into the locker room with a 30-20 lead. Schlessel had 13 points at the half, followed by Davis and Gurkin, who scored nine and eight respectively.

After allowing West to score the basket to start the second half, the Cougars took control once again. Jesse Gold ('12) pulled up and drained a three and then Schlessel went in for another layup. Schlessel and Gurkin carried the scoring load for the Cougars for the remainder of the quarter as the Cougars held a 47-30 lead heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Cougars made a mockery of West. West continually forced poor shots and the Cougars continuously capitalized. The Cougars cruised to the 74-48 win as they advanced to the second round of the South Jersey Group IV tournament.

Player of the Game: This award can go to three players in this game. Davis drained three-pointers early on, giving the Cougars momentum throughout the game. Gurkin was a force on both ends, scoring 18 points and gathering in 16 rebounds. Ultimately, this recognition has to go to Schlessel. He scored 30 points on the game, consistently taking what the West defense was giving him, as he continuously took advantage of West's weak interior defense.

Next up for the Cougars: Toms River North on Thursday at 4 p.m. The game will be held in the DiBart Gym. GO COUGARS!

Cougars finish off regular season with two tough losses

The Cougars capped the regular season off with two losses against two top teams. Last Monday, the Cougars fell to Eastern 57-52 in a hard-fought battle. The Cougars fell behind early and made a run too late to win the game.

Against Paul VI, the Cougars fell 53-41. Paul VI won with its athleticism and stellar defense, although the Cougars hung in there most of the game.

Cougars win overtime thriller over Haddonfield

On Saturday, the Cougars beat Haddonfield 62-59 at the Cougar Classic in an unbelievable game. It was an instant classic type of game, but it did not appear that way from the start for the Cougars. Haddonfield started the game on a 9-0 run and the Cougars looked out of it for the majority of the first half. Marc Schlessel ('12) attempted to keep the Cougars in the game in the first, scoring 9 points to keep the Haddonfield lead to two heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was entirely Haddonfield. They dominated in every facet of the game, refusing to let the Cougars get off good shots as they held the Cougars to six second quarter points as they took a 30-16 lead into the locker room.

The Cougars attempted to work their way back in the third quarter. After Haddonfield scored a basket to open the quarter, the Cougars went on a 7-0 run thanks to a Jake Silpe ('15) three and a pair of Schlessel baskets. However, the Cougars could not fully close the gap despite Jake Gurkin ('12) scoring two baskets to counter Haddonfield scores. Haddonfield led 42-33 at the end of the third quarter.

Haddonfield opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a basket. Then, the Cougar hopes dimmed even further when Gurkin fouled out with a considerable amount of time left in the game. Haddonfield took a 46-33 lead before the Cougars registered a point in the quarter. Once again, the Cougars showed they were not done, as Gary Hettinger ('13) made a layup followed by a Jesse Gold ('12) three to cut the lead to ten. Then, Hank Davis ('13) hit another Cougar three to cut the lead to seven. Hettinger laid it in once again to cut the lead to five before Haddonfield scored three more points. Then, with about a minute and a half left, Gold hit a free throw to cut the lead back to seven. On the ensuing possession Haddonfield also hit one free throw, followed by Schlessel draining a deep three to cut the lead to five. Once again, Haddonfield struck back with a basket of their own. The Cougars would not go down without a fight, as Schlessel came right back by hitting a jumper with 20 seconds left. Haddonfield failed to score on their next possession. Then, Schlessel had the ball once again for the Cougars as he hoisted up a three that missed, but was fouled on the play. Schlessel proved to be extremely clutch, hitting all three free throws to put the Cougars within two. After a Haddonfield inbounds play, the Cougars fouled with 5 seconds left to send Haddonfield to the line for two shots with a 54-52 lead. The DiBart Gym was rocking as Haddonfield missed the first free throw and hit the second. The Cougars were down by three. On the initial inbounds play, Haddonfield tipped the ball out of bounds. So with 3.7 seconds left, Schlessel popped out beyond the arc and Gold saw him and hit him with a beautiful pass. Schlessel drained the three as time expired to tie the game in an electric atmosphere to send it to overtime.

Schlessel continued right where he left off in regulation during the extra session, taking the ball to the hole, making the shot and getting fouled to give the Cougars a 58-55 lead. Haddonfield hit a free throw on the next possession. Then, Andrew Brown ('13) hit a layup for the Cougars to give them the 60-56 lead. After a Haddonfield failed possession Schlessel gathered in a Cougar offensive rebound on a free throw and put it back up to give the Cougars a 62-56 lead. A Haddonfield three was too little, too late as the Cougars held on for a 62-59 win.

Player of the Game: Schlessel. Schlessel was Mr. Clutch on Saturday, scoring 30 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter to revive the Cougars' faint hopes in the game.

Key Stats:

Schlessel-30 points

Gurkin-10 points

Gold-6 points, 7 assists

Hettinger-6 points

Silpe-5 points

Cougars destroy Washington Township 63-40

On Tuesday, the Cougars defeated conference-rival Washington Township 63-40. The game was over from the start as the Cougars ran out to a 9-0 lead in the first. On the game, Marc Schlessel ('12) scored 20 points to lead the team followed by Gary Hettinger ('13) with 10. Hettinger also had 10 rebounds on the game. Jesse Gold ('12) contributed 8 assists to the winning effort.