Cougars win thriller over Camden in double overtime

The Cougars' first game this year in the Virginia B. Whitaker Invitational was one that will be remembered for a long time. The Cougars won 72-70 in double overtime, improving their record to 4-0.

The first quarter was tightly contested, serving as a good indicator for the rest of the game. Marc Schlessel ('12) started off with a bang for the Cougars, draining a three to start the scoring. Camden then went on a 9-0 run to take a 9-3 lead before Schlessel hit another three to pull the Cougars within three. The scoring continued to go back-and-forth throughout the quarter, but Camden emerged with an 18-16 lead heading into the second.

The Cougars played a strong second quarter, as Gary Hettinger ('13) and Jake Gurkin ('12) chipped in five points apiece to lead the Cougars in scoring for the quarter. A Jake Silpe ('15) three capped the quarter, giving the Cougars a 29-25 lead at the half.

The Cougars extended their lead in the second half, as Hettinger and Schlessel combined for 14 of the Cougars' 20 third quarter points. However, the Cougars could not completely shake off Camden as they remained in the game, down 49-42 heading into the fourth.

Obviously, Camden made a run at the Cougars in the fourth quarter. The Cougars held a seven point lead halfway through the quarter at 59-52 until Camden went off on an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead. After the run, the Cougars needed points as time was ticking off the clock. Schlessel once again came through, draining a floater and getting fouled to give the Cougars a one-point lead. He converted the free throw to give the Cougars the 62-60 lead with 32.2 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Camden hit a two-pointer to tie the game. The Cougars failed to score on their next possession, enabling Camden the opportunity to take the last shot to potentially win the game. Camden traveled with .07 seconds left, giving the Cougars faint hope to win the game in regulation. A last second heave from the corner rimmed out as the game would go to overtime.

Schlessel started off overtime with a bang, draining a three on the first possession. Camden then hit one of two free throws on each of their next two possessions to trim the lead to one. Gurkin then hit a free throw of his own to bring the lead back to two. Camden then hit one more free throw to once again bring the lead back to one. The Cougars extended the lead back to three with a Gurkin layup, but Camden came right back by scoring, getting fouled and converting the free throw to tie the game. The Cougars had an opportunity to win the game with 2.5 seconds left in the extra session but failed to do so, so the game went into double overtime with a score of 68-68.

In the second four-minute overtime period, neither team scored for the first 1:20 until Camden registered the first points with 2:40 left to take a 70-68 lead. Schlessel then continued the theme of the game as he came up with a clutch three to give the Cougars a slim lead at 71-70. Point Guard Jesse Gold ('12) ultimately stole the ball from Camden and was fouled with .04 seconds left. Gold hit a free throw for the game's final points to give the Cougars the 72-70 win.

Player of the Game: Schlessel. He was 5-12 from beyond the arc on the game on his way to scoring 29 points and he hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in double overtime to give the Cougars the victory.

Key Stats

Schlessel-29 points, 4 steals

Gold-12 assists

Gurkin-14 points, 7 rebounds

Hettinger-13 points

Silpe-13 points

Cougars shock top-ranked Bishop Eustace

On Wednesday night, the Cougars delivered an unbelievable performance, defeating top-ranked Bishop Eustace at Bishop Eustace 65-55. In what was an unforgettable experience for all who attended, the Cougars had a coming out party of sorts. The Countrymen were on their game from the start in an electric atmosphere, letting everyone know they believed in the Cougars chances in this one.

The first quarter was not a great indicator of how the night would end up for the Cougars. After a Hank Davis ('13) three for the first points of the game, the Cougars started to fall behind as Eustace went on an 11-0 run. The quarter ended with Eustace leading 16-7. However, the Cougars did have some encouraging signs, as Jake Gurkin ('12) looked rock solid on defense, refusing to let Eustace get too many points inside.

After a Eustace basket to start the second, the Cougars started to show they were sick of being down in this game. Gurkin, Marc Schlessel ('12) and Brett Roseman ('12) scored consecutive baskets to cut the deficit to four. Eustace hit two more shots to bring the lead back up to eight. However, Gurkin scored four consecutive points on two free throws then a jumper to cut the lead back to four. After a Eustace basket, Austin Wetzler ('14) drained a three to cut the lead to three, seemingly changing the momentum of the game for good. A Schlessel free throw then cut the lead to two. Gary Hettinger ('13) tied the game at 28 with an offensive rebound followed by a layup before the half.

Gurkin had ten points in the half to lead the team, followed by Wetzler with five.

The Cougars did not take control of the game from the start of the second half. After an initial Eustace three, Schlessel fired right back to hit a three-pointer of his own to re-tie the game. Eustace scored four straight, then the complex of the game and perhaps the Cougars' season changed because of one person: Jake Silpe ('15). Silpe started the Cougars' run with a bang, recording a steal then a layup to cut the deficit to two. On the ensuing possession, Marc Schlessel altered a jump shot in air, made the shot and was fouled. He made the free throw to give the Cougars the lead. He once again altered his shot midair on the next possession to give the Cougars a 38-35 lead. A Hettinger bucket gave the Cougars a five-point lead. Eustace scored the next bucket, cutting the leas to three. Then, Silpe once again drove to the basket and was fouled, showing the poise of a great ballplayer. He sank both free throws, driving the lead back up to five. Another Eustace three was countered by a Jesse Gold ('12) jumper. Another Eustace three was countered by yet another Gurkin layup, giving the Cougars a 46-43 lead heading into the final quarter.

Schlessel started the fourth-quarter scoring with a layup to extend the lead to five. Eustace came right back and hit a bucket of their own. Then, in one of the pivotal moments of the game, Silpe drained a three. The Eustace gym exploded at this point. If anyone was unaware of Silpe's graduating year before that three, everyone knew after, as every Countryman chanted "he's a freshman". The excitement was clearly building in Cougar nation as Silpe strengthened the lead to six points.

Silpe clearly had already had a great day for a freshman. A couple free throws, a nice layup and a key three in the fourth quarter. Was he done? Silpe answered that soon with an emphatic "NO!" as he hit one of the most unbelievable layups I have ever seen at the high school level. He completely fooled the defenders, went up contested and still made the bucket to bring the Cougar lead to eight. The kid's a freshman! The Cougars advanced the lead to 10 with a Hettinger basket.

Despite the ten-point lead, things started getting dicey for the Cougars as Point Guard Jesse Gold fouled out with less than three minutes remaining. Eustace cut the lead to 55-50. However, Gurkin hit two free throws to bring the lead to seven. Eustace then hit a free throw to cut the lead to six but that is the closest they would get. Silpe, filling in for Gold at the point, hit two free throws to bring the lead to eight. Then, the Cougars recorded a steal. But that's not all. After the steal, the outlet pass went to Gurkin. Gurkin could have put it up there for the easy two. However, he chose to emphatically dunk it home, sending the crowd into a frenzy, and essentially telling Eustace to say goodbye to it's number one ranking in South Jersey. Schlessel and Hettinger combined for four more points, giving the Cougars a 65-55 win.

The Countrymen stormed the court after the game and everyone left the gym in euphoria (well, except for the Eustace fans).

Player of the Game: Honestly everyone. A win like this takes a full team effort. However, Silpe and Gurkin really stood out. Silpe had a coming-out party of sorts for his career, recording nine points in the huge win. Gurkin played incredible defense on the inside while also contributing 16 points on the offensive side of the ball

Key Stats

Schlessel-17 points

Gurkin-16 points, 15 rebounds

Silpe-9 points, about 5 "He's a Freshman" chants

Hettinger-11 points

Wetzler-5 points

Cougars easily handle West, 76-62

The Cougars easily defeated cross-town rival West tonight by a score of 76-62. The Cougars advanced to 2-0 on the season heading into their big game against Bishop Eustace on Wednesday night.

The Cougars started the game off with a bang as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead from the get-go. The Cougars maintained a five-point lead until the end of the quarter, which ended with a score of 17-12. Gary Hettinger ('13) played a huge role, scoring six points in the quarter in the paint.

The Cougars scored 14 straight points after West hit a free throw to open up the quarter to take a commanding 31-13 lead. West did not go away completely, as they put together a mini-run to end the half down by 15, with a score of 37-22. Jake Gurkin ('12) played a huge role in the quarter, contributing eight points to the opening run. He ended the half with eight points and four rebounds. Marc Schlessel ('12) led the team in scoring in the half with 10. Hettinger contributed eight first-half points and five first-half rebounds.

The Cougars never really let the Lions back into the game during the second half. The Countrymen, wearing all black, consistently let West know that they had no shot in this game. The Cougars continued to dominate throughout the third quarter, seemingly gathering up every rebound on the way to a 60-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Cougars continued to do their thing, as they never allowed West to have a true chance at winning the game. The Cougars cruised to a 76-62 win. They will be facing off against the top-ranked team in South Jersey, Bishop Eustace, on Wednesday night at Bishop Eustace.

Player of the Game: Jake Gurkin. Gurkin seemed to be in perpetual beast-mode throughout the game, doing whatever he wanted in the game on his way to scoring 31 points and gathering in 10 rebounds. His emphatic rejection of Rodney Williams was also one of the highlights of the game.

Key Stats

Gurkin-31 points, 10 rebounds

Hettinger-11 points, 10 rebounds

Schlessel-26 points

East opens season with 61-36 win against Timber Creek

Coming into the first game against Timber Creek, nobody knew what to expect from this year's Cougars basketball team. Chris Santo was gone, John Valore retired, and David Allen (former CHW basketball coach) was taking over as head coach of the Cougars. That night, the Cougar Countrymen were in full swing, going with a "red-out" in order to support the team. All questions were pretty much answered as the Cougars took it to Timber Creek, blowing them out 61-36.

Starting for the Cougars would be Jesse Gold, Marc Schlessel, Jake Gurkin, Gary Hettinger, and Hank Davis.

The game started out with a bang, with the Cougars opening the scoring with a 10-2 run 3:29 into the first quarter, prompting the Timber Creek coach to call a timeout. The Cougars never looked back, closing out the quarter with an 18-6 lead, and in full control of the game. The Cougars run-and-gun offense really couldn't be contained by Timber Creek, as the result of Jesse Gold's superior passing skills, and the abilities of Gary Hettinger, Jake Gurkin, and Marc Schlessel to get down the court to receive Gold's passes for easy layups.

The second quarter wasn't much different then the first, as the Cougars outscored Timber Creek 16-11, taking a 34-17 lead into the half. Combining for 18 of the Cougars 34 points at half were seniors Marc Schlessel and Jake Gurkin. With David Allen as the new coach, many of the Cougars supporters were also able to see some substitutions, with Brett Roseman, Jake Silpe, and Austin Wetzler coming off the bench to give the starters some well deserved rest.

The third and fourth quarters resulted in the Cougars expanding their lead, with the Cougars leading 42-19 after the third quarter, and finishing off the beatdown with a 61-36 victory. There were many high points in the game, with some very promising play from freshman Jake Silpe and sophomore Gary Hettinger, who finished with 12 points.

With East starting off the 2011-2012 season with a win against Timber Creek, they hope to move to 2-0 when the Cougars take on cross-town rivals Cherry Hill West Monday night at 7:00 pm at West, where David Allen will coach his first game ever against the Lions.

Final Stats:

Hank Davis : 1 point
Jesse Gold : 3 points
Jake Gurkin : 14 points
Brett Roseman : 6 points
Marc Schlessel : 18 points
Gary Hettinger : 12 points
Austin Wetzler : 7 points

Season set to kick off against Timber Creek

The Cougars begin the Dave Allen era tonight at 5:15 at Timber Creek. The Countrymen are traveling to the game in masses, excited to see how the team will begin their season without John Valore on the bench and all-time leading scorer Chris Santo ('11) on the court. From the preseason scrimmages, it appears as though the team will depend heavily on Jake Gurkin ('12) and Marc Schlessel ('12) for scoring.

The expected starting lineup.

PG-Jesse Gold ('12)

SG-Hank Davis ('13)

SF-Schlessel

PF-Gary Hettinger ('13)

C-Gurkin.

Go Cougars!