Cougars fall to Shawnee 64-49

The Cougars lost their second game in a row on Saturday as Shawnee defeated them 64-49. This game was rough as a whole for the Cougars as they fell to 10-2 on the season.

Cougars stumble against Washington Township

The Cougars fell to 10-1 on the season on Thursday with a 43-34 loss to Washington Township. The game was very sloppy, as the Cougars committed too many turnovers. Hank Davis ('13) was the only player to reach double digits in points for the Cougars as he scored 13.

Cougars beat Triton to reach 10-0

On Tuesday, the Cougars beat Triton 65-60 to improve to 10-0 on the season. Although the final score was close, the Cougars maintained a consistent lead throughout the game and never relinquished control.

The Cougars led by 12 at the half and after three quarters, but things got dicey in the fourth as Jake Gurkin ('12) got into a little bit of foul trouble. However, Marc Schlessel ('12) scored the Cougars' final five points to close out the game.

Player of the Game: Schlessel, He closed out strong for the Cougars and led the team with 22 points.

Key Stats

Schlessel-22 points

Gurkin-16 points, 15 rebounds

Hank Davis ('13)- 13 points

Jesse Gold ('12)-9 assists

Gary Hettinger ('13)-10 points

Cougars stay perfect, beat Woodrow Wilson

On Saturday, the Cougars knocked off previously undefeated by a score of 69-57. Marc Schlessel ('12) led the way for the Cougars by scoring 30 as the Cougars coasted to a relatively easy victory. Jake Gurkin ('12) contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds as well. Although the final score was somewhat close, the Cougars maintained a steady lead throughout as bench players received a good deal of playing time. Austin Wetzler ('14) scored nine to lead the scoring off the bench.

Cougars Move to 8-0 as they defeat Cherokee 56-44

After coming off a huge win against 7th ranked Lenape, the Cougars moved to 8-0 with a convincing 56-44 win over conference rival Cherokee Thursday afternoon. The game seemed much closer than it should've been, with the Cougars running away with it in the end.

The first half was a close one, as the Cougars led 11-10 after the first quarter. It seemed as though this would be another one of those games where it would be close until the fourth quarter, and then hopefully East would pull away in the end. The half ended with the Cougars leading 29-24, as Marc Schlessel ('12) and Jake Gurkin ('12) led the team with 8 points apiece, while Jesse Gold ('12) chipped in with 6 points in the half.

Both teams struggled to get any offense going in the third quarter, as East led 39-34. The fourth quarter would be an interesting one, as big man Jake Gurkin fouled out on a questionable referee decision with 6:41 left in the game. That prompted coach David Allen to bring in junior Andrew Brown for a big man presence on defense. With the Cougars leading 46-42 with 1:32 to go in the game, freshman Jake Silpe nailed a huge 3 to make it 49-42, and virtually put the game out of reach. Silpe ('15) scored 7 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter alone, with East putting Cheroke away 56-44.

Stats:

CHE: 14/17 from the FT line

Hank Davis : 3 points

Jesse Gold : 7 points

Jake Gurkin : 9 points

Garry Hettinger : 3 points

Marc Schlessel : 21 points

Jake Silpe : 13 points, 4 assists, 4 steals

Cougars beat Lenape for huge conference win

The Cougars once again showed the South Jersey basketball world that they are indeed for real by defeating Lenape 57-46. In their first game after being placed in the top ten in South Jersey, the Cougars showed they are here to stay.

The Cougars jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a basket from Marc Schlessel ('12) and a three from Jake Silpe ('15). Lenape immediately struck bacj in a big way, going on an 8-0 run. However, the Cougars managed to control the damage as they took a 15-14 lead going into the second quarter via two jumpers by Jesse Gold ('12), a Silpe layup, two free throws from Gary Hettinger ('13) and a Schlessel three.

The Cougars fell behind by two as Lenape capitalized on early opportunities in the second. However, they went on an 8-0 run as Jake Gurkin ('12), Schlessel and Silpe provided the scoring to give the Cougars a 28-24 lead at the half.

The Cougars once again expanded their lead in the third quarter as Silpe started the half with a layup, followed by a Schlessel three to give the Cougars a 33-24 lead. Lenape cut the lead back down to five before Hettinger hit a layup for the Cougars. Then, Schlessel threw up an alley-oop for Gurkin which he laid in to give the Cougars a 37-28 lead. Gurkin hit two free throws to end the scoring for the Cougars in the third as they held a 39-32 lead heading into the final quarter.

Hettinger scored four points to start the quarter for the Cougars, the first two off of a tip-in and the last two on a layup after a beautiful pass from Gold. Lenape managed to cut the lead down to 49-44 but Silpe hit two clutch free throws for the Cougars and the team never looked back on its way to a 57-46 victory.

Player of the Game: Gurkin. He recorded a triple-double as he recorded 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 block shots for an outstanding all-around performance.

Key Stats

Gurkin-16 points, 16 rebounds, 10 blocks

Schlessel-16 points, 5 rebounds

Gold-4 points, 6 assists

Silpe-11 points

Hettinger-10 points

Cougars finish Virginia B. Whitaker Invitational with 3-0 record

The Cougars defeated Williamstown 45-41 and Gloucester Catholic 69-34 to improve to 6-0 on the season as they finished off the Virginia B. Whitaker Invitational with a 3-0 record.

The Cougars maintained control of the Williamstown game throughout, but Williamstown made a late run to make the score close. Marc Schlessel ('12) led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points and Jake Gurkin ('12) hit two late free throws to seal the win for the Cougars.

The Gloucester Catholic game was a complete rout, as the Cougars were able to clear the bench out in the fourth quarter. Schlessel led the way once again with 22 points and reserve Tyler Berlinsky ('12) chipped in eight points off the bench.