Both teams came ready to play for the Morris County Tournament Finals, however, the first-time finalists Chatham Cougars just couldn’t dethrone the veteran West Morris Highlanders. The 21-3 Highlanders won a nail biter, 44-38, against the 21-5 Cougars at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, repeating as Morris County Champions for the first time in school history. Senior captain Julia Scanlon had a dominating performance as she dropped 21 points while sophomore Shayna Ericksen took control of the boards for the Highlanders. Senior captain Caroline Murphy excelled on both offense and defense for the Cougars, totaling 10 points and 3 blocks on the day.

The first quarter opened up with two missed possessions by the Highlanders followed by an early surge from the Cougars. Sophomore Amanda Bernsten was a force on offense as she gave Chatham their first two buckets early in the game. Scanlon responded with a drive to the hoop for her first points of the game. A foul by Ericksen slowed down the pace after Murphy sank a foul shot. However, Junior Ally Tank was able to keep the Highlanders in the game at such a pivotal moment when she scored a layup while being fouled, executing a three point play. This helped West Morris grab not only the lead, but the momentum as well. The Highlanders went on a 7-2 run to close out the quarter at 14-11.

The next quarter was much of the same: scoring on one end, followed by scoring on the other, as well as excellent defense. West Morris was able to force a Chatham turnover, resulting in a basket from Junior Carly Shello. “We came into the gym motivated to win,” Poole said about their halftime speech,” and we wouldn’t accept anything less.” Bernsten responded with a quick layup. Each team followed with a couple missed possessions until Murphy was able to create a three point play: Junior Kelsey Hart lined up for two foul shots. She made the first one and missed the second, allowing Murphy to using her advantageous height to catch the rebound and sink the putback. Chatham was able to gain the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the first quarter when Bernsten scored a foul shot, followed by a layup from Murphy and Hart courtesy of a couple uncharacteristic Highlander turnovers. The half closed out at 21-19 in favor of the Cougars as West Morris went into the locker room. The girls knew that by losing at halftime, they were going to have to step it up in order to play at the level their known for.

After being the emotional leader of the team all season, Scanlon didn’t disappoint when the girls took the court in the beginning of the second half. She quickly fired off a three point field goal to get back on top. On the ensuing possession, the Cougars mishandled the ball, allowing Ericksen to bank a layup and to keep the lead for good.

At one point, the determined Cougars looked as if they could come out with a win, but West Morris’ clutch shooting and pestering defense made that all but impossible. Murphy tried to get some more points on the board by sinking a three pointer towards the end of the quarter. Poole made it rain in Ferguson Recreation Center when she responded with her own three point field goal and Ericksen quickly proved that when it rains, it pours as she drew the foul while making her layup to close out the third quarter at 35-32.

This pivotal point in the game was owned by the Highlanders. The Cougar’s first possession resulted in a travel and on their next one, Ericksen blocked the layup. Chatham briefly silenced the crowd with a three pointer, but West Morris picked up where they left off as Scanlon had a monster block on Sophomore Kelsey Davies. On the other side of the court, Tank was able to score a layup for the Highlanders while being fouled by Sophomore Sam Kennedy to finish the three point play. The last minute rolled around and soon the Cougars saw themselves in a seven point deficit. They hurriedly fouled to get the ball back, but unfortunately the girls were in a double bonus situation, allowing for extra points to be scored by the Highlanders. Scanlon was able to capitalize on this, going 4-6 on foul shots, sealing the game at 44-38.

The Cougars played a well-fought game, but it was the Highlanders who were just able to come out on top. Scanlon’s MVP performances came at a time most important and was one of West Morris’ key players today. When asked to describe what two tournament wins meant to her as she closes out her high school career, Scanlon responded, “It’s awesome that we set this goals so early in the season and had the chance to execute it. I’m so proud of everyone today for going all out.”