Chatham falls to Cherry Hill West in Group 3 girls basketball final
PISCATAWAY — Tears were still falling as McKenna Hogan tried to put the Chatham girls basketball season into perspective. The Cougars had just lost, 34-19, to Cherry Hill West in the NJSIAA Group 3 final.
But Hogan, a senior guard who head coach Joe Gaba described as "the kid who will be right in your face motivating you," came up with a positive spin.
"We're sad that it's over, not sad that we lost," she said. Added classmate Ella Kreuzer, "No matter what, we made history. There were some memorable moments."
The final marks Chatham's lowest point total since falling to Morris Catholic, 33-15, in a 2014 Morris County Tournament semifinal.
The Cougars have been to six Group finals and have yet to win. This is the second year in a row Chatham has fallen in the Group 3 final.
Cherry Hill West, meanwhile, won its first sectional title two weeks ago. The Lions (25-4) end the season on a nine-game winning streak, with their first state trophy.
Cherry Hill West sophomore Kirsten Gibson led all scorers with 16 points on Saturday. But where the low-scoring Lions excelled was forcing Chatham away from the basket. Cherry Hill West coach Dan Butler's game plan was to keep the Cougars' 3-point shooters in check.
Chatham shot just 2-of-11 from behind the arc, and couldn't get anything going inside either.
Senior guards Arden Alvarez and Ella von Doussa had five points apiece. Kreuzer, another senior guard, was held to just four points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Cougars also suffered from the absence of senior point guard Mia Semioli, who fell hard on her right shoulder in Tuesday's semifinal against Morris Knolls and was on the bench with a sling on her arm.
"Every look we got was a hard look," said Kreuzer, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with Bucknell. "We had to work through it. It wasn't easy."
More: Morris Catholic girls basketball caps perfect season with third straight state title
Chatham (31-3) wraps up the season with three losses: at Immaculate Heart, to Non-Public A champion Morris Catholic in the MCT final, and Saturday's state final. The Cougars seniors, most of whom have played together since third grade, have a 95-31 all-time record, with all but seven of losses coming in their first two high school seasons.
"Our program has really high standards. (These seniors) set the standard even higher," Gaba said. "It's one thing to say at the end of last season, 'We should get back to this game.' It's another thing to go out and do it."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls basketball: Chatham falls to Cherry Hill West in Group 3 final
Topics
-
Girls basketball: Hillsborough outlasts West Orange to win first state championship
The Hillsborough girls basketball team withstood a high-intensity affair at Rutgers on Sunday, besting West Orange to claim the Group 4 state titleYahoo Sports - 9h -
Sage Hill's comeback falls short in state Division I title loss to Carondelet
Amalia Holguin finished with 21 points as Sage Hill rallied from an early deficit only to fall late in the state Division I girls' basketball final.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
State champion Albertus Magnus rolls past Middletown to reach girls basketball Final Four
Defending state Class AA champ Albertus Magnus reaches AAA Final Four with dominant win over Middletown in girls basketball regional finalYahoo Sports - 2d -
FOLLOW LIVE: Norwell vs. St. Mary's girls basketball MIAA Division 3 final updates
Norwell will battle St. Mary's of Lynn in the MIAA Division 3 girls basketball state championship. Follow here for live updates.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Oxford Hills girls basketball's Ella Pelletier named Gatorade Player of the Year
Mar. 13—Oxford Hills senior Ella Pelletier was announced Thursday as the recipient of the 2024-25 Gatorade Maine Girls Basketball Player of the Year award. Pelletier, a 5-foot-11 guard who has ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Defending champion Centerville falls in semifinals of State B girls basketball tourney
Deubrook Area came close again Friday to collecting its first ever state girls basketball tournament win before falling to Parkston in overtime.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Cold-shooting Goodhue girls done in by West Central Area in state semis
Mar. 14—MINNEAPOLIS — That target on the backs of the No. 1 ranked Goodhue girls basketball team, it finally did affect the state's defending champion. With it — and thanks also to West Central ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Girls basketball: MACCRAY heads to the state final
Mar. 14—MINNEAPOLIS — A key stretch midway through the second half led by sisters Sam and Ella Hultgren helped lift the MACCRAY girls basketball team to a comeback victory against Sleepy Eye St. ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Bedford girls basketball aims for first trip to state semis at Breslin
Bedford girls basketball looks to make school history in final stages of Division 1 state tournament.Yahoo Sports - 1h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Bruno Fernandes hits back at stinging Roy Keane criticism after big Man Utd win
Keane had slated Fernandes’s leadership and claimed he isn’t a fighterYahoo Sports - 19m -
Manchester City see host of clubs line up for out-of-favour forward amid Pep Guardiola frustrations
Jack Grealish is set to attract widespread interest at the end of the season and is looking to leave Manchester City after four years at the Etihad Stadium, as per reports.The 29-year-old is ...Yahoo Sports - 20m -
How Dan Burn, Newcastle’s local boy and ungainly colossus, ended 70 years of pain
Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle United: Dan Burn and Alexander Isak secure glory at Wembley to end the Magpies’ droughtYahoo Sports - 42m -
World Indoor Track and Field Championships 2025: How to watch, schedule, preview
How to watch the 2025 World Indoor Track and Field Championships from Nanjing, China.Yahoo Sports - 42m -
Commanders bring back key defensive line reserve for 2025
The Washington Commanders brought back a key reserve from their 2024 defensive line on Sunday night.Yahoo Sports - 43m
More in Sports
-
Bruno Fernandes hits back at stinging Roy Keane criticism after big Man Utd win
Keane had slated Fernandes’s leadership and claimed he isn’t a fighterYahoo Sports - 19m -
Manchester City see host of clubs line up for out-of-favour forward amid Pep Guardiola frustrations
Jack Grealish is set to attract widespread interest at the end of the season and is looking to leave Manchester City after four years at the Etihad Stadium, as per reports.The 29-year-old is ...Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Source: Pulisic in talks over new AC Milan deal
United States national team star Christian Pulisic is in negotiations with AC Milan over a new contract, a source has told ESPN.ESPN - 38m -
How Dan Burn, Newcastle’s local boy and ungainly colossus, ended 70 years of pain
Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle United: Dan Burn and Alexander Isak secure glory at Wembley to end the Magpies’ droughtYahoo Sports - 42m -
World Indoor Track and Field Championships 2025: How to watch, schedule, preview
How to watch the 2025 World Indoor Track and Field Championships from Nanjing, China.Yahoo Sports - 42m