Three Chatham boys basketball players — Cam Rooney, E.J. Leskauskas and Andrew Bergman — all garnered Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) acknowledgments.
Sophomore guard Rooney, who earned All-NJAC first-team honors, gave Cougar Nation every reason for hope for the future.
Senior forward Leskauskas was selected to the second team while Bergman, another senior, received honorable mention.
Rooney paced Chatham with 293 points and he proved to be clutch on many occasions during the year.
In the Cougars’ 61-58 overtime victory at Roxbury in the opening round of the state tournament, he completed a four-point play to knot the contest and push OT. He then won it with a trey in the extra stanza. Rooney totaled a career-high 26 points.
He also nailed a three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the tilt to propel Chatham to a 64-63 victory over Sommerville.
Although a concussion curtailed Leskauskas’ regular season, he returned to action in the state tourament. He had the single-game, season-best mark for the Cougars with 28 points against Morristown.
When healthy, Bergman — who was plagued by back woes and suffered a season-ending broken leg — played well. The brawny forward was a rebounding force and scored 20 points in a victory at Hanover Park.
— Jerry Del Priore
Watch Rooney win the game in the video below.
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 