Chatham Girls’ Hoops holds on for 32-28 Win Over Bridgewater-Raritan

The Chatham girls’ basketball team did not exactly play stellar ball in the first half of its 32-28 victory against Bridgewater-Raritan on Saturday at home.

But a win is win, according to Head Coach Joe Gaba, saying, “it was a game where we found a way (to win). It’s important to know that we can kind find a way to win if we’re not playing our best.”

The Cougars (5-2) did not score their first point until sophomore Addison Barrett sank a free throw with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter.

Barrett followed that up with a bucket and junior Riley Allen nailed two three-pointers to close the gap at 10-9 at the half.

But freshman Mia Semioli made good on a three-point play and Barrett added a successful foul shot to put Chatham ahead, 13-12, with 5:41 left in the third period.

However, both teams battled back and forth, with the Panthers (2-5) finishing the quarter ahead by the score of 20-19.

Not to be outdone, however, Semioli completed a three-point play to tie the score at 28-28 with 1:37 to go in the contest. Senior Carly Frohnapfel gave the Cougars the 30-28 lead with less than a minute to play.

Next, Barrett and Frohnapfel connected on free throws down the stretch to extend the team’s advantage to 32-28 with 8.4 seconds to play in the game. Chatham’s determined defense did the rest to secure the win.

Barrett scored a team-high with nine points while Riley and Semioli dropped in eight apiece. Frohnapfel added five points in the win.

Bridgewater-Raritan senior guard Gianna Lentini drained a contest-best 11 points.

But one of the unsung heroes of the game was Frohnapfel, Gaba said, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

“Our team would not be able to function as well as it does if we didn’t have CFro on the fall,” Gaba explained. “She does everything. The scorers get a lot attention in the paper and everything like that. But we can’t go long stretches without having her on the floor because she does everything right. She always in the right position. She always there if we’re getting pressured, just to be there for pressure relief. She always is the right spot, and rarely makes a mistake.”

— Jerry Del Priore