CHATHAM, NJ - The Chatham Lady Cougars basketball team will begin its quest for six straight seasons of 20 wins when the take to the court tonight at Kinnelon.  Head coach Joseph Gaba speaks in glowing terms regarding selfless the seniors were on the 2008-09 team that helped to contribute to a Group 2 North 2 state sectional title.  The Lady Cougars finished one win away from a Group 2 title last year.

This year’s team will definitely be different as nine seniors graduated last year including  Lindsay Atchison, Jeanna Dunleavy and Julia Moorehead. "That was one class that was only concerned about winning ball games," said Gaba, about last year’s squad.

Not only are the Lady Cougars looking to make it the sixth, 20-victory season, but are also looking to add another Morris County semi-final to their season. If they do, it would make it five out of the last six seasons that they have been in the county final four.

Despite losing the trio of outstanding players, the cupboard is not dry with the return of two of the Lady Cougars top performing players -- sophomore guard Amanda Berntsen (5-feet-8-inches) and senior forward Caroline Murphy (6-1). "We have a good mix of youth and experience," said Gaba.

Berntsen had a fantastic freshman season with 10 points per game, hitting 39 percent of her shots. She ended on a high note as the Group 2 runner-up most valuable player. "She is a pretty polished player," said Gaba. "She has been working on her ball handling and her footwork."

The leader on the team is Murphy who has the most production coming back as an All Morris County performer -- 10.2 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game along with shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line. "We have good strong leadership in Caroline Murphy," said Gaba.

While last year, Chatham had nine seniors on the team, Gaba expects plenty of defenses that will try to latch down on both Berntsen and Murphy. "One of the adjustments is that she is going to see a lot of junk defenses," said Gaba about Murphy. "Last year we were able to spread it out."

The other starters are junior guard Kelsey Davies (5-3), junior forward Kelsey Hart (6-feet) and sophomore guard Samantha Kennedy (5-7). The other letter winner returning is senior guard Emily Frank (5-1). The other seniors on the squad are forward Camille Berger (6-feet), guard Christin Campbell (5-3) and guard Jenny Spinner (5-5).

During the pre-season, Chatham has faced the likes of Roselle Catholic and Sparta. The Lady Cougars will travel to Kinnelon on Friday night in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) crossover game.

"I do think that we are looking forward to the start of the season," said Gaba about his squad. "We looked really good at times and really young at times."

In addition to missing the seniors who graduated, Gaba is going to miss the old Iron Hills Conference as the Lady Cougars move into the new NJAC Independence division. "We were not only competitors, but also friends,’ said Gaba about the old Iron Hills teams. There are some leftovers from that conference in the NJAC Independence division  including Hanover Park, but gone are the likes of West Essex and Summit. One of the new teams is Morris Catholic, considered one of the better girls basketball programs in north Jersey. The NJAC Independence division includes Hanover Park, Morris Catholic, Dover, Parsippany, Madison, Pequannock and St. Elizabeth.

One of the first tests for the Lady Cougars within the division will come on January 5 at home against Hanover Park. The 2009-10 Chatham girls basketball seniors are ready for action starting today at Kinnelon.

Chatham 2009-10 Girls Basketball Schedule (Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

Dec. 18 at Kinnelon

Dec. 22 Dover

 Dec. 26 Cougar Classic, Morristown, 6 p.m.

Dec. 29 Cougar Classic, Columbia, 6 p.m.

Dec. 30 Cougar Classic, Ramapo, 6 p.m.

Jan. 5 Hanover Park Jan. 8 at Pequannock

Jan. 12 at Parsippany Jan. 14 Madison

Jan. 16 at Mountain Lakes, 5 p.m.

Jan. 19 Morris Catholic

Jan. 23 Villa Walsh, 5 p.m.

Jan. 26 Jefferson

Jan. 28 at Dover Feb. 2 at Hanover Park

Feb. 4 Pequannock

Feb. 9 Parsippany

Feb. 11 at Madison

Feb. 16 at Morris Catholic

Feb. 18 St. Elizabeth

Feb. 23 Governor Livingston

Feb. 25 at Morris Hills

The 2009-10 Chatham girls basketball seniors are ready for action starting Friday at Kinnelon. From left to right are Christin Campbell, Camille Berger, Caroline Murphy, Jenny Spinner and Emily Frank. Photo by Edward L. Kensik