The buzzer sounded. Players cheered. Coaches embraced. And the twelve 2010-2011 Varsity Lady Cougars suddenly saw their terrific season come to a screeching hault. The Cougars lost at the hands of Olympic-Conference foe, the Washington Township Minutemaids, 46-43. Unfortunately, the Lady Cougars held a double-digit lead in the second half, but saw it slowly disappear with a ferocious Minutemaid comeback. The dramatic turn of events may not have even been the hardest part of the loss, as the Lady Cougars had previously beaten Township twice, by 15 and 27 points. For the Cougars, Marie Boisvert (’11), Michelle Onu (’11) and Brittany Muniz (’11) shined in their last game in Cougar crimson and white, scoring 14, 10 and 9 points respectively. Other seniors Courtney Workman (’11), Shira Solomon (’11) and Rachel Sisholtz (’11) also saw their high school seasons end with the sound of the final buzzer. But, even though this loss is painful, this Lady Cougars team has a lot to be proud of.

The 2010-2011 Cherry Hill East Girls’ Varsity Basketball team will go down as the greatest, most dominant, and most fun-to-watch Girls’ basketball team in school history. With a final record of 26-2, the Lady dominated their opponents to the tune of a 20-plus point margin of victory in those twenty-six games. While capturing the Olympic Conference-American Division Regular Season Championship, the Lady Cougars started the season on an outstanding 23-game winning streak. The club also experienced star Senior Forward Marie Boisvert eclipse the career 1,000 point scoring mark as Sophomore Darby Festa’s incredible scoring ability off the bench provided the Lady Cougars with a glimmer of hope for future sucess following this season as well. From game to game, the team benefited from Michelle Onu’s strong inside presence, and the tencious defense form fellow Seniors Caroline Dibartolomeo (’11) and Lillian Chukwuese (’11).

Finally, the Eastside Sports Staff would also like to thank the Lady Cougars for providing the Cherry Hill East students with an entertaining and exciting season to watch and enjoy. For the first time in decades, hundreds of students flocked to the Dibart Gym stands in order to cheer on this memorable group of girls. That is truly special. Although the team didn’t capture a sectional title, this Lady Cougars team was incredibly succesful and will forever be remembered as winners.