On Monday, December 30, 2024, the Cherry Hill High School East Boys Basketball team defeated their crosstown rivals, Cherry Hill West High School, by a score of 55-51, to stay undefeated on the season. This game was the finale of the annual Virginia B. Whitaker tournament, which was held at East. The Cougars prevailed after a great second half comeback. 

After the first quarter, the Lions were winning 11-6, and strengthened their lead to 25-10 midway through the second quarter.

“While we got some good looks, we just weren’t hitting them. We also had too many turnovers and were missing foul shots, which led us to get down by 15,” said head coach, David Allen.

East made some inroads into the West lead at the end of the first half, trimming the Lions’ lead to 9 at the break. 

When the teams came out for the second half, East came out of the gates on fire. The Cougars began to tighten up their defense, and key baskets by Young led the Cougars to a three point lead going into the final quarter. The game was tight all the way until the end, with key free throws by the Cougars helping the team to win the rivalry game. Allen felt that not only the adjustments made, but the closeness that all of the players on the team feel with one another allowed for the comeback. 

“We have a very close knit team that trusts each other, and trusts the fact that when they get behind they need each other to fight and get them back into the game. The defensive stops at the start of the second half really showed that fight,” said Coach Allen. 

Allen also wanted to highlight the hustle of players, such as the sixth man, Justin Farber (‘27), who doesn’t always get the most credit, but is a crucial part of the team’s dynamic. 

While the Cougars comeback was fueled by their defensive intensity, an incredible difference maker for East was freshman guard, Jamieson Young. Scoring 35 of the team’s 55 points, Young made the most of his first rivalry game, hitting 4 three pointers, going 7 of 10 from the free throw line, and getting four steals to help the team get points in transition.

“High energy games always bring out the best in me. I knew that we would need to play our best to get the victory, so I stepped up my game,” said Young.

Coach Allen also talked of the importance of the student section and fans.

“The crowd was really important for our comeback. It was good to see both the community and the students come out and pack the gym for this game between two teams ranked in the top ten in South Jersey. It would have been really hard for us to come back if this game was at West,” said Coach Allen.

Looking ahead, the Cougars will look to continue their strong play throughout the rest of the season, trying to build upon the team’s best start since the 2015-16 season.