High School Basketball: Eastern Rebounds in Third Quarter to Defeat Gloucester Monday, January 16, 2006 By Susan Hall SJSports Special Correspondent There were two teams looking to end two different streaks during the third annual Cougar Classic girls’ basketball tournament held at Cherry Hill East High School. For the Lady Lions from Gloucester City, they were looking to extend their two game winning against Eastern. The Vikings on the other hand were trying to stop a losing streak of two games. The way the second half started, it appeared as if each team would extend their streaks by one game. Appearances can be deceiving especially when a team completely dominates an entire quarter to control a game. Eastern’s eleven point lead heading into the final quarter was enough to hold onto their 59-51 victory over Gloucester. The Lions had a very talented player in Chelsea Conner and she would demonstrate her skills on the court throughout this game. Gloucester City trailed after one quarter by five points but put twenty-four points on the scoreboard to lead at the break 36-30. That must have been some halftime speech for the Vikings as they held the Lions to only three points during the third quarter. Eastern would outscore their opponent 20-3 and that was enough to build a 50-39 advantage heading into the final quarter. Conner’s 26 point performance led Gloucester City in scoring, but the Lions would still come up eight points short. Donna Havers added 12 points for the Lady Lions. Marrissa DiMarco would lead the Vikings in scoring with 18 points, Meghan Dawson added 16 points and Jen Cardamone finished with 12 points for Eastern. Photos by Mark Fletcher