Any presumptions that Chatham and Mendham would lock horns as usual for 32 nail-biting minutes were busted not long after that clock had started.
With full-court pressure and a run-the-floor attack administered from jump, Chatham forged a 10-point lead just 1:45 into play, and spent the next 30:15 proving that the initial burst was no fluke.
“We just tried to push the tempo and get good looks, and we were making them, so that’s what got our quick start going,” veteran Chatham head coach Todd Ervin said.
Michael MacAniff, a strong and versatile 6-2 senior guard, scored the first bucket of the night on a putback and displayed his full repertoire of point production as the evening progressed on his way to a game-high 22 points.
He netted 11 in the first half to help the Cougars (8-3) build a 33-20 lead, and he dropped in nine in the third quarter as the gap was widened to 50-30 with constant pressure being exerted by the Cougars’ nine-man rotation.
“Coach Erv says all the time that we want to push the ball forward after every defensive possession, so the defense can’t set up; attack them early,” MacAniff said. “That’s really it, just push the ball as soon as we get it.”
Junior forward Jalen Forehan-Kelly scored 11 points, eight in the first half, and senior Ryan Leach and sophomore Milo Semioli chipped in with eight apiece as Chatham claimed a second straight victory following consecutive losses last week to Union Catholic, Delbarton and Montville.
Mendham (7-4), which entered with a four-game winning streak, was led by junior guard Talon Wehmeyer and senior guard Jake Englese with 10 points apiece.
This was nothing like most of the previous six meetings these two local powers had conducted over the last two seasons.
Four of the six were decided four points or fewer, including a come-from-behind, 49-47 thriller in last year’s Morris County Tournament semifinals won by Chatham. Mendham knocked off the Cougars in that same round in 2024, 50-41.
Well, in the latest version of this fierce rivalry, Mendham essentially employed a rotation of six players while Chatham used nine, with an influx of four fresh players occurring pretty much every four minutes.
Those additional legs made a difference.
“We got nine guys who can play,” MacAniff said. “We love to do the four in, four out; we love constant pressure, especially against teams that aren’t very deep. Just tire them out and try to run them out of the gym.”
Mendham is too well-coached and scrappy for that to happen, though Chatham was able to force quite a few uncharacteristic turnovers with its extended pressure and trapping.
On the other hand, Chatham’s stepped-up pace did not equate to a high turnover rate for itself. The Cougars committed just seven the entire game, and only one or two resulted in points.
“We’ve been doing it all year, and we’ve got nine kids who can play, so it makes it easy, gives everyone a chance, and kind of wears the other team down,” Ervin said.
“Coach Erv says you gotta give it your all for four minutes and then the next group goes in. So just give all your energy, tire the other team out and take your rest while you can,” MacAniff said.
MacAniff muscled his way to the basket off interior moves two straight times to begin the third quarter, then executed a step-back 3-pointer against his man later that period to open a 30-18 lead. He sank a 3-pointer in the first quarter and hit a jumper that was just shy of a three in the second.
“I definitely used to be a lot more of a slasher, but over the past two years I’ve really developed my three-pointer, so that’s helped me a lot,” MacAniff said.
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