Bloomfield HS boys basketball team eyes strong state tourney run

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield High School boys basketball team hopes to make a strong run in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament.

The eighth-seeded Bengals, under head coach Mike Passero, will host ninth-seeded West Orange in the first round on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. If the Bengals win, they will face the winner between No. 1 seed Ridgewood and No. 16 seed Clifton in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 3. The semifinals are Wednesday, March 5, and the final is Saturday, March 8, all at the higher-seeded sites.

The Bengals defeated Manchester Regional, 53-52, on Saturday, Feb. 22, at home in an independent game. Senior forward Talan Bacote scored 16 points, and sophomore guards AJ Cruz and Sean Perrotta each had 14 points to lead the Bengals, who improved to 15-11 on the season. Senior guard Davieon McClain added six points for Bloomfield. Manchester moved to 17-8.

In earlier action, the Bengals defeated Millburn, 47-44, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Millburn in a Super Essex Conference–Colonial Division game. Perrotta had 20 points, McClain and senior 6-foot-5 forward Ryan Brodbeck each had eight points, Bacote had six points, Cruz had four points and sophomore guard Jeremiah Gonzalez added a free throw.

BHS lost to Morris Knolls, 61-52, at home on Wednesday, Feb. 19, in an independent game. Bacote had 17 points, McClain had 16 points, Perrotta had 12 points, Cruz had five points and junior forward Filbert Hernandez added two points.

Photos Courtesy of Jerry Simon