EAST ORANGE – After pulling off a second straight upset victory, the East Orange Campus High School boys’ varsity basketball team will face three-time defending champion Linden in the semifinals of the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 tournament on Saturday, March 5, at 7 p.m.
The 12th-seeded Jaguars defeated fourth-seeded Ridge, 65-58, in the quarterfinals on March 3 at Basking Ridge.
Senior guard Marquise Kindel had 17 points and nine rebounds and senior guard Jordan Taylor had 13 points with three 3-pointers and four assists for the Jaguars, who improved to a 17-10 record.
Trailing 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Jaguars outscored Ridge, 17-8, in the second quarter to take a 24-18 halftime lead. EOCHS increased the lead to 44-32 at the end of the third quarter.
Senior forward Arthur Mitchell and senior center Zack Williams each had 11 points; junior point guard Anton Lawrence had six points; junior Mekhi Chester, junior point guard Syhid Daniels and junior forward Randy Joseph each had two points for the Jaguars.
Ridge, which ended with a 17-8 record, was led by Max Mahoney’s 30 points. Ridge lost to Linden in the Section 2, Group 4 final in each of the past three years.
Linden, the top seed, defeated No. 8 seed Union, 64-32, in the quarterfinals on March 3 to improve to 19-5. Linden is ranked No. 5 in the state Top 20 poll by nj.com.
The Jaguars, under third-year head coach Billy Lovett, are seeking to reach a second straight sectional final. Last season, EOCHS fell to Paterson Eastside in overtime in the Section 1, Group 4 final.
In the first round, Taylor scored 23 points, including hitting seven 3-pointers, and Williams had 18 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the 71-53 upset over fifth-seeded Woodbridge on March 1 at Woodbridge. Kindel scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds; Chester had seven points; and Daniels and Mitchell each had four points.
The other semifinal pits third-seeded Newark East Side at second-seeded Westfield. The final is March 7.
The Jaguars lost to East Side, 64-42, in the Essex County Tournament semifinals on Feb. 23 at West Orange High School. East Side then lost to Seton Hall Prep in the ECT final, 50-44, Feb. 27 at Essex County College.
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