East Orange Campus HS girls’ basketball team advances to sectional tourney semifinals

EAST ORANGE – The second-seeded East Orange Campus High School girls’ varsity basketball team defeated 15th-seeded Ridge and 10th-seeded Westfield to advance to the semifinals of the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 tournament semifinals.

Senior guard Marvellous Osagie-Erese had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the 46-36 home win over Ridge in the first round on March 1. Sophomore Moriyah Jordan had nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks; senior forward Barbara Jackson had seven points; freshman guard Brianna Mills had six points and senior guard Sahara Crawford had five.

The Jaguars defeated Westfield, 49-40, March 3, at home in the quarterfinals. Osagie-Erese had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals and Crawford had 14 points, five rebounds and three steals.

EOCHS led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Westfield rallied in the second half to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 16-13 at the half. But the Jaguars regained the momentum in the third quarter to extend the lead to 35-19 going into the fourth quarter. Westfield rallied in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars held on for the win.

Freshman guard Brianna Mills had 11 points, five assists and four steals; Jackson had five points and five rebounds; Jordan added two points and eight rebounds; and freshman Lakel Willis had one point and one steal as the Jaguars improved to a 21-3 record.

EOCHS will host third-seeded Piscataway in the semifinals on Saturday, March 5, at 3 p.m.  Piscataway is 18-6. 

Last season, Piscataway lost to Franklin in the sectional final.

The other semifinal pits eighth-seeded North Hunterdon at fourth-seeded and two-time defending champion Franklin. The final is March 8.

The Jaguars, who won the Essex County Tournament for the second straight season, are seeking their third sectional championship in four years. EOCHS also is looking to reach a sectional final for the fourth straight year.  In 2013, they won the Section 2, Group 4 title before losing to Paterson Eastside in overtime in the state Group 4 semifinals. In 2014, they lost to Franklin in the Section 2, Group 4 final. In 2015, they won the Section 1, Group 4 title and lost to Franklin in the state Group 4 semifinal.