East Orange Campus HS girls basketball team demonstrates fine chemistry

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange Campus High School girls basketball team, under longtime head coach Derrick Johnson, enjoyed a successful season, finishing with a 15-9 overall record, including a 7-5 record in the Super Essex Conference–American Division, which is the top division in the conference.

The Lady Jaguars featured five players who earned All–SEC–American Division honors.

Senior guard Triniti Haskins and junior guard Brianna English made the first team; senior forward Rakaya Cooper made the second team; and senior forward Amera Coote and junior forward Raniyah Green received honorable mention.

Haskins was one of the top scorers in the area. She averaged 21 points a game. 

English also was a reliable offensive threat, averaging 13 points a game. 

Cooper averaged 6 points and six rebounds a game; Coote averaged 4 points, three rebounds and two steals a game; and Green averaged 7 points and five rebounds a game.

In the state North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4, tournament, the 11th-seeded Lady Jaguars upset sixth-seeded and divisional foe West Orange, 41-39, in the first round on the road on Feb. 28, avenging two losses during the season, including in the Essex County Tournament quarterfinals. EOCHS then upset No. 3 seed Ridgewood, 56-49, in the quarterfinals on March 2, but lost at No. 2 seed Morristown, 46-30, in the semifinals on March 4 to end the season.

Johnson was proud of his team for coming together toward the end of the season.

“We struggled a little to find our identity in the middle of the season. But toward the end of the season, we came together,” he said. “I think we overachieved. We just ran out of gas against Morristown. But we overachieved and we came together, especially in the state tournament. We persevered and played some good games. It’s hard to stay on the road and keep winning. But overall, we came together.”

Photo Courtesy of Jerry Simon

  East Orange Campus High School girls basketball