East Orange Campus HS girls’ basketball team falls to Paterson Kennedy to finish fantastic 24-4 season

EAST ORANGE – The East Orange Campus High School girls’ varsity basketball team ended another fantastic season.

The Lady Jaguars, under 13th-year head coach Derrick Johnson, won a state sectional championship for the second straight season before losing in the state Group 4 semifinals to finish with a stellar 24-4 record.

The Jaguars lost to Paterson Kennedy, 51-47, in the state Group 4 semifinals on Thursday, March 10, at Union High School.

Kennedy led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. But EOCHS led 24-23 at the half. Kennedy then took a 36-31 lead at the end of the third quarter and held on for the win.

Senior guard Marvellous Osagie-Erese led the Jaguars with 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Freshman guard Mills had nine points; senior forward Barbara Jackson, senior center Moriyah Jordan and freshman guard Lakel Willis each had four points; senior guard Sahara Crawford hit a three-pointer and sophomore forward Lauren Lewter had two points for EOCHS.

Osagie-Erese finished her great career as a 1,000-point scorer.

EOCHS also won the Essex County Tournament title for the second straight season.

They managed to win back-to-back county and sectional titles despite missing senior forward Jessica Woods, who hurt her knee in the win over Montclair on Feb. 4 and had to miss the rest of the season.