East Orange Campus HS girls basketball team has good run in Essex County Invitational

East Orange Campus junior Kerla Mathurin lays up a shot against Bloomfield this season.

EAST ORANGE, NJ — The 18th-seeded East Orange Campus High School girls basketball team gave a good effort, but fell to 19th-seeded Science Park (Newark), 48-43, in the semifinals of the inaugural Essex County Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 15, at home.

Juniors Arianna McKinnon and Kerla Mathurin each had 18 points for the Jaguars, who moved to 9-11 on the season. Mathurin also had 20 rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals; and McKinnon had five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior Ariyanna Anderson had five points, junior Khaliyah Jean-Pierre had two points, one rebound and one assist; and senior Tiyana Collington had one assist and one steal for EOCHS.

In earlier action, McKinnon had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Jaguars to a 54-37 home win over North Star Academy in a Super Essex Conference–Colonial Division game on Tuesday, Feb. 11. 

Anderson also scored 15 points; Collington had 11 points; Jean-Pierre had seven points and five rebounds; and Mathurin had six points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.

EOCHS was scheduled to visit Verona on Tuesday, Feb. 18, after press time, and will host Orange High School on Friday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. in the final regular-season game. The Jaguars will gear up for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament that begins Thursday, Feb. 27.

Photo Courtesy of Jerry Simon