EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange High School girls basketball team had a great run this season.
The 11th-seeded Lady Jaguars, under longtime head coach Derrick Johnson, upset third-seeded Ridgewood, 56-49, in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4, tournament on Wednesday, March 2, in Ridgewood.
Triniti Haskins had 22 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and three assists, and Brianna English had 15 points, three assists and two rebounds to lead the Jaguars. Raniyah Green had 9 points and 10 rebounds; Rakaya Cooper had 8 points, five rebounds and three assists; Amera Coote had five rebounds; and Amani Perdue added 2 points, three assists and three rebounds.
It was the Jaguars’ second straight upset win. They upset No. 6 seed and Super Essex Conference–American Division rival West Orange, 41-39, in the first round on Monday, Feb. 28, at West Orange.
The Jaguars were looking to pull off another upset but lost at second-seeded Morristown, 46-30, in the semifinals on Friday, March 4. EOCHS led 19-18 at the half, but Morristown outscored the Jaguars 12-6 in the third quarter, and 14-5 in the fourth quarter. Haskins had 14 points, English had 10, Cooper had 4 and Perdue added 2. EOCHS finished the season with a 15-9 overall record.