Irvington HS boys basketball team tops Payne Tech to reach North 2, Group 3 sectional final

IRVINGTON, NJ — Powered by a high-octane offense, the second-seeded Irvington High School team defeated Payne Tech, 77-50,  in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 state tournament semifinals on March 6 at IHS. 

Senior forward Moses Pierre scored his 1,000th career point for the Blue Knights, who improved to 26-3 with their sixth straight win and will host fifth-seeded and defending champion Colonia in the final on March 9 at IHS at 7 p.m.

The Blue Knights have averaged 76 points in their last six games. 

In the first round, IHS defeated 15th-seeded Orange, 79-75, on March 2.

The Blue Knights posted an emphatic 74-39 home win over 10th-seeded Chatham in the quarterfinals on March 4. Pierre had 23 points, nine rebounds and three steals, senior guard Karriem Thomas had 18 points, senior guard Nazameir Brooks posted 11 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals, junior guard JhaZaire Head had eight points, senior guard Dezlyn Sebastien had five points and five rebounds, and senior Kymani Dunbar had five points, six rebounds and three assists. 

Thomas also scored his 1,000th career point this season.

Payne Tech, which finished 14-12, upset third-seeded host Summit, 57-55, in overtime in the quarterfinals on March 4. Summit finished 24-4.

Colonia upset top-seeded West Morris, 42-41, in the other semifinal on March 6 to improve to 22-6. West Morris, the two-time reigning Morris County Tournament champion, finished the season at 26-3. Colonia last season defeated West Morris in the North 2, Group 3 final, 57-53.

The Blue Knights have reached the sectional final for the second time in three seasons under sixth-year head coach Elias Brantley, an IHS graduate, Class of 2006. They lost to Chatham in the final two years ago. IHS also made the sectional final in the 2012-13 season when Bam Robinson was the head coach. Robinson, a 1993 IHS graduate, played for the Blue Knights’ Group 4 sectional title teams in his junior and senior seasons, and led the team to the Group 4 state title in his senior year. Robinson, who completed his sixth season as the Columbia HS boys head basketball coach, was the IHS head coach for 12 seasons when he stepped down at the end of the 2013-14 season. Brantley played for Robinson.