NUTLEY – Senior guard Marty Higgins scored 25 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the No. 26 seeded Nutley High School boys varsity basketball team to a 66-65 overtime win over No. 23 seed Shabazz in the preliminary second round of the Essex County Tournament, Feb. 2, at Shabazz in Newark.
Eli Acosta had 20 points and Jordan Swann had 10 points for the Raiders, who won their fifth straight and improved to a 7-10 record.
NHS outscored Shabazz, 10-9, in overtime.
Nutley will visit No. 10 seed West Orange in the preliminary third round on or by Feb. 7. The winner will visit No. 7 seed Irvington in the first round (round of 16) Feb. 9. West Orange received byes in the first and second preliminary rounds.
Higgins scored 21 points with five 3-pointers and Jordan Swann had 10 points to lead NHS to a 67-47 home win over No. 39 seed Technology in the first preliminary round Jan. 30.
The next day, the Raiders defeated Caldwell, 50-36, at home in a Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division game. Higgins had 17 points; Swann had 14 points; and Jason Nazaruk had 11 points. Mickey O’Brien had four points and Acosta and Quincy Gailliard each had two points.
Higgins and costa each had 17 points and Jason Nazaruk had 16 points in the 71-59 divisional win over Cristo Rey of Newark, Jan. 24, at home. Higgins made five 3-pointers. Swann also had 13 points with three 3-pointers for the Raiders, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Higgins and Swann each had 17 points; and Acosta and Nazaruk each had nine points in the 60-42 win at Montclair Kimberley Academy, Jan. 26 in a divisional game.
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