Orange HS girls’ basketball team tops Columbia to advance to ECT quarterfinals

ORANGE, NJ – Ckyala Jamaruth scored 17 points and Lorenzia Hammer had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks to power the eighth-seeded Orange High School girls’ varsity basketball team to a 48-32 home win over ninth-seeded Columbia in the first round of the Essex County Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Jamaruth also had four rebounds and three assists. Imani May had 11 points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals; Imani Paul had two points and four rebounds and Jonai Hill had three points for the Tornadoes, who won their third straight and improved to a 14-5 record.

The Tornadoes will visit top-seeded Newark Tech in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 18.

In earlier action, Hammer had 24 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, three assists and two steals and May had 14 points, eight assists, eight rebounds and five steals to lead the Tornadoes to a 48-31 home win over Montclair Kimberley Academy on Feb. 7 in a Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division game. Paul also had five points and four rebounds; Jamaruth had three points and Hill added two points.

OHS received the No. 5 seed in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 state tournament and will host No. 12 seed Colonia in the first round on Feb. 28. The winner will face the winner between No. 13 seed Rahway and No. 4 seed Chatham in the quarterfinals.