Columbia HS boys basketball team defeats Newark East Side

NEWARK – Josiah Lawful, a junior, scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures as the visiting Columbia High School boys basketball team defeated a highly-regarded Newark East Side team, 65-56, Jan. 3.

Sophomore Andrew Rowley had 14 points, junior Chris Darcelin had 13 and freshman Jalen  Robinson had 11 for the Cougars, who won their second straight to improve to 3-3. Nigel Garcia had seven points and fellow junior Elijah Robinson had a three-pointer for CHS.

It was East Side’s second loss of the season as it fell to 4-2.

In previous action, Rowley scored 18 points, Garcia had 16 points and Elijah Robinson had 15 points to lead the Columbia to a 73-71 win over Willingboro in the Neptune Jubilee seventh-place consolation on Dec. 30.

Darcelin had 10 points, Lawful had six points and junior Ben Fisher had five points for the Cougars.

Darcelin had 20 points and Garcia and Lawful each had 11 points in the 64-59 loss to Union City in the first round of the Neptune Holiday Jubilee on Dec. 27. Columbia lost to Allentown, 66-48, Dec. 28, in the loser’s bracket consolation.

Rowley scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and Lawful had nine points and 10 rebounds in the 52-47 home win over Montclair in the season opener Dec. 19. Darcelin had nine points and seven rebounds and Garcia and Jalen Robinson each had eight points.

CHS lost at Union, 67-54, Dec. 21. Garcia had a team-high 17 points and Rowley and Lawful each had 13 points.