MAPLEWOOD, NJ – Brandon Askew and Darius Plummers, both juniors, each had 15 points and junior Stephan Gabriel had 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead the sixth-seeded Columbia High School boys’ varsity basketball team to a 67-61 upset win over third-seeded and two-time defending champion Seton Hall Prep in the quarterfinal round of the 71st Essex County Tournament on Feb. 18 at SHP in West Orange.
The Cougars, who improved to a 15-9 record under head coach Eugene Robinson, will face second-seeded West Side in the ECT semifinals doubleheader at West Orange HS on Feb. 21. The other semifinal pits top-seeded Newark East Side against fourth-seeded Immaculate Conception of Montclair.
Plummer also had four rebounds; junior guard Nashiem Harte had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists; senior Malachi Smythe had six points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks; and junior Breizh Askew had eight points, five rebounds and three assists for the Cougars.
Seton Hall Prep has won 17 titles and appeared in the championship game 27 times in the ECT, both tournament records. SHP also appeared in the ECT championship game in each of the past seven seasons.
The ECT championship game will be held Feb. 25 at Essex County College in Newark at 3 p.m., which follows the ECT girls’ title game at 1 p.m.
In the first round, Brandon Askew hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Cougars to a 54-51 home win over 11th-seeded Verona in the ECT first round on Feb. 11.
The Cougars lost to West Side, 51-36, Jan. 14, in Super Essex Conference non-division game at CHS. The Cougars are in first place in the SEC-Liberty Division with a 10-2 divisional record. Both divisional losses were to Newark Tech.
In addition, the eighth-seeded Cougars will host ninth-seeded Dickinson of Jersey City in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 state tournament on Monday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. The winner will face the winner between top-seeded and defending champion Linden and No. 16 seed Perth Amboy in the quarterfinals on March 1 at the higher-seeded school.
Plummer had 14 points and five rebounds and Gabriel had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cougars in the 64-62 win over Montclair in a divisional game on Feb. 14 in Montclair. Brandon Askew and Harte each had 11 points and sophomore Russell Ayala had 10 points for the Cougars.
CHS lost to Newark Tech, 56-54, on Senior Night on Feb. 16 in a divisional game at CHS.
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Way to step up and compete fellas. Great job coaching staff! Let’s go all the way!!!