SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – For a team that went winless at 0-14 last season, winning the Suburban League Boys 8th grade Basketball Championship was just a dream for this year’s South Orange Middle School team.
Playing against powerful and experienced teams from Essex County, SOMS held its own during the regular season with a 10-4 record, beating some of the top teams along the way and finishing as the third seed in the playoffs. That included defeating the then-undefeated West Essex team, which was out to avenge that only loss in the championship game.
But before meeting West Essex in the final, SOMS showed amazing skill and fortitude, grinding out playoff wins against its cross-town rivals Maplewood and avenging a loss to the bigger and stronger Montclair team.
In the final, SOMS got off to a very slow start, trailing by 10 at halftime. But the grit and resolve that they showed all season returned in the second half, slowly chipping away at the lead until they went ahead with just minutes remaining.
West Essex wasn’t done, and they fought back to tie the game at 50-50 with less than 10 seconds remaining. With 0:00 left on the clock, the stunned crowd watched as a long and high 3-pointer from SOMS guard Hunter Arnott hit nothing but net… and the dream had come true! This win was the result of hard work and determination by the entire team, and along the way, the boys had a lot of fun. A classic win-win.
South Orange Middle School basketball team wins league title after going winless last year added by Editor on
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