No. 3 seed West Orange HS girls’ basketball team advances to ECT quarterfinals

Nahtali Simpson and the West Orange HS girls’ basketball team will host Newark Arts in the ECT quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 17. Photo by Steve Ellmore.

WEST ORANGE, NJ – Mya Bembry had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals, seven blocks and three assists to lead the third-seeded West Orange High School girls’ varsity basketball team to a 47-30 home win over 14th-seeded Caldwell in the first round of the Essex County Tournament on Feb. 10.

Bianca Fede had eight points and four assists; Madison Mitchell had six points and five rebounds and Kaija Jones added five points and four assists for the Mountaineers, who won their sixth straight game and improved to 14-6.

West Orange will host sixth-seeded Newark Arts in the quarterfinals on Feb. 17. The winner will advance to the semifinals at Newark Weequahic HS against the winner of second-seeded Newark Tech and 10th-seeded West Essex on Feb. 21.

In earlier action, WOHS defeated Millburn, 63-22, in a Super Essex Conference game on Feb. 6 in Millburn. Bembry had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven steals and Mackenzie Dover had nine points. Faith Lewis, Mitchell and Kaya Schultz each had six points.

WOHS defeated Lodi Immaculate Conception, 52-45, Feb. 9 at home. Bembry had 26 points and 17 rebounds and Nahtali Simpson had 16 points, five steals and four assists. Mitchell and Aliya Perkins each had three points and six rebounds.

West Orange is the No. 9 seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 state tournament and will visit No. 8 seed Randolph in the first round on Feb. 27.