WEST ORANGE, NJ – It was a very tough week for the Seton Hall Prep basketball team as the Pirates went 1-2, which included being eliminated from the Essex County Tournament in the quarterfinal round for the first time since 1994 and dropping their record to 13-9 on the season.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, they hosted Central and defeated them 63-42 as Austin Williams scored 18 points with six rebounds, four steals and three blocks, Ashton Miller had 15 points with five rebounds and three steals, and Alex Imegwu scored 14 points with eight rebounds.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, they hosted West Side and lost 59-48. This home loss marked the first home loss for Seton Hall Prep since March 3, 2014, when they lost to Pope John XXIII (Sparta) 70-57 in the quarterfinal round of the Non-Public “A” North State Tournament. Seton Hall had won 31 straight home games before this loss. Leading 40-32, Seton Hall Prep was outscored 27-8 in the fourth quarter by West Side. Williams scored 18 points with 10 rebounds while Treyvon Bennett pulled down 12 rebounds.
On Saturday, the third-seeded Pirates hosted No. 6 seed Columbia and lost 67-61 in a wild game in the ECT quarterfinal round. Columbia jumped out to a 34-23 halftime lead on the strength of Darius Plummer’s 10 points, Stephan Gabriel’s nine points, and Brandon Askew’s eight points. Seton Hall Prep rallied to tie the score at 48-48 after three quarters on the strength of Williams’ 15 points in the third quarter. Columbia won the game by outscoring Seton Hall Prep 19-13 in the fourth quarter. For the game, Plummer scored 15 points, Askew scored 15 points, Gabriel scored 12 points, and Nashiem Harte scored 11 points for Columbia. For Seton Hall Prep, Williams scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and six assists, Bennett scored 10 points with nine rebounds, and Geordan Walker scored 10 points.
SHP is the No. 10 seed in the Non-Public “A” State Tournament and will play at No. 7 seed Paramus Catholic in the first round on Feb. 28.