WEST ORANGE, NJ – The Seton Hall Prep varsity basketball team opened the 2016-17 season, going 1-1 in the opening weekend. On Friday, Dec. 16, the Pirates traveled to the Ironbound section of Newark to take on Super Essex Conference-American Division rival East Side and dropped a 77-52 decision. Senior guard Austin Williams had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists; freshman guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim had 12 points and 7 rebounds; junior forward Alex Imegwu had 11 points and 5 rebounds, and sophomore guard Geordan Walker had 9 points and 4 rebounds.
On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Pirates traveled to the George R. Newman Center on the Campus of Caldwell University and the Hoop Group Tipoff Showcase. They defeated Columbia, 63-52. SHP was led by the game’s MVP, Abdur-Rahim, who scored 16 points (8 in the fourth quarter) with 7 rebounds and 5 blocks. Williams scored 16 points with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals; Imegwu scored 11 points with 8 rebounds; Walker scored 9 points, and sophomore guard Ashton Miller had 7 points with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
For Columbia, they were led by their game MVP, Brandon Askew, who scored 18 points. Following the game, Abdur-Rahim commented about his play during the game. “It was truly a blessing, my teammates really helped me tonight,” he said. “The seniors keep teaching me and motivate me when things were not going well early in the game. It is also about trying to affect the game if scoring doesn’t come. I try to get rebounds, dish out assists, get steals and block shots until the scoring comes, which it did tonight later in the game.” The freshman also said, “High school basketball is way more physical. The players are bigger, faster, stronger, and play really good defense.” Williams commented, “This was a really tight game against a real tough Columbia team. As a captain, my role is to lead the team, and make sure everyone keeps a level head and play together as a team. This weekend showed us we have a lot work on as a team.”
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