WEST ORANGE, NJ — After Christmas, the Seton Hall Prep basketball team traveled to Matawan Regional High School in Aberdeen Township to defend its title in the 15th Husky Holiday Classic.
In the opener against Carteret, the Pirates were red hot from the outset; as a team they hit 16 3-pointers in a 74-36 victory. They were led by senior guard Ethan Maynard, who hit five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Senior guard Jackson Bleecker, sophomore guard Jayden Harrington and senior guard Cade Duncza all had three 3-pointers.
In the semifinals, the Pirates defeated Old Bridge 64-37. Bleecker led the charge with 21 points, while senior center Darrius Phillips scored 12 points with six rebounds and senior forward Shawn Lyght scored 11 points with five rebounds and three steals.
In the finals, the Pirates faced St. Thomas Aquinas, which is one of the top five teams in New Jersey. The Pirates lost 52-44 to move to a 6-1 record on the season.
After the first quarter, Seton Hall led 9-7 behind Maynard’s 5 points. At the half, the Trojans led 20-17, but Phillips had 4 points. After the third quarter Seton Hall retook the lead 32-30 behind Maynard’s 7 points and Phillips’ 4 points. In the fourth quarter St. Thomas outscored the Pirates 22-12 behind Kamal Lee scoring 8 points and Michael Jones scoring 7 points. Maynard scored all the Pirates points with 12 and finished with 26 points for the game. He was named to the all-tournament team. Phillips had 8 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
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