WEST ORANGE, NJ — Last Saturday, Jan. 28, in the first round of the 76th Essex County Tournament, the No. 1 seed Seton Hall Prep basketball team defeated No. 17 seed Newark Collegiate Academy 78-58 at Frank J. Tracey Gymnasium in West Orange to improve to 15-2 on the season. The Pirates will host No. 8 seed Irvington at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, in the quarterfinals.
Senior Ethan Maynard led the Pirates with 20 points and four steals, while senior Darrius Phillips scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and four assists. Seniors Jackson Bleecker and Liam Toohey each scored 9 points.
On Thursday, Jan. 26, the Pirates defeated St. Joseph’s Metuchen 70-60 at Tracey Gym. Maynard led the scoring with 20 points, four rebounds, eight assists and four steals, while Bleecker also scored 20 points with six rebounds. Phillips had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Isaiah Shoyombo scored 10 points with eight rebounds and eight assists.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Pirates traveled to Newark to take on Arts High School. Arts defeated the Pirates 54-51, which snapped a seven-game winning streak. Maynard led the scoring for the Pirates with 21 points, while Shoyombo scored 12 points with four assists. Phillips scored 8 points with 10 rebounds; Bleecker also scored 8 points, with four assists.
Last week, senior center Darrius Phillips, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound East Orange resident, committed to West Chester University, which is located in West Chester, Pa.
Correction: This article has been corrected. Darrius Phillips is from East Orange.
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