WEST ORANGE, NJ — The 20th-seeded West Orange High School boys basketball team regrouped from its loss in the Essex County Tournament, defeating No. 29 seed Verona in the Essex County Invitational.
The Mountaineers lost to No. 13 seed Montclair 80-71 in the ECT preliminary round on Jan. 29 at Montclair. Jaden Then scored 21 points with eight rebounds and fellow junior Max Bleecker scored 20 points for WOHS. Senior JeCarl Riggins had 13 points, six assists and four rebounds; senior Brandon Lewis posted 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists; junior Zachary Mouphouet had three points; and juniors Ameer Hall and Joe Bruno each added two points for the Mountaineers.
With the loss, the Mountaineers were moved to the ECI, defeating Verona 47-45 in the first round on Feb. 2 at WOHS. Bleecker had 12 points; Then had seven; Lewis, Riggins and junior Justice Nuguid each had six; and Mouphouet had five points and six rebounds.
The Mountaineers, who improved to 10-9 on the season, will host No. 21 seed West Essex in the quarterfinals on Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. The winner will face either No. 17 Glen Ridge or No. 24 seed Weequahic in the semifinals at the higher-seeded school on Feb. 14. The final is Feb. 21 at the higher-seeded school.
About the Author
