West Orange HS girls basketball team advances to Essex County Tournament final

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School girls basketball team advanced to the Essex County Tournament championship game.

Led by senior center Anaya Karriem’s double-double, sophomore guard Rhyan Watt and senior guard Kyley Gary-Grayson, the second-seeded Mountaineers held off third-seeded Glen Ridge, 43-38, in the semifinals at WOHS on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The Mountaineers, under 12th-year head coach Caniece Williams, will face top-seeded and three-time reigning champion Montclair Immaculate Conception in the ECT final on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Essex County College in Newark, located at 303 University Ave. in Newark, at 3 p.m. following the boys ECT final between Seton Hall Prep and Arts (Newark). 

WOHS won its only ECT title in 2019. The Mountaineers are in their third ECT final appearance. The first came in 2017, when they lost to Newark Tech.

Montclair Immaculate Conception last week announced it will close at the end of the school year.

In the semifinal win, Karriem had 16 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with four steals and three blocked shots; Watt had 16 points, three steals and three rebounds; and Gary-Grayson had nine points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Kennedy Curry had five rebounds and freshman guard Taraji Muhammad had two points and two rebounds, as the Mountaineers improved to 19-6.

WOHS led 11-4 at the end of the first quarter, but Glen Ridge rallied in the second quarter to tie it 16-16 at halftime. Glen Ridge then outscored WOHS, 10-8, in the third quarter for a 26-24 lead. West Orange regained control in the fourth quarter. Glen Ridge trailed 35-32 with 1:49 left, but the Mountaineers pulled away for the win.

It was the third meeting between the schools, which split the previous two Super Essex Conference-American Division meetings. Glen Ridge moved to 17-7.

Immaculate Conception defeated University, 72-55, in the other semifinal at WOHS, also on Feb. 15, to improve to 16-7, in a rematch of the past three ECT finals. 

WOHS hosted the boys and girls ECT semifinal games.

WOHS and Immaculate Conception split their two divisional games this season.

In earlier action, the Mountaineers lost to University, 68-54, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at home in a Super Essex Conference–American Division game.  Karreim had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Watt had 18 points and five steals, Taraji Muhammad had six points, Gary-Grayson had four points, and sophomore guard Elianna Dennis had three points and six rebounds. The Mountaineers then defeated Newark Academy, 62-23, on Thursday, Feb. 13, at Newark Academy in Livingston in a divisional game. Karriem had 24 points and 12 rebounds; Gary-Grayson had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists; Watt had nine points, four rebounds and eight steals; Muhammad had seven points, and junior guard Jordyn Batts had five points and four rebounds.

WOHS will gear up for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament that begins Thursday, Feb. 27.

  West Orange High School girls basketball