WEST ORANGE, NJ – The West Orange High School girls’ varsity basketball team was riding high.
The third-seeded Mountaineers brought a 10-game winning streak into its Essex County Tournament semifinal matchup with second-seeded Newark Tech on Feb. 21 at Weequahic HS in Newark. One of the wins in the streak was against Newark Tech eight days earlier in a Super Essex Conference-American Division game at WOHS.
Unfortunately the Mountaineers came up short in their bid to reach the ECT final for the second year in a row as they fell to Newark Tech, 52-40.
Junior guard Mya Bembry had 18 points; senior guard Nahtali Simpson had 13 points; junior guard Bianca Fede had four; freshman guard Kaya Schultz added three and senior forward Madison Mitchell chipped in two for WOHS.
The game was tied 15-15 at the end of the first quarter before Newark Tech outscored WOHS, 15-7, in the second quarter for a 30-22 halftime lead. The Mountaineers cut it to 38-30 at the end of the third quarter, but Newark Tech maintained control to win.
WOHS moved to an 18-7 record. Newark Tech improved to 18-8.
The game was a rematch of last year’s ECT championship game won by Newark Tech in overtime in which WOHS was making its first-ever appearance in an ECT final.
The teams split their division meetings this season at their sites. Newark Tech won, 48-45, Jan. 16, and West Orange won, 63-44, Feb. 13.
Newark Tech will face Newark University in the ECT final on Feb. 24 at Essex County College in Newark at 3:30 p.m.
The Mountaineers, seeded ninth, will visit eighth-seeded Randolph in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 state tournament on Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. The winner will face the winner of No. 16 seed Bloomfield and No. 1 seed Morristown in the quarterfinals on March 1.
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