West Orange HS girls basketball team has high hopes for the season

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School girls basketball team defeated Abington Heights (Pennsylvania), 65-51, at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Dec. 15, in the season-opener. 

Sophomore 5-foot-6 guard Rhyann Watt had 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals; senior 6-3 center Anaya Karriem had 19 points, 13 rebounds, six steals and four blocks; and senior 5-8 guard Kyley Gary-Grayson had 13 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals to lead the Mountaineers.

WOHS is coming off a solid 20-10 campaign, reaching the semifinals of both the Essex County Tournament and New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament.

Last month, Karriem signed with North Carolina A&T in Greensboro and Gary-Grayson signed with Coppin State University, located in Baltimore, Maryland, accepting Division 1 basketball scholarships.

The other players on the team are senior guards Jordyn Batts and Altanay Oakley; junior guards Madelyn Cancel and Lynn Charles; junior forwards Noelle Blanchette and Jasmine Prime; sophomore guards Kennedy Curry, Elianna Denis and Gabriella Sulit; sophomore forward Destiny Kearney and freshman guards Ja’Nyia Grimes and Taraji Muhammad. Watt is a key returning player, along with Karriem and Gary-Grayson.

“We have our two top leading scorers returning with Kyley and Rhyan and our best defensive player returning with Anaya Karriem,” Williams said. “We have two of those three girls committed to Division 1 schools on full scholarship. We will be very strong defensively as well.

“I expect to get to the county finals this year. My expectations are that my two seniors lead us with their work ethic and their experience.”

Upcoming games:

Dec. 19: at Glen Ridge, 4 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Newark Central, 4 pm.

Dec. 22: at Paramus Catholic showcase, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 27-28: West Orange Christmas tournament

  West Orange High School girls basketball