West Orange High School girls basketball team members are all smiles as they flash ‘W’ with their fingers after winning the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state championship for the second year in a row.
WEST ORANGE — The West Orange High School girls basketball team won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament championship for the second consecutive season with a 55-42 win over Morristown on March 5 at WOHS’ Tarnoff Gymnasium.
The top-seeded Mountaineers shot out of the gate with a strong defense against the second-seeded Colonials. Throughout the game, West Orange held the lead, only allowing an eight-point difference twice.
West Orange senior guard London Caldwell managed 11 points and six assists, despite fouling out.
Junior guard Rhyan Watt was West Orange’s top scorer with 23 points, along with five rebounds and four steals.
Sophomore guard Taraji Muhammad had nine points and three steals, senior guard Jordyn Batts scored six points, senior forward Lynn Charles had four points and six rebounds, and junior guard Elianna Dennis grabbed six rebounds and collected four steals for WOHS.
The Mountaineers, who won their 17th straight game to improve to 28-3 on the season, was scheduled to face Westfield – the Section 2, Group 4 champion – in the Group 4 state semifinals on March 10 at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth.
The other Group 4 semifinal pitted Central Jersey champion Franklin HS against South Jersey champion Lenape.
The Group 4 state championship will take place at Rutgers University on March 14 at noon.
WOHS defeated Westfield in the only meeting this season by a score of 52-43 in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge on Jan. 11.
Last season, the Mountaineers reached the Group 4 state championship game at Rutgers University, but fell to Hillsborough.
“We went into this season knowing that last year, we just came up a little short,” said WOHS head coach Caniece Williams, regarding last season’s loss in the state championship. “But this year, we want to go all the way.”
Morristown’s star sophomore, Nawel Ibazatene Lefebvre, scored 24 points. The young Colonials, who beat West Orange in the North 1, Group 4 sectional semifinals in 2024, will continue to be a force to be reckoned with, as they ended their season 22-8.
In the sectional semifinals, the Mountaineers defeated Kearny 73-39 at WOHS on March 3. Watt had 25 points and five rebounds; Caldwell posted a triple-double with 13 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals; Muhammad had nine points, three rebounds and three assists; junior guard Kennedy Curry had six points and two rebounds; freshman Soleil Dalemcourt had five points; Dennis posted four points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals; and Charles had four points and three rebounds.
Joe Ragozzino contributed to this article.
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