WEST ORANGE, NJ – This winter in Essex County, the two girls’ basketball teams which got the most attention were University, which won a state title, and Newark Tech, which won the Essex County Tournament championship.
But another team which grabbed headlines was West Orange High School, which chalked up a 22-8 record. The Mountaineers, under the coaching of Caniece Williams, earned the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state crown. Throughout the season, West Orange came up big against quality opponents.
Junior Mya Bembry, who at 6-foot-1 could seemingly do anything on the hardwood, was the leader for a very talented squad. Bembry, who scored 28 points when WOHS topped Hackensack, 56-50, for the state sectional title, is the clear choice for the Worrall Community Newspapers Athlete of the Month for March.
Also given consideration were Bloomfield Tech basketball player KyYon Chapman, Glen Ridge basketball player Tyler Liddy, Seton Hall Prep wrestler Niko Diakides, and Bembry’s teammate, Nahtali Simpson, a senior guard who was called “the team rock” by her coach.
Bembry, who averaged 19.5 points per game to go along with 12.7 rebounds, will become the West Orange all-time scoring leader in girls’ hoops next season. The talented youngster currently has 1,288 career points.
“I was very impressed with Mya when I saw her in seventh grade,” recalled Williams, who was a fine player at Montclair in her day. “Mya has gotten better and better every year, and she’ll easily be one of the best players in the state in 2018-19. I think Mya can be a top Division 1 player in college ball.”
Bembry, who had 26 points and 12 boards in West Orange’s loss to powerful Franklin in the Group 4 state semifinals on March 9 at Union, always seemed to have nerves of steel. Her clutch free throw in the waning seconds gave West Orange a 46-45 victory over Morristown in the sectional quarterfinals. In that contest she had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Then in West Orange’s dramatic triple-overtime win over Ridgewood in the semifinals, she poured in 22 points and had 17 rebounds.
In all, in the team’s five contests in state play, Bembry netted 105 points for a 21.0 scoring average. Against Randolph in the first round on Feb. 27, the junior had 13 points, 15 boards, five assists and six steals.
“Mya is a very athletic kid, so she’s very difficult to guard,” said Williams, whose team went 23-4 and won a conference title in 2016-17. “Mya shows great desire on the court, and she truly is a team leader.”
Bembry didn’t have to do it all by herself, because players like Simpson and Cassidy Ferrell were also very tough. But in the crucial times in any given game, the Mountaineer players always looked to the junior to come through, and that’s what she did.
“I think next season our big goals are to win the ECT and state title, and make it to the Tournament of Champions event,” said Williams. “Next winter I think our team will be a bit faster on the court, and that factor could be a big plus.”
COURT NOTES – Franklin, which lost to Manasquan in the TOC final, will again be strong in 2019… Simpson was superb in the wins against Ridgewood and Morristown.
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