Members of the West Orange Seventh-Eighth Grade Boys Basketball team pose with their trophies after winning the West Orange Recreation Summer League championship. Bottom row, from left, are Maxwell Dent, Micah Moore, Shaki Carson, and Mehki Branch. Members of the West Orange Seventh-Eighth Grade Boys Basketball team pose with their trophies after winning the West Orange Recreation Summer League championship. Bottom row, from left, are Maxwell Dent, Micah Moore, Shaki Carson, and Mehki Branch. Top row, from left, Glen Osemeha, Romeo Innocent, Joaquin Suriel, Chase Louis, Nicholas Singh, Jason Raines, Omari Hutchinson, and Coach Robert Suriel. Not pictured are Coach Keith Dent and players Mason Murdoch and Demitris Smith. Not pictured are Coach Keith Dent and players Mason Murdoch and Demitris Smith.
WEST ORANGE – The West Orange Seventh-Eighth Grade Boys Basketball team defeated Maplewood, 80-44, to win the West Orange Recreation Seventh-Eighth Grade Boys Basketball Summer League championship, July 28, at Liberty Middle School. West Orange finished undefeated.
Leading 33-30 at halftime, West Orange broke open the game in the third quarter. “The team started out slow as we have most games,” said West Orange coach Keith Dent. “This is the first time this group has really played together, and since most of the games weren’t close, we didn’t get a chance to see what they were made of. A couple of years ago, this same group had lost in the playoff game, so they really wanted to win. By the end of the third quarter, the first-string guys had left no doubt who would win the championship this season. In the fourth quarter, they just had fun. They really deserved this win.
“Hopefully, this core group of guys will keep playing together and getting better. If that occurs, West Orange Basketball will be in good shape in a couple of years.”
About the Author
