WEST ORANGE, NJ — Jaden Then scored 26 points and fellow junior Max Bleecker scored 16 to lead the No. 20 seed West Orange High School boys basketball team to a 58-48 win at No. 17 seed Glen Ridge in the semifinals of the Essex County Invitational Tournament on Feb. 14. Then also had 10 rebounds and two assists; and Bleecker added nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in the win over Glen Ridge. Senior JeCarl Riggins had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal; senior Marcus Belle had six points and one rebound; junior Zachary Mouphouet had two points, one rebound, one assist and one steal; junior Ethan Belle collected two rebounds, two blocks and one assist; junior Joe Bruno had two assists and one steal; and junior Ameer Hall had one rebound.
The Mountaineers will visit No. 11 seed Columbia in the ECIT final on Feb. 21 in Maplewood at 7 p.m.
WOHS won its fourth straight game to improve to 14-10 on the season. Glen Ridge moved to 15-9. The Mountaineers avenged both losses to Glen Ridge in the Super Essex Conference–Independence Division this season, 59-58 in overtime on Jan. 6 at WOHS and 40-38 at Glen Ridge on Feb. 3.
Columbia defeated No. 23 seed Newark Academy 55-36 in the other semifinal on Feb. 14 to improve to 17-8.
The Mountaineers defeated Science Park 64-53 on Feb. 10 at Science Park in Newark in a Super Essex Conference–Independence Division game. Then scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and four assists; Bleecker had 14 points and four rebounds; Bruno scored 10 points; junior Justice Nuguid had eight points and four assists; and senior Brandon Lewis and Marcus Belle each had four points.
WOHS will gear up for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 state tournament that begins Feb. 24.
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