SPORTS WRAP
By William Hathaway, Jr.
The 2022 college basketball season came to life in South Orange, as the Seton Hall University Lady Pirates beat local rival Saint Peter’s from the MAAC Conference 73-39. Seton Hall is coming off a great season in program history with 24 wins and even made it to the WNIT National Championship. Forward Sidney Cooks put up a true double-double for the Pirates with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while ShaLynn Hagans scored 16 points, Kae Satterfield netted 12 points, and Lauren Park Lane added 11 points, four assists, and two steals. The Hall forced 27 turnovers in the game and outscored St. Peter’s 17-4 in the 2nd quarter. Seton Hall outrebounded St. Peter’s 46-30, as they will head off to play rival Rutgers on Friday.
The New Jersey high school playoffs are winding down to the finish, and some Essex County teams are still in the mix. The West Orange football program won a big game this past Friday at Ridgewood 34-31 in overtime. WOHS will now head to the Group 5 sectional championship against Phillipsburg. Running back Adonis White and Rayel Hunter led West Orange with three touchdowns in the game while winning touchdown was scored by Saboor Karriem.
Meanwhile, another Essex County team is headed to a sectional championship in North Jersey Group One. Weequahic beat Butler 45-28 at home and will host Cedar Grove in the sectional final, looking to improve upon their 9-1 record. Unfortunately, the Irvington Blue Knights’ quest to repeat came up short, suffering a stunning home upset to Northern Highlands in a 17-13 loss.
In the NFL, the Giants had their bye week, so the Jets got to shine on their own. And shine they did, by beating AFC East leading Buffalo at home 20-17. Finally, congratulations are in order for the Houston Astros, who won the 2022 World Series 4-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Jeremy Pena, who was brought in to replace Carlos Correia at shortstop, took MVP honors as Houston avenged its Series to the Braves last year in winning their second title in six years. The win also marked the first title win for manager Dusty Baker. There is no word on if the Astros cheated this time.
