SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
This past Monday, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. basketball showcase at Orange High School featured local Essex County teams.
In the first game of the day, it was the Bloomfield Bengals beating Weequahic in boys’ basketball 59-50. Leading Bloomfield was Sean Perrotta with 17 points to pace Bloomfield Bengals along with Davieon McClain and Talan Bacote, who finished with nine points. Bloomfield is now 4-7 on the season. Weequahic was led by Ty Barlow with 19 points.
In the second game of the day, it was the East Orange Jaguars girls team squeezed Orange 56-27. Arianna McKinnon led the Jags with 15 points and Kela Mathurin had 12 points. EO broke their losing streak to improve to 2-7 as of Monday.
The next day saw the Newark Tech boys defeat the West Caldwell boys 77-61. Both teams played a fierce game, trading baskets early on, but at the end Newark Tech pulled away. Leading Newark Tech was Jalen Baker with a game high of 22 points while Malcolm Bragg snagged 15 rebounds.
In the last game of the night, it was another battle of the Oranges, with the East Orange boys beating Orange 66-44 in front of a sold out crowd at Jessie Miles Gym. Those who braved the cold weather saw East Orange’s James Robinson net 16 points and Carlyle Adams notch a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Orange High was led by Gregory Burton’s 16 points and Tyshaun Boyd’s 13 points and 6 rebounds. East Orange dominated Orange on the glass, outrebounding them 42-31.
The NFL Playoffs are underway. While it was no surprise that Houston, Kansas City, Detroit, and Buffalo advance, it was shocking to see Dallas lose at home to Green Bay, and the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles lose to Tampa Bay. As a result, the NFC East is completely out of the picture now.
