East Orange Ends Kennedy’s Title Hopes 73-65!

Paterson………..East Orange came into hostile territory and pulled off a tremendous win against Kennedy H.S. 73-65 to win the North 1 Group 4 Sectional Championship. East Orange, a #8 seed beat the #2 Knights behind the play of 6’7 Junior Mario Moody who scored 21 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 6 shots. Moody was a beast and when Kennedy did finally neutralize him, Junior point guard Tyrone Kornegay took over scoring 22 points including 6 free throws at the end of the game. Senior Shondel Stewart finished his career going out in style scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and Senior Zahir Young  also played a solid game with 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. After a 17-17 tie in the 1st quarter, the Jaquars held a slight lead the rest of the way as  Kennedy played catch up. They finally cut the lead to two 65-63 on a 3 point shot by George Nunez, but a steal by Muhamabou Kaba( 11 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) helped East Orange hold on to the lead for good. East Orange will now face Plainfield at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth for the Group 4 North title.

Notes: It goes without saying that Hoops Journal would like to acknowledge the Seniors on Kennedy H.S. on a tremendous season. Jaquan Williams, Jamille Barnes and Zahir Young(#2) all had outstanding seasons and each has a chance to play at another level. Hoop Journal would like to send a special one to Shondel Stewart. Stewart( with trophy) is a special talent and it has been an absolute pleasure to see where he has taken his game. He was last years All Journal Passaic County Player Of The Year and of course is in the running once again. Journal nicknamed him the calculator for how quick he can put numbers up and we witnessed moments of scoring brilliance throughout his career. Hopefully things work out where he can be the Division 1 player that he is! HOOPS JOURNAL WOULD LIKE TO WISH THE BEST FOR THESE SENIORS IN THE FUTURE!