Scotttie Lewis--Ranney School--One of the most athletic players in the Country, with tremendous upside, the #13 ranked player in the Country by Rivals.com has committed to Florida!
Kennedy Reaches Sectional Final 74-53!
Lighty and Young
Paterson………..the one thing about Kennedy that has been a trademark of it’s team is that they always have a habit of having someone you least expect come up big in crucial situations. Today in Kennedy’s 74-53 North 1 Group 4 State playoff game win against Union City it was 6’4 Senior Jaquan Williams. Senior Shondel Stewart(19 pts, 6 rebs, 6 asts), Junior Dawon Lighty(19 pts) and Senior Zahir Young( 6 pts, 10 asts) all did their usual thing in getting it done for the Knights, but Williams and Junior Carl Brown put their stamp on the game. Williams scored 16 points and grabbed 6 rebounds along with 2 blocked shots. He was running the floor well and was the recipient of alot of Young’s passes. Brown contributed 12 points, including 3 treys. Kennedy led the entire way, staying ahead between 8 and 10 points most of the way until a late run pushed the game out to as much as 21 points in the 4th quarter. Kennedy plays Tuesday in the Sectional final against the winner of Montclair H.S. and East Orange Campus. Union City was led by Jonathan Lora with 18 points and 8 rebounds and Ramon Martinez with 15 points and 10 boards.
Passaic Loses In Double O.T. To East Orange 77-70!
Passaic……….It didn’t start out good for Passaic H.S. in their 77-70 lost to East Orange Campus. They lost their best defensive player in Junior Andre Dixon with 6:30 of the 1st quarter with a foot injury and with the exception of Senior Tyshon Pickett shot the ball horribly. Still they found themselves taking the game into overtime on 2 free throws by Senior Najee Salaam and sending it into a second overtime on a jumper by Pickett. East Orange Campus had control of the game most of the contest because of the play of 6’7 Junior Mario Moody Jr (pictured #23)and Junior point guard Tyrone Kornegay(#1). Moody was spectacular scoring 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, but the most impressive aspect of his game was his shot blocking ability. He swatted away 7 shots and intimidated on at least a half dozen more. Kornegay was the best guard on the floor going for 22 points and dishing out 8 assists. With the help of Muhamadu Kaba ( 10
pts,7 stls) and Domonique Depts (9 pts, 4stls) it looked like it would be an easy night for the Jaguars. They took a 45-33 lead into the 4th quarter, but Passaic to their credit did not give in. They cut the lead to one 58-57 on a Pickett bucket. After Kornegay went one of two from the line, Salaam hit two clutch free throws with 7 seconds on the clock to send the game into it’s first overtime 59-59. Moody took over in the beginning of the overtime but Passaic again found itself with a chance to tie. Pickett’s jumper with 21 seconds left sent the game into another overtime. The final overtime was all East Orange as they tired the Indians out and Moody and Kornegay closed the show. Passaic’s Pickett ended his highschool career with 31 points and 12 rebounds and Salaam finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals. East Orange will move on in the North 1 Group 4 playoffs
Note: Hoop Journal would like to acknowledge the highschool careers of seniors Gilbert Morales, Najee Salaam and Tyshon Pickett. Salaam(far right) and Pickett(right) in particular both left their names in a school full of past legends.They will not soon be forgotten. HOOPS JOURNAL HOPES FOR THE BEST IN THE FUTURE!
Paterson Catholic Begins It’s Quest 79-61!
Paterson………….Playing without Seton Hall recruit Fuquan Edwin, Paterson Catholic used balance scoring from four players to begin their Parochial B State playoffs with a 79-61 win over Morristown-Beard. Sophomore Kyle Anderson led the attack with a game high 20 points to go with his 9 rebounds and 8 dimes. He punctuated his performance with a one-handed dunk down the lane that caught Morristown-Beard completely by surprise. Junior Derrick Randall added 19 points and 5 rebounds and Junior Myles Mack finished with 18 points and 3 steals. Fordham recruit Jayon James(pictured) scored 13 points and dished out 9 assists. Pittsburgh football recruit Trevor Clemmings came in the game and made his presence felt with 6 points and 7 rebounds and Junior guard Jahmir White added 6 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench. Even though Morristown-Beard played hard PC was never in real trouble the entire game. Al-Jonan Jones 14 points led Morristown-Beard. Edwin should be ready to go Saturday!