Basketball Recap: West Orange Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Rhyan Watt and Anaya Karriem

If West Orange was riding high fresh off their 76-42 takedown of West Essex last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The West Orange Mountaineers received a blow on Tuesday as they fell 68-54 to the University Phoenix. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Mountaineers came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Phoenix are ranked 74th).

Anaya Karriem

Rebounds

02/11/25 vs University	11
02/08/25 vs West Essex	13
02/07/25 vs Immaculate Conception	18
02/04/25 @ Chatham	17
02/01/25 vs Bloomfield	11
+ 9 more games

West Orange's loss came despite strong showings from Anaya Karriem and Rhyan Watt. Karriem dropped a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Watt posted 18 points and five steals. Karriem is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down ten or more in the last 14 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kyley Gary-Grayson, who earned four points and six assists.

West Orange's defeat dropped their record down to 17-6. As for University, they pushed their record up to 8-5 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. West Orange will head out to challenge Newark Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for University, they will head out on the road to square off against Glen Ridge at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.