Basketball Recap: Newark Central Comes Up Short

Newark Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss dating back to last season. They took a blow against the Newark Tech Terries, falling 84-36. While losing is never fun, the Blue Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 326th, while the Terries are ranked 33rd).

Newark Central's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Drean Aikins, who went 7 of 16 en route to 16 points and eight rebounds. Aikins has been hot, having posted eight or more rebounds the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Malachi Thomas, who posted 11 points.

Blue Devils

Previous Games

01/09/25 @ Newark Tech	36-84
01/07/25 vs Newark Collegiate Academy	52-74
01/05/25 vs Lyndhurst	61-73
01/04/25 @ Caldwell	35-57
12/23/24 vs West Side	69-70
+ 2 more games

Even though they lost, Newark Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in eight consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Newark Central's loss dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Newark Tech, their victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Newark Central will challenge West Caldwell Tech at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Newark Tech, they will square off against Newark Vocational at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.