The Notre Dame Academy Gators had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Sunday. They managed a 62-56 win over West Orange. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Sabrina Kraker was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds. Kraker is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Caitlin Sweeney, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
When it comes to explaining why West Orange lost, one person who can't be blamed is Anaya Karriem. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Karriem scored a full 26.8% of West Orange's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kyley Gary-Grayson, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Notre Dame Academy's win bumped their record up to 8-2. As for West Orange, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Notre Dame Academy won't have much time to rest: their next game is against St. Edmund Prep at 7:00 p.m. on January 8th. St. Edmund Prep has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 6. As for West Orange, they will be playing in front of their home fans against University at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Jersey (University is ranked ninth, while West Orange is ranked 16th).
