West Orange has enjoyed a eight-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the University Phoenix at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Saturday, West Orange was fully in charge, breezing past the Blue Devils 62-35 at home. Given West Orange's advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 78th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Zoe Francis-Bunkley had a dynamite game for West Orange, scoring 18 points along with seven steals and six assists. It was the first time this season that Francis-Bunkley scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Anaya Karriem, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, University waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins but they left with four. They claimed a resounding 72-33 win over Caldwell on the road.
West Orange is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. As for University, their win bumped their record up to 17-2.
Things could have been worse for West Orange, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 54-39 loss to the Phoenix when the teams last played back in January. Can West Orange avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
