On Tuesday, the West Orange Mountaineers faced the University Phoenix in a battle between two of the state's top teams. West Orange took a 64-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of University. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for West Orange in their matchups with University: they've now lost five in a row.
West Orange lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Anaya Karriem, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and five blocks. Karriem hasn't dropped below two blocks for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Kyley Gary-Grayson, who scored 11 points.
West Orange's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7. As for University, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 18-2.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. West Orange will take on Newark Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Newark Academy and West Orange are at an even 4-4 over their past eight head-to-heads. As for University, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Columbia on February 7th. University has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 721 points over their last ten matchups.