On Saturday, the West Orange Mountaineers faced the University Phoenix in a battle between two of the state's top teams. West Orange took a 50-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of University. West Orange has not had much luck with University recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
West Orange's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kyley Gary-Grayson, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Anaya Karriem, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 20 rebounds.
West Orange has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-9 record this season. As for University, the victory (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 20-2.
West Orange will head out on the road to face off against Mount St. Dominic Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully West Orange is not getting complacent considering they own a much higher rank in New Jersey (they are ranked 14th, while Mount St. Dominic Academy is ranked 81st). As for University, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Caldwell at 4:00 p.m.