Basketball Recap: Jj Arrowood's Big Game Can't Quite Lead East Rutherford over Shelby

East Rutherford was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 74-70 heartbreaker at the hands of the Shelby Golden Lions. While losing is never fun, the Cavaliers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 518th, while the Golden Lions are ranked 250th).

East Rutherford's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jj Arrowood, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds. That's the most points Arrowood has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Andre Staley, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds.

Shelby found their leader in sophomore Omari Whiteside, who went 9 of 16 on his way to 26 points in addition to five assists and five steals. Those 26 points set a new season-high mark for Whiteside. Another player making a difference was Tee Hollifield, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine boards.

East Rutherford's defeat dropped their record down to 2-9. As for Shelby, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 4-4 record this season.

East Rutherford didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 61-46 loss against Northwest Cabarrus on the 30th. As for Shelby, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 60-45 defeat against Butler on the 30th.