West Orange and Newark Academy are an even 4-4 against one another since January of 2015, but not for long. The West Orange Mountaineers will be playing at home against the Newark Academy Minutemen at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Last Tuesday, West Orange faced University 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. West Orange has struggled against University recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their defeat, West Orange saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Anaya Karriem, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and five blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Karriem hasn't dropped below two blocks for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Kyley Gary-Grayson, who scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Newark Academy entered their tilt with Mount St. Dominic Academy with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Newark Academy enjoyed a cozy 53-39 win over Mount St. Dominic Academy on Tuesday.
West Orange's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7. As for Newark Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season.
West Orange strolled past Newark Academy in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 66-47. Does West Orange have another victory up their sleeve, or will Newark Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
