It's Been Mostly 'Up' For Arts
As Girls Hoops Squad Emerges

The occasional ups - and more of the downs - for the Arts girls basketball program during the last eight seasons appear to be heading in a much more positive direction on a consistent basis this season, even after what could be just a temporary ‘down’ moment for the Jaguars as undefeated Caldwell stormed back from a double-digit deficit for a 54-48 victory over the visiting Jaguars on Thursday night in a much-anticipated Super Essex Conference independent contest.

The Newark-based magnet high school which focuses on the visual and performing arts as main areas of its curriculum, had not been staging much success from the 2019-2020 through the 2022-2023 campaign, including a dismal 1-22 mark to cap that forgettable 4-season stretch.

A talented 2025-2026 Arts squad (9-2 overall and 4-0 in the SEC-Independence Division), had won eight in a row since an early-season loss to second-ranked St. John Vianney in the Dec. 20th Shore Games before the recent, quite stunning finish vs. the persistent Chiefs, who had also come from behind to defeat state-ranked West Orange, 55-51, this past Tuesday night (Jan. 13) in a key SEC-American Division showdown.

Caldwell (10-0, 4-0), which this week was inserted into nj.com’s Top 20 for the first time at the No. 10 spot in the state rankings, has certainly enhanced its resume as far as landing the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Essex County Tournament which assembles its field on Monday night, Jan. 26.

One can reasonably assume that there should be supreme competition in the latter stages of the 2026 ECT with Caldwell, Arts, defending champion West Orange, University and Glen Ridge all appearing to have the capabilities of vying for a spot in the county tournament’s Final 4 on Saturday, Feb. 14, at West Orange’s Tarnoff Gymnasium where the Feb. 21st final will also be held this year.

Mount St. Dominic, which lost to both Glen Ridge and University this past week, but had taken West Orange to overtime before dropping a close game earlier this season, could perhaps reemerge as another team to consider if the Lions can reverse their most recent woes. 

Arts has enjoyed a significant talent infusion this season with key transfers and the continued work in directing the rising girls hoops program by third-year head coach Tarik Brown, who had previously coached the Science Park boys.

The significant additions to the roster are led by senior point guard Nilah Rivera and senior forward Niaja Troutman, both of whom were part of the rotation for last season’s Immaculate Conception team that captured the Non-Public B state championship before the 100-year-old Montclair-based Catholic school closed its doors for good in June due to financial problems.

Also arriving on the scene at Arts were two transfers from Payne Tech in juniors Morgan Hair and Makayla Allen who are also part of the Jaguars’ rotation.

“We won just one game before I got here,” said Brown. “Last season we won the bottom division in our conference (10-0 in the SEC-Freedom while finishing 18-8 overall) and then we had the transfers come in this school year.”

Arts also returned talented sophomore guard Harmoni Burgess who led the team in scoring last year.

“We’re currently No. 1 in our state section (North 2, Group 1),” continued Brown. “Our goals are to win county and state titles!”

The recent hot streak for the surging Brick City girls hoops program ended in dramatic fashion in Thursday night’s frenetic finish at Caldwell as the Chiefs battled back from a 13-point third quarter deficit before outscoring the Jaguars, 21-4, in the fourth quarter, including an 8-0 run to end the game. 

It was ‘Senior Night’ for Caldwell, including for their standout veteran forward Tea Fiore who scored 13 points to supplement the night’s top scorer, junior guard Addy Keenan, who finished with 20 points.

Rivera, the starting point guard for last year’s Immaculate squad, continues to be one of the better backcourt performers in the state as a senior at Arts and finished with a team-high 19 points against the Chiefs.

“Nilah, who is a Division I player, had a scholarship offer from Bryant, but then the entire Bryant coaching staff left, so she decommitted there and will look for another school,” said Brown. “She does it all for us whether she’s scoring, distributing or doing a great job on defense.”

Troutman, who did not start at Immaculate last season on a deep and talented team, has emerged this season with performances such as her ‘double-double’ in a Jan. 3rd 71-55 victory over Mount St. Dominic when she had 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Rivera was the only double-figure scorer for the Jaguars in their game at Caldwell, a contest where Brown was not pleased with the disparity in fouls called on his team vs. what were assessed against the home-standing Chiefs.
Arts shot 2-of-7 from the line while Caldwell sank 13 of 19 from the charity stripe.

“I was not pleased with the officiating, but I take full responsibility for how we didn’t execute what we needed to do down the stretch,” said the Arts head hoops honcho. “They (Caldwell) are well coached, their players did a great job coming back against us, and they just wanted it more.

“I did think that one of the officials was not ready to work a game of that caliber where we are fighting for a No. 1 seed in the county.

“There was a large differential in the number of fouls called on us vs. them, and I will be writing a letter to the NJSIAA.”

Despite a less-than-enjoyable ending to Thursday night’s game there is indeed a lot of basketball yet to be played.

“Hopefully we will see Caldwell again in the county tournament,” said Brown. “There are still plenty of big games ahead, that’s for sure!”    

Arts, which despite being in the SEC’s fourth division, is seeking to play some top-flight independent contests, including the early-season contest vs. Vianney and an upcoming contest vs. Teaneck in this Monday’s (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday) Jarel Lowery Showcase.

Also, looking well ahead, the Jaguars are scheduled to host national power Long Island Lutheran on Feb. 12 in Newark. The New York team has already defeated Jersey state powers Morris Catholic and Red Bank Catholic in its 11-1 start this season.

“We are working to be the best team we can be and our girls love to compete at a high level,” said Brown. “Our game at Caldwell wasn’t one of our best, but we’re excited about moving forward and facing many more good teams along the way.”