Top-seeded Seton Hall Prep rolled to a 76-39 win vs. eighth-seeded Payne Tech in its quarterfinal victory while second-seeded St. Benedict’s roared past seventh-seeded Newark Tech, 62-28, in their Essex County Tournament quarterfinal triumphs as the last two ECT champions will be favored in next Saturday’s (Feb. 14) semifinals at West Orange High School in order to earn the right to play in the Feb. 21 championship game.
It will be St. Benedict’s vs. third-seeded Arts at 3 p.m., and SHP vs. fourth-seeded Shabazz at 5 p.m. to close out a busy day of semifinal action in the Tarnoff gymnasium, which will also feature the two girls semifinals with top-seeded Caldwell vs. fourth-seeded University at 11 a.m. and followed by second-seeded and defending champion West Orange vs. third-seeded Arts at 1 p.m.
SHP (13-6, 4-2 in the Super Essex Conference-American Division) and St. Benedict’s (15-5, 7-1) may be the teams to beat in the ECT Final 4, but both Arts (14-6, 6-3) and undefeated Shabazz (21-0, 11-0 in the SEC’s Freedom Division) could pose formidable obstacles for both the Pirates and Gray Bees.
Arts slipped past sixth-seeded Newark Collegiate (15-6), 59-56, in its quarterfinal triumph, while Shabazz moved past fifth-seeded East Orange Campus (12-10), 79-66, in double-overtime.
Arts has lost twice to St. Benedict’s (46-41, Jan. 8 and 61-53, Feb. 5) in SEC-American Division battles, but is certainly a dangerous team, and a near-certain threat to challenge for a North 2, Group 1 state title this season, which is a state section where Shabazz figures to be the No. 1 seed when the cut-off date arrives next Sunday (Feb. 15).
SHP rides the efforts of a dynamic backcourt which is led by junior Anthony Gonzalez and sophomore Infinite Sincere-Amen Ra, plus has strength inside with veterans such as senior forwards Alex Ante and Daniel Beazer.
Gonzalez scored 9 of his 14 points and Sincere-Amen Ra had 10 points in the first quarter as the Pirates build an early, commanding 28-14 lead.
The 6-4 Beazer, who is valuable at either a forward or guard slot, came on strong in the second half vs. Payne Tech and finished a superlative effort with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
St. Benedict’s, which has a recent regular-season win vs. SHP after losing its first conference clash vs. the Pirates, has a deep and talented squad under first-year head coach Chris Simpson with standouts including veteran senior forward Terrance Jamison from East Orange and powerful 6-5 junior frontcourt force Daniel Hinkov, who previously played club basketball in his native Bulgaria.
Shabazz eventually pulled away against stubborn EOC as the Bulldogs put together an unusually lopsided 17-4 edge in the second OT behind six steals in that 4-minute stretch and seven points each from guards Zaim Barnes (team-high 23 points) and Elijah Colon (21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks).
Coach Nassir Barrino’s Bulldogs overcame an early 21-11 first-quarter deficit vs. EOC, which was led by its quick-ascending sophomore guard Je’zi Lewis’s 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the Brick City school began to build on what would be an impressive 20 steals in the contest behind a persistent, trapping defense.
Veteran 6-foot-5 senior Tyshaun Boyd, who played in a Group 1 state final as a freshman at Newark Tech in 2023, is a force inside for the Jaguars, who are also led by senior guard Kareem Anthony, junior guard Ayyub Wilson and freshman guard Idris Grimsley.
79th Essex County Tournament Quarterfinals, Saturday, Feb. 7:
(1) Seton Hall Prep 76 (8) Payne Tech 39
(2) St. Benedict’s 62 (7) Newark Tech 28
(3) Arts 59 (6) Newark Collegiate 56
(4) Shabazz 79 (5) East Orange Campus 66
ECT semifinals, Saturday, Feb. 14, at West Orange Tarnoff Gymnasium:
3 p.m.: St. Benedict’s vs. Arts
5 p.m.: Seton Hall Prep vs. Shabazz
Final: Saturday, Feb. 21, at West Orange, TBA
The 78 ECT Boys Finals:
2025: Seton Hall Prep 65 Payne Tech 61
2024: St. Benedict’s 57 Immaculate 34
2023: Seton Hall Prep 46 Arts 32
2022: Seton Hall Prep 60 Central 55
2021: no tourney due to covid-19
2020: Immaculate 63 Seton Hall Prep 51
2019: East Side 69 Immaculate 66
2018: East Side 58 Immaculate 54
2017: East Side 43 West Side 38
2016: Seton Hall Prep 50 East Side 44
2015: Seton Hall Prep 70 East Orange Campus 62
2014: East Side 60 Seton Hall Prep 42
2013: Seton Hall Prep 58 East Side 47
2012: Seton Hall Prep 67 University 47
2011: Seton Hall Prep 61 Irvington 49
2010: University 67 Seton Hall Prep 57
2009: University 59 East Side 48
2008: Science Park 54 Seton Hall Prep 43
2007: Seton Hall Prep 56 Bloomfield Tech 49
2006: Bloomfield Tech 79 Columbia 43
2005: Seton Hall Prep 56 Bloomfield Tech 31
2004: Seton Hall Prep 84 Bloomfield Tech 59
2003: East Side 53 Seton Hall Prep 47
2002: East Side 61 Seton Hall Prep 50
2001: Shabazz 49 Seton Hall Prep 44
2000: Seton Hall Prep 61 West Side 39
1999: Seton Hall Prep 91 Barringer 46
1998: Seton Hall Prep 56 Clifford Scott 36
1997: Seton Hall Prep 57 Shabazz 53
1996: Seton Hall Prep 56 Montclair 49
1995: Irvington 62 Montclair 58
1994: Irvington 70 Clifford Scott 69
1993: Irvington 66 Clifford Scott 62
1992: Irvington 67 Essex Catholic 53
1991: Seton Hall Prep 75 Clifford Scott 55
1990: Shabazz 59 Clifford Scott 57
1989: Clifford Scott 72 Shabazz 62
1988: Shabazz 61 Orange 56
1987: East Orange 73 Orange 60
1986: East Orange 59 Bloomfield 47
1985: Montclair 50 Seton Hall Prep 48
1984: Clifford Scott 67 Montclair 65
1983: Montclair 66 Seton Hall Prep 64 (2OT)
1982: Montclair 75 Shabazz 46
1981: East Orange 64 Shabazz 50
1980: Weequahic 62 Our Lady of the Valley 48
1979: *Our Lady of the Valley 78 Orange 76
1978: Our Lady of the Valley 61 Shabazz 56
1977: East Orange 76 Bloomfield 72
1976: East Orange 89 Bloomfield 67
1975: East Orange 90 Essex Catholic 85
1974: East Orange 76 Orange 72
1973: Central: 55 East Orange 54
1972: Weequahic 86 East Orange 78
1971: South Side 60 Bloomfield 50
1970: East Orange 54 South Side 53
1969: South Side 53 Vailsburg 38
1968: Orange 65 Central 64
1967: Weequahic 79 Central 55
1966: Weequahic 54 East Orange 36
1965: South Side 68 East Orange 58
1964: South Side 53 Central 41
1963: Central 64 St. Benedict’s 38
1962: Clifford Scott 56 Seton Hall Prep 47
1961: South Side 67 Immaculate 48
1960: Bloomfield 46 Montclair 45
1959: Orange 37 Irvington 35
1958: Bloomfield 57 West Orange 33
1957: Bloomfield 57 St. Benedict’s 55
1956: Seton Hall Prep 51 East Side 48
1955: West Side 33 Orange 31
1954: Montclair 61 South Side 52
1953: Orange 41 Montclair 33
1952: Seton Hall Prep 67 West Orange 44
1951: Seton Hall Prep 41 Belleville 37
1950: Belleville 38 Central 32
1949: Bloomfield 48 Seton Hall Prep 43
1948: Belleville 28 Immaculate 23
1947: Orange 46 Belleville 27
*Valley had to vacate 1979 title
**ECT historical information provided by Jeff Goldberg
***
ECT Past Greats, A Partial List:
Alaa Abdelnaby, Bloomfield, Duke, NBA
Nas Amos, East Side, Felician College
Cliff Anderson, Essex Catholic, St. Peter’s College
Anthony Avent, Shabazz, Seton Hall University
Drayton Bembry, Central, Tennessee State
Michael Booker, East Orange, Upsala
Ira Bowman, Seton Hall Prep, Providence/Penn, NBA
Clyde Bradshaw, East Orange, DePaul
Mark Brown, Columbia, Siena
Mike Brown, Our Lady Of The Valley/Scott, George Washington, NBA
Ramadan Brunson, Irvington
Mark Bryant, Columbia, Seton Hall University, NBA
Da’Sean Butler, Bloomfield Tech, West Virginia
Brandon Costner, Seton Hall Prep, North Carolina State
Mike Dabney, East Orange, Rutgers
Cleveland Eugene, East Orange, Edward Williams (JUCO)
Randy Foye, East Side, Villanova, NBA
Ashton Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep, Pittsburgh
Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep, Texas, Seton Hall, UConn
T.J. Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep, Notre Dame
Lou Grimsley, Shabazz/Weequahic
Greg James, East Orange
Larry Johnson, South Side, Rhode Island
Dwayne Jones, Montclair, Central Connecticut
Edgar Jones, Barringer, Nevada Reno, NBA
Bill Key, Central, Colorado State
Brevin Knight, Seton Hall Prep, Stanford, NBA
Ron Kornegay, South Side, Monmouth
Paul Lape, Bloomfield, Seton Hall University/William Paterson
Bill Langheld, Seton Hall Prep, Canisius
Dennis “Mo” Layton, Weequahic, USC, NBA
Fred Matthews, Montclair, Montclair State
Keven McDonald, Seton Hall Prep, Penn
Curtis Ritchwood, Montclair, CCM/Mississippi
John Suminski, Essex Catholic, Seton Hall University
Kelly Tripucka, Bloomfield, Notre Dame, NBA
Greg Tynes, Orange, Seton Hall University
Troy Webster, Our Lady of the Valley/Clifford Scott, George Washington
Spencer Weiz Seton Hall Prep, Princeton
Grover Woolard, Central, Moorhead State
Lonnie Wright, South Side, Colorado State
Kenny Young, East Orange, Duke/ Montclair State
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