Mounties Boys Basketball Team Upsets Orange 60-50

Coming off a win over Nutley, the Mounties boys basketball team had the momentum going into a matchup with 10-3 Orange, upsetting the Tornadoes 60-50 after a strong third quarter performance.

“I thought we really executed well on offense as the kids moved the ball and we hit some big shots,” said Head Coach Major Jennings. “This was a great win ... this is a really good Orange team."

Both teams entered the third quarter in a deadlock at 24. But then Montclair’s Kabir West started the third as he has many quarters by igniting his team’s offense with six unanswered points of his own.

“We know what we can do ... we can play with the talented teams ... it’s just continuing to play good defense,” said West, who finished with a game high of 23 points.

Orange crept its way back into the game until, finally, West and company were able to pull away with a 7-0 run to put the Mounties up 40-33 and take a 42-34 lead going into the fourth.

“They came out in a 2-3 zone and we just had to attack the basket,” said West. West received a number of phenomenal passes from teammate Chinue Young and additional offensive support from Darius Wineglass, who knocked down a number of key jumpers late in the third on the Mounties' big game-changing run.

Montclair refused to let a resilient Orange team back into the contest in the fourth quarter like they had done earlier in the season. Indeed, the Mounties limited their turnovers, which have plagued them in the past, and were able to control the ball and the clock for the remainder of the game. West, Wineglass, and Young added a few more points in the fourth quarter, including an emphatic slam dunk by Young to put the red ribbon on the game.

“Our competition is so difficult, so tough, and demanding that with each game we play, unless we're playing at the top of our game it’s going to be difficult,” said Jennings.

The Mounties started fast in the first half with early shots by West, Dontae Grayson, and Isaiah Jennings to take the lead but a championship caliber team in Orange remained determined to keep it a close game tying the score at 12-12 in the first and 24-24 in the second.

Montclair, with this victory, improves to 7-5 on the season. “I just hope that Montclair can continue to improve, listen, work hard and have a chance at the County Tournament,” said Jennings.