Mountaineers Finish with a Loss

The West Orange High School boys' basketball team ended its season at home Thursday afternoon with a 50-40 loss to St. Mary of Jersey City.

West Orange finished its season with an 8-16 record after finishing 18-7 last season and 20-8 two seasons ago. St. Mary is 16-8.

The Mountaineers were down 20-6 after the first period, and 30-16 at the half. But they whittled the deficit down to eight point's late — courtesy to an 18-4 advantage in the fourth quarter — and had two clear shots from three-point range, and a layup to get even closer. But they weren't able to convert the chances. 

"There was nobody to blame but ourselves," said West Orange coach Mark Cacciacarne. "Our effort was poor. We were hideous."

Senior forward Matt Taylor was the only Mountaineer in double figures with 14 points. Seniors Darius Moore and Duane Morgan had eight points apiece.

Senior Miguel Aviles scored 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and senior Edgar Garcia connected on three 3-pointers and finished with 17.