This past Saturday, the St. Benedict’s Prep boys basketball team won the 77th Essex County Tournament, their first title since their last appearance in 1993. The Gray Bees faced the reigning champions Immaculate Conception Lions in a high-octane game at Essex County College.
Immaculate Conception brought the tournament title home in 2020 and hoped to have the same success once again. There was some discourse over whether St. Benedict’s should be able to enter from the opposing team, but it was all claims were found to be false, so the game began. Guided by Coach Mark Taylor, who now has four county championship wins, the Gray Bees brought pride to their community with their unwavering focus on their anticipated return.
The Gray Bee team is composed of forwards Chidi Nwigwe (UDI), Avery Headley (SY), Nathan Amoran (UDII), Robert Wilmote (SY), Terrence Jamison (FY); guards Judah Anderson (UDII), David Johnson (SY), Casper Pohto (UDII), Will Dyer (FY); and centers Maurice Vassel (SY), and Khalid Ousmane (UDII).
The Gray Bees started strong, winning eight to one, but the Lions quickly came back as star player Kole Grandison provided eight points. The teams ended the first quarter tied 10-10. With the game so close, tensions grew high during the second quarter and each team became much more aggressive.
However, the Lions were no match for the ambition of the Gray Bees. The second quarter ended at 24-21 after a flawless pass from Johnson to Ousmane, who performed a buzzer-beating dunk that brought the crowd out of their seats.
“That dunk helped us out… I feel like it got our morale up,” said Anderson, giving credit to the moment as a tipping point for the Gray Bees ‘victory. When asked what brought the team this energy, Anderson answered simply, “It’s just the will to win.”
Both teams tightened up their defense in the third quarter, working relentlessly to prevent the other team from gaining momentum. Despite the Lions’ best efforts, the Gray Bees maintained a substantial lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Gray Bees produced an efficient 25 points in the fourth quarter, while the Lions scored eight. In the last eight minutes, Johnson scored 12 of his 14 total points in the game. Pohto added 14 points by the end of the game as well. Nwigwe led the Gray Bees with a total of 20 points, including a game-ending dunk that brought the final score to 57-34. This victory is another impressive win for the team, earning them a 21-5 record and the Essex County Tournament Championship.
The Gray Bees followed this up with an impressive 90-52 victory over Pennington in the semifinal of the NJ State Prep A Tournament. They will face Blair Academy in the tournament finals on Thursday, February 22nd, at 6:15 in Blairstown, NJ.
