Hoop Group Tip-Off: Montclair Immaculate Dominates East Orange

What a difference a year makes for Montclair Immaculate.

A year ago, coach Jim Salmon took over a Montclair Immaculate program that hadn’t had much success in many years. With transfers that had to sit out 30 days and a very young team to boot, the young Lions took their lumps during the 2015-16 season that included a very tough schedule. That year of a struggle payed off yesterday as Immaculate raced out to a 16-0 lead and a 24-8 first quarter lead and buried SEC conference foe East Orange, 82-42.

Both Justin Wilson and Jordyn Owens looked unstoppable, as they both netted six points and eight points respectively in a dominant first quarter. The 16-0 run was capped off by a Jalen Carey dunk. East Orange didn’t score a basket until 3:10 left in the first quarter, a basket by Dwight Pressley.

The rest of the game seemed like the Dehron Mitchell show as the games MVP from Montclair Immaculate netted 11 of his 23 points in the 2nd quarter including two 3-pointers to spur Immaculate to a 33-13 lead with 5:14 to go in the half. A Justin Wilson thunderous dunk with 4:10 to go, followed by another Mitchell three to make it 38-15 Montclair Immaculate.

What seemed like a series of dunks and fast breaks throughout the game, led to a 49-19 lead at the half.

Wilson and Mitchell continued their dominance in the 3rd Quarter as Justin Wilson had 12 points up to that point and Wilson 21. Both Mitchell and Wilson scored 14 of the teams’ 20 3rd quarter points in a 20-14 3rd quarter.

East Orange was led by Supreme Cook with 11 points and Mekhi Chester with nine for the losing Jaguars.

Dehron Mitchell led all scores with 23 points and was the games MVP. Justin Wilson contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and Jalen Carey, the blue chip junior for Immaculate, chipped in 15 in the 82-42 final.