WOHS boys' hoop team clinches state tournament berth

By Steve Carfagna
Staff Writer
The West Orange High School boys’ varsity basketball team has endured its ups and downs this season. The Mountaineers had a recent 6-13 record, including 3-9 record in the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division.
Still, WOHS head coach Mark Cacciacarne has to be pleased with where his team is at.
“We are constantly showing signs of improvement,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t translate into wins but the signs are there. I feel bad for the team because as much as you tell them you’re growing and improving, it is natural to watch the scoreboard and your win/loss record. Being so young, we have done a pretty good job handling the situation. We still are focusing on one game at a time, and just trying to get better each and every day.”
And in fact, this past week had to be the most satisfying for the team this season.
“We had a good week, going 2-1, which was good enough to get us to qualify for the state tournament at the end of the month,” said the coach.
WOHS, seeded No. 19, beat No. 26 seed Nutley, 47-42, in the first round preliminary of the Essex County Tournament on Jan. 28.
West Orange defeated West Side, 73-51, on Jan. 31 in the Coaches versus Cancer game.
Senior guard Carlo DeChavez and sophomore Isaiah Scott led the team with 19 points apiece.
“We raised some money and awareness for the American Cancer Society, and got the win on top of it, which made it a great night all around,” said the coach, who acknowledged the importance of the two wins. “With those two wins, we secured a spot in the state tournament. To qualify for the state tournament is always one of our goals and I am so happy that the team will have the chance to compete in it. At this point, we don’t know who we are playing but that isn’t important right now. What is important is that we have something to look forward to at the end of the season, something to keep working toward and improving for. I’m really excited for the team.”
Scott scored 15 points, Derek Porter had 14 points and DeChavez netted 13 points for the Mountaineers in a 63-49 loss to No. 14 seed Orange on Feb. 2 in second round preliminary of the ECT.
Cacciacarne said sophomore forward Isaiah McNeil has been a big part of the team’s recent success. “He has quietly been having a nice season for us, getting better every day,” the coach said. “He doesn’t show up with big numbers in the box score but he does a lot of the dirty work that might not get the headlines but is needed for teams to win. He is our best rebounder and shot blocker and our strongest interior defender. He is constantly matched up with players who are much bigger than him but he plays his heart out and never complains or makes excuses. He is tough, smart and very coachable. He is on his way to becoming a force to deal with in this league. It’s just going to take some time.”
Looking ahead, the coach said his team will compete in about seven games prior to the state tournament.  “We still have Orange, Newark Tech and Bloomfield, which are all top 10 teams in Essex County and we also have some tough road games this week,” he said. “We just have to keep working together and improving. Another goal we always have as a team is to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season. We have about three weeks to go, so now is the time for us to put it together for the final stretch run. I’m really looking forward to it.”