WEST ORANGE—Seton Hall Prep senior guard Dylan Guzzardo knows what the expectation is when it comes to the Pirates and the Essex County Tournament. But as he stepped to the free throw line with 2.8 seconds to play, with his team leading by 2, there were no nerves – just determination.
“We want to play for championships here,” Guzzardo said. “I love this team, this group of guys. We’ve got great chemistry. We’ve been hooping together since the summer, working to get better. I just wanted to come through and get us back to a county final.”
Guzzardo (22 points) drilled four clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds as top-seeded Seton Hall withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally to hold off fourth-seeded defending champion St. Benedict’s, 70-66, in the nightcap of an ECT boys hoops semifinal doubleheader at West Orange High School.
In Saturday’s early semifinal, upstart No. 3 seed Payne Tech rode the sensational one-two punch of point guard Jamir Westry (26 points, 6 rebounds) and forward Gerald Edwell (13 points, 16 rebounds) to a comfortable 55-43 win over second-seeded Arts.
Thus, the stage is set for what should be a terrific county championship game next Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m., at Essex County College in Newark.
On one side are the 19-time county champion Pirates (18-5), who will seek a third title in four years under first-year head coach Sterling Gibbs. The Prep plays a beautiful brand of basketball, using precision passes, sharp movements and heady decision-making to unlock defenses.
“Our guys, they just like each other,” said Gibbs, the decorated SHP alum and standout college player at both Seton Hall and UConn. “They play for each other, they’d do anything for each other. When you’ve got kids who are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team, it makes things so much easier.”
On the other side are the upstart Lions (17-5), in just their seventh year of existence as a program and school, who had never reached the ECT semis prior to this year. Winners of 13 straight games, Payne Tech plays a relentless style on both ends of the court under experienced head coach Brad Howard. With the silky smooth Westry and double-double machine Edwell, they boast two players who pose matchup problems for most.
“I believe our team can play with anyone,” said Howard, Payne Tech’s first and only head coach since its inaugural season in 2018-19. “There’s no guarantees, and obviously [Seton Hall] is a great team. But all I can ask of my guys is that we’re in the ballpark. I think we’ll be in the ballpark, and then it just comes down to knowing that you belong and having confidence in your abilities as a basketball team.”
The two schools have already met twice this year in Super Essex Conference play, each winning on the other’s home court. The Prep captured a 63-54 win on Jan. 7, in the final game Payne Tech played before Westry became eligible under state transfer rules. The Lions haven’t lost since, including a 63-58 comeback win Feb. 4, in which Westry poured in a career-high 30 points.
“They’re certainly hot right now,” Gibbs said. “They’ve got some great players, their guards are very good, they play extremely fast and extremely confidently. We’re going to have to come out very focused and play at a high level next Saturday.”
SHP is aiming to extend its record number of ECT championships (no other school has won more than 8), while Payne Tech seeks its first title, and the first for a public school since Newark East Side in 2019.
