WEST CALDWELL- All the time that Newark Collegiate has had a loss in the latter stages of the North 2, Group 2 state tournament - or in the Essex County tourney - during his scholastic career Jayden Solomon certainly recognizes that the history is there.
It’s just that he’s prefer not to linger on it.
Following last Saturday’s very narrow 59-56 loss to Brick City rival Arts in the ECT quarterfinals – which just happened to be the exact score that the Panthers lost to the Jaguars in the 2024 N2G2 final at Arts - the pain of defeat was certainly still there for the senior standout, but he wasn’t about to dwell on it.
Most importantly it was time to turn the page and remain determined to win the next game - and hopefully several more after that down the stretch of the 2025-2026 campaign - all with the ultimate focus being on finally capturing a N2G2 state sectional title and then an overall Group 2 championship before his senior season comes to an end.
Arts is currently situated in N2G1, so there won’t be another matchup with the Jaguars in the Panthers’ quest for a state championship, but there is still the overriding determination to maintain the No. 1 seed in the current N2G2 field as the power points continue to accumulate through this Saturday’s (Feb. 14) NJSIAA cut-off date for determining the order of teams in the upcoming state tournament.
Group 2 state tourney action commences on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
After he poured in a game-high 30 points to help Newark Collegiate (16-6, 9-0) clinch the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division title with Tuesday night’s come-from-behind 53-45 victory at Caldwell (15-5, 6-3), the athletic 6-foot-2 Solomon emphasized the necessity of moving on from the latest narrow setback at Arts – this time in an ECT Elite 8 showdown - and continuing to go about the business of securing that No. 1 seed in the state tourney field.
“We felt we weren’t supposed to lose that one at Arts, but it’s cool in that we move on to the next game,” he said after scoring 12 of his 30 points in the pivotal fourth quarter when the Panthers outscored the Chiefs, 22-10, to pull away for the key SEC-Liberty Division triumph. “We knew what we had to come into this game and win because we don’t want to lose that No. 1 seed.
“We’ve worked all year for it, and we want to play all those games at home. We’ve lost the last three years and we aren’t losing again.”
Coach Jyron Brooks' Panthers had lost the last time they played on the Caldwell home court, which was three years ago in a narrow 55-53 setback at Caldwell in the 2023 N2G2 state sectional semifinals, a game Solomon did not appear in as a freshman.
The Chiefs proceeded to win the N2G2 title and advance all the way to the overall Group 2 state final at Rutgers finishing as a state runner-up afer a loss vs. state power Manasquan.
Newark Collegiate has defeated the Chiefs twice since their March, 2023 sectional semifinal contest, including 51-38, in the first round of the 2024 ECT, and – more recently - 52-42, in a Jan. 13th conference clash in Newark.
Still, winning in their return to Caldwell on Tuesday night was important in simply bouncing back quickly from last Saturday’s ECT setback, and just continuing on the journey to nail down that No. 1 seed in the states.
Caldwell, which is always well prepared behind the guidance of veteran coach Mike Fess, went into the latest showdown with Newark Collegiate minus two starters as senior center and leading scorer Aiden Nienstadt was sidelined with an ankle sprain, and the team’s second-leading scorer, junior guard Joe Diorio, was out sick with an apparent winter cold.
Still, the Chiefs came out with gusto in the first quarter, and actually led by as many as 10 points (17-7) in the final minute of the opening stanza, before Newark Collegiate began to claw back, and then outscored Caldwell, 12-8, in the second quarter to trail by just 25-23, at the half.
The Chiefs, behind the scoring of junior Dan Vybihal, who had 7 of his team-high 19 points in the third quarter, entered the final eight minutes of the contest with a 35-31 lead, and it wasn’t until a Solomon turnaround jump shot tied matters at 35-all with 6:07 remaining, and sophomore Chizitere Meremikwu canned his only basket of the night, a baseline 3-pointer with 5:56 left, that the Panthers finally took the lead at 38-35.
Solomon then scored his team’s next 10 points before sophomore Andre Edwards hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to further seal the deal at 53-45.
“We can’t think anymore about past losses, and we just have to continue to go about our business of doing what we have to do to win that next one in front of us,” said Solomon. “We still have a lot of work ahead, but I have a lot of confidence in my teammates in helping us get the job done in the states this time.”
NOTES- Newark Collegiate fell at Madison, 56-50, in last season’s N2G2 semifinals…The Panthers have fortified themselves by facing a strong non-conference schedule, including games against state-ranked teams in Christian Brothers Academy, defending Group 1 state champion Thrive Charter, Elizabeth and SEC neighbor Seton Hall Prep. They also had a narrow 56-51 setback to a strong Colonia squad on Feb. 4…Newark Collegiate’s final SEC-Liberty Division game will be next Tuesday night (Feb. 17) at home vs. Brick City rival Central…Caldwell, which is currently No. 6 in the N2G2 field, will attempt to move up in terms of accumulating more power points, with upcoming independent games slated vs. Union City on Friday (Feb. 13) and Hillsborough, which visits the Chiefs 11:30 a.m. Saturday…Solomon was very efficient at the charity stripe connecting on 9 of his 10 free throw attempts on the night…As a team Newark Collegiate was a superb 13-of-16 from the line…The Panthers’ 6-4 senior forward Kyree Vickers had a solid performance with 13 points and 10 rebounds…Caldwell senior forward Brad Pankiewicz was also superb off the backboards with 9 rebounds to go along with his 6 points…Among the fans taking in Tuesday night’s action in the Caldwell gym were former high school coaches Mike Tierney (Parsippany-Bloomfield-West Essex), Pat Brunner (Verona-Elizabeth-Bloomfield) and Ted Fiore (Our Lady of the Valley and Cedar Grove). Fiore, who has two granddaughters on Caldwell’s girls basketball team, also coached at St. Peter’s University and Montclair State.
Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division action, Tuesday, Feb. 10:
NEWARK COLLEGIATE (16-6, 9-0) 11 12 8 22 -53
CALDWELL (15-5, 6-3) 17 8 10 10 -45
Newark Collegiate: Jayden Solomon 9-1-9-30, Mohammed Yahya 1-0-1-3, Alieu Kelleh 1-0-0-2, Kyree Vickers 6-0-1-13, Chizitere Meremikwu 0-1-0-3, Andre Edwards 0-0-2-2, Isiah Christmas 0-0-0-0 Totals: 17-2-13-53
Caldwell: Ryan Keenan 2-0-2-6, Nico Sozio 1-0-3-5, Brad Pankiewicz 1-0-4-6, Dan Vybihal 7-1-2-19, Frank Anemone 3-0-0-6, Michael Arvanites 0-1-0-3, Leo Szostak 0-0-0-0 Totals: 14-2-11-45
Top 8 In N2G2 Power Points Entering Week: 1-Newark Collegiate; 2-Lyndurst, 3-Ridgefield Park, 4-Madison, 5-Hackettstown, 6-Caldwell, 7-Bernards, 8-Weequahic
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