Varsity Basketball Strikes Sayreville with Double Wins

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JESSICA PELAEZ '23

Ghelsey Go ’24 receiving the ball from Bonnie Sellers ’23.

VINCENT LIAO '24

On Saturday, January 14, the Eagles defeated the Sayreville Bombers in both the home and away games. On the home court, the girls varsity basketball team won 53–15, while the boys won 60–45 at the away game.

Recovering quickly from their heart-wrenching first loss of the season in their previous game against Monroe, the girls basketball team came back strong and determined—as exhibited in their first match after the loss. 

In the game against Sayreville, Trista Whitney ‘26, the promising freshman, scored a total of eighteen points, followed by Keisha Ortiz ‘23 with eleven points. They alone, however, could not have scored and led Edison to victory without the help from the rest of the team. 

Most notable were Olivia Smart ‘25 and Ghelsey Go ‘24. Throughout the game, Smart secured ten rebounds, and Go had over five steals alongside multiple assists. They helped the team gain possession of the ball and stay on the offensive while preventing the opponent from scoring. 

And the result of their hard work and coordination? The team outscored Sayreville in every quarter except the last, winning the game with a whopping thirty-eight point lead. The win allowed the girls to extend their lead as first in the White Division.

They alone, however, could not have scored and led Edison to victory without the help from the rest of the team. 

The game at the opponent’s court, though, did not go as smoothly. The boys basketball team had a rocky start, with Sayreville ahead on the scores. Going into halftime, the score was 24–28 with Sayreville in the lead. 

Resilient and perseverant, the Eagles fought back in the third quarter. Edison, tightening their defense, allowed only four points to be scored by Sayreville in the third quarter. With three seconds remaining on the clock for the quarter, Jonathan Baio ‘23 stole the ball, and Ermin Kapo ‘23 went for the dunk. Unfortunately, the buzzer sounded before the dunk was made. Although no points were awarded for the dunk, the momentum certainly swayed the team. 

Entering the fourth quarter a point down (31–32), Robert Roma ‘26 immediately made a three-pointer, tipping the game in favor of Edison. From there, Edison maintained the lead for the remainder of the game and outscored Sayreville 29–13 in the final quarter. 

Two crucial contributors to Edison’s win over Sayreville were Selbin Sabio ‘23 and Kapo. A shooting guard, Sabio scored 25 points—thirteen of which were scored at the free-throw line. By playing aggressively, he was able to draw multiple fouls from the opposing defenders and place them in foul trouble. Not far behind, Kapo, the small forward, also scored fifteen points. Together, the duo scored forty points.

After these wins, the girls stand at 12–1, and the boys are 4–9.

Game statistics are available from NJ.com for the boys and girls teams. 

The livestream replays of the boys and girls games against Sayreville are available on YouTube.