Gerald Edwell’s 29 points, 21 rebounds three blocks powered third-seeded Payne Tech to an 86-68 victory over sixth-seeded East Orange in the quarterfinals of the 78th Essex County Tournament in Newark.
Robert Foster added 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Payne Tech (15-5), which jumped out to a 21-13 first quarter lead and never looked back on its way to its 11th-straight win. De’an Armstrong scored 15 points and Jamir Westry had 13 with eight assists and four steals.
Payne Tech plays Arts in the semifinals on Saturday at West Orange. Arts won the lone regular season matchup between the two teams, 59-51, on Dec. 12.
For East Orange (10-11), Elijah Caldwell had 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Davion Cantzater also had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Ryan English scored 19 points with four assists and Amir Rosendary added 11 points and five rebounds.
It was the third time this season that Payne Tech defeated East Orange.
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