Somebody clearly forgot to tell the Verona boys basketball team that West Essex was favored to take today’s game.
True, Verona was coming off a strong win over Solomon Schechter (recently renamed the Golda Och Academy) on Tuesday, and the team started the season with a 44-22 romp over Glen Ridge. The Knights, meanwhile, have had a tough start, falling to both Newark Academy and Montclair Kimberley Academy. But West Essex has been a key opponent for Verona in the past and today, the two teams were shot for shot for most of the game.
In the end, Verona pulled out the win 50-47 and there were at least four very good reasons why: Luke Sniatkowski, Bobby Kaslander, Anthony Huber and Brian Farrell. Luke Sniatkowski, the younger of the two Sniatkowski brothers on the team, led his squad with 18 points, followed by 12 for Kaslander and 10 apiece for Farrell and Huber.
The final seconds of the game belonged to Huber, who seems to have caught fire this season. With the score 48-47, Huber was fouled. He stepped to the line to take the front end of a 1-and-1, while the Verona defense dropped back to prevent a 3-point shot that would have won the game for West Essex. Huber calmly nailed both shots, as you can see in the video below.
Verona plays next on Monday at 5 p.m. in the Holiday Tournament at Caldwell College.
