The Verona High School girls basketball team won the West Essex Holiday Tournament on Thursday, edging out Caldwell 37-32 for the title. Verona had defeated Cedar Grove 35-23 in the first round of the tournament, which is played between Verona, Caldwell, Cedar Grove and West Essex in the week between Christmas and New Year’s each year.
Emily Baumgard, a senior, was named tournament MVP. She put up 10 points in the Cedar Grove game, and followed that with five three-pointers against Caldwell. There was also strong scoring by Sabine Matta, another senior, and Cali Giacomazza, a sophomore.
The boys team also won their tournament opener against Cedar Grove, 43-28. Alex Rodriguez put up 16 points, with Charles Giacomazza close behind with 11. But they fell 63-46 to a powerhouse Caldwell team in the finals. Sophomore Jack Harmon was the high scorer for Verona in that game, with 13 points.
All of the boys’ games are away next week, while the girls have three home games at home. The boys travel to Newark Tech on Tuesday, Glen Ridge on Thursday and Shabazz on Friday. The girls host the Newark Tech girls on Tuesday, Payne Tech on Thursday and Bloomfield on Saturday.
(Photos copyright Mike Perry. Used by permission)
