Immaculate Conception boys hoops in foul mood in falling to SH Prep in ECT semis

The Immaculate Conception boys basketball team was in good position in the third quarter against Seton Hall Prep in the Essex County Tournament semifinals.

But the Lions, who split their two contests with Seton Hall Prep before the ECT semis, saw another second half lead go up in smoke.

Immaculate's hopes of reaching the Essex County Tournament title game disappeared with a 51-45 loss to the top-seeded Pirates at West Orange High School on Saturday.

The contest was like the first game between the two teams this season. In that Jan. 21 matchup in the Essex Fest the Lions (16-10) led by 16 at halftime but eventually lost, 61-60, on a buzzer-beater.

In the ECT semifinals, Immaculate held a 30-18 lead halfway through the third quarter.

But both Immaculate big men, sophomore Malachi Arrington and senior Tavian Pullock, got into foul trouble, Seton Hall Prep went on a 13-0 run into the fourth quarter, and the Lions found themselves down 31-30. 

But with the help of Pullock's outside shot, the Lions jumped on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 37-31.

With the Lions in foul trouble, Immaculate head coach Jimmy Salmon tried stalling while on the offensive end. "We tried slowing down the game, and that didn't work," he said.

Salmon said about the final quarter, when the air went out of the ball for Immaculate in the last minutes: "We had trouble scoring."

Arrington would pick up his fourth foul with five minutes left, and Seton Hall Prep would be able to work inside and kick out for open three-point shots. 

Pullock had a game-high 19 points, while junior T.J. Robinson added 10 points.

And Pullock dropped 14 in the second half, but the Lions went cold in the final two minutes.

After the Pirates went ahead 44-43 with 1:48 left in the game, Pullock and Robinson on separate trips could not make shots in the paint.

With Immaculate having to foul and the Lions down 46-43, Pirate Darius Phillips missed two free throws with 48 seconds left, but Seton Hall Prep's Isaiah Shoyombo grabbed the offensive rebound and in turn crushed the Lions’ hopes.

Robinson fouled Ethan Maynard, who made both free throws as the Lions faced a 48-43 deficit with 45 seconds left, and the Pirates would hit their free throws the rest of the way.

For Seton Hall Prep, Maynard and Shawn Lyght had 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Immaculate’s victory this year over Seton Hall Prep came on Feb. 2, a 60-57 win in West Orange. Pullock had a game-high 22 points.

It was the second successive year that the Lions fell in the ECT semifinals. Last season, Immaculate lost to Newark Central in the semis.

Despite seeing its ECT title dreams dashed, Immaculate can win outright the Super Essex Conference American Division title with a victory at West Side on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. The American is the top division in the SEC.

Recently, the Lions defeated West Side, 89-65, in an ECT first-round game on Jan. 28.