Monday’s Essex County Tournament Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday was the second preliminary round of the Essex County Tournament with six games and 12 teams playing. Of the six games, we saw one close matchup, but unfortunately, a number of blowouts in the early stages. Nonetheless, let's take a look at some standout performers from Monday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414419' first='Jada' last='Rodgers'] - Science Park (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Science Park came oh so close to defeating Montclair Kimberley on Monday, thanks in large part to the play of Rodgers, who scored a team-high 16 points in the loss. Rodgers knocked down 3 three-pointers, matching teammate [player_tooltip player_id='583761' first='Daziya' last='Hudson']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='488735' first='Salange' last='Bell'] - Montclair Kimberley (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior posted a career-high in points in the win for Montclair Kimberley, scoring 20 points, her seventh game in double-digits this season. This has been a breakout year for Bell, who is averaging 11.8 PPG for the Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Samiyah Polite - Newark Lab</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was an incredibly impressive performance from Polite in a 64-25 win for Newark Lab, scoring 23 points, almost all of them coming in the interior. It was her third 20+ point game of the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325198' first='Kahmiyah' last='Napier'] - Newark East Side (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Napier has continued to be one of the most dominant players in Essex County this season and had herself quite a game for Newark East Side on Monday, nearly posting a double-double with 19 points, 10 steals and seven rebounds. She also had five assists, her fourth-straight game with at least five assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aubrey Cohen - Livingston (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cohen has made a gradual impact for Livingston in her freshman season, but Monday was arguably her best game of the season, knocking down 3 three-pointers en route to a 10-point night, the joint leader in scoring for the team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niaja Troutman - Newark East Side (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman has been a standout for Newark East Side this season in a dominant win over Technology, she showcased her defensive prowess and offensive skillset, scoring 13 points along with five steals, two rebounds and three assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='583759' first='Savannah' last='Seawell'] - Montclair (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seawell is making a massive statement in her sophomore season as one of the best forwards in the region. Once again, she made her presence felt in a big way, scoring a career-high 28 points over West Caldwell Tech, continuing a streak of 11-straight games in double-figures to start the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='482293' first='Elsa' last='Taylor-Lillquist'] - Montclair (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor-Lillquist is having the breakout season she's been working toward as a senior and what a display she put on against West Caldwell Tech, scoring a career-high 20 points for Montclair. She's averaging 12.6 PPG and 7.5 RPG for the Mounties this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->