NEWARK- History was made on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Essex County Tournament.

No. 7 seed Newark Tech upset No. 2 seed Newark Academy 51-41, earning a trip to the tournament semifinals. And for the Terriers, it's their first trip to the semifinals in school history, an excited Newark Tech coach Keith Jefferson informed NJ.com on Saturday afternoon.

“Right now, our kids are hungry,” Jefferson said. “They want to win. For our seniors, they made history last year winning a sectional title for the first time and right now our focus is on the county tournament. This is the first time we’ve ever made the semifinals. This is an exciting moment for us.”

And Newark Tech was able to come out on top on Saturday with a stellar defensive performance. Entering today’s contest, Newark Academy senior Jocelyn Willoughby, a Virginia signee, was averaging 23 points per game, but the Terriers held her to 12 points.

“Everyone knows she’s one of the best kids in the state,” Jefferson said. “She’s dangerous with her size and ability. We just tried to limit her the best we could. Keeping her point total down was a focus and we were able to cut it in half. Our team did a really good job defensively.”

Offensively, Newark Tech was led in scoring by sophomore standout Abbey Lawrence, who finished with a game-high 20 points and added seven rebounds. Ny-Asia Anderson added 11 points.

For the Terriers, now 12-10 on the season, this is the team’s eighth-straight victory. The team hasn’t lost a game since Jan. 17 vs. No. 15 Middletown South.

“We’re motivated right now,” Jefferson said. “Our seniors want the season to continue and the team is playing strong overall.”

The Terriers will now face University in the semifinals of the Essex County Tournament. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Weequahic High School.

Braulio Perez may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BraulioEPerez.