Salem opens big lead in first quarter, but Pitman rallies to claim a two-point win on a pair of Fisicaro free throws with 7.3 seconds left
WEDNESDAY’S BOYS SCORE
Pitman 64, Salem 62
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – It was an early regular-season game on the eve of the winter solstice. A month from now as teams are jockeying for playoff positions people probably won’t even remember it.
But you can bet the Salem Rams won’t forget.
The Rams opened their Tri-County Classic Division schedule Wednesday night in a game as intense as any you’ll find in February and lost to Pitman 64-62 in a game that went down to the wire. Call it a Classic classic.
“As a team we’re obviously disappointed,” Rams senior Jabez DeJesus said. “We knew they were going to come in and punch us right back; they weren’t going to go without a fight.”
It was a game that had everything for the Rams (1-2) and had to have the Panthers (3-0) hurrying to the bus thinking they got away with one.
The Rams had control of the game early, were tied at halftime, rallied from nine down at the start of the fourth to tie the game after Pitman’s star player fouled out, and then lost it at the end.
Pitman’s Michael Fisicaro hit two free throws with 7.3 seconds left to break a 62-all tie. The Rams had two shots at the end to win it or tie it, but Xavier McGriff missed from the right side and Paul Weathers’ turnaround jumper from the foul line with the rebound and Pitman’s Sonny Myers in his face hit off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.
“I was just thinking I’ll make this shot for my team,” Weathers said. “It was really quick.”
The Rams looked like they were going to run the Panthers out of the gym. They jumped out to a 17-2 lead in the first five and a half minutes and led 19-4 with sharp shooting and smothering defense, but then the game started to change.
Salem’s top players started getting in foul trouble, Pitman star Elijah Crispin, Steohen Devanney and Fisicaro started getting involved in the scoring and the Panthers outscored the Rams 46-25 on either side of halftime to take a 53-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
“We started off strong and once the second quarter came we kind of took our foot off the gas, we got too comfortable,” DeJesus said. “We knew they were coming for a run, but still we didn’t do anything defensively to stop it.”
The Rams have won the first quarter in all three of their games this season and the fourth quarter twice, including Wednesday, but it’s been a different story in the second and third. They’ve won only one of the six middle quarters they’ve played – the second quarter against Woodbury – and only that by two points.
“We just have to get better with the middle quarters,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said. “We start off pretty hot and then we finish strong. We’ve just got to get the middle quarters. We’ve got to be able to fight through adversity whatever that may be out there.”
It was a 57-51 game with four minutes left when senior guard Anthony Farmer went on a personal tear and outscored the Panthers 11-5, tying the game three times in the final three minutes. Farmer scored 16 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. DeJesus had 14 (seven in the first quarter) and Weathers had 10 points and 12 boards.
Crispin led four Pitman scorers in double figures with 16 points. He also had eight rebounds and eight assists, but fouled out on an offensive foul at midcourt with 37 seconds left and the Panthers leading by 62-60. Devanney (13 points, 8 rebounds) followed him to the bench 12 seconds later.
So with two of the Panthers’ big weapons now out, the game seemed right for the Rams to get. Farmer tied it on two free throws with 25.4 to play. Fisicaro was fouled by McGriff with 7.3 seconds left and sank what proved to be the winning free throws.
“This game right here is going to stay in my head because I’m disappointed we didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” DeJesus said. “But I’m happy that we have a chance to learn from our mistakes. We’ll see them again in the season.
“We’re not going to let this hang into our heads. We’ve got a whole season left – all the way to the beginning of March.”
PITMAN 64, SALEM 62
PITMAN (3-0) – Peter Kostiuk 2 0-1 4, Stephen Devanney 6 0-0 13, Hudson Rue 0 0-0 0, Elijah Crispin 3 9-14 16, Trey Tinges 0 0-0 0, Chris Wylie 0 0-0 0, Michael Fisicaro 4 4-4 15, Sonny Myers 2 2-3 6, Greg Petersen 3 2-4 10. Totals 20 17-24 64.
SALEM (1-2) – Ramaji Bundy 2 1-2 6, Anthony Farmer 8 8-12 25, Jabez DeJesus 5 2-2 14, Paul Weathers 5 0-1 10, Xavier McGriff 0 0-0 0, Ty Lecator 2 3-5 7, Joe Tunis 0 0-0 0, Davontae Jackson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-22 62.
| Pitman | 7 | 23 | 23 | 11 – | 64 |
| Salem | 19 | 11 | 14 | 18 – | 62 |
| TRI-COUNTY CLASSIC | OVERALL | DIVISION |
| Gloucester Cath. | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Pitman | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Wildwood | 2-1 | 1-0 |
| Salem | 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Clayton | 1-3 | 0-1 |
| Salem Tech | 0-3 | 0-1 |
Cover photo: Two of the premier guards in South Jersey, Salem’s Anthony Farmer (R) and Pitman’s Elijah Crispin, went head-to-head for the first time this season Wednesday night. Farmer brought his team back in the fourth quarter after it lost an early lead, but Crispin got the win.
Riverview Sports News 