Schalick girls draw some positives from their loss to Gloucester, boys get first road win since February 2021
TUESDAY BASKETBALL
Girls
Gloucester 33, Schalick 24
Boys
Schalick 47, Cape May Tech 35
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls basketball team’s approach hasn’t changed even if the calendar has turned the page to a new year. Their goal remains to continue to improve every game.
A nine-point loss in their first game of the new year – 33-24 to Gloucester Tuesday – may not appear to have done anything to further that agenda, but there were several positive takeaways hidden within the setback.
“I told them this isn’t a game to hang your head,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “It’s a tough loss, but we played astronomically better on defense today. We played with energy.
“Even before I said anything Cianna (Gaines), one of our team captains, stepped in and said even though it’s a loss it’s a confidence booster because we showed flashes of the way we played. It definitely feels good as a coach to have players step up and speak, especially in that regard. I think they’re coming to the realization of what they’re capable of doing if we can put together four full quarters of basketball.”
Among the positives, the Cougars (1-3) scored 20 points in the second half and were outscored by only two. They cut a nine-point halftime deficit to four with 1:25 left in the third quarter and had a chance to make it a one-point game going into the fourth when Cali Fisler was fouled on a 3-point shot right before the horn, but she made only one of the three free throws.
The Lady Lions (4-3) opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run to retake the momentum.
“The second half, you can’t complain about putting 20 points on the board in a half,” Whelan said. “There are a lot of good things to come out of this loss and that’s with missing two key pieces to our team. We just want to continue to grow.”
Of course, they still have things to clean up. The Cougars lost under the weight of 52 turnovers, off which Gloucester scored 29 of its points. They scored only four points in the first half.
Part of their troubles can be attributed to their inexperience. It didn’t help they were missing two key players. Taylor Sparks has been out all season after hurting her knee in the final scrimmage; the Cougars are hopeful she’ll return Friday. Point guard Abby Willoughby also missed the game, having sprained an ankle in a basketball-related activity over the holidays.
With Willoughby on the mend, it felt to Fisler to handle the point and Whelan said the sophomore did a “fantastic” job. Fisler led the Cougars with 11 points, all of them coming in the second half. Ava Scurry had six points and nine rebounds.
GLOUCESTER 33, SCHALICK 24
GLOUCESTER (4-3) – Bailey Schoenfieldt 5 0-0 11, Valerie Hatterer 2 1-2 5, Maya Beringer 2 0-0 4, Elizabeth Shultes 0 2-4 2, Victorina Serrano 0 0-0 0, Logan Thomson 2 3-4 7, Kierstynn O’Donnell 1 2-6 4. Totals 12 8-15 33.
SCHALICK (1-3) – Carly Vicente 2 1-6 5, Cali Fisler 4 3-5 11, Madison Brown 0 0-0 0, Katie Little 0 0-0 0, Ava Scurry 2 2-2 6, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Cianna Gaines 1 0-2 2. Totals 9 6-15 24.
| Gloucester | 6 | 7 | 6 | 14 – | 33 |
| Schalick | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8 – | 24 |
Boys Game
SCHALICK 47, CAPE MAY TECH 35: Daniel Lis scored 14 points and Nylan Sutton had 11 as the Cougars evened their record to 2-2 with their first road win since Feb. 5, 2021 (Woodstown).
It’s the last time they had two wins after four games and marks the earliest they’ve gotten their second win since 2018-19 (Dec. 20). They didn’t get their second win last year until their 14th game, Jan. 24 (Woodstown).
“It’s always nice getting a win in front of your home crowd, but good teams need to find a way to win on the road,” Cougars coach James Turner said.
Lis and Sutton combined for 11 points in the first quarter as the Cougars opened a 13-8 lead. The Cougars were 8-for-14 from the free throw in the fourth quarter to close it out.
SCHALICK 47, CAPE MAY TECH 35
SCHALICK (2-2) – Reggie Allen 3 0-2 7, Nylan Sutton 3 5-8 11, Nasir Sutton 3 2-5 9, Jordan Johnson 1 1-4 3, Dan Lis 4 4-4 14, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 1 1-1 3. Totals 15 13-24 47
CAPE MAY TECH (0-7) – Paul Simmerman 0 0-0 0, Ronnie Neenhola 4 0-0 8, Colin Gery 1 4-6 6, Chance Ginyard 1 0-0 2, Ben Lynch 5 2-3 14, Alec Dooley 0 1-2 1, Tyler Dille 0 2-3 2, Henry O’Brien 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 9-14 35.
| Schalick | 13 | 10 | Cape May Tech | 12 – | 47 |
| Cape May Tech | 8 | 12 | 10 | 5 – | 35 |
Riverview Sports News 