Schalick plays one of its most solid games of the year, beats Pennsauken Tech to reach .500 for the third time this season
SATURDAY BOYS BASKETBALL
Schalick 39, Pennsauken Tech 26
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – There’s a different vibe buzzing around the Schalick boys basketball team these days.
Call it a carryover from a very successful football season, one in which many of the players on the basketball team participated in, but there’s regular talk within a program that struggled to win games in the past of .500 records and winning seasons.
“We talk about it all the time in practice,” sophomore guard Jase Volovar said. “This year just felt a lot different. I felt like we were going to do way better.”
The Cougars were better Saturday. They played one of their most solid games of the year on both ends of the floor and beat Pennsauken Tech 39-26.
It was their third win of the season, matching their win total for all of last season (3-20), and more importantly got them back to .500 for the third time this year. The 3-3 record is their best this early in the season since 2015-16 when they were 4-2 on Jan. 5 and 6-2 on Jan. 6 on the way to a 22-8 campaign.
And maybe it’s too early to think about, but they are now No. 18 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.
“It just keeps them more motivated,” Cougars coach James Turner said. “Not winning or you win one game and you lose eight then get one and (lose) another five, it’s hard to keep the kids motivated, hard to keep them locked in.
“I don’t think it’s so much as we already won three games, I think it’s also the idea that we’re a .500 team. They just want to constantly keep that. You want to get that next one. We lost to Pennsville, it was all right, we’ve got to get that back.”
The Cougars didn’t win their third game last year until the 20th game of the year. It took them two years to get that many before that. The last time they won more than three games was 2019-20 when they were 9-17 and that third win didn’t come until Game 12.
“I think this is really good for us,” Volovar said. “It’s going to get us moving a lot and we’re going to want to chase for more.”
Reggie Allen bounced back from a tough game against Pennsville and led the Cougars with a game-high 15 points, including a clutch three-point play in the fourth quarter that ramped up the bench and got the crowd into it. It was his best game since the season opener.
Dan Lis added 12 points and Volovar hit three 3-pointers at key junctures in the game to keep the momentum on the Cougars’ side. One of the treys gave the Cougars a four-point lead and kept the energy up, one beat the buzzer to give them a nine-point halftime lead and the last one sealed the deal.
Nylan Sutton scored only three points after back-to-back games in double figures, but he led the defensive effort with quick hands and deflections.
“Usually we’re our own worst enemy, but overall they played a great offensive and defensive game,” Turner said. “It was a good offensive game because we didn’t force any shots or any passes, we controlled the ball and took care of the ball. Going into today we really wanted to emphasize being patient on offense and not rush passes and wait for the right shot to come.
“And defensively we were able to put pressure on them and get turnovers, which slowed their team down.”
They’re all the things teams that put together winning seasons do.
SCHALICK 39, PENNSAUKEN TECH 26
PENNSAUKEN TECH (3-6) – Naeem Dale 1 0-0 2, Tyrone Baker 2 0-1 6, Omari Spencer 4 2-3 10, Carlos Cruz 0 2-3 2, Xavier Melendez 1 3-5 6, Jahseem Branch 0 0-0 0, Chris Graham 0 0-0 0, James Stout 0 0-2 0. Totals 8 7-14 26.
SCHALICK (3-3) – Reggie Allen 5 3-7 15, Nylan Sutton 1 1-2 3, Dan Lis 3 4-7 12, Jordan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 3 0-0 9. Totals 12 8-16 39.
| Pennsauken Tech | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 – | 26 |
| Schalick | 10 | 14 | 7 | 8 – | 39 |
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