Hall again hits the big shot as Woodstown gets back on track with a tight win over Pennsville; Ballard makes four late FTs to lift Penns Grove, Salem stages big fourth-quarter rally
MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY BOYS SCORES
Penns Grove 51, Overbrook 48
Clayton 83, Salem Tech 57
Glassboro 68, Schalick 42
Salem 64, Wildwood 57
Woodstown 60, Pennsville 57
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The Woodstown basketball team needed a win in the worst of ways. That it came against a heated rival only made it better.
M.J. Hall hit a game-tying free throw with 38 seconds to play and then nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to lift Woodstown over Pennsville 60-57 to get back on track after two crushing losses.
The Wolverines started the season 4-0, but their fortunes changed when the calendar did. They started the new year by letting a double-digit lead against Penns Grove get away under a hail of turnovers and then losing a low-scoring three-point game to Delsea 24 hours later.
But they were determined to get back on track and Hall, a junior guard with a history of picking the Eagles apart, made it happen.
“It’s a brotherhood and for us to be down in a situation like this after coming off an 0-2 week is just a blessing to have,” Hall said. “Going through the shot with the ball in your hand on the last possession is always a nervous wreck, but to come through and get us back on a winning streak hopefully is a blessing.
“We all play a part. Rocco (String) getting fouled out had us nervous, but we just found a way to come through and pull off the win and send a statement to anybody else.”
The end of the game was eerily similar to the one the Wolverines won here last year when Hall hit the game-winning shot from in front of the Woodstown bench with time running out.
The Wolverines opened a 20-5 lead early in the second quarter and the way things were going felt they had a real opportunity to push the lead to 25 or 30 before halftime. But Pennsville, showing shades of Penns Grove’s rally Thursday night, chipped away on the front end to get within eight and then got back in the game altogether with the final nine points of the half.
The Eagles did take the lead early in the third quarter when Daniel Saulin converted a long pass from Jayden Thomas into a layup to make it 33-32. The game stayed tight the rest of the night and was tied at 45 going into the fourth quarter.
“We talk about the hope that we keep for ourselves and the hope we shouldn’t give the other teams,” Woodstown coach Phil Campbell said. “We gave them some hope there before halftime and they made a game of it.”
Malik Rehmer hit two free throws with 1:13 left off the play that fouled String out to put Pennsville up for the last time 57-56. Woodstown, now without its big man in the game, called time with 1:08 left to set up a play. The Wolverines worked it around and Hall was fouled by Saulin.
Hall hit the first of the two free throws to tie the game. He missed the second shot and Saulin rebounded, but Hall snuck around to steal it back and the Wolverines immediately called time again with 33.8 left.
The plan was to work it around to about 15 seconds and get it to Garrett Leyman. They did, but the Eagles sealed off his drive to the basket. Instead of forcing something, Leyman smartly kicked it out to Hall, who drained the go-ahead 3 from the far left side of the floor.
Last year Hall hit the winning 3 from the right corner after the Eagles missed a potential game-winning layup just seconds earlier.
“We talk a lot about inside-out 3-pointers are the best shot you can take,” Campbell said. “They’re the highest percentage 3 in the country, inside-out, and that was exactly what he got. He’s a good shooter, especially in that kind of position.”
It just had to be Hall. In two career games in Pennsville, he has scored 23 points and hit two game-winning shots.
“To hit a shot like that, big, it’s fun,” he said.
“He just seems to flip the switch here in Pennsville,” sophomore guard Blake Bialecki said. “He always seems to play good here.”
Hall finished with 11 points. Bialecki led the Wolverines with 26 points, including five 3-pointers.
Hall’s big shot may have given the Wolverines the lead, but it still wasn’t over. Pennsville called time with 4.4 seconds left to set up the tying shot. They set the play in motion, but Luke Wood stepped on the sideline trying to rush up the floor for a 3.
Wood led Pennsville with 19 points and moved inside 50 points of 1,000. He had 12 points during the Eagles’ second-quarter comeback, but fell ill during halftime and missed the first four minutes of the third quarter. Saulin had 14 points and six rebounds. Rehmer had 13 points and nine boards.
“We played good team ball tonight, it was just unfortunate that we got nearly home and we just … two plays either way and we win that game,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “I’m not discouraged whatsoever. The kids decided the game and tonight the Woodstown team was a play better than us.”
WOODSTOWN 60, PENNSVILLE 57
WOODSTOWN (5-2) — Manny Ortega 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 10 1-2 26, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0, M.J. Hall 4 1-2 11, Garrett Leyman 1 2-2 4, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 4 0-0 10, Rocco String 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 4-6 60.
PENNSVILLE (4-4) — Mason O’Brien 1 0-0 2, Luke Wood 7 2-4 19, Cohen Petrutz 2 0-0 4, Peyton O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Jayden Thomas 0 0-0 0, Malik Rehmer 3 6-7 14, Daniel Saulin 6 2-3 14. Totals 21 10-14 57.
| Woodstown | 16 | 16 | 13 | 15 — | 60 |
| Pennsville | 5 | 23 | 17 | 12 — | 57 |
Technical fouls: Thomas. Fouled out: String. Total fouls: Woodstown 12, Pennsville 8. Officials: Panko, Popper, Johnson.
PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48: Mekhi Ballard seems to be back in the groove and that’s a good thing for the Red Devils.
Ballard hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory and send the Red Devils into a four-way tie for first in the Tri-County Diamond Division.
“He’s our most experienced player who was off to a slow start, but has come up big the last two games,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “He had seven fourth-quarter points against Woodstown and then four big free throws today in the fourth. He’s starting to find his rhythm.”
Both pairs of free throws came after Overbrook scored to cut into the Red Devils’ lead. The first set pushed the lead to four. The Rams hit a 3 on the next trip down the floor and then he made two more to make it a three-point game. Overbrook had a shot at the buzzer for the tie but missed.
Ballard finished with 13 points to lead three Red Devils scorers in double figures. Giomar Conrad had 12 and Mr Peterson 10. Yes, the name is Mr, as in Mister.
“My dad told me a long time ago it was because when anybody talks to me he wants them to respect my name,” Peterson explained.
It’s the same reason Mr. T explained his name is Mr. T.
PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48
OVERBROOK (5-3) — Shaun Mills 1 4 6, Chris Grier 6 9 24, Amare Kee 1 0 3, Lamar Little 1 0 2, Kevin Satchell 1 0 3, Xavier Wright 2 1 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0 2, Jaden St. John 0 3 3. Totals 13 17 48.
PENNS GROVE (4-5) — Brandon Robbins 0 0 0, Roman Gipson 2 3 7, Giomar Conrad 5 1 12, KaRon Ceaser 0 1 1, Willie Slocum 1 2 4, Mehki Ballard 3 6 13, Camren Thompson 1 0 2, Khiry Higgs 1 0 2, Mr Peterson 5 0 10. Totals 18 13 51.
| Overbrook | 9 | 7 | 17 | 15 — | 48 |
| Penns Grove | 13 | 11 | 11 | 16 — | 51 |
SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57: Freshman Tymear Lecator had the best game of his career, leading three Salem scorers in double figures, and the Rams went an amazing 18-for-18 from the free throw line.
The Rams trailed by 12 in the third quarter and staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to win their third game in a row.
“I don’t know how we did it, but we pulled it off,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said.
Lecator, a transfer from Winslow, scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Anthony Farmer had 19 points and was 11-for-11 from the line. Paul Weathers posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57
WILDWOOD (6-4) — Junior Hans 4 7-8 16, Ryan Troiano 3 0-1 7, Jordan Fusi 3 1-1 12, Brian Cunniff 7 3-3 17, Josh Pintella 0 0-0 0, Harley Buscham 0 0-0 0, Lukas Basile 0 1-2 1, James Wyers 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 12-15 57.
SALEM (4-2) — Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Anthony Farmer 4 11-11 19, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 4, Paul Weathers 6 3-3 16, Tymear Lecator 7 4-4 21, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 18-18 64.
| Wildwood | 14 | 21 | 13 | 9 — | 57 |
| Salem | 11 | 15 | 18 | 20 — | 64 |
GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42: Charles Graves scored 21 of his career-high 45 points in the first quarter and helped the Bulldogs (4-4) pull away from a one-point game in the final 2:30 of the quarter to take control.
The Bulldogs hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter; Graves had four of them. He’s gone for 20 or more in six of his last seven games, averaging 26.0 a game in that stretch. He’s averaging 23.7 for the season.
GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42
SCHALICK (3-4) — Nylan Sutton 2 0-2 4, Jordan Johnson 1 2-2 5, Reggie Allen 9 2-6 21, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Daniel Lis 4 1-2 10, Jake Siedlecki 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 6-14 42.
GLASSBORO (4-4) — Charles Graves 18 5-8 45, Clinton Suggs 2 3-3 7, Michael Dougherty 3 1-2 10, Josh Buff 1 0-0 2, William Goggans 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 9-13 68.
| Schalick | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 — | 42 |
| Glassboro | 29 | 15 | 15 | 9 — | 68 |
CLAYTON 83, SALEM TECH 57
SALEM TECH (0-8) — Antoine Robinson 1 2-4 4, Chase Wills 5 2-2 12, Tyler Zampino 2 1-2 5, Josh Muntz 0 0-0 0, Haneef Frisby 5 1-2 11, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 4, Gio Holmes 4 0-0 10, Daviontae Russell 2 4-6 9. Totals 21 10-14 55.
CLAYTON (2-7) — Dillon Jones 3 0-2 6, Princeton Sackor 6 4-6 20, Nazir Davis 9 2-5 23, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Michael Akosah 0 1-2 1, Demetris Williams 5 3-8 13, Jon Cox 1 1-1 3, Ashaud Hines 4 0-2 8, Chimali Mitchell 1 0-0 3, Mason Gable 1 0-0 3. Totals 31 11-26 83.
| Salem Tech | 5 | 11 | 27 | 14 — | 57 |
| Clayton | 22 | 16 | 17 | 28 — | 83 |
Tri-County Conference
| DIAMOND | ALL | DIV | CLASSIC | ALL | DIV |
| Woodstown | 5-2 | 2-1 | Pitman | 8-2 | 3-0 |
| Overbrook | 5-3 | 2-1 | Gloucester Cath. | 6-3 | 2-1 |
| Glassboro | 4-4 | 2-1 | Salem | 4-3 | 2-1 |
| Penns Grove | 4-5 | 2-1 | Wildwood | 6-4 | 2-2 |
| Pennsville | 4-4 | 1-2 | Clayton | 2-7 | 1-3 |
| Schalick | 3-4 | 0-3 | Salem Tech | 0-8 | 0-3 |
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