Bringing the 3

Girls basketball: Woodstown buried under barrage of Wildwood 3s; fourth quarter goes in opposite directions for Salem, Pennsville; Schalick rolls over Salem Tech

THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Clayton 67, Pennsville 50
Salem 62, Overbrook 44
Schalick 44, Salem Tech 8
Wildwood 84, Woodstown 57

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – The Woodstown girls made the two-hour trip to the shore Thursday for one of their biggest basketball games of the season and when they got there a four-alarm fire broke out.

Now before anyone gets concerned, it wasn’t a physical fire. The venerable old school on Pacific Avenue is still standing. It’s just that the Wildwood team Woodstown played was on fire from behind the 3-point arc the likes of which the Wolverines had never seen before.

The Warriors, the No. 1 team in South Jersey Group I power points, busted 21 3-pointers in the first three quarters and ran past the Wolverines 84-57.

“Cudos to them, but, geez, they even had some of their fans saying we never shoot like that,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “They were like, yeah, we’re good shooters, but what the heck. I was like, what the heck.”

The Warriors (12-3) hit 13 of the deep balls in the first half – and their first eight buckets of the third quarter were 3s. At one point 16 straight of their baskets were 3s. They came from four players – Macie McCracken, Sophia Wilber, Angela Wilber and Rebecca Benichou.

Angela Wilber and McCracken each had seven and finished with 25 and 31 points, respectively. Benichou had six for all 18 of her points. Sophia Wilber hit the first one of the game and it was on. Woodstown hit two 3s in the game.

The Warriors took 42 3-pointers in the game and were hitting from everywhere. When Benichou banked one in from the top of the key early in the third quarter, if you didn’t know it then, you just felt they couldn’t miss. When they shot one and didn’t make, the crowd was disappointed.

And it wasn’t like the Wolverines were just letting them shoot. They actually played good defense denying anything inside, the Warriors just worked it around until they got that outside shot.

“We went through five different defenses and nothing seemed to be it,” Straughn said. “If we guarded them up top, they would hit them on the baseline. If we guarded the baseline, they would hit them at the top of the key. They were just on fire.”

And the Wolverines got enough offense that would have won most of their games, they just couldn’t keep pace with the 3s. Talia Battavio led Woodstown with 18 points and made it a doiuble-double with 10 assists. Megan Donelson had 17 points and Shannon Pierman had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

It was the fifth time this year the Warriors had 10 or more 3s in a game. Their previous single-game high this season was 16 against Clayton. They topped that Thursday midway through the third quarter and showed no signs of stopping. They made it 20 when McCracken hit one from the top of the key with 1:12 left in the third.

The loss snapped Woodstown’s six-game winning streak. The Wolverines (11-3) were third in SJ-I power points entering the game. Curiously, by the end of the game, despite the loss, they had moved up to No. 2 in the power points, but after the results of some other games slipped back to No. 3 behind Woodbury.

“I think they’re pretty accurate right now,” Straughn said. “We’ve beaten some really good teams and they continue to win, so I think that bumped us up. Pennsville and Clayton played tonight; if either one of those teams win we get points because we beat them.

“I would love the No. 1 seed. It would be possible, Wildwood has some tough games and we’ve got some big games coming up. It’s not out of the question, but it’s going to be tough. Either way, I think on February 10 I think it’s going to be Wildwood and us 1 and 2, whichever way it goes. That’s my 99.9 percent promise.”

WILDWOOD 84, WOODSTOWN 57
WOODSTOWN (11-3) – Talia Battavio 7 3-4 18, Megan Donelson 8 0-0 17, Alyssa Baber 2 2-2 6, Shannon Pierman 6 0-0 12, Lauren HEngel 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-6 57.
WILDWOOD (12-3) – Sophia Wilber 1 5-6 8, Angela Wilber 9 0-0 25, Macie McCracken 10 4-8 31, Kaliah Sumlin 1 0-0 2, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Rebecca Benichou 6 0-0 18, Ashley Nagle 0 0-0 0, Mia Cripps 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 9-14 84.

Woodstown	15	12	15	15 –	57
Wildwood	19	34	26	5 –	84

3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Battavio, Donelson); Wildwood 21 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber 7, McCracken 7, Benichou 6). Total fouls: Woodstown 13, Wildwood 8.

SALEM 62, OVERBROOK 44: The Rams erupted for an 18-4 fourth quarter to pull away from a game that was tight for three quarters.

They got six points each from Ryann Foote and Ava Rodgers in the quarter to fuel the flurry. Rogers had 14 points in the second half and led all scorers with 23. Foote finished with 19.

“It was an intense game, back and forth, and they took all the fire and put their foot on their necks and never let go,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said. “We had a conversation at halftime and let them know it was going to be an intense game and it was going to come down to who wants it more. The third quarter I could see the fire coming.”

It was the second game in a row the Rams used a big fourth quarter to pull away. They outscored Pitman 17-6 in the fourth quarter of their last game – and 31-14 in the second half – to stretch a slim halftime lead.

“The last two games it’s been the team I’ve been waiting for and what we had,” Tatem said. “There’s been a lot of communication, a lot of holding each other accountable, a lot of coaching on the floor. They’re pushing each other. It’s beautiful to see we’re hitting that stride as a team.”

OVERBROOK (3-9) – Jael Presley 4 2-5 10, Sarah Evans 2 0-0 6, Lelani Knight 0 0-0 0, Ahlani White 0 0-0 0, Zahaisha Nevius 6 5-16 20, Gianna Simon 3 0-0 6, Nahia Smith 0 0-0 0, Taija Wiggins 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Burkhardt 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 7-21 44.
SALEM (6-8) – Ryann Foote 6 6-7 19, Ava Rodgers 8 7-10 23, Ameriyona Hunter 0 0-2 0, Carlysia Pierce 5 0-0 10, Dahkirah Grey 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Naveah Hickman 1 0-0 2, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0, Madison Dixon 3 0-2 8. Totals 23 13-21 62.

Overbrook	15	12	13	4 –	44
Salem	12	18	14	18 –	62

3-point goals: Overbrook 5 (Evans 2, Nevius 3); Salem 3 (Foote, Dixon 2). Fouled out: Presley. Total fouls: Overbook 20, Salem 18.

SCHALICK 44, SALEM TECH 8: Carly Vicente scored a career-high 14 points and Schalick held the Chargers scoreless in two quarters on the way to their third win in the last four games. Vicente’s previous career high was 13 against LEAP Academy earlier this season.

“She was hitting shots all night,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “It was really good to see her shoot the ball with confidence. She is growing towards her potential of being the scorer we know she can be and showing she can be a major piece of the team. I’m excited to watch her continue to grow.”

SCHALICK (5-7) – Cianna Gaines 2 0-2 4, Taylor Sparks 2 1-2 5, Carly Vicente 6 0-0 14, Abby Willoughby 2 0-0 6, Cali Fisler 4 1-2 9, Kyleigh Cutler 1 0-0 2, Olivia Lunemann 2 0-0 4, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 2-6 44.
SALEM TECH (1-11) – Drummond 1 0-0 2, Hanna DeWitt 1 1-4 3, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-0 3. Totals 3 1-4 8.

Schalick	8	14	8	14 –	44
Salem Tech	0	2	0	6 –	8

3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Vicente 2, Willoughby 2); Salem Tech 1 (Beardsley).

CLAYTON 67, PENNSVILLE 50: The Eagles went shot for shot with the Clippers for three quarters, but ran out of gas in the fourth, had two key players foul out and were outscored 20-4. Taylor Bass had her best game since returning from an injury, leading the Eagles with a season-high 20 points.

Clayton’s Rainelle Blocker led all scorers with 32 points.

PENNSVILLE (6-8) – Taylor Bass 9 2-5 20, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-0 2, Bella Farina 3 0-2 6, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 1 1-5 3, Marley Wood 7 2-2 17, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-14 50.
CLAYTON (7-8) – Jordyn Jones 5 0-1 10, Rainelle Blocker 12 7-12 32, Rosalina Pereira 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 2 4-4 8, Ava Delaney 4 1-5 11, India Williams 0 0-0 0, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, K. Guntner 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-22 67.

Pennsville	10	21	15	4 –	50
Clayton	15	17	13	20 –	67

3-point goals: Pennsville 1 (Wood); Clayton 2 (Blocker, Delaney). Technical fouls: Bass. Fouled out: Farina, Wood, Jones. Total fouls: Pennsville 17, Clayton 17.

Setting the stage

Woodstown, Pennsville pick up wins over larger schools to set the stage for their big match Friday

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Clayton at Salem
Schalick/Cumberland 63, Penns Grove 18
Woodstown 64, Overbrook 15
Pennsville 35, at Timber Creek 27

By Riverview Sports News

Woodstown and Pennsville are big rivals on the wrestling mat and both picked up big wins Wednesday in the run up to their big match on Friday that carries South Jersey Group I playoff seeding implications.

The two teams went into the day Nos. 4 and 5 in the sectional power points standings, separated by only six-tenth of a point at the end of the night. Woodstown beat Group II Overbrook 64-15 and Pennsville beat Group III Timber Creek 35-27.

“The way we kind of see how things are unfolding it could put us in a couple different positions, for sure,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said Friday’s match. “But it always ends up being a big match.”

The Eagles wrestled what Starcevich called “a complete match” against the Chargers, winning the first seven bouts they wrestled and eight of the first nine.

“This was our best performance of the season across the board,” Starcevich said.

Chris Daniels and Ayden Perez got the ball rolling with two of the Eagles’ most noteworthy wins of the match. Daniels bumped up in weight and took a 6-1 decision at 126 and Perez stepped in at 132 and earned a dominating 10-0 major decision.

“That was very big,” Perez said of his fourth varsity win this season. “I haven’t been wrestling for very long, so going to the varsity level is difficult to me, but I’ve been trying to work as hard as I could. This was one of the best (matches) I’ve wrestled.”

Woodstown built a 28-15 lead through the middle of the match, then won the last six bouts – five by pin – to lock up their third straight win. Willem Groom (138), Angel Hernandez (144), Zayden Donahue (157), Zach Bevis (165) and Greyson Hyland (175) had the pins in the run.

“The kids are trying their best and improving,” Woodstown coach Adam Hyland said. “We’ve lost a lot of close matches, but they’ve stayed the course.”

PENNSVILLE 35, TIMBER CREEK 27
126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Naim Mosley, 6-1
132: Ayden Perez (P) maj. dec. over Dominick Wolfenden, 10-0
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Joey Walker, 3:46
144: Maddox Efelis (P) dec. Eric Rambaran, 6-1
150: Sky Eppes (P) won by forfeit
157: Gavin Bates (T) won by forfeit
165: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Zyeir Green, 5-4
175: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Elijah Green, 9-1
190: Elias Lussi (P) dec. Amir Reason-Dallas, 9-4
215: Josh Bartell (T) dec. Daniel Emmons, 5-0
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Jayson Ross, 0:31
106: Lucas Thomas (P) dec. Dominic Speakman, 5-3
113: Matthew Steele (T) pinned Ciccantelli, 0:58
120: Devin Karge (T) won by forfeit
Records: Pennsville 13-4, Timber Creek 7-6

WOODSTOWN 64, OVERBROOK 15
190: Karsten Hantho (Wo) pinned Daniel Keyes, 2:47
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Augustus Guzman, 0:29
285: Tomas Sanchez (O) pinned Braiden Gould, 5:56
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Zoe Torraya (O) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Michael Walls, 5:07
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) maj. dec. over Francis McLaughlin, 8-0
132: Michael Rosano (O) dec. Alex Torres, 7-1
138: Willem Groom (Wo) pinned Domiano Redrow, 2:25
144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Tymere Christmas, 3:52
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) won by forfeit
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Randall Ringstaff, 1:09
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Ben Matos, 1:52
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Vance Elder, 1:08
Records: Woodstown 6-10, Overbrook 4-11

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 63, PENNS GROVE 18
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit
120: Gabrielle Rodriguez (SC) pinned Sultan Harris, 1:29
126: Chase Wiliams (SC) pinned Devin Arce, 0:55
132: Ryan Miller (SC) pinned Raeed Clark, 3:10
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Adam Gonzales, 0:38
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) maj. dec. over Nasir Garris, 18-5
150: Anthony Brown (PG) pinned Riley Papiano, 0:45
157: Michael Carastro (SC) pinned Jayden Owens, 3:07
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Antonio Garris, 3:13
175: Hebron Hall-Jones (SC) over Clinton Bobo, DQ
190: Isaiah Upshur (PG) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 1:06
215: Isaiah Underwood (PG) pinned Evan Elliott, 5:54
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Antonio Cooper, 1:59
Note: SC 1.0 team deduction (157 unsportsmanlike conduct)
Records: Schalick/Cumberland 11-4, Penns Grove 3-6

South Jersey Power Points

GROUP I	REC	PTS	GROUP IV	REC	PTS
Paulsboro	10-2	30.3	N. Burlington	10-1	29.2
Audubon	10-5	27.4	Hammonton	11-5	27.8
Gloucester	8-6	27.4	Cherry Hill-West	9-6	27.2
Woodstown	6-10	27.2	Shawnee	8-4	27.1
Pennsville	13-4	26.6	Moorestown	9-7	27.1
Palmyra	12-6	26	Schalick	10-4	25.9
Haddon Twp.	6-9	24.6	Millville	8-7	25.3
Pitman	6-6	23.1	Central Reg.	8-11	25.2
Buena	3-7	21	Pennsauken	7-9	24.1
Maple Shade	4-8	20.8	Toms River East	3-8	24.1
Penns Grove	3-5	20.29	Clearview	5-7	23.6
Burlington City	4-7	15.4	Toms River South	5-5	22.4
Riverside	1-12	15	West Tech	5-11	21.8
Salem	0-4	9.75	Winslow	4-13	20.6

Through matches of Jan. 24. Eight teams qualify for sectional tournament.

Tuesday girls basketball

Here are the scores and box scores from Tuesday night’s Salem County girls basketball games; Woodstown wins sixth in a row, and more

TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Penns Grove at Glassboro, ppd.
Overbrook 42, Pennsville 34
Salem 49, Pitman 28
Gloucester Catholic 71, Salem Tech 10
Woodstown 69, Schalick 17

WOODSTOWN 69, SCHALICK 17
WOODSTOWN (11-2) — Talia Battavio 7 0-0 17, Megan Donelson 6 0-0 14, Gianna Mairoini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 3 0-0 9, Shannon Pieman 4 4-5 12, Lauren Hengel 4 0-2 8, Emma Perry 2 1-2 5, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, K. Young 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 5-9 69.
SCHALICK (4-7) — Ava Scurry 3 0-0 6, Cianna Gaines 0 1-4 1, Taylor Sparks 1 0-0 2, Abby Willoughby 0 2-2 2, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 2 0-0 4, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Danae Woodson-Cain 1 0-0 2, E. O’Neill 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-6 17.

Woodstown	29	13	23	4 —	69
Schalick	0	9	4	4 —	17

3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Battavio 3, Donelson 2, Baber 3). Total fouls: Woodstown 6, Schalick 9. Notes: Woodstown, ranked No. 10 in the latest SJIBT rankings (its highest ever), has won six in a row. Donelson is now 106 points shy of 1,000, Battavio needs 111.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 71, SALEM TECH 10

Salem Tech (1-10)	0	3	5	2 —	10
Gloucester Catholic (11-4)	23	12	20	16 —	71

Tri-County Conference

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Wildwood	11-3	5-0	Woodstown	11-2	5-0
Gloucester Cath.	11-4	3-1	Pennsville	6-7	3-2
Pitman	7-3	2-1	Glassboro	6-5	2-2
Clayton	6-8	2-3	Penns Grove	6-5	2-2
Salem	4-8	1-3	Schalick	4-7	1-4
Salem Tech	1-10	0-5	Overbrook	3-8	1-4

Tuesday basketball

Here are the scores and box scores from Tuesday night’s Salem County basketball games; Penns Grove falls at buzzer, Pitman’s Crispin goes over 1,000 in shootout with Salem’s Farmer, and more

TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Glassboro 61, Penns Grove 60
Gloucester Catholic 72, Salem Tech 53
Overbrook 65, Pennsville 33
Pitman 71, Salem 60
Woodstown 53, Schalick 30

PITMAN 71, SALEM 60
SALEM (7-6) — Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 3, Anthony Farmer 8 9-10 29, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 4, Paul Weathers 4 1-4 9, Tymear Lecator 4 4-4 15, Donavon Weathers 0 0-0 0, Antwone Rogers 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-18 60.
PITMAN (11-4) — Porter Kostiuk 2 3-4 7, Stephen Devanney 2 0-2 5, Hudson Rue 1 3-4 5, Elijah Crispin 10 14-16 36, Trey Tinges 0 0-0 0, Michael Fisicaro 5 1-2 13, Sonny Myers 2 1-2 5, Greg Peterson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 22-30 71.

Salem	17	17	14	12 —	60
Pitman	16	22	14	19 —	71

3-point goals: Salem 8 (Bundy, Farmer 4, Lecator 3); Pitman 5 (Devanney, Crispin 2, Fisicaro 2). Technical fouls: Salem bench 2, Farmer. Total fouls: Salem 21, Pitman 16. Notes: Pitman’s Crispin scored 36 points and hit the 1,000-career point mark with a 3-pointer in the second quarter. Farmer led Salem with 29 points and moved within 83 of the milestone.

WOODSTOWN 53, SCHALICK 30
SCHALICK (5-6) — Levi Freeney-Childers 4, Dan Lis 6, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 7, Jake Siedlecki 5, Nasir Sutton 4, Sherrod Jones 2.
WOODSTOWN (7-5) — Manny Ortega 0, Blake Bialecki 8, Alejandro Vazquez 7, M.J. Hall 19, Connor Sanderson-Dick 0, Garrett Leyman 5, Anthony Bokolas 2, Max Webb 0, Rocco String 8, Elijah Caesar 4.

Schalick (5-6)	2	6	15	7 —	30
Woodstown (7-5)	11	10	15	17 —	53

3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Lis, Ny. Sutton 2, Siedlecki); Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez, Hall 2).

GLASSBORO 61, PENNS GROVE 60
GLASSBORO (7-7) — Xavier Sabb 3-4-10, Charles Graves 10-7-28, Clinton Suggs 2-4-8, Michael Dougherty 0-1-1, Josh Buff 3-0-8, Jayce Grays 3-0-6, Aiden Harris 0-0-0. Totals 21-16-61.
PENNS GROVE (5-9) — Brandon Robbins 0-0-0, Roman Gipson 0-1-1, Giomar Conrad 6-3-20, Karon Ceaser 2-0-5, Willie Slocum 0-0-0, Mehki Ballard 8-1-22, Camren Thompson 0-0-0, Khiry Higgs 0-0-0, Mr Peterson 4-0-8, Dameon Wilson 2-0-4. Totals 22-5-60.

Glassboro	13	11	19	18 —	61
Penns Grove	19	12	15	14 —	60

3-point goals: Glassboro 3 (Graves, Buff 2); Penns Grove 11 (Conrad 5, Ceaser, Ballard 5) Notes: Charles Graves hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Penns Grove to its second heartbreaking loss in as many days. The Red Devils were up three with a minute to play.

OVERBROOK 65, PENNSVILLE 33
PENNSVILLE (5-9) — Luke Wood 7, Malik Rehmer 3, Daniel Saulin 4, Jayden Thomas 13, Mason O’Brien 6.
OVERBROOK (11-4) — Lamar Little 2 0-0 5, Chris Grier 1 0-2 2, Amare Kee 2 0-0 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 6 0-0 14, Tory Scott 2 0-0 4, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Kevin Satchell 2 1-1 5, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0, Nic Johnson 7 2-4 18. Totals 27 3-7 65.

Pennsville	7	11	7	8 —	33
Overbrook	22	9	17	17 —	65

3-point goals: Overbrook 8 (Little, Keeper, Mills 2, Green 2, Johnson 2). Notes: Pennsville dropped its third straight, all Tri-County Diamond Division games.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 72, SALEM TECH 53
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (8-5) — Carlos Mendez 4 0-0 8, Trey Battle 4 3-3 11, Ehthan Dugue 2 2-2 6, JonCarlo Coia 0 0-0 0, Nick Calzonetti 3 0-0 9, Kyle Guldin 7 1-4 15, Jack Pund 1 0-0 3, Jack Mustaro 8 1-1 17, Henry Pancoast 0 0-0 0, Billy Ginipro 0 0-0 0, Danny Zellner 0 0-0 0, Mendez 1 0-0 3. Totals 30 7-10 72.
SALEM TECH (1-11) — Chase Wills 5 1-1 12, Haneef Frisby 4 0-2 8, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 5, Daviontae Russell 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 3-6 6, Tyler Zampino 3 1-2 8, Antoine Robinson 2 3-4 8, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 12-21 53.

Gloucester Catholic	19	21	22	10 —	72
Salem Tech	14	11	11	17 —	53

3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 5 (Calzonetti 3, Pund, Mendez); Salem Tech 5 (Wills, Hayes, Muntz, Zampino, Robinson). Total fouls: Gloucester Catholic 15, Salem Tech 12.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSIC	ALL	DIV	DIAMOND	ALL	DIV
Pitman	11-4	5-0	Overbrook	11-4	5-1
Wildwood	9-6	4-2	Glassboro	7-7	5-1
Gloucester Cath.	8-5	4-3	Penns Grove	5-9	3-2
Salem	7-6	3-3	Woodstown	7-5	3-3
Clayton	3-11	1-4	Pennsville	5-9	1-5
Salem Tech	1-11	0-5	Schalick	5-6	0-5

First-time winners

Both Salem Tech teams charge into the win column with their first victories of the season; includes other county boys and girls games

MONDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Schalick 42, Clayton 35
Glassboro 74, Pennsville 54
Salem Tech 55, Camden Tech 45
Gloucester Catholic 53, Salem 50
Clearview 58, Penns Grove 56

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The third time, they say, is the charm and it was for the Salem Tech basketball team Monday night.

Playing Camden Tech for the third time this season, the Chargers had a pretty good idea of what their opponent was all about. They used those experiences to good form, especially in the fourth quarter, and pulled out a 55-45 victory for their first win of the season.

“We’ve still got work to do, but I’m very proud of them,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said. “They showed me grit tonight.”

It was a good night all around for the Chargers. Their girls team also picked up their first win of the season, beating Camden Academy Charter 41-28.

The boys teams played in a pre-season scrimmage and a game in the ACIT Holiday Tournament.

On this night, the Chargers used a balanced scoring attack and a big fourth quarter on both ends of the floor to snap their 10-game season-opening losing streak.

“We knew what they had and they knew what we had,” Riley said. “The big message was lock in on defense and capitalize at the rim when we took it. Defensively, they locked in in the first quarter and the fourth quarter.”

The Chargers grabbed a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, but Camden Tech battled back and carried the lead into the fourth. But the Chargers bowed up again and outscored their visitors 24-6 in the final eight minutes.

They were down five with three minutes to play and dug deeper to close it out.

Four Chargers scored in double figures with Antoine Robinson and Wills scoring 14 apiece. Robinson had eight in the fourth quarter and Wills had six. Haneef Frisby had six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.

CAMDEN TECH (5-8) – Frankie Clas 0 0-0 0, Sal Algeri 3 0-0 6, Isaiah Haynes 0 0-2 0, Alex Ojeda 1 0-0 2, Evan Brummel 5 0-1 11, Jamal Sosa 0 0-0 0, Xavier Figueroa 4 0-0 9, Mekhi Harper 4 1-3 9, Elijah Franks 1 0-0 2, Charles Barbour 0 0-0 0, Shareef Cox 3 0-0 6. Totals 21 1-6 45.
SALEM TECH (1-10) – Chase Wills 7 0-3 14, Haneef Frisby 4 3-4 11, Josh Muntz 3 3-6 10, Tyler Zampino 3 0-1 6, Antoine Robinson 6 2-4 14. Totals 23 8-18 55.

Camden Tech	4	16	19	6 –	45
Salem Tech	10	14	7	24 –	55

3-point goals: Camden Tech 2 (Brummel, Figueroa); Salem Tech 1 (Muntz). Fouled out: Cox. Total fouls: Camden Tech 23, Salem Tech 16.

CLEARVIEW 58, PENNS GROVE 56: Daulton Phalines’ layup with 12 seconds left broke a 56-56 tie and the Pioneers held their breath down the stretch.

The Red Devils had two shots in the closing seconds to either take the lead or tie it. Mekhi Ballard, who had the hot hand all night, missed an open 3 and Willie Slocum’s tip at the buzzer didn’t fall.

Ballard hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the game and led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, his third career 20-point game and first since February 2022. Kaprice Stewart led Clearview with 18. Phalines finished with 16.

PENNS GROVE (5-8) – Roman Gipson 4 0-0 8, Giomar Conrad 5 0-0 10, Karon Ceaser 2 1-2 6, Willie Slocum 3 2-2 8, Mekhi Ballard 7 2-2 22, Mr Peterson 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 5-6 56.
CLEARVIEW (7-6) – Kaprice Stewart 6 4-6 18, Daulton Phalines 8 0-1 16, Michael Guy 1 1-2 3, Jake Slotter 2 0-0 5, Russ Manel 4 0-0 9, Jonah Turner 3 1-3 7. Totals 24 6-12 58.

Penns Grove	11	15	14	16 –	56
Clearview	18	13	4	23 –	58

3-point goals: Penns Grove 7 (Ceaser, Ballard 6); Clearview 4 (Stewart 2, Slotter, Manel).

GLASSBORO 74, PENNSVILLE 54: Charles Graves and Clinton Suggs each scored 22 points and Xavier Sabb had a double-double to lead the Bulldogs. Jayden Thomas and Luke Wood had 12 points apiece for Pennsville.

PENNSVILLE (5-8) – Luke Wood 4 2-2 12, Peyton O’Brien 3 3-4 9, Malik Rehmer 1 1-1 3, Daniel Saulin 3 1-3 7, Cohen Petrutz 2 0-1 4, Jayden Thomas 5 2-2 12, Mason O’Brien 1 2-4 4, Cole Johnston 1 0-0 2, Connor Starn 0 1-2 0. Totals 20 12-19 54.
GLASSBORO (6-7) – Xavier Sabb 5 5-11 15, Charles Graves 6 8-8 22, Clinton Suggs 8 5-6 22, Michael Dougherty 2 1-2 7, Josh Buff 1 0-0 3, William Boggans 1 0-0 3, Jayce Grays 1 0-0 2, Aiden Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 19-27 74.

Pennsville	14	11	12	17 –	54
Glassboro	15	18	22	19 –	74

3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Wood 2); Glassboro 7 (Graves 2, Suggs, Dougherty 2, Buff, Boggans). Technical fouls: Saulin. Total fouls: Pennsville 16, Glassboro 14.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 53, SALEM 50: The Rams tied the game at 50, but the Lions made three free throws down the stretch to win it.

The Rams hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. The Lions made the first of two to retake the lead, Salem rebounded the missed second shot but turned it over and to foul again for the final margin.

GC’s Jack Mustaro led all scorers with 25 points, Carlos Mendez had 13 points and Kyle Guldin grabbed 12 rebounds. Jabez DeJesus led the Rams with 19 points. Anthony Farmer had 15 and is now 112 points shy of joining his father and coach as career 1,000-point scorers.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (7-5) – Carlos Mendez 4 4-6 13, Jack Mustaro 7 8-10 25, Trey Battle 4 1-1 9, Kyle Guldin 3 0-0 6, Ehthan Dugue 0 0-0 0, Billy Ginipro 0 0-0 0, Nick Calzonetti 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 13-17 53.
SALEM (7-5) – Anthony Farmer 5 2-3 15, Jabez DeJesus 6 4-7 19, Paul Weathers 4 1-2 9, Tymear Lecator 2 0-1 4, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 7-13 50.

Gloucester Catholic	13	6	14	20 –	53
Salem	11	11	13	15 –	50

3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 4 (Mendez, Mustaro 3); Salem 7 (Farmer 3, DeJesus 3, D. Weathers).

Girls Games

MONDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Schalick 46, Pennsauken Tech 32
Paulsboro 68, Salem 65 (2 OT)
Salem Tech 41, Camden Academy Charter 28

SCHALICK 46, PENNSAUKEN TECH 32: Ava Scurry scored a career-high 16 points and the Cougars got good play from a different pair of players each half to score their second straight victory.

Scurry and Cianna Gaines were strong on the interior in the first half, combining for 15 points as the Cougars opened a 21-17 halftime lead. Guards Taylor Sparks and Abby Willoughby combined for 17 points in the second half and both of their 3-pointers to help them pull away.

Willoughby had six of her eight points in the third quarter and Sparks had 11 of her 13 in the second half.

“Taylor hit a lot of big shots for us in critical moments through the game,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “The team moved the ball and put forth a really good defensive effort, especially in the second half.”

SCHALICK (4-6) – Ava Scurry 6 4-9 16, Cianna Gaines 3 1-4 7, Taylor Sparks 6 0-0 13, Abby Willoughby 2 3-6 8, Katie Little 1 0-0 2, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-19 46.
PENNSAUKEN TECH (3-5) – Loreny Medina 7 0-0 16, Jannah Jalosjos 1 0-0 2, Xyaliyah Somers 5 0-2 10, Elizabeth Fernandez 0 0-0 0, Sarah Garner 2 0-2 4, Kayla Klotz 0 0-0 0, NaBry Jenkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 0-4 32.

Schalick	11	10	16	9 –	46
Pennsauken Tech	6	11	4	11 –	32

3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Sparks, Willoughby); Pennsauken Tech 2 (Medine 2). Total fouls: Schalick 8, Pennsauken Tech 12.

PAULSBORO 68, SALEM 65 (2 OTs): In the end of the longest game of Salem coach Tiasia Tatem’s tenure, her Rams simply ran out of players with varsity experience and time on the clock.

It was a game of runs and attrition. Three players on each side fouled out. The Rams made a big run in the fourth quarter behind some unsung reserves to rally from a 43-36 third-quarter deficit, but it was Paulsboro that sent the game into overtime.

The Red Raiders tied it at 53 with 16 seconds left in regulation. Salem had a chance to win it, but threw a bad inbounds pass and Paulsboro couldn’t get a shot before the clock ran out. A free throw by Ryann Foote sent the game into a second overtime and the Red Raiders went on a four-point run at the end to win it.

“It went back and forth pretty much the entire game,” Tatem said. “It came down to the wire. They had three girls foul out, we had three girls foul out. It came down to experience and they had more varsity experience. It was not enough varsity experience, not enough time.”

Paulsboro’s Brookelyn Graham led all scorers with 38 points. She had 18 in the fourth quarter and overtimes, including 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Foote scored a career-high 27 for Salem and grabbed 11 rebounds.

SALEM (4-8) – Ryann Foote 8 10-20 27, Ava Rodgers 3 2-8 8, Marissa Bower 4 1-8 10, Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 5, Zaniyah Freison 3 0-0 6, Madison Dixon 3 2-6 9, Marjziah Bundy 0-0-0, Kaela Nichols 0-0-0. Totals 23 15-42 65.
PAULSBORO (5-6) – Londyn Graham 3 0-0 6, Brookelyn Graham 13 12-19 38, Dasoni Scott 6 2-4 14, Ianna Veney 1 0-2 2, Deamya Bagby 3 0-4 7, Alaysia Bumpers 0 1-3 1, Kemea Tate 0 0-0 0, Briasya Johns 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 15-32 68.

Salem	12	11	13	17	3	9 –	65
Paulsboro	13	12	18	10	3	12 –	68

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Foote, Bower, Hunter, Dixon); Paulsboro 1 (Bagby). Fouled out: Rodgers, Hunter, Fresion, Graham, Veney, Johns. Total fouls: Salem 27, Paulsboro 30.

Schalick at the Sixers

Cougars take the big stage at Wells Fargo Center, enjoy an NBA experience and pick up a win while doing it, then going back and watching Embiid put 70 on the Spurs

MONDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Schalick 42, Clayton 35
Clearview 58, Penns Grove 56
Glassboro 74, Pennsville 54
Salem Tech 55, Camden Tech 45
Gloucester Catholic 53, Salem 50

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA — Danny Lis wasn’t much good in school today for as long as it lasted for the players on the Schalick basketball team Monday. All the Cougars senior – and the rest of his teammates for that matter – could think about from the time the bell rang was what he was going to be doing later in the day.

Game days occupy a special realm in a player’s mind anyway, but this one was a much different game day entirely. For a high school basketball player with dreams of playing in the big time, it was the ultimate field trip.

Call it Ferris Bueller’s day off with basketball benefits. The Cougars had the good fortune to be invited to play their game with Clayton in the Wells Fargo Center, on the same floor the main tenant 76ers were going to play the San Antonio Spurs later that evening.

They were going to play on the biggest stage in the biggest arena probably all of them will play in their life. They were playing in an NBA arena.

“It’s amazing, honestly,” Lis said. “It’s actually my first time on an NBA court. This is what I’ve been thinking about all day. I didn’t think about anything except just playing basketball on this court where the 76ers are playing.”

What made the trip even better is they beat the Clippers and the clock 42-35 pulling away in the fourth quarter for their fifth win of the year, more than they had the last two years combined.

It didn’t matter there weren’t a lot of people there, just the parents the scattered technical staff getting the arena set up for the NBA game scheduled for later in the evening, a game all of the players and their parents were going to attend.

It was a rather rushed experience that Cougars coach James Turner conceded detracted from making the memories last longer, but he’ll always remember the excitement of the players on an NBA and what it meant to them being in the arena.

The Cougars’ bus pulled in at 1:14 p.m. for the 2 p.m. tip, just a few minutes behind the Clayton bus and weren’t allowed in the arena until 1:30. It didn’t matter that they didn’t dress in one of the fancy locker rooms. Or they didn’t have any interaction with the players who call the place their office. And they had to be off the floor at 2:55 whether the game was over or not, so there wasn’t much of a halftime and they ran the fourth quarter with a running clock.

That was the trade off for being on the floor. That floor. That magnificent NBA floor many of them had only seen before on TV.

The anticipation had been building for weeks. It was all worth it when they magic walked through the tunnel from the concourse and finally stepped onto the court that has hosted Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and the NBA greats of their generation and later tonight Victor Wembanyama.

“Oh my gosh, it was amazing,” junior forward Nylan Sutton said. “I’m running down the court, I’m supposed to get back on defense, and I just look up and I’m like, wow. It was just unbelievable, a time to remember. I’m going to remember it the rest of my life.

“It was a mix of everything. The legends who play on this court. My dream is playing college basketball; me playing on this court in high school is just a dream come true. And just scoring on the court.

“I missed a couple shots, the nervousness in my body, but when I scored my first basket, I was like wow, I just scored where Joel Embiid, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan shot a basketball and it was like wow, I just did it. Me knowing that my sports career is not coming true yet, but I’m getting there, is making me happy.”

**Schalick senior Danny Lis looks to get the ball past two Clayton defenders and into the front court in the Cougars’ game at the Wells Fargo Center Monday. (Photo by Brian Tortella)**

As you might expect, between the nerves of the day and the depth perception in an empty arena, both teams had trouble hitting shots. There were times the players looked like they were trying to score like their favorite NBA stars, but many of them missed the mark.

There was one trip down the floor with about five minutes left in the first half Sutton looked like he was going to get a dunk in an NBA arena, but then pulled up and laid it in because he remembered the rules.

“They told us we couldn’t dunk,” he said. “I was feeling bouncy today, I was going to dunk it, but I didn’t want them to kick us out because I dunked it because I know they have a game later today. I was going to dunk, I really was.”

The arena staff might not have let them dunk, but they sure let them shoot the 3. Schalick’s Jordan Johnson had the honor of the first basket of the game and it was a 3 from the top of the key. The Cougars led most of the game after that.

Clayton took its only lead on a basket by A’Shaud Hine-Pope to open the fourth quarter, but it didn’t last.

Reggie Allen and Lis came up big down the stretch. Allen had two big steals and hit four straight free throws to put the Cougars back on top for good. He also took a shot above his left eye that took some doing to close. Lis had two buckets in the closing minutes to extend it to the final margin.

“It felt good to score on an NBA court where the professionals play, like Joel Embiid,” Allen said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day.”

The Cougars’ work was done when the game ended, but their day was far from over. After they were whisked off the concourse and the doors, the players headed out to a nearby Dave & Busters for a post-game meal and some revelry before returning to the arena to watch Embiid put 70 on the Spurs in a 133-123 win with the tickets they had to sell as part of the deal. Their seats were in the upper corner across the floor from the bench they occupied for the game.

“Our job is done,” Turner said. “As coaches and players our job is done. Now it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy.”

SCHALICK 42, CLAYTON 35
CLAYTON (3-11) — Dillon Jones 4 0-0 8, Nazir Davis 3 0-0 7, Demetris Williams 2 0-0 4, Jon Cox 1 0-1 2, Cristan Scott 2 0-0 4, A’Shaud Hine-Pope 1 0-0 2, Nasir Carter 0 1-2 1, Mason Gable 0 0-0 0, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Brian Marshall 2 0-0 4, Dean Madden 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-3 35.
SCHALICK (5-5) — Reggie Allen 4 5-6 14, Dan Lis 2 0-0 4, Jake Siedlecki 3 0-0 6, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 7, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Nylan Sutton 3 0-2 6, Levi Mason 2 1-1 5, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Nasir Sutton 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-9 42.

Clayton	7	15	9	4 —	35
Schalick	11	16	5	10 —	42

3-point goals: Clayton 2 (Davis, J. Carter); Schalick 2 (Allen, Johnson). Total fouls: Clayton 6, Schalick 11.

Cover photo: Schalick’s Reggie Allen drives to the basket during the Cougars’ win over Clayton in the Wells Fargo Center a few hours before the 76ers took the floor. (Photo by Brian Tortella).

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County high school sports schedule for the week of Jan. 22-27

Monday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Schalick at Pennsauken Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Schalick vs. Clayton at Wells Fargo Center, 2 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Camden Co. Tech, at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clearview, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 6 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Salem, Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River

BOWLING
Salem vs. Lindenwold, 30 Strikes, 4 p.m.

Tuesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Gloucester Cath., 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Gloucester Cath. at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Penns Grove in TCC Showcase, Toms River, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday

WRESTLING
Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m.
Schalick, Penns Grove at Cumberland, 5 p.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.

BOWLING
Salem vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.

Thursday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 7 p.m.
Boys
Clayton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.

SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Pitman at GCIT, 5:45 p.m.
Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.

Friday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Salem at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Tri-County Conference, Bennett Complex

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Schalick at Camden Tech, 11:30 a.m.

Boys
Pennsville at Triton Regional, 11:30 a.m.
Schalick at Pennsauken Tech, 12:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Schalick, Holy Spirit at Cumberland, 8 a.m.
Penns Grove, Clayton, Millville at Woodstown, 9 a.m.
Salem at Overbrook

Saturday wrestling

County teams dig out of the snow and hit the mats Saturday

Collingswood Quad

COLLINGSWOOD – Pennsville fell behind early in both of its matches and couldn’t recover in either, falling to Vineland 50-25 and host Collingswood 54-27.

Travis Hagan stopped the runs of both teams with pins at 137. Sky Eppes (150) and Travis Waddington (285) also picked up two victories.

TEAMS	PVL	COLL	STER	VINE
Pennsville	XXX	27-54		25-50
Collingswood	54-27	XXX	58-18	53-28
Sterling		18-58	XXX	24-55
Vineland	50-25	29-53	55-24	XXX

COLLINGSWOOD 54, PENNSVILLE 27
113: Mason Musciano (Co) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:23
120: Lino Bataloni (Co) pinned Christopher Daniels, 1:38
126: Nathaniel Plotts (Co) pinned Kameron Drummond, 4:27
132: Ezra Katz (Co) pinned Ayden Perez, 1:49
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Stewart Chang, 2:52
144: Matt Plotts (Co) pinned Maddox Efelis, 0:44
150: Sky Eppes (P) dec. Iasah Cruz, 6-1
157: Matt Malinowski (Co) pinned Robbie McDade, 1:37
165: Roman Florio (Co) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:30
175: Vincenzo Angelucci (Co) pinned Connor Ayars, 5:22
190: Elias Lussi (P) pinned Omarion Hollingsworth, 3:39
215: Nyeim Bennett (Co) pinned Daniel Emmons, 0:21
285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit
106: Lucas Thomas (P) pinned Dominic VanZandt, 4:09

VINELAND 50, PENNSVILLE 25
106: Josh Kinchen (V) won by forfeit
113: Deytin Pickett (V) pinned Lucas Thomas, 3:33
120: Chad Sciore (V) pinned Christopher Daniels, 5:14
126: Leland Cinkowski (V) maj. dec. over Kameron Drummond, 9-0
132: Jayden Cinkowski (V) pinned Ayden Perez, 5:39
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Alejandro Calderon, 1:51
144: Everett Cronk (V) maj. dec. over Esther Baptiste, 9-0
150: Sky Eppes (P) maj. dec. over Caden Barnes, 15-6
157: Lionel Powell (V) pinned Robbie McDade, 1:47
165: Matt Torres (V) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:12
175: Connor Ayars (P) won by forfeit
190: Justin Oldaker (P) won by forfeit
215: Gavin Gallo (V) pinned Daniel Emmons, 0:28
285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Donny Saint Jean, 3-2

Mainland Quad

TEAMS	WOOD	EAST	MAIN	MILL
Woodstown	XXX	30-40	58-15
Eastern	40-30	XXX	51-24	45-27
Mainland	15-58	24-51	XXX	33-37
Millville		27-45	33-33	XXX

EASTERN 40, WOODSTOWN 30
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Cory Skroski, 2:44
175: Nikita Alcoba (E) maj. dec. over Greyson Hyland, 15-2
190: Jonathan Brennan (E) dec. Paul Banff, 4-3
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Quinn Teismer, 1:31
285: Anthony Pryor (E) pinned Josiah Mejias, 0:33
106: Jacob Hoffmaster (E) pinned Chase Blandino, 0:58
113: Jayden Belonia (E) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Ryan Schmidt, 2:54
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Jayden Jardine, 15-11
132: Alex Torres (Wo) dec. Evan Melchiorre, 14-7
138: Chase Geller (E) pinned Ryan Polk, 3:04
144: Manuel Stevens (E) pinned Angel Hernandez, 3:24
150: Cole Pettet (E) dec. Laitton Roberts, 10-5
157: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Gavin Buniak, 3:38

WOODSTOWN 58, MAINLAND 15
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) dec. Chase Hoag, 4-0
190: Paul Banff (Wo) won by forfeit
215: Josiah Mejias (Wo) won by forfeit
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Oswaldo Mendoza, 1:07
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Justin Mazur (M) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Garrett Chew, 0:43
126: Anthony Marinelli (M) pinned Carson Bradway, 1:09
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Cole Cayanan, 1:59
138: Carson Endicott (M) dec. Ryan Polk, 4-2
144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Yeshua Martinez, 4:38
150: Laitton Roberts (Wo) maj. dec. over Trevor Dill, 9-1
157: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Tyler Waters, 0:57
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) dec. Gary Williams, 7-3

Haddon Twp. Quad

HADDON TWP. – Schalick/Cumberland won seven straight bouts from 138 through 190 to erase an early deficit and had enough points in the bank to offset being pinned in the final two bouts and beat Haddon Twp. 39-34.

SC Wrestling trailed 22-0 after the first five bouts, then started clicking off wins. Daniel Lloyd (138), Riley Papiano (150) Jake Magonagle (165), Eric Sulik (175) and Evan Elliott (190) all scored pins, Ayden Jenkins (144) scored a major decision and Ricky Watt (157) earned a technical fall to give their team a match-clinching 39-22 lead.

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 39, HADDON TWP. 34
106: Andrew Marshall (H) maj. dec. over Caleb Jenkins, 10-0
113: Owen Ziegler (H) pinned DeAnthony Harden, 1:54
120: Thomas Andrews (H) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 1:41
126: Gabe Slafman (H) dec. Luke Silva, 7-4
132: Justin Capri (H) dec. Chase Williams, 6-0
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Jake Andrews, 0:40
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) maj. dec. over Damian Shepherd, 15-2
150: Riley Papiano (SC) pinned Julian Craft, 3:41
157: Ricky Watt (SC) tech fall over Antonio Reyes, 19-4 (5:58)
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Richard Poblano Benito, 4:20
175: Eric Sulik (SC) pinned Joseph Sum, 1:03
190: Evan Elliott (SC) pinned Elijah Borowicz, 0:34
215: Chris Broderick (H) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 1:54
285: Willem Conover (H) pinned Hoval Jenkins, 4:36

Defense the key

Woodstown girls use defense to advance to SJIBT Elite 8; Penns Grove boys lose to Cinnaminson, but better for the experience

SATURDAY’S BASKETBALL SCORES
Boys
Paul VI Winter Classic
Cinnaminson 65, Penns Grove 44

South Jersey Invitational
Woodstown 55, Camden Catholic 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CHERRY HILL – Defense wins championships and it’s at least putting the Woodstown girls in a position to chase one in the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament.

The Wolverines punched their ticket to the Elite 8 of the SJIBT Saturday with a 55-41 win over host Camden Catholic.

There are six games remaining in the tournament’s Sweet 16. The entire Elite 8 will be reseeded once it is determined before the field moves on to Eastern High School for the remainder of the event.

The Wolverines (10-2), the last South Jersey Group I team alive in the tournament, used two big defensive stretches to help their cause. They held the Irish (4-10) to three points in the fourth quarter and outscored them 16-3 to secure their fifth win in a row.

“Defense is what nobody loves to play, but it’s the thing that makes or breaks teams,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “They (the Wolverines) play so well together, they’re constantly talking to each other, they trust each other, they’re quick to adjust if you tell them to. All five of them who are on the floor are true basketball players, so any defense you tell them to run, they’re going to run effectively. It works so well.”

It looked like they locked up the win with a big run at the end of the first half. They went on a 13-0 run over the final 5:30 of the second quarter to turn a 16-15 deficit into a 28-16 halftime lead. They held the Irish to 0-for-10 shooting and forced three turnovers in the stretch.

The Irish rallied in the second half to get back into it. They came out firing to start the third quarter and hit five 3s among their first six buckets and first 16 points to erase all the good Woodstown did at the end of the half and take a 35-34 lead. Eight of the first nine buckets of the third quarter by either team were 3-pointers.

Woodstown’s winning defensive flurry actually started on the final play of the third quarter. Megan Donelson picked up a loose ball just outside the top of the key and drove the length of the floor for a layup with five-tenths of a second left to send the Wolverines into the fourth quarter with a 39-38 lead.

They didn’t lose the edge during the break. They forced turnovers on each of the first three possessions of the quarter and four over the first 2:30 and converted them all into points.

Talia Battavio got it started right at the start when she made a steal in just about the same place Donelson picked up her loose moments earlier and drove the floor for a layup. Donelson then stole the ensuing possession and fed Battavio for another layup.

The next time down the floor, Shannon Pierman forced a turnover along the baseline, then converted one of two free throws at the other end after the Wolverines put the ball back in play. The run ended just like it started with Battavio making a steal, driving the length of the floor for a layup and one. It gave the Wolverines a 47-39 lead with 5:30 to play.

“Everybody looks at us crazy because we play a 2-3 zone 90 percent of the time, but when we have Talia and Megan up top … once they get going with their steals, there’s just no stopping them,” Straughn said. “We do things just a little bit different that I think really makes huge difference for us.”

Battavio led the Wolverines with 16 points and four steals. Donelson had 15 points and five steals, and Alyssa Baber, whose 3-pointer stopped the Irish’ run in the third quarter, had a career-high 14 points. Both Battavio and Donelson are less than 115 points from 1,000.

“She’s been a little down on herself,” Straughn said of Baber, who miss all of last season with a knee injury. “Not disappointed in herself, but she knows she could be scoring more. She’s been working really hard in the gym, she’s been shooting a ton in practice and she even said this is why I’ve been working so hard because I know I can do it I just needed to put in a little extra. I think the fruits of her labors paid off.

“When a team plays zone against us like they did tonight, our shooters flourish and she just happened to be hot. She took advantage of it. She works super hard in practice and I think tonight showed she could be like that every game. I think it gave her some confidence.”

SJIBT SWEET 16
WOODSTOWN 55, CAMDEN CATHOLIC 41
WOODSTOWN (10-2) – Talia Battavio 5 5-5 16, Megan Donelson 6 2-2 15, Gianna Mairoini 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Baber 6 0-0 14, Shannon Pierman 2 2-4 6, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Ja1a Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-11 55.
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (4-10) – Kayla Dunn 6 0-0 16, Alexa VanHohen 1 1-2 4, Anna DiPiero 4 0-0 11, Caroline Brennan 3 1-2 7, Aaliyah Jackson 0 3-4 3, Ayana Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-8 41.

Woodstown	11	17	11	16 –	55
Camden Catholic	11	5	22	3 –	41

3-point goals: Woodstown 4 (Battavio, Donelson, Baber 2); Camden Catholic 8 (Dunn 4, VanHohen, DiPiero 3). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Camden Catholic 13.

SOUTH JERSEY INVITATIONAL SWEET 16
Williamstown 50, Cherry Hill West 42
Woodstown 55, Camden Catholic 41
Jan. 22: Cherokee vs. Highland
Jan. 22: Lenape vs. Gloucester Catholic
Jan. 24 Holy Cross vs. Moorestown
Jan. 26: Shawnee vs. Paul VI
Jan. 26: Cinnaminson vs. Clearview
Jan. 27: Timber Creek vs. Sterling

Paul IV Winter Classic

WESTMONT – Penns Grove coach Damian Ware knew his team was going up against a machine, but he’s never been one to shy away from competition. What is they say, iron sharpens iron.

The Red Devils may have lost Cinnaminson 65-44 in the Paul VI Winter Classic and were outscored in every quarter, but Ware said they will be better for the experience.

“It was a good game for us to play,” Ware said. “I always want to play up in competition. I don’t like playing down in competition. I want to play teams that are better than us, therefore we get better. We get better by playing better teams. You don’t get better by playing worse teams. That’s one of my beliefs.”

The Red Devils might have lost the game by 21 and all four quarters in the game, but an immediate gauge of the way they got better is by managing to trim the margin of separation in each quarter – 8, 6, 4 and 3.

The Pirates pulled away from an 8-6 game in the first quarter with a couple of late 3-pointers and stretched the lead at the break with a 3 to close out the half.

“We didn’t play super bad, we just didn’t make shots that we needed to make when we needed to make shots,” Ware said. “They’re a team that’s going to make their shots and that’s really what it came down, but it’s not like they just killed us. Each quarter they just beat us by a few points and it totaled up to 20 at the end of the game.”

Starting slow has been a problem. The Red Devils have trailed after the first quarter in nine of their games this season and are 2-7 in them. In games they’ve scored less than 10 points in the first quarter they’re 1-5.

It didn’t help two of their better players were in foul trouble the first half and three others who get a lot of minutes missed the game for various personal reasons. The absences did, however, open the door for some other players to get some quality minutes.

Neziah Spence, a freshman who’s scored only nine points all season on three 3-pointers, had seven and the Red Devils’ only trey of the game. Sophomore Luis Colon, who’d scored only one, had four.

“It was a chance for other guys to get a little bit of experience,” Ware said. “That’s what we used it as, experience.”

PAUL VI WINTER CLASSIC
CINNAMINSON 65, PENNS GROVE 44
CINNAMINSON (13-2) – Noah Harvey 3 0-0 8, Sody Gautt 3 5-5 11, Drew Harvey 3 2-2 10, Andrew Plaza 4 0-0 9, Collin Parrish 8 0-0 19, Justin Ofori 2 0-0 4, Shane McDevitt 2 0-0 4, James Smith 0 0-0 0, Gavin Ritter 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-7 65.
PENNS GROVE (5-7) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 5 1-2 11, KaRon Ceaser 3 3-3 9, Willie Slocum 3 2-2 8, Mekhi Ballard 0 1-2 1, Camren Thompson 1 0-0 2, Luis Colon 1 2-3 4, Dameon Wilson 1 0-0 2, Neziah Spence 2 2-2 7, Will Roe 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 11-14 44.

Cinnaminson	14	17	16	18 –	65
Penns Grove	6	11	12	15 –	44

3-point goals: Cinnaminson 8 (N. Harvey 2, D. Harvey 2, Plaza, Parrish 3); Penns Grove 1 (Spence). Total fouls: Cinnaminson 13, Penns Grove 11. NOTES: The Pirates won their seventh in a row.

Overtime thriller

Marley Wood helps Pennsville keep it together after losing a top scorer, propels Eagles to an OT win over rival Penns Grove, calls it ‘the best feeling ever’

THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Clayton 63, Salem 33
Pennsville 63, Penns Grove 60 (OT)
Pitman 56, Salem Tech 32
Schalick 38, Overbrook 33
Woodstown 60, Glassboro 36

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – As soon as the horn sounded to signal the end of the game, Pennsville coach Sam Trapp leaped from the bench and made a bee-line towards her players coming off the court.

It was reminiscent of but not quite as frantic as the iconic image of Jim Valvano racing around the floor in Albuquerque looking for someone to hug after his North Carolina State team won the national championship in 1983. Valvano was looking for anyone. Trapp was seeking out a certain someone.

It didn’t take long for the coach to find the object of her search. Shortly after her Eagles had secured their 63-60 win over Penns Grove in overtime Thursday night Trapp located Marley Wood in the sea of blue and white uniforms and wrapped her arms around the sophomore guard in a giant bear hug.

“It was kind of a surreal moment; it was like crazy,” Wood said. “That’s the first time she’s ever hugged me like that. I played really hard and I think she saw I was getting kind of frustrated during the game but I stayed (with it) and I kept working and she was just happy that I kept going.”

Wood was the glue that kept the Eagles together down the stretch when circumstances dictated things could have easily gotten away.

They were without Nora Ausland, the other part of their one-two punch, for the most important part of the game after the junior forward injured her left foot and came out with 4:57 left in regulation and the Red Devils on the verge of seizing the momentum. It was the same foot she broke last year that ended her season at Salem after 12 games, although the extent of this latest injury wasn’t immediately known.

The Eagles have been rocked by injuries this season and shortly after the new year began had to elevate players from the junior varsity just to have enough able bodies to function. Post Bella Farina had just gotten back from concussion protocol and guard Taylor Bass was scheduled to return Friday after getting the cast removed from her broken hand, but the incoming snowstorm likely has disrupted those plans.

At least they’re not playing Friday now.

So with Ausland on the shelf after scoring 17 points, the Eagles needed Wood to step up in a big way. And she did. She kept things together with her ball handling, scoring and defense. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was the steadying influence down the stretch.

“I just knew that I had to step up and keep scoring so that we had our momentum still,” Wood said. “I had to kind of take her role and my role at the same time and try to coach my other teammates to keep going, too.”

“Why did I hug her; that’s why,” Trapp said. “To step up and remain composed and to continue to work hard through adversity. That girl has continued to lead this team through and through, through injuries and battles and I applaud her because she’s a sophomore, but she demonstrates leadership at such a supreme level, it’s phenomenal. She’s that player who just knows basketball IQ to put her at an advantage above the other kids on the court.”

Of course, Wood didn’t do it alone, but shepherded those who helped.

Farina was a rock in the post, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and standing her ground, drawing praise from among others Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, who repeatedly called her the best big man in the county’s girls game. Izzy Saulin gave the Eagles several big baskets, Kylie Harris was effective when she subbed in for Farina, and freshman Karsen Cooksey came through with rebounding and defense before fouling out.

Farina had seven points, 10 rebounds and at least three blocked shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. Saulin had 10 points. Harris had the first two baskets in an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter as the Eagles started to pull ahead.

“I was just really glad that everybody stepped up today,” Wood said. “Sometimes it’s hard but today everyone really showed what they could do. I think everybody played a big part of today’s game.”

The Eagles led by 13 early in the third quarter, but the Red Devils rallied behind RaNiyah Wilson and freshmen JaNiyah Cummings and Arianna Dowe. Cummings was a factor inside and Wilson and Dowe combined for 15 points in an 18-7 run that got their team within two late in the third quarter. It was a dogfight the rest of the way.

Wilson scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half and overtime. Cummings had 13 points and Dowe scored 11 of her career-high 15 points and hit all three of her 3-pointers in the second half.

“That girl scored 33 against Woodstown, that’s impressive, which is why we chose to go box-and-one on her,” Trapp said of Wilson. “They rely on her a lot. They have plenty of other scorers on that court and I mentioned that to our girls … but when you look at film they rely so heavily on No. 3 that you have to take her out and force the other players to step up and score and they did and did a great job.”

Wilson hit two free throws with 16 seconds left that tied the game at 58. The Red Devils had the last shot in regulation. They ran an inbounds play with three-tenths of a second left and got it in to Wilson, but her tap up didn’t connect.

Penns Grove scored first in overtime, but Wood hit a runner with 2:04 left to put Pennsville up for good and after Farina blocked a shot on the next possession she scored on the other end to make it a three-point game. Farina blocked another shot a short time later to keep the Eagles in front.

PENNSVILLE 63, PENNS GROVE 60 (OT)
PENNSVILLE (6-6) – Nora Ausland 8 1-3 17, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-1 3, Bella Farina 3 1-4 7, Kylie Harris 2 0-0 4, Izzy Saulin 5 0-1 10, Marley Wood 6 9-10 22. Totals 25 11-19 63.
PENNS GROVE (6-5) – Meely Horace 4 1-2 9, JaNiyah Cummings 6 1-4 13, RaNiyah Wilson 5 6-11 17, Brianna Robbins 1 0-0 2, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Arianna Dowe 6 0-0 15, Zoe Caesar 2 0-1 4, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 8-18 60.

Pennsville	16	14	15	13	5 –	63
Penns Grove	8	13	18	19	2 –	60

3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Cooksey, Wood); Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Dowe 3). Fouled out: Cooksey. Total fouls: Pennsville 16, Penns Grove 18.

WOODSTOWN 60, GLASSBORO 36
WOODSTOWN (9-2) – Talia Battavio 7 1-2 19, Megan Donelson 8 2-2 20, Gianna Maiorini 3 0-0 6, Alyssa Baber 1 1-3 4, Shannon Pierman 3 1-2 7, Lauren Hengel 2 0-0 4, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-9 60.
GLASSBORO (6-4) – Tamia Smith 3 4-4 12, Kezia Brackett 4 1-2 9, Kimora Miles 3 0-0 7, Anye Davis 1 0-0 2, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Sanaa Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-6 36.

Woodstown	10	16	27	7 –	60
Glassboro	10	7	4	11 –	36

3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Battavio 4, Donelson 2, Baber); Glassboro 3 (Smith 2, Miles).
NOTES: The 27-point third quarter matched their biggest quarter of the season. It was highlighted by multiple steals from Donelson and Battavio as well as them finishing around the basket and hitting some jumpers. Battavio completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Donelson had five assists, six blocks and six steals. Pierman grabbed 11 rebounds. The Wolverines have won four in a row.

CLAYTON 63, SALEM 38
CLAYTON (6-6) – Rainelle Blocker 9 4-5 22, Jordyn Jones 4 3-3 11, Rosalina Pereira 0 1-2 1, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 7 2-6 18, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, Indian Williams 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 10-16 63.
SALEM (4-7) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 5, Marjziah Bundy 1 1-2 4, Madison Dizon 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 1 4-6 6, Ryann Foote 2 1-2 5, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-2 5, Marissa Bower 4 1-4 12. Totals 13 9-20 38.
3-point goals: Clayton 3 (Delaney 2, Williams); Salem 4 (Hunter, Bower 3).
NOTES: Rodgers grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Foote dished five assists. Hunter had seven rebounds and four steals. The loss snapped Salem’s two-game winning streak.

PITMAN 56, SALEM TECH 32
PITMAN (7-2) – Anna Fisicaro 14 2-6 32, Miya Villari 1 3-4 6, Evelyn Wisely 0 0-0 0, Audrey Duffield 6 0-2 12, Colette Rollins 1 0-0 3, Adriana Collman 1 1-4 3. Totals 23 6-16 56.
SALEM TECH (0-9) – Hanna DeWitt 2 1-3 5, Demajae White 3 1-2 7, Kaylin Beardsley 5 0-0 12, Drummond 1 1-6 3, Rylee Doerr 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 3-11 31.

Pitman	5	18	17	16 –	56
Salem Tech	4	3	11	14 –	32

3-point goals: Pitman 4 (Fisicaro 2, Villari, Rollins); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2).
NOTES: Fisicaro also was credited with 17 of the Panthers’ 30 steals. Duffield had seven.

SCHALICK 38, OVERBROOK 33
OVERBROOK (2-8) – Jael Pressley 2 1-6 5, Kaylee Burkhart 0 0-0 0, Sarah Evans 1 0-0 3, Leiani Knight 0 0-0 0, Alani White 0 0-0 0, Zahaisha Nevius 10 0-3 23, Gianna Simon 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 1-9 33.
SCHALICK (3-6) – Ava Scurry 1 1-2 3, Cali Fisler 1 0-1 2, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0, Cianna Gaines 5 3-4 13, Taylor Sparks 3 4-4 12, Abby Willoughby 2 0-0 6, Katie Little 1 0-1 2. Totals 13 8-12 38.

Overbrook	11	2	16	4 –	33
Schalick	14	4	6	14 –	38

3-point goals: Overbrook 4 (Evans, Nevins 3); Schalick 4 (Sparks, Willoughby). Total fouls: Overbrook 13, Schalick 12.
NOTES: The Cougars showed their potential in the first and, especially, fourth quarters with high energy defense and crisp ball movement. Gaines scored nine of her career-high 13 in the fourth quarter and she had 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Scurry, with seven rebounds and five blocked shots, hit 100 rebounds and 50 blocks for the season. Schalick used a big fourth quarter rally to win. Schalick is 3-6, Overbrook 2-8.