Making memories

Several Pennsville players make a splash in TCC C Flight semifinal win, from Dowell’s long-awaited first varsity points to Saulin’s breakout night

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – When Nolan Dowell got the news right after Christmas of his sophomore year that a previously undetected heart condition made it too risky to play competitive sports again he figured his dream of scoring in a varsity basketball game was never going to happen.

He could fill in every line on every box score until the day he graduated and he’d never fill in a line reserved with his name. But on Valentine’s Day, the day to celebrate all matters of the heart, the Pennsville senior had his long-standing dream come true.

Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky gave the 6-foot-7 center his first varsity start with the stipulation of playing two minutes. This was no Make-A-Wish fulfilment. Dowell would still have to work for his points. If they came within the framework of the game, that’d be great; if they didn’t, well, they gave it their best shot.

Dowell broke into the scoring column from right under the basket with 5:37 left in the first quarter Wednesday on his third shot and second offensive rebound of the sequence. It was two points that would otherwise get lost in a 90-62 Tri-County Conference C Flight semifinal win over Clayton, but they made a memory of a lifetime.

“It felt great, it felt different,” Dowell said. “Going from sitting on the bench, watching the game, not being able to do anything, to going in there and actually scoring points is a completely different feeling.

“For two years I’ve sat there on the bench taking the stats, now I get to be in the stat book; it’s crazy. The difference from two years ago not knowing what’s happening with everything I had going on to now being able to go into the game and score is just great.”

Given his size and passion for playing the game, Dowell seemed destined to be a force when he got to varsity. Along with 6-8 Danny Saulin, he would give the Eagles two monsters in the middle and if they ever were in the game the same time nobody would dare challenge the rim.

And then he got COVID. During the battery of tests to address his condition it was discovered he had developed cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. Suddenly, his dream of playing any organized sports was gone. 

He dabbled in a few junior varsity games before finally giving it up, but admitted it just wasn’t the same as scoring on the varsity level.

“When I heard that it overwhelmed me, a terrible feeling,” he said. “From being out there to not being able to touch the court – I was going to be on varsity next year because we were losing everybody – is just a crazy feeling.”

He stayed involved as the Eagles’ one-man stat crew, tracking every shot and rebound and steal and assist of every player in every game they played. He was so dedicated to his post that last year he drove up to a scrimmage at Camden Academy Charter after missing the bus because of a dental appointment. It remains one of Mecholsky’s all-time favorite stories about the player.

All the while Dowell still had the desire to play and two weeks ago he asked Mecholsky if he could dress out for game and score, to which the coach happily obliged.

“It’s all part of coaching,” he said. “He’s really put time into the program, so he earned it. He got a tough break. Each time, his junior and senior year, they asked the doctor to let him play and he was shut down both times. Last year was very disappointing, this year I think he was expecting it.

“He’s a great kid, a team-first guy, so to be able to do that tonight … that’s stuff you remember about a season, so it felt good.”

When the time came to play, he was the last player announced in the starting five. The Eagles put him in an offensive set called “Tree,” which as the name implies meant standing on the block like a stately oak and letting his teammates get him the ball. He took a pass from Luke Wood early in the game, but missed from in close.

His next chance came a couple minutes later and nothing was going to stop him this time. He missed the first shot, but easily plucked the rebound from above the smaller Clippers around him, missed the putback, got the rebound again and this time made it count. He came out at that point and retired to the end of the bench for the rest of the game a satisfied man, knowing he’ll be back on the clipboard when the Eagles play Gloucester Tech for the TCC C Flight title Thursday night.

“It really, really made me happy I was able to go out there and score,” Dowell said.

Dowell wasn’t the only Eagle to enjoy a special night against the up-tempo Clippers. Saulin, the Eagles’ regular center who started alongside Dowell, nearly went for a 30-30, but finished with 29 points (on 13-of-16 shooting) and 26 rebounds. 

The night was just a continuation of the production he’s brought to the team since the start of the month. In the five games since the Eagles starting running their offense through him, Saulin has averaged 23.4 points and 12.0 rebounds.

“I was just trying to get us a win because I didn’t want it to be my last home game,” he said. “I want the ‘ship to be our last home game and send us off into the playoffs, hopefully beating Pitman and going to the second round because this school hasn’t really won a playoff game in history yet, so we want to be the first to do that.”

Senior Carlo Merindino hit three 3-pointers for nine points. He had scored only five points this season and seven in his two-year varsity career coming into the game. He made only one 3-pointer previously, but when he hit his first one Wednesday with about a minute left in the first half, it got the ball rolling. He was 3-for-5 from behind the arc in the game.

“It felt great,” he said. “It was a fun experience to go out there with all the guys, especially getting some of the young guys in. The shot felt good, the shots were falling and the energy in the gym was amazing.

“I just felt like I radiated off the energy of my teammates and the gym. Seeing Nolan getting his first points, that was an amazing experience. It was just overall great energy that led to a lot of shots falling for not only me but also my teammates.”

Truly, a memorable night.

PENNSVILLE 90, CLAYTON 62
CLAYTON (4-19) – Dillon Jones 2 1-2 5, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Demetris Williams 9 1-2 19, Jon Cox 1 1-4 3, Cristan Scott 3 0-0 7, Nasir Carter 1 1-2 4, Fareed Maman 2 0-0 4, Michael Akosah 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 1 2-4 4, Deion Scott 2 0-0 4, Jordan Thompson 0 0-0 0, D’Karie Jones 3 0-0 9. Totals 25 6-14 62.
PENNSVILLE (10-15) – Luke Wood 7-12 0-0 16, Peyton O’Brien 1-2 0-0 2, Daniel Saulin 13-16 3-4 29, Mason O’Brien 7-10 0-0 16, Cohen Petrutz 5-11 0-0 12, Nolan Dowell 1-3 0-0 2, Cole Johnston 0-2 0-0 0, Connor Starn 0-4 0-0 0, Logan Hitt 0-1 0-0 0, Carlo Merindino 3-6 0-0 9, Shilo Jefferson 0-1 0-0 0, Boni Rios 1-4 0-0 2, Arturus Franzy 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 39-74 3-4 90.

Clayton	14	7	20	21 –	62
Pennsville	26	25	29	10 –	90