No. 2 Panthers put five scorers in double figures to win South Jersey Group I tournament opener; Wood has 27 for Pennsville, Saulin goes out with double-double
By Nolan Dowell Special to Riverview Sports News
PITMAN – It was the classic 2-v-15 playoff game that brought together 1,000-point scorers on each side.
The underdog gave the favorite all it could handle for three quarters, but in the end second-seeded Pitman prevailed over Pennsville 80-60 in the first round of the South Jersey Group I basketball tournament Thursday and the two 1,000-point scorers – Pitman’s Elijah Crispin and Pennsville’s Luke Wood – put on a show they all came to see.
Crispin went for a triple-double – 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Wood finished with 27 points and six rebounds. Pitman had five scorers in double figures.
The first quarter started off slow with Wood striking first on a quick layup. But the Panthers were quick to strike back and opened a seven-point lead that wound up five by quarter’s end. Crispin started getting hot, making his first three shots.
“I played with his dad (former NBA player Joe Crispin), so I kind of know how he plays,” Pitman coach Ron Myers said. “He does a lot of things that make my life easy. When he’s on and he’s playing, making the right reads, he sees the floor so well, we’re a tough team.”
The Panthers led 39-29 at halftime, but the third quarter was a big one for Pennsville, as the Eagles (10-17) started off strong and cut the Pitman lead to three within two minutes of the new half. Wood started the Eagles’ comeback with a big steal and 3-pointer. He had three 3s in the quarter.
The Panthers called time and cut off Pennsville for the next three minutes while going on a 14-4 run that smothered a lot of the Eagles’ hopes.
“I was more proud of the boys being down three with five minutes to go in the third quarter,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We thought we had a chance to really make things happen, but credit to Pitman, they made the open shots when they had to. They were the better team tonight and we wish them luck going forward.”
The Panthers (20-7) now host the Paulsboro in the second round Tuesday.
The fourth quarter wasn’t much different, with the Panthers answering any score the Eagles got. Pennsville fed senior center Daniel Saulin a couple of times before the final horn and he finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and a blocked shot in his final high school game. It was his seventh double-double of the season. He averaged 21.1 points and 10 rebounds in the month of February.
“I’m just glad we made it to the playoffs, and like coach said, not everybody is gonna win,” Saulin said. “At least we ended on a high note, making the playoffs in back-to-back years to finish my career.”
Dowell is a senior at Pennsville Memorial High School with aspirations of going into sports media. This is his first piece for Riverview Sports News.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT NO. 2 PITMAN 80, NO. 15 PENNSVILLE 60 PENNSVILLE (10-17) – Luke Wood 10-19 1-2 27, Peyton O’Brien 1-4 0-0 2, Daniel Saulin 8-13 3-7 19, Mason O’Brien 2-3 0-0 4, Cohen Petrutz 1-4 0-2 2, Jayden Thomas 2-12 2-2 6. Totals 24-55 6-13 60. PITMAN (20-7) – Elijah Crispin 12-21 0-0 27, Michael Fisicaro 4-12 0-0 11, Sonny Myers 5-9 0-0 13, Stephen Devanney 5-9 0-0 13, Trey Tinges 1-4 0-0 3, Greg Petersen 0-1 0-0 0, Hudson Rue 0-2 0-0 0, Porter Kostiuk 6-8 1-1 13. Totals 33-66 1-1 80.
Penns Grove stands its ground to score mild upset in opening round of South Jersey Group I tournament; Salem pulls away from New Egypt, Wildwood shuts down Woodstown SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT THURSDAY’S GAMES No. 1 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy 61, No. 16 Burlington City 40 No. 9 Penns Grove 54, No. 8 Woodbury 46 No. 5 Audubon 61, No. 12 LEAP Academy 44 No. 4 Wildwood 46, No. 13 Woodstown 25 No. 3 Salem 83, No. 14 New Egypt 52 No. 6 Glassboro 64, No. 11 Riverside 41 No. 10 Paulsboro 52, No. 7 Palmyra 46 No. 2 Pitman 80, No. 15 Pennsville 60 TUESDAY’S GAMES No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy No. 5 Audubon at No. 4 Wildwood No. 6 Glassboro at No. 3 Salem No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 2 Pitman
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODBURY – All season long Penns Grove coach Damian Ware has been asking his players to take some for the team and sacrifice their body for the greater good. He’s gotten the occasional taker, but with the season on the line Thursday night the Red Devils stood and delivered.
The ninth-seeded Red Devils took three charges in the second half that changed the game and propelled them to a 54-46 victory over eighth-seeded Woodbury in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I boys basketball tournament.
The Devils trailed by one at halftime, but Willie Slocum and Camren Thompson took charges in the third quarter and Giomar Conrad took one in the fourth and that, Ware said, set the tone for the rest of the game.
“I told the kids that was really the key to the game, taking charges on these guys, because they are driving team, they like to drive and most of them are going to put their head down and try to get to the basket,” Ware said. “Once you start taking charges teams are going to hesitate on that drive, they’re not going to drive it as aggressively.
“The only guy who has taken charges all season was Willie; he had about 12 of them. The next person had one or two. I’ve been trying to get them to do it all season and finally they stepped up and did it in the second half today when it counted.”
Conrad led the Red Devils (11-14) with 21 points, 11 in the second half. Mekhi Ballard had 13 on three 3-pointers and 4-for-4 second-half free throw shooting. The Devils outscored their hosts 17-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away from a tie game.
It was the third year in a row they’ve won a first-round playoff game and the sixth straight year they’ve won a first-round game when they were in it.
The win keeps them alive and on the road, to play top-seeded KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in the second round Tuesday.
The Thundering Herd (14-14), coached by 2022-23 Penns Grove assistant Mark DiRugeris, had three scorers in double figures, led by Troy Lindsay’s 15 points.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Conrad 2, Ballard 3); Woodbury 3 (Heigler, Lindsay, Sacko). Technical fouls: Slocum. Fouled out: Slocum, Dunbar. Total fouls: Penns Grove 13, Woodbury 21.
SALEM 82, NEW EGYPT 52: This is the time of the year when a team’s seniors and top players are expected to step up and deliver.
New Egypt rallied in the third quarter to make it a two point game, but the Rams pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter. Anthony Farmer had 11 of his game-high 29, including 5-for-5 from the foul line, in the fourth quarter. Paul Weathers and Jabez DeJesus combined for 11 in the quarter.
Weathers finished with another double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. DeJesus had nine points and seven rebounds. Tymear Lecator had eight points and eight assists.
“Any coach will tell you wins are hard to come by,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said. “You never want to take them for granted; you can’t get complacent. That’s something that’s hard to teach young kids who think that because they look better on paper or the record may be better, but, man if you don’t bring it you can lose. We’re happy to get another win. Survive and advance.”
New Egypt
14
7
29
11 –
52
Salem
16
18
18
31 –
83
WILDWOOD 46, WOODSTOWN 25: The fourth-seeded Warriors held Woodstown scoreless in the second quarter and to only 15 points in the second half.
Jordan Fusik led Wildwood with 12 points. Brian Cunniff and Junior Hans added 11 each. Blake Bialecki led the Wolverines with 11 points.
Pennsville girls turn up defense in fourth quarter to keep their season going and their coach around a while longer
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT THURSDAY’S GAMES No. 1 Woodbury 81, No. 16 Salem 26 No. 8 Pennsville 59, No. 9 Gateway 55 No. 12 Penns Grove 48, No. 5 Palmyra 37 No. 4 Woodstown 67, No. 13 Cape May Tech 28 No. 3 Maple Shade 32, No. 14 Pitman 18 No. 6 Audubon 44, No. 11 Clayton 30 No. 7 Glassboro 74, No. 10 Burlington City 28 No. 2 Wildwood 77, No. 15 Paulsboro 27 TUESDAY’S GAMES No. 8 Pennsville at No. 1 Woodbury No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 4 Woodstown No. 6 Audubon at No. 3 Maple Shade No. 7 Glassboro at No. 2 Wildwood
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Sam Trapp was waiting at the end of the line to give each one of her starters their special handshake like she always does during the pregame introductions. When she got to Bella Farina’s turn to come through, the Pennsville girls basketball coach raised her arms as if to place a crown on her senior center’s head.
Before Farina could get away, she whispered to her coach a comment that brought a tear to Trapp’s eye.
“This isn’t going to be the last time.”
When the game ended, the coach raced out to midcourt to embrace her senior and delivered a message of her own.
“We’re not done yet.”
The Trapp farewell tour extended for at least one more game Thursday night after the eighth-seeded Eagles rallied to beat Gateway 59-55 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I tournament.
The win sends the Eagles (14-13) to top-seeded Woodbury for a quarterfinals matchup Tuesday. It also guarantees Trapp a .500 record in her final season with the Eagles. Late last month she announced she was stepping down at the end of the season to become to new athletics director at Triton Regional.
“I’m ecstatic,” Trapp said. “(Pennsville athletics director) Jamy (Thomas) and I have a little inside joke that he calls me ‘Doc Rivers’ because I didn’t make it out of the first round last year. I had to prove a point.
“But moreso I wanted to prove to these girls just how good they are. I think sometimes they can doubt themselves, get down on themselves, but they’re so much better than they even know they really truly are.
“They showed it. They played so well together tonight and they worked so hard together at the end and they found a way to win it. That’s what we continue to do. We found a way to win it and we continue to work together. I love it.”
The Eagles are 8-4 since Trapp revealed her plans to the players after their Jan. 26 game with Haddon Heights. The remaining time they have with their coach was very much on the players’ minds during the game. And for a while in the second half it looked as if their run together would end in Trapp’s final game on her home floor.
The Eagles trailed the Gators by nine late in the third quarter, but about that time Trapp implored her players to “pick it up on defense” and that suggestion was all it took to flip the switch.
They went to the half-court press at the start of the fourth quarter and it produced a 14-0 run that was part of a larger 18-3 spree that put them up six with 2:40 to play. The 14-0 run started with three straight steals – one by Taylor Bass and two by Farina – that were quickly converted into points.
There were five takeaway altogether in the spree, three missed shots and a held ball that went in Pennsville’s favor. Nora Ausland provided 10 of the points when they converted.
“I know she’s sad about it being her last home game and I just didn’t want it to add the pressure of being her last game ever here,” Ausland said. “That was definitely a factor in trying to win this game.“
“It’s always a good feeling knowing you go from kind of dead to so much energy and you get that comeback and that win,” Bass said. “I definitely think we deserved it.”
“I think we all played really hard today for her and our seniors,” Marley Wood said. “Bella’s a big part of our team and we didn’t want it to be her last game, either.”
The flurry might have gotten them the lead, but the Eagles still had work to do. The Gators got within two on Angie Zagone’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds left and then one on two Zagone free throws with 12.6 seconds left.
Wood hit the first of two free throws with 11.7 left. She missed the second and Pennsville lost the rebound out of bounds at 9.8. Gateway’s Bella Fini drove into traffic trying to get the tying basket and maybe a foul, but Bass knocked the ball away and was fouled when she collected it.
She hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
“There was definitely a lot of feelings involved (going to the line),” Bass said. “We definitely wanted this win to carry on. We went out first round last year. We wanted to come back, prove that we’re better. We haven’t had the best season statistically because we lost all of our players, but tonight proved we’re better.”
Ausland (21) and Wood combined for 41 points to lead Pennsville’s offense. Bass had 11. Zagone led all scorers with 27 points to finish her career as the Gators’ second all-time leading scorer.
Pennsville’s Taylor Bass is about to corral a ball she knocked away in traffic and sink two free throws to seal her team’s South Jersey Group I tournament win over Gateway. On the cover, outgoing Eagles coach Sam Trapp hugs center Bella Farina after securing the victory to extend their season.
WOODSTOWN 67, CAPE MAY TECH 28: It took the Wolverines a quarter to shake off the rust of not playing for eight days, but once they settled in, they got back to playing in a manner to which they are accustomed. It was a four-point game after one quarter, then the home team steadily pulled away.
Cape May Tech came out in a triangle-and-two against Woodstown’s Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson, but as other teams have discovered throughout the season, the Wolverines have a lot of weapons at their disposal.
Battavio and Donelson once again were their leading scorers with 18 and 16, respectively, but the Wolverines got 13 from post Shannon Pierman and sophomore Lauren Hengel gave them a career-high 10 off the bench.
“We have solid players who step up when our leading scorers get taken out in the offense,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said.
Hengel has scored 16 points in her last two games after scoring 37 in her previous 21 games this season.
“She’s just put in a lot of work; she wants so badly to elevate her game,” Straughn said. “She’s going to be a good player and I think games like the last two are starting to give her a little more confidence. She plays well on both ends of the floor and she wants to be good, which helps a lot.”
The Wolverines (18-6) now host Penns Grove in a second-round game Tuesday, but first they’ll try to complete a third-straight undefeated TCC Diamond Division slate Friday against Overbrook.
PENNS GROVE 48, PALMYRA 37: The 5-12 games in the NCAA Tournament tend to produce the most upsets and it did in the South Jersey Group I girls tournament Thursday.
RaNiyah Wilson scored 30 points for the third time this season and led the 12th-seeded Lady Devils (14-9) to their seventh win in the last eight games and the only opening-round win among the bracket’s road teams.
Earlier this season, her first with the Lady Devils since transferring from Kingsway, Wilson went for 33 against Woodstown and 30 against Salem. She is averaging nearly 17 points a game.
Penns Grove now travels to Woodstown for its third meeting of the season with the Wolverines in Tuesday’s second round.
WOODBURY 81, SALEM 26: The Thundering Herd (17-10) flexed their muscle as the top seed and held Salem scoreless in the first quarter. Maya Braxton-Young led four Herd scorers in double figures with 23 points.
Ava Rodgers led Salem (8-16) with eight points and nine rebounds. Ryann Foote had six points, seven rebounds and six steals. Marjziah Bundy didn’t score, but had six rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Herd, which was 2-7 at one point this season, now hosts eighth-seeded Pennsville in Tuesday’s second round.
Here is the day-by-day 2024 spring sports schedules for high school and college teams in Salem County; to include or update your schedule, email al.muskewitz@gmail.com; all games 4 p.m. unless noted; x-scrimmage
SALEM COUNTY DAY-BY-DAY
MARCH 1 COLLEGE BASEBALL Ocean CC at Salem CC, 3 p.m.
MARCH 2 BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Girls Championship South Jersey Group I Boys Championship COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Ocean CC (2), noon
MARCH 3 INDOOR TRACK NJSIAA Meet of Champions
MARCH 4 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Cairn JV at Myrtle Beach, 9 p.m.
MARCH 5 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Penn State Kensington (MB), 7:30 p.m.
MARCH 6 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Rochester C&T (MB), 2 p.m. Salem CC vs. DuPage (MB), 6:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC vs. Southeastern (2) (MB), 1 p.m.
MARCH 7 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Muskegon CC (MB), 3 p.m. Salem CC vs. Bay (MB), 6 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC vs. Fayetteville (2) (MB), noon
MARCH 8 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Rays Collegiate (MB), 11 a.m. Salem CC vs. Manhattanville (MB), 4 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC vs. Harford (MB), 3 p.m. Salem CC vs. Henry Ford (MB), 5 p.m.
MARCH 9 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC vs. Westmoreland County (2) (MB), 9 a.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC vs. Madison (MB), 9 a.m. Salem CC vs. USC-Sumter (MB), 11 a.m.
MARCH 10 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC vs. Prairie (MB), 9 a.m. Salem CC vs. Potomac State (MB), 11 a.m.
MARCH 12 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Delaware County CC, 3 p.m.
MARCH 14 Pi Day
MARCH 15 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Northampton CC, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Northampton CC at Salem CC (2), noon
MARCH 16 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Cecil (2), noon
MARCH 18 BOYS TENNIS x-Mainland at Woodstown
MARCH 19 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Lehigh Carbon CC (2), 3 p.m. BOYS TENNIS x-Schalick at Cumberland x-Pennsville at St. Augustine
MARCH 20 COLLEGE SOFTBALL SUNY-Orange at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS x-West Deptford at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. x-Millville at Schalick
MARCH 21 BASEBALL x-Woodstown at Clearview, 4 p.m. SOFTBALL x-Cedar Creek at Schalick x-Woodstown at Gloucester City COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland (2), 3:30 p.m. GOLF Woodstown vs. Triton, Valley Brook CC BOYS TENNIS x-Woodstown at Palmyra
MARCH 22 BASEBALL x-Pennsauken Tech at Penns Grove SOFTBALL x-Kingsway at Woodstown COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Brookdale CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS x-Millville at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
MARCH 23 SOFTBALL x-Pennsville at Buena COLLEGE BASEBALL Brookdale CC at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Delaware Tech at Salem CC (2), noon
MARCH 24 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Northampton at Salem CC (2), noon
MARCH 25 BASEBALL x-Cumberland at Woodstown, 4 p.m. x-Millville at Schalick SOFTBALL x-Pennsville at GCIT BOYS TENNIS x-St. Augustine at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at OLMA BOYS LACROSSE x-Millville at Woodstown
MARCH 26 BASEBALL x-Pleasantville at Penns Grove COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Lehigh Carbon CC, 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Middlesex at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Gateway x-Woodstown at Millville TRACK Camden Co. Tech at Pennsville
MARCH 27 BASEBALL x-Cumberland at Schalick x-Deptford at Woodstown, 4 p.m. SOFTBALL x-Cumberland at Schalick x-Deptford at Woodstown x-Paulsboro at Pennsville COLLEGE BASEBALL Lehigh Carbon CC at Salem CC, noon GOLF Pennsville vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westwood GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS x-Pennsville at Delsea, 3:45 p.m.
MARCH 28 BASEBALL x-Clayton at Penns Grove SOFTBALL x-Penns Grove at Clayton GOLF Schalick vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL
MARCH 29 BASEBALL x-Paulsboro at Schalick SOFTBALL Millville at Pennsville COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Sussex (2), 1 p.m. GOLF Woodstown at Delran, Golden Pheasant GC
MARCH 30 BASEBALL x-Woodstown vs. GCIT, Deptford MS, 10 a.m. GIRLS LACROSSE x-Washington Twp. at Woodstown, 10 a.m. BOYS LACROSSE x-Woodstown at Absegami, 10 a.m.
APRIL 1 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Glassboro Schalick at Woodstown SOFTBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove Schalick at Woodstown GIRLS GOLF Delsea vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown
APRIL 2 BASEBALL Pennsville at Clayton SOFTBALL Clearview at Woodstown OLMA at Schalick Pennsville at Clayton COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Mercer County CC, 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Mercer County CC (2), 3 p.m. GOLF Washington Twp. girls at Schalick, 3:30 p.m. Schalick boys vs. West Deptford, River Winds GC Pennsville vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove BOYS TENNIS Cunberland at Woodstown, 10 a.m. Pennsville at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m.
APRIL 3 BASEBALL Schalick at Millville SOFTBALL Ocean City at Woodstown TRACK Pennsville at Glassboro Schalick at Woodstown BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Paul VI, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Clearview at Woodstown BOYS TENNIS Middle Twp. at Pennsville
APRIL 4 BASEBALL Salem at Pennsville Penns Grove at Woodstown Pitman at Schalick SOFTBALL Pennsville at Salem Woodstown at Penns Grove COLLEGE SOFTBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m. GOLF Schalick boya vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC Pennsville vs. West Deptford, Riverwinds GC, 3:30 p.m. TRACK Schalick at Pennsville BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m.
APRIL 5 BASEBALL Pennsville at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Pennsville Schalick at Clearview COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Pennsville vs. Penns Grove, Sakima GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Delsea at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Haddon Heights GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Paul VI
APRIL 6 BASEBALL Schalick at Gloucester City, 10 a.m. Woodstown at Cedar Creek, 11 a.m. SOFTBALL Camden Catholic at Woodstown, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Raritan Valley at Salem CC (2), noon TRACK Pennsville at Deptford Twp. Relays, 9 a.m. BOYS LACROSSE Washington Twp. at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
APRIL 7 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Middlesex (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Bucks (2), 1 p.m.
APRIL 8 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Salem Schalick at Clayton Woodstown at Pennsville SOFTBALL Clayton at Schalick Pennsville at Woodstown Salem at Penns Grove GOLF Schalick girls vs. Williamstown, Scotland Run GC Overbrook vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:30 p.m. Pennsville boys vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:45 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m. Triton at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Clayton at Penns Grove Delran at Schalick BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Cedar Creek, 2:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Haddonfield
APRIL 9 BASEBALL Woodstown at Clayton COLLEGE BASEBALL Middlesex at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Northampton (2), 3:30 p.m. GOLF Pennsville vs. Clayton, Pitman CC, 3:45 p.m. Schalick girls vs. Clearview, Westwood GC BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Washington Twp., 4 p.m. TRACK Overbrook at Woodstown Pennsville at Penns Grove Schalick at Glassboro
APRIL 10 BASEBALL Gloucester at Woodstown Overbrook at Penns Grove Schalick at Glassboro SOFTBALL Glassboro at Schalick Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville Penns Grove at Woodstown Woodstown at Haddon Heights COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Montgomery County CC, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Bucks at Salem CC (2), 4:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Woodstown at Penns Grove, 3:45 p.m. Cumberland at Pennsville Schalick at Overbrook GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at West Deptford
APRIL 11 BASEBALL Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville SOFTBALL Woodstown at Cumberland BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Vineland, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Millville GOLF Pennsville vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:30 p.m. Schalick girls vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Mainland
APRIL 12 BASEBALL Delsea at Pennsville Schalick at Haddon Heights SOFTBALL Pennsville at Delsea Schalick at Gloucester Catholic COLLEGE BASEBALL Bergen CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Millville vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Pitman at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Delsea, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Wildwood Schalick at Clayton GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Haddon Heights
APRIL 13 BASEBALL Woodstown at West Deptford, 10 a.m. Schalick at Paulsboro SOFTBALL West Deptford at Pennsville COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Bergen CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Morris at Salem CC (2), noon BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Egg Harbor Twp., 10 a.m. TRACK Pennsville at West Deptford Relays, 9 a.m.
APRIL 14 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Cecil at Salem CC (2), noon
APRIL 15 BASEBALL Woodstown at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m. SOFTBALL Buena at Schalick Pennsville at Paulsboro GOLF OLMA vs. Schalick, Centerton CC Wildwood boys vs. Schalick, Centerton CC BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Kingsway, 3:45 p.m. Deptford at Schalick GIRLS LACROSSE Eastern at Woodstown
APRIL 16 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Schalick Wildwood at Pennsville Woodstown at Overbrook SOFTBALL Overbrook at Woodstown Pennsville at Wildwood Schalick at Penns Grove COLLEGE BASEBALL Luzerne County CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Woodstown vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Woodstown at Cumberland, 3:45 p.m. Pitman at Penns Grove Schalick at Glassboro BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Williamstown
APRIL 17 BASEBALL Pennsville at Millville SOFTBALL Williamstown at Woodstown GOLF Kingsway girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC Schalick boys vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC Woodstown vs. Pennsville, Sakima GC, 3:30 p.m. TRACK Overbrook at Pennsville Penns Grove at Schalick Woodstown at Glassboro BOYS TENNIS Delran at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Vineland at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Kingsway at Woodstown
APRIL 18 BASEBALL Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pitman at Pennsville Schalick at Overbrook SOFTBALL Overbrook at Schalick Pennsville at Pitman Woodstown at Glassboro BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Wildwood, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick GOLF Penns Grove vs. Woodstown, Town & Country GL, 3:30 p.m. Overbrook vs. Pennsville, Sakima GC, 3:45 p.m.
APRIL 19 BASEBALL Gloucester City at Schalick Wildwood at Woodstown Williamstown at Pennsville SOFTBALL Schalick at Gloucester City Woodstown at Wildwood COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Camden CC, 3 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Woodstown at Overbrook, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Millville GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Egg Harbor Twp.
APRIL 20 BASEBALL Schalick at Eastern, 10 a.m. Pitman at Woodstown, 11 a.m. Pennsville in Oakcrest Tournament COLLEGE BASEBALL Camden CC at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Lackawanna (2), noon BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Lower Cape May, 10 a.m.
APRIL 21 BASEBALL Pennsville in Oakcrest Tournament COLLEGE SOFTBALL Ocean at Salem CC (2), noon
APRIL 22 BASEBALL Pennsville at Glassboro Pitman at Penns Grove Woodstown at Clayton SOFTBALL Glassboro at Pennsville Penns Grove at Pitman Woodstown at Clayton GOLF Williamstown girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC Overbrook boys vs. Schalick, Centerton CC Pennsville at Penns Grove, 3:30 p.m. TRACK Overbrook at Schalick, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Clayton at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro Schalick at Pitman BOYS LACROSSE Oakcrest at Woodstown GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Clearview, 6 p.m.
APRIL 23 BASEBALL Schalick at Pennsville SOFTBALL Pennsville at Hammonton West Deptford at Woodstown COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Luzerne County CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Kingsway at Woodstown TRACK Woodstown at Pennsville
APRIL 24 BASEBALL Clayton at Pennsville Glassboro at Penns Grove Woodstown at Audubon SOFTBALL Clayton at Pennsville Penns Grove at Glassboro COLLEGE BASEBALL Montgomery County CC at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Schalick girls vs. Washington Twp., Wedgewood CC Woodstown vs. Overbrook, Kresson GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Wildwood at Schalick
APRIL 25 BASEBALL Delran at Woodstown, 4:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Camden CC at Salem CC (2), 3:30 p.m. GOLF Pennsville vs. Triton, Valleybrook CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Bridgeton at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Sterling
APRIL 26 BASEBALL Mainland Coaches vs. Cancer Schalick vs. Cape May Tech COLLEGE BASEBALL Union at Salem CC, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at Bergen (2), 3:30 p.m. GIRLS LACROSSE Haddonfield at Woodstown
APRIL 27 BASEBALL Woodstown at Haddonfield, 10 a.m. SOFTBALL Woodstown at Williamstown, 9 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Union (2), noon
APRIL 28 BASEBALL Mainland Coaches vs. Cancer Pennsville vs Cedar Creek, 9 a.m.
APRIL 29 BASEBALL Wildwood at Schalick SOFTBALL Schalick at Wildwood COLLEGE BASEBALL Delaware County CC at Salem CC, 3 p.m. GOLF Clearview girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Clearview vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Washington Twp. at Schalick
APRIL 30 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Anne Arundel CC (2), 2 p.m. GOLF Schalick girls vs. Delsea, White Oaks CC BOYS TENNIS Penns Grove at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Wildwood at Schalick
MAY 1 BASEBALL Bridgeton at Schalick, Elmer LL, 6 p.m. SOFTBALL Schalick at Cumberland BOYS TENNIS Schalick at GCIT TRACK Penns Grove at Woodstown
MAY 2 BASEBALL Penns Grove at Pleasantville GOLF Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown in Carl Arena Tournament, Valleybrook CC, 8 a.m.
MAY 3 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m. GOLF Cedar Creek vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m.
MAY 4 COLLEGE BASEBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC (2), noon TRACK Pennsville in SJTCA Meet, Rancocas Valley, 1 p.m.
MAY 6 BASEBALL Glassboro at Schalick Penns Grove at Overbrook Woodstown at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Overbrook at Penns Grove Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Glassboro GOLF GCIT vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Glassboro at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Woodstown at Triton, 3:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton Schalick at Bridgeton
MAY 7 SOFTBALL Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic GOLF Schalick boys vs. Pennsville, Sakima CC, 3:45 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Pennsville at Schalick, 3:45 p.m. BOYS LACROSSE Woodstown at Haddon Twp., 6:30 p.m.
MAY 8 BASEBALL Overbrook at Woodstown Pennsville at Wildwood Schalick at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Schalick Wildwood at Pennsville Woodstown at Overbrook GOLF Cumberland girls vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 3:30 p.m. Northern Burlington boys vs. Schalick, Centerton CC, 4:15 p.m. Middle Twp. vs. Pennsville, Sakima GC, 4:30 p.m. TRACK Salem County Championships, Pennsville, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Delsea at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Pitman, 3:45 p.m. Clayton at Schalick GIRLS LACROSSE Woodstown at Kingsway, 6 p.m.
MAY 9 BASEBALL Woodstown vs. Schalick, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m. SOFTBALL Woodstown vs. Schalick, Elmer LL, 6:30 p.m. GOLF Schalick vs. Deptford, Pitman GC BOYS TENNIS Clearview at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Haddon Heights at Woodstown Williamstown at Penns Grove
MAY 10 BASEBALL Haddon Heights at Pennsville Penns Grove at Clayton Woodstown at Salem SOFTBALL Pennsville at Overbrook Pitman at Schalick Salem at Woodstown Wildwood at Penns Grove GOLF Woodbury vs. Pennsville, Sakima GC, 3:30 p.m. Schalick girls vs. OLMA, White Oaks CC BOYS LACROSSE Clearview at Woodstown BOYS TENNIS GCIT at Pennsville
MAY 11 BASEBALL Lee Ware Tournament Woodstown vs. Cherry Hill East Paulsboro vs. Camden Catholic GIRLS LACROSSE Lower Cape May at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
MAY 13 BASEBALL Pennsville at Salem Schalick at Cumberland SOFTBALL ACIT at Schalick Salem at Pennsville Woodstown at Cinnaminson GOLF Gloucester Catholic at Schalick BOYS TENNIS Cinnaminson at Schalick Pennsville at West Deptford Woodstown at Clearview BOYS LACROSSE Egg Harbor Twp. at Woodstown
MAY 14 BASEBALL Overbrook at Schalick Pennsville at Pitman Woodstown at Glassboro SOFTBALL Glassboro at Woodstown Overbrook at Schalick Pitman at Pennsville BOYS TENNIS Buena at Woodstown Glassboro at Schalick GIRLS LACROSSE Mainland at Woodstown
MAY 15 BASEBALL Buena at Woodstown GOLF Schalick vs. Kingsway, River Winds GC BOYS TRACK Tri-County Showcase, Delsea, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Schalick at Triton Woodstown at Pitman
MAY 16 BASEBALL Overbrook at Pennsville Salem at Schalick Wildwood at Penns Grove SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Clayton Schalick at Salem GOLF Schalick vs. Cumberland, Running Deer GC BOYS TENNIS Wildwood at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove
MAY 17 BASEBALL Cumberland at Pennsville Woodstown at Penns Grove Delran at Schalick, 4:15 p.m. SOFTBALL Penns Grove at Woodstown GOLF Pennsville at Delran, 4:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Overbrook at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
MAY 18 GIRLS LACROSSE West Deptford at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
MAY 20 SOFTBALL Pennsville at West Deptford GOLF Salem-Cumberland County Tournament, Centerton CC, 8 a.m. Haddon Heights vs. Pennsville, Sakima GC, 3:30 p.m. BOYS TENNIS Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m. Pennsville at Williamstown, 3:45 p.m. Pitman at Schalick
MAY 21 TRACK Pennsville at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.
MAY 23 BASEBALL NJSIAA Round 1
MAY 28 GOLF Tri-County Conference Showcase, Pitman GC, 8 a.m.
MAY 29 BASEBALL NJSIAA Round 2
MAY 31 BASEBALL NJSIAA Round 3 TRACK NJSIAA Sectionals, Pennsauken
Salem Tech boys beat Pennsauken Tech in two close games to reach SJ Group II bowling semifinals; Tech girls, Salem boys fall
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News Consistency from all five spots in the lineup propelled the Salem Tech boys into the semifinal round of the South Jersey Group II Tournament.
The Chargers defeated Pennsauken Tech 2-0 Tuesday at Wood Lanes. They won 787-731 and 898-878.
They now play at Overbrook (12-2-1) Thursday for a spot in Saturday’s finals opposite the Manchester Twp.-Seneca winner at Laurel Lanes.
“In the past we have struggled with bowling in high-pressure situations,” Tech coach Matt DiTizio said. “We struggled early in the first game, but the boys all made the correct adjustments and we were able to pull off the win.
“The second game Penn Tech came out swinging and they bowled really well; we were just more consistent through the lineup.”
The Chargers (5-7-2) were the only one of the three Salem County teams in action Tuesday to advance. In the girls SJ Group II quarterfinals, Salem Tech lost at Manchester Twp. 2-0 (912-471, 757-615) and Salem lost to Camden Catholic in the Group I boys quarterfinals 2-0 (869-826, 855-829)
Josh Mackey’s 202 was the Chargers’ high game in Game One of their match, while Rosario Torres rolled their high game in Game Two (203) and high series (374). The Chargers’ other three bowlers – Raymond Ridgway, Evan Malone and Aaron Dean – were all within 10 pins of each other for the match.
Dean was nearly 70 pins better in Game Two (125-192) and Malone 70 pins better than Penn Tech’s No. 2 in Game Two (169-96) to offset an opposing 226 and 201 and help that win along.
“It was close and we were actually down going into the tenth frame, but the boys capitalized on a strong ninth frame and we were able to pull off the sweep,” DiTizio said. “We are excited that we made it this far this early in our program and are looking forward to playing on Thursday.”
In the other matches, Alexis Cagle rolled the high game (161) and high series (263) for the Salem Tech girls and Zachary Gannon rolled a 500 series for the Salem boys (236-264).
The Salem girls (4-9) travel to undefeated New Egypt (19-0) today for their SJ Group I semifinals. The winner faces the survivor of Friday’s Clayton-Gloucester match in Saturday’s finals at Laurel Lanes.
Salem CC gives 18-win Camden all it can handle with only six players, but falls in closing seconds
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Dante Brinkley had a lot of reasons for wanting to play a memorable final game Monday night.
Not only was he playing for the last time in Salem CC’s Dupont Fieldhouse in the final game of his junior college career, it was coming against the Camden County College team he started that career with.
Individually, it was game worth remembering. The sophomore point guard from New Castle scored 19 points, dished seven assists and kept the Oaks together in a game that was tight throughout the second half. The only thing that spoiled it was the Cougars sent them into the offseason with a 72-68 loss.
“It wasn’t really about myself,” Brinkley said. “My teammates were encouraging me, like this is your last game versus your former team, you’ve got to do your thing, but, really, I wanted to go out there and win for them.
“I was the only sophomore who was playing today, but we were a tight-knit group. It wasn’t about me today, it was about the whole team. I just wanted to go out on top.
“It was special to play them out of all teams. The only thing that would have made it better is if we won, but it was still a cool opportunity to play them in my last game.”
Brinkley began his college career as a Cougar, making 10 starts in 25 games last season and averaging 3.5 points a game. He scored 11 points against the Oaks in the final game of the year, then transferred to Salem to be closer to home and cut down on his daily commute.
He averaged 14.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in his only season with the Oaks with 42 steals and a 121-49 assist-to-turnover ratio. In their 6-3 February finish, he averaged 15.7 points (with a career-high 29 against Sussex CC Saturday) with 15 steals, 49 assists and just 14 turnovers.
The Oaks (11-14) were in the game with another 18-win team Monday all the way to the wire despite having only six available players – and two of those had four fouls with five minutes to play. They fell behind by 11 in the first half, but rallied to get back in it and kept the crowd on edge the rest of the game.
Niame Scott’s 3-pointer with 4:50 left in the first half gave Salem its first lead, 26-25. There were three more lead changes before halftime and 14 in the second half. The largest lead either team had in the second half was four points, and that never lasted long.
“We had six today?” Oaks coach Mike Green asked. “You’re making me feel bad. I was just yelling at them about effort, geez that makes me feel bad, we only had six. I get so caught up in it, I forget. I’ve got to go apologize to those boys. The effort was unbelievable. I forgot all about six, but the effort was unbelievable. Sometimes you get lost in it, man; I was definitely lost in it.
“We’re right there with these guys. You kind of forget you’re playing with six players, seven players. You kind of forget your playing with freshmen.”
The last lead change came with 1:31 left when Demere Hollingsworth hit a pair of free throws to put the Cougars up 69-68. Thomas Brown made the first of two free throws with 16.6 seconds left to extend the lead.
He missed the second, Scott rebounded and Salem called time to set up a final play. The Oaks got it to Scott who drove to the basket, but came up short in traffic with three seconds left. Sincere Robinson hit two free throws at the other end to seal it.
“it was tough because of the team that we have,” Brinkley said. “We battled through a lot of adversity this year, but we were always together throughout it all, so just finishing it together would have been awesome.
“Nine times out of 10 he’s finishing that. That may have questionable, there may have been a foul, it may not have been, but regardless I’m living with it. I trust him, I trust Coach Mike, I trust Naime to finish that play, it’s just sometimes you don’t always get what you want.”
The game also was the final one of Green’s first season as the Mighty Oaks’ head coach. Green took the program right before Christmas and went 9-9 over the final two months of the season. He injected a high-energy style that reflected his own style as a player and lived and died with the 3. The Oaks averaged 81 points a game and hit 188 3s in January and February after averaging 68 points a game and hitting 50 3s in the seven games before the change.
The way they finished the season bodes well for the future. The Oaks already have five players signed for next season.
“I just told them I’d talk to them when the emotions go down, but looking at it now it’s been good,” Green said. “They gave me all they could. There were games we played with six. There were games we played with five. I think the most we had was eight. Then you take into account we haven’t played full-court, five-on-five, one day since I’ve been, so when you put everything in perspective, we played a hell of a season.”
CAMDEN CC 72, SALEM CC 68 CAMDEN CC (18-10) – Aamir Terry 1 0-0 2, Tyson Shaw 4 3-4 11, Demere Hollingsworth 5 2-2 12, Christian Barksdale 2 0-2 4, Idris Muhummad 0 0-0 0, Elias Schellenberg 0 0-0 0, Davit Gelashvilli 1 0-2 2, Sincere Robinson 1 5-5 7, Marty Dunn 1 0-0 2, Andre Burrell 8 1-1 17, Ethan Wilkins 4 0-2 8, Thomas Brown 3 1-2 7. Totals 30 12-20 72. SALEM CC (11-14) – Niame Scott 4-9 10-14 21, Dante Brinkley 6-12 5-7 18, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 4-16 0-0 9, Tivon Woolford 2-4 0-0 5, Tajee Jordan 4-7 1-1 9, A.J. Jones 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 22-53 16-22 68.
Camden CC
32
40 –
72
Salem CC
33
35 –
68
3-point goals: Camden CC 0; Salem CC 8-23 (Scott 3-5, Brinkley 1-3, Coley-Lewis 1-10, Woolford 1-2, Jones 2-3). Rebounds: Salem CC 28 (Jones 7, Jordan 6). Assists: Salem CC 15 (Brinkley 7). Fouled out: Jordan. Total fouls: Camden CC 17, Salem CC 14.
Salem CC’s Naime Scott drives into traffic in hopes of scoring the game-tying basket against Camden CC. The shot didn’t fall and the Oaks lost 72-68.
Here is the sports schedule for teams in Salem County for the week of Feb. 19-24
Monday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Camden County College at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Boys Wildwood at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Girls LEAP Academy at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Maple Shade at Gloucester, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Camden Catholic, Westbrook Lanes4 p.m. Doane Academy at Clayton, 4 p.m.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Cinnaminson at Manchester Twp., 3 p.m. Pennsauken Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Medford Tech at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Girls Quarterfinals Salem Tech at Manchester Tech, 3 p.m. Pemberton at Barnegat, 3 p.m.
Wednesday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Maple Shade-Gloucester winner at Donovan Catholic, 3 p.m. Girls semifinals Salem at New Egypt, Thunderbowl Lanes, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Salem at No. 1 Woodbury, 5:30 p.m. No. 9 Gateway at No. 8 Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Palmyra, 4 p.m. No. 13 Cape May Tech at No. 4 Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. No. 14 Pitman at No. 3 Maple Shade, 5:30 p.m. No. 11 Clayton at No. 6 Audubon, 4 p.m. No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Glassboro, 3:30 p.m. No. 15 Paulsboro at No. 2 Wildwood, 4 p.m. Boys SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Burlington City at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Academy, 6 p.m. No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 8 Woodbury, 4 p.m. No. 12 LEAP Academy at No. 5 Audubon, 5:30 p.m. No. 13 Woodstown at No. 4 Wildwood, 6 p.m. No. 14 New Egypt at No. 3 Salem, 5 p.m. No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 Glassboro, 5:15 p.m. No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 7 Palmyra, 5 p.m. No. 15 Pennsville at No. 2 Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Manchester Twp. at Seneca Salem Tech at Overbrook
WRESTLING Region tournaments
Saturday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys championship at Laurel Lanes
Schalick’s Hadfield, Salem’s Parker score in two individual events, highlighting the Salem County effort at the Group I state indoor meet; Salem’s Buzby second in girls 800
By Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield and Salem’s Anthony Parker both scored points in a pair of individual events Saturday to highlight Salem County’s showing at the NJSIAA Group I Indoor Track Championships in the Bennett Center Bubble.
Hadfield finished third in both the girls 3200 (11:30.76) and 1600 (5:09.28). Her time in the 1600 was a personal best.
Parker finished fourth in the 55 hurdles (7.82) and sixth in the 400 (51.89), with personal bests in both races.
Salem’s Anna Buzby was the county’s highest finisher in an individual event. The senior was second in the girls 800 (2:22.27). She finished second to Verona sophomore Gwendolyn Neale who ran a personal best 2:19.37.
Salem’s Karima Davenport-White picked up a point with her sixth-place finish in the 55 hurdles (9.20) and Woodstown’s Cole Lucas finished third in the boys 800 (2:01.40).
The county had two teams score in the girls 4×400 relay. The Woodstown team of Jaime Deal, Kayla Ayars, Sarah Seiden and Arie Still finished third in 4:22.43. The Salem team of Davenport-White, Buzby, Anyzha Williams and Rhionna Timmons finished sixth in 4:26.93.
The top three finishers in each event advance to the Meet of Champions March 3.
Here are the Group I team scores
BOYS GROUP I TEAM SCORES (Top 10 and Salem County) Metuchen 59, Glassboro 36, Woodbury 30, Pequannock 18, Glen Rock 18, Hasbrouck Heights 11, Weehawken 10, Hanover Park 10, Burlington City 10, Pompton Lakes 10, Shabazz 10. Salem County: 16. Woodstown 6, 20. Salem 5
GIRLS GROUP I TEAM SCORES (Top 10 and Salem County) Clayton 41, Audubon 34, Hasbrouck Heights 26, Metuchen 24, Wallkill Valley 20, Ridgefield 18, Becton 12, Verona 12, Schalick 12, Haddon Twp. 12, Whippany Park 11. Salem County: 12. Salem 10, 16. Woodstown 6
Woodstown district champion Hyland among 15 Salem County wrestlers advancing to region tournaments
By Riverview Sports News
Woodstown sophomore Greyson Hyland won a district championship Saturday to lead a group of 15 Salem County wrestlers from two districts advancing to region wrestling championships.
Hyland scored a 6-1 decision over Gateway/Woodbury’s Brandon Bourdon to win the 175 division in District 31. Hyland won his first two matches by major decision and decision. Bourdon pinned his first two opponents.
Woodstown advanced seven wrestlers to the regionals. Travis Balback (120), Alex Torres (132), Zach Bevis (165) and Mateo Vinciguerra (215) were district runnerups.
Schalick/Cumberland advanced five wrestlers. Daniel Lloyd (138) and Ayden Jenkins (144) were district runnerups.
Pennsville advanced two wrestlers with Sky Eppes (150) finishing second at 150.
Penns Grove’s Clinton Bobo advanced out of District 29 as runnerup in 175.
DISTRICT 31 TEAM SCORES: Delsea 287, Gateway/Woodbury 153, Schalick/Cumberland 125, Woodstown 121.5, Vineland 89, Pennsville 62, Millville 50, Buena 27, Cedar Creek 26, Gloucester Catholic 18.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Greyson Pettit, Delsea; Josh Kinchen, Vineland; Caleb Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland. 113: Amari Vann, Delsea; Christian Snyder, Gateway/Woodbury; DeAnthony Harden, Schalick/Cumberland 120: Gage Summers, Delsea; Travis Balback, Woodstown; Aidan Barbato, Gateway/Cumberland. 126: Blaise Verdino, Delsea; Dante Gismondi, Gateway/Woodbury; Patrick Tull, Millville. 132: Zavier Stokes, Delsea; Alex Torres, Woodstown; Jayden Cinkowski, Vineland. 138: Chase Rossi, Gateway/Woodbury; Daniel Lloyd, Schalick/Cumberland; Matt Montalto-Summers, Delsea. 144: Michael Stokes, Delsea; Ayden Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland; Brett Rowand, Woodstown. 150: Jamar Dixon, Delsea; Sky Eppes, Pennsville; Noah Ubil, Gateway. 157: Andres Cortes, Gateway/Woodbury; Charlie Muzzarelli, Buena; Lionel Powell, Vineland. 165: Riley Boos, Delsea; Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Donte Nocito, Gateway/Woodbury. 175: Greyson Hyland, Woodstown; Brandon Bourdon, Gateway/Woodbury; Noah Cruz, Vineland. 190: Salvatore Marchese, Delsea; Aamir Dunbar, Cedar Creek; Elias Lussi, Pennsville. 215: Alex Grippo, Delsea; Mateo Vinciguerra, Woodstown; Jayden Jones, Millville. 285: Jose Berrios, Delsea; Marcus Offer, Millville; Frank Leon-Keenan, Gloucester Catholic.
DISTRICT 29 TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 246, Kingsway 216, Clearview 144.5, Pennsauken 114.5, Deptford 64, Pitman 58, Clayton/Glassboro 48.5, Penns Grove 40, Lindenwold 10.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Jason Meola, Kingsway; Dylan Hetzel, Washington Twp.; Carter Greco, Clearview. 113: Colton Hagerty, Washington Twp.; Ryan Preziosi, Kingsway; Eoin Curran, Deptford. 120: Christian Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Lucas Silvestre, Pennsauken; Brady McCollough, Clearview. 126: Ramon Alfonso Arroyo, Kingsway; Adriano Platt, Pitman; Anthony Morales, Clearview. 132: Conrad Raynor, Clayton/Glassboro; Aiden Hardy, Washington Twp.; Andrew Jamieson, Pennsauken. 138: Michael Horn, Washington Twp.; Elijah Beatty, Clearview; Jaylen Huertas, Deptford. 144: Tommy DiPietro, Kingsway; Stephen Borrelli, Clearview; Chaz Melton, Washington Twp. 150: Chase Helder, Kingsway; Jackson Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Kole Reiss, Clearview. 157: Benjamin Dryden, Kingsway; Raymond McFall, Washington Twp.; Tyler Trovato, Clearview. 165: Cole DeNick, Kingsway; Chase Rollins, Pitman; Adrian Alqutawna, Clearview. 175: Piotr Bochenski, Washington Twp.; Clinton Bobo, Penns Grove; Joseph Leone, Kingsway. 190: Luke Van Schenk Brill, Kingsway; Christopher Lamonthe, Pennsauken; Aaron Veytsman, Clearview. 215: Andrew Osborn, Washington Twp.; Kameron Hoskins, Pennsauken; Ryland Angel, Kingsway. 285: Luciana Mazzeo, Clayton/Glassboro; Mitchell Lando, Washington Twp.; Shane Davilla, Pennsauken.
Salem CC bounces back from a bad loss that eliminated it from playoff contention to upset one of the best teams in the region
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The numbers weren’t in Salem Community College’s favor at the start of the game – almost half as many wins as their opponent and two fewer players – but the Mighty Oaks have never really paid much attention to that sort of stuff. To them, the only numbers that really mattered were the ones on the scoreboard at the end of the game.
SCOTT
The Oaks rediscovered their long-range shooting stroke Saturday, used a 13-0 run late in the first half to take control of the game and held off a late charge from their playoff-bound visitors to score a 99-94 victory over Sussex County CC in their first game since being eliminated from playoff contention.
It was their sixth victory in eight games of a fabulous February and, with one game remaining in the season, guaranteed them a .500 record in the 18 games since Mike Green took over as head coach right before Christmas. The Skylanders (18-9) were by far the winningest team they have beaten this season.
“We responded,” Green said. “We just lost a game pretty bad to close out our playoff hopes and the guys responded. None of us were happy after that loss. We had nobody play well in that game, so they just wanted to get back out and everybody wanted to play well. They didn’t quit.
“That’s pretty much what it is. Pride. Your pride was on the line. Our pride was on the line as a team and we had to come respond and we did that.”
The Oaks (11-13) made only four of 21 3-pointers in Thursday’s 52-point loss at Northampton that eliminated them from the playoffs, but Naime Scott had that many in the first 13 minutes of the game. The Oaks hit seven 3s in the half and finished with 10 in the game.
Joshua Ramos hit three, Shaquez Coley-Lewis two and A.J. Jones one.
“Law of averages, man,” Green said. “You go 4-for-34, I told them we’d never do that again, and the next day we came in and shot more 3s. We ain’t going away from it. We’re going to live by it, we’re going to die by it. The guys just came back yesterday and worked at it; got a lot of them up. That’s our calling card. We’ve got kids who can shoot it and have confidence in their shots.”
“After the bad loss from the other day we just buckled down,” Scott said. “A lot of people always counted us out, but we don’t look at it like that. We look at it as we’re trying to get better. We always want to win and we just play as a team and the outcome showed tonight.”
Scott, a freshman from Philadelphia, led the Oaks with his junior college career-high 33 points and eight assists. His previous best was 26 in his JUCO debut against Delaware County CC. He had been averaging 15.6 in February.
Backcourt mate Dante Brinkley, a freshman from Delaware, came within a couple late missed free throws of giving the Oaks two 30-point scorers in the same game and finished with a JUCO career-high 29. They combined for 35 points in the second half.
Sussex’ P.J. Ross led all scorers with 39 points.
“I didn’t know that was their numbers; that’s impressive, very impressive,” Green said of his two big scorers. “It just comes from hard work, our guys finding each other in the right position, attacking until we get downhill and we want to go finish. I’m happy for them because I’m on them a lot. I was a guard myself, so I’m always on them, too. They get the most from me, so I’m happy for them.”
The game was tight early with seven ties and six lead changes in the first 15 minutes. The Skylanders cut it to 33-32 with 5:39 left in the first half, then the Oaks went on a 13-0 run over the next three minutes to take control of the game.
The Oaks scored on six of seven possessions, while holding the Skylanders went 0-for-5 shooting and had three turnovers.
“We played the way we wanted to play,” Green said. “We wanted to be aggressive on the ball, we turned them over a couple times, wanted to get steals and get our shooters shots. We got back on defense and rebounded. When we limit teams to one shot, we’re a lot better team. We did that a ton today, which got us the lead. When they got back in it, that’s when we didn’t do it.”
Salem led by 11 at halftime and 14 with 4:34 to play before the Skylanders mounted a comeback. Sussex got it to five with 1:10 to go and four after Ross hit three free throws with 11 seconds left, but between their ballhandling and free throw shooting Scott and Brinkley made sure they didn’t get closer.
The Oaks wrap up their season Monday at home against Camden County College, a game that was rescheduled for earlier this year. They’ll be looking to avenge an earlier four-point loss and go out 10-8 in Green’s first season with the program.
“We want to win,” Green said. “We lost to them already. They went up 15 on us, we had to fight to get back. It’s definitely another test for us. They’re one of the top teams in our league and we want to measure ourselves versus the best.
“It’s just another chance to show what we’re coming to do and put everybody on notice that our freshmen will become sophomores next year.”
SALEM CC 99, SUSSEX COUNTY CC 94 SUSSEX COUNTY CC (18-9) — Jesus Romero 3 3-5 9, Nate Aklilu 4 2-2 11, P.J. Ross 13 8-8 39, Hamadi Martin 0 2-2 2, Christian Archer 8 2-2 18, David Forzani 3 2-2 9, Jalil Golden 3 0-0 6. Totals 34 19-21 94. SALEM CC (11-13) — Naime Scott 9-19 11-13 33, Dante Brinkley 11-16 7-12 29, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 6-9 0-0 14, Joshua Ramos 3-7 0-0 9, A.J. Jones 3-7 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 2-5 2-2 6, Tivon Woolford 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 34-67 21-29 99.
Sussex County CC
39
55 —
94
Salem CC
50
49 —
99
3-point goals: Sussex 7 (Aklilu, Ross 5, Forzani); Salem 10-26 (Scott 4-8, Coley-Lewis 2-5, Ramos 3-7, Jones 1-4, Woolford 0-2). Rebounds: Salem 35 (Jordan 13, Scott 7, Coley-Lewis 6). Assists: Salem 19 (Scott 8). Fouled out: Forzani. Total fouls: Sussex 21, Salem 17. Officials: O’Brien, Rossi, Chase.
Riverview Sports News 