Lady Devils fall to Glassboro in Tri-County Conference girls B Flight title game; Gloucester Catholic, Overbrook win other girls titles Friday, Timber Creek takes last boys crown
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FRIDAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 53, Clearview 46 B Flight Glassboro 32, Penns Grove 26 C Flight Overbrook 46, Cumberland 37 BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 62, Delsea 59
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Kezia Brackett had confidence in her shot from the minute she stepped on the floor Friday.
The Glassboro freshman guard hit shot after shot in pre-game warmups, then carried it over to the game with three 3-pointers in the first half when they were the only shots her team was getting against Penns Grove.
Brackett hit four 3-pointers in the game and finished with 24 points as the Bulldogs took down the Lady Devils 32-26 for the girls B Flight title in the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
“I thought it was very important for me to make my shots,” Brackett said. “During warmups I was kind of hot, so once my coach realized I was hot during warmups, they were feeding me the ball instantly.
“They were playing really good defense, but once I came off that screen set by SiSi (Sianna Wedderburn), it was there.”
The second-seeded Bulldogs (16-7) were playing without injured 1,000-point scorer Tamia Smith, so they needed everyone else to pick up the slack. Brackett just took it all on. She hit two 3s in the first quarter, including one at the buzzer, to give her team a lead it never lost. She hit another in the second quarter and then opened the second half with a 3 to give her team its biggest lead of the game.
“We had a very big effort from Kezia today,” Glassboro coach Monte Willis said. “I said prior to the game one of the keys to the game was we had to be efficient. When we had an opportunity to knock down an open shot or hit an open layup, we had to make it count.”
The way both teams played defense made it difficult for either to get a lot of shots. They spent much of their time moving the ball around the arc looking for something to break.
Where the Lady Devils, seeded eighth in the flight, had the best of it in the closing minutes of their semifinal win over Pennsville, they didn’t have such luck Friday.
After RaNiyah Wilson’s layup drew them even at 22 with 7:47 left, the Lady Devils (13-9) only scored four more points in 19 possessions the rest of the game – a 3-pointer by Wilson and a free throw by Brianna Roberts. They hit only one of their last 15 shots and when they missed they rarely got a second chance.
“I just think we got beat on the boards; they beat us on the boards,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “Give credit to them. They were the better team.”
“We believe we’re a very good defensive team, too,” Willis said. “We believe we have the athletes on the outside to be able to man up on anybody. We just came out there and we just wanted it.”
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GIRLS B FLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME GLASSBORO 32, PENNS GROVE 26 PENNS GROVE (13-9) — RaNiyah Wilson 4 1-2 11, Meely Horace 1 0-0 3, Brianna Robbins 1 4-10 6, Zoey Caesar 3 0-2 6, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-14 26. GLASSBORO (16-7) — Sanaa Thomas 0 5-10 5, Kezia Brackett 8 4-4 24, Kimora Miles 0 0-0 0, Anye Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 1 1-4 3, Scarlett Saicic 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 10-23 32.
Penns Grove
5
6
9
6 —
26
Glassboro
10
5
7
10 —
32
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Horace); Glassboro 4 (Brackett 4). Rebounds: Penns Grove 33 (Robbins 8, Caesar 7, Horace 7); Glassboro 31 (Wedderburn 12, Brackett 7). Technical fouls: Thomas. Total fouls: Penns Grove 15, Glassboro 13.
Cover photo: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett (5) launches one of her 3-pointers against the defense of Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson.
Mighty Oaks fall on road to end hopes of tournament berth; women’s team drops final game of the first year back
SALEM CC BASKETBALL Men’s Game Northampton CC 89, Salem CC 37 Women’s Game Montgomery County CC 62, Salem CC 32
By Riverview Sports News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Salem CC basketball team’s fabulous February had it entertaining hopes of a postseason tournament berth, but the Mighty Oaks knew they had no room for error.
Those hopes came to an end Thursday night when the Oaks lost at Northampton CC 89-37. They had to win each of their last three games to extend the season, but in the first step on the journey the elements that fueled their best month of the season never showed.
They shot 23 percent from the field overall and were only 4-of-34 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 52-31. It was only their second loss in the month of February and snapped a three-game winning streak.
Northampton (17-9) opened the game on a 26-5 run and held a 43-19 halftime lead.
The Oaks (10-13) still have two games left in their season – both at home, Saturday 1 p.m. against Sussex County CC and Monday 6 p.m. against Camden County College.
WOMENS GAME
BLUE BELL, Pa. – The Salem CC women’s basketball team wrapped up its first season back on the floor with a 62-32 loss at Montgomery County CC. The Mighty Oaks revived their program this year after a 10-year hiatus and finished the year 9-13.
MENS BOX SCORE NORTHAMPTON CC 89, SALEM CC 13 SALEM CC (10-13) – Niame Scott 3-11 0-0 7, Dante Brinkley 4-10 2-4 10, A.J. Jones 4-10 1-2 11, Joshua Ramos 1-9 0-0 2, Tajee Jordan 0-7 0-0 0, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 2-10 0-0 5, Tivon Woolford 1-9 0-0 2. Totals 15-66 3-6 37. NORTHAMPTON CC (17-9) – Nate Rivera 5-9 2-2 16, C.J. Miles 1-8 0-0 2, Naeem Purnell 4-6 0-0 9, Elijah Hamilton 8-11 1-2 18, Nile Mosby 8-12 4-5 20, Xavier Goodman 3-5 1-1 7, Eric Porter 1-1 0-0 3, Ethan Sakwa 2-2 0-0 4, Emmanuel Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Keein Ward 4-5 0-0 8, Austyn Lutes 0-3 0-0 0, John Green 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 37-65 8-10 89.
Salem CC
19
18 –
37
Northampton CC
43
46 –
89
3-point goals: Salem 4-34 (Scott 1-5, Brinkley 0-4, Jones 2-8, Ramos 0-7, Coley-Lewis 1-7, Woolford 0-3); Northampton 7-15 (Rivera 4-6, Miles 0-1, Purnell 1-2, Hamilton 1-3, Goodman 0-1, Porter 1-1, Lutes 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 31 (Jordan 8); Northampton 52 (Hamilton 15). Total fouls: Salem 9, Northampton 8.
Farina leads Pennsville girls to B Flight consolation victory, Pennsville’s boys fall in the C Flight title game
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS C Flight Championship Gloucester Tech 58, Pennsville 48 GIRLS B Flight Consolation Pennsville 45, Pitman 13
OTHER GAMES BOYS West Deptford 59, Woodstown 56
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Joe Mecholsky has never been a big fan of playing the next day after going 32 up-tempo minutes with Clayton regardless of the outcome and the Pennsville coach had more reason to dislike it Thursday night.
The experience is kind of like going to the holiday party. You know you’re going to have a good time, but you also know you’re going to pay for it the next day.
The Eagles had some of the most fun they had all season in beating the Clippers Wednesday night, but back at it 24 hours later they felt it in their legs and lost to Gloucester Tech 58-48 in the C Flight championship game of the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
They were off with their shots, both from the floor and the free throw line, and GCIT, which also played the night before, came with energy that lasted the whole game. They shot 40 percent for the game, but were only 4-of-20 from behind the 3-point arc, a sure sign of tired legs.
It’s the second time this year they have fallen victim to the Clayton Effect. They opened the season with an 80-66 win over the Clippers, then lost at Deptford 76-50 less than 24 hours later. They are 3-6 this year in the second game of consecutive starts regardless of the first-game opponent.
“We didn’t do the things that have made us successful tonight,” Mecholsky said. “We didn’t get it down to Danny (Saulin). We missed a lot of shots. Hung in it, however, basketball is a simple game. Their team made more shots than us.
“Could it have been the Clayton Effect? Maybe. I don’t want to take anything away from GCIT’s performance. They played well, they did what they wanted to do, we couldn’t stop it on defense and that’s why they won the game.”
The game was close throughout. The Cheetahs, who lost to Pennsville by 11 back in December, took the lead for good with an 8-0 run in the second quarter, but could never put the Eagles away until the end.
Pennsville’s shooting woes took their toll in the second half when the Eagles went 1-for-13 over an eight minute stretch that put them in a nine-point hole with 1:55 to play. Still, they got it back to within three with 18.4 seconds left, then GCIT closed it out by hitting seven of eight free throws in the final 16.6 seconds.
The Cheetahs were 14-of-22 from the line in the fourth quarter. Trent Phillips was 10 of 12 and led all scorers with 20 points.
Luke Wood had a tough night shooting for Pennsville, but still wound up as the Eagles’ high scorer with 13 points and moved into third place on their boys all-time scoring list. Saulin, who went for 29 points and 26 rebounds in the Clayton game, was bottled up for 12 points and eight boards.
“They did everything right tonight,” Mecholsky said of the Cheetahs. “I just think they played a really nice game. They came fired up, they were excited at every time out, their bench was engaged and they were ready. We got outplayed.”
The win left the Cheetahs feeling like they just won a national title. They didn’t qualify for the South Jersey Group IV playoffs, but the win did make them one of the winningest teams in school history. If they win their only remaining game on the schedule next week they would finish the season just one game below .500.
“That’s huge here,” Cheetahs coach McNeil Wrice said. “You’re talking about in the history of GCIT it’s only had one winning season in 20-plus years, so to be a double-digit win team puts us in a special place in history. For us to be the first one to bring a conference championship, whether it’s A, B, C or D, that means something.”
If the Eagles had pulled it out, it would have given them 11 wins in a season for the first time in more than 25 years. They can still hit that benchmark with an upset over second-seeded Pitman in the first round of the South Jersey Group I tournament Thursday.
“It would have been nice to go out with a good taste in our mouth on the long weekend,” Mecholsky said. “We wanted to win the C Bracket championship. It doesn’t break our heart (they didn’t). Now we get ready for Pitman and that’s our focus to end the season.”
WEST DEPTFORD 59, WOODSTOWN 56: The Eagles capped a second-half rally with a 21-14 fourth quarter to beat the Wolverines in a game Woodstown picked in lieu of a third meeting with Penns Grove in a TCC Tournament B Flight consolation game.
WOODSTOWN (11-12) — Blake Bialecki 4 3-3 12, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 5 0-2 11, Garrett Leyman 4 0-1 9, Max Webb 2 0-1 4, Rocco String 5 2-2 12, Elijah Carter 3 0-0 6. Totals 24 5-9 56. WEST DEPTFORD (9-16) — Andre Johnson 7 1-2 15, Zayd Mujahid 0 0-0 0, Mark Koszowski 2 0-0 5, Nick Senatore 5 4-4 17, Carter Watson 1 0-0 3, Aiden Cranmer 8 3-3 19, Zamir Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 8-9 59.
PENNSVILLE — Bella Farina knew it was going to be a good day the minute she hit the alarm clock early Thursday morning.
She got up on the right side of the bed, enjoyed a good lunch in the middle of the day and was excited to play a game against one of her close friends.
“I just had a lot of energy today,” she said.
She channeled that energy into the best game of her career. The senior post went for 19 points and 10 rebounds – the second double-double of her career – leading the Pennsville girls to a 45-13 rout of Pitman in the Tri-County Tournament B Flight consolation game.
“I knew the team wanted to end the week off with a win and it was my last regular season game of my career,” Farina said. “We all just worked really well together today.”
Farina’s other double-double came in a 13/11 game against Millville last Friday. Her previous scoring high was 16 points against Salem Tech in December 2022. In nine February games this season she has scored six points or more seven times and has scored eight points or more in each of the last four.
“I told her I don’t know what’s recently clicked for you but suddenly you’re getting it, you’re reading it, you’re understanding it and making the right cuts, in the right place at the right time,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said. “Something is just clicking all of a sudden and she’s just blossoming at the right time, which is really fun to watch.”
When Farina scored, her points came in bunches. She had four straight points in the Eagles’ opening 8-0 run. She opened the second half with seven straight points, capped by a three-point play in which she went over Pennsville Senior Little League World Series teammate Jess Bretz for the putback.
And then she scored their last four points of the game.
The Eagles (13-13) took control of this one early. The Panthers (12-12) were missing one of their injured ballhandlers and the Eagles held them without a field goal and to just one point in the first quarter. They did the same thing in the third.
The win got the Eagles to .500 for the seventh time this season. They’ll play their final home game of the Trapp tenure Thursday in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament. The coach announced earlier this month that she was stepping down at the end of the season to become the new athletics director at Triton.
“The goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season was 17 wins,” Trapp said. “The best Pennsville has so far was 16 wins for the girls basketball team and I was really shooting and hoping for that 17. I finished 15-11 (each of the last two years), so my goal was not to be 15-11 one more time. I wanted to do whatever it took.
“I was hoping for that 17th win with no injuries and no issues. There was a slew of injuries that I wasn’t expecting, which significantly impacted our season. I think we were 6-10 at one point, so to be able to just turn it around and come back and get win after win after win and build their confidence and show the true potential of this team, that’s all we’ve been focusing on.
”Now that we’ve been playing all together, we’ve been playing our best basketball. We’re doing things right and we’re doing them right at the right time when were all back together finally, which is what I like to see.”
Penns Grove holds up best down the stretch, edges Pennsville for a shot at the Tri-County B Flight championship
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – As the games increase in importance and intensity the deeper teams go in the season, it’s more important than ever they learn to handle their end-game business.
The Penns Grove girls did that the best Wednesday, winning the final two minutes of the game, and it earned them a 41-38 victory over Pennsville in the Tri-County Tournament B Flight semifinals.
The eighth-seeded Red Devils (13-8) now travel to second-seeded Glassboro for the B Flight championship presumably Friday, while Pennsville (12-13) will host Pitman in the third-place game Thursday at 4 p.m.
The game was tight throughout with neither team leading by more than five points in the second half or by more than two for most of the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands on four straight possessions in the fourth until the Red Devils pulled away at the end.
Nora Ausland’s 3-pointer with 2:03 to play gave Pennsville a 36-35 lead, but it would be the last time the Eagles would lead in the game. Penns Grove scored the next six points – four from the free throw line – to seize the win.
“They did come through on that part,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “That last minute or so, clutch time, is showing them they can play. It should be giving them confidence at this time for the playoffs.”
The game was played under a heavy security presence in an effort to deter a repeat of last week’s game between the teams when the gym was cleared in the third quarter due to the unruliness of some fans. There were at least five Pennsville police officers in the gym, Penns Grove security personnel stationed at each end of the Red Devils’ bench and the athletics directors from both schools on hand. Five individuals reportedly were barred from attending the rematch.
The game went off without incident, even when things were at their most intense on the floor.
Brianna Robbins’ layup with 1:36 left put Penns Grove up for good 37-36. Pennsville traveled on the next possession and moments later had their calming influence Marley Wood foul out. RaNiyah Wilson missed a layup that would have extended the Red Devils’ lead, but the Eagles’ clearing pass went right to Zoey Caesar standing alone at the opposite free throw line for another turnover.
Penns Grove’s Meely Horace hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to make it 39-36. A scramble for a loose ball at the other end of the floor produced a held ball that went to Penns Grove and Wilson hit two more free throws with 13 seconds left to make it a five-point game.
Ausland made two free throws with one second left, but all they did was create the final margin.
“It was the difference today,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said of the end-game situation. “We went over these things yesterday. We talked about how to inbound, about changing, putting the pressure on them so they couldn’t just hold the basketball this time.
“It is unfortunate that there were some costly mistakes, It’s high-pressure, it’s high-intensity, they’re going to make mistakes. Our biggest thing there was we didn’t foul quick enough to stop the clock enough to get the ball back. It’s a young team, they’re learning these situations, we’re teaching them in practice, and (today) will just help us learn them even better for the future and the playoffs starting next week.”
Penns Grove never trailed in the first half and led by as many as seven before Pennsville rallied. The Eagles took their first lead 22-20 on Ausland’s layup with 4:35 left in the third quarter, but the Red Devils retied it at 25 and it stayed tight the rest of the game.
Wilson (19) and Horace combined for 32 points for Penns Grove. Ausland led Pennsville with 12.
Penns Grove has won six in a row since February began and seven of its last eight. The Red Devils won seven in a row in January last season.
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
3-point goals: Clayton 6 (Dk Jones 3, N. Carter, Scott, J. Carter); Pennsville 9-21 (Wood 2-3, M. O’Brien 2-3, Petrutz 2-5, Johnston 0-2, Starn 0-2, Hitt 0-1, Merindino 3-5). Rebounds: Pennsville 48 (Saulin 26, Wood 5, P. O’Brien 6). Assists: Pennsville 21 (Wood 8). Total fouls: Clayton 5, Pennsville 13.
Cover photo: Pennsville senior Nolan Dowell is greeted by his coaches and teammates as he comes t the bench after scoring the first varsity points of his career in the first quarter Wednesday night against Clayton.
Pennsville’s Danny Saulin looks to outlet the ball to teammate Carlo Merindino (24) after clearing another rebound against Clayton.
Here is Wednesday’s schedule and scores for the Tri-County Basketball Tournament; look for separate stories on Pennsville-Clayton boys, Penns Grove-Pennsville girls elsewhere on the website
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 63, Pitman 61 Delsea 56, Salem 54 Overbrook 59, Wildwood 43 Triton 59, Gloucester Catholic 52 B Flight Kingsway 64, Deptford Twp. 41 Clearview 54, Highland 52 Washington Twp. 63, Penns Grove 40 Glassboro 73, Woodstown 45 C Flight Pennsville 90, Clayton 62 GCIT 62, Williamstown 46 Salem Tech 52, Schalick 49 GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 62, Williamstown 46 Clearview 54, Wildwood 42 Woodstown 71, Highland 67 Timber Creek 55, Washington Twp. 34 B Flight Penns Grove 41, Pennsville 38 Glassboro 48, Pitman 34 GCIT 34, Delsea 24 Kingsway 56, Clayton 48 C Flight Overbrook 52, Salem 48 Cumberland 60, Schalick 28 Deptford 51, Salem Tech 23
Boys Games
DELSEA 56, SALEM 54: A wise coach once said sometimes you’re the bull and sometimes you get the horns. Salem caught the horns Wednesday night.
Chase Ambrosius hit the last of his seven 3-pointers with 13 seconds left to give Delsea the lead and the Rams couldn’t get a a final shot to tie or win the A Flight semifinal.
The Rams led 23-3 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime and couldn’t hold it.
The loss came two days after they beat Overbrook 51-50 in the opening round.
Ambrosius led Delsea with 21 points. Luke Van Auken had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Max Van Auken had 13 points and eight boards.
Salem’s Anthony Farmer led all scorers with 23 points. Jabez DeJesus had 20.
The loss sends Salem to a consolation game matchup with Pitman.
SALEM (16-8) – Anthony Farmer 7 6-8 23, RaMaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 6 5-5 20, Paul Weathers 0 0-2 0, Tymear Lecator 3 1-2 9. Totals 17 12-17 54. DELSEA (17-8) – Luke VanAuken 7 3-5 17, Max VanAuken 4 4-5 13, Mike McGinley 2 1-1 5, Chase Ambrosius 7 0-0 21, Frank Master 0 0-0 0, Shane Madden 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Reardon 0 0-0 0, Jelani Poles 0 0-0 0, Dahmir Hart 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-11 56.
SALEM TECH 52, SCHALICK 49: The Chargers steadily built their lead over the first three quarter and it was big enough to withstand a fourth-quarter charge by the Cougars.
WASHINGTON TWP. 63, PENNS GROVE 40: The Minutemen got out to a quick start and carried it to a victory in a B Flight consolation game. Washington Twp.’s Gevon Conrad led all scorers with 23 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Giomar Conrad was Penns Grove’s only scorer in double figures (20).
3-point goals: Penns Grove N/A; Washington Twp. 6 (Conrad 3, McKenty, Rodia 2).
GLASSBORO 73, WOODSTOWN 45: Clinton Suggs hit five 3-pointers on the way to 23 points, Charles Graves had 20, Xavier Sabb had 17 and Glassboro pulled away with a big fourth quarter. Max Webb and Blake Bialecki had 13 points each for Woodstown.
WOODSTOWN 71, HIGHLAND 67 (OT): Highland’s Big Three outscored Woodstown’s Big Three, but the Wolverines complementary players were just a little stronger and it proved to be the difference.
Megan Donelson scored 23 points and Talia Battavio had 19 and both made big plays down the stretch in regulation and in overtime as the Wolverines (17-8) rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat the Tartans (14-11) for the second time this season. Shannon Pierman added 14 points despite fouling out in the fourth quarter to join the 500-500 Club in career points and rebounds.
Highland’s Dacia Mack led all scorers with 24 points. Breelynn Learn had 21 and Alonsa Thomas had 16.
OVERBROOK 52, SALEM 48: Salem senior NaeNae Logan reached a significant individual milestone in the game, but all things considered, she’d rather have been celebrating a victory.
Logan surpassed 100 blocked shots for the season in the first half of the C Flight semifinals. She had eight altogether and now has 104 for the year.
“She’s a kid who’s real heavy on herself, so for her to come back and get to have a moment like that and her teammates counting it down for her, she deserved it,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said.
The Rams, the No. 1 seed in the flight, celebrated Logan and her feat in the locker room at halftime with a 28-17 lead. They should have ridden that wave into the second half, but somebody forgot to tell Overbook. The visitors stormed through the third quarter on a 23-3 blitz to take the lead.
CUMBERLAND 60, SCHALICK 28: The Cougars were held scoreless in the first quarter and never recovered. Addison Weist scored 16 points and Isabella Albert had 13 to lead the Colts into the C Flight championship game. Taylor Sparks hit three 3-pointers and led Schalick with nine points.
After a month transitioning to a new coach, Mighty Oaks enjoying a fabulous February and entertaining thoughts of a playoff berth
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – As much as he wanted it to happen right away, Mike Green figured it would take some time for his way to play to kick in when he took over the Salem Community College basketball team right before Christmas.
GREEN
It’s taken about a month and now the Oaks are playing some of their best ball since the school revived the program in 2019.
The Mighty Oaks’ fabulous February continued Monday night in an 87-81 home win over Williamson College of the Trades that was closer than it should have been.
It was their third win in a row and fifth in six February starts, their best stretch since a similar run in February 2022. And it keeps alive their hopes of making playoffs, which would be quite the coup considering they were a team in limbo at midseason.
“What me and the coaches have been preaching is finally coming to light,” Green said. “I thought the results were going to be there the first month. I talked with some people I know, some people who have been in basketball for years, and that’s just not the way it works.
“Sometimes we get naïve as coaches. We think it’s supposed to happen overnight, but my assistants do a really good job of wheeling me back, telling me what we’ve got. It took us a month and a couple weeks, so now it’s clicking a little better for us. The guys are trying to understand how I wanted to play and I think it’s all coming together at the right time.”
Time is the operative word. While time wasn’t on the Oaks’ side when it came to searching for a coach, the timing certainly worked in their favor for landing Green.
The old coach, A.J. Williams, who had been with the program since it restarted, resigned on the bus ride back from a Dec. 14 loss at Ocean County CC. Athletics director Bob Bunnell remembers that call vividly and it left him desperate. The Oaks were scheduled to play Brookdale two days later and they had no coach. They ended up canceling and fortunately were open until after the holidays.
Green, a two-time Philadelphia Public League All-Star and Horizon League Player of the Year at Butler, was on the staff at Penn State that left for Notre Dame, but with the recent birth of his second child he decided to stay behind. He was a finalist for the RCSJ-Gloucester job, and received a glowing recommendation when Bunnell started reaching out to his peers for advice.
Green was announced as the Oaks’ second coach since the program’s revival two days before Christmas. They have gone 8-7 since his hiring.
“There was definitely an adjustment period,” Green said. “We had to get rid of a lot of, I wouldn’t say bad habits, but not habits I needed them to play with. It definitely took time.
“I knew coming into it that it would be challenging, but I played this way. I played for a coach in Europe who got fired and I had to play for a new coach, so I knew all the dynamics that went into it. I like challenges and I thought it’d be a good challenge.”
The Green way was nothing like the way they had played before. It was fast, it promoted shooting, it maximized possessions. It was the kind of way that gets junior college players noticed by coaches on the next level and it’s Green’s goal to get every one of his players a scholarship at the next level.
February has been by far the Oaks’ most productive month of the season. They’re averaging 87 points a game this month. They’re shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from 3-point range and 76.3 percent from the line and have grabbed 30.7 rebounds a game – all better than any of the previous three months of the season. Their assists are up and their turnovers are down from the month before.
They went from averaging about 69 points a game in the first two months of the season to 80.7 in January. They hit almost twice as many 3s in Green’s first month as they did the two previous months combined. They’ve hit 166 total in the 15 games since he’s taken over.
“The transition has gone well because ever since they got here it was kind of like a new season,” freshman guard Dante Brinkley said. “There was nothing about the past, what happened; it was 0-0 at that point. There was a lot of buy-in when we looked at our coach’s resume and we just respect that. You want to learn from that and I think everyone’s bought into that.”
“He’s made us play different; he wants us to run and score,” freshman guard Niami Scott added. “The other (way) was slower. I knew the people who were coming to us, the coaching staff and all that, so I was happy for us and I felt like with the new coaching staff we can probably win more. It’s more fun, playing as a team, scoring 100 and just laughing and joking when we get the win.”
The Oaks (10-12) looked to be headed to one of those kinds of wins against the Mechanics (8-15), It started with Tajee Jordan dominating inside, getting halfway to his sixth double-double five minutes into the game and carried on with the 3s. Oh, the 3s.
The Oaks made 19 of them in their win over Harrisburg Area Saturday and were on a similar track Monday with nine in the first half. They went into halftime up by 15 after leading by as many as 19.
They didn’t play quite the same in the second half and the Mechanics nearly came all the way back. It was a one-point game with 46.5 seconds left.
It was 83-81 when Williamson’s Ronald Johnson missed a potential game-tying jumper with 10 seconds to go. Brinkley hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal it and then stole the inbounds pass and converted it into a layup at the buzzer for the final margin.
“At that time it’s win time, you’ve got to make plays, you’ve got to do whatever you can to win,” Brinkley said. “That was my mindset: Whatever I can do to seal this game up, help my team win, that’s what I’ve gotta do.”
Brinkley finished with 10 points and was one of five Salem scorers in double figures. Scott led the way with 21 points, including 9-of-11 from the free throw line in the second half. A.J. Jones hit four 3s in the first half and finished with 19. Jordan had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Shaquez Coley-Lewis hit four 3s and finished with 12.
The Oaks are still in the running for a Region XIX playoff berth, but they have no margin for error. They have to win all three of their remaining games to qualify.
“Out of everything that we’ve been through this year I think that would be a good way to go out this season,” Brinkley said. “I think that’s what everybody’s focus is, trying to make the playoffs.”
“If we do get in there we’ll be a dangerous team to play,” Green said. “Nobody should want to see us coming at them.”
SALEM CC 87, WILLIAMSON TRADES 81 WILLIAMSON (8-15) – Jordan Draine 2 2-2 6, Abdoulaye Diallo 4 3-4 11, Garrett Watkins 1 0-2 2, Liam Pardin 2 1-1 5, Ronald Johnson 12 2-2 26, Corby Bennett 5 1-2 11, Semaj Cherry 8 4-6 20. Totals 34 13-19 81. SALEM CC (10-12) – Niame Scott 5-10 0-11 21, Dante Brinkley 3-8 4-7 10, A.J. Jones 6-8 3-4 19, Tivon Woolford 1-4 0-0 3, Tajee Jordan 5-9 3-4 13, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 4-11 0-0 12, Joshua Ramon 3-7 2-2 9. Totals 27-57 21-28 87.
Williamson Trades
35
46 –
81
Salem CC
50
37 –
87
3-point goals: Williamson Trades 0; Salem 12-26 (Scott 2-5, Jones 4-5, Woolford 1-1, Jordan 0-1, Coley-Lewis 4-9, Ramos 1-5). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Jordan 10, Scott 7, Jones 6). Technical fouls: Williamson Trades coach Michaels. Fouled out: Cherry. Total fouls: Williamson Trades 18, Salem 18. Officials: Carter, Bacon, Richardson.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Pitman at Timber Creek Salem at Delsea Wildwood at Overbrook Gloucester Catholic at Triton B Flight Deptford Twp. at Kingsway Highland at Clearview Penns Grove at Washington Twp. Woodstown at Glassboro C Flight Clayton at No. 1 Pennsville Williamstown at GCIT Salem Tech at Schalick GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic at Williamstown Wildwood at Clearview Highland at Woodstown Timber Creek at Washington Twp. B Flight Penns Grove at. Pennsville Pitman at Glassboro Delsea at GCIT Clayton at Kingsway C Flight Overbrook at No. 1 Salem Schalick at Cumberland Salem Tech at Deptford
Boys Games
SALEM 51, OVERBROOK 50: Anthony Farmer scored 19 points and the Rams rallied from 10 down with four minutes left to upset the No. 3 seed in the A Flight. Marshall Stephens blocked four shots, including two in a row down the stretch to keep the Rams in front.
The win was Salem’s third in a row and ninth in its last 10 games and sent Overbrook to its second straight one-point loss.
SALEM (16-7) – Anthony Farmer 19, Ramaji Bundy 3, Jabez DeJesus 10, Paul Weathers 2, Tymear Lecator 10, Marshall Stephens 5, Antwone Rogers 2. Totals 17-40 12-16 51. OVERBROOK (18-7) – Shaun Mills 2 2-4 8, Chris Grier 0 2-4 2, Nic Johnson 3 3-7 9, Lamar Little 4 0-1 10, Zair Green 2 2-2 6, Maki Ortiz 2 1-1 5, Xavier Wright 4 0-0 8, Kevin Satchell 1 0-0 2, Amare Kee 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-19 50.
Salem
7
13
11
20 –
51
Overbrook
15
16
6
13 –
50
3-point goals: Salem 5-16; Overbrook 2 (Little 2). Rebounds: Salem 23 (DeJesus 6, P. Weathers 6, Stephens 7).
WILLIAMSTOWN 48, SCHALICK 46: The Braves had won only one game all season and lost 10 in a row, but they were the third seed and beat the Cougars on a couple late free throws. Daniel Lis hit four 3-pointers and led Schalick with 19 points.
GLOUCESTER TECH 75, SALEM TECH 55: Trent Phillips led four scorers in double figures with 16 points and Michael Stanwood had a double-double (12/13) to lead GCIT’s victory. Haneef Frisby had a double-double for Salem Tech (13/14).
SALEM TECH (4-18) – Josh Muntz 3 1-2 7, Tyler Zampino 6 0-1 13, Antoine Robinson 5 3-3 14, Haneef Frisby 3 6-8 13, Chase Wills 3 1-2 7, Joseph Hayes 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 12-18 55. GLOUCESTER TECH (10-14) – Trent Phillips 8 0-0 16, Mark Hallman 5 4-4 15, Michael Stanwood 5 2-2 12, Carl Schmidt 5 0-0 12, Ian Malgapo 2 0-0 5, Patrick Monaghan 2 0-0 4, Gavin Shainline 1 1-2 3, Charles Donaldson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Morris 1 0-0 2, Brady Johnson 1 0-0 2, Amad Traore-Koffi 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 7-8 75.
CLEARVIEW 51, PENNS GROVE 50: The Red Devils missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and could only get a layup at the buzzer for the final margin. Kaprice Stewart scored 24 points to lead Clearview.
PENNS GROVE 54, GLOUCESTER TECH 44: Brianna Robbins is returning to the scoring form she displayed early in the season, going for a career-high 26 points as the Red Devils upset top-seeded GCIT in their B Flight opener. Robbins has been on a tear of late, scoring 63 points in her last three games. RaNiyah Wilson added 17 points. The Red Devils have won a season-best five in a row and six of their last seven.
The Red Devils will play at Pennsville in the Flight semifinals Wednesday.
Pennsville beat Delsea 43-35 behind Marley Wood’s 16 points. The win got the Eagles (12-12) back to .500 for the first time since mid-January.
SCHALICK 43, DEPTFORD 37: Cianna Gaines scored in double figures for the second time in her career and Abby Willoughby had 11 points and 10 steals as the Cougars won a first-round game in the tournament for the first time since 2021.
The Cougars got off to a slow start, falling behind 12-5 in the first quarter, but held the Spartans to just 13 points over the next two quarters to take control of the game. They outscored Deptford 16-5 in the second quarter behind eight points from Willoughby to grab the lead by halftime.
“We game planned to be a little more aggressive than normal and we were just that – aggressive and created turnovers,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “Offensively, we showed a lot of growth in our confidence as we didn’t second-guess decision and that confidence showed with good ball movement and the highest amount of assists in a game this season. All the girls deserve a shoutout as the hustle and effort was there from everyone, but Abby played a great game today.
“The team wanted to get our seniors a win in their final home game and played for one another tonight. It was fun to see as a coach.”
The Tri-County Conference Tournament highlights the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 12-17
Monday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight No. 8 Gloucester Catholic at No. 1 Timber Creek No. 5 Triton at No. 4 Pitman No. 6 Salem at No. 3 Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. No. 7 Wildwood at No. 2 Delsea B Flight No. 8 Woodstown at No. 1 Kingsway, 6 p.m. No. 5 Glassboro at No. 4 Deptford Twp. No. 6 Washington Twp at No. 3 Highland No. 7 Penns Grove at No. 2 Clearview, 6 p.m. C Flight No. 5 Clayton at No. 4 Cumberland No. 6 Schalick at No. 3 Williamstown, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 GCIT GIRLS A Flight No. 8 Highland at No. 1 Williamstown No. 5 Woodstown at No. 4 Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Washington Twp. at No. 3 Wildwood No. 7 Timber Creek at No. 2 Clearview B Flight No. 8 Penns Grove at No. 1 GCIT, 4 p.m. No. 5 Pennsville at No. 4 Delsea, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Pitman at No. 3 Kingsway No. 7 Clayton at No. 2 Glassboro C Flight No. 5 Overbrook at No. 4 Triton No. 6 Deptford at No. 3 Schalick, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 Cumberland
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Williamson College of Trades at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight Gloucester Catholic-Timber Creek winner vs. Triton-Pitman winner Salem-Overbrook winner vs. Wildwood-Delsea winner Consolation games B Flight Woodstown-Kingsway winner vs. Glassboro-Deptford Twp. winner Washington Twp.-Highland winner vs. Penns Grove-Clearview winner Consolation games C Flight Clayton-Cumberland winner at No. 1 Pennsville Schalick-Williamstown winner vs. Salem Tech-GCIT winner Schalick-Williamstown loser vs. Salem Tech-GCIT loser GIRLS A Flight Highland-Williamstown winner vs. Woodstown-Gloucester Catholic winner Washington Twp.-Wildwood winner vs. Timber Creek-Clearview winner Consolation games B Flight Penns Grove-GCIT winner vs. Pennsville-Delsea winner Pitman-Kingsway winner vs. Clayton-Glassboro winner Consolation games C Flight Overbrook-Triton winner at No. 1 Salem Deptford-Schalick winner vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland winner Deptford-Schalick loser vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland loser
Thursday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Salem CC at Northampton CC, 7 p.m. Women Salem CC at Montgomery County CC, 5 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS/GIRLS All Flights Third-place games Championship games
Saturday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Sussex County CC at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
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