Mighty Oaks men win, women lose to end playoff hopes
By Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem Community College men are having a fabulous February.
The Mighty Oaks won for the fourth time in five February starts, running over Harrisburg Area 110-66 with six players scoring in double figures. It was the second time they’ve scored 100 this season and seventh straight game with 75 points or more.
Joshua Ramos hit seven 3-pointers off the bench and scored a game-high 27 points in 28 minutes. Niame Scott had 18, Tivon Woolford 17, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 15 (off the bench), Ahmodrion Jones 14 and Dante Brinkley 13.
The Mighty Oaks (9-12) shot 54 percent from the floor and hit 19 3-pointers. They are 7-7 since a midseason coaching change brought Mike Green to the program.
The Oaks have four more regular-season games in February and are home again Monday against Williamson College of the Trades.
Women’s Game
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Salem women’s team lost at Lackawanna College 86-52 dashing their hopes of a postseason bid. They had to finish .500 or better to qualify for the tournament but now are 9-12 with only Thursday’s game at Montgomery County CC to play. They had hoped to find one more game, but it never materialized.
The Mighty Oaks hung with their hosts for a half. They led 13-9 with two minutes left in the first quarter, but the Falcons (10-11) went on a 15-0 run to take the lead. The Falcons then exploited their dominance on the boards and outscored Salem 50-23 in the second half.
Carly Santimaw led Salem with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kathryn Laurence had 14 and Maggie St. Clair 10. Jakayla Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds.
Jayla South led Lackawanna with 25 points, 16 rebounds, six steals and four blocked shots. Nariyah Turner, the team’s lone sophomore, had 19 points and 13 boards. Four Falcons had at least 12 rebounds in the team’s fourth straight win.
Salem senior center quietly goes about his business, puts up another double-double as Rams dump Bridgeton to secure a South Jersey Group I top 3 seed; Woodstown girls fall in SJIBT consolation game
SATURDAY’S BASKETBALL SCORES BOYS Salem 88, Bridgeton 76 GIRLS SJIBT Consolation Williamstown 81, Woodstown 59
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – With all the high-flying, high-scoring guards on the Salem basketball roster, it would be easy to overlook Paul Weathers in the lineup. But the Rams are glad he’s there and they let him know it every chance they get.
WEATHERS
There is no doubt without the things the senior center brings to the table, the Rams wouldn’t be in the position they are today.
And that would be a solid No. 3 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group I playoffs following their 88-76 victory over Bridgeton Saturday that coach Anthony Farmer said was “exactly what we need going into the playoffs.”
Weathers was a big, if not silent, part of that. He may be the unsung starter, but he just goes about his business delivering double-doubles with regularity. He went for 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Group IV Bulldogs and is now averaging 10.9 points and 11.0 rebounds a game.
“Paul has done an excellent job for us,” Farmer said. “I told him going into the offseason we were going to give him an opportunity because I believed in him. He worked really hard and has been a force for us. He’s been a senior; that’s all we can can ask for.
“He might not get it from the media spotlight but we always make sure we let Paul know how important and how valuable he is to our team. He is so quiet and laid back sometimes we forget that he’s around, but once that motor gets going and he’s out there rebounding and blocking shots he’s a force.”
And nothing if not consistent. Guard Ramaji Bundy calls him a “selfless guy” who’s “just an all-around good dude.”
The effort Saturday was Weathers’ 14th double-double in 20 games this season. Let the guards get all the points, he knows what he’s on the floor to do.
“I’m always on the floor doing all the little things, the things that coaches want to see,” he said. “The blocks, the rebounds, everything that counts on the defensive end.”
Weathers was one of five Rams to score in double figures in the game. Jabez DeJesus was their leading scorer with 24 points, with 19 coming in the second half. Anthony Farmer had 18, Bundy 12 and Tymear Lecator 11 (with 10 assists).
Antwone Rogers came off the bench to give them eight points – all in the final 5:38 of the second quarter as the Rams came out of a timeout down 31-30 and took control of the game.
Bridgeton’s Jameel Purnell led all scorers with 30 points (and 13 rebounds).
For Salem’s Bundy, it was his second straight game scoring in double figures He had a career-high 15 in the Rams’ win over Clayton Thursday night. He had seven points in the first quarter Saturday when the Rams jumped out to a 20-11 lead..
“I’ve been comfortable with basketball, it’s just that I had to find my shot again,” he said. “In the first game we played Woodbury my shot was there, then I was getting in the groove where I was trying to be a facilitator, not really trying to shoot the ball but get other guys the ball. Now I’m started to get my groove back so I’m doing stuff I usually do.”
3-point goals: Bridgeton 2 (Purnell 2); Salem 7 (Bundy 2, Farmer 2, DeJesus 2, Lecator). Rebounds: Bridgeton 28 (Purnell 13); Salem 39 (P. Weathers 13, Dejesus 9). Total fouls: Bridgeton 19, Salem 16.
Cover photo: Salem guard Anthony Farmer brings the ball across the floor in the Rams’ game against Bridgeton Saturday.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT PROJECTED ROUND 1 MATCHUPS (Based on power points) No. 16 Burlington City at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Academy No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 8 Woodbury No. 13 Woodstown at No. 4 Wildwood No. 12 LEAP Academy at No. 5 Audubon No. 14 New Egypt at No. 3 Salem No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 Palmyra No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 7 Glassboro No. 15 Pennsville at No. 2 Pitman
Girls Game SJIBT Tournament
VOORHEES – Williamstown used a defensive switch and a big second half to pull away from Woodstown in an 81-59 win in a South Jersey Invitational Elite Eight consolation game.
Woodstown opened a seven-point first-quarter lead, but the Braves, the projected No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group IV and top seed in the upcoming Tri-County Conference Tournament, rallied to take a 32-30 halftime lead. They outscored the Wolverines 49-29 in the second half.
“They switched to a triangle-and-2 (on Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson) and we couldn’t string enough baskets and stops together,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “We played as tough as we could on their big (Iriona Gravely) and shooter (Alivia Mauz), but they’re No. 1 in Group IV for a reason.
“We don’t always get to play in those type of games or against teams like tonight in our division/regular-season schedule so a loss to Williamstown, as tough as it is, is going to make us better than some of our wins have. We’re looking towards the TCC Tournament (where they have a chance to see Williamstown again) and playoffs now.”
Battavio led Woodstown with 27 points. Donelson had 19. Shannon Pierman had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double and seventh in her last eight games.
Gravely led all scorers with 30. Mauz had 26, 19 in the second half. Mia Pezzato scored all nine of her points in the second half.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I GIRLS TOURNAMENT PROJECTED ROUND 1 MATCHUPS (Based on power points) No. 16 Salem at No. 1 Woodbury No. 9 Gateway at No. 8 Pennsville No. 13 Cape May Tech at No. 4 Woodstown No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Palmyra No. 14 Pitman at No. 3 Maple Shade No. 11 Clayton at No. 6 Audubon No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Glassboro No. 15 Paulsboro at No. 2 Wildwood
Penns Grove did everything it could Friday to give it a chance to get a home playoff game, didn’t get outside help it needed and likely will be on the road; Pennsville thinks it’s in, but position hinges on Saturday’s results’ Woodstown, Same Tech also win
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 59, Schalick 36 Woodstown 77, Buena 22 Paulsboro 63, Pennsville 55 Salem Tech 64, Cape May Tech 53
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Damian Ware left the Schalick gym Friday evening comfortable in the knowledge his Penns Grove basketball team did everything it in its power to put itself in position to get a first-round playoff game. Now it was up to other games around the region to cooperate.
The Red Devils scored their fourth win in a row with their second win over the Cougars in four days, 59-36. It’s a result they figured they needed to move into the top eight of the South Jersey Group I power points standings to secure a first-round home game in the playoffs.
Their job done, all they needed now was a LEAP Academy victory over Palmyra and they could start printing home playoff tickets. But about a half hour after they left the building, the Red Devils learned Palmyra had won, leaving them once again on the outside looking for some mathematical help.
“Our goal was to win four games this week and we accomplished that goal,” Ware said immediately after the game and before the LEAP-Palmyra result was posted. “Right now we did what we had to do, everything else it out of our hands, so you just got to let the chips fall where they may.
“But I’m proud of the way my guys played today. A four-game week is a tough week and we stepped up and played hard. We played great defensively today; held them down. We did what we had to do, we did our part, now hopefully LEAP does their part.”
The win in Burlington County sent Palmyra soaring up the standings, all the way into a tie for sixth with Glassboro, leaving the Red Devils still ninth, eight points behind Woodbury.
The state cutoff is Saturday, then the final cross checks and calculations are made before the standings become official. Woodbury has a game against a 15-win Paul VI team in the opening round of the Camden County Tournament and the chance to pick up more power points before the deadline. Penns Grove is done until next week’s Tri-County Conference Tournament.
Once the results of Friday’s games started to hit, Ware resigned himself to the idea the Red Devils would be going on the road for the playoffs.
“We’ve got to be road warriors,” he said. “I was thinking the whole time we’re going to be on the road. I actually already kind of collected all of our home uniforms from most of the players. The whole time I was thinking we were going to be on the road, but hopeful we could get a home game. I was already kind of pre-planning to be on the road.
“We did all we could do. Now if we’d have won a couple games early in the season it would have been a no-brainer, but we kind of put ourselves in a position to where we had to hope for some other team’s help and if we didn’t get help, then we’d just have to do what we’ve got to do.”
Knowing they had to win to enhacing their position, the Red Devils controlled Friday’s game from the start. They opened with a Giomar Conrad 3, scored the first seven points of the game and led 20-7 early in the second quarter. They scored the last eight points of the second quarter for a 17-point halftime lead and led by 20 most of the second half.
“I think we’re doing great; the team chemistry is getting better,” post Willie Slocum said. “People have been doubting us, so it felt great to come together and be on this winning streak.”
The Red Devils haven’t won four in a row since starting the 2020-21 season 8-0.
Conrad led the Red Devils with 13 points – all in the first half. KaRon Ceaser had 11. Slocum and Camren Thompson also played big roles. Slocum had eight rebounds and Thompson, drawing his third start of the season in place of absent Mr Peterson, had four points in the first half, seven rebounds and several steals.
“I was just waiting my time, honestly,” Thompson said. “My time would come.” PENNS GROVE (10-12) – Brandon Robbins 2 0-0 5, Roman Gipson 1 2-3 4, Giomar Conrad 6 0-0 13, Karon Ceaser 5 0-2 11, Willie Slocum 1 0-0 2, Mekhi Ballard 2 1-2 6, Camron Thompson 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 3 0-1 6, Neziah Spence 2 0-0 5, Jameel Horace 1 1-4 3, Gionni Conrad C 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 4-12 59. SCHALICK (7-13) – Reggie Allen 3 0-0 7, Daniel Lis 5 1-2 11, Nylan Sutton 3 0-4 6, Nasir Sutton 1 0-1 2, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Jordan Johnson 0 0-2 0, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2, Nyzie Wonder 0 0-0 0, Sherrod Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-9 36.
Penns Grove
13
15
16
15 –
59
Schalick
5
6
11
14 –
36
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Robbins, Conrad, Ceaser, Ballard, Spence); Schalick 3 (Allen, Siedlecki, Volovar). Rebounds: Penns Grove 39 (Slocum 8, Thompson 7); Schalick 30 (Ny. Sutton 8, Lis 6). Total fouls: Penns Grove 11, Schalick 14.
PAULSBORO 63, PENNSVILLE 55: Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has done some quick calculations and believes his Eagles are in the 16-team South Jersey Group I playoff field, but where they fall won’t be decided until after Saturday’s cutoff.
The Eagles are currently 15th in standings, but likely will be 15 or 16 depending on the outcome of current No. 16 Burlington City’s game with Riverside. In any event, they’ll be on the road against one of the top seeds in the tournament. But at least they’re in.
“We had a chance to handle our business, we didn’t ,so now we let it fall as it may,” Mecholsky said. “We had three home games and one away game. We couldn’t close any of them out (going 0-4), so we deserve our fate.”
The Eagles made it a game despite missing 1,000-point scorer Luke Wood and Jayden Thomas with ankle injuries.
Throughout this recent spate of injuries, the Eagles have been playing through center Danny Saulin and the 6-8 senior delivered another solid game (19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds). Cohen Petrutz has his best game of the season, 18 points with three 3-pointers. They combined for 20 points in a 25-point third quarter that got them back in the game.
The Eagles led by one in the fourth quarter, then Paulsboro closed it out with an 8-0 run. Aiden Milligin hit a 3-pointer to get it started. Milligan scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. PENNSVILLE (9-15) – Peyton O’Brien 3-10 0-0 6, Daniel Saulin 9-15 1-4 19, Mason O’Brien 1-9 2-2 4, Cohen Petrutz 7-13 1-1 18, Cole Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, Connor Starn 2-3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 4-7 55. PAULSBORO (10-12) – Ty Hodges 2 3-4 7, Ryann Briscoe 4 0-1 9, Aiden Milligan 6 2-2 16, Antonio Pandolfo 7 0-0 17, Yan Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Eric Scott 4 2-2 10, Stephan Lane 0 0-0 0, Aaron Scott 0 0-0 0, Jamar Robinson 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-9 63.
WOODSTOWN 77, BUENA 22: Connor Sanderson and Elijah Caesar both enjoyed career scoring nights and 11 players hit the scoring column as the Wolverines swamped winless Buena to solidify their spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
Sanderson hit four 3-pointers and led the Wolverines with 14 points. He had scored only two points previously this season. Caesar scored 11 points, his first game in double figures.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 47-8 at halftime. Buena has lost 25 in a row over the last two seasons.
SALEM TECH 64, CAPE MAY TECH 53: The Chargers opened a 19-point halftime lead and held on through a barrage of Benjamin Lynch 3-pointers in the second half for their third win, one more than they had all last season.
Tyler Zampino hit five 3-pointers and matched his career-high (set Feb. 1 against Clayton) with 26 points. Antoine Robinson had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Haneef Frisby had nine points and 10 boards.
The Chargers led 36-17 at halftime, but Lynch got hot in the second half and hit six of his seven 3-pointers. he hit four of them in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers had enough of a cushion to close it out. They were 2-23 last year and are guaranteed to have won more and lost fewer this year.
“It’s big for me,” coach Bryan Riley said. “It’s exactly how we envisioned it going.
“Last year we had two guys returning with varsity experience .I knew that getting into the Tri-County (Conference) was going to be difficult (and) playing in the Classic Division, in my eyes, was even harder … It was a big task, but every day my boys come, strap up the boots and get to work.
“This year, the underclassmen are stepping up and the seniors are leading with their energy. Antoine (Robinson), Tyler (Zampino) and Haneef (Frisby) are all returning and putting up big numbers the back end of the season. There were a few close games this year that we were missing starters that I would have liked to have won (but) you live and learn.
“We have three games left. We are hoping to end the season strong.”
SALEM TECH (3-17) – Chase Wills 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 3 3-3 9, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 3, Josh Muntz 0 2-7 2, Daviontae Russell 0 1-2 1, Tyler Zampino 8 5-10 26, Antoine Robinson 3 8-9 16, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 1 0-0 3, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 19-31 64. CAPE MAY TECH (2-19) – Tyler Dille 1 1-2 3, Colin Gery 1 4-4 6, Ronnie Neenhold 2 4-4 8, Lucas Woolcock 0 0-0 0, Benjamin Lynch 8 1-1 24, Austin Bigelow 0 0-0 0, Chance Ginyard 2 0-0 5, Trevor Frey 1 0-0 2, Alec Dooley 1 2-2 4, Paul Simmerman 0 1-2 1, Jimmy Richie 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 13-15 53.
Salem Tech
19
17
15
13 –
64
Cape May Tech
10
7
15
22 –
53
3-point goals: Salem Tech 9 (Hayes, Zampino 5, Robinson 2, Brown); Cape May Tech 8 (Lynch 7, Ginyard). Rebounds: Salem Tech 40 (Frisby 10, Robinson 9, Zampino 6). Fouled out: Wills, Holmes, Dille, Gery, Lynch. Total fouls: Salem Tech 24, Cape May Tech 29.
Salem’s Logan goes for triple-double in Senior Night victory that clinches a playoff spot; Penns Grove wins its fourth in a row, Pennsville pushing for a home game in playoffs
FRIDAY’S GIRLS SCORES Penns Grove 52, Schalick 14 Salem 58, Pleasantville 12 Cape May Tech 35, Salem Tech 24 Pennsville 52, Millville 36
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – NaeNae Logan let everything go and turned it loose Friday night. The result was a game for the ages.
LOGAN
The Salem senior enjoyed her second triple-double of the season, going for 19 points, 25 rebounds and 13 blocked shots to lead the Rams to a 58-12 Senior Night victory over winless Pleasantville that snapped five-game losing streak and locked up a spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
The Rams (8-14) came into the game holding the 16th and final SJ-I power points position and a 30-point cushion on No. 17 Schalick, which lost at Penns Grove. They gained a point overnight and are solidly at No. 16, projected to play at No. 1 Woodbury in the opening round.
“I’m just happy that my seniors get a fighting chance at doing something in their last year,” Rams coach Tiasia Tatem said. “Last year we didn’t have any seniors, so we always knew all the girls would be coming back where this year they’re actually going to fight for it.”
The spotlight Friday shined on all the Salem seniors in this game, but Logan projected the brightest light.
She had her first triple-double against Oakcrest on Dec. 27 (10 points, 11 rebounds, 15 blocked shots). She now has 96 blocked shots on the season.
“I feel like today was one of those days where you could see she had her confidence up,” Tatem said. “All season we’ve been on her to push her to her full potential. I told her before the game forget everything else, this night is for y’all, so just go out there and have fun and just play basketball.
“I think that took the pressure off of her and she was just relaxed and playing.”
All three sets of numbers were impressive, but the one that jumped out to Tatem were her points. She’d scored in double figures only one other time in her career – the triple-double game once this year – but had 10 or more rebounds in seven of her last eight games and had at least five blocked shots 10 times this season.
Over her last eight games she has 108 rebounds, 46 blocked shots and 45 points.
“Her rebounding and her blocking skills come natural,” Tatem said. “As her coach watching her throughout the season I know how hard she gets on herself. I tell her all the time your defense is phenomenal, it’s OK if you don’t always make all these points. So for her to have those 19 points today, I feel like she needed that.”
3-point goals: Pleasantville 1 (Reyes); Salem 1 (Hunter).
PENNS GROVE 52, SCHALICK 14: Arianna Dowe matched her career-high with 14 points and Meely Horace had 12 to lead the Red Devils to its second win over the Cougars in three days. Horace scored her 1,000th career point in the first meeting Tuesday.
Dowe scored all her points in the second half. Horace and RaNiyah Wilson scored nine points each in the first half as the Red Devils opened a 32-8 halftime lead.
3-point goals: Schalick 0; Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Horace, Down 2). Total fouls: Schalick 9, Penns Grove 10.
PENNSVILLE 52, MILLVILLE 36: The Eagles hit four of their five 3-pointers and five of their six free throws in the second half to pull away from a close game and pick up enough point to go into the cutoff day in a position to host a first-round playoff game.
It didn’t look good after their lost to Penns Grove the night before, but the Eagles moved into eighth place in the South Jersey Group I power point standings by the end of the day. The top eight seeds host first-round games.
“We know we are in the playoffs,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “We will play wherever we need to play.”
The Eagles spread the wealth in the second half. Taylor Bass hit both of her 3-pointers in the third quarter and scored all 10 of her points in the second half. Nora Ausland hit both of her 3s in the second half and finished with 11 points. Bella Farina scored nine of her 13 in the second half and Marley Woods had seven of her 12 in the half.
Penns Grove, Pennsville play to an empty house in second half as gym cleared in third quarter; includes all of Thursday’s Salem County girls games
THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Penns Grove 39, Pennsville 32 Clayton 58, Salem 30 Pitman 43, Salem Tech 28 Overbrook 41, Schalick 27
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Games between Pennsville and Penns Grove in every sport are always a spirited affair, but Thursday night added a new layer of intensity to the rivalry, at least on the girls basketball side of things.
Tensions spilled over from the visitors’ bleachers in Salberg Gym midway through the third quarter, precipitating a 30-minute delay and forcing site managers to clear the gym before allowing play to continue. When it did resume, Penns Grove closed out a 39-32 victory that helped it solidify a spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs and win for only the second time in its last 10 games against the Eagles.
The drama developed after a hard collision between the Red Devils’ recently installed 1,000-point scorer Meely Horace and Pennsville’s Taylor Bass on a 50-50 ball in the frontcourt with 3:32 left in the third quarter and Penns Grove leading 34-26.
Fans in the Penns Grove stands took exception to the contact and let the officials know about it. It was so concerning to Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas that he approached the group, directed authorities to remove the most vocal individuals and announced over the public address system the game “will not continue until the bleachers are cleared.”
Both teams left the floor and waited in the bench area before finally retiring to their respective dressing rooms. Three Pennsville police officers appeared on the scene to help restore order while Thomas watched from the center circle. Three more officers arrived later. At one point Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby crossed the floor to engage the crowd.
After about 15 minutes game managers began to clear the stands on both sides of the gym with the Penns Grove group the last to leave. After about a 30-minute delay, which included a brief warmup for the teams, play resumed with no spectators in the gym.
Horace and Bass collided again diving for a loose ball in the fourth quarter without incident between the players.
“I was trying to remove the folks who were instigating the whole thing and getting a little bit too aggressive,” Thomas said. “They asked where’s my warning; your warning’s at the beginning of the game. There’s a sportsmanship message in there and it clearly says this is your first and last warning, we’re not issuing warnings.
“When you’re standing up and approaching the court and screaming at the top of your lungs, that’s over the top, because what’s the next step. It’s trying to almost cut the head off the snake right away and be done with the problem. I think we let some go that got to a point we had to shut it down. It’s unfortunate you’ve got to get rid of everybody.”
There were no arrests and a game management report was being prepared after the game to send to the respective district superintendents, principals, officials assignor, Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden and the Tri-County Conference. Details of the report will not be made public.
It wasn’t the first time tensions in the series red-lined. There was a dust up in this game at Pennsville last year that resulted in fan ejections on both sides.
“Our fans have got our back and we’ve got their back,” Denby said. “They support us, we support them, so that’s what we’ve got to do because we’re tired on 7-on-5.”
Pennsville coach Sam Trapp declined to comment on any aspect of the game.
Right before the incident, the Red Devils (10-8) had rebuilt a 10-point lead after Pennsville (10-12) closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run to get back within three at halftime. Marley Wood had five of her team-high 12 points in the rally.
But Penns Grove opened the third quarter with runs of 6-2 and 7-2 to gain some breathing room. Brianna Robbins had a spinning layup to start the first run and a three-point play to cap the second. She had 13 points in the game. RaNiyah Wilson led the Red Devils with 16.
“What we try to teach the girls is we’re always like 7-to-5, so you’ve got to continue to play,” Denby said. “I’m happy they came out and continued to play regardless of the calls that were made and things like that. I think the girls played through the situation and that speaks volumes about them.”
The win moved Penns Grove to 12th in the South Jersey Group I power points standings with a game against Schalick left before Saturday’s state cutoff. Pennsville remained tied for ninth with Burlington City, 18 points behind the final spot for a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
“Every game is important at this point,” Denby said.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Wilson 2); Pennsville 1 (Bass). Fouled out: Bass. Total fouls: Penns Grove 14, Pennsville 19. Officials: Lahm, Moskovitz, Ryan.
Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas (L) talks with a Pennsville police office as fans file out of the gym before play is resumed in the Penns Grove-Pennsville girls basketball game.
CLAYTON 58, SALEM 30: NaeNae Logan led Salem with eight points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots. She now has 83 blocks for the season and 100 for her career. Carlysia Pierce had seven points, five rebounds and four steals. Ava Rodgers grabbed nine rebounds and Marjziah Bundy had eight.
OVERBROOK 41, SCHALICK 27: Zahaisha Nevius and Gianna Simon led Overbrook with 19 and 11 points, respectively.
Schalick (5-14)
8
4
10
5 –
27
Overbrook (5-14)
8
13
9
11 –
41
Cover photo: Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson tosses a pass to Meely Horace in an empty gym during the second half of their game with Pennsville Thursday night.
Penns Grove closing in on goal of home playoff game, Pennsville hoping to secure a spot; includes all Salem County games
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 60, Pennsville 51 Salem 89, Clayton 63 Overbrook 75, Schalick 38 Washington Twp. 50, Woodstown 46 Pitman 76, Salem Tech 42
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The goal for the Penns Grove basketball team this week was pretty straight forward.
Play four games, win four games. Do that and there’s a good chance they can collect a nice reward at the end of the week.
Ever since the second half of the season began the push for the Red Devils has been to fight their way back for a first-round home game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
They moved a step closer to locking that up Thursday with a 60-51 win over Pennsville for their third win of the week. It’s their longest winning streak since late in the 2021-22 season.
“It keeps it rolling,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “It’s three in a row; we want to keep winning.
“Our goal for this week was to go 4-0 and move into the Tri-County Conference (on a roll). Right now we’ve got three of them so we look to finish off the week tomorrow.”
The Red Devils (9-12), 5-11 on Jan. 29, entered the day in ninth place in the SJ Group I power points standings, 24 points behind of Palmyra that holds the eighth and final home game slot. They cut the gap to eight points with their win over the Eagles with a winnable game Friday at Schalick before Saturday’s state cutoff. Palmyra plays LEAP Academy (13-8) Friday.
If they win Friday and get the same 25 power points they did for beating Schalick on Tuesday, the Red Devils would net gain 16 power points in their best 16-game ledger. If Palmyra loses, it would net gain six points and the Red Devils would jump them with a win.
“As long as we win tomorrow we should be locked into it, but we’ve got to finish the job,” Ware said. “We’ve had a really good week. If we finish tomorrow, we’ll have a great week. I’ve told these guys all year it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re trying to finish strong.”
Pennsville, meanwhile, has been living on the bubble. The Eagles (9-14) are 15th after Thursday’s game, but feel good about their position despite the loss because they’re 27 points ahead of the final qualifying spot and the two teams above them and the three teams directly below them all lost.
They can nail it down with a win Friday at Paulsboro, but they’ll have to do it without junior guard Luke Wood. The 1,000-point scorer turned his ankle in the first two and a half minutes of the game, hurridly hobbled off the floor to the training room and didn’t play the rest of the game.
He is not expected to play Friday. Of even greater concern is how the injury might affect him for the upcoming baseball season. A promising left-handed pitcher, the ankle he hurt is in his push-off leg on the mound.
With Wood out of the game, the Eagles turned their eyes to post Danny Saulin to either score down low or draw the defense in to get the ball to his teammates. The 6-7 senior took advantage of the mismatch and responded with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double this year and 10th over the last two seasons. He also blocked two shots.
“I had to take control to help us get back in the game, to help find my teammates and my teammates found me,” Saulin said. “We had them on the ropes. It was just that first quarter not getting used to that press without Luke, then we figured it out and we were moving the ball from there and we almost won the game.”
Saulin scored the first 11 points in a 14-6 run that got the Eagles to within two with 1:14 left in the third quarter.
But that’s where the game turned. Penns Grove’s Giomar Conrad made a driving layup and was fouled, but Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky protested too loud and long that it was a foul on the floor and was rung up with a technical. Conrad made his and-one to complete the three-point play and then hit both two technical foul shots to put the Red Devils up by seven.
“That pretty much changed the game,” Ware said.
Conrad led Penns Grove with 19 points. He was 7-for-7 from the free throw line, 6-for-6 in the second half. Mekhi Ballard had 16 with three 3-pointers.
The Eagles made one more push. They got back within three on four more Saulin points, but then KaRon Ceaser hit two buckets to make it a seven-point game with 4:40 left and Penns Grove never led by fewer than five the rest of the game.
SALEM 89, CLAYTON 63: Jabez DeJesus led four Salem scorers in double figures with 24 points, 15 in the second quarter. Ramaji Bundy had his best game of the year with 13 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers. Paul Weathers had 13 points and Anthony Farmer added 10. The Rams (14-7) have won seven of their last eight and are currently a solid third in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.
CLAYTON (3-18) – Dillon Jones 7 2-4 16, Nazir Davis 4 3-6 11, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Demetris Williams 2 0-0 4, Jon Cox 3 0-0 6, Cristan Scott 2 0-0 5, Ashaud Hines-Pope 1 0-0 2, Nasir Carter 5 0-0 13, Fareed Mamah 0 0-0 0, Earl Townsend 0 0-0 0, Brian Marshall 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0, Rodney Robinson 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 5-10 63. SALEM (14-7) – Anthony Farmer 3 4-4 10, Ramaji Bundy 5 0-0 13, Jabez DeJesus 10 2-2 24, Paul Weathers 6 1-2 13, Davonte Jackson 3 0-0 8, Tymear Lecator 3 0-0 8, Marshall Stephens 2 0-0 4, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Joe Tunis 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 7-8 89.
Clayton
12
15
15
21 –
63
Salem
20
25
19
25 –
89
3-point goals: Clayton 6 (J. Carter, Scott, N. Carter 3, Robinson); Salem 10 (Bundy 3, DeJesus 2, Jackson 2, Lecator 2, McGriff). Total fouls: Clayton 6, Salem 12.
PITMAN 76, SALEM TECH 42 SALEM TECH (2-17) – Haneef Frisby 3 0-0 6, Joseph Hayes 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 2-2 5 Tyler Zampino 2 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 8 3-6 20, Gio Holmes 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-14 42 PITMAN (17-6) – Porter Kostiuk 2 3-5 7, Stephen Devanney 5 0-0 14, Colin Ambrosius 0 0-0 0, Chris Wyllie 3 0-1 6, Michael Fisicaro 2 0-0 6, Sonny Myers 3 4-6 11, Hudson Rue 1 1-2 4, Jake Epting 2 1-4 6, Elijah Crispin 7 3-3 19, Sean Powell 0 0-0 0, Trey Tinges 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 12-21 76.
Woodstown girls putting together big streaks, big individual numbers; recognize three milestones, plus visiting 1,000-point scorer
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – They came to the Joseph P. Irvin Gym Wednesday to recognize some big numbers by some of the home team’s big players, but they aren’t the only numbers worthy of celebrating within the program.
For starters, the Woodstown girls basketball team added an exclamation point to the third straight Tri-County Diamond Division title they clinched the night before with a 60-33 rout of Glassboro.
It was the Wolverines’ 29th straight division win. Now, only Overbrook a week from Saturday stands between them an a third straight undefeated division season. They’ve also won 28 straight games against Salem County competition, although Glassboro doesn’t figure into this category.
Of course, those are all numbers record-keepers keep. On a more public stage, the program recognized juniors Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson for joining the 1,000-Point Club and senior Shannon Pierman for surpassing 500 career rebounds. All three reached their milestones last week, but Wednesday was the Wolverines’ first home game for them to be able to recognize them.
“It’s crazy to think it’s that many,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said of all the streaks and milestones working within the program. “A lot of the kids don’t think about the numbers, but the numbers are what leaves the lasting impression for the younger girls and it makes a name for the program and our school. They don’t realize they’re creating this legacy for Woodstown High School girls basketball with all of those little numbers and the numbers they don’t always think about.
“It just goes to show you when you put in all that work in the offseason and in-season it pays off.”
Battavio led the Wolverines Wednesday with 22 points and moved ahead of Donelson on the program’s active scoring list with 1,050 points. Donelson had 18 points and stands at 1,047. Pierman had 14 points and 15 rebounds for her sixth double-double in the last seven games, leaving her 20 points shy of joining the 500-500 Club (480-560).
Both 1,000-point scorers had their commemorative banners displayed on the padding on the wall leading out of the gym.
After the game, the recognized the milestones with a brief video, then presented the players with flowers and balloons that spelled out “1-0-0-0” and “5-0-0” for their particular milestones.
“I thought it was really thoughtful of everybody to do that,” Donelson said. “It’s cool people are going to look back that 2022 and 2023 they were really good. It makes a huge impact on the girls basketball program here.”
“I think we’ve come a long way,” Battavio said. “Having two 1,000-point scorers is amazing and I’m grateful we got to do it together. It helps that we’re best friends. I’m very proud of her.”
“It means a lot,” added Pierman. “We work hard, we play hard and I’m just really proud of all of us.”
Actually, there were three 1,000-point scorers on the floor in the game. Glassboro junior Tamia Smith reached the milestone on a layup with 1:37 left in the third quarter. When the historic moment game, they stopped the game and family and friends poured onto the floor to celebrate the feat.
Smith was fouled on the historic layup and after the celebration subsided she returned to the free throw line to promptly deposited point No. 1,002
“It’s nice to see it from a different perspective,” said Straughn, who presented Smith a bouquet and a ball after the game. “It’s just cool to see somebody else who we play every year and she’s only a junior. It’s nice to see there are up and coming and successful programs nearby and players who are successful nearby.”
Woodstown 1,000-point scorers Talia Battavio (L) and Megan Donelson (R) flank the newest member of the club, Glassboro’s Tamia Smith. There are 3,101 career points in this group of juniors.
Penns Grove distances itself from the distractions, beats Schalick as only Salem County winner of the night
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 68, Pennsville 56 Gloucester Catholic 64, Salem 41 Overbrook 52, Woodstown 35 Penns Grove 53, Schalick 45 Wildwood 84, Salem Tech 38
By Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – There was a lot going on inside the Hyper-Baric Chamber that is Penns Grove’s gym Tuesday night, but the Red Devils rose above the din and put away Schalick 53-45 to remain in the hunt for a first-round home playoff game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
The win left the Red Devils (8-12) in ninth place in SJ-I power points standings, 18 points behind eighth with only two games against Diamond Division county rivals fighting for a playoff spot before Saturday’s cutoff left. The top eight teams draw first-round home games.
“I don’t know if we can get up to having a home game, we’ll see what happens,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “We want to try to get at least one home game. I won’t say that’s a goal, but the goal is to get home games in the playoffs. Since we had a slow start, if we can finish strong and get at least one home game then it’ll be great.”
There was a lot to distract the Red Devils from the task at hand. There were activities involving the cheerleaders, at halftime senior girls player Meely Horace was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point at earlier in the day, and it was Senior Night, meaning a senior-heavy starting lineup that isn’t necessarily their SOP.
The Red Devils were slow out of the gate with the honor lineup and fell behind 10-5, but eventually the senior regulars emerged and they pulled away.
Giomar Conrad and Mehki Ballard led Penns Grove with 23 and 19 points, respectively. Conrad hit three straight 3s in the second quarter and it sparked a 23-8 run that gave the Red Devils the lead.
“That was two seniors who stepped up on Senior Night,” Ware said. “Back in the day they always played big on Senior Night.”
Daniel Lis led Schalick with 16 points. Jake Siedlecki hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12.
PENNS GROVE 53, SCHALICK 45 SCHALICK (7-11) – Daniel Lis 6-4-16, Reggie Allen 0-4-4, Nasir Sutton 3-0-6, Nylan Sutton 2-1-5, Jake Siedlecki 5-0-12, Jordan Johnson 1-0-2. Totals 17-9-45. PENNS GROVE (8-12) – Brandon Robbins 0-2-2, Roman Gipson 0-1-1, Giomar Conrad 9-2-23, KaRon Ceaser 0-1-1, Willie Slocum 1-0-2, Mehki Ballard 6-4-19, Camren Thompson 0-0-0, Khiry Higgs 0-1-1, Mr Peterson 2-0-4. Totals 18-11-53.
OVERBROOK 52, WOODSTOWN 35: The Rams used an 8-0 run to pull away from an early tie and then held Woodstown without a field goal 10 and a half minutes in the second half to secure their sixth straight win and clinch their sixth straight divisional title.
The teams slugged it out early with Woodstown rallying to earn a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter before the Rams took control with an 8-0 run. The Wolverines got back to within four on Rocco String’s put back with 10 seconds left in the first half, but they didn’t hit another field goal until String’s bucket in the paint with 5:38 left in the game.
The Wolverines were 0-for-7 with five turnovers in the stretch. Their only points came on five free throws.
“At halftime we challenged them defensively to (give) a little bit more effort and energy in winning those 50-50 balls and keeping them off the glass,” Overbrook coach Donny Lang said. “I know we went a pretty long time with maybe letting them only score maybe three points to close to a quarter. It was more of their energy and effort that stepped up in the second half.”
During their current run of division titles, the Rams have won four straight Tri-County Diamond Division titles and two Colonial Conference Patriot Division crowns before that.
“That was one of our goals, to put up another banner,” Lang said. “I like to look up at that banner, make sure our number’s there.”
OVERBROOK 52, WOODSTOWN 35 OVERBROOK (17-5) – Shaun Mills 5 2-2 13, Chris Grier 0 1-2 1, Nic Johnson 4 0-1 9, Lamar Little 3 0-0 7, Zair Green 4 2-3 11, Amare Kee 1 0-0 3, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Xavier Wright 0 0-0 0, Kevin Satchell 3 0-0 6, Jaden St. John 0 0-0 0, Tory Scott 0 0-0 0, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-8 52. WOODSTOWN (10-8) – Manny Ortega 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 0 2-2 2, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Sanderson 0 0-0 0, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 3, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 4 0-3 10, Rocco String 3 2-2 8, Elijah Caesar 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 9-15 35.
Penns Grove’s Horace becomes fifth player in Salem County to reach 1,000-point milestone this season, roundup includes all Salem County girls games
TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Penns Grove 51, Schalick 30 Pennsville 40, Glassboro 38 Gloucester Catholic 61, Salem 12 Wildwood 62, Salem Tech 27 Woodstown 76, Overbrook 42
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Every day since the start of her senior season Meely Horace has walked into the Penns Grove gym and looked at the big red banner on the wall of 1,000-point scorers in the girls program.
Penns Grove senior Meely Horace looks up at her name after it was revealed on the banner of 1,000-point scorers in the school’s girls basketball program.
And every time there has been this big strip of tape underneath the last name on the list, presumably covering the line that carried her name in anticipation of her joining the club just daring her to pull it down. She couldn’t wait to pull that piece of tape down.
Well, she doesn’t have to look at it or wait any more.
Horace became the latest member of the Penns Grove 1,000-Point Club Tuesday when she hit a short jumper from the right side with 6:18 left in the second quarter of the Red Devils’ 51-30 win over Schalick.
“It meant a lot,” she said of the milestone. “It’s been a minute since somebody hit 1K, so I feel like I achieved a goal. My cousin, Tamara Walker, is on that banner, too. I wanted to be up there with her.
“Every day at school when I was in PE and all that I would go in there and look at it and be like, ‘I can’t wait to pull this down.’”
The moment of truth came at halftime of the boys game once her team returned to campus from its road win. She stood on the baseline with the congratulatory banner they presented at her game, then turned and looked upwards as the tape was removed to reveal her name. The space for points remains blank as she still has games to play.
Horace is the 19th player in Penns Grove history to score 1,000 points and the seventh girl. She’s the fifth player in Salem County to reach the milestone this season, joining Woodstown’s Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson, Salem’s Anthony Farmer and Pennsville’s Luke Wood. Both Farmer and Wood hit their marks in games against Penns Grove. Farmer is the only one to have done it at home.
The last Penns Grove player to clear the hurdle was Jamar Johnson in 2020. The last girl was Natrice Reed in 2018.
Horace has been sitting on 998 since Thursday night when she put 38 on Overbrook and she admitted the suspense was killing her.
It was expected she would reach the milestone early in Tuesday’s game, maybe even on the first play of the game, but it took a while. She was turned away the first three times the Red Devils came down the floor – traveling in the right corner, getting double teamed at the top of the key without getting a shot and missing a fast break layup.
She hit 999 with the first of two free throws with 5:38 left in the first quarter. She missed the second shot, but got the rebound and had the ball stripped as she drove to the basket.
Acting coach Taylor Smith took her out with 4:57 left in the quarter. It wasn’t because anyone thought she was pressing to score the milestone points, but rather to give more family members a chance to get to the gym to witness the historic occasion when it came.
“I was frustrated at first, but then I was like it’s going to come to me,” she said. “I feel like (she rushed things) a little bit, then I realized I’ve got to slow it down; there are four quarters. After I missed a couple I didn’t force anything, I let it come to me. I knew I was going to get it regardless. My teammates and my coaches were going to make sure.”
She reentered the game with 12 seconds left in the quarter and missed a layup at the buzzer. She missed two more free throws and then lost a ball in the lane.
The milestone finally came on a short jumper from the right side. They stopped the game, family poured onto the floor from the stands and she was presented with a game ball, a congratulatory 1,000-point banner and balloons that spelled out ‘1K.’
“Congrats to Meely because that’s a great accomplishment,” Smith said. “That’s not an easy thing to do in your high school career. We would like to salute her and congratulate her a million times for it because it is a great accomplishment.
“I was excited for her. Everybody was excited for her. We were all waiting on the moment for her.”
When the milestone finally arrived it was like a weight was lifted off everyone on the Penns Grove side. Her basket gave the Red Devils a 12-7 lead and touched off a run that stretched the lead to 28-7 before the Cougars scored again.
Horace finished with 12 points and now has 1,010 for her career.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, B. Robbins); Schalick 3 (Sparks, Vicente 2). Technical fouls: Robbins. Fouled out: Willoughby. Total fouls: Penns Grove 17, Schalick 17.
PENNSVILLE 40, GLASSBORO 38: Taylor Bass’ only basket of the game, a put back with a minute left, broke a 38-38 tie and the Eagles made it stand for their third straight win. Marley Wood led three Pennsville scorers in double figures with 16 points, 10 in the second half. Nora Ausland had 12 points, 10 in the first quarter, and Bella Farina had 10.
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (N. Ausland 2, Wood); Glassboro 3 (Brackett 3). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Glassboro 8.
WILDWOOD 62, SALEM TECH 27: In the return game of two-day home-and-home, the Warriors jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and then held the Chargers scoreless in the second. Wildwood’s Macie McCracken led all scorers with 23 points.
3-point goals: Wildwood 9 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber, McCracken 3, Benichou 2, Nagle 2).
WOODSTOWN 76, OVERBROOK 42: The Wolverines opened a comfortable 10-point lead, then pulled away with a 33-3 second quarter.
Talia Battavio had eight points in the quarter, while Megan Donelson and Shannon Pierman had six apiece. The only basket they allowed in the quarter was a 3-pointer by Zahaisha Nevius.
“We hammered it inside to Shannon in their zone defense and moved the ball really well,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “We have also been focusing a lot on our drives and kicks and the girls did a much better job executing that tonight.”
Battavio led the Wolverines with 19 points. Donelson and Pierman had 14 each. Ten players scored.
Donelson now had 1,029 career points and Battavio 1,028.
Woodstown, Schalick both make a splash in South Jersey Group C Tournament, advance to quarterfinals
By Riverview Sports News
Both of Salem County’s entries in the South Jersey Group C Swimming Tournament advanced to the quarterfinal round with victories Monday night.
Eighth-seeded Schalick trimmed Barnegat 88-81 at the St. Francis Community Center on Long Beach Island, while sixth-seeded Woodstown dunked Cape May Tech 100.5-69.5 at GCIT.
Schalick now travels to Middle Twp. and Woodstown travels to Oakcrest for Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Schalick-Middle Twp. winner faces top-seeded Seneca, while the Woodstown-Oakcrest winner faces second-seeded Cedar Creek in the semifinals Feb. 12.
SCHALICK 88, BARNEGAT 81 (Event winners) 200 MR: Barnegat (Anthony Burton, Christopher Schumann, Christopher Haddad, Tyler Finkle), 1:57.53 200 Free: Christopher Deleeuw, Barnegat, 1:59.81 200 IM: Caylen Taylor, Schalick, 2:23.97 500 Free: Tyler Finkle, Barnegat, 25.49 100 Fly: Gabby Simonini, Schalick, 1:08.44 100 Free: Tyler Finkle, Barnegat, 55.02 500 Free: Christopher Deleeuw, Barnegat, 5:15.26 200 FR: Barnegat (William Rollis, Daniel Salvatore, Elijah Silverman, Tyler Finkle), 1:53.51 100 Back: Christian Hubbard, Schalick 1:04.57 100 Breast: Christopher Schumann, Barnegat, 1:10.15 400 FR: Barnegat (William Rollis, Christopher Haddad, Anthony Burton, Christopher Deleeuw), 3:55.76 Records: Schalick 7-2, Barnegat 2-8.
WOODSTOWN 100.5, CAPE MAY TECH 69.5 (Event winners) 200 MR: Woodstown (Sebastian Smith, Tim Schwienbacher, Emma Morgan, Thomas Boyles), 1:57.32 200 Free: Allie Huck, Woodstown, 2:15.43 200 IM: Catie McCauley, Woodstown, 2:40.54 50 Free: Cape May Tech 100 Fly: Cape May Tech 100 Free: Sebastian Smith, Woodstown, 53.39 500 Free: Sara Lodge, Woodstown, 6:26.18 200 FR: Cape May Tech 100 Back: Sebastian Smith, Woodstown, 1:00.54 100 Breast: Tim Schwienbacher, Woodstown, 1:19.07 400 FR: Woodstown (Thomas Boyles, Allie Huck, Tim Schwienbacher, Sebastian Smith), 4:16.99 Records: Woodstown 6-3, Cape May Tech 4-6.
Riverview Sports News 