Scott’s acrobatic layup in closing seconds saves Mighty Oaks from slow start, women open their season with dominant victory; stories will be updated
SALEM CC BASKETBALL
Men 83, Bucks County CC 82
Women 99, Anne Arundel 61
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – When Niame Scott was growing up in North Philly two things used to always happen. He would watch highlights of Kyrie Irving playing basketball and then he would go out in the park and practice acrobatic layups, never really knowing if he’d ever get to use one or not.
The Salem CC sophomore pulled one out of his bag of tricks at the most opportune moment Tuesday night and the Mighty Oaks benefitted from it big time.
Scott contorted his body around Bucks County CC big man Jaquis Heath and hit a layup with 5.4 seconds left to give Oaks only their second lead of the night and they held on as a last-second shot bounced off the rim beating the Centurions 83-82 for their second win of the season.
“When I was little I worked on those shots, acrobatic layups, and I watch Kyrie, so I know how to do them,” Scott said. “Some of them go in, some of them don’t. I think this one was just me and him, just a one-on-one, and I’m good at one-on-one so I’m pretty sure I know I was going to make that.”
Because this one went in, the game ended a whole lot better for the Oaks than it started. They fell behind 14-0 in the first four and a half minutes and trailed by as many as 15 in the first half. Stefan Phillips finally got them on the board on a putback with 15:20 left in the half.
It was a long road back, but they eventually took the lead for the first time, 81-80, on two free throws by Xavier Brewington with 33.5 seconds to play. Bucks retook the lead on Heath’s aggressive putback with 12.2 seconds left.
Scott got the game-winning play started by inbounding to Brewington then bolting to the far right corner. Brewington dribbled three times then fired a pass to Scott’s location. Scott then drove on Heath, putting up a shot with his right hand as he was falling to the ground. It went in and the Oaks had the lead.
“Basketball’s a long game and our guys fought to the end,” Salem coach Mike Green said. “I knew once we found the right unit, the cohesiveness, I knew we would get back in it.”
Green and staff spent the halftime break trying to get the right combination on the floor and apparently found the answer. The Oaks outscored their visitors 57-44 in the second half, shot 42 percent from the floor, ramped up their defense and steadily cut into the deficit until making it a one-possession game through the final five minutes.
They trailed in the first half of their opener, too, and needed A.J. Jones’ steal and layup in the final 10 seconds to earn them a 35-35 halftime tie.
“It seems like that’s been us every game,” Green said. “I told them maybe it’s me. Maybe I’ve got the wrong rotation in there. Maybe I’m starting the game with the wrong people. We can’t score in the first half. Me and the coaching staff has to figure that out.
“I thought we would come back, but it’s got to be on the coaches. If your team is not up and ready to go, it’s got to be on the coaches. We have to take credit for that. If we’re going down 14-0 maybe we’re starting the wrong people, maybe we’re not getting the right energy. It’s definitely on the coaches.”
Tyrese Fortune, Phillips, Brewington, A.J. Jones and, of course, Scott all played big roles in the comeback. Josh Ramos hit a corner 3 with 2:53 left to get the Oaks within one for the first time.
Fortune and Phillips combined for 18 points and eight rebounds in the second half and both finished with double-doubles. Shyheed Taylor had 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half. Scott wound up with 12.
The Centurions still had time after Scott’s go-ahead layup to break Salem’s heart. They got the ball back into the hands of Heath, who dribbled from midcourt deep into the lane, pulled back out and shot it surrounded by Salem defenders Brewington, Scott and Phillips. The shot was in the air as the horn blew and backboard lit, but it hit the back of the iron and bounded harmlessly away.
The Oaks overcame a near disastrous technical foul in the final minute when a player on the bench spilled onto the floor after Scott and Jones forced the Centurions into a 10-second violation after Jones’ three-point play got them back within one again, 78-77.
SALEM CC 83, BUCKS COUNTY CC 82
BUCKS COUNTY CC (1-3) – Jeremy Henry 3-8 3-6 10, Noah Morris 8-13 2-2 24, George Marion 3-11 5-5 11, Roberto Maldonado 0-2 0-1 0, Jaquis Heath 3-11 1-2 7, Octavio Alexander 2-6 5-6 10, Tyler Riddle 4-8 8-8 16, Craig Stargell 0-0 0-0 0, Al Corsino 0-1 0-0 0, Yaasir Muhammed 2-2 0-0 4, Niko Bianco 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-62 24-30 82.
SALEM CC (2-0) – Niame Scott 4-14 3-7 12, Tyrese Fortune 4-11 3-5 11, Josh Ramos 2-8 0-0 6, Xavier Brewington 1-9 5-8 7, Rodney Shelton 0-4 0-0 0, Julien Jones 1-2 0-0 3, A.J. Jones 3-10 1-1 8, Tivon Woolford 3-6 0-1 7, Tyrone Tolson 0-2 0-2 0, Shyheed Taylor 5-9 4-5 16, Stefan Phillips 5-8 3-3 13, Sami Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-83 19-32 83.
| Bucks County CC | 38 | 44- | 82 |
| Salem CC | 26 | 57- | 83 |
3-point goals: Bucks 8-17 (Henry 1-2, Morris 6-10, Marion 0-2, Heath 0-1, Alexander 1-1, Riddle 0-1); Salem 8-36 (Scott 1-6, Fortune 0-2, Ramos 2-7, Brewington 0-6, Shelton 0-1, J. Jones 1-1, A. Jones 1-5, Woolford 1-3, Tolson 0-1, Taylor 2-4). Rebounds: Bucks 41 (Heath 9, Alexander 7); Salem 55 (Fortune 13, Phillips 13, Shelton 9). Technical fouls: Salem bench. Fouled out: Henry, Taylor. Total fouls: Bucks 25, Salem 20.
Women’s Game
SALEM CC 99, ANNE ARUNDEL 61: The restocked Mighty Oaks did some nice things during their scrimmages while second-year coach Brian Marsh was trying to acclimate his seven newcomers into the rotation and style they want to play with an expanded roster, but he really wanted to see what they looked like when the lights came on for real.
The Oaks got points from 10 different scorers and nearly broke the scoreboard in their season opener against the undermanned Riverhawks.
“We really want to have energy all over the floor,” Marsh said. “We were Anne Arundel last year. We were shorthanded, so I know what that’s like. We wanted to push the pace. They didn’t have a bench. We finally have a bench this year so we really wanted to go and use our depth to our advantage.”
Anne Arundel came into the game with only six players so it didn’t take long for the deeper Oaks to take control. They opened as much as a 21-point lead in the first half and then erupted for 60 points in the second half. They had 90 points with just under six minutes to play. The most points they scored in a game last year was 81 and they scored more than70 just six times.
“I liked it,” Marsh said of the opening-game effort. “When we played our last pre-season game we had 15 turnovers in the first half. That was one of things we were really focusing on, to really take care of the ball. I told them I wanted it under 10 for the game. (They had seven).”
The Oaks placed four scorers in double figures – Kathryn Laurence (13), Nyajiah Jackson (16), Geo Tjaden (14) and Alexa Hopkins (15). Tjaden was quite active. In one particular exchanged, she blocked a shot, knocked the rebound off the shooter out of bounds and a 3-pointer on the other end.
SALEM CC 99, ANNE ARUNDEL 61
ANNE ARUNDEL (0-1) – Aichatta Soumaoro 3-15 5-9 11, Addi Hurst 1-4 0-1 2, Lania Nick 9-18 3-4 24, Reona Robinson 1-14 1-2 3, Ayannah Gorham 7-11 7-12 21, Jasmine Mauldin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-62 16-28 61.
SALEM CC (1-0) – Maggie St. Clair 4-12 1-2 9, Daniella Gustin 2-4 0-0 4, Kathryn Laurence 5-16 0-0 13, Jakayla Jenkins 3-5 1-2 8, Akira Chambers 3-7 3-4 9, RayNescia King 1-5 0-0 3, Nyaijah Jackson 5-9 6-9 16, Caroline Zullo 0-3 0-0 0, Geovanna Tjaden 5-9 1-5 14, Jolee Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, Imara James 4-8 0-0 8, Alexa Hopkins 6-9 1-1 15. Totals 38-88 13-23 99.
| Anne Arundel | 7 | 18 | 19 | 18- | 61 |
| Salem CC | 18 | 21 | 38 | 22- | 99 |
3-point goals: Anne Arundel 3-11 (Soumaoro 0-2, Hurst 0-1, Nick 3-6, Robinson 0-1, Gorham 0-1); Salem CC 10-33 (St. Clair 0-3, Laurence 3-11, Jenkins 1-1, King 1-2, Jackson 0-3, Zullo 0-3, Tjaden 3-5, Hopkins 2-5); Rebounds: Anne Arundel 48 (Gorham 15, Nick 10); Salem CC 42 (Gustin 8, James 7). Fouled out: Gorham. Total fouls: Anne Arundel 16, Salem CC 22.
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