Salem CC men score second-most points in the Mike Green era fueled by ‘solid-steal’ defense
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC men’s basketball team scored 100 points for the first time this season, which was cause enough for celebration. While it takes a lot of buckets to put that many points on the board, this one was fueled by the defense.
The Mighty Oaks collected 27 steals among the 29 turnovers they forced Lancaster Bible JV into Thursday night and although the defense got a little loose late in the game it was the thing that made their 106-71 possible.
“Our guys did a good job with that today,” Green said. “We were good for certain periods. Once the lead swelled up we did some things I didn’t like, but to get that lead we did what we were supposed to do.”
The 106 points matched the second most in coach Mike Green’s 24-game tenure with the Oaks (5-1). They had that many in a win over RCSJ-Gloucester last January. Their single-game high under Green is 110 against Harrisburg Area last February.
They scored 31 points off their takeaways and, truthfully, should have had more. Appropriately, they went over 100 when Julien Jones picked Marco Labasez’ pocket near midcourt, took it the other way on a driving layup and hit and-one that came with it.
Jones and Shyheed Taylor had six steals apiece. Tivon Woolford had five. Eight of the 10 Salem players who got in the game had at least one.
“It’s good to hear those numbers,” Jones said. “Our past games we hadn’t really been playing that well defensively, so that builds our confidence coming into our next game.
“As smaller guards that’s what we got to do. When we get the chance (to play) one thing we’re going to do is play defense. One of the four things (Green) says most is ‘guard your yard.’ He puts that confidence in our head that we could play defense all the time.”
It didn’t take long for the Oaks to determine the Chargers weren’t the ballhandlers they were last season. After reading the room, Green called time two minutes into the game, plugged in the full-court pressure and the Oaks went to work.
They immediately went on an 11-0 run to take control and led by 19 at halftime. The Chargers opened the second half with a run that got them within 11, then the Oaks started finding their long-range shot and used a pair of Xavier Brewington 3s to key a response that pushed the lead to 21. At one point later in the half they turned over the Chargers on six straight possessions on the way to a 30-point lead.
“It didn’t surprise us,” Taylor said of the steals. “We work really hard. We knew we’d come together one day and get a lot of steals, play defense, score a lot. Once we come together I feel like nobody can stop us.”
The steals were only part of the story. Rodney Shelton blocked eight shots – four in each half – and altered numerous other shots. He might even have more once they break down the film. He also had 12 rebounds.
“That’s just natural; I’ve been doing that since ninth grade,” Shelton said. “My game is all through film. You’re not going to catch my stats in game in person. You’ve got to take it to the film and dissect it and realize that I blocked it.
“They went up pretty soft. As a natural shot blocker I just felt as though they took advantage of me and I just went and put it back in their hands. I’m actually proud of what I did today.”
“I really want to shout out Rodney,” Jones said. “He was blocking shots. He was defending the paint really well. He was rebounding defensively really well. My defense comes from trusting Rodney that he protects me, so shout out Rodney for that.”
Six players scored in double figures, led by Woolford’s 18. Jones had 14, Brewington 13, Tyrone Tolson and Josh Ramos 12 each and Shelton 11. Everybody who played for the Oaks scored.
The Oaks wrap up their season-opening seven-game home stand Saturday against Atlantic Cape CC (2-4), a team that swept them last year.
LANCASTER BIBLE JV (1-4) – Curtis Brosious 0-2 0-0 0, Harrison Owens 0-2 0-0 0, Antonio Osbourne 2-6 2-2 8, A.J. Switzer 6-14 2-2 15, Brock Osbourne 4-11 4-6 12, Amari Williams 1-4 0-0 3, Jaden Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Karahn Garfield 0-1 0-0 0, Caleb Mills 1-4 0-0 3, Marco Labasez 7-14 9-11 24, Noah MacCartney 1-3 0-0 2, Elijah Hogan 2-6 0-2 4. Totals 24-67 17-23 71.
SALEM CC (5-1) – Tyrese Fortune 2-7 2-2 6, Josh Ramos 5-10 0-0 12, Xavier Brewington 4-9 3-3 13, Rodney Shelton 5-9 1-1 11, Shyheed Taylor 2-4 2-3 6, Julien Jones 5-10 4-5 14, A.J. Jones 4-8 0-0 8, Tivon Woolford 8-12 0-0 18, Tyrone Tolson 4-6 2-2 12, Sami Anderson 2-6 1-2 6. Totals 41-81 15-18 106.
| Lancaster Bible JV | 33 | 38- | 71 |
| Salem CC | 52 | 54- | 106 |
3-point goals: Lancaster Bible 6-17 (Brosious 0-2, Owens 0-1, A. Osbourne 2-3, Switzer 1-2, Williams 1-1, Garfield 0-1, Mills 1-3, Labasez 1-4); Salem CC 9-28 (Fortune 0-1, Ramos 2-6, Brewington 2-4, Shelton 0-1, J. Jones 0-3, A. Jones 0-2, Woolford 2-5, Tolson 2-4, Anderson 1-2). Rebounds: Lancaster Bible 41 (Labasez 10, Hogan 9); Salem CC 38 (Shelton 12, Fortune 7, Brewington 7). Fouled out: Fortune, Anderson. Total fouls: Lancaster Bible 10, Salem CC 20.
Riverview Sports News 