Woodstown girls suffer rare second straight loss, won’t use growing pains in new situation as an excuse, vow to work to improve
By Riverview Sports News
WESTMONT – Woodstown’s girls have two of the most dynamic scorers in South Jersey, but the Wolverines they needed to have more involved in the offense and were upset by Pennsauken 55-44 Tuesday in the consolation game of the Haddon Twp. Holiday Tournament.
Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson led all scorers with 17 points apiece, but the Wolverines (4-2) got only 10 points from three other scorers. Sianni Hill and Kimora Truitt scored 14 points apiece for Pennsauken, but the Lady Indians (3-2) had two players with at least eight.
The Wolverines also had a tough shooting day, going 2-for-25 from 3-point range that dropped their overall proficiency to 26 percent.
“Today was a tough battle for us,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Pennsauken was a physical team who rebounded the basketball very well. They pushed the ball in transition and made some big shots.
“We took some good shots today, but they just didn’t fall. At times we were trying to force things and playing tight. We must remember to play loose and have fun because when we do that, we play our best.”
Donelson and Kyia Leyman had 10 rebounds apiece for Woodstown, but Pennsauken grabbed 43 total rebounds and converted numerous third and fourth opportunities. Hill had 12 boards, while Mayeline Rodriguez and Aliza Allen had nine each.
After Tuesday, Battavio (1313) and Donelson (1280) now are both in the top 10 of Salem County’s all-time leading scorers in girls basketball.
The Wolverines have lost two in a row after opening the season 4-0. They lost two in a row in February last year then bounced back to reach the South Jersey Group I championship game.
They return to action Friday against Glassboro where they look to extend another streak – their winning streak in the TCC Diamond Division. They have won 33 straight against Diamond Division opponents (FYI, it’s 31 straight against Salem County foes).
“The last two games were tests for us that pointed out a lot of things that we need to work on,” Smart said. “People will call this growing pains, that we have a lot of girls who are playing varsity minutes for the first time or that a new system takes some time to get used to. We aren’t going to use that as an excuse.
“We are going to take this time to evaluate things that we are doing well and things that need to be improved. The great part about basketball is the season doesn’t end in December. While the days seem to be flying by, we still have a lot of season left.
“If we are the same team in February that we were at the beginning of the season, we wouldn’t be satisfied. We have said it all season: As a team we need to focus on being the best 2024-25 Woodstown girls basketball team we can be. Predictions, seeding and personal honors aren’t what this team is concerned with. We are concerned with getting better each and every day.”
Salem coach Farmer calls key time out in second quarter to keep game from getting away, Rams respond with a run that carries them to Wildwood sweep
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WILDWOOD — The Salem basketball team was on the verge of another second quarter dry spell that had been haunting it all season. Actually, it was the continuation of a first-quarter drought that spilled over, but coach Anthony Farmer had seen enough to know he had seen too much.
He was going to nip this problem before it became a real disaster.
Millville had taken an early 14-point Salem lead all the way down to two with 6:48 left in the second quarter and Farmer called a much-needed 30-second timeout to stall the Thunderbolts’ momentum and talk his Rams back on track.
The tactic worked. The Rams went on a quick 8-2 run out of the break and then tacked on eight straight points later that pushed them to an 11-point halftime lead that was never threatened again. They went on to win 64-48 to sweep their two-game stay in the Boardwalk Classic.
The Rams (5-1) typically have been sharp at the start of games this season, but those quick starts have been followed by clunky second and third quarters that made the games interesting.
Farmer had to give them another reminder early in the third quarter after the Bolts (2-6) pulled within nine and the Rams responded again. The message, the players said was simple: Just wake up.
“It’s become a pattern for us you want to address to make the kids aware; you’re trying to get their attention,“ Farmer said. “That’s what that was about, really just making a timely decision, a timely call, to regroup the kids and get them back under control.
“It’s being young, honestly. You don’t have a guy like Ant (his son, Anthony Farmer) to calm everybody down, calm, cool, collected, get everybody involved. We’re young, we get sped up. We’ve got to be able to get under control, run your offense, know when it looks raggedy and settle down, and right now we’re not there.”
Xavier McGriff sharpens his focus before taking the floor in the Boardwalk Classic. He had eight points, 13 rebounds and six steals in Salem’s two wins at the showcase. (Photo by Jalen Freeman)
Tymear Lecator and Neziah Spence got the Rams off to a hot start again, combining for the team’s first 14 points in a 16-2 opening run. Interestingly, the Bolts staged their rally after coach Michael LaTorre called his own 30-second timeout with 3:33 left in the first quarter.
Lecator had another big game in the Wildwood Convention Center, finishing with 27 points, tying his season high, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
He scored 46 points in the Rams’ two games here, hit three 3s in each game, is now averaging 19.7 through the Rams’ first six games of the season.
Antwan Rogers, whose layup kick-started the second-quarter recovery, had nine points and 10 rebounds. Xavier McGriff had eight points, including a 3-pointer that ignited the third-quarter run, six boards and four steals. Spence had 10 points.
“I like this court a lot,” Lecator said. “I like how it’s spacious, there’s a lot of room for me to work, and I like how my shot feels on the court, good grip, soft rims. I just like playing here. That’s the key to my success. It gives off a college-type environment.”
There was a lot fire for the game from Salem’s perspective. Farmer is from Millville. Several of the Salem players, like Lecator, have connections in the Millville/Vineland/Bridgeton community. Rams’ forward Darrelle Johnson, Lecator’s cousin, played at Millville last year.
Johnson would’ve liked to have had a big game with a couple dunks against his former mates, but didn’t get the chance going scoreless in six-plus minutes of action. You knew it was special to him. He never looked Millville’s way during pre-game warmups or introductions but LaTorre embraced him in the post-game handshake line without drawing much reaction.
It all added to the intensity of the day.
“Any time you kind of get somebody from my hometown you always want to go out there and get the best of them,” Lecator said. “I don’t want them to get the best of me because I go back home and everybody I hang around hears about it, so I just knew I had to come out here and play good so I can go back home and I’ve got something to brag about.”
BOARDWALK CLASSIC SALEM 64, MILLVILLE 48 SALEM (5-1) – Tymear Lecator 9 6-6 27, Antwan Rogers 4 1-1 9, Deshaan Williams 1 4-4 6, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 8, Neziah Spence 4 0-0 10, Joe Tunis 2 0-0 4, Darrelle Johnson 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0, Giovanni Tuvale 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 11-11 64. MILLVILLE (2-6) – Jaden Days 2 3-5 7, Tahshawn Jones 0 0-0 0, Divonte Smith 2 0-2 5, Caiden Allen 0 0-0 0, Mike Bullock 0 0-0 0, Bryant Nelson 1 6-8 9, Cayden Pierce 3 0-0 8, Alex Doss 1 0-0 2, James Jackson 1 0-0 2, Zhamere Redding 6 0-0 13, Zhymir Tull 0 0-0 0, Noah Thompson 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-15 48.
Salem
16
18
18
12-
64
Millville
6
17
9
16-
48
3-point goals: Salem 7-16 (Lecator 3, McGriff 2, Spence 2); Millville 5 (Smith, Nelson, Pierce 2, Redding). Rebounds: Salem 39 (Rogers 10). Total fouls: Salem 15, Millville 15.
Salem’s Darrelle Johnson goes in for a steal against his former Millville teammates in Tuesday’s Boardwalk Classic game.
Red Devils don’t mind ‘playing up’ if it helps them get better in the long run
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WILDWOOD – Penns Grove coach Damian Ware could have been all sulky and mad after the kind of loss his Red Devils took from St. Augustine Monday night in the Boardwalk Classic, but he wasn’t.
There’s a reason he brings his teams here to play teams the likes of the Hermits and if it takes absorbing a 62-32 or similar loss from time to time in the name of getting better, he’s willing to do that.
The Hermits had their way in so many aspects of the game in the Wildwood Convention Center, especially in the first half, but Ware took it for what it was worth. You can’t get better in the long run if you don’t see better along the way.
“That’s why we want to matchup against teams like this, so we see teams like this,” Ware said. “We won’t see teams like this is the division or in the conference or in Group 1. We always want to take this trip down here because we always match up with a better team at a different level, so it’s good for us to get that experience.
“I feel like we got what we wanted, we just didn’t make shots and when they got their shots they made them. That’s really our biggest thing, putting the ball in the basket, right now. Our defense is good enough. We give up 62 points to a St. Augustine team, that’s not too bad because they can easily drop 80 or 90 on somebody at any time.
“In the grand scheme of things this was a stepping stone and a teaching tool. We’ll take this film, we’ll break it down, we’ll watch it with the kids and we’ll show them where we need to improve and what we need to do to get better and then we’ll move on from there.”
When the Red Devils (1-3) look at the film again they’ll see St. Augustine controlled the game from the start. The Hermits scored the first 11 points of the game – the first eight by Rory Friel – led 23-3 midway through the second quarter and 29-10 at halftime.
Friel, a 6-5 senior, had 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 18 and eight in the game. Olumide Okebiorun, the Hermits’ other 6-5 starter, had eight points and six boards.
The Red Devils scored only six points in the first 14 and a half minutes of the game and they all came from Roman Gipson. The 6-0 junior got his team on the board with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3:00 left in the first quarter, rolled in a layup with 3:49 left in the first half and added a free throw 30 seconds later.
That was the extent of it until Brandin Robbins hit a layup with 1:28 left in the half and Luis Colon hit two free throws 7.3 seconds before halftime.
“The main thing I’m telling them at halftime is we’re getting what we want, we got the shots we want, but one thing we’ve got to do is a better job of getting organized in our half-court,” Ware said. “That’s where we’re kind of learning and still growing and our youth is still not really there yet.
“In the full court we’re pretty good, but in the half court we’ve got to get better.”
They were much better in the second half. The Red Devils didn’t win the half, but they did score more points and played the Hermits even in the fourth quarter. KaRon Ceaser scored all seven of his points in the second half.
“I was happy with how we started in the third quarter and when we started playing downhill,” Ware said. “That’s what I’m trying to get these guys to do, play downhill, because we play side-to-side too much.
“That’s the main thing, getting these guys to understand how hard you actually have to play to win at a high level.”
Gloucester puts three scorers in double figures, hands Cougars fifth straight loss
By Riverview Sports News
GLOUCESTER – Keegan Cohan hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead three Gloucester scorers in double figures in a 63-44 win over Schalick Monday.
Ryan James had 14 and Marcus Flagg 10 for the undefeated Lions (5-0).
Nylan Sutton led Schalick with 15 points. Reggie Allen had 13.
The Cougars have lost five in a row after winning their season opener.
SCHALICK (1-5) – Reggie Allen 5 2-3 13, Nylan Sutton 7 1-3 15, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 2, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Sean Kelly 1 2-2 4, Jacob Schalick 0 0-0 0, Nick Ashwell 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whitley 2 0-0 5. Totals 18 5-8 44. GLOUCESTER (5-0) – Ryan James 5 3-3 14, Keegan Cohan 8 0-0 21, Marcus Flagg 5 0-0 10, Kadon Harris 4 0-0 8, Jake Smith 4 1-4 9, Cole Little 0 1-2 1, Trevin Burkhardt 0 0-0 0, Brian Vazquez 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 5-9 63.
Rams head to the boardwalk to do some overnight team building, start trip with win over Oakcrest
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WILDWOOD – There’s nothing like a win to get a bonding experience off to a good start.
For the second year in a row, Anthony Farmer has booked his Salem basketball team into an overnight trip, but this year’s trip got off to a better start.
Last year they went north and lost their first game to a team from Massachusetts in Bayonne. Monday, they checked into the Wildwood Convention Center before checking into their overnight accommodations in Egg Harbor and beat Oakcrest in the Boardwalk Classic 54-37.
“It’s always much better to win,” Farmer said. “When I’ve got to take the school a bill back for $2,000 some W’s better show up on there.”
The trip, funded by the booster club, is all about team building and enhancing the culture of the program. And It may be a little more important for this year’s team as it moves forward.
Last year’s group was loaded with seniors who had been playing with each other a while. This year’s team, while returning several players from that squad, are still a little bit of a work in progress, as the flow of the game bore out.
Last year, although the Rams were relatively close to New York, they didn’t venture into the city after losing to Charlestown (Mass.) by 20, but had dinner together and went bowling to get closer. They won by four the next night. Monday, the team was headed to the Borgata buffet in Atlantic City and then back to the hotel for some bonding.
“It just brings everybody closer and helps us build a bigger bond going into the season,” said guard Tymear Lecator, a freshman on the trip last year. “I looked forward to it even more now because I like chillin’ with my guys and we’re going to be with each other all night, so it’s going to be fun.”
“We try to do things a little different here,” Farmer said. “Not many programs get an opportunity to go spend the night and bond out of town. The chance to go have dinner and sit down as a team, as a family, is big. It’s a culture. One that we’ve built that we’re proud of.”
The Rams (4-1) had a good start and a good finish, but the in between was a little clunky.
Lecator and Neziah Spence got off to a hot start. They hit five 3-pointers between them in the first quarter and scored the Rams’ first 21 points of the game as they got out to a 23-8 lead. Lecator had 15 points in the first quarter and finished with 19 in the game with six assists. Spence had 13 points, two off his career high.
In addition, Derrelle Johnson had 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals. And Deshaan Williams had six points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
“I was just locked in,” Lecator said. “We were coming off a loss (to West Tech in Delsea’s Marty Derer Showcase), so I had to come here with a different mentality. So, I just came here ready to kill. I talked to him (Spence) before the game so he was on the same time I was on and we just went in and went crazy.”
The Rams weren’t as efficient in the middle two quarters and the Falcons (0-5) actually cut the margin to eight with 1:51 left in the third after back-to-back 3s by Levar Price wrapped around a turnover. Price hit four 3s in the game and led the Falcons with 15 points.
Farmer called time immediately and the Rams started turning things around. They held the Falcons without a field goal for most of the fourth quarter while steadily rebuilding a comfortable lead.
“We got off to a good start, but we have to get better,” Farmer said. “It’s a young group so learning how to play for four quarters is going to be a key and obviously we’re finding out the second and third quarter is a little lull for us so we’ve got something to work on to get better over time.
“We know what we’re capable of and the guys know what’s at stake. We’ve created a culture here where winning matters, so they know the expectations. It’s just sustaining that, and when you’re finding out that your opponent may be of lesser caliber you have to impose your will for four quarters and not take your foot off the gas. And we’re not there yet.”
A little bonding trip is a good way to start.
They wrap up the boardwalk bonding trip Tuesday with a 10 a.m. game against Millville (2-5).
Here is where the Salem CC basketball teams rank in the national JUCO stats through Dec. 29; both Mighty Oaks teams return to action Jan. 7 at home against Camden County College
MEN (D3)
VAL
RK
WOMEN (D2)
VAL
RK
Record
10-4
Record
4-6
Scoring
84.4
16
Scoring
68.8
53
FG Pct.
41.9
53
FG Pct.
.398
43
3PT Pct.
33.3
24
3PT Pct.
27.8
54
FT Pct.
69.9
14
FT Pct.
56.6
112
Rebounds
42.9
18
Rebounds
38.4
82
Assists
16.3
29
Assists
17.5
17
Turnovers
12.4
19
Turnovers
15.3
18
Opp. Scoring
74.1
35
Opp. Scoring
70.4
110
Opp. FG Pct.
39.8
16
Opp. FG Pct.
.371
86
Opp. 3P
74-260
41
Opp. 3P
45-187
69
Opp. Rebounds
39.1
49
Opp. Rebounds
41.3
106
Opp. Turnovers
12.4
68
Opp. Turnovers
20.2
52
Pictured players: Josh Ramos (11) is third in 3-pointers (43); Rodney Shelton is sixth in blocked shots (31). Additionally, Stefan Phillips is fourth in FT percentage (.900, 36-40).
Woodstown’s boys indoor 4×800 relay sets Ott Center facility record in first trip around the track together
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – When Woodstown’s celebrated boys 4×800 relay team walked into Penn’s brand-new Ott Center together as a team for the first time Saturday, all four runners had a feeling they were on the verge of something special.
They went in feeling great and came out feeling even better. They dashed around the track in a time of 8:32.30, setting a school, meet and facility record. They won the race by seven seconds.
The Wolverines had run in the facility once before, but the four mates on the 4×8 – Jacob Marino, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas and Josh Crawford – ran separate open events that first day and didn’t go as the collective.
“We went into today feeling great knowing that our first 4×800 of the season was finally here and all four of us were still together for it,” Chew said. “It was an exhilarating event for us and we’ve been waiting for the moment that we get to really show off again.”
And show out they did.
All four had run other events prior to the race and had to recover for the relay. Lucas and Chew both ran the mile and PR’d for the winter with Lucas setting the school record while finishing eighth (4:46.89). Crawford PR’d in the 55 and set the school record in the 200 while finishing Top 20 (23.30). And Marino set the school record in the 3200 while finishing 14th (10:35.15).
“We changed the order so Josh would lead off and I would run the third leg, and it proved well getting us far ahead of the competition right out of the gate,” Chew said. “Jacob kept Josh’s lead and I handed off to Cole for the anchor where he opened up our lead even more to make sure we would win.
“Around the anchor leg they said the standing meet record was 8:37 and change and we knew we were on pace to beat it. When they said Woodstown holds the new facility record for the Ott Center we were super happy. Coming into the race we had no clue about any records or what the other teams ran. We just walked onto the track knowing we had something to prove and we made it count.”
Woodstown’s girls 4×800 relay – Samantha Sterner, Anabel Schaal, Casey Gannon and Abby Marino – finished fifth in its race (11:21.41) and Kami Casiano placed sixth in the girls high jump (4-10).
NEW EGYPT – A new coach often means big changes to the program he takes over and one of the biggest benefactors of the changes new Woodstown basketball coach Ramon Roots brought into his program has been Blake Bialecki.
Roots recognized Bialecki’s value to the team early in the transition and green-lighted the junior as the prime shooter in his offense.
Bialecki justified the faith his coach placed in him with another big game Saturday, scoring a game-high 17 points and winning MVP honors as the Wolverines beat host New Egypt 65-49 to win the Warriors Holiday Classic for the second year in a row.
“It’s really just my coaches have a ton of confidence in me and they just want me to shoot the ball,” Bialecki said. “Them having that confidence in me just makes me have more confidence in myself. They trust me to hit shots and now I’m starting to trust myself more to hit shots.”
It was the second game in a row Bialecki led the Wolverines (2-2) in scoring, this one coming on top of the 23-point game he enjoyed in the tournament opener against Pinelands. It reminded him of a similar two-game stretch he had last January when he went for 23 and 29 against Pennsville and Salem Tech. But he went scoreless the next game.
He scored just 11 points in this tournament last year, seven in the title game win over New Egypt.
“Last year I had the ball in my hand more, playing the point guard more, having to set up the plays and make plays, get the ball to other people,” he explained. “Now, Alejandro (Vazquez) and M.J. (Hall) are having the ball more and I’m off the ball more, and they’re drawing up more and more plays for me where last year I didn’t have certain plays drawn up just for me to get a shot off.
“It’s definitely more fun to score the ball. I’m definitely hoping to continue this stretch and just be score the whole year. Last year I was very inconsistent, up and down. I’m hoping that this year I’ll be more consistent scoring wise.”
The Wolverines hope so, too. Before breaking out this weekend, Bialecki had scored just 17 points in the Wolverines’ first two games, losses to Salem and Penns Grove. Roots knew he could give them more with the right amount of encouragement.
“After the 0-2 start I basically told Blake for us to get where we want to go you have to shoot the ball 15-plus times,” Roots said. “I want you taking five-plus 3s a game. There were a lot of times he would have a good catch-and-shoot opportunity and he was hesitant to take it.
“I told him I’m living and dying with you shooting the ball. You’re our best shooter. Overall you’re our best scorer,. We need you to shoot the ball. These last two games he has been really aggressive.
“That was one of the reasons why I took this job. I knew his talent, I knew his skills, I knew what type player he could be, so I’m just trying to take his game to the next level. He has responded well.”
The Wolverines used a big second half to win their second game in a row. They trailed by four at halftime, then switched defenses and it led to them outscoring the Warriors 22-9 in the third quarter and 38-17 in the second half.
M.J. Hall had three straight transition layups in the third quarter out of the 2-3 that keyed the comeback. Hall finished with 15 points, 11 in the second half. Rocco String had 13 points, nine in the second half, and threatened a triple-double (17 rebounds, six blocked shots). He’s averaging 15 rebounds a game and has had 22 blocks over his last three games.
“The first half we had mixed in man and then made some adjustments to just go 2-3 and I think that helped us defensively and offensively,” Roots said. “The 2-3 gave them a lot of problems and it benefitted us. We had a lot of ball movement, a lot of points in transition spotting up shooting, and we just played better basketball.
“A lot of people played well today.”
WARRIOR HOLIDAY CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WOODSTOWN (2-2) – Eli Caesar 3 1-1 7, Blake Bialecki 6 3-3 17, Alejandro Vazquez 2 2-2 8, M.J. Hall 5 4-5 15, Garrett Leyman 2 0-0 5, Rocco String 6 1-4 13, Braydon Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-15 65. NEW EGYPT (2-3) – Nolan Arnold 2 10-12 14, Clyde Ferris 5 3-6 15, Evan Goldburg 0 2-2 2, Cameron Cassandra 0 0-0 0, Caleb Kowaleski 0 0-0 0, Dylan Harper 0 0-0 0, Paul Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Ryan Reynolds 4 1-2 12, Tommy Merlucci 2 0-0 4, Lucas Burgos 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 16-22 48.
Woodstown
10
17
22
16-
65
New Egypt
13
18
9
8-
48
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez 2, Leyman, M. Hall); New Egypt 6 (Ferris 3, Reynolds 3). Rebounds: Woodstown 42 (String 17, Caesar 7). Fouled out: M. Hall, Merlucci. Total fouls: Woodstown 20, New Egypt 14.
ACIT CONSOLATION GAME GCIT 59, SALEM TECH 13: Ian Malgapo filled the box score as GCIT snapped a two-game losing streak to get back over .500 for the season. He had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Milan Suarez (11) and Patrick Monaghan (10) also scored in double figures for GCIT.
Salem Tech (0-6)
3
2
6
2-
13
GCIT (3-2)
30
13
10
6-
59
SATURDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Audubon Tournament Consolation: Deptford 47, Cedar Creek 21 Championship: Audubon 43, Penns Grove 39
ACIT Holiday Tournament Consolation: Atlantic Tech 55, Salem Tech 15 Championship: Camden Tech vs. GCIT
AUDUBON CHAMPIONSHIP AUDUBON 43, PENNS GROVE 39: The Green Wave jumped out quickly and held off Penns Grove to win their holiday tournament and remain undefeated. Peyton Marrone scored 15 points and the Green Wave went 12-of-21 from the free throw line. Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson led all scorers with 17 points.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Patterson, B. Robbins 2); Audubon 1 (Speyerer).
ACIT CONSOLATION GAME ATLANTIC TECH 55, SALEM TECH 15: ACIT closed out a dominating defensive performance by shutting out the Chargers in the fourth quarter. Shelby Drummond was Salem Tech’s leading scorer with eight points.
SALEM TECH (1-3) – Shelby Drummond 4 0-0 8, Shelby Liber 2 1-2 5, Lavae Scott 0 0-2 0, Payton Fitzpatrick 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 1-4 15. ATLANTIC TECH (3-3) – Brianna Casiano 2 0-0 4, Zion Stewart 3 1-2 7, Alani White 5 1-4 11, Trinitee McKellar 3 0-1 6, Jadyn Clinkscale 1 0-0 2, Imani Muhammad 4 0-0 8, Lydia Long 2 0-0 4, Joslyen Gomez 4 0-0 8, Kim Pierre 1 1-1 3, Hannah Schmidt 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-8 55.
Warrior Holiday Classic At New Egypt Woodstown 51, Pinelands 46 (OT) New Egypt 48, Steinert 46
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BUENA – There was so much to dissect from the game, Pennsville basketball coach Joe Mecholsky is going to need a day or two and a long session in the film room to get back to you on just what the heck happened.
The Eagles lost to Buena 72-70 in three overtimes Friday in a game that had as many moving parts as Mecholsky has ever been around. And he’s been in a triple overtime game before.
They were down 14 early in the fourth quarter and forced overtime. They were up five in each of the first two overtimes, but couldn’t close it out. They were down in the third overtime and got close before time ran out on them.
“I feel like we blew the game instead of we lost it,” Mecholsky said. “I think I stopped coaching offense at one point. We tried to take the air out of the ball and I think that really killed our offensive momentum, so I’ll go back and watch the game over again and see how I can get better.
“I’m not going to say my young players did or didn’t do anything. They’re a very young team and they did everything they were told today and I’ll just have to look at the film and see how I can get better in nailing down that win when we were up five in the second overtime.”
The Eagles were down 14 (38-24) with 6:30 left in regulation and put on a charge to force overtime. Mason O’Brien’s 3-point play with 34 seconds left tied it at 41. The Eagles had the final shot in regulation. Shiloh Jefferson’s initial shot hit off the rim and Jovanni Rios couldn’t get the tap to fall.
They had five-point leads in each of the first two overtimes, but never had the lead in the third.
They were up five with 2:35 left in the first overtime, but Buena’s Troy Gregory buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie it at 49. It was the first trey Troy had made all season.
They were up five twice in the second overtime, with 2:43 and 2:20 left, but Buena got back-to-back left corner 3s from Nate Nieves and Carlo Spreng to take the lead, 57-56. Nieves finished with 12 points and Spreng had 10. Teammate Josue Cuadrado led all scorers with 23 points.
A free throw by David Knight with seven seconds left tied it at 59. Knight went to the line for two shots and the lead, but only hit one and it stayed that way despite the teams having three combined chances to get the game-winner. Knight came in off the bench as a substitute shooter after Logan Hitt was fouled hard after stealing the inbounds pass and had to leave the floor.
The Eagles got a chance to win it at the end when the Chiefs stepped on the line trying to put the ball in play. The Chiefs got the ball back when Pennsville turned it over and this time Knight stole the inbounds pass to end the session.
“I’ve been in some crazy basketball environments,” Pennsville sophomore guard C.J. McDevitt said, “but triple overtime? I’ve never been in a triple OT game, I’ll tell you that.”
“It was pretty crazy,” Chiefs coach James Bell said. “I just kept telling my kids to keep their minds straight and focus on what we need to do, play solid defense and hit the open shots when we have them. It was a crazy second half and three overtimes.”
Buena looked like it was finally going to put it away, leading by seven with 52 seconds left in the third overtime, pulling away with a 3-pointer by Nieves and three free throws by Cuadrado, but Pennsville battled back again. O’Brien hit a 3 to make it 70-66 with 28 seconds left and Knight and Jefferson wrapped putbacks around a pair of Buena free throws to make it 72-70 with eight seconds to go.
On the last play of the game the Eagles got the ball to O’Brien, who pushed a shot towards the basket at the buzzer that hit off the far iron. The Eagles were looking for a foul as O’Brien hit the deck, but there was no call and the game was over.
“I told my boys the outcome is the result of a thousand little things that happened in that game and that’s just the way it goes; we’ll learn from it,” Mecholsky said. “I’m disappointed we lost the game, but my boys didn’t disappointment me.”
O’Brien apologized to his coach for his play in the first three quarters, but he was a gamer in the fourth quarter and overtimes. He scored all 19 of his points after the third quarter, hitting three 3s and a three-point play in the fourth quarter comeback and seven points in the overtimes.
“The first three quarters were awful,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was. I was trying to find my game and they kept talking to me so I had to do something about it. I came out and matched their energy in the fourth quarter and overtimes.”
Rios added 14 points on his 17th birthday for Pennsville and McDevitt had 11. Both are career highs.
3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Knight, O’Brien 4); Buena 9 (Cuadrado, Spreng 2, Nieves 3, Gregory, Alexander 2). Technical fouls: S. Rivera. Fouled out: S. Rivera, Alexander, Rios, McDevitt). Total fouls: Pennsville 22, Buena 25.
Pennsville’s Shiloh Jefferson (5) goes in for a potential game-winning layup at the end of regulation against Buena Friday. The bounced off the rim and the teams wound up playing three overtimes before Buena won 72-70.
DELSEA 53, PENNS GROVE 51: By Penns Grove coach Damian Ware’s best measure, his team had three chances to win the Marty Derer Showcase opener, but host Delsea kept coming up with clutch shots and eventually broke the Red Devils’ heart.
The Crusaders hit 3-pointers at the end of regulation and the first overtime to extend the game, then hit two free throws in the closing seconds of the second overtime to seal the victory. Jimmy Reardon hit the 3 at the end of regulation to force overtime, then Jelani Poles beat the buzzer with one at the end of the first extra period to keep it going and he hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to win it.
Poles finished with 12 points. Reardon had nine. Luke VanAuken had a huge game for Delsea with 19 points and 20 rebounds. Brandin Robbins and Roman Gipson had 15 points apiece for Penns Grove.
The Red Devils had a chance to take the lead in the second overtime, but missed two free throws. Moments later they fouled Poles and he hit his two free throws. The Red Devils rallied from eight down in regulation to take a three-point lead into the closing seconds before Reardon hit his 3.
“We had a chance, we had three chances to win it – regulation, overtime and the second overtime,” Ware said. “That’s part of our growing pains. We’re young and we’re inexperienced so this is going to be a growing lesson for us. We’re going to be fine but this is just a lesson we had to learn of how to finish games.
“We did everything we were supposed to do, we made the plays, but down the stretch we just didn’t make the defensive plays and that’s kind of what we pride ourselves on. We’ve got to be better on defense at the end of the game and regulation and challenge shots better.”
PENNS GROVE (1-2) – Brandin Robbins 5 4-4 15, Roman Gipson 6 0-0 15, Karon Ceaser 2 1-2 6, Antoine Robinson 3 0-2 7, Haneef Frisbee 2 0-0 4, Jameel Horace 0 2-2 2, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, William Roy 0 0-0 0, Geonni Conrad 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 7-10 51. DELSEA (2-2) – Luke VanAuken 8 3-8 19, Jimmy Reardon 4 0-0 9, Jelani Poles 4 2-2 12, Blake Bottino 2 2-2 6, Jeadyn Greene 1 0-0 2, Dahmir Hart 1 0-0 2, Exodus DeJesus 1 0-0 3, Ryan Casiano 0 0-0 0, Mike Cunningham 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-12 53.
WOODSTOWN 51, PINELANDS 46: Blake Bialecki hit a season-high five 3-pointers and scored 23 points as the Wolverines held off Pinelands in the Warrior Holiday Classic in overtime to give new coach Ramon Roots his first victory as a varsity head coach.
“It’s exciting for me to get the first win in the standings, but I’m just really happy for the kids,” Roots said. “I’ve been waiting to get the win and knew it was going to come sooner or later. We definitely had a lot of chances in the Penns Grove game. It was good to see them believing that they actually can win and what it takes to win.”
The Wolverines (1-2) outscored Pinelands 9-4 in the extra session to win it. Garrett Leyman hit two free throws to put them up three and then Rocco String closed it out with a layup. String scored eight points and dominated the paint with 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots.
Woodstown led by eight in the second half, but Pinelands got back in it through a series of backdoor buckets. The Wildcats went up by three with two minutes to play, but Bialecki hit a 3 to retie the game.
Pinelands had a chance to retake the lead with 12 seconds left but missed two free throws. Bialecki had a shot to win it in regulation but his mid-range jumper went in and out.
“We were able to get a little breathing room, but it was close to the very end,” Roots said. “We just kept fighting. As you’ve seen the team never gives up. They’re always fighting through it.”
Bialecki’s 23 points matches the second-best game of his career. In addition to his outside shot, the junior also also got to the basket and went 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
The Wolverines will play host New Egypt for the championship 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Woodstown (1-2)
15
7
12
8
9-
51
Pinelands (2-2)
17
6
6
13
4-
46
WESTHAMPTON TECH 50, SALEM 45: West Tech used a big third quarter to take the lead and kept the Rams at arms length in the fourth quarter. Alexander Jeanty hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Panthers. Xavier McGriff led Salem with 14 points. Tymear Lecator filled the boxscore with 11 points, six assists and two steals.
3-point goals: West Tech 6 (Jeanty 5, Dickerson); Salem 6 (Lecator 2, McGriff 3, Tunis).
CAMDEN TECH 60, SALEM TECH 14: Salvatore Algeri scored 13 points and Shareef Cox had 10 to lead the Warriors in the ACIT Holiday Showcase. Salem Tech will play GCIT in the consolation game Saturday.
Haddon Twp. Tournament Cherry Hill East 57, Woodstown 45 Haddon Twp. 46, Pennsauken 39
Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Bridgeton 54, Salem 24
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BUENA – The Pennsville girls basketball team didn’t want to go to Buena Friday morning any more than the man in the moon. Bad things happen when the Eagles go there. Last year, they got three players hurt in the game.
Their angst was almost to the point where they wanted to play the game in their own gym if they could. But when this one was over they were glad they made the trip and made it out alive.
It was all good. The Eagles ran out to a 23-0 lead in the first quarter and hit a season-high 11 3-pointers in the game to bury the curse and the Chiefs, 69-20.
“I was a little nervous because every time we come to Buena something bad happens,” junior guard Marley Wood said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries here, but I think we broke our curse today.”
In the team’s trip to the Battle at Buena last year, Wood broke her foot, Annika Macalino tore her knee and Taylor Bass broke her finger and the Eagles spent the next couple weeks bringing up JV players to have enough players to remain competitive.
But their misfortunes extended beyond the basketball court. Bass broke her collarbone in a soccer game here. And Wood has a vague recollection of something else happening to her as a freshman.
The Eagles didn’t get out of this one completely unscathed. Tatianna DePina banged her hand in the game, but at least everyone walked out under their own power this time.
“They warned me about that,” Eagles coach Steve Merritt said. “They didn’t want to come here. They were trying to talk me out of coming here. They were telling me to reschedule the game, make it a home game. Now, they’re saying we broke the curse.” If the y play like they did Friday, they may think about scheduling games here every week.
It was 23-0 before Buena got to the board with a 3-pointer by Athena Bradley with 21 seconds left in the quarter. The Eagles hit 8 of 15 shots in the run while denying the Chiefs on 16 straight possessions with seven steals among their 12 turnovers.
“We were looking the way I want them to look all the time,” Merritt said. “I asked them what’s the definition of a perfect quarter defensively and they said zero. I said, well, you’ve got two quarters, see if you can’t do that. When they scored I saw a couple of them slump down like we didn’t get it. But they stepped up.”
After the Chiefs scored their first points, Wood answered with 3 right before the buzzer. Wood hit six 3s in the game – two in each of the first three quarters when the regulars played – and finished with 22 points. Nora Ausland hit four 3s, scored 12 points in the Eagles’ opening salvo, and led all scorers with 24 points.
The six were the most she had hit in a game since nailing seven against Woodstown in January. She had only two this season before Friday.
“This was the first game my shot has actually been good, so hopefully it carries on into the rest of the season,” she said. “I was a little bit worried, but I think I’m going to keep shooting more and working and getting better.”
The Eagles hit only one 3 in their last game against Washington Twp. The 11 they hit Friday were the most in a game since hitting 11 against Overbrook in the second game of the year last season. They hit 10 in their season opener against Wildwood this year.
Three of their first five buckets Friday were from behind the arc. In addition to the 11, they had at least seven other baskets that from far away looked like a 3 but were either on or just inside the line.
“We shot the ball pretty well at Glassboro (eight 3s),” Merritt said. “You go out and shoot well, look what happens, you win. And we’ve been working on it. Yesterday we worked on it extensively, not necessarily the 3s, but just shooting the ball under pressure of a clock.
“That was really nice to see. So much better than Washington Twp. where they were hitting the rim and going God knows where. Today they were falling in.”
3-point goals: Pennsville 11 (Wood 6, N. Ausland 4, Johnston); Buena 2 (Bradley, Nicole). Rebounds: Pennsville 39 (Burns 8, N. Ausland 7, Wood 6). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Buena 9.
CHERRY HILL EAST 57, WOODSTOWN 45: Some days you play good and other days you learn good. The Wolverines are hoping to learn a lot from their first loss of the season.
After playing Cherry Hill East tough in the first quarter and grabbing the lead, they ran into a buzzsaw in the second quarter that changed the game. The Cougars nearly posted a shutout in the quarter, outscoring Woodstown 21-2 to open a 17-point halftime lead.
The Wolverines (4-1) made what coach Matt Smart called some “great” defensive adjustments at halftime and outscored the Cougars 28-23 in the second half, 22-14 in the third quarter.
“I was very proud of the way we battled until the very end,” Smart said. “Cherry Hill East was very well coached and very tough. They have a very talented group who can knock down shots. Unfortunately, they got the best of us today.
“It was a great test for us. Basketball is a long season and the girls are excited to work tomorrow to try and get better. After every game this year the girls haven’t been satisfied with our performance. We aren’t going to let this game define our season, but we are going to look at some things and figure out way we can improve.”
The Cougars held Woodstown’s two 1,200-point scorers, Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio, to 20 points combined. They held Donelson to nine, her first game in single digits since Jan. 24, 2023 (46 games).
Lauren Hengel was Woodstown’s leading scorer with a career-high 12 points. Kyia Leyman had eight points and eight rebounds.
3-point goals: Cherry Hill East 5 (Atlas, Le, Kratchman, Chhabria 2); Woodstown 4 (Donelson, Battavio 2, Hengel). Rebounds: Woodstown 45 (Leyman 8). Fouled out: Donelson, Maiorini. Total fouls: Cherry Hill East 13, Woodstown 18.
BRIDGETON 54, SALEM 24: The Rams played Bridgeton tough for a quarter in the Wildwood Convention Center and actually held the lead, but the Bulldogs came to life in the second quarter and pulled away. Carlysia Pierce led Salem with 12 points. Bridgeton’s Sharena Parker led all scorers with 14. BRIDGETON (4-1) – Amani Santiago 3 1-2 8, Ciani Money 1 2-6 4, Tyjhore Jamison 1 1-2 3, DeNia Dairsow 2 3-4 7, Ayianna Ridgeway 0 0-2 2, Anyse Maddrey 1 0-0 2Adelina Wilks 3 2-2 9, Sharena Parker 6 2-2 14, Kahmya Johnson 2 1-3 5, Alannie Ramos 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 12-23 54. SALEM (0-4) – Shyla Parsons 0 0-2 0, Zaniyah Frieson 1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 5, Carlysia Pierce 4 4-8 12, Dakirah Gray 1 0-0 2, Raniyah Parsons-Smith 0 0-2 0, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Amariah Frye 1 0-0 3, Jania Adams 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 4-12 24.
Bridgeton
11
14
20
9–
54
Salem
12
3
6
3–
24
3-point goals: Bridgeton 2 (Santiago, Wilks); Salem 2 (Hickman, Frye).
CAMDEN TECH 40, SALEM TECH 16: Camden Tech couldn’t have gotten off to a better start in the ACIT Holiday Tournament. The Warriors held Salem Tech scoreless in the first quarter and rolled into the championship game. Camden’s Ryan Jones scored 19 points. All four Salem Tech scorers had four points apiece.
Riverview Sports News 