Salem sophomore Lecator sports new number, leads Rams to win in Red Devil Classic; host Penns Grove falls to Paulsboro
RED DEVIL CLASSIC
BOYS GAMES
Lindenwold 57, Glassboro 51
Salem 66, Woodbury 45
Paulsboro 50, Penns Grove 45
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – There was something distinctly different about Tymear Lecator when the Salem High sophomore went out for pre-game warmups before Saturday’s season opener in the Red Devil Classic.
The most obvious was he had a different number, gladly surrendering the No. 11 he wore when he burst on the scene last year for his long-time favorite No. 3. In more subtle terms, he has a new role now that the Rams aren’t as experienced as they were a year ago.
But what hasn’t changed in his aggressive drive to succeed. He got off to a solid start, scoring 16 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing 10 assists as the Rams ran past Woodbury 66-45 on Penns Grove’s new multi-colored floor in Rudy Baric Gym.
“Last year (when he transferred from Winslow) I wanted 3, but a senior had it (Jabez Dejesus) so I just had to wait my turn,” Lecator said. “I wore 3 my whole life, coming up playing football, basketball, everything. It’s just been a childhood number. I just stuck with it my whole life.”
Expect to see that number a lot this season. Last year surrounded by senior scorers he was pretty much a straight point guard who could light it up in his own right. He had seven games of at least 15 points and at least two games with six or more assists.
But this year he knows that role will change as he’s penciled in to fill the shoes of graduated 1,000-point scorer Anthony Farmer, the son of the head coach and now at Rutgers-Newark.
“Now I have to be a leader,” he said. “I don’t have seniors to depend on, so now I have to lead, step it up as a young kid, so my approach definitely has changed.”
“We don’t have the two seniors he had last year, Anthony and Jabez, so a lot of leadership responsibility is on him,” head coach Anthony Farmer said. “It’s growing pains with him right now. He’s trying to learn. We’re on him hard to hold him accountable because he’s a real special player.”
The Rams got a lot of strong efforts in their season opener. Antwaun Rogers had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Desean Williams had nine points and 10 boards, and Donnie Williams had six points, five rebounds and two assists.
“I was really happy with the effort and the energy that was displayed,” Farmer said. “We shared the ball (and) stuck to the gameplan with discipline. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of where we are right now.”
Lecator’s old number didn’t fall far from the family tree. Lecator’s cousin Darrelle Johnson, a transfer from Millville, now has the 11 and he had his own moment in the game.
Johnson threw down his first varsity dunk in the final minute against the Herd. He had two chances at it. The first came with about 30 seconds left. He stole the ball near midcourt and raced in alone on the goal ready to bring the crowd to its feet with a monster jam. But he went for it too soon and the ball loudly banged off the goal.
He got a second chance a few seconds later in a veritable instant replay, midcourt steal and all. Only this time he didn’t miss. The dunk gave him 11 points for the game.
“The first one I flicked my wrist too early,” Johnson said. “I was disappointed, but I looked at the scoreboard and saw I had 30 more seconds.”
“I knew he was going to make it up,” Lecator said. “I just was waiting for it.”
Farmer was happy to see it.
“He’s an explosive athlete,” the Rams coach said. “He came here to showcase what we can do. I’m happy for Derrell. Hope this is a boost of confidence.”
SALEM 66, WOODBURY 45
SALEM (1-0) – Tymear Lecator 4 7-8 16, Darrelle Johnson 5 0-0 11, Deshawn Williams 4 1-6 9, Antwaun Rogers 5 0-0 10, Neziah Spence 1 2-2 5, Kyaire Person 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 3 0-0 6, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 4, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parson 1 0-0 3, Others 0 2-4 2. Totals 25 12-20 66.
WOODBURY (0-1) – Dev Williams 4 2-5 10, Jajuan Soloman 6 0-2 12, Kev Williams 0 0-0 0, C.J. Hood 0 0-0 0, Jaden Farmer 2 2-2 6, R.J. Heigler 4 2-6 10, Omar Johnson 0 0-0 0, Thomas Lewis 1 0-0 2, Curt Stokes 2 0-0 5. Totals 19 6-15 45.
| Woodbury | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12- | 45 |
| Salem | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15- | 66 |
3-point goals: Woodbury 1 (Stokes); Salem 4 (Spence, Lecator, Johnson, Parson). Technical fouls: Rogers. Total fouls: Woodbury 15, Salem 14.
Paulsboro 50, Penns Grove 45
If you’re going to watch Penns Grove play this season you’re going to need a couple things, like a seat belt or a neck brace.
One thing was evident in Saturday’s season opener: The Red Devils are going to play at break-neck speed and those who can’t keep up will find themselves behind in a heartbeat.
Sometimes they played a little too fast for their own good Saturday, but it’s the style that suits them. Early in the game it served them well, but in the second quarter they lost control of the throttle and the game started to get away from them.
“That’s part of the game,” Penns Grove coach Damien Ware said. “We go 100 percent and our last (minutes) we’ve got to slow it down to 75. If we learn how to do that and get under control …
“One of the things on the board for our keys to victory is attack under control. We got out of control today and were moving a little bit too fast. That’s just a result of guys having that first time being in this situation. We’ll get better as the year goes on.”
The fast pace served the Red Devils well early and they jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first quarter, but their turnovers and missed shots mounted in the second and third quarters. They trailed by nine at halftime and 11 after three quarters, but kicked it back into gear in the fourth quarter to give themselves a chance.
Jameel Horace scored six points in a minute to get the Red Devils within one with 2:30 to play, but they got going a little fast for their own good again and couldn’t get the lead. It was a four-point game with 1:22 left when Karon Ceaser made steals on back-to-back possessions to give them a chance but the Red Devils couldn’t convert either and Paulsboro closed it out with a couple free throws.
“We have a solid team; I think we can be a pretty good team this year,” Ware said. “Now, we’re young. We’re very inexperienced. We have guys who really haven’t played at the varsity level and meaningful minutes like that so this was a good game to get a little barometer and feel what it feels like at that level
“If we just make our layups and free throws we win that game by 15 points. I’m not sure what the numbers looks like but I know we missed at least 10 to 15 free throws (and) we missed at least 10 layups.”
Horace finished with 10 points. He had eight points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter. Antwon Robinson and B.J. Robbins also had 10 points apiece. Ceaser had five points and eight steals.
Malakhai McKenzie led Paulsboro with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Eric Scott didn’t score, but he grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
PAULSBORO 50, PENNS GROVE 45
PAULSBORO (1-0) – Eric Scott 0 0-2 0, Ty Hodges 4 2-4 11, Malakhai McKenzie 5 4-8 16, Dayvon Kgrsey 3 1-4 7, Stephen Lane 3 0-0 7, Jamal Robinson 1 0-0 2, Aaron Scott 1 0-0 2, Jeremiah Carr 1 3-4 5, Ameel Harrington 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-22 50.
PENNS GROVE (0-1) – B.J. Robbins 4 1-2 10, Roman Gipson 1 1-2 3, Karon Ceaser 2 1-4 5, Antwon Robinson 4 1-2 10, Haneef Frisbee 0 1-4 1, Zane Thomas 2 1-2 5, Gianni Conrad 0 0-0 0, Jameel Horace 5 0-0 10, William Roy 0 1-4 1, Luis Colon 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-20 45.
| Paulsboro | 3 | 22 | 15 | 10- | 50 |
| Penns Grove | 11 | 5 | 14 | 16- | 45 |
3-point goals: Paulsboro 4 (Hodges, McKenzie 2, Lane); Penns Grove 2 (Robbins, Robinson). Fouled out: Scott, Hodges, Frisbee. Total fouls: Paulsboro 20, Penns Grove 22.
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