Schalick boys, Salem girls fall in post-Christmas events; full schedule for county Friday, listed below
BOYS GAMES West Deptford Holiday Tournament Absegami 54, Lindenwold 49 West Deptford 61, Schalick 55 GIRLS GAME Wildwood Boardwalk Classic Millville 49, Salem 25
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WEST DEPTFORD — It’s tough being the team that plays the host in a holiday tournament. The home team is wanting to play in the championship to enhance the gate and it isn’t going to schedule the perceived next strongest team in the field in the opening round to increase the chances of that happening.
So you know what that leaves.
Schalick was no easy out for host West Deptford in its Holiday Tournament Thursday. It may have started out that way with the Cougars falling behind 19 in the second quarter and down 17 in the third, but they rallied to draw within one inside of 2:30 left before falling 66-51.
The Cougars (1-3) will play Lindenwold (2-2) in the consolation game at the RiverWinds Community Center Friday at noon. West Deptford (2-1) will play Absegami (3-0) for the championship at 4.
“(It was just) execution,” Schalick coach James Turner said. “The guys, when they execute correctly then they’ll be all right. It’s just the consistency of execution is what we need to work on.
“And they work hard. They put everything they’ve got out there in practice, they’re paying attention and we’ve just got to translate what we go over at practice into games and just make sure we execute for 32 minutes and not just eight minutes.”
The press had given Schalick fits all season and although the one Thursday shouldn’t have caused the Cougars the problems it did, they said, it got away from them too quickly. Turner cited a lack of preparation for it because of the holiday weekend had a little bit to do with it.
The Cougars turned it over in the press and trap 10 of their first 15 possessions and the Eagles raced to a 23-8 lead. It was 32-13 midway through the second quarter and 40-23 early in the third before Cougars began to rally.
They made a small adjustment to the press in the second half and executed better. They had only six turnovers in the second half.
Once they broke the press, they worked on their half-court offense. Jase Volovar hit two 3-pointers and had eight points in an 18-3 run that made it a one-possession game with 1:30 left in the third quarter. He scored all 11 of his points in the second half.
“We worked as a team and just played very hungry, jumping on the floor for the ball … to make them go crazy and get them to turn it over,” leading scorer Nylan Sutton said. “I told the team we’ve got to have the intensity, we’ve got to come out like dogs, we’ve really got to play your hardest the rest of the game.”
Sutton didn’t just talk the talk. He led the Cougars with 16 points and 17 rebounds. He had nine rebounds in the second half and two important baskets in the middle of the fourth quarter to keep them in it when it looked like the Eagles were going to pull away again.
“I knew I had to step up,” he said. “I just really wanted that win. There comes a point in time where you get tired of losing and that’s really my mindset coming into the game, like I’m going to give it my all.”
“Nylan loves basketball,” Turner said. “He was out for the first few weeks of practice where he wasn’t allowed to have contact with the ball (recovering from a football injury). Now that he’s back, he’s a big part of it.
“He brings the emotion to our team. He puts everything out there on the court when he plays, even in practice. The guys respond to him and try to keep up with his passion for the game.”
The Cougars just couldn’t get ahead. They got the margin down to one, 54-53, on Jamari Whitley’s 3-pointer with 2:21 to play. But West Deptford’s Michael Joseph answered it with a layup down low and the Cougars didn’t score again until Whitley beat the buzzer with a layup for the final margin. They missed three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in between.
Carter Watson led West Deptford with 17 points. Nick Senatore and Joseph had 13 points apiece.
WEST DEPTFORD 61, SCHALICK 55 SCHALICK (1-3) – Nylan Sutton 7 2-4 16, Jase Volovar 4 1-4 11, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 2, Sherrod Jones 3 0-0 6, Reggie Allen 3 2-2 10, Jamari Whitley 3 1-2 8, Shawn Kelly 0 0-0 0, Nick Ashwell 0 0-0 0, Kade Camon 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 6-12 55. WEST DEPTFORD (2-1) – Nick Senatore 4 4-5 13, Kyree Eason 2 1-2 6, T.J. Cross 2 3-4 8, Anthony Martello 0 0-0 0, Curtis Pearson 1 2-2 4, Braeden Warren 0 0-0 0, Carter Watson 6 4-5 17, Michael Joseph 5 3-5 13, Cole Stanish 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 17-23 61.
Schalick
11
12
18
14–
55
West Deptford
24
14
10
13–
61
3-point goals: Schalick 5 (Volovar 2, Allen 2, Whitley); West Deptford 4 (Senatore, Eason, Cross, Watson). Fouled out: Volovar, Senatore. Total fouls: Schalick 21, West Deptford 15.
GIRLS GAME MILLVILLE 49, SALEM 25: The Rams fell behind 17-2 in the first quarter at the Wildwood Convention Center and never recovered. Carlysia Pierce led Salem with 12 points. Millville’s Jaylynn Jones led all scorers with 14.
3-point goals: Salem 2 (Pierce 2); Millville 1 (Burkhart).
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE GIRLS GAMES Pennsville at Buena, 10 a.m.
Audubon Tournament Penns Grove vs. Deptford, 12:30 p.m. Cedar Creek vs. Audubon, 3:30 p.m.
ACIT Holiday Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, noon ACIT vs. GCIT, 3 p.m.
Haddon Twp. Tournament Woodstown vs. Cherry Hill East, 10:30 a.m. Pennsauken vs. Haddon Twp., 12:30 p.m.
Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Bridgeton, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS GAMES Penns Grove at Delsea, 9:30 a.m. Pennsville at Buena, noon Salem vs. Westampton Tech at Deslea, 5 p.m.
West Deptford Holiday Tournament At RiverWinds Community Center Consolation game: Schalick vs. Lindenwold, noon Championship game: Absegami vs. West Deptford, 4 p.m.
ACIT Holiday Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, 9:30 a.m. ACIT vs. GCIT, 1:30 p.m.
Warrior Holiday Classic At New Egypt Woodstown vs. Pinelands, 12:30 p.m. Steinert vs. New Egypt, 3:30 p.m.
Rebuilding Pennsville takes a step forward near end of third quarter, pulls away from Salem Tech in Monday matinee; Battavio now third on Woodstown girls’ all-time scoring list as Wolverines rally to beat Holy Spirit
MONDAY BASKETBALL BOYS GAME Pennsville 54, Salem Tech 35 GIRLS GAMES Washington Twp. 41, Pennsville 30 Boardwalk Classic, Wildwood Woodstown 46, Holy Spirit 37
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Having a team that suddenly finds itself trying to find its way instead of having the road mapped out for it, Pennsville basketball coach Joe Mecholsky takes small pockets of growth where he can find them.
The Eagles aren’t quite the team Mecholsky expected to have when school started, so they’re going to be a work in progress for a while. That means there are some ups and there are going to be some downs.
They played arguably their best three minutes of the young season late in the third quarter Monday and the stretch helped them put away Salem Tech 54-35 for their first win of the season.
“Apple trees don’t give you oranges,” Mecholsky said. “We are who we are. Success isn’t on the scoreboard. Success is how we approach each game, how we rebound, how we pass, how we pick each other when we’re down, how we communicate, how we handle adversity.
“We’ve got to build something now again. We’re back to rebuilding, so that’s fine, but it’s important that we learn the lessons this year and carry them back to next year. Rebuilding means to keep building up to something. As a coach I’ve left the gym the last three nights feeling that we got the most we could out of them. Couldn’t get any more juice out of the orange. We squeezed it every night.”
The Eagles were expected to have a veteran team coming back to challenge for a winning record and an elusive playoff win. But when the senior baseball players who made up a prime part of the lineup decided not to play to focus on their spring sport, it left the cagers with a roster of sophomores and juniors that’s learning as it goes.
They opened the season with a home loss to Wildwood and did some things better in a loss to Glassboro. They go on the road for the first time Dec. 27 at Buena.
“We’re really young,” said sophomore guard Mason O’Brien, their most experienced player with 29 varsity games under his belt. “It’s not about winning right now. It’s a lot about building up and if we win games, we win games. No one expects us to win games right now, but hopefully in the next two years they do expect us to win.”
The light bulb moment Monday came when they were already winning by 14. From there they slid into a 1-3-1, three-quarters court trap and put the game away. It created a number of steals, which they turned into transition layups and by the end of the quarter the lead had grown to 47-24.
The trap created six turnovers in seven possessions, off which the Eagles scored 11 points. The emotional spark may have been the charge Cole Johnston drew, but the run started with Logan Hitt’s steal and three-point play. O’Brien scored three buckets, two off steals, and Shiloh Jefferson finished it off with a steal and scooping layup right before the buzzer.
The Eagles scored 20 points off the Chargers’ turnovers.
“We just wanted to put pressure on them,” Mecholsky said. “On tape it didn’t look like they could handle the ball under pressure. We were trying to find the right mix. We went man first and we dropped back, then we found the three-quarter court gave them some confusion and it let me use the one thing we do have and that’s athleticism in bunches.
“We’re the same team players 1 to 8. You can interchange anybody out, it’s just the name on the back of jersey (that’s different). We’re all 6-foot guards. When our big guy, Perry Meranti, goes 6-1 ¾, it’s about getting to the spot. We’ve got to hit on all cylinders to win. If we don’t hit on a cylinder one night then we don’t give ourselves the best chance to win.”
O’Brien led all scorers with 20 points, 10 in the third quarter and 12 in the second half. Jovanni Rios helped get them off to a good start with eight of his nine points in the first quarter.
“We’re not a finished product on Dec. 23,” Mecholsky said. “We going to look to be peaking end of January, beginning of February, hope to stay in the playoff mix. Every game is going to be competitive where we’ve got to find ourselves. We’ve got to show up and play. We’re a bunch of sophomores and juniors finding our way.”
Salem Tech is a team finding its way, too. The Chargers (0-4) lost two of their top returning players to the transfer portal and Penns Grove. Daviontae Russell and J.R. Reed had eight points apiece Monday.
PENNSVILLE 54, SALEM TECH 35 SALEM TECH (0-4) – Daviontae Russell 4 0-0 8, Alex Thomas 2 0-0 4, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 5, Connor Dougan 0 0-0 0, Keidyn Robinson 0 0-0 0, Larry Pompper 2 0-0 4, Aiden Bobo 0 1-2 1, Raphael Busch 2 1-2 5, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, J.R. Reed 3 2-3 8. Totals 15 4-4-7 35. PENNSVILLE (1-2) – C.J. McDevitt 2-4 2-3 6, Jovanni Rios 4-11 1-2 9, Cole Johnston 1-5 0-2 2, Mason O’Brien 9-16 2-2 20, Shiloh Jefferson 4-12 1-2 9, Danny Knight 0-4 0-0 0, Perry Meranti 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Hitt 1-4 1-1 3, Noah Owen 1-2 1-1 3, Jacob Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Griffin Hern 0-0 0-2 0, Gavin Spears 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Farina 0-1 0-0 0, Brett Regner 0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 8-15 54.
Salem Tech
8
7
9
11-
35
Pennsville
15
11
21
7-
54
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Hayes). Rebounds: Salem Tech 31 (Russell 7); Pennsville 28 (Rios 7). Total fouls: Salem Tech 20, Pennsville 17.
Woodstown girls overcome adversity to remain unbeaten
WILDWOOD – Talia Battavio scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and helped Woodstown put together a strong second-half defensive effort that helped them turn back Holy Spirit 46-37 in a Boardwalk Classic showcase game in the Convention Center.
It’s the first time since 2021 the Wolverines (4-0) go into the Christmas break undefeated. They were 1-0 that season before the holiday. They were 2-0 before Christmas in 2015.
“It’s definitely a good feeling,” Wolverines coach Matt Smart said. “It was a tough Holy Spirit team today – they were physical, well coached, very skilled and talented – and it was nice to come out on top. It was nice to see the girls battle adversity for the first time all year really being down in the game.”
The Wolverines led by nine in the first quarter, but they didn’t value the ball in the second quarter and trailed by one at halftime. They were down by nine in the third quarter.
But they rallied to retake the lead by the end of the quarter and then outscored the Spartans 14-4 in the fourth to secure the victory. They held the Spartans to one field goal in the fourth.
“Our fourth quarter was very good defensively,” Smart said. “It starts with those two girls up top, Megan (Donelson) and Talia; they do a great job pressuring the ball, making the point guard make difficult passes. And then our wings tonight – Lauren Hengel, Emma Perry, Gianna Maiorini – they were awesome in communication. They knew where everybody was and closed out.
“And we had a force in the middle in that fourth quarter, Kyia Leyman. She stood tall. She stepped out of the paint to attack drivers, make them take difficult shots without fouling and then was a terrific rebounder.
“They battled back and never got too down on themselves. It was great to see them battle through adversity. We knew it was a tough matchup, we knew things weren’t going to go like they had the last three games for us, but we stayed positive, stayed as a team.”
Donelson added 13 points for Woodstown, 11 in the second half. Sabrina Little led Holy Spirit (2-2) with 16 points. Lauren Cella had 11, including 7-of-10 from the free throw line.
Battavio is now seventh on the Salem County girls’ all-time scoring list (1285 points) and third in Woodstown girls’ history. Donelson is now fifth on Woodstown’s all-time list.
“That’s awesome,” Smart said. “My favorite part about those stats is those girls don’t care about those stats at all. I mentioned to them about the scoring record and they both said they don’t care about the scoring record, they’d rather win every game and not score a point. It’s very special to watch both of them play.”
Woodstown, Pennsville compete in tournaments in Delaware over the weekend
By Riverview Sports News
NEWARK, Del. – Woodstown heavyweight Mateo Vinciguerra reached the quarterfinals of the main draw and then finished seventh in the Beast of the East Tournament that concluded Sunday.
Vinciguerra had an opening-round bye, then won by pin and a decision before losing in a technical fall (23-7) to Mark Effendian of team champion Faith Christian Academy in the quarterfinals.
He won by decision and was pinned in his first two consolation round matches, then pinned Dante Donaldson of The Hill School in 2:21 in the seventh-place match.
Travis Balback (126) and Greyson Hyland (175) both went 1-2 in the tournament.
Howdy Duncan Classic
NEW CASTLE, Del. – Gabe Supernavage was the highest placing Pennsville wrestler in the Howdy Duncan Classic when he finished sixth at 138 in the weekend tournament.
Supernavage went 3-3 in the tournament with two pins in the consolation rounds. He lost a medical forfeit in the fifth-place match.
Pennsville wrestlers won 15 matches in the tournament. Nathaniel Mason (132), Joseph Halstead (190) and Jacob Hand (285) also won three matches in the tournament. Brett Land (113), Travis Hagan (144) and Halstead all reached the quarterfinals of the championship bracket.
Here is the holiday sports schedule for Salem County teams through New Year’s Day
MONDAY, DEC. 23 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Washington Twp., 11:30 a.m. Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Woodstown vs. Holy Spirit, 7:30 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Salem Tech at Pennsville, noon TRACK Penns Grove at Ocean Breeze Complex WRESTLING Pennsville at Mainland
THURSDAY, DEC. 26 GIRLS BASKETBALL Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs Millville, 1 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL West Deptford Holiday Tournament at RiverWinds Community Center Lindenwold vs. Absegami, noon Schalick vs. West Deptford, 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 27 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Buena, 10 a.m.
Audubon Tournament Penns Grove vs. Deptford, 12:30 p.m. Cedar Creek vs. Audubon, 3:30 p.m.
ACIT Holiday Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, noon ACIT vs. GCIT, 3 p.m.
Haddon Twp. Tournament Woodstown vs. Cherry Hill East, 10:30 a.m. Pennsauken vs. Haddon Twp., 12:30 p.m.
Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Bridgeton, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Delsea, 9:30 a.m. Pennsville at Buena, noon Salem vs. Westampton Tech at Deslea, 5 p.m.
West Deptford Holiday Tournament At RiverWinds Community Center Consolation game, noon Championship game, 4 p.m.
ACIT Holiday Tournament Salem Tech vs. Camden Tech, 9:30 a.m. ACIT vs. GCIT, 1:30 p.m.
Warrior Holiday Classic At New Egypt Woodstown vs. Pinelands, 12:30 p.m. Steinert vs. New Egypt, 3:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Pennsville at Overbrook Tournament Penns Grove, Schalick at Clayton Tournament Salem at Freehold Twp. Tournament
ACIT Holiday Tournament Consolation game Championship game Haddon Twp. Tournament Consolation game Championship game
BOYS BASKETBALL ACIT Holiday Tournament Consolation game Championship game
Warrior Holiday Classic At New Egypt Consolation game, 12:30 p.m. Championship game, 3:30 p.m.
TRACK Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia WRESTLING Audubon, Long Branch, Northern Burlington at Woodstown Pennsville girls at Clayton Tournament Schalick at Clayton Tournament
MONDAY, DEC. 30 BOYS BASKETBALL Schalick at Gloucester City, 11:30 a.m.
Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Oakcrest, 2:45 p.m. Penns Grove vs. St. Augustine, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 31 BOYS BASKETBALL Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Salem vs. Millville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown girls turn 32 steals into 39 points, rout Highland Regional in SJIBT opener; Wolverines have eye-popping 87 steals in their three wins
SJIBT FIRST-ROUND Woodstown 77, Highland 38
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – When the Woodstown girls basketball team posted 43 steals in their season opener last week folks might have thought it was some anomaly or miscount. Even new coach Matt Smart had to do a double-take and then double-checked that. It’s gotta be some kind of record, right?
There was no mistake. That’s just how the Wolverines have been playing.
They’ve been picking opponents’ pockets all season, and even more impressively, usually without drawing a reaching foul.
They did have 43 steals in that opener against Salem and they had 32 more Saturday on their way to a 77-38 rout of Highland Regional in their South Jersey Invitational (SJIBT) opener. They now host the winner of the Jan. 11 Shawnee-Medford Tech game in the second round to be completed by Jan. 25.
Unofficially, the Wolverines (3-0) had 29 steals over 61 possessions for 39 points in the three quarters the regulars played against Highland. Megan Donelson was credited with 11 (she had 10 in the Salem game). Talia Battavio and Lauren Hengel each had five. Eight players had at least one.
The Women of Steal now have 87 in their first three games, nearly a third of the number they had in 28 games last season (265).
“It definitely is very impressive,” Smart said. “Those girls just have a knack for the ball. It’s just natural instinct for some of them.”
The Wolverines were good at it out of the 2-3 last year and now it’s translating to their man. Even when they called off the press they still got steals off the trap and front-court defense. They had 18 steals in the first half, then came out of the break and turned over the Tartans on 12 of their first 14 possessions with nine more steals, scoring 19 points.
“We don’t specifically practice it, it’s just the way we play our game,” said senior Gianna Miorini, who added four to the steal total. “We are a fast-motion, quick point team. Megan and Talia are there for the layups and we’re there to make those steals and send them up the court.”
“We wouldn’t be able to get the (number of) steals without everyone else on the team, the shifting and everything,” Battavio said. “I think we’re amazing at it and we attack it well.”
Battavio and Donelson led the offense with 26 and 19 points, respectively, with a lot of layups between them, but they’re in there mixing it up on the defensive end, too. There are plenty of frames on the highlight reel where one will tip the ball away and then get out on a 2-on-1 break with the other and no one can tell who’s going to finish off the play.
“They’re really good at attacking loose balls,” Smart said. “If they tip it, they have that mindset that ball’s mine. My favorite part of this is like one girl will make a steal and they’ll be running with her and she passes the ball off for a layup, giving up a shot for a better shot.”
Of course, the Wolverines know there are some risks associated with such an aggressive approach. If the officials want to call a less physical game they might be in trouble, but it hasn’t been an issue so far.
The Wolverines have picked it and gotten clean away.
Penns Grove turns back several Woodstown rallies, wins a thriller; Salem remains unbeaten, Pennsville, Schalick fall
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 63, Woodstown 55 Salem 67, Salem Tech 27 Glassboro 65, Pennsville 51 Overbrook 75, Schalick 41
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Without an experienced senior who plays appreciative minutes, several new players to incorporate into its style of play and an otherwise athletic but young roster, the Penns Grove basketball team is “learning on the fly” this early portion of the season.
Last year with a senior-laden team it took a while to find the right combination and coach Damian Ware’s lineups changed virtually every game. What the Red Devils learned Friday night was how to handle business down the stretch in a close game of a high-intensity rivalry.
Penns Grove withstood several charges from Woodstown, including a stretch in which the Wolverines took a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter down to two with a little more than two minutes to play, before finally putting them away 63-55 for its first win of the season.
“That’s just the maturation process of a team that’s learning how to play varsity basketball on the fly,” Ware said. “Only two of my guys have played varsity minutes so we’re learning on the fly.
“We grew up a little bit tonight. What I learned (about his team) tonight is we can make some clutch plays down the stretch.”
The Red Devils (1-1) built leads in every quarter with fast starts on the restarts, but each time the Wolverines (0-2) came back.
Penns Grove scored the first seven points of the game, but it was tied 13-all at quarter’s end and was only 26-25 at halftime. The Red Devils opened the second half with a 13-2 run, but by the end of the third quarter led only 45-44.
They had a 10-point lead after Robbins’ flying follow with 6:02 to play, but Woodstown chipped away again and got it back to 56-54 with two minutes left when Blake Bialecki hit two technical free throws after Ware was teed up for being out on the floor all because the officials couldn’t/didn’t hear his frantic pleas for a time out.
The tech got Woodstown with a bucket and it had a shot on the ensuing possession, but it also fired up the Red Devils. They outscored the Wolverines 7-1 the rest of the way.
“When our coach got the tech, that’s when everything started getting fired up,” Ceaser said. “We started getting our coach’s back because we’re a family, a brotherhood. It put more fire in the team to get the win. As a team we back each other’s play.”
“I’m not going to make that a habit,” Ware said of his T as a tool of motivation.
Brandin Robbins led Penns Grove with 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Roman Gipson had 12, including a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left that put the Red Devils up six. KaRon Ceaser had nine points and led the Red Devils’ defensive effort down the stretch.
In every case the Red Devils used the press, a smothering trap and quick hands to create turnovers that they turned into baskets.
“My defense was great,” Ware said. “I don’t know what the numbers were, but I know we didn’t give up many shots. We let (Rocco) String get some putbacks, but he’s 6-7, he’s a big, strong kid, so he’s going to get that. What I told my guys was we wanted to limit that as much as possible.”
String did everything he could to bring the Wolverines back when they fell behind. He finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots. He blocked back-to-back shots, grabbed a rebound off a missed Penns Grove free throw and had a putback basket all in the space of about 30 seconds late in the third quarter rally.
Braydon Hall had 16 points and hit four big 3-pointers during the Wolverines’ various rallies.
“We played hard, we just didn’t make enough plays in the end,” said Woodstown coach Ramon Roots, still looking for his first win as a head coach. “If we made just a few more plays we would have won the game today, but we played tough. We played very tough today.”
PENNS GROVE (1-1) – Brandin Robbins 6 0-0 15, Roman Gipson 4 3-4 12, KaRon Ceaser 4 1-2 9, Will Roy 1 0-0 2, Jameel Horace 3 2-6 9, Geonni Conrad 1 0-0 3, Antoine Robinson 1 0-2 2, Haneef Frisbee 5 1-2 11. Totals 25 7-14 63. WOODSTOWN (0-2) – Garrett Leyman 0 2-2 2, Eli Caesar 4 0-1 8, Rocco String 9 0-0 18, Blake Bialecki 3 2-2 9, Braydon Hall 6 0-0 16, M.J. Hall 0 0-0 0, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-12 55.
Penns Grove
13
13
19
18-
63
Woodstown
13
12
18
11-
55
3-point goals: Penns Grove 6 (Robbins 3, Gipson, Conrad, Horace); Woodstown 5 (Bialecki, B. Hall 4). Rebounds: Woodstown 55 (String 15). Technical fouls: Horace, B. Hall, PG coach Ware. Fouled out: Frisbee, B. Hall. Total fouls: Penns Grove 18, Woodstown 21.
SALEM 67, SALEM TECH 27: Tymere Lecator and Neziah Spence each scored 15 points and dished seven assists as the Rams won their third straight game. Deshaan Williams added 10 points and Antwuan Rogers grabbed 10 rebounds.
3-point goals: Salem Tech (Dougan); Salem 3 (Lecator, Spence 2). Rebounds: Salem 34 (Rogers 10). Total fouls: Salem Tech 10, Salem 12.
GLASSBORO 65, PENNSVILLE 51: Xavier Sabb scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter, highlighted by three spectacular dunks, to stake the Bulldogs to a lead they maintained the rest of the game. Glassboro’s Maurice Davis led all scorers with 20 points. After trailing by 10 at halftime, the Eagles cut their deficit to seven with four minutes to play. Giovanni Rios led Pennsville with 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
GLASSBORO (1-2) – Hakim Theresa 1 0-0 2, Xavier Sabb 8 2-4 18, Aiden Harris 4 3-4 11, Maurice Davis 10 0-2 20, Davon Barr 2 4-6 8, Alex Adeleye 2 0-0 4, Marley Crowl 1 2-2 4. Totals 28 11-18 65. PENNSVILLE (0-2) – Giovanni Rios 6 1-2 13, Perry Meranti 3 1-2 7, Cole Johnston 3 1-3 8, Logan Hitt 1 0-0 3, Mason O’Brien 2 2-3 7, Daniel Knight 2 0-0 5, Shiloh Jefferson 3 0-0 6. Totals 20 5-10 51.
OVERBROOK 75, SCHALICK 41: Lamar Little led three Overbrook scorers in double figures with 15 points as the Rams picked up their first win of the season. Zair Green added 14 and Xavier Wright 12. Sherrod Jones led Schalick with 14 points.
Woodstown power pair, Battavio and Donelson, have another big game; Pennsville, Schalick, Salem Tech score first wins of the year
FRIDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Woodstown 70, Penns Grove 38 Pennsville 52, Glassboro 44 Schalick 51, Overbrook 29 Salem Tech 36, Salem 22
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — When he watched them from a distance for scouting purposes last year Matt Smart thought then Woodstown’s dynamic duo of Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson were “phenomenal” players. Now that he sees them up close every day as their coach his appreciation for them is even greater.
Battavio and Donelson are never far apart on or off the basketball floor. On the court Friday night, Donelson scored 28 points with five 3-pointers and Battavio scored 26 with three as the Wolverines took down shorthanded Penns Grove 70-38.
Than, when they discovered one had left behind her water bottle as the team was leaving the gym, both tore out of the team bus and raced across the lawn to go back inside to retrieve it.
“We’ve had two tough tests this year so far and Megan and Talia have been great in both of them,” Smart said. “You see their court vision. They have a way of finding each other in situations that I might not even see. They are just so unselfish right now and they want each other to succeed. It’s not a race to see who can score how many points.
“I scouted them for one game that didn’t end up happening (last year), they were phenomenal. It was how do we stop them offensively and how do we attack them defensively. They are just as advertised, if not better.”
It was the 11th time in their career they both scored 20 in the same game and eighth in the last 30 games. Only 18 points separate them on the career scoring list – Battavio now has 1,240 points, Donelson 1,222.
With the two of them combining for 20 points, the Wolverines (2-0) opened a 24-5 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, although the Red Devils (1-1), playing with only six players, scored the first nine points of second quarter and played them even to halftime.
They weren’t the first points the Wolverines scored in the game. Those belonged to Gianna Maiorini, who hit their first two baskets before the other two got going.
“Today I was most proud of Gianna,” Smart said. “It was a slow kind of start and she comes up and hits two big shots for us. She’s been that way all year. She’s kind of the quiet leader who kind of knows where everybody is.”
Donelson, a Millersville signee, also had seven rebounds and six more steals. Battavio, a Goldey Beacom signee, had six rebounds and seven assists, several of the whip-around variety that usually found Donelson in the corner for a 3.
Donelson was 5-for-8 from behind the arc in the game.
“Working in the summer just really improved my shooting,” she said.
In perhaps the definition of their collaboration, there was a play early in the fourth quarter when Donelson made a steal that sent them off on a 2-on-1 break. She passed it to Battavio and just as they got to the foul line Battavio returned it past the unfortunate Penns Grove defender caught in the flow and Donelson soared in for an easy layup.
The play came right after Battavio hit a 3
“Me and Talia work really well together,” Donelson said. “We both know we play and we just work off that and it’s really good.”
3-point goals: Woodstown 11 (Battavio 3, Donelson 5, Perry, Thomas, Young); Penns Grove 4 (Numan, Wilson 3). Fouled out: Robbins, Washington. Total fouls: Woodstown 19, Penns Grove 23.
PENNSVILLE 52, GLASSBORO 44: Marley Wood helped the Eagles hold it together after two of their top players fouled out in the fourth quarter and Glassboro was rallying to help coach Steve Merritt get his first win with the program.
Wood scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had five assists. It was her third career double-double. She was particularly instrumental after Taylor Bass (11 points, seven rebounds) and Nora Ausland (12 points, six rebounds) fouled out in the fourth quarter while Glassboro cut a 15-point deficit to six.
Although she didn’t do much scoring in the quarter, she was the rudder that steered the ship. Freshman Addison Johnston also played a big role, scoring four points in the fourth, including her first career 3-pointer.
“One-and-one feels a lot better than 0-2,” Merritt said. “I was almost giddy with joy postgame. I was so proud of how they did what I have been drilling into them.”
Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett led all scorers with 18 points. She had 13 in the second half.
SCHALICK 51, OVERBROOK 29: Freshmen Naveah Robinson and Willow Davis knocked down seven of Schalick’s nine 3-pointers and the long-range bombing led the Cougars to their first win of the season.
Robinson hit four 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 18 points. Davis hit three in her first career start and had 14 points. The Cougars (1-2) have hit 12 3s in their first three games. They had 41 in 22 games last season.
The Cougars hit six from behind the arc in the first half while opening a 33-10 halftime lead. Robinson and Davis had five of them.
“The 3-ball is definitely something Nevaeh and Willow bring to this team,” Cougars coach John Whalen said. “It allows us to do much more on offense and really helps us spread the floor.
“I think both (Robinson and Davis) are starting to more comfortable, more confident, and will be a major part of this team’s success.”
SALEM TECH 36, SALEM 22: Shelby Liber hit two 3-pointers among her team-high nine points and the Chargers dominated the boards to win their season opener for the first time in program history. Demajae White had a game-high 12 rebounds. Rylee Doerr didn’t scored, but she grabbed 11 boards.
Kaylin Beardsley and Shelby Drummond both had full boxscores. Beardlsey had four points, five rebounds, six assists and seven steals. Drummond had three points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
The Chargers won only one game all last season. They had never beaten Salem before (0-4).
Pennsville’s Pace still wrestling in girls Beast of the East; Schalick takes down Penns Grove in a dual match
By Riverview Sports News
NEWARK, Del. – Haley Pace, one of three Pennsville wrestlers in the field, remained alive in the consolation bracket of the girls Beast of the East tournament at the University of Delaware.
Pace pinned Guadalupe Quiroz Zamores of Kennett in 43 seconds in her first match of the 110 consolation bracket Thursday. She was pinned in the Round of 16 of the main draw.
Bilge Balci (125) and Gina Haubrich (105) both went 1-2. Balci pinned Penelope Leonard of Kennett in 46 seconds in the Round of 32, then lost her next two matches. Haubrich was pinned in her Round of 16 match, pinned Emily Alvarez of Crofton in 4:15 in her first consolation bracket match, then lost by major decision.
The girls tournament wraps up Friday.
SCHALICK 57, PENNS GROVE 21: The Cougars won five of the nine contested weight divisions – three pins, a tech fall and a major decision – and picked up forfeits in five other classes to win the battle of the top two teams in last week’s Schalick holiday tournament.
SCHALICK 57, PENNS GROVE 21 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Avery Curriden, 0:27 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Devine Arce, 3:03 132: Ryan Miller (S) tech fall over Adam Gonzales, 15-0 (1:59) 138: AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailmTart (P) pinned Jacob Potts, 3:11 144: Michael Baisch (S) won by forfeit 150: Ayden Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Tre Brown (P) pinned Eric Sulik 175: Ricky Watt (S) maj. dec. Clinton Bobo, 18-8 190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Sumir Brown, 3:35 215: Isaiah Underwood (P) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 11-8 285: Wayne Scott (P) pinned Ezequiel Garcia-Cruz, 0:20
Salem CC men’s basketball team sets modern-era single-game record for points, wins before Christmas in rout of RCSJ-Cumberland; score four double-doubles
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Salem Community College had its annual Christmas party in the lobby of the Dupont Fieldhouse Wednesday. The Mighty Oaks basketball team had its own party in the gym Thursday night.
Call it a Festival of Heights.
The coaches were decked out in colorful Christmas sweaters. There was hip-hop holiday music playing over the sound system. And by the end of the night the players were flying around the gym like Santa’s reindeer.
What better way to go into the holiday break than with an historic 114-56 rout of winless RCSJ-Cumberland in their final game of the first semester.
“It makes the holidays really good,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “You’re not going anywhere with 99 concerns. You’re going in there building off what you just had.”
“It gives me a really positive attitude going into the holidays,” post Rodney Shelton said.
The game was historic on so many fronts. The Mighty Oaks (10-4) set a modern-era record for points in a game and became the first team since the school revived the program in 2019 to win 10 games before the break. They had six players score in double figures and an incredible four double-doubles, which Green said was “pretty cool.”
They had only six double-doubles all season prior to Thursday night and never more than two in any game. They had had only 11 in the previous 31 Green-coached games.
Their previous single-game high was 113 points against Atlantic Cape on Feb. 4, 2020. They had scored 110 under Green last season and 106 earlier this year (Lancaster Bible JV). The 10 wins are one more than Green won last year after being hired on Dec. 23. Ironically, RCSJ-Cumberland was his first game and first victory.
The 2021-22 team won nine games before its holiday break.
“That’s big time; that’s good,” Green said. “Take your hat off to the guys and our coaching staff. It shows we’re going in the right direction. It’s always great being the first. We want to be the first one with however many wins; is it 25? 30? We want to be the first with everything. That’s how you build programs. We’ve got 10, so we’re better than we were last year already.”
“I kind of knew (they’d do this well), if I’m being honest,” guard Josh Ramos said. “Coming into the season I felt with the group of guys we had, especially after last year with the low number we had, I had so much confidence that we would be one of the best teams in the region and (have) double-digit wins before the break.”
Ramos hit a career-high eight 3-pointers in the game, six in the second half, and led the Mighty Oaks in scoring with 28 points. The double-doubles in points and rebounds went to Shelton (17/13), A.J. Jones (17/10), Tyrese Fortune (14/10) and Xavier Brewington (13/14). Ramos also had five assists and Shelton had five blocked shots. It was the fourth time they went over 100 in Green’s tenure.
“Just everybody chipping in,” Green said. “That’s how we want the team to look. It showed tonight. We just played the right way and shared the ball. It was a good look for us.”
“It really shows how deep we are, how good we actually are,” Ramos said. “I feel like when we all play as a team, everyone’s playing hard, look at the box score, there are four double-doubles, everyone’s in double digits, that’s how we should play every night.”
“When we all share the ball it’s like we’re out there playing outside,” Shelton said. “That’s exactly what it felt like. It felt like an outside game playing with the bros.”
It wasn’t as if the Mighty Oaks were intentionally running it up. They called off the press with 12 minutes left. They only have nine players available, so it’s not like they could empty the bench with deep reserves. And the shot clock keeps them from holding onto the ball.
The Mighty Oaks hit eight 3-pointers in the second half as a team. Ramos, who said his range is all the way to “the parking lot,” was 6-for-9 from a variety of distances behind the arc in the half. He hit three in a row early in the half and had four in the 25-5 run it became. He goes into the break ranked third in JUCO Division III 3-pointers (43-107) while the team is third in 3s made per game (9.6) and attempts per game (29.0).
“My biggest thing is I know if I come out slow I just stay sane,” he said. “I keep myself composed just knowing that there’s a whole ‘nother half to shoot and help win the game. I don’t really dwell too much on the first half and I just come out in the second half.”
Jason Brice led the Dukes (0-14) with 24 points, three 3s and six rebounds. Schalick product Nasir Sutton had a JUCO career high eight points and five rebounds.
SALEM CC 114, RCSJ-CUMBERLAND 56 RCSJ-CUMBERLAND (0-14) – Kyelle Ruiz 0-2 0-0 0, Lemann Johnson 5-17 1-4 13, Ryan Due 3-16 4-9 11, Jason Brice 8-13 5-9 24, Rodrigo Gonzales 0-7 0-0 0, Mike Dougherty 0-4 0-0 0, Nasir Sutton 2-3 4-4 8, Aidan Hobson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-62 14-26 56. SALEM CC (10-4) – Dontarius Jones 4-5 1-2 11, Tyrese Fortune 4-11 6-6 14, Tivon Woolford 0-4 0-0 0, Xavier Brewington 5-11 2-2 13, Rodney Shelton 8-16 1-1 17, A.J. Jones 6-14 4-4 17, Josh Ramos 9-16 0-0 26, Shyheed Taylor 2-6 3-5 7, Stefan Phillips 4-7 0-0 9. Totals 42-90 17-20 114.
RCSJ-Cumberland
27
29-
56
Salem CC
51
63-
114
3-point goals: RCSJ-Cumb 6-22 (Johnson 2-7, Due 1-3, Brice 3-7, Gonzales 0-2, Dougherty 0-3); Salem 13-31 (D. Jones 2-2, Fortune 0-1, Woolford 0-2, Brewington 1-5, A. Jones 1-4, Ramos 8-15, Taylor 0-1, Phillips 1-1). Rebounds: RCSJ-Cumb 26 (Brice 6); Salem 67 (Fortune 10, Brewington 14, Shelton 13, A. Jones 10). Technical fouls: RCSJ coach Stalling. Fouled out: Woolford, Phillips. Total fouls: RCSJ-Cumb 17, Salem 22.
Salem CC head coach Mike Green (R) and his assistants sport colorful Christmas sweaters for Thursday’s final game before the holidays. Sophomore post Rodney Shelton wanted in on the fun, but it was coaches only.
Woodstown’s Roots returns to alma mater as opponent in his first game as a head coach, 3 other coaches also debut with their Salem County teams Wednesday
WEDNESDAY BASKETBALL BOYS GAMES Salem 71, Woodstown 48 Wildwood 54, Pennsville 34 Clayton 87, Schalick 67 GIRLS GAMES Woodstown 61, Salem 16 Wildwood 70, Pennsville 39 Clayton 65, Schalick 21
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Ramon Roots had all the emotions one would expect from the day of his first game as a head coach. He was excited. He was nervous. He was anxious all day.
But for the new Woodstown boys basketball coach there was more to Wednesday’s debut than just a first game as the guy in charge. It was on the road … against the team he used to help coach … in the gym where he used to play.
And he still teaches in the district, so he was embedded with the “enemy” all school day long.
Once the game started, however, it felt like any other game. And it hurt just as bad as any loss he’s ever had before after the Wolverines lost to Salem, 71-48.
“I was just anxious, I was anxious to get out here and start the program, start the journey,” Roots said. “You’re going to hear me say that a lot, we’re starting the journey.
“It was a little weird being on the other side, but I was ready for this moment. Going in I didn’t know what to really expect but I kind of knew how it would be. Things happen, but I was ready for it.”
Roots was one of four Salem County basketball coaches debuting with their teams Wednesday night. The other three were girls coaches Matt Smart (Woodstown), Steve Merritt (Pennsville) and Jerry Macon (Salem).
Merritt has been around the block a time or two, having won more than 500 games across multiple sports in 19 years at Salem and returning to the bench after a two-year break. Smart and Roots are head coaches for the first time. Macon has been a head coach before.
Before and after his game Roots was greeted by acquaintances who welcomed him back to the gym he experienced some of his fondest moments in sports. The Rams and their faithful were a lot less accommodating in the 32 minutes in between.
As the game moved into the final minute a section of fans on the far side of the floor began waving and chanting “Good-bye, Roots,” to which he responded by pointing in the direction of Salem’s 1,000-point scorer banner on which his name appears third from the bottom. A not-so-subtle reminder that no matter where he goes in the world he’ll always be connected to Salem.
“I knew what it would be like,” he said. “I know Salem’s a hostile environment. I know I got love here. I knew how the fans are going to be. It’s all love. I’m used to it already.
“I’ve been living in Salem all my life. I know the environment. I know what to expect. I’ve been on the other side of this. I was a coach for Salem three years and seen how they treat other coaches and other players. It wasn’t nothing I wasn’t used to. But I had a lot of love here tonight that was cheering for both sides.”
“We love him, he’s helped build this program to what it is so we appreciate him and want to see him to well just obviously not tonight,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said. “It’s a mindset. He knows I’m a competitor. Give him a little high-five, welcome, if we can help you with anything, but (once the game starts) there’s really not much to talk about, there’s no handshakes, no high-fives, until obviously the game is over.”
The two teams gave both sides a lot to cheer about early, playing even for a quarter with Woodstown hitting an acrobatic layup at the buzzer to tie it at 16. Rocco String cleared a rebound to M.J. Hall, who threw an over-the-head backwards pass that found Eli Caesar on the low right block for a wide open layup that beat the horn.
But then Tymear Lecator got in the game in the second quarter, which got the offense going, the Rams turned up the defense and they steadily pulled away. The Rams scored 10 of the first 12 points of the second quarter and never trailed again.
Lecator, held out of the first quarter for an unspecified issue, scored 12 points in the second quarter and then opened the second half with back-to-back 3s. The sophomore guard finished with 27 points – mostly in the second and third quarters – and seven assists.
Antwuan Rogers added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Darrelle Johnson grabbed 10 boards. Woodstown didn’t have a double-figure scorer. Rocco String had 17 rebounds.
“They played us well for a quarter without our best kid, but obviously (Lecator) is a game-changer,” Farmer said. “When you insert him, you’re inserting a game-changer.”
“We definitely started strong, but I think we just turned over the ball a little bit too much and they had momentum plays that really hurt,” Roots said. “I liked our energy coming out. We’ve just got to maintain it.”
It was a physical game, as Roots expected, with 51 total fouls and 49 combined free throws. When Roots protested a call a little too vehemently he got hit with the first technical foul of his coaching career — 13 and a half minutes into his tenure — proving right there he may be a son of Salem but he was going to fight for his new charges.
“Everyone goes to bat for me, I’ll go to bat for them,” he said. “I’ve got their back when they’ve got mine.”
WILDWOOD GIRLS 70, PENNSVILLE 39: It may have been two years ago that Steve Merritt last coached a high school girls basketball game, but he remembers the experience being “every bit as frenetic as I remember it” as he directed his new Pennsville team through its regular-season opener.
The Eagles trailed the defending South Jersey Group I champions 10-8 with two minutes left in the first quarter, but the Warriors scored the last nine points of the quarter coming out of a timeout and steadily pulled away. Wildwood led 36-19 at halftime and 55-24 after three quarters.
“We just didn’t play sharp defense,” Merritt said. “We let Macie (McCracken) go to the baseline too often. We didn’t stay with our player; we switched when I wanted them to get through the screens. It’s not what I had hoped.”
McCracken finished with 36 points (to surpass 1,800 for her career) and 14 rebounds. She hit five 3-pointers. Taylor Bass led Pennsville with 16 points. Nora Ausland had 13.
Before their first scrimmage together, Merritt was so amped for the exercise he had restless night of sleep, took his dog for a walk at 6 a.m. and wound up coming to the gym some two hours before the scheduled tip.
It wasn’t nearly as disquieting awaiting the first real game, but he agreed his emotions he was experiencing were probably on a par with those of the county coaches going into their first games a head coach because he’d been away from it a few year.
“The anticipation for the game seemed to drag on forever … but as soon as it’s over I’m thinking ‘Holy cow, that was fast,’” he said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow when I go on line and look at all the results and start doing my stat track and everything else. I get excited about that. Chews up the whole morning. The poor dog may not get out.”
WOODSTOWN GIRLS 61, SALEM 16: The Matt Smart Era of Woodstown girls basketball couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. The Wolverines jumped out to a 19-2 first-quarter lead, held the Rams scoreless in the third quarter, put 10 players in the scoring column and enjoyed their biggest opening day win since 2021.
“It was a fun experience, it was a great learning experience as well – for me and the girls,” Smart said. “I get to learn how the girls react to my coaching style, they get to see me in a real game scenario. It was a lot of fun. The girls responded great.”
Both teams were playing under new coaches as Salem’s Jerry Macon was coaching his first game with the Rams.
Smart admitted he was a “little nervous” waiting for the game to start, but once it got underway it was just like any other game.
And it was just like any other Woodstown game.
South Jersey girls basketball observers have gotten used to this phrase: Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson once again led the way. Battavio scored 20 points. Donelson had 13 points and 10 steals.
The Wolverines produced 43 steals in the game; six players had at least four each. They also had 21 assists among their 27 baskets.
“It was a great defensive effort for us,” Smart said. “I was most proud of how unselfish the whole team was. We were playing great defense, making unselfish passes for layups. I think the box score shows that we had 10 contributors scoring, which is awesome.
“We have to play to the Woodstown level and every day we’re just trying to get better. There’s always room to improve and that’s what we’re going to try to do every day.”
Salem coach Anthony Farmer (R) embraces new Woodstown coach Ramon Roots in the post-game handshake line Wednesday. Roots was Farmer’s assistant for three years before getting his first chance to be a head coach this season.
BOYS BOX SCORES SALEM 71, WOODSTOWN 48 WOODSTOWN (0-1) – Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, John McGinley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 2 3-3 8, Alejandro Vazquez 2 4-5 9, M.J. Hall 2 2-3 7, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 4, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 3-4 5, Rocco String 1 2-5 4, B Mall 2 1-2 7. Totals 13 16-24 48. SALEM (2-0) – Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 1 1-3 3, Neziah Spence 3 0-0 8, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0, Deshawn Williams 2 0-1 4, Tymear Lecator 7 10-13 27, Darrell Johnson 3 0-0 6, Antwan Rogers 4 4-5 12, Harlem Parsons 1 0-0 3, Joe Tunis 3 2-3 9, Giovanni Talave 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 17-25 71.
Woodstown
16
10
14
8-
48
Salem
16
24
14
17-
71
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki, Vazquez, Hall, Leyman, Mall 2); Salem 6 (Spence, Lecator 3, H. Parsons, Tunis). Technical fouls: Woodstown coach Roots. Fouled out: Bialecki, Hall. Total fouls: Woodstown 28, Salem 22.
WILDWOOD 54, PENNSVILLE 34: Brian Cunniff led three Wildwood scorers in double figures with 17 points. Trevor Troiano had 12 and Nolan Mawhinney 11. Mason O’Brien led Pennsville with 13 points.
WILDWOOD (1-0) – Eric Jordan 3, Nolan Mawhinney 11, Trevor Troiano 12, Brian Cunniff 17, Jordan Dozier 4, Gianna Groiano 2. PENNSVILLE (0-1) – Mason O’Brien 3 6-10 13, Charles McDevitt 1 3-5 5, Giovanni Rios 2 4-7 8, Perry Meranti 0 1-4 1, Cole Johnston 1 0-0 3, Logan Hill 1 0-0 2, Daniel Knight 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 14-26 34.
CLAYTON 87, SCHALICK 67: Princeton Sackor scored 21 points, Nazir Davis had 20 and two others scored 11 apiece as the Clippers opened their season with a victory.
Clayton
18
22
24
23-
87
Schalick
10
13
25
19-
67
New Pennsville girls coach Steve Merritt (R) watches his team go through pre-game warmups before sending it out to play Wildwood in their first regular-season game together.
CLAYTON 65, SCHALICK 21: Rainelle Blocker dominated the game with 33 points and 26 rebounds. Teammate Ava Delaney had 16 points and 13 of the Clippers’ 24 steals.
Riverview Sports News 