The Cougars boys start fast, beat Cape May Tech, girls fall in close one as last-second shot falls short
TUESDAY BASKETBALL BOYS GAME Schalick 49, Cape May Tech 33 GIRLS GAME Cape May Tech 43, Schalick 41
By Riverview Sports News
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The result might not have been what the Schalick girls basketball team wanted from its season opener, but coach John Whalen saw a lot of potential for the year ahead.
The Cougars battled Cape May Tech to the bitter end Tuesday before falling 43-41.
And bitter it was. They got a 3-point shot from near midcourt that was tightly contested and fell short at the horn.
“The outcome was not how we wanted it, but it showed the potential for this team,” Whalen said. “We did everything that we’ve worked on. We played tough.”
There is room for improvement. The Cougars, who were up by seven at one point in the game, were 1-of-10 from the free throw line and missed an agonizing number of layups.
Ava Scurry led Schalick with a career-high 17 points and was engaged in a scoring duel with Cape May Tech’s Anna Delaney in the second half. Delaney had 19 of her game-high 25 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers. Scurry had 11 in the half.
“Ava played a great game, the best of her career by far,” Whalen said. “She was great on both sides of the floor. The other girl got hot and hit some big 3s to get them back in it.”
Freshman Neveah Robinson had 10 for the Cougars in her varsity debut. She had the final shot of the game.
“When she came out for tryouts it was evident right away she’s going to be really good for this program and she can take us in the right direction,” Whalen said.
Cape May Tech led by four going to the final minute. The Cougars missed a pair of free throws that would have cut the deficit to two – they were 1-of-10 from the line in the game – but got a steal and layup on the next possession to make it 43-41.
They had to foul in hopes of getting the ball back and Tech obliged by missing both free throws with three seconds left. The Cougars got it to Robinson who was able to take a couple dribbles before putting up a contested shot from midcourt.
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Robinson 2); Cape May Tech 7 (Delaney 6, Brophy). Fouled out: Willoughby, Vanacker, Drumm. Total fouls: Schalick 22, Cape May Tech 16.
BOYS GAME SCHALICK 49, CAPE MAY TECH 33: The Cougars jumped out to a 27-10 halftime lead and won their season opener for the second year in a row. Before then, they hadn’t won an opener since 2015.
Salem CC women and Mercer deadlocked early in the fourth quarter, then the visiting Vikings pulled away
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Maggie St. Clair has a simple wish for her Salem CC women’s basketball team for the holiday and into the new year. All the Mighty Oaks want for Christmas is to play 40 minutes.
They had designs on going into their holiday break .500 for the season. They were playing Mercer County CC even into the fourth quarter, then things suddenly got tough.
The Vikings went on an 18-2 run over a four and a half minute stretch to pull away from a tie game and send Salem to a 65-53 setback in the Mighty Oaks’ final game of the first semester.
“Just play through four quarters,” St. Clair, a sophomore from Eastampton, said responding to the holiday wish question. “We just lose focus in stretches. I thought we played good for three quarters. We were hanging with them, everything was good … I just think our mindset kind of just went down after we got down a couple points.”
Two free throws by St. Clair with 9:04 to play tied the game at 42, but things unraveled in a hurry. Over the next 31 seconds the Mighty Oaks missed a shot and lost the rebound out of bounds and then made two turnovers. The Vikings (9-3) scored six straight points in the exchange and were on their way to taking control.
Akira Chambers made a power move to stop the slide, but then Mercer went on a 12-2 run to make it 60-46 with 4:44 to play.
The Mighty Oaks (4-6) outscored their visitors 7-5 the rest of the game, but by then the damage was done.
It was a tough quarter. After getting the game tied, the Mighty Oaks were 3-of-10 from the field and were charged with nine turnovers. They scored on seven of their last 20 possessions, but didn’t have a field goal after St. Clair’s putback with 2:50 play made it 60-50.
“We’re getting to the point where our program is now playing with these teams and the girls are doing a great job,” Marsh said. “I’m not coaching energy right now, but our execution isn’t there. Too many turnovers that one four-minute stretch.
“It’s the little things. I always say focus for 40 minutes. It’s been 32, now it’s maybe 36, but we’re still missing it.”
Salem CC guard Kathryn Laurence brings the ball up the floor against Mercer County CC Tuesday. (Photo by John Holt)
St. Clair led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Chambers had 10 points and Kathryn Laurence had nine on all three of their 3-pointers. Dani Gustin was their leading rebounder with nine. Caroline Zullo had a full boxscore with seven points, six rebounds and four steals.
Mercer’s Gabriella Ross led all scorers with 21 points. She had 16 in the second half after going 1-for-11 from the field in the first half. Alexandra Garcia Galen had 18, eight in the fourth-quarter eruption that gave the Vikings control of the game.
The Vikings led 30-27 at halftime after going 12 of 14 from the free throw line. They hit their first 11 in a row. The Mighty Oaks had only one free throw in the first half (they missed it).
Despite sitting at 4-6 at the break after starting the season 3-0, the Mighty Oaks still have a lot to play for when they return Jan. 7 against Camden County College. They’ll need to go 9-6 in their remaining games to make the Region XIX tournament.
“Every goal we have is still in front of us, but they have to decide,” Marsh said. “I keep saying what kind of team do you want to be? Do you want to be the ‘but’ team or the ‘what if’ team?
“We’re finally getting to where we’re playing with these teams. Now we’ve got to get to the point where we can beat those teams and we’re just not there yet.”
ACORNS: Marsh is giving his players off until Jan. 3 so they can be home for the holidays … Freshman guard Geovanna Tjaden is scheduled to see an orthopedist Friday to get a better evaluation on the ankle she sprained Saturday against Lackawanna … Mercer is back on the floor this season after a three-year hiatus.
MERCER COUNTY CC (9-3) – Zaakirah Edwards 2-3 0-0 4, Gabriella Ross 7-24 8-10 21, Jayla Jones 1-6 2-2 4, Lia Sakhniashvili 2-11 0-2 4, Alexandra Garcia Galen 6-11 4-4 18, Valerie Rivas 0-1 0-0 0, Jada Queen 3-8 1-2 7, Carla Cencerrero Gallego 2-5 3-4 7. Totals 23-69 16-24 65. SALEM CC (4-6) – Nyaijah Jackson 2-6 1-2 5, Caroline Zullo 3-8 1-2 7, Maggie St. Clair 6-18 2-2 14, Kathryn Laurence 3-9 0-0 9, Jakayla Jenkins 1-5 2-2 4, RayNescia King 0-1 0-0 0, Dani Gustin 1-1 0-3 2, Akira Chambers 4-6 2-3 10, Alexa Hopkins 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-56 8-14 53.
Mercer
18
12
12
23-
65
Salem
13
14
13
13-
53
3-point goals: Mercer 3-15 (Ross 1-6, Sekhniashvili 0-4, Garcia Galen 2-3, Cencerrero Gallego 0-2); Salem 3-14 (Jackson 0-1, Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 0-6, Laurence 3-6). Rebounds: Mercer 38 (Sekhniashvili 8, Queen 8); Salem 36 (Gustin 9, Jackson 7, Zullo 6). Technical fouls: Chambers. Fouled out: Garcia Gallen, Queen, Jenkins. Total fouls: Mercer 14, Salem 19.
Cover photo: Salem CC sophomore Maggie St. Clair (3) pulls up for a jumper against Mercer County CC Tuesday night. (Photo by John Holt)
After a slow start, young Chargers, Hayes come to life in third quarter to get close, then Buena pulls away
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – When you’re a young team learning the ways of varsity basketball, there are going to be good times and bad times. Consistency is the key.
Salem Tech, with only one senior with varsity experience, struggled out of the gate Monday night against Buena. The Chargers came to life in the third quarter to get back in the game, but then fell back on hard times in the fourth and the Chiefs pulled away to hand them a 45-24 defeat.
“The turnovers, the fundamentals, boxing out, the little things, stuff that you think they learn in like fourth, fifth grade is not translating into high school,” Salem Tech coach Bryan Riley said. “I think these young guys got used to that youth league and think they can get away with it in high school and it’s never going to work.”
The Chargers (0-2) scored only six points in the first half and trailed by 11 early in the third quarter. But they switched to a man defense and Joseph Hayes got hot and they climbed back into it.
Hayes, the team’s lone senior, scored 11 of his team-high 14 points in the third quarter. Ayden Myers’ layup with 5:41 left in the quarter got them within four and forced the Chiefs to call time. Hayes’ third 3-pointer of the quarter got them within five with 25 second left.
“They were finding the open man,” Riley said. “They played a 3-2 zone and the play that we ran worked when we ran it.”
The Chiefs (1-1) got back on track in the fourth. They forced the Chargers into more turnovers and regained control of the boards and pulled away. Hayes’ fourth 3 of the half was Tech’s only points of the quarter.
Josue Cuadrado and Jaevon Alexander scored 14 points apiece for Buena.
BUENA 45, SALEM TECH 24 BUENA (1-1) – Josue Cuadrado 7 0-0 14, Carlo Spreng 1 0-0 2, Nate Nieves 1 0-0 3, Troy Gregory 2 1-2 5, Jaevon Alexander 6 0-0 14, Jayden Rivera 1 0-0 2, Shamel Rivera 2 1-4 5, Ricky Bessix 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 2-6 45. SALEM TECH (0-2) – Connor Dougan 0 0-0 0, Ayden Myers 1 0-0 2, Joseph Hayes 4 2-4 14, Aiden Bobo 1 0-2 2, Larry Pompper 0 0-0 0, Alex Thomas 2 0-0 4, Raphael Busch 0 0-0 0, Logan Pace 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 2-5 24.
Buena
9
6
12
18-
45
Salem Tech
4
2
15
3-
24
3-point goals: 3 Buena (Nieves, Alexander 2); Salem Tech 4 (Hayes 4). Total fouls: Buena 10, Salem Tech 6. Officials: Kutza, Saintlus.
Salem Tech’s Raphael Busch (20) and Buena’s Troy Gregory bang under the basket during Monday night’s game.
WOODSTOWN – Rocco String truly is a man for all seasons. If there’s a game to be played any time during the school year, he’s usually right in the middle of it. He plays football, basketball and baseball for Woodstown and is a force in each.
STRING
At 6-foot-6, he’s hard to miss. On the football field he’s a big target as a tight end on offense and a giant terror as a rush end on defense. On the basketball court, of course, he’s the center. And on the baseball diamond, which is his first love, he pitches and plays first base.
The key to being ready in all three is concentrating on diet and doing the things necessary to have his body ready for each very specific grind.
String spent some time with Riverview Sports News before a recent basketball practice where he talked about the demands of being a year-round athlete, how big a grocery sack it takes to fill his gas tank, adjusting to two new head coaches his senior year and his aspirations for the future. The Wolverines open their regular season Wednesday at Salem, where new coach Ramon Roots used to be an assistant.
Here is the full length interview with the Wolverines’ “friendly giant” below.
RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: You really are a man of all seasons. How do you keep up with it all, going from one season right into the other?
ROCCO STRING: It’s more about eating. Drink a lot of water and eating. Every night I go in the hot tub. I make sure my body is all fueled up for the next day. Get cool. Do cold tubs. Mostly my body, just trying to make sure I’m not sore the next day, make sure I’m all stretched out, make sure I’m flexible and able to move into the next sport.
With football being so physical that was a big toll making sure my body was not all sore, fresh for the next day, fresh for the game, then transition into basketball, make sure my legs were all right. I’m burning 2-3-5,000 calories a day. It’s all about eating.
RSN: OK, give me a sense about your dietary regimen.
RS: In the morning I eat eggs, sausage, bacon. More like 6-8 eggs and then 6 to 8 strips of bacon, four sausages with like four pieces of bread. Sometimes I will miss breakfast because I’ve just got to get up and go. Most of the time I will have time to eat it. I usually do over easy with dipping the toast. That’s good.
Lunch I usually can do like two cheesesteaks or two meatball sandwiches, just anything with two sandwiches and any size. And dinner is more like meat, protein, like getting all the stuff ripped through my body, like steak, chicken, turkey, ham. Whatever my mom cooks. I usually have pasta one or two times a week with different kinds of sauces. Mix it all up.
RSN: Is the multi-sport thing something you’ve always done or just over the last couple years. Some guys might take a break, but you do everything.
RS: When I was younger I played football, baseball and basketball and I stopped playing football just to focus more on baseball. Coming back to Woodstown I wanted to play football again. As I was playing football again it brought back memories about going through all three of the sports.
It really didn’t have a major impact on me because going through three sports it’s more of an athletic thing. I have that, so being able to do that didn’t really affect me as much.
RSN: Luckily the state gives you a little bit of a buffer between each season. Where I was down south the seasons overlapped. How much do you appreciate whatever break you get between seasons and what do you during them to wind down and prep for the next?
RS: We actually went right into (basketball) because of the states (in football) and all that. If I do have that break I’ll kind of relax for a week and if I have two weeks I’ll relax for a week and then start working for a week for the next sport. If I don’t have a break, I’ll relax, eat a lot, drink a lot of water, make sure I’m ready to go for that next sport. If I do have it, I’m taking that week of a break. I think my body needs it, my mind needs it.
RSN: You’re all about maintaining your physical well-being. Have you ever been hurt, outside of the usual stuff that comes with the season?
RS: No. Being my size it’s hard. I’ve seen a lot of guys get hurt really quickly, so the big part is taking care of your body because once you take care of that then you’re basically all right.
RSN: Why do you play these three sports specifically?
RS: I’ve been playing baseball my whole life; that’s my first sport. Basketball, I kind of got into it when I was real young. My sisters played it. I think I was pretty good at it, especially when I got taller; people kept asking me if I played basketball and I would say yeah. I just loved it over the years and it’s my last year of playing all three so I figured to have the most joy out of it.
THE ROCCO FILE
FOOTBALL (TE-DL)
REC
YDS
TD
TKLS
TFL
2024
4
38
1
26
0
2023
0
0
0
2
0
BASKETBALL (C-F)
PPG
RPG
AST
BLK
STL
2023-24
9.2
4.9
32
65
29
2022-23
6.9
5.9
0
32
16
BASEBALL (RHP-1B)
BA
RBI
HR
IP
ERA
K
2024
.289
26
3
E
3.20
15
2023
.392
20
4
8.2
5.65
11
RSN: Have you done any of the other sports – track, wrestling, soccer, golf?
RS: I do golf on my free time for fun with some of my guys who are in college. Town & Country. Centerton. Some courses up north I go to. I’m okay. I wouldn’t say I’m real good, but I’m OK. Some of my buddies are better than me, but I can go with them to where we can play. I played lacrosse for one year (fifth grade), but I didn’t really like it
RSN: What are you – a football player, a basketball player or a baseball player?
RS: A baseball player. I’ve been playing my whole life. When I real younger I really took it seriously, playing baseball mostly. I really wanted to play just baseball, but my parents really wanted me to play all three sports, so that’s why I kind of play them now. Playing those other two sports helped me out a lot with baseball.
RSN: What are you going to do in college and why is that your sport? You probably have offers in all three.
RS: I want to play baseball. I want to do pitching and hitting and defense, whatever I have to do to help the team.
RSN: What’s the recruiting been like for all three. I’m sure there’s interest across the board.
RS: Basketball is out of the question, like nobody’s been here for basketball, which is obviously; Woodstown basketball is not that great. Football, there’s been a lot of D-II, D-III schools here, which I’ve talked to a lot; all of us guys have talked to them a lot. Baseball I’ve had a lot. I actually went on a visit today to RCSJ in Cumberland. I’ve been to Penn State-Abington and I’ve been to a couple others down south, which were pretty cool, like Alabama and Auburn. I was trying to go down to Florida, but I didn’t have a tournament down there so I couldn’t go.
I just want to play. I want somewhere I can get a degree, but I also want to just play for fun and just have a good time. Everyone says I have a unique size and you can’t teach size, so having that I can definitely work a lot harder with a lot of college guys, help me push a lot harder. And doing one sport at one time is even better.
RSN: Have you given any consideration or asked the programs that are talking to you if you could play multiple sports at their schools?
RS: There are some football coaches in here who say they want dual sport athletes, but I’ll mostly likely just want to focus on one sport.
RSN: Do you think playing multiple sports impacts that recruiting good or bad because they don’t know what sport you favor?
RS: I think it’s good because it shows that you’re very athlete, that you’re a team guy, you play with different people and you learn more about different sports. You’re training for that sport and then you have to transition to a different sport and you have to train for that, which not a lot of people can really do, so I think that’s a special gift to have.
RSN: As a multi-sport guy here you had the unique experience to adjusting to two new head coaches (football with Frank Trautz and basketball with Ramon Roots). That can be a challenge as well. What’s that been like?
RS: Fun, really. Roots was here for football as an assistant and getting to meet him before the (basketball) season was actually a little bit better because you were getting to know him and getting to see how functions around guys.
And Trautz coming in for football, we had him last year as an assistant and with coach (John) Adams stepping down we kind of saw it coming up and being a big part of this team. As we were going through summer camp we kind of thought this could be our year to do the same thing we did last year, which was go pretty far because of Trautz.
He had this big mindset going into the season, brought a lot of new plays in, a lot of new formations and a lot of new guys we had stepping up, which was big.
Even when they were assistants they talked to us about everything. They were there for us, so it really hasn’t changed. They were just always there.
RSN: If I remember right you’re related to Penns Grove football coach Mark Maccarone. That must’ve made that game pretty fun. Are there any other sports luminaries in your family tree?
RS: They’re my dad’s first cousins. It was a real fun game because he actually came over that night after the game, Greg and Mark, and it was real fun. We always talk throughout the season about football games. Even when Greg was at Glassboro coaching for them I always made jokes to him like “You shouldn’t be there, buddy, but you’re there.” He would laugh and whatnot, but we would have our times. Even his son Nick, whose at Montclair State, we talked about football, he gave me some advice and some pointers for it, so they’ve actually been a big help to me. They tell people all around they have a cousin who’s 6-6 who can play all three sports.
RSN: What makes Woodstown sports so successful every year across the board?
RS: Just working out from freshman year, you’re seeing all the juniors and seniors working and seeing how they move with the game, seeing how their coached and seeing how they are off the field. It’s growing every year, growing every year with your buddies as your group, you get a sense they’re like your brothers and when you’re on the field you’ve got discipline.
All of us as a group, this year as seniors, we all had a mindset we could be how we were last year even with the guys that we lost – and we did it.
RSN: Knowing the story isn’t completely finished, what have been your best one or two all-time Rocco moments so far?
RS: My first two were the first and second round of the playoffs last year in baseball against Maple Shade and Pennsville. I hit a home run in the fourth inning against Maple Shade to give us a 1-0 lead. That kind of changed the game. And in Pennsville going back-to-back with AP (Andrew Pedrick) that was a cool moment because I don’t that’s been done in a while here at Woodstown and we kind of knew what that game meant. That was our time.
In football it was that championship game against Shore. That was a really fun game for me. That has to be third. Just playing with those group of guys and kicking the crap out of Shore was real fun.
Rocco String stomps on the plate after hitting the back piece of back-to-back homers with Andrew Pedrick in the first inning of last year’s South Jersey Group I baseball playoff game at Pennsville.
RSN: What did you think of the football season and what are you expectations for basketball?
RS: I think we’ll be OK. I don’t think we’ll be as good as a lot of other teams up north because they breathe basketball up there. Basketball isn’t as strong down here, but we do it to the best of our ability. A lot of times basketball is not our strongest sport, a lot of guys just play it for fun, they play it to get exercise, basketball is just here.
For football at the beginning of the season we heard a lot of talk that we weren’t going to be that good, but we kind of had a chip on our shoulder and when Coach Trautz came in he had a chip on his shoulder, too. He was feeling kind of how we were feeling, like, listen, we’re not going to have anyone talk us down. Beating Delsea first game of the season that kind of ran something through our minds that we’ve got this, we can do it, we just have to work hard at it.
RSN: Can you tell any difference already how basketball is different with Roots here?
RS: We’ve been doing a lot more running, a lot more technical work that we didn’t really get to do last year, which has been helping us a lot. Running has been a big part. Last year we didn’t do much of that and we’ve been doing it every day at the beginning of practice, which is good for us. And we’re doing more defensive work, because that was a big struggle last year.
RSN: What’s Rocco all about off the field. What do you do that’s no sports related?
RS: My family has a construction business (MLS Lawns and Landscapes) that I work on a lot with my dad. I do all the hard work. I wake up at 4 in the morning and pour concrete with the guys. I do all the site work with my dad. And I also work on a farm with my uncle in Harrisonville.
When I’m working, that’s kind of my weight room. It takes a toll on your body, but when I’ve got the chance to go to the weight room I’ll go because I know I need to put a lot of weight on. I want to try to get to 240-250 of just lean muscle because I think that’ll help me out a lot in college. I think if I put on 20 pounds of muscle that’ll be perfect for me.
And I’m either fishing or hunting with my buddies that are around here and being around my girlfriend.
RSN: Just from your size, the position you play, your body type, you remind me of former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski. Do you get that?
RS: I’ve heard a lot about that, like you remind me of a professional player of this sport or that sport. I see that, but I don’t really feel like that because it’s just my size.
A lot of guys tell me I look like, baseball wise, Freddie Freeman, because he’s 6-6. Football wise it’s more like Gronk or Travis Kelce, just a tall tight end. In basketball it’s more like a (Nikola) Jokic, a type of guy who’s real tall but plays the game real lanky. There are a lot of people who say stuff like that.
RSN: Do you have any advice for kids who are playing multiple sports or may be having a hard time in one of the multiple sports they play?
RS: Just be a competitive person but also an energetic, fun and friendly person off the court and field. When you’re on the field you want to be as competitive as you can, talkative as you can, be a leader.
For baseball I’m a leader. Because I first base I talk to all the guys. Basketball, I’m a leader because I’m a center, making sure everyone’s in their places. Football, all of us were leaders, all of guys as seniors. When you’re on the field you have to have a mindset that you’re the guy everyone trusts, you’re the guy who puts people in position. I’ve gotten that the last couple years, I’ve kind of built that up. I’ve seen it in myself, telling guys where to go.
Don’t be scared of doing other sports. Try it. Even if it’s the first time. You’ll get coached. When you’re a little kid, like 10-12 years old, just try. Just do as many sports as you can. It won’t hurt you. It’ll just make you better.
RSN: Thanks for taking the time for this. We do these extended interviews in hopes of introducing people to the personalities of the players they watch beyond the arena.
Here is the schedule for Salem County sports teams for the week of Dec. 16-21; games 4 p.m. unless noted; x-scrimmage
MONDAY, DEC. 16 GIRLS BASKETBALL x-Pennsville at Palmyra x-Woodstown at Kingsway BOYS BASKETBALL x-Clearview at Woodstown x-Palmyra at Pennsville Buena at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. West Deptford at Riverwinds, 3:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 17 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick at Cape May Tech, 5:30 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Cape May Tech at Schalick SWIMMING Schalick vs. Camden Academy Charter at Vineland YMCA, 3:15 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Salem, Penns Grove at Bennett Center, Toms River, 5 p.m. WRESTLING Salem, Palmyra at Pennsville, 5 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. ACIT WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Mercer County CC at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18 GIRLS BASKETBALL Wildwood at Pennsville Salem at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Wildwood at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Clayton at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Salem, 5:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem in Holiday Showcase at Laurel Lanes, Maple Shade, 3:30 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic at Wood Lanes
THURSDAY, DEC. 19 SWIMMING Schalick vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 4:45 p.m. Woodstown vs. Deptford at GCIT, 7 p.m. WRESTLING Penns Grove at Schalick Timber Creek at Woodstown, 6 p.m. Pennsville girls at Beast of the East Tournament (U of Del.) TRACK Pennsville Polar Bear Meet, 3 p.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 20 GIRLS BASKETBALL Overbrook at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech Woodstown at Penns Grove BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Pennsville, 3 p.m. Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 3 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Invitational Pennsville girls at Beast of the East Tournament (U of Del.) SATURDAY, DEC. 21 GIRLS BASKETBALL Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 1:30 p.m. Boardwalk Classic Wildwood Convention Center Penns Grove vs. Timber Creek, 2:15 p.m. SJIBT Tournament Highland at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. WRESTLING Salem girls at Jackson Liberty Tournament, 9 a.m. Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Invitational, 10 a.m. Woodstown in Beast of the East Tournament (U of Del.) TRACK Pennsville, Salem, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia
Salem CC men have another slow start, play better in second half but still fall to No. 12 Brookdale
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – In the world of wrestling you can’t be the man until you beat the man. In the basketball world, you can’t be somebody until you’ve done something.
The Salem CC basketball team has won nine games this year and came out against the No. 12 team in the country Saturday with a swagger coach Mike Green didn’t think they necessarily earned yet and Brookdale put the Mighty Oaks in their place quickly.
The Jersey Blues opened a 16-point halftime lead and carried it to a 84-76 victory.
“We came out like we were Brookdale, like we were ranked No. 12,” Green said. “As if we had some type of success, as if we won however many national championships they’ve won, and we’re not good enough to do that. We’ve got to come out fighting.
“When you come out like that, they’ll show you who they are.”
The Mighty Oaks (9-4) led only once — 9-8 on a Josh Ramos 3-pointer — but it was at that the Blues (10-3) started putting away.
The slow start was fueled by poor shooting, an oddity of sorts given that Saturday afternoons at home have been some of Salem’s best shooting games, and turnovers. Salem shot only 26 percent from the floor in the first half and hit only two 3-pointers.
Green said it bothered him “big time” the approach his shorthanded team seemed to display approaching the game. The nine wins it has scored this year are the same number it had last year after Green took over, so whatever success they’ve enjoyed has really been a wash in his mind.
“It’s arrogance and I’m not an arrogant person,” he said. “I wasn’t an arrogant player, I’m not an arrogant coach, so it bothered me big time.
“You’ve got to do something. We haven’t done anything. We won nine game. We won nine games last year. We’re right at where we were last year. We’re not OK with that, we’re not satisfied with that.”
They started the second half hot, hitting three 3s in the first 90 seconds, and doubled their offensive productive over the first half. They shot shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, but Brookdale matched them shooting 52 percent without attempting a 3.
The Mighty Oaks just couldn’t get the deficit to a manageable number. They got it to 10 with 2:25 to play and spent the rest of the time trying to cut into it by putting Brookdale on the foul line, but the Jersey Blues went 9-of-13 to negate that strategy.
Salem did place five scorers in double figures, but only played eight. Josh Ramos was their leading scorer with 15 points. Shyheed Taylor and Dontarius Jones each had 13 and Tivon Woolford and Xavier Brewington each had 10.
Rodney Shelton and A.J. Jones both grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, but Jones didn’t score. Green expected a different type of Salem team, one worthy of producing some swagger, when all the injured players return.
The Mighty Oaks return to the floor Thursday against RCSJ-Cumberland in their final game of 2024. They’ll be looking to win 10 games before Christmas for the first time since the resumption of the program. The 2021-22 team also won nine games before the holidays.
BROOKDALE CC 84, SALEM CC 76 BROOKDALE (10-3) – Anthony Leger 5-8 1-3 11, Bruce Gooding 2-9 4-5 8, Devyn Wright-Myles 4-9 4-6 12, Jack Zink 6-13 2-2 14, Regan Burke 6-10 4-6 16, Shawn Valentine 0-0 1-2 1, Ariel Perez 0-0 1-2 1, Troy DaCruz 2-5 1-2 6, Latrell Thompson 4-5 1-2 9, Keith Allen 1-4 4-4 6. Totals 29-63 23-34 84. SALEM (9-4) – Dontarius Jones 5-8 1-1 13, Tivon Woolford 3-7 3-4 10, Josh Ramos 6-12 0-0 15, Rodney Shelton 4-10 0-1 8, Shyheed Taylor 2-6 7-14 13, A.J. Jones 0-5 0-0 0, Xavier Brewington 3-13 2-3 10, Stefan Phillips 2-4 3-3 7. Totals 25-67 16-26 76.
Brookdale CC
41
43-
84
Salem CC
25
51-
76
3-point goals: Brookdale 3-11 (Leger 0-1, Zink 2-7, Burke 0-1, DaCruz 1-2); Salem 10-31 (D. Jones 2-3, Woolford 1-4, Ramos 3-9, Taylor 2-5, A. Jones 0-2, Brewington 2-8). Rebounds: Brookdale 35 (Burke 9, Leger 7, Thompson 7); Salem 48 (Shelton 11, A. Jones 11). Fouled out: Thompson, Ramos, Phillips. Total fouls: Brookdale 21, Salem 23.
Salem CC women rally from 16 down in fourth quarter to get within one, but Lackawanna turns them away
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Salem CC women’s coach Brian Marsh apologized in advance for bowing out of the post-game interview. He had to hustle out of the gym right after Saturday’s game to make a wedding in Wilkes-Barre.
ZULLO
The two-hour drive gave him time to digest the events of the previous two hours. While the 73-70 loss to Lackawanna might’ve made the ride feel like 100 miles of bad road, it would’ve been made smoother remembering the way the Mighty Oaks came back to make a game of it.
Salem rallied from 16 down with 7:09 to play to make it a one- or two-possession game in the final two and a half minutes and get within one with 4.4 seconds left on Caroline Zullo’s 3-pointer from the top of the key.
“I was proud of them,” assistant coach Kiara Eubanks said. “That’s all we ask of them is to fight hard. We just wish they could do it for four quarters instead of one quarter. We’re always fighting and will continue to fight.
“Sometimes they have a habit of giving up on themselves and they shouldn’t and then they find a spark again. I think if they didn’t give up at times they shouldn’t give up we could play a full 40 minutes of basketball.”
The rally began under some unfortunate circumstances. Freshman guard Geovanna Tjaden left the game with 7:09 left after slipping under the basket trying to grab a rebound. Lackawanna was leading 64-48 at the time, but the injury to one of their most active players seemed to get Salem going.
“That was a big influence,” Zullo said. “No one likes to see a player get hurt or go down. She’s a really good player, so seeing her go down we all had to step up, step into her shoes. She’s a 3-point shooter, so we all had to do that as well.”
“Everybody loves Gin,” Eubanks said. “She’s the type of player who pushes everybody. Frequently she gets upset with them because they don’t fight how we want them to but they love Gio. That probably could’ve (sparked) it. They wanted to fight for Gia the way she fights for them every day in practice and in the games.”
Tjaden, who had 10 points, four rebounds and three 3s when she got hurt, made her way out of the post-game locker room on crutches and said she’d be back next week.
The Mighty Oaks didn’t try to eat the elephant all at once, but rather took on the task a bite at a time.
They put together a 12-point run over the next four minutes to get within four. They cut it to two for the first time after Zullo’s steal and layup with 47.9 seconds left to play. The group on the floor making it happen were Zullo, Nyaijah Jackson, Maggie St. Clair and bigs Jakayla Jenkins and Akira Chambers.
“I think they started listening to us,” Eubanks said. “They started listening, they rebounded, they started playing together, they communicated with each other. That’s things we always ask of them, just communicate, fight for each other the way we fight for you guys. They gave more energy.”
The Falcons took the lead back to five, then Kathryn Laurence knocked down a 3 after a Zullo rebound to make it 69-67 with 12.4 left. It went back to four, then Zullo hit a 3 to make it 71-70 with 4.4 to go. It was just her fourth 3-pointer this season and sixth of her college career.
“I was very nervous because I thought they were about to steal the ball because she tipped it up,” Zullo said. “So I just grabbed it as fast as I could and I lined myself up and I shot it as fast as I could.”
Salote Franklin hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to make it a three-point game and Salem couldn’t get a final shot up.
Marsh has inserted Pennsville’s Zullo into the starting lineup the last two games because of the energy she brings. She had 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals against the Falcons. In her two starts she has scored 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
Jackson led Salem with 18 points. Lackawanna’s Franklin had a monster game with 28 points and 23 rebounds. She was 15 of 16 from the free throw line.
LACKAWANNA 73, SALEM CC 70 LACKAWANNA (9-4) – E’Ternity Aiken 1-2 3-6 5, Salote Franklin 6-17 15-16 28, Desiree White 3-10 2-2 8, Saraiah Franklin 1-7 1-2 4, Jayla South 4-13 2-3 10, Semaji Young 1-2 2-2 4, Diamond Wilson 2-4 1-2 7, Sophia Summa 0-0 0-2 0, Alania Ortiz 2-6 0-0 5, Ania Crocker 1-8 0-0 2, Kalea Ferguson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-69 26-35 73. SALEM (4-5) – Caroline Zullo 6-9 0-0 13, Maggie St. Clair 4-17 2-2 11, Geo Tjaden 3-6 1-2 10, Kathryn Laurence 5-15 0-0 12, Jakayla Jenkins 2-7 0-0 4, RayNescia King 0-3 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 9-14 0-4 18, Dani Gustin 0-2 0-0 0, Akira Chambers 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-75 3-8 70.
Lackawanna
27
19
14
14-
73
Salem CC
19
11
16
24-
70
3-point goals: Lackawanna 5-29 (Sl. Franklin 1-5, White 0-4, Sr. Franklin 1-4, South 0-3, Young 0-1, Wilson 2-4, Ortiz 1-4, Crocker 0-4); Salem 7-21 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 1-6, Tjaden 3-3, Laurence 2-8, Jenkins 0-1, King 0-1). Rebounds: Lackawanna 51 (Sl. Franklin 23); Salem 36 (Zullo 8, Jenkins 7, Gustin 6). Technical fouls: Jackson. Fouled out: Jackson. Total fouls: Lackawanna 10, Salem 25.
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.”
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.
Schalick wins its season-opening tournament, Woodstown places fourth at Delaware Valley
By Riverview Sports News
CENTERTON – Schalick won seven of the 14 weight divisions and had three other wrestlers in finals to run away with its Holiday Classic Saturday.
The Cougars, competing as a single-school team this year after being a co-op program with Cumberland Regional, scored 238 points. Penns Grove finished second (132) in the seven-team field.
Emma Cain (107), Caleb Jenkins (114), Luke Silva (127), Ayden Jenkins (151), James Cook (166), Ricky Watt (176) and Evan Elliott (191) all won their weight class. Koen Martin (158), Eric Sulik (166) and Gerardo Felipe (216) wrestled in the finals.
Tre Brown (158) and Wayne Scott (285) won weight classes for Penns Grove. Devine Arce (127) and Clinton Bobo (176) wrestled in finals.
Schalick had 15 wrestlers post top-four finishes. Penns Grove had nine wrestlers place in the top four.
SCHALICK HOLIDAY CLASSIC
TEAM SCORES: Schalick 238, Penns Grove 132, West Windsor-Plainsboro South 122.5, Oakcrest 120, Mainland 117, Haddon Heights 103.5, Holy Spirit 71
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 107: Emma Cain (Schalick) pinned Ethan Kavanakudiyil (WWPS), 4:30 114: Caleb Jenkins (Schalick) maj. dec. over Michael Ferraro (Haddon Heights), 11-3 121: Cole Denning (Haddon Heights) tech fall over Sanchez Joseph (Oakcrest), 17-0 127: Luke Silva (Schalick) dec, Devine Arce (Penns Grove), 9-5 133: Gavin Mensch (Holy Spirit) pinned Braden Monroe (Oakcrest), 1:31 139: Chris Mazur (Mainland) pinned Erick Montas-Aras (Oakcrest), 4:34 145: James Morley (Mainland) pinned Cameron Blaise (WWPS), 1:02 151: Ayden Jenkins (Schalick) tech fall over Carson Endicott (Mainland), 19-3 158: Anthony Brown (Penns Grove) pinned Koen Martin (Schalick), 1:08 166: James Cook (Schalick) dec. Eric Sulik (Schalick), 11-4 176: Ricky Watt (Schalick) dec. Clinton Bobo (Penns Grove), 10-7 191: Evan Elliott (Schalick) pinned Alex Krapivin (WWPS), 0:43 216: Jackson Broschard (Holy Spirit) dec. Gerardo Felipe (Schalick), 7-3 285: Wayne Scott (Penns Grove) pinned Nate Lelionis (Haddon Heights), 1:33
Wendy Pandy-Leh Invitational
FRENCHTOWN – Four Woodstown wrestlers, including three members of its blonde brigade, won division titles and led the Wolverines to a solid fourth-place finish in their season-opening tournament at Delaware Valley Regional.
Carson Bradway (120), Greyson Hyland (175) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) all won their weight class, as did 126 Travis Balback. A fourth member of the blonde brigade, Paul Banff, finished third at 190.
Bradway drew a first-round bye, then scored a pair of pins and won his weight class with a major decision. Balback also had two pins and a major. Hyland had two pins and won his title bout by decision. Vinciguerra drew two byes and scored two pins.
Vinciguerra told Riverview Sports News earlier in the week the four friends went for the dye job “for the fun of it, to have fun in the season.”
“I’ve seen other teams do it before,” the Wolverines’ heavyweight said. “It’s just a fun thing to do, just maybe get some team chemistry.”
The Wolverines also got top four finishes from Brett Rowand (second, 157); Alex Torres (fourth, 132); and Bradley Snitcher (third, 215). Rowand had three pins before being pinned in his title bout.
The Wolverines scored 153 points. Ocean Twp. edged Del Val by two points to win the team title.
“While we have a lot of work to do, we wrestled well in spots,” Wolverines coach Adam Hyland said. “Travis Balback looked great all day up a weight from last year and so did Carson Bradway down a weight. Both were attacking and wrestling a fun style to watch.
“Greyson and Mateo got the job done and Brett Rowand looked solid coming in second. Bradley Snitcher also wrestled well pinning three guys while taking third.”
WENDY PANDY-LEH INVITATIONAL
TEAM SCORES: Ocean Twp. 180, Del Val Regional 178, Wall 163.5, Woodstown 153, Westfield 111.5, Williamstown 110.5, Cherokee 83, Princeton 76, Vorhees (Glen Gardner) 56.5, Pascack Hills 28.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 106: Adam Froehlich (Williamstown) pinned Michael Apicelli (Ocean Twp.), pinned 3:22 113: Tristan Rosemeyer (Williamstown) maj. dec. over Omar Carrillo-Solano (Wall), 21-11 120: Carson Bradway (Woodstown) maj. dec. over Charles Mahoney (Wall), 15-4 126: Travis Balback (Woodstown) pinned Ben Waitzel (Wall), 1:58 132: Jaden Perez (Del Val) pinned Steven Perez (Ocean Twp.), 1:32 138: Dominic Volek (Ocean Twp.) def. Cole Rose (Princeton), inj. (5:15) 144: Michael Volek (Ocean Twp.) pinned Michael Hasson (Del Val), 3:41 150: Blase Mele (Princeton) pinned Parker Quinn (Wall), 1:26 157: Luke Sinkewicz (Del Val) pinned Brett Rowand (Woodstown), 1:45 165: Jeremy Marsella (Wall) tech fall over Olivier Paul (Del Val), 17-1 (2:45) 175: Greyson Hyland (Woodstown) dec. Jack McDermott (Westfield), 8-2 190: Jake Zemsky (Westfield) maj. dec. over Deryk Hannold (Williamstown), 12-1 215: Daniel Farina (Ocean Twp.) pinned Eric Clauburg (Wall), 1:57 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Woodstown) pinned Luken Alberdi (Del Val), 1:03
Taylor, Phillips hit six straight free throws in final minute to help Salem CC men hold off Williamson Trades and give coach as many wins this season as he had all last year after taking over program
By Riverview Sports News
MEDIA, Pa. – Free throws can make all the difference in a basketball game. Don’t the Salem CC men’s team know it.
The Mighty Oaks learned the hard way against Camden CC how not making free throws down the stretch can cost you and have spent a lot of their time since addressing the issue.
On the road Thursday night, they experienced just how rewarding making those late foul shots can be. Freshmen Stefan Phillips and Shyheed Taylor hit six straight free throws in the final 52 seconds and were a combined 13-for-13 in the game as the Mighty Oaks held off Williamson College of the Trades 74-66.
“That was big,” said Salem coach Mike Green, who now has won as many games this season as he did last year after taking the team midseason. “Free throws are always big and sometimes kids don’t focus much on it, but it’s been a main focus of ours since we lost that game to Camden.
“When you lose some games like that, man, guys tend to lock in. It’s either going to help you or kill you. Some of the guys still have jitters from it, so we can’t have you in until you get confident. You ain’t confident in it, how can we (be). We’re going to get the ball in Stef’s hands, get the ball in Shyheed’s hands, get the ball in Xavier (Brewington’s) hands, guys who can make free throws.”
Taylor, a 71-percent free throw shooter, hit the first two in the final minute after the Mechanics pulled to within 70-64. Phillips made the last four after being reinserted into the game with 37 seconds left.
Phillips, an 89-percent free throw shooter on the season (seventh nationally), was 8-for-8 in the game. Taylor was 5-for-5. Neither played in Tuesday night’s loss at Ocean for disciplinary reasons.
“Just getting the ball in the right people’s hands, getting the ball in the most fresh people’s hands,” Green said. “We knew who was fresh and who wasn’t and who to get the ball to when the game’s only the line.
“(Phillips) was hitting them well for us so we had to get the ball in his hands. He’s too young to understand the pressure of it, so he’s just going up there and knocking them down.”
The Mighty Oaks were 20-of-29 from the line in their overtime loss at Camden County College on Nov. 26, but missed several in key situations down the stretch that prevented them from winning. They have gone 55-for-78 In the four games since (70.5 percent). They were 16-of-19 Thursday, raising their season average to .696, currently 15th in JUCO Division III.
“The games we lost it hasn’t been good,” Green said. “It’s something we drill, something we take a lot more serious. After the kids dropped a game because of it they’re a lot more locked in.
In the three games the Mighty Oaks (9-3) lost they are shooting just 65 percent from the line (40-of-62).
The Mighty Oaks led wire-to-wire, taking control with a 10-2 run right out of the gate. All three of their leading scorers – Josh Ramos, Phillips and Taylor – had 12 points apiece and all three came off the bench.
Four of the Mechanics’ five starters scored in double figures, led by Robert Whiley’s 22. Their only starter who didn’t score in double figures, A’Jaad White, pulled down 16 rebounds.
“They was watching some of the film of our last game,” Green said of the fast start. “We started last game down 10-0. It was moreso getting those guys to see what they’re doing. Rather me yelling it and trying to tell them that, it’s good to see it. I think I’ve got to do that a little bit more with this group.”
The Mighty Oaks lost another player to injury in the game. Guard Julien Jones, who has been a steadying influence of late, went out with a knee injury, the extent of which wasn’t immediately known.
SALEM CC (9-3) – Xavier Brewington 3-11 1-1 8, Tivon Woolford 1-5 0-0 3, Rodney Shelton 3-3 0-0 6, Dontarius Jones 2-5 1-1 5, Julien Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Josh Ramos 4-8 0-1 12, Stefan Phillips 2-2 8-8 12, Shyheed Taylor 3-5 5-5 12, Tyrone Tolson 3-6 0-0 7, A.J. Jones 2-3 1-2 5, Tyrese Fortune 1-8 0-1 2. Totals 25-57 16-19 74. WILLIAMSON TRADES (9-6) – Ronald Johnson 6-9 0-1 13, AJaad White 2-6 2-2 6, Robert Whiley 7-19 7-9 22, Semaj Cherry 6-14 1-1 23, Liam Rardin 3-11 5-6 12, Nadir Ali 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Draine 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 24-64 15-19 66.
Salem CC
32
42-
74
Williamson Trades
22
44-
66
3-point goals: Salem 8-23 (Brewington 1-6, Woolford 1-3, Ramos 4-7, Taylor 1-1, Tolson 1-3, Fortune 0-3); Williamson 3-15 (Johnson 1-1, Whiley 1-9, Rardin 1-4, Draine 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 32 (Shelton 6, Fortune 5); Williamson 46 (White 16). Fouled out: Johnson, White. Total fouls: Salem 17, Williamson 18.
Riverview Sports News 