Schalick wins 3 as Salem County athletes shine at the TCC/Olympic Conference Indoor Track Championships, also includes basketball and wrestling results
By Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield, David Stewart and the girls 4×400 relay team and Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team all won events Friday night to lead Salem County’s contingent in the Tri-County & Olympic Conference Indoor Track Showcase at The Bubble.
Jordan, one of the state’s premier distance runners, won the girls 1600 (5:12.91). Stewart won the boys 400 (50.67). The girls 4×4 relay team of Allyson Green, Hadfield, Gia Martellacci and Brooke Valentine won it 4:23.38
Stewart also finished second in the 55-meter dash (6.61). Martellacci scored in the girls 400 and 55-meter dash.
The Cougars finished third in the girls team standings, behind champion Washington Twp. and runnerup Williamstown.
Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team of Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello and Josh Crawford won in 3:34.41. Lucas and Crawford went 2-3 in the 800 and Jacob Marino was second in the 3200.
The Wolverines were fourth in the boys standings, a half-behind behind third-place Deptford.
TCC/OLYMPIC CONFERENCE SHOWCASE At The Bubble, Toms River (Salem County scorers)
NON-OLYMPIC GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 93, Williamstown 66, SCHALICK 29, Kingsway 26, Timber Creek 20, WOODSTOWN 20, Delsea 14, Clearview 14, Overbrook 12, Glassboro 12, Deptford 9, Highland 8, PENNSVILLE 6, Cumberland 5, Triton 3 400: 2. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 1:01.16; 4. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 1:02.27 1600: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 5:12.9155: 6. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 7.76 3200: 6. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 12:49.36 4×400: 1. Schalick (Allyson Green, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci, Brooke Valentine), 4:23.38; 3. Woodstown (Sarah Seiden, Lia Covely, Kayla Ayars, Jaime Deal), 4:29.62 High jump: 4. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 4-10 Pole vault: 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6 Shot put: 5. Allyson Green, Schalick, 30-1.25
BOYS TEAM SCORES: Williamstown 57, Delsea 41, Deptford 40.5, WOODSTOWN 40, Highland 37, Glassboro 28.5, SCHALICK 25.5, Washington Twp. 16, Timber Creek 12, Triton 10, SALEM 8, PENNS GROVE 6.5, Overbrook 5, Cumberland 4, Clearview 3. 400: 1. David Stewart, Schalick, 50.67; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 51.36 55 hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 7.58 800: 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:01.36; 3. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.53 55: 2. David Stewart, Schalick, 6.61 3200: 2. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:13.53 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford), 3:34.41; 4. Penns Grove (Sebastian Hernandez, Bryan Garlic, Knowledge Young, DeQuan Brown), 3:44.88 High jump: T-6. Sebastian Hernandez, Penns Grove, 5-6 Pole vault: 4. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-6 Shot put: 6. Sheldon Goldsboro, Schalick, 43-9
Basketball
BOYS HOLY CROSS PREP SHOWCASE MEDFORD TECH 70, SALEM 61: The Rams got off to a fast start, opening a 20-11 first-quarter lead, but Medford Tech’s Tyler Branson and Nesta Rice came to life and Jaguars pulled away. Branson hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 points while Rice finished with 18.
Salem placed four scorers in double figures, led by Tymear Lecator’s 14. Xavier McGriff had 13 and Neziah Spence and Deshaan Williams had 10 apiece. Lecator also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Williams grabbed eight rebounds.
3-point goals: Medford Tech 9 (Branson 5, James, Rice, Jackson 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator 2). Rebounds: Salem 40 (Williams 8, Rogers 7, Lecator 7).
GATEWAY 44, SALEM TECH 37: The Gators pulled away from a close game with a big third quarter. Joseph Hayes led Salem Tech with 12 points. Aiden Bobo had 11.
GATEWAY (4-12): Justin Dugan 19, Benjamin Contarino 4, Jake Finger 14, Sean Cawley 2, Dylan Ceravolo 5. SALEM TECH (0-17): Ayden Myers 2 0-2 4, Joseph Hayes 3 3-4 12, Aiden Bobo 4 2-2 11, Sam Battiato 1 1-2 4, Larry Pompper 2 0-2 4, Chase Ayars 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-12 37.
Gateway
10
8
18
8-
44
Salem Tech
7
12
10
8-
37
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Hayes 3, Bobo, Battiato).
GIRLS HADDON TWP. 57, PENNSVILLE 42: Alli Kamulda scored all of her points on six 3-pointers for Haddon Twp. Pennsville freshman Addie Johnston hit a career-high four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points.
PENNSVILLE 53, CLAYTON 24 126: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Cayden Wentz, 1:00 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Antonio Mendez, 1:39 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over William Camp, 18-3 (5:15) 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Matthew Kamara, 1:41 150: Steve Benkert (C) won by forfeit 157: Brodie Carey (C) won by forfeit 165: Kenneth Johnson (C) pinned Juan Velasquez, 3:08 175: Joseph Halstead (P) won by forfeit 190: Connor Ayars (P) def. Jeffrey Smith, SV-1 3-0 215: Michael Nichols (C) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit 106: John Sassi (P) pinned Ayden Figueroa, 0:45 113: Earl Wynn (P) pinned Joshua Wentz, 0:54 120: Mehki Dicks (P) dec. Dylan Adams, 4-1
Penns Grove’s Wilson passes 1,000-point plateau in loss, Woodstown girls get back on track; Pennsville boys snap 12-game losing streak, Penns Grove boys over .500 for first time since 2020-21; Woodstown’s String goes for 26 points, 25 rebounds to join 200-200 club for second year in a row
GIRLS
BOYS
Wildwood 56, Penns Grove 42
Penns Grove 60, Wildwood 47
Overbrook 28, Salem Tech 24
Pennsville 66, Salem Tech 49
Woodstown 52, Clayton 34
Woodstown 84, Clayton 62
Camden Tech 46, Salem 40
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson knew it was going to be a monumental day when she woke up Thursday morning, but it wasn’t until she got to the gym and saw the presentation in front of her for the first time did she realize what a big deal it really was.
The Penns Grove senior was in line to score her 1,000th career point in the game with Wildwood – she only needed half her average to get it – but the celebration already started before she got into Rudy Baric Gym.
There was a set of gold balloons spelling out “1-0-0-0” behind the Penns Grove bench. There was a banner anticipating the feat behind the Red Devils’ basket. There were hand-held fans with her picture on it and baseball-like player cards.
There was even a cake. Now, all she had to do was complete the task.
Wilson hit the milestone on a layup with 4:01 left in the first half, touching off a celebration that included a short video on the scoreboard of her career. The only thing that dampened the day from a Penns Grove perspective was Wildwood won the game, 56-42.
“It means a lot,” Wilson said of the milestone. “Starting slow in my school seasons and then coming out, starting, getting hotter over time it’s … an unbelievable moment.”
She became the eighth girls player in recorded Penns Grove history to reach the milestone and 20th player in school history. With the 25 she scored against the Warriors she now has 1,013 points for her career.
Wilson started her career at Kingsway, but didn’t become a scorer until she transferred to Penns Grove last year. She scored 251 points at her former school – just 19 as a freshman – and may end up with well over 900 at Penns Grove by the end of this season.
Red Devils coach Jennifer Denby wouldn’t take credit for turning her into scorer. She just “gave her the floor … and she seized the opportunity.”
Wilson has scored in double figures in each of her last 20 games and has had 30 or more four times in her last seven. She’s averaging 24.2 ppg this season on a team that has only seven players.
“As a coach it’s good to see the girls reach a great milestone,” Denby said. “Coaches are just put in place to put the players in place. They’ve got to do the work, and that’s what NyNy is, she’s been putting in the work.
“She came here with a little bit of points and she said she wanted to get her thousand. Every day she’d come into the classroom, write down her plan and stuck to it every day. She wrote it down last year at the end of the season, we made out a plan and she went right through it.”
It hasn’t been lost on the college recruiters. At the moment, Wilson’s three top choices are Delaware State, Morgan State and N.C. Central.
3-point goals: Wildwood 6 (McCracken 2, Wilber, Benichou 3); Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, Patterson). Rebounds: Wildwood 30 (McCracken 18). Fouled out: Washington. Total fouls: Wildwood 11, Penns Grove 14.
Penns Grove senior RaNiyah Wilson stands under the banner school officials erected in the gym commemorating her feat as a 1,000-point scorer.
WOODSTOWN 52, CLAYTON 34: Talia Battavio broke out of a mini scoring slump with 21 points, Megan Donelson had 15 and the Wolverines (12-5) played some tenacious defense to snap a three-game losing streak.
Battavio helped the Wolverines get off to fast start with 14 points in a 26-2 first quarter. The Wolverines led 38-8 at halftime, holding the Clippers to only three field goals.
The losing streak was the program’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Woodstown coach Matt Smart said it felt “very good” to get back on the winning side of things.
“The team played together,” he said. “Our defense led to offensive output. We had lot of girls get into the game at critical times and perform well. They played with confidence and had a lot of fun today.”
OVERBROOK 28, SALEM TECH 24 OVERBROOK (5-12): Gianna Simon 3 2-3 8, Jael Pressley 4 2-8 10, Lelani Knight 3 4-8 10. Only three players reported. Totals 10 8-19 28. SALEM TECH (2-13): Hannah Dewitt 0 1-8 1, Shelby Liber 2 1-4 6, Shelby Drummond 1 1-2 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 3, Demajae White 3 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 2 1-4 5. Totals 9 4-18 24.
Overbrook
6
10
6
6-
28
Salem Tech
5
4
5
10-
24
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Liber). Rebounds: Salem Tech 50 (Scott 14, White 14, Doerr 12).
Boys games
PENNSVILLE 66, SALEM TECH 49: Wins have been hard to come by for the Eagles this season this season, so when one does come around it’s worth celebrating.
The Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak when they beat the Chargers for the second time this season.
“We came through a very tough part of our schedule where we faced tough opposition every night and tonight it was our chance to execute the way we want to,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We’ve been priding ourselves on defense and tonight we let our defense do the talking. The ball went in the basket and it felt good to get back on the winning side of the ledger.”
Jovanni Rios got the Eagles (2-15) off to a quick start scoring nine in the first quarter and 21 of his career-high 28 points in the first half. The junior was 11-of-15 from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds and had seven steals. He has scored 49 points over the last three games.
“He was the whole reason we got out early,” Mecholsky said. “He was just everywhere. He really played hard tonight.
“He’s been the biggest positive surprise in this season. He wouldn’t have been given the chance to develop under different circumstances, but he’s taken advantage of the opportunity he was given and really ran with it.”
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Rios 0-1, Knight 1-3, O’Brien 0-1, Johnston 2-6, McDevitt 0-1, Miller 0-2, Laughty 0-1); Salem Tech 1 (C. Pompper). Rebounds: Pennsville 31 (Rios 5, Meranti 5). Technical fouls: Hayes. Total fouls: Pennsville 23, Salem Tech 22.
PENNS GROVE 60, WILDWOOD 47: The Red Devils put together a big second half to pull away from a tied game that extended their winning streak to six in a row and got them over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 season. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Warriors.
“Well, in ’20 we won the South Jersey Group I sectional so we graduated that class and the last four years we have been growing the program back after COVID,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “This was the next group of kids that have the basketball skills to be successful.
“But being so young and playing the tough schedule early in the year has allowed us to see great competition and now we are reaping the benefits of it.”
The teams battled to a 29-29 tie in the first half, then the Red Devils outscored their hosts 31-18 in the second. Karon Ceaser and Roman Gipson combined for 21 points in the second half. Ceaser hit three of his four 3s in the third quarter to give the Red Devils some separation.
Ceaser finished with 19 points. Gipson had 15 and Will Roy 11.
PENNS GROVE (8-7): KaRon Ceaser 6 3-5 19, B.J. Robbins 2 2-2 7, Will Roy 4 1-2 11, Jameel Horace 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Roman Gipson 5 3-5 15, Antoine Robinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-14 60. WILDWOOD (5-11): Eric Jordan 2 0-0 4, Nolan Mawhinney 3 0-0 6, Trevor Troiano 2 0-0 6, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Jordan Dozier 1 0-0 2, Gianni Troiano 1 1-2 3, Brian Cunniff 10 2-2 24. Totals 20 3-4 47.
Penns Grove
16
13
18
13-
60
Wildwood
14
15
11
7-
47
3-point goals: Penns Grove 9 (Ceaser 4, Robbins, Roy 2, Gipson 2); Wildwood 4 (Troiano 2, Cunniff 2). Rebounds: Penns Grove 23 (Ceaser 9), Wildwood 35 (Cunniff 11).
WOODSTOWN 84, CLAYTON 62: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers for the second time this season and scored 22 points and Rocco String scored a season-high 26 points as the Wolverines won their fourth straight.
String scored 11 points in the first quarter and combined with M.J. Hall for 18 as the Wolverines (11-4) opened a 25-8 lead. Hall finished with 15 points.
String also grabbed 25 rebounds to surpass 200 points and 200 rebounds for the second year in a row. He’s averaging 14.5 rebounds a game and has snared 65 in his last four games. He also had four blocked shots in the game, leaving him 22 shy of 100 for the season and 26 short of 200 for his career. He has had at least four blocks in each of his last 14 games.
CLAYTON (7-10): Princeton Sackor 4 4-5 13, Nazir Davis 5 1-1 13, Demetris Williams 3 1-2 7, Josiel Figueroa-Marrero 1 2-2 4, James Fritz 5 0-0 14, Jackson Venuto 2 0-0 5, Hasir Carter 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 8-10 62. WOODSTOWN (11-4): Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, John Hood-McGindley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 22, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 6, M.J. Hall 7 1-3 15, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 0-0 3, Sid Leevy 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 12 2-3 26, Brayden Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 7-10 84.
Clayton
8
15
19
20-
62
Woodstown
25
20
19
20-
84
3-point goals: Clayton 8 (Sackor, Davis 2, Fritz 4, Venuto); Woodstown 7 (Bialecki 6, White). Rebounds: Woodstown 61 (String 25). Total fouls: Clayton 7, Woodstown 15.
Confusing call in final minute impacts Salem CC’s loss at Philadelphia; women get left behind by Union; includes region standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – For the second Tuesday in a row the Salem CC basketball team went on the road to face a team it was chasing in the Region XIX standings and had trouble handling the ball.
That was frustrating enough given the tightness of the standings, but there was something that didn’t sit right with coach Mike Green’s even more in the 62-59 loss to CC of Philadelphia.
The Mighty Oaks were trailing by two with a minute to play when CCP’s Tahjir Davis was fouled under the basket. The contact was hard enough that Davis was forced to leave the game.
The Mighty Oaks believed they would be able to choose Davis’ replacement shooter from the players remaining on the floor. Instead, the Lions sent Kristion Tiller into the game off the bench to take the shots.
Tiller, a 76-percent free throw shooter, hit both shots and the Lions (17-5) stayed ahead the rest of the game. The freshman made three more free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the Mighty Oaks (17-6) at bay and was 8-for-9 from the line for the game.
“If you watched the live stream you see me arguing with the referees,” Green said. “The kid got hurt and we were supposed to pick a kid who was already in the game. Instead, they let them bring an 80-percent free throw shooter off the bench.
“He wasn’t in the game. We were supposed to be allowed to pick a guy who was already in the game. Of course, if they get to pick they’re going to bring the best shooter they’ve got in to the game.
“I don’t think they understand the rule. I was trying to go back and forth with them about that. They just didn’t understand the rules clearly. It’s a big deal to me. I know the rules. I played for a long time.”
Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes, who was in attendance at the game, said he would seek clarification from the region office Wednesday.
“I was there and confused as to what happened,” said Hughes, a former college basketball coach. “I will be following up tomorrow.
“I want to get clarity because the rule has changed at least twice in the last 20 years, but my understanding is that as long as the foul is ruled a common foul the opposing coach can select between the four remaining players.”
The Mighty Oaks trailed by nine early in the second half, but rallied to tie it at 46 and held a 51-50 lead with 5:04 to go. But the Lions buried back-to-back 3s and Salem never led again.
Akeem Taylor’s bucket with 5.5 left got Salem to 62-59. Josh Ramos gave the Mighty Oaks a chance to force overtime when he stole the inbounds pass and got it to Taylor for what Green called a “good look” from the left side of the arc, but his 3 missed the mark.
Jyheim Spencer ran down the rebound in the right corner, but he could only redirect an off-balanced 3 towards the basket as time expired.
The Mighty Oaks were only 4-of-29 from 3-point range in the game. Green also lamented their number of turnovers, which he correctly surmised were more than their field goals (22-21).
Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Spencer cleared a career-high 20 rebounds, extending his season average to 15.8 per game. CCP’s Malachi Montgomery led all scorers with 19 points.
PHILADELPHIA 62, SALEM CC 59 SALEM CC (17-6): Dontarius Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tamir Powell 1-12 2-2 4, A.J. Jones 3-6 0-2 7, Tyrese Fortune 1-7 1-2 3, Josh Ramos 2-7 0-0 6, Xavier Brewington 3-12 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 6-17 2-3 14, Jyheim Spencer 3-9 3-4 9, Stefan Phillips 2-6 3-4 7. Totals 21 13-22 59. PHILADELPHIA (17-5): Regjon Knight 5-18 3-6 15, Malachi Montgomery 8-17 0-3 19, Kristion Tiller 1-2 8-9 11, Maki Pettigrew 0-7 0-1 0, Brince Shelton 2-7 0-0 4, Tahjir Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Jaques Aurel Silue 0-0 0-0 0, Kaleem Henderson 0-0 2-2 2, Devon Stanley 0-2 5-6 5, Dontae Bacon 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 19-59 18-27 62.
Salem CC
28
31-
59
Philadelphia
30
32-
62
3-point goals: Salem 4-29 (Powell 0-7, A. Jones 1-1, Fortune 0-3, Ramos 2-7, Brewington 1-5, Taylor 0-5, Spencer 0-1); Philadelphia 6-17 (Knight 2-9, Montgomery 3-5, Pettigrew 0-1, Tiller 1-2). Rebounds: Salem 45 (Spencer 20); Philadelphia 40 (Davis 8). Fouled out: Brewington, Stanley. Total fouls: Salem 21, Philadelphia 18.
Women’s game
PHILADELPHIA – The Salem CC women gave one of the best teams in the country a battle for two quarters, but Union showed in the second half why it is the undefeated fourth-ranked team in the country.
The Owls outscored the Mighty Oaks 56-27 in the second half on the strength of 10 3-pointers and pulled away to a 95-54 victory.
The Mighty Oaks had it to 19-15 early in the second quarter, then Union started pulling away. The Owls (21-0) led 39-27 at halftime, then put 34 on Salem in the third quarter. They hit seven of their 12 3-pointers in the quarter with Destiny Bynum Johnson hitting four.
Maggie St. Clair led Salem with 18 points. Union had four scorers in double figures.
The loss didn’t really impact Salem’s road to the playoffs. The Mighty Oaks still need to find two wins among their final five games to earn a post-season berth.
3-point goals: Union 14-32 (Ogunwolere 1-2, Brightwell 1-4, Bynum Johnson 6-10, J. Smith 0-1, DeLosSantos 1-1, Williams 1-1, Fulton 0-1, C. Smith 0-1, Edwards 0-1, Hillman 0-3, Walker 4-6, Mehmedovic 0-1); Salem 5-17 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 2-4, Laurence 0-6, King 0-3, Hopkins 2-2). Rebounds: Union 54 (DeLosSantos 10, Bynum Johnson 8, Mehmedovic 8); Salem 41 (Zullo 8, Jackson 7). Total fouls: Union 11, Salem 12.
Region XIX standings
MEN DIVISION III
REGION
ALL
Union
13-0
17-3
Montgomery
12-1
15-2
Philadelphia
12-2
17-5
Camden
11-3
13-9
Salem
10-4
17-6
Northampton
10-4
17-4
Brookdale
11-5
15-6
Atlantic Cape
8-6
11-9
RCSJ-Gloucester
8-6
10-12
Passaic
6-7
10-10
Ocean
5-6
9-7
Sussex
5-9
6-16
Lehigh Carbon
5-9
5-14
Delaware County
5-10
6-14
Harrisburg Area
3-11
4-17
Luzerne
3-11
4-12
Thaddeus Stevens
3-11
4-14
Bergen
2-13
3-17
RCSJ-Cumberland
0-14
0-20
TUESDAY’S GAMES Philadelphia 62, Salem 59 Union 110, Lehigh Carbon 65 Brookdale 79, Northampton 73 Montgomery 74, Delaware County 73 Thaddeus Stevens 78, Harrisburg Area 65 RCSJ-Gloucester 94, RCSJ-Cumberland 44 Middlesex 76, Essex 74 Delaware Tech at Mercer Raritan Valley 95, Lackawanna 90 Orange County 97, Sussex 38
THURSDAY’S GAMES Brookdale at Ocean Cecil at Delaware Tech Essex at RCSJ-Cumberland Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area Raritan Valley at Rockland Luzerne at Miseracordia JV Atlantic Cape at Mercer Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon Morris at Westchester CC
WOMEN’S DIVISION II
REGION
ALL
Union
13-0
21-0
Harcum
8-3
15-5
Lackawanna
9-4
14-6
Raritan Valley
7-4
13-8
Mercer
6-5
12-5
Middlesex
4-7
9-11
Salem
4-9
10-9
Essex
2-10
4-11
Delaware Tech
0-11
0-17
TUESDAY’S GAMES Union 95, Salem 54 Middlesex 73, Essex 69 (OT) Lackawanna 80, Raritan Valley 70 Delaware Tech at Mercer RCSJ-Gloucester 67, RCSJ-Cumberland 27 Sussex 57, Orange County 46 Atlantic Cape 69, Bergen 50 Brookdale 65, Northampton 58 Philadelphia at Passaic
THURSDAY’S GAMES Harcum at Middlesex Brookdale at Ocean Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon Philadelphia at Bergen Cecil at Delaware Tech Raritan Valley at Monroe Atlantic Cape at Mercer RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton Sussex at Dutchess RCSJ-Gloucester at Passaic
Pennsville’s Ausland breaks through the 1,000-point barrier, joins her brother on the esteemed list; Glassboro girls stun Woodstown, plus all of Tuesday’s Salem County basketball action
TUESDAY GIRLS GAMES
TUESDAY BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 67, Overbrook 25
Overbrook 80, Pennsville 44
Penns Grove 51, Schalick 43
Penns Grove 72, Schalick 50
Glassboro 52, Woodstown 44
Woodstown 55, Glassboro 49
Wildwood 82, Salem 13
Salem 72, Wildwood 43
Gloucester Cath. 72, Salem Tech 31
Gloucester Cath. 77, Salem Tech 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland thought she’s be able to go to bed Monday night as routinely and calm as as anyone could be on the verge of a major milestone, but the anticipation of what the next day held proved too much to sleep on.
She tossed and turned all night, and when she did nod off she dreamed of what was to come and then woke up realizing it hadn’t happened yet. The school day provided a suitable distraction, but when she got to the gym and saw the family gathering in the upper rows of the bleachers the butterflies returned.
Once she got in the game, though, the nerves gave way to normal game-day focus and she was able to settle into the game.
Then came the moment of truth. The Pennsville senior became Salem County’s newest 1,000-point scorer and joined her brother on the elite list while scoring a Pennsville career-high 28 points Tuesday as the Eagles soared past Overbrook 67-25.
She needed 13 points to reach the milestone and she hit the number on a free throw with 6:10 left in the second quarter. She hit a 3 moments earlier to get to 999. She now has 1,015 points for her career.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted off of me and I’m proud of myself that I was able to reach that even being out half of my sophomore season and a few games last year,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to do that.”
Ausland scored her first 462 points in two seasons at Salem, and missed 14 games her sophomore year because of injury.
Ironically, she scored her 1,000th point against the team she scored her first points against and did it for the coach with whom she started her career at Salem, Steve Merritt. She scored a team-high 15 points as a freshman against Overbrook in her high school debut Dec. 17, 2021.
Her first points in that game came on a short jumper after missing on a 3-ball, her dad and trainer Mike Ausland said.
“That’s something I had no idea about; completely lost track of that,” Merritt said. “I was happy to be here, it was good fun. And she deserves it, it’s a long road. It’s a good night.”
As much as everyone wanted it to happen Tuesday, there were no special arrangements to get her the ball to make it happen. The points she was going to get were going to come within the framework of the offense.
The first time she touched the ball she dished it off to Taylor Bass for an opening 3-pointer. She didn’t score for the first time until midway through the first quarter when she gave the Eagles the lead for good. She also had 14 rebounds (for 521 in her career) and seven assists.
Her next target on the points parade is brother Gage, who scored 1,144 points in three seasons at Salem before graduating in 2020.
“It meant a lot to me because my brother, he got it in his three years; I wanted to be like him,” Nora said. “That’s what influenced me to do that first. Now that I finally get it I feel accomplished. So now my goal is to beat him, of course.”
“And she’ll beat me, too,” Gage said.
With Ausland safely over the 1,000-point barrier, the focus now turns on Marley Wood’s quest for the milestone. Wood, a junior, is 69 points away from the number.
If she hits it, she will be the third member of her on the list. Luke Wood, who is not playing basketball this season to focus on baseball, has 1,198 career points. Their sister Ryane, a 2022 Pennsville grad, has 1,224 points and is the school’s fourth all-time leading girls scorer.
“I’m really excited because I want to see my name up on the banner with my brother and my sister,” Marley said.
Katie Kline is Pennsville’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 2,110 points. She graduated in 2004.
Pennsville’s Nora Ausland is flanked by her parents in celebrating her 1,000th career point Tuesday against Overbrook.
PENNS GROVE 51, SCHALICK 43: RaNiyah Wilson moved closer to becoming Penns Grove’s next 1,000-point scorer when she went for 31 points and was the difference against a Cougars team that gave the Red Devils a battle for four quarters.
Wilson needs 11 points to join the elite club teammate Meely Horace joined last season and is projected to get it Thursday at home against Wildwood. She has gone for 30 or more twice in the last week as she closed the gap on the milestone.
The Cougars limited the senior guard to 11 points in the first half on 5-of-19 shooting, but she got loose for 20 in the second half.
Penns Grove pulled away from a close game with eight straight points early in the second quarter, but Schalick never went away. The Cougars needed three players to match Wilson’s production. Freshman Navaeh Robinson (11), Ava Scurry (10) and Cali Fisler (10) combined for 31 points.
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Willoughby, Robinson); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Patterson). Fouled out: Fisler, J. Cummings. Total fouls: Schalick 14, Penns Grove 14.
GLASSBORO 52, WOODSTOWN 44: The Bulldogs put together a big fourth quarter to upset Woodstown and hand the Wolverines their third straight loss and snapped their 38-game winning streak against TCC Diamond Division opponents.
Woodstown held a 36-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs went on a 20-8 tear to snap a four-game losing streak.
Kezia Brackett was Glassboro’s leading scorer with 14 points, but Sanaa Thomas scored eight of her 13 in the fourth quarter to lead its comeback.
“They were ferocious on the glass today and played great defense on our drives,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Brackett and Thomas played with an extreme tenacity on both ends of the floor. They were able to attack the basket, grab offensive and defensive rebounds and pressure the ball.
“They had other girls make big shots when they had the chance to. Their ability to close our and defense our drives without fouling made it difficult to score. They did not give up many second chance opportunities to us.”
Megan Donelson led the Wolverines with 17 points and pulled into a tie with teammate Talia Battavio for second place on Woodstown’s all-time girls scoring list, 108 points behind the top spot. She had five of their points in the fourth quarter and 12 in the second half.
The three-game losing streak is Woodstown’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Tuesday’s loss sets up a potential Diamond Division championship game showdown at Pennsville Feb. 4.
“We did not execute tonight,” Smart said. “We talk about playing our style of basketball each and every night — pressure the ball, push the pace, try and get open looks — and we did not do that tonight. We tried to force some shots that were not there instead of working to get an easy shot.
“While the last three games are obviously disappointing, the great thing about basketball is we get to play another game on Thursday (at Clayton). We need to find that Woodstown Basketball that makes us who we are. We need to play with confidence. I have no doubt the girls will be up for that challenge.”
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 10 (Green, Moore 3, Am. Eggers, High 3, As. Eggers, Hutchinson); Salem Tech 7 (Liber 5, Beardsley, Bazemore). Rebounds: Salem Tech 24 (Beardsley 6).
Boys games
Salem’s Xavier McGriff has scored 56 points in the Rams’ three-game winning streak after enjoying a career night against Wildwood Tuesday. (Photo by Jalen Freeman)
SALEM 72, WILDWOOD 43: Xavier McGriff continued his recent run of strong play, going for a career-high 22 points to lead the Rams to a third straight win that got them back to .500 (8-8) after forfeiting four wins due to an ineligible player. The Rams are 5-1 since the ruling Jan. 13.
McGriff, a junior guard, has scored 56 points during the three-game winning streak. He had 21 points in his previous game against Pennsville.
“He’s been in the program three years, played JV for two years and just stuck with it,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “He’s just a real hard worker, he listens, he’s good in the classroom, he’s good in the hallways, he’s good in the locker room.
“You know, the basketball gods tend to reward kids who put the work in on and off the floor and right now it’s just coming to light. I’m glad the kid’s shooting the ball well, it’s the perfect time of the season, and I hope he keeps lightin’ it up.”
Neziah Spence also had a career night, going for 18 points. Tymear Lecator had 11 points and 12 rebounds and came within two assists of a triple-double. Deshaan Williams also had a double-double (14 points/10 rebounds) and Antwuan Rogers grabbed 12 boards.
Wildwood (5-10)
5
10
11
17-
43
Salem (8-8)
14
16
23
19-
72
PENNS GROVE 72, SCHALICK 50: Playing four men down due to injury and illness, the Red Devils turned to their bench to give them a boost and it came through big to help them continue their longest winning streak since opening the 2020-21 season 8-0. It was their fifth straight win to get back to .500 (7-7) on the season.
Gionni Conrad, a part-time varsity player, came off the bench and scored all five of his points in the second quarter when the Red Devils outscored the Cougars 24-9 to take control of the game. Will Roy scored seven of his 11 in the quarter and Roman Gipson threw in eight of his team-high 17.
“Next man up mentality,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said.
Jameel Horace continued his run of strong play with a career-high 15 points. He has averaged 13 points over the past three games.
Schalick’s Reggie Allen led all scorers with 20 points. He is averaging 18.4 ppg over his last five games.
WOODSTOWN 55, GLASSBORO 49: M.J. Hall scored 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to lift the Wolverines to victory. They held off a furious Glassboro rally by going 8-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Rocco String had 13 points and Garrett Leyman 11.
GLASSBORO (6-9): Davon Barr 0 0-0 0, Xavier Sabb 3 0-4 7, Adien Harris 4 0-0 8, Tae Thomas 1 2-2 4, Kenny Smith 10 4-5 25, Alex Adeleye 1 2-2 5, Will Boggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-13 49. WOODSTOWN (10-4): Eli Caesar 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 2 3-4 9, Alejandro Vazquez 2 1-2 6, M.J. Hall 6 5-6 18, Garrett Leyman 3 1-2 8, Rocco String 6 1-2 13, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 12-18 55.
OVERBROOK 80, PENNSVILLE 44: Lamar Little scored 27 points and the Rams hit 12 3-pointers to hand the Eagles their 12th straight loss. The Rams have won 13 in a row. Jovanni Rios led Pennsville with a career-high 17 points.
Ausland, Wood move closer to 1,000-point plateau, but Pennsville drops close game with Haddon Heights
MONDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Cinnaminson 50, Woodstown 44 Gateway 57, Salem Tech 20 Gloucester City 36, Schalick 16 Haddon Heights 53, Pennsville 48 Palmyra at Salem MONDAY’S BOYS GAME Bordentown 51, Schalick 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland can’t wait for Pennsville’s next game for two important reasons: she’s projected to hit the 1,000-point milestone and to put Monday’s loss to Haddon Heights behind her.
The Pennsville senior moved seven points closer to the career milestone, but the Eagles lost to the Garnets 53-48.
She now needs 13 points to become the newest member of Salem County’s 1,000-point club and join her brother Gage in the elite group. It’s expected to come Tuesday when the Eagles (10-4) host Overbrook, a team they beat by 37 in the first meeting this season.
“I’m excited (anticipating Tuesday’s game) because today was a mess,” Ausland said. “It shouldn’t have been like that at all, but you can’t change it, so tomorrow will be a better game.”
The points she gets Tuesday will come within the framework of the offense, just as they were going to happen Monday. Ausland had 10 in the earlier meeting with Overbrook and 25 against it last year.
“It is better that way,” she said, “because the more nerves, the more that I miss my shots. I try not to think about it and just let it happen when it happens.”
When it does happen, Eagles coach Steve Merritt said, it will bring a “collective sigh of relief” because it has been on everyone’s radar all season.
And after it hits, the focus will shift to Marley Wood’s pursuit of 1,000. The junior guard led the Eagles Monday with 16 points and now has 923 in her career. She hit four 3-pointers in the game and has 82 in her career.
Ausland might have been held to single digits by the Garnets, but she helped the Eagles (10-4) in a number of other ways. She had 11 rebounds and several steals and assists. She made back-to-back steals early in the third quarter that Taylor Bass turned into runout layups in a 7-0 run that drew the teams even after the Eagles trailed by 14 early in the game.
The areas that hurt them most were rebounding and 3-point defense. The Garnets (12-5) hit 10 3-pointers. Every time the Eagles got close, the Garnets hit another to keep their hosts at bay. Leading scorer Emma Harris (21 points) hit four, Brielle Connor three and CeCe Matthews (12 points) two.
“Those were two points of emphasis pre-game,” Merritt said. “We said No. 3 (Harris), No. 22 (Sami Szabo), they love 3s. No. 5 (Matthews) came out and hit a couple right away; now I’ve got three people to worry about.
“And rebounding. I said at some point during the course of the game no ball should hit the floor. We came up short in those areas.”
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 2; all games 5:30 p.m. unless noted
JAN. 27 GIRLS BASKETBALL Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Gloucester City at Schalick Palmyra at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Gateway Woodstown at Cinnaminson, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Schalick at Bordentown, 6:30 p.m. SWIMMING Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 7 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Lanes JAN. 28 GIRLS BASKETBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville Salem at Wildwood Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown Pennsville at Overbrook Penns Grove at Schalick Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic Wildwood at Salem BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes WRESTLING Penns Grove at Riverside, 5 p.m. Salem, Holy Spirit at Oakcrest, 5 p.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at CC of Philadelphia, 7 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m. JAN. 29 WRESTLING Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m. Cumberland at Woodstown, 6 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m. Pitman at Schalick BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes SWIMMING Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3:30 p.m. JAN. 30 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick at Paulsboro Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Camden Tech at Salem Overbrook at Salem Tech Woodstown at Clayton, 7 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Clayton at Woodstown Penns Grove at Wildwood BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. JAN. 31 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Haddon Twp. Salem Tech at Camden Tech Winslow at Salem BOYS BASKETBALL Gateway at Salem Tech Salem vs. Medford Tech at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. WRESTLING Clayton at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 7 p.m. TRACK Tri-County & Olympic Conference at Bennett Center, Toms River FEB. 1 GIRLS BASKETBALL Camden Catholic at Pennsville, 1 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Oakcrest at Pennsville, 11:30 p.m. Schalick at Buena, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Bridgeton, 11:30 a.m. Deptford at Penns Grove, 1 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Clearview, Hammonton at Central Regional, 10 a.m. Pennsville girls at Eastern, 9 a.m. Penns Grove vs. Bordentown, Vineland, Winslow Salem, Schalick, Palmyra at Lindenwold, 9 a.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Luzerne County CC at Salem CC, noon WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Raritan Valley CC, noon
FEB. 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Eastern, 10 a.m.
String joins elite 500-500 Club with 500th career rebound in Woodstown’s win, Penns Grove’s Wilson gets closer to 1,000 points, includes all of Saturday’s Salem County action
SATURDAY GIRLS GAMES
SATURDAY BOYS GAMES
OLMA 35, Penns Grove 34
Woodstown 74, West Deptford 32
Camden Tech 49, Schalick 38
Camden Tech 80, Schalick 68
Clearview 76, Pennsville 38
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Rocco String wasted little time joining an elite club of high school basketball players.
The Woodstown senior post went into Saturday needing just one rebound to join the 500-500 Club. It was going to be quick and if you weren’t in your seat in time you’d have missed it.
Woodstown’s Rocco String wears the Player of the Game medallion after joining the 500-500 Club with his 500th career rebound Saturday.
He snagged a missed shot by one of his teammate and laid it back in for his 500th rebound and the first points of the game in an eventual 74-32 Wolverines win over West Deptford.
“It’s a big accomplishment; I did it in two and a half years,” String said. “Once I rebounded, I was like I did it and then I kept playing because we didn’t break for a timeout.
“It was a very cool accomplishment, for sure. Not a lot of people get that.”
Not unless they’re willing to work. After all, rebounding is a blue-collar job, but String isn’t afraid to bang around on the inside. He’s only been out of double-digit rebounds once this season, and he had nine in that one.
“A lot of players forget about the third phase of basketball,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “You have offense, defense, and rebounding. With a guy like Rocco, his first priority is to rebound.
“I’m proud of his accomplishment because he works so hard and he has become a great leader. He holds guys accountable and is becoming a man. He’s going to do great things in life because he is always looking to get better. He improves day to day (and) has turned into the best big in Group 1, in my opinion.”
On the offensive end, he had a game-high 15 points, giving him 551 for his career. Truth be told, the stat that really gets him excited is blocked shots. He has more than 160 of those in his career and has been a block or two shy of a triple-double several times this season.
His putback to open the game got the Wolverines off to a great start. They shut out the Eagles in the first quarter 20-0.
WOODSTOWN 74, WEST DEPTFORD 32 WEST DEPTFORD (3-10): Shayne Halter 0 2-2 2, Kyree Eason 0 0-0 0, Thomas Cross 1 0-0 3, Aaron Benson 1 0-0 3, Anthony Martello 1 0-0 2, Curtis Pearson 1 0-2 3, Braeden Warren 0 0-0 0, Carter Watson 5 0-0 12, Michael Joseph 2 3-4 7, Cole Stanish 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 5-8 32. WOODSTOWN (9-4): Eli Caesar 3 0-0 7, John Hood-McGindley 2 0-0 5, Blake Bialecki 4 0-0 9, Alejandro Vazquez 5 0-0 12, M.J. Hall 3 1-2 7, Josh King 1 0-0 3, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 2-2 4, Sid Leevy 0 1-2 1, Rocco String 7 1-4 15, Brayden Hall 4 0-0 9, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 5-10 74.
West Deptford
0
14
7
11-
32
Woodstown
20
16
18
20-
74
3-point goals: West Deptford 5 (Cross, Benson, Pearson, Watson 2); Woodstown 7 (Caesar, McGindley, Bialecki, Vazquez 2, King, B. Hall). Total fouls: West Deptford 7, Woodstown 11.
CLEARVIEW 76, PENNSVILLE 38 PENNSVILLE (1-13): Jovanni Rios 6 0-0 12, Mason O’Brien 3 1-2 8, Logan Hitt 1 1-2 4, Cole Johnston 2 0-0 6, Danny Knight 1 0-0 3, Arturus Franz 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 2-4 38. CLEARVIEW (7-9): Luke Andres 4 1-1 12, J.D. Steidle 2 1-3 5, Jake Flotter 2 0-0 4, Jonah Turner 5 0-0 11, George Kritikson 4 0-0 10, T.J. McGovern 1 0-0 3, Luke Zuba 1 0-0 3, Kaprice Stewart 4 1-2 10, Brady Riedel 1 1-2 4, Andrew Long 1 0-0 2, Alex Doe 3 0-0 8, Tykeem Williams 1 2-2 4. Totals 29 6-14 76.
Salem CC women use a big fourth-quarter rally to beat Middlesex and keep their playoff hopes alive
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC women’s basketball team could see their playoff hopes slipping away. Something had to happen, and it had to happen fast.
Nyaijah Jackson spoke softly but forcefully at halftime to let her teammates know things had to change. Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh was a little louder.
It took a little while for the message to kick in, but the Mighty Oaks ultimately put together a comeback for the ages, rallying from 19 down in the third quarter, to beat Middlesex 61-58 and keep their Region XIX playoff hopes alive.
They trailed by 19 (47-26) with 4:27 left in the third quarter and 15 to start the fourth, then outscored the Colts 26-8 in the fourth quarter to complete a sweep of this four-game scheduling block that was going to determine what their season eventually looked like.
“I knew we had it in us,” Mighty Oaks sophomore Caroline Zullo said. “We all knew we had it in us, we just didn’t show it in the first half. Second half, we decided to pull through. We felt our playoffs were slipping away, so we all collectively decided we’ve got to lock in.”
Teams have to be .500 or better overall or in the region to make the playoffs. The Mighty Oaks are now 10-8 with six games to play meaning all they have to do is find two more wins against the toughest stretch of the schedule.
Four of the remaining games are against teams among the top five Division II teams in the region, starting with undefeated league-leading Union at home Tuesday, and the other two are against the region’s top two Division III teams.
Caroline Zullo brings the ball up here, but later in the game she hit two free throws that gave the Mighty Oaks the lead for good. (Photo by John Holt)
There wasn’t a lot good that happened to the Mighty Oaks in the first half. They missed shots, they turned it over, they allowed the Colts (8-11) to score in the paint. Middlesex scored 22 points in the paint and 12 points off Salem’s 17 turnovers in the first half.
Marsh didn’t think their playoff chances were done at halftime, but he knew things would be harder if they didn’t pick it up because it would mean making something happen on the road.
“I just wasn’t happy with the effort in the first half,” he said. “It felt like the first game at Middlesex and I said it’s up to you guys. I can’t play for you guys, it’s up to you. If you want this game, we’ve got to get our energy up.
“We’ve got to speed this game up and we’ve got to start attacking the basket. Slow’s not our game. We’ve got to play fast. We play better when we’re attacking.”
Jackson spoke up in the dressing room, too, with some colorful language she said she apologized for. But it got the point across.
From the time they were down 19, the Mighty Oaks held the Colts to 3-for-15 shooting from the floor and forced them into 13 turnovers.
After fighting all the way back they finally took the lead 59-58 on a pair of free throws by Zullo with 16.5 seconds left after the Colts turned it over at the other end.
“I felt I might have popped my shoulder out of place,” Zullo said. “I was stressing, it was hurting, so I gave myself a minute or two and took a breath. I knew we needed the foul shots down by one. I at least wanted to go one-for-one and ended up making two. I felt the pressure so I decided to cancel everything out. All right, we need this (she said to herself) and I decided to put them in.”
They sealed it with two Jackson free throws at 2.4 after she was fouled clearing the rebound off a missed Middlesex layup. The Colts never got a final shot, mishandling the inbounds pass in the backcourt as the clock expired.
Jackson led the Mighty Oaks with 18 points, 14 in the second half. Kathryn Laurence had 15 and Jakayla Jenkins had 12. Zullo finished with six points and 12 rebounds.
“I loved it, I loved every second of it,” Jackson said of the comeback. “We gave it all we had to the final minute of the game. Working together and playing together is one of the main things that got us the win today.”
3-point goals: Middlesex 1-7 (Zafar 0-1, Feaster 0-4, Singleton 0-1, Reyes 1-1); Salem CC 4-15 (Jackson 0-1, Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 0-2, Laurence 2-7, Jenkins 1-1, King 0-1, Hopkins 1-2). Rebounds: 44 (Peralta-Almonte 17, McCollum 9, Santiago 7); Salem CC 31 (Zullo 12, Jackson 9). Total fouls: Middlesex 20, Salem CC 17.
REGION XIX WOMEN’S DIVISION II
REGION
ALL
Union
12-0
20-0
Harcum
8-3
15-5
Raritan Valley
7-3
13-7
Lackawanna
8-4
13-6
Mercer
6-5
11-5
Salem
4-8
10-8
Middlesex
3-7
8-11
Essex
2-9
4-10
Delaware Tech
0-11
0-17
Nyaijah Jackson (1) led Salem’s comeback. She was active on both ends of the floor and scored 14 points in the second half. (Photo by John Holt)
Salem CC men knock off No. 14 Northampton in OT behind four double-figure scorers, double-double by Spencer and several big 3s
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green has done a really nice job getting the Salem CC basketball team to a point where it’s starting to get looked at in a national light. But to break through the glass ceiling you have to beat some of those teams on the other side.
The Mighty Oaks missed a chance to do that Tuesday night just a few hours after they received some votes in the national JUCO rankings but not enough to crack the top 15. But they had their breakthrough moment Saturday, beating No. 14 Northampton 91-83 in overtime for the biggest win in Green’s 40-game run here.
It is believed to be the Mighty Oaks’ first win over a nationally ranked opponent since restarting the program in 2019.
“This puts us on the board,” freshman guard Xavier Brewington said. “We were already on the board, but after beating them, we’re gonna really get looked at, because they were ranked and we were just iffy. Now, we’re just up there. After the setback from (No. 12) Union, we came out here and had to do what we had to do.”
“At some point you’re going to have to notice the job that’s being done here,” Green said. “(Four-year) college coaches are reaching out now. We had a vote (in the poll) last week. Hopefully people continue to watch and give Salem basketball a chance because it ain’t the Salem of old. There’s some good stuff going on here.”
If the Mighty Oaks (17-5) needed any more incentive to go after this one, all they had to do was look at the box score from last February’s 89-37 pasting Green used as motivation. It’s the only box score from a previous game he still has tacked up on his board.
Unlike their game at No. 12 Union Tuesday night, the Mighty Oaks were in this one start to finish. They may have gotten down by 12 in the first half, but they didn’t let the game get away from them.
They tied it in regulation on Tamir Powell’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, then held their breath for overtime as J.J. Kolumber’s long 3 at the buzzer drew iron. It was Powell’s only 3 of the game.
“I had a strong feeling it was coming to me, and I knew I was going to make it because I missed every other shot before,” Powell said. “But I knew I had it in me. I knew I could make the shot, so I felt when the time was the biggest I chose it and I shot it and I made it.”
The Spartans worked the clock down for the final shot of regulation and the Mighty Oaks forced the ball into Kolumber’s hands after shutting off Nasir Ruhani on the other side of the floor, which is exactly what their scouting report said they should do.
“I think that was Tivon (Woolford) who did that,” Green said. “I think Tivon was in his gap because 24 (Ruhani) wanted to go one-on-one. That’s the scouting report. We were talking about that at halftime, like, follow the scouting report, just follow it. We made a decision that (showed) they understood the scouting report.”
Tamir Powell hit the 3-pointer for Salem that sent the game into overtime. (Photo by John Holt)
The 3-ball was big for the Mighty Oaks in overtime, too, as Brewington hit one with 3:30 left to break a 75-75 and give them the lead and then buried another with his next shot to make it 81-75 with 2:33 to go. Tivon Wollford hit one later for a nine-point lead and the Mighty Oaks closed it out with five free throws in the final 35 seconds.
They were 10-of-28 from 3-point range in the game, 7-of-17 in the second half and overtime, and were 19-of-22 from the foul line. Brewington was 4-of-8 from behind the arc.
“We’ve got four people (who can shoot it) and I’m going to find which one of them is going to make it today,” Green said. “I knew Brewington has been struggling, but I told him in the time out I don’t need you to dribble any more, I need you to shoot that damned ball, let it fly, and right after that he ran off about three of them.”
It looked like the Mighty Oaks might have missed their chance to take down the Spartans (17-3) early in the second half when they fought back from a seven-point deficit to have a chance to take the lead since 17-16 in the first half.
Jyheim Spencer was fouled trying to throw down a dunk that would have tied the game with 12:53 left. He made the first free throw, but missed the second. Akeem Taylor rebounded the miss, but his putback blocked by Ruhani.
The Spartans collected the loose ball and Sebastian Fermin hit two free throws at the other end and the Mighty Oaks were back to playing catch-up for the rest of the half.
“Deep back in your head you think, aw, man, it might be over,” Brewington said, “but at the same time when you have teammates and coaches looking you up … we all came together and were like we’ve got to dig down because it’s going to be a dogfight.
“They were nationally ranked, but it was all about heart. We kept saying on the bench, in the locker room, in the huddle, this game is all about heart. We had to go in there with the mentality that we have to be a dog.”
The Mighty Oaks placed four scorers in double figures and Jyheim Spencer had a double-double. Taylor led the offense with 23 points. Brewington had 21, Woolford 10 and Spencer 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
Spencer would be leading the nation (JUCO Division III) in rebounding if he had enough games to qualify. He’s now averaging 15.3 rpg in eight games since making his debut Jan. 7.
SALEM CC 91, NORTHAMPTON CC 83 (OT) NORTHAMPTON CC (17-3) – Sebastian Fermin 6-12 2-3 17, J.J. Kolumber 1-4 0-0 2, Abdul Jackson 6-19 2-3 16, Ameer Herran 6-7 2-3 14, Lamaj Mapp 1-3 0-0 2, Ethan Ringenberger 1-1 0-0 2, Ethan Sakwa 0-0 0-0 0, Nasir Ruhani 8-13 5-7 21, Josh Washington 3-5 1-5 7. Totals 32-64 12-21 83. SALEM CC (17-5) – Tamir Powell 2-8 2-2 7, Tyrese Fortune 3-7 2-2 8, Xavier Brewington 7-14 3-3 21, Akeem Taylor 7-18 7-9 23, Jyheim Spencer 6-6 3-4 15, Dontarius Jones 1-2 0-0 2, A.J. Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Tivon Woolford 3-5 2-2 10, Josh Ramos 1-5 0-0 3, Taje’e Jordan 1-1 0-0 2, Stefan Phillips 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-69 19-22 91.
Northampton CC
41
32
10-
83
Salem CC
31
42
18-
91
3-point goals: Northampton CC 5-14 (Fermin 3-8, Kolumber 0-2, Jackson 2-4); Salem CC 10-28 (Powell 1-6, Fortune 0-1, Brewington 4-8, Taylor 2-4, A. Jones 0-1, Woolford 2-3, Ramos 1-4, Phillips 0-1). Rebounds: Northampton CC 31 (Herran 10). Salem CC 39 (Spencer 19, Fortune 6). Total fouls: Northampton CC 18, Salem CC 18.
Salem’s leading scorer Akeem Taylor drives around Northampton’s Nasir Ruhani on his way to the basket Saturday. On the cover, Xavier Brewington puts up a 3 for the Mighty Oaks. (Photos by John Holt)
Mighty Oaks announce ambitious schedules for baseball, softball; baseball opens on Valentine’s Day, softball in March
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The earliest scheduled season opener since they restarted the program, a 12-game Florida trip and the usual gauntlet of nationally ranked region opponents highlight Salem CC’s most ambitious 2025 baseball schedule.
“We’re excited for the schedule,” Mighty Oaks coach John Holt said. “It’s always a challenge when you’re in a conference arguably the best junior college conference in the country (with) three to four top 10 teams with three-game series.
“We’ve got to start early and prepare early and try to get some innings under our belt before we open up against the No. 3 team in the country in Brookdale (Feb. 28). We try to make our non-conference schedule as competitive as possible just so that we can keep up with the stress that is our conference schedule.”
The Mighty Oaks open the season with a doubleheader against Genesee (N.Y.) CC, a late addition to the schedule after Lehigh Carbon disbanded its program. The games slide in ahead of their Feb. 15 doubleheader with preseason D-II No. 22 Lansing (Mich.) CC, a team they were supposed to play in a multi-team event in Tennessee before that trip fell apart.
The Mighty Oaks play teams from eight different states and six teams in the various preseason JUCO national rankings.
They’ll get a taste for warm weather and hot competition on their eight-day trip to Lakeland, Fla., where they’ll play, among others, preseason D-II No. 21 Westchester CC and preseason D-III No. 6 SUNY-Niagara, whose head coach Holt recruited as a player when he coached at Burlington County.
“We’re excited to go to Florida,” Holt said. “It’s our first time back to Florida since we started this program back up. The schedule’s going to be a little more challenging, but I think the program’s ready to take that step.”
Their previous earliest season opener was Feb. 19, 2002, when they played Rockingham CC in North Carolina.
The Mighty Oaks play their home games at the Carneys Point Rec Complex. The softball team plays at the Pennsville Little League Complex.
2025 SALEM CC BASEBALL SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 14: Genesee CC (2), TBA; 15: Lansing CC (2), noon; 17: at Bryant & Stratton (Va.) (2), noon; 28: Brookdale CC, 1:30 p.m. MARCH 1: at Brookdale CC (2), noon; 7: at Delaware County CC, 3 p.m.; 8: Delaware County CC (2), noon; 10: Alexandria (Minn.) Tech & CC (2), 2:45 p.m.; 11: Prairie State (Ill.) (2), 1:15 p.m.; 12: Northland (Minn.) C&TC (2), 2 p.m.; 14: North Dakota State/Science, 9 a.m.; 14: Oakton (Ill.) CC, 1:45 p.m.; 15: SUNY Niagara (2), 9 a.m.; 16: Westchester CC (2), 10 a.m.; 18: Luzerne County CC, 3:30 p.m.; 21: at RCSJ-Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.; 22: RCSJ-Cumberland (2), noon; 26: Mercer County CC, 3:30 p.m.; 28: at Montgomery County (Pa.) CC, 3:30 p.m.; 29: Montgomery County (Pa.) CC (2), noon. APRIL 4: at Middlesex, 3:30 p.m.; 5: Middlesex (2), noon; 8: Northampton CC, 3:30 p.m.; 9: at Northampton CC, 3:30 p.m.; 11: Camden CC, 3:30 p.m.; 12: at Camden CC (2), noon; 15: at Luzerne County CC, 3:30 p.m.; 16: at Mercer County CC, 3:30 p.m.; 18: Bergen CC, 3:30 p.m.; 19: at Bergen CC (2), noon; 22: RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.; 23: at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.; 25: at Union, 3:30 p.m.; 26: Union (2), noon. MAY 2: at Ocean CC, 3:30 p.m.; 3: Ocean CC (2), noon; 5: at Atlantic Cape CC, 3:30 p.m.
2025 SALEM CC SOFTBALL SCHEDULE (All dates doubleheaders) MARCH 1: Monroe-Bronx, noon; 7: Sussex County CC, noon; 10: at Southeastern CC-Whiteville (N.C.), 1 p.m.; 11: at Wake Tech (N.C.), 1 p.m.; 12: at Fayetteville (N.C.) Tech, 3 p.m.; 20: Brookdale CC, 3:30 p.m.; 23: at Delaware Tech, noon; 25: Raritan Valley CC, 3:30 p.m.; 28: Howard CC, 11 a.m.; 29: at CC of Morris, noon; 30: Bucks County CC, noon. APRIL 1: Lackawanna, 3 p.m.; 3: at Camden CC, 3:30 p.m.; 5: Mercer County CC, noon; 8: at Sussex County CC, 3:30 p.m.; 11: Cecil, 3:30 p.m.; 12: Delaware Tech, noon; 13: at Orange County CC, noon; 15: Bergen CC, 3:30 p.m.; 19: at Mercer County CC, noon; 22: CC of Morris, 3:30 p.m.; 24: Lackawanna, 3:30 p.m.; 26: at Raritan Valley CC, noon
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