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 67, OVERBROOK 25
OVERBROOK (4-12): Gianna Simon 3 1-4 8, Jael Pressley 5 2-3 12, Rosetta Loibman 1 0-0 3, Lelani Knight 0 2-2 2, Alani White 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-9 25.
PENNSVILLE (11-4): Taylor Bass 7 2-2 18, Marley Wood 2 3-5 8, Nora Ausland 9 8-10 28, Addie Johnston 2 0-0 5, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Sofia Belitsas 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 13-17 67.
| Overbrook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 0 |
| Pennsville | 20 | 22 | 12 | 13- | 67 |
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.
SCHALICK (3-10): Abby Willoughby 3 1-2 8, Cali Fisler 4 2-4 10, Ava Scurry 5 0-3 10, Olivia Vanacker 2 0-0 4, Navaeh Robinson 5 0-0 11, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Willow Davis 0 0-0 0, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-9 43.
PENNS GROVE (8-6): RaNiyah Wilson 12 5-8 31, JaNiyah Cummings 5 3-4 13, Mikayla Washington 0 0-0 0, Keziah Patterson 1 0-0 3, NyAsia Numan 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 8-12 51
| Schalick | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12- | 43 |
| Penns Grove | 11 | 14 | 16 | 8- | 51 |
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.”
WOODSTOWN (11-5): Talia Battavio 3 4-4 12, Megan Donelson 6 2-2 17, Gianna Maiorini 1 0-0 2, Lauren Hengel 2 0-0 6, Kyia Leyman 2 1-2 5, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Ryann Foote 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-8 44.
GLASSBORO (6-9): Sanaa Thomas 5 3-3 11, Kezia Brackett 7 0-0 14, Kimora Miles 1 0-0 3, Sianna Wedderburn 4 0-0 8, Lily Czubas 2 0-2 5, Grace Moore 4 0-0 9. Totals 23 3-5 52.
| Woodstown | 9 | 11 | 16 | 8- | 44 |
| Glassboro | 7 | 13 | 12 | 20- | 52 |
WILDWOOD 82, SALEM 13
SALEM (1-12): Carlysia Pierce 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Hickman 2 1-2 6, Lyric Hayes 1 0-0 2, Zaniyah Frieson 2 0-0 5. Only four players reported. Totals 5 1-2 13.
WILDWOOD (12-2): Macie McCracken 9 0-0 20, Angela Wilber 6 2-2 19, Rebecca Benichou 4 0-0 11, Kiana D’Antuono 0 0-0 0, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Addison Troiano 6 0-0 12, Lily Atkinson 2 0-0 6, Laila Fathi 1 0-0 3, Julia Ennis 0 0-0 0, Emma Contreras 1 1-2 3, Ellasyn Morey 0 0-0 0, Antoinette Cooper 1 0-0 2, Mollie Farrell 2 0-0 6, Janet Gonzalez 0 0-0 0. Totals 32 3-4 82.
| Salem | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5- | 13 |
| Wildwood | 28 | 25 | 16 | 13- | 82 |
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 72, SALEM TECH 31
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (13-2): Jahzara Green 6 0-0 13, Jalyn Moore 4 0-0 11, Amanda Eggers 3 0-0 7, Talia Shumate 6 0-0 12, Monet High 5 0-0 13, Ashlynn Eggers 1 0-0 3, Maya Hutchinson 3 0-0 7, Ruth Cutuli 3 0-0 6. Totals 31 0-0 72.
SALEM TECH (2-12): Shelby Liber 5 0-0 15, Rylee Doerr 3 0-0 6, Kaylin Beardsley 3 0-0 7, Tiara Bazemore 1 0-0 3, Hannah Dewitt 0 0-0 0, Jadelynn Stoffen 0 0-0 0, Amora Elaine 0 0-0 0, Lavar Scott 0 0-0 0, Shelby Drummond 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 0-0 31.
| Gloucester Catholic | 31 | 13 | 20 | 8- | 72 |
| Salem Tech | 6 | 7 | 5 | 13- | 31 |
Boys games
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.
PENNS GROVE (7-7): Roman Gipson 7 1-4 17, Karon Ceaser 4 3-4 13, Jameel Horace 7 1-2 15, Geonni Conrad 2 1-2 5, Will Roy 5 0-0 11, Luis Colon 4 1-2 9, Caleb Fowler 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 7-14 72.
SCHALICK (4-14): Reggie Allen 8 1-3 20, Nylan Sutton 1 1-2 3, Sherrod Jones 5 0-2 11, Jamari Whitley 4 2-2 10, Kenneth Bartee 2 0-4 4. Totals 20 4-13 50.
| Penns Grove | 13 | 24 | 16 | 19- | 72 |
| Schalick | 14 | 9 | 17 | 10- | 50 |
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.
| Glassboro | 11 | 11 | 5 | 22- | 49 |
| Woodstown | 11 | 14 | 13 | 17- | 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.
PENNSVILLE (1-14): Jovanni Rios 7 2-4 17, Mason O’Brien 2 1-6 5, Arturus Franzy 1 0-0 2, Cole Johnston 2 0-0 5, Daniel Knight 2 2-2 6, C.J. McDevitt 2 2-2 6, Gavin Spears 1 0-0 2, Laughty 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 8-16 44.
OVERBROOK (15-2): Lamar Little 11 2-3 27, Xavier Wright 2 0-0 4, Zair Green 6 1-1 18, Elvin Santiago 1 1-2 3, Bilal Robinson 5 0-0 12, Cody Harris 1 0-0 3, Jaden St. John 2 1-2 5, Gavin Cajuste 1 0-0 2, Shallom Teguia 2 0-0 6. Totals 31 5-8 80.
| Pennsville | 8 | 10 | 19 | 7- | 44 |
| Overbrook | 17 | 24 | 24 | 23- | 80 |
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 77, SALEM TECH 39
SALEM TECH (0-15): Joseph Hayes 1 2-3 4, Larry Pompper 2 8-10 12, Keidyn Robinson 0 0-2 0, Logan Pace 0 2-2 2, Chase Pompper 2 1-4 6, Aiden Bobo 0 0-2 0, Raphael Busch 6 0-0 13, Sam Battiato 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 13-23 39.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (7-10): Jack Pund 6 2-4 14, Danny Zellner 6 2-2 14, Ben Cook 5 1-2 11, Gary Connelly 3 0-0 7, C.J. Mitchell 4 0-0 8, Zack Payne 3 0-0 6, Jordan Mendez 2 0-0 5, Anthony Polidoro 1 0-0 2, Andrew Ginipro 4 0-0 8, Kimani Pyram 1 0-0 2. Totals 35 5-8 77.
| Salem Tech | 7 | 9 | 8 | 15- | 39 |
| Gloucester Catholic | 21 | 15 | 18 | 23- | 77 |
| SALEM COUNTY ALL-TIME SCORING LIST (GIRLS) | TODAY | POINTS |
| Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004) | 2110 | |
| Amanda Young, St. James (1995) | 1762 | |
| Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009) | 1661 | |
| Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) | 1574 | |
| Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) | 1566 | |
| Talia Battavio, Woodstown | 12 vs. Glassboro | 1458 |
| Megan Donelson, Woodstown | 17 vs. Glassboro | 1458 |
| Crystal Bailey, Schalick (1984) | 1406 | |
| Stephanie Owen, Woodstown (1993) | 1381 | |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | ||
| Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 553) | 28 vs. Overbrook | 1015 |
| RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 738) | 31 vs. Schalick | 989 |
| Marley Wood, Pennsville | 8 Overbrook | 931 |
Through games of Jan. 28
Riverview Sports News 