Saturday basketball: Pennsville’s girls win in overtime, Schalick’s boys snap losing streak, includes all the day’s games involving Salem County teams
| GIRLS GAMES | BOYS GAMES |
| Pennsville 46, Camden Catholic 45 (OT) | Schalick 73, Buena 31 |
| Gateway 26, Schalick 21 | Oakcrest 78, Pennsville 52 |
| Bridgeton 63, Woodstown 51 | |
| Deptford 63, Penns Grove 60 |
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – After a disappointing game against a top team the night before, Pennsville coach Steve Merritt challenged his team to put on a good show Saturday in what he expected to be a similarly tough game against Camden Catholic.
The Eagles gave their coach almost everything he asked for and it resulted in a 46-45 overtime victory.
“They never quit, they played really good defense and were active,” Merritt said. “I was really pleased with the way we played today.
“I told them before the game when I got this job and started working with you I was really happy with the effort and desire to win and for the most part I was happy with it. Yesterday I was little disappointed; let’s go out and put on a good show and they did.”
Playing with 1,000-point scorer Nora Ausland (fouled out) and Jaida Burns (injured) on the bench down the stretch in regulation and all of overtime, the Eagles outscored the Irish 4-3 in the extra session.
All the points in overtime came from the free throw line.
Marley Wood put Pennsville ahead 45-44 with 29 seconds left when she made one of two. The Irish rebounded the shot she missed and tried to hold the ball for a last shot, but the Eagles tied it up with 8.7 seconds and took possession.
Wood was fouled again and this time missed both shots. Edore Pela drve through several Pennsville hands on her way to the basket and put up a short shot for the win that rattled around the rim and didn’t fall.
Pennsville took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Irish rallied to force overtime. The Eagles had a chance to win in regulation. Taylor Bass got a steal with two seconds left and raced towards the basket, but her potential game-winning shot rimmed out as the horn blew.
Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 15 points. Ausland had 14 points, 11 in the second quarter to get the Eagles back in the game.
Pela led all scorers with 22 points. She had 11 in the Irish’ fourth-quarter comeback.
PENNSVILLE 46, CAMDEN CATHOLIC 45 (OT)
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (10-6) – Kayla Dunn 4 0-0 10, Caroline Brennan 0 0-4 0, Edore Pell 7 4-8 22, Maddie Brennan 2 0-0 4, Alexa vonHohenstein 1 1-2 3, Khloe Bowman 0 3-4 3, Ayana Jackson 0 0-0 0, Ashanty Alacron 1 0-0 3, Finley Green 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 8-16 45.
PENNSVILLE (12-5) – Taylor Bass 3 7-7 15, Marley Wood 0 5-10 5, Nora Ausland 4 3-4 14, Addie Johnston 3 1-2 7, Jaida Burns 2 1-2 5, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 17-25 46.
| Camden Catholic (10-6) | 10 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 3- | 45 |
| Pennsville (12-5) | 4 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 4- | 46 |
GATEWAY 26, SCHALICK 21
GATEWAY (7-11) – Jayda Catoe 0 0-0 0, Peyton Cutler 3 4-10 10, Maggie Eliasen 0 0-0 0, Layla DeMaise 1 2-4 4, Sarai Gary 1 4-6 6, Lexi Kirwin 2 1-2 6. Totals 7 11-22 26.
SCHALICK (3-11) – Abigail Willoughby 2 0-0 4, Cali Fisler 2 1-5 5, Ava Scurry 3 1-2 7, Navaeh Robinson 1 1-2 3, Willow Davis 0 2-5 2. Totals 8 5-14 21.
| Gateway | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8- | 26 |
| Schalick | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2- | 21 |
| 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 | |
| Brittany Smith, Salem (2007) | 1623 | |
| Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) | 1574 | |
| Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) | 1566 | |
| Talia Battavio, Woodstown | DNP | 1479 |
| Megan Donelson, Woodstown | DNP | 1473 |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | ||
| Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 560) | 14 vs. Camden Catholic | 1036 |
| RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 762) | DNP | 1013 |
| Marley Wood, Pennsville | 5 vs. Camden Catholic | 943 |
Career games by Volovar,
Sutton boost Schalick
CENTERTON – Jase Volovar has been missing his shot lately and wondered where it had gone. It came back to him Saturday and he had a feeling it would.
He and Nylan Sutton both enjoyed career days in Schalick’s 73-31 rout of Buena that snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Volovar tied his career-high with three 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points. Sutton, a senior forward, hit 11 buckets and scored a career-high 24 points.
“It was about going out and coming out as a team and bouncing back from a couple losses,” Volovar said. “Getting back in the rhythm of winning coming up for this game (at Glassboro) Tuesday.
“I thought today we really came together as a team and were moving the ball extremely well, which really helped us get in the rhythm, helped me open up a lot.”
It started quickly for the Cougars’ junior guard. He missed his first 3, but came back down and hit one, then right away got a steal and layup off the press and was on his way to something special. He hit two more 3s before halftime and had 16 points at the break.
“I had been missing my shot,” he said. “Warming up I said my shot was going to be pretty good today. I was hitting from deep, all over the court, every area.”
He credited the increased shooting in practice with helping him get back on track.
Justin Iacona was also feeling it. He hit three 3s, too, and finished with 11 points.
SCHALICK 73, BUENA 31
BUENA (5-12) – Troy Gregory 3 0-0 6, Jayden Rivera 0 0-2 0, Richie Wilson 1 0-0 2, Tyler Weightman 1 2-2 5, Shamel Rivera-Collazo 7 4-8 18. Totals 12 6-12 31.
SCHALICK (5-14) – Jase Volovar 8 1-3 20, Nylan Sutton 11 2-5 24, Sherrod Jones 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whitley 1 0-4 2, Kenneth Bartee 4 0-0 8, Justin Iacona 4 0-0 11, Nicholas Ashwell 1 0-0 2, Ryan Horner 1 0-0 2, Kade Macom 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 3-12 73.
3-point goals: Buena 1 (Weightman); Schalick 6 (Volovar 3, Iacona 3).
BRIDGETON 63, WOODSTOWN 51: It was all Jameel Purnell and Tavon Chandler for Bridgeton in a tight first half, but the Bulldogs got more players involved in the second half and pulled away.
Purnell scored 34 points in the game and Chandler had 16 to almost outscore the Wolverines on their own, and they combined for all their team’s points in the first half as they built a 25-22 halftime lead.
The Wolverines stayed within reach, but, coach Ramon Roots said, just “didn’t make enough winning plays” to get over the top.
Blake Bialecki hit four 3-pointers and led Woodstown with 14 points. Alejandro Vazquez had 12 and Rocco String had 11.
WOODSTOWN (11-5) – Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 5 0-1 14, Alejandro Vazquez 4 2-2 12, M.J. Hall 1 1-2 3, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 4, Rocco String 4 3-4 11, Brayden Hall 1 0-0 3. Totals
BRIDGETON (8-12) – Leroy Ortiz Rodriguez 2 0-0 4, Joel Francisco Lopez 2 0-0 4, Kyion Gray 1 0-0 3, Stephen Little 0 0-0 0, Jameel Purnell 14 1-2 34, Jahzeer Thompson 0 0-0 0, Geraldo Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Tavon Chandler 6 2-4 16, Jerrell Burks 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-6 64.
| Woodstown | 10 | 12 | 17 | 12- | 51 |
| Bridgeton | 7 | 18 | 20 | 18- | 63 |
OAKCREST 78, PENNSVILLE 52: Maison Webster hit nine 3-pointers to fuel a 30-point game and Tyree Montford scored 23 for Oakcrest. Mason O’Brien led Pennsville with 13.
OAKCREST (7-10) – Adriece Diggs 3-0-6, Levar Price 1-3-6, Zicri Forest 2-0-4, Maison Webster 10-2-30, Nyree Montford 11-1-23, Jayden Collins 2-0-5, Prince Palmer 2-0-4. Totals 31-6-78.
PENNSVILLE (2-15) – Perry Meranti 4-1-9, Cole Johnston 3-0-9, Jovanni Rios 1-1-3, Mason O’Brien 5-2-13, C.J. McDevitt 1-0-2, Daniel Knight 0-2-6, Logan Hitt 0-3-3, Jacob Miller 1-1-4, J.P. Laughrey 1-0-3. Totals 18-8-52.
| Oakcrest | 8 | 15 | 26 | 28- | 78 |
| Pennsville | 11 | 6 | 16 | 19- | 52 |
DEPTFORD 63, PENNS GROVE 60: Deptford’s Alonzo Hernandez made it a three-point game with two free throws with 10.2 seconds left and Penns Grove missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds. Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser put back his miss to get the Red Devils within 61-60.
DEPTFORD (11-5) – Jordan Williams 10-0-21, Kenny Cockrell 4-1-9, Luke Vilary 2-0-4, Brian Orio 1-02-4, Ayden Copestick 7-3-21, Alonzo Hernandez 1-2-4. Totals 25-8-63.
PENNS GROVE (8-8) – B.J. Robbins 7-5-22, Roman Gipson 2-3-8, Karon Ceaser 9-2-22, Antoine Robinson 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Will Roy 0-2-2. Totals 21-12-60.
| Deptford | 14 | 10 | 22 | 15- | 63 |
| Penns Grove | 19 | 16 | 10 | 15- | 60 |
Riverview Sports News 