No. 2 Salem CC makes it 13 in a row with another 100-point effort in win at RCSJ-Cumberland; overtakes GSAC lead with Union’s loss
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
VINELAND – Last year’s Salem CC offensive production on the basketball floor was good enough to get them a record-smashing season and a fifth-place finish in the national tournament. Don’t look now, but this year’s version is looking even stronger, with younger players and a lot more players who can handle the ball.
The Mighty Oaks have been challenging the limits of scoreboards all over the region this year. Thursday night they hit the 100-point mark for the sixth time this season and second game in a row in blasting an improved RCSJ-Cumberland team, 106-78.
With their 13-0 start, the second-ranked Mighty Oaks are already halfway to last year’s win total. They hit the 100 mark five times in 34 games last year, they’ve already surpassed that this year and it’s not even Christmas.
“A hundred points definitely feels good,” guard Zyaire Gibson said. “We’re trying to see how many times we can do it, and we try to do it as many times as we can over and over and over until somebody stops us from doing it. The team that stops us from (doing it) we’re going to figure out what we did wrong and we’re going to (get it going) again.”
Last year, the Mighty Oaks finished 15th nationally in scoring (84.4) in an offense that basically ran through three players. With only one player back from that squad, going into Thursday night they were fourth in scoring (93.2), seventh in total points and in the top 10 in field goal percentage, 3-pointers made, 3-point shooting and the number that impresses coach Mike Green most during this run, assists.
Everybody who played in the game for Salem scored, including deep reserve Michael Goodwin, whose bucket at the rim late in the second half pushed the Mighty Oaks over the 100-point threshold.
They’ve hit triple digits this year against Bergen (102), Ocean (113), Passaic (111), Essex (109), RCSJ-Gloucester (100) and the Dukes. After Thursday night, their scoring average rose to 94.2 ppg and their average margin of victory is 20.3 points.
“It means you’re sharing the ball,” Green said. “You don’t score 100 points by going one on one (and) just not caring about your teammates. It shows this team cares about each other; we’re sharing the ball. I don’t know how many assists (tonight), but I’m sure it’s another 20-plus game.
“These guys are picking up what the coaches are putting down and it shows on the court. I’ve said it before: There’s something special about them. They have a certain specialness, a certain toughness, about them. That’s special.”
For the record, the Mighty Oaks had a season-high 25 assists (for 37 baskets), and that doesn’t count “coach’s assists” where guys get fouled going to the bucket without the shot falling and collect from the free throw line. Saaid Lee would have had at least 11 assists (and another points-assists double-double) if you counted those. They’ve had 20 or more assists seven times this season and 21 times in Green’s 65 games as coach.
The Mighty Oaks scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed. The Dukes (5-5) got as close as three with seven minutes left in the first half, then Salem scored the next 10 in a row on the way to a 16-point halftime lead.
Nasseem Wright led Salem with 26 points, six assists and three blocked shots. Jarrell Little, who leads Region XIX in total points, had 24 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and Lee had 14 points, eight assists and six steals. Stefan Phillips and Jaiayre Wright had nine points apiece. Gibson and Idris Rines each had eight.
“It’s good to play in an offense like that,” Little said. “There’s a lot of freelance. You can really play your game in this offense.”
“It’s way better than high school,” added Jaiayre Wright. “It’s fast-paced, everybody gets open shots, nobody is selfish on this team. I just like it. It’s real nice.”
The Dukes got 66 points out of their three big scorers – Vance Brown (28), Jamaal Davis (21) and reigning Region XIX and national Player of the Week Jameel Purnell (17) – but only 12 from the rest of the roster.
The Dukes were the first team Green faced after he got the Mighty Oaks’ coaching job right before Christmas in 2023. His daughter M’ersen was born Dec. 11 and he got the job 12 days later. They have celebrated 48 wins together, a .738 winning percentage.
SALEM CC 106, RCSJ-CUMBERLAND 78
SALEM CC (13-0): Jahseir Sayles 1-4 0-0 2, Jarrell Little 6-11 8-9 24, Saaid Lee 6-10 1-3 14, Jaiayre Wright 4-6 1-1 9, Qua Smith 2-3 0-0 4, Zyaire Gibson 3-11 0-0 8, Nasseem Wright 10 5-8 26, Idris Rines 2-5 4-4 8, Stefan Phillips 2-4 3-4 9, Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 37-69 22-30 106.
RCSJ-CUMBERLAND (5-5): Ahmad Woodard 0 1-2 1, Ahzaeah Woodard 0 0-0 0, Jameel Purnell 7 3-6 17, Jamaal Davis 9 3-4 21, Darell Newton 0 0-0 0, Jaedyn Greene 0 0-0 0, Daelan Dickerson 2 0-2 4, Vance Brown 10 6-8 28, Jacob Williams 0 0-0 0, Jack Schuler 2 0-0 6, Exodus DeJesus 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 13-22 78.
| Salem CC | 49 | 57- | 106 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 33 | 45- | 78 |
3-point goals: Salem CC 10-27 (Little 4-7, Lee 1-2, Gibson 2-8, N. Wright 1-2, Phillips 2-2, Rines 0-2, Smith 0-1, Sayles 0-3); RCSJ 5 (Davis, Brown 2, Schuler 2). Rebounds: Salem CC 45 (Little 8, J. Wright 7, Gibson 7, Rines 6, Phillips 6); RCSJ 25 (Purnell 9). Total fouls: Salem CC 19, RCSJ 18.
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| SALEM CC (2) | 8-0 | 13-0 | 6-0 |
| Northampton (5) | 8-0 | 12-0 | |
| Union (4) | 8-1 | 9-1 | 6-1 |
| Brookdale (RV) | 10-2 | 10-4 | 6-2 |
| Montgomery (10) | 4-1 | 5-2 | |
| Camden | 7-3 | 7-3 | 5-2 |
| Ocean | 7-3 | 7-3 | 4-2 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 4-3 | 5-5 | 4-3 |
| Thaddeus Stevens | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| Bergen | 4-8 | 5-8 | 2-5 |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 3-7 | 4-8 | 1-4 |
| Atlantic Cape | 2-6 | 3-6 | 2-6 |
| Passaic | 2-6 | 2-8 | 2-6 |
| Sussex | 2-7 | 3-9 | 1-6 |
| Harrisburg Area | 1-4 | 2-9 | |
| Philadelphia | 1-7 | 4-7 | |
| Delaware County | 1-8 | 2-10 | |
| Luzerne | 0-5 | 3-7 |
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem 106, RCSJ-Cumberland 78
Ocean 65, Union 60
Lackawanna 93, Penn State Scranton 76
Harrisburg Area 89, Luzerne 73
Southern Maryland 87, Delaware County 74
Borough of Manhattan CC 62, Passaic 54
Bucks at Philadelphia
Essex 98, Rockland 90
Northampton 76, Montgomery 74
Orange County 85, Sussex 61
Middlesex 73, Delaware Tech 67
Raritan Valley 92, Westchester 82
Bergen at Dutchess
Brookdale 69, RCSJ-Gloucester 65
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Brookdale at Salem CC
RCSJ-Gloucester at Philadelphia
Bergen at Luzerne
Morris at Mercer
Camden at Harrisburg Area
Lackawanna at Rockland
Montgomery at Southern Maryland
Thaddeus Stevens at Atlantic Cape
Passaic at Delaware County
Raritan Valley at Essex
RCSJ-Cumberland at Sussex
Harcum at Brunswick
Region XIX Women’s Standings
| DIVISION II | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| Union (4) | 7-0 | 13-0 | 5-0 |
| Harcum (7) | 5-0 | 10-1 | |
| Mercer (22) | 5-1 | 9-2 | 2-0 |
| Essex | 3-2 | 6-3 | 3-1 |
| Raritan Valley | 3-3 | 6-5 | 3-2 |
| Delaware Valley | 2-3 | 3-9 | |
| Lackawanna | 2-4 | 2-7 | |
| Middlesex | 1-7 | 5-10 | 0-4 |
| Morris | 0-4 | 0-4 | 0-3 |
| SALEM CC | 0-5 | 0-7 | 0-3 |
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Northampton 51, Montgomery 37
Delaware Tech 83, Middlesex 71
Brookdale 61, RCSJ-Gloucester 45
LaGuardia at Essex
Raritan Valley 67, Westchester 55
Union at Harcum
Sussex 64, Orange County 51
Monroe at Mercer
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Lackawanna at Salem CC
Montgomery at Atlantic Cape
RCSJ-Cumberland at Sussex
Raritan Valley at Essex
Morris at Mercer
Orange County at Camden
Onondaga at Northampton
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