Salem CC uses late run to pull away from Brookdale, potentially lay claim to No. 1 after defending national champs lose by 30
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC men used a late run to pull away from a close game and take down Brookdale 83-67 Saturday to remain undefeated and possibly lay claim to the No. 1 ranking in the country.
The Mighty Oaks went into the weekend ranked second in JUCO Division III and won while No. 1 Mohawk Valley lost by 30 to Orange County CC (Division II No. 14). If the Hawks remained in the top spot just because they were the defending D-III national champions and hadn’t yet lost, the setback should open the door for a change.
The new rankings come out Monday. Mohawk Valley had received all nine first-place votes in every one of the six weekly polls this season.
“I don’t know what level Orange is, but I heard they beat them pretty good,” Green said. “In the normal way of thinking things, No. 2 becomes No. 1. I don’t know if we did anything wrong to anybody. I think they’ll get a vote, but that’s how it normally goes, so we’ll see. It’s out of our hands. We just have to keep winning basketball games.”
If the Mighty Oaks (14-0) do become the new No. 1, it would have taken Green just 66 games to take the program from three games under .500 when he took over to the top of the division.
“That’s super cool,” Green said. “When I got here we were in the basement. That’s a testament to everybody who’s been a part of it.
“I’ll tell you one thing, if we’re deserving of it, they’d better give it to us because you’re going to turn these kids into something. They’re already playing with a chip on their shoulder, you’re really going to see some monsters. They’d better get it right because you don’t want to upset these kids.”
The Mighty Oaks had their hands full reeling in the Jersey Blues for most of their final home game of the calendar year. A 3-pointer by Kyle Fulcher cut their lead to 30-28 with 4:09 to play, then the Mighty Oaks closed out the half on a 13-4 run to take a 43-32 lead at the break.
Saaid Lee got it started with a layup and 3-pointer and had eight points in the run. Nasseem Wright had a pair of layups around a Brookdale free throw and Qua Smith had a free throw.
But they couldn’t shake the Blues. Brookdale got within four twice in the second half, the last time with 8:58 to play, but Salem went on a 22-6 run over the next seven minutes to put the game away.
It started with a pair of three-point plays by Idris Rines and Lee – both on assists from Jarrell Little – and just continued to grow. Rines had seven points in the run, Wright and Lee five each, Little two and Zyaire Gibson had a 3.
“We had a couple chances of blowing the game away, but they have championship DNA so they didn’t just fall that easily,” Green said. “Idris played really well, We played through Idris a little bit when the game slowed down and he delivered. He’s almost there, he’s almost showing everything we envisioned. Once he puts it all together we’re going to be a completely different team.”
Wright led the Mighty Oaks with 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Lee had 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Rines had 10 points and four rebounds. Gibson had nine points and 10 boards. The Blues took Little away, but he still finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Mighty Oaks and Northampton (12-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in all of Region XIX. They meet for the only time in the regular season Jan. 15 in Bethlehem.
SALEM CC 83, BROOKDALE 67
BROOKDALE (10-5): Ariel Perez 1-2 0-1 2, Emmanuel Miller 0-4 5-6 5, Keith Allen 8-15 0-0 18, Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk 6-12 2-4 16, Leonardo Lopez 1-2 2-4 4, Shaun Valentine 0-0 0-1 0, Kyle Fulcher 5-14 2-4 15, Zayd Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Donovan Summey 0-1 0-0 0, Drean Aikins 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew Slaby 0-2 1-2 1, Ashwan Johnson 1-3 0-0 2, Peter Barkauskas 0-0 2-2 2, Kevin Hemans 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-60 14-24 67.
SALEM CC (14-0): Jerrell Little 5-13 0-0 11, Saaid Lee 7-11 6-6 22, Zyaire Gibson 3-6 0-0 9, Nasseem Wright 10-18 6-10 26, Stefan Phillips 2-4 0-0 4, Jahseir Sayles 0 0-0 0, Qua Smith 0-0 1-2 1, Idris Rines 3-6 4-7 10. Totals 30-58 17-25 83.
| Brookdale | 32 | 35- | 67 |
| Salem CC | 43 | 40- | 83 |
3-point goals: Brookdale 7-18 (Allen 2-5, Hamlin Woolfolk 2-4, Fulcher 3-7 Summer 0-1, Johnson 0-1); Salem CC 6-17 (Little 1-3, Lee 2-3, Gibson 3-5, Wright 0-3, Phillips 0-2, Rines 0-1). Rebounds: Brookdale 27 (Perez 6, Fulcher 5); Salem CC 38 (Gibson 10, Wright 8, Little 7). Total fouls: Brookdale 19, Salem CC 20.
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| SALEM CC (2) | 9-0 | 14-0 | 7-0 |
| Northampton (5) | 8-0 | 12-0 | |
| Union (4) | 8-1 | 9-1 | 6-1 |
| Montgomery (10) | 4-1 | 6-2 | |
| Brookdale (RV) | 10-3 | 10-5 | 6-3 |
| Camden | 8-3 | 8-3 | 5-2 |
| Ocean | 7-3 | 7-3 | 4-2 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 4-3 | 5-5 | 4-3 |
| Bergen | 5-8 | 6-8 | 2-5 |
| Thaddeus Stevens | 2-4 | 5-7 | |
| Atlantic Cape | 3-6 | 4-6 | 2-6 |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 3-7 | 4-8 | 1-4 |
| Sussex | 2-7 | 3-9 | 1-6 |
| Passaic | 2-7 | 2-9 | 2-6 |
| Delaware County | 2-8 | 3-10 | |
| Harrisburg Area | 1-5 | 2-10 | |
| Philadelphia | 1-7 | 4-7 | |
| Luzerne | 0-6 | 3-8 |
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 83, Brookdale 67
RCSJ-Gloucester at Philadelphia
Bergen 90, Luzerne 78
Mercer 81, Morris 72
Camden 81, Harrisburg Area 74
Rockland 97, Lackawanna 69
Montgomery 112, Southern Maryland 102
Atlantic Cape 78, Thaddeus Stevens 66
Delaware County 66, Passaic 61
Essex 101, Raritan Valley 81
RCSJ-Cumberland 80, Sussex 78
Harcum at Brunswick
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Montgomery at Luzerne
Brookdale at RCSJ-Cumberland
Delaware Tech at Raritan Valley
Passaic at Ocean
Northampton at Philadelphia
Middlesex at Morris
Union at Mercer
RCSJ-Gloucester at Atlantic Cape
Camden at Sussex
Essex at Lackawanna
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