Schalick girls off to one of their best starts ever, shutting out another opponent in the first quarter on the way to a third straight win; Salem girls fall in New Egypt finals
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 48, Maple Shade 13
New Egypt Holiday Tournament
Consolation: New Egypt 30, Clayton 26
Championship: Steinert 59, Salem 14
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – There have been some lean times in the Schalick girls basketball program the last couple years but times, as they say, are a-changin’.
The Cougars are in the early stages of what could develop into a special season. They won their third straight game to open the season for the first time in John Whelan’s nine-year tenure as head coach Tuesday when they locked down winless Maple Shade 48-13.
This is a program that hasn’t won more than eight games in any of the last three seasons and hadn’t had a winning season in the last seven (they did come close in 2021-22). They won just six games last year and they’re already halfway there. They didn’t get their third win last year until the 10th game. And now they’re talking comfortably about winning their first division title since 2019.
“It’s the confidence,” Whelan said of the difference. “It’s another year for everybody. Our sophomores got the experience last year and they have stepped up in big ways, and our seniors are playing under control.
“It stems back to one thing I preached at the end of last season – the summer correlates with the season. The last few years we haven’t had great attendance in summer. This year the girls showed up. We had double digit girls at every practice this summer and I truly believe that is the reason why they are so much more confident and ready to go this year.”
While the competition to open the season hasn’t exactly been a Murderer’s Row, they still had to win the games. You have to go past 2010, the last year of available records, to find the last time the Cougars started the season 3-0. Heck, they hadn’t had a three-game winning streak at any point since late January 2023.
“Our confidence level is high,” sophomore leading scorer and rebounder Naveah Robinson said. “We played together last year, we’re working together and now we’re good. I think we’re going to be good this season. I felt it building towards the end of the season. Once I knew everybody was coming back I knew we were on a good roll.”
Having not played a game in 12 days and had only two hour practices in between Whalen was a little worried about rust, but the Cougars dominated this one from the start.
Coming out in a relentless press and trap, they forced the Wildcats into 16 empty possessions in the first quarter, creating 13 turnovers, and held them scoreless until Sharena Parker banked in a 3-pointer 50 seconds into the second quarter. If the offense had been a little sharper early, the Cougars probably could’ve doubled their 12-point lead, but again they hadn’t played since Dec. 18.
The Wildcats (0-4) were the second straight opponent the Cougars held scoreless in the first quarter, having held Overbrook scoreless for an entire half the last time out. They have allowed only three points in the first quarter in three games this season.
“It shows how we work as a team, like our communication, like how we come together to play defense all together,” Scurry said.
They went back to the press and trap after a slow start to the second half to start learning how to put teams away and held the Wildcats without a field goal in the last 14:30 of the game and to one point in the fourth quarter.
“We talked in our preseason meeting that we’re going to be built on defense,” Whelan said. “We’re going to be built on energy and we’re going to be aggressive this year.
“It’s something we haven’t done a whole lot of iin the past, but we believe we have the athletes to do it and, obviously, they’ve done a great job. The numbers speak for themselves at this point, but Coach (Les) Berry and I hold them to a very high standard. We will not be complacent and we’ll continue to get better as the season goes.”
Offensively they could have been a little sharper to start the morning game, but they still had plenty to take control. Robinson didn’t start (coach’s decision), but she had seven points and seven rebounds in the second quarter and finished with 18 and 11 for the game.
Scully had 14 points and eight rebounds. Liv Vanacker scored only four points, but she had six assists and eight steals.
They talked at the beginning of the year about the potential to have a special season and so far it’s moving in that direction.
“Whelan sat us down at the beginning of the year and was like this is the year,” said Scurry, who endured seasons of 6, 6 and 8 wins in her previous three years. “We’re taking it a lot more serious., this is the year, we have a lot of potential for doing good this year. I was like OK we’ll see, then every day at practice we’re getting better and then the first scrimmage I was like this was actually happening. It’s empowering we’re doing this and we’re 3-0 right now.”
SCHALICK 48, MAPLE SHADE 13
MAPLE SHADE (0-4): Mia Leone 0 1-2 1, Ciani Floyd 0 0-0 0, Kayla Smith 0 0-0 0, Ava Capone 2 0-0 4, Anisa Telesford 0 0-0 0, Ravin Shaw 0 0-0 0, Gabriella Doohaluk 0 0-0 0, Sharena Parker 2 2-2 8. Totals 4 3-4 13.
SCHALICK (3-0): Navaeh Robinson 7-10 2-4 18, Willow Davis 2-10 0-0 14, Jaelynn Jarmon 1-4 0-0 2, Ava Scurry 7-11 0-0 14, Cali Fisler 0-3 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0-2 0-0 0, Olivia Vanacker 2-8 0-0 4, Emma O’Neill 1-1 0-0 2, Bailey Wentz 1-1 0-0 2, Vic Basich 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 22-55 2-4 48.
| Maple Shade | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1- | 13 |
| Schalick | 12 | 11 | 14 | 11- | 48 |
NEW EGYPT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
STEINERT 59, SALEM 14
SALEM (2-2): Carlysia Pierce 1 0-2 2, Madison Dixon 2 0-2 5, Kaliyah Taylor 1 0-0 2, Dyaira Anderson 1 0-2 2, Timmiyah Simmons 1 0-2 3. Totals 6 0-8 14.
STEINERT (3-3): Allie McCarthy 3 0-0 8, Maddy Larry 1 0-0 2, Lindsey Siwczak 1 0-0 2, Bella Rosa 6 0-0 15, Madison Milton 2 0-0 4, Ally Constance 2 0-0 5, Sage Zimmerman 1 0-0 3, Brooke Wright 0 0-0 0, Katie Corby 5 4-7 15, Caitlin Medino 0 0-0 0, Sammie O’Donnell 0 0-0 0, Emily Chirichella 0 1-2 1, Naomi Gray 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 5-9 59.
| Salem | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2- | 14 |
| Steinert | 21 | 16 | 11 | 11- | 59 |
Riverview Sports News 