Pennsville holds off Woodstown, ending Wolverines’ long-standing hold on Salem County girls basketball; Salem’s girls use big fourth quarter to down Pitman; Penns Grove gets first win; Salem boys pick up big South Jersey Group I win over Pitman, and more
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove 44, Overbrook 39
Glassboro 33, Schalick 15
Pennsville 47, Woodstown 46
Salem 59, Pitman 52
Clayton 62, Salem Tech 24
BOYS BASKETBALL
Clayton 90, Salem Tech 42
Glassboro 63, Schalick 60
Overbrook 62, Penns Grove 45
Woodstown 56, Pennsville 24
Salem 55, Pitman 44
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic
Lindenwold girls 4, Salem 0
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Schalick at Cherokee Throwdown
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The balance of power in Salem County girls basketball shifted seismically Tuesday night.
Over the last five-plus years no one in Salem County has beaten the Woodstown girls, but that run came to an end when Pennsville jumped way out early and then held off a hard change in the fourth quarter to beat the Wolverines 47-46.
Woodstown had won 39 straight (and 46 of 47) against in-county competition before the Eagles knocked them off. Pennsville was the last county team to beat the Wolverines – way back on Feb. 22, 2020.
The win also gave the Eagles (5-2) the early upper hand in the Tri-County Diamond Division and dropped Woodstown below .500 (4-5) for the first time since dropping their 2023-24 season opener.
“I gave the girls T-shirts that were screened, ‘On a Mission,'” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “We want to update our championship banner so beating Diamond Division opponents is critical. They thrashed us twice last season and if we hadn’t become so careless with the ball late a greater margin would have been salve on that wound.”
It started out to be a tight game. The teams battled to a 12-12 tie through a barrage of 3-pointers the first quarter, but the Eagles pulled away in the second quarter and extended their halftime lead to 12 entering the fourth quarter. Pennsville hit all nine of its 3-pointers in the first three quarters.
The Wolverines turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter and used it to fuel their comeback. They hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to make it a one-point final.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our kids and the way they competed,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “To be down 15 and continue to believe, continue to defend and continue to play for one another says a lot about the culture we’re trying to build here.
“We didn’t hang our heads, we didn’t splinter, and we gave ourselves a chance late, which is all you can ask for in a game like that.”
Marley Wood led the Eagles with 23 points, five 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and five assists. Taylor Bass, who joined Wood in Pennsville’s 1000-Point Club on Monday, had eight points and six steals.
In seven career games against Woodstown, Wood is averaging 16.0 ppg. She had her career high (27) against the Wolverines as a sophomore.
Lauren Hengel led Woodstown with 14 points. Kyia Leyman and Mia Waterman had 12 points apiece. All of Waterman’s points came on 3s.
Smart said he wasn’t aware of the length of Woodstown’s in-county winning streak, but he wasn’t losing sleep over its ending.
“Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but there’s value in games like this when you’re building something,” he said. “Our kids are learning how to respond to adversity, how to handle pressure, and how to fight until the final horn. The resiliency is something we can build on moving forward.
“For us, this is another step in the process. We said from the beginning of the year that this year was going to be different but different can be good. We are still trying to figure some things out offensively and defensively, but we are progressing. Our standard is high and nights like this where you’re tested are part of laying the foundation for sustained success.”
PENNSVILLE 47, WOODSTOWN 46
PENNSVILLE (5-2): Taylor Bass 3 2-2 8, Marley Wood 6 6-10 23, Addi Johnston 3 0-0 7, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Jaiden Wilson 2 0-0 6. Totals 15 8-12 47.
WOODSTOWN (4-5): Lauren Hengel 5 1-2 14, Kyia Leyman 4 4-6 12, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 1 2-2 4, Mia Waterman 4 0-0 12, Talia Guardascione 1 0-0 2, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-10 46.
| Pennsville | 12 | 17 | 10 | 8- | 47 |
| Woodstown | 12 | 7 | 8 | 19- | 46 |
Rebounds: Pennsville 27 (Wood 10), Total fouls: Pennsville 9, Woodstown 13.
SALEM 59, PITMAN 52: Freshman Dyaira Anderson scored 15 of her career-high 26 points in 21-point fourth quarter that lifted the Rams (4-2) to a victory that surpassed their win total of a year ago. She also pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to complete her first career double-double.
Madison Dixon had 13 points. Carlysia Pierce had eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
The Rams fell behind 17-4 then went to work.
“I’m proud of the way they won tonight,” Carr said.
PENNS GROVE 44, OVERBROOK 39: The Red Devils (1-5) jumped out to a 25-13 halftime lead on the way to giving coach Daja Cook her first win with the program.
GLASSBORO 43, SCHALICK 15: Too much Kezia Brackett and too many self-inflicted turnovers conspired to send Schalick (3-1) to its first loss of the season. Brackett had 17 points and seven rebounds for Glassboro (6-3).
| Glassboro | 14 | 9 | 13 | 7- | 43 |
| Schalick | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5- | 15 |
Boys games
SALEM 55, PITMAN 44: Cole Sayers came off the bench and gave the Rams nine points and seven rebounds as they continue their march towards a No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group I.
Deshaan Williams was their leading scorer with 15 points. Marshall Stephens grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Xavier McGriff had 10 points and Tymear Lecator dished eight assists.
GLASSBORO 63, SCHALICK 60: Xavier Sabb scored 34 points, but the Bulldogs barely got by the Cougars. Dylan Sheehan led Schalick with 20 points. Julian Dickerson had 14 and Kenny Bartee had 12.
OVERBROOK 62, PENNS GROVE 35: Overbrook’s Lamar Little led all scorers with 17 points. Haneef Frisby led Penns Grove with 11.
CLAYTON 89, SALEM TECH 42: The Clippers put four scorers in double figures, led by James Fritz’ 17. Keidyn Robinson led Salem Tech with 10. Larry Pompper had eight.
Riverview Sports News 