Month: January 2026

Defense rules

Defense plays big role in Penns Grove win, Salem loss

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODBURY – One thing has been true about the Penns Grove basketball team no matter the year. If you’re going to play for Damien Ware, you’d better play defense.

The Red Devils have hung their hats on the way they get after the ball. And that’s what got them a 47-46 win over Burlington City in the MLK Day Showcase at Woodbury.

Will Roy got a deflection and then got it to Gianni Conrad for a layup that put the Red Devils (8-6) up 47-46 with 12 seconds to play. Then Roy made the stop they had to have, forcing the guard bringing the ball up the floor into a turnover with two seconds left, to seal the victory.

“There were 12 seconds left and we needed one stop; I’ll take that bet,” Ware said. “I think we can get one stop any time.

“We played full-court, man-to-man, they’ve got 12 seconds and we had a foul to give. We told them to play aggressive defense and make it hard for them to get the ball up the floor. Everybody plays defense for me. If you can’t play defense, you can’t play for me. Will was the one who came up with two big plays today.”

It didn’t have to be that close, but the Blue Devils (6-7) just wouldn’t go away. Penns Grove would go up by eight, Burlington City would come back. The Red Devils led by nine in the fourth quarter and hit a wall. BC outscored the Red Devils 13-5 in the fourth quarter.

“That’s part of my team because we’re young and kind of inexperienced in games like that so this is a big game for us to come out and win a game like that,” Ware said. “Two weeks ago we probalby would’ve lost that game.

“We’ve got a little more game experience, played more tougher opponents. We’re back to playing Group I teams, not that they’re any easier, but more on a par with where we’re at. We just found a way to win at the end.”

Conrad, a 6-foot junior guard, led all scorers with 16 points on the heels of a career-high 19-point game at Eastern. Roy and Roman Gipson each had eight.

BURLINGTON CITY (6-7) – Jamie Lambing 4-0-11, Rashad Newkirk 5-0-11, Jarrett James 2-0-4, Corey Degree 3-2-9, Theo Ellerbe 5-1-11. Totals 19-3-46.
PENNS GROVE (8-6) – Roman Gipson 3-1-8, Carson Pearsall 2-1-6, Will Roy 3-1-8, Mishawn Brantley 2-0-4, Geonni Conrad 5-5-16, Luis Colon 1-1-3, Ahkeen Edwards 1-0-2, Jeremy Costacamps 0-0-0. Totals 17-9-47.

Burlington City 10121113-46
Penns Grove1316135-47

3-point goals: Burlington City 5 (Lambing 3, Newkirk, Degree); Penns Grove 4 (Gipson, Pearsall, Roy, Conrad).

ATLANTIC CITY 59, SALEM 53: Anthony Farmer spent the two-hour bus ride back from the boardwalk conflicted. Couldn’t really blame him.

His Group I Salem Rams played defense as well as it had all year, especially in the first half, and had their chances to make a statement against Group 4 Atlantic City, but in the end they just had too many turnovers to win.

Don-Taye Thompson scored seven of his game-high 23 points in overtime, including a thunderous dunk with 55 seconds left, and Salem committed seven of its 25 turnovers in the extra period to snap the Rams’ eight-game winning streak.

“It was a statement opportunity for South Jersey, for the state, for us as a program,” Farmer said. “I thought we matched up pretty well with them and I felt like even on the road this was one we possibly could get.

“I’m proud of what we did on the road. Being able to take the game into overtime with 25 turnovers at the end of night and you lose by five is amazing. How do you turn it over 25 times and lose by five? We competed like hell.”

Most of the turnovers came from moving too fast against the Vikings’ pressure instead of taking a beat and reading the floor. The turnovers never gave them a chance in overtime.

It was a defensive battle early, with the teams combining for 30 points in the first half. The Rams trailed by seven with two minutes left in the half, but Neziah Spence’s 3-pointer with 1:00 to go drew them to within 16-14 at halftime.

The Rams never could get the lead. Spence’s layup with 55 seconds left in regulation made it 47-45 and Deshaan Williams’ bucket with 33 seconds left tied it at 47.

The Vikings had the final possession in regulation. Tymear Lecator fouled Tamir Rex on consecutive inbounds plays and Thompson missed a runner in the lane at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

Williams led Salem with his fifth double-double of the season (17 points, 13 rebounds). Lecator had 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals before fouling out. Fatah Paige and Marshall Stephens both grabbed 10 rebounds, but they only combined for seven points. Stephens also had five blocked shots.

“We had opportunities,” Farmer said. “I thought we did a really good job with the game plan that we put together. We watched them, we had our eyes on them, we knew what they were and we knew what we knew what we were trying to do. We did that. We’ve just got take care of the ball and make a few shots.”

SALEM (10-2): Tymear Lecator 14, Deshaan Williams 17, Fatah Paige 3, Neziah Spence 7, Xavier McGriff 1, BJ Robbins 5, Marshall Stephens 4, Darrelle Johnson 2. Totals 18 14-23 53.
ATLANTIC CITY (8-5): DonTaye Thompson 23, Jacob Lane 5, Tamir Rex 11, Jalil Daniels 5, Exclusive Dublin 15, Hanif Rios 0.

Salem5915186-53
Atlantic City106161512-59
Rebounds: Salem 49 (Williams 13, Paige 10, Stephens 10); Atlantic City 18 (Dublin 11).

Wrestling

PAULSBORO GIRLS TOURNAMENT
138: Pennsville’s Summer Sassi lost a 20-8 major decision to Madisyn Paden of Clayton/Glassboro in the championship match. Sassi pinned the first two opponents she faced.

145: Pennsville’s Yerlian Charon pinned Grier Williams of North Star Academy in 36 seconds in the third-place match. Charon was pinned in the semifinals by weight class winner Deja Cofield of Gateway.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of Jan 19-24

MONDAY, JAN. 19
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove vs. Burlington City at Woodbury, 11 a.m.
Salem at Atlantic City, 2 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Salem at Paulsboro Girls Tournament, 9 a.m.
Schalick girls at Buena, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Deptford, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 20
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Salem at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Mercer at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21
BOYS BASKETBALL
Wildwood at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Overbrook at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Woodstown at Overbrook
Clayton at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Winslow at Salem, 5 p.m.
Pennsville at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Nike Elite Meet, Ott Center, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Collingswood, Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m.
Salem vs. Deptford at Brunswick Zone, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, JAN. 22
BOYS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pitman at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Pitman at GCIT, 5:45 p.m.
Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech in NJTAC, Lucky Strike North Brunswick, 1 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Atlantic Cape at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 23
BOYS BASKETBALL
Collingswood at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Gateway at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Salem at Buena, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Schalick at Pitman, 5 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 24
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Kingsway at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
WRESTLING
Haddon Heights, Middle Twp., Timber Creek at Salem, 9 a.m.
Woodstown, Haddonfield, Millville at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Holy Spirit, Toms River North, Vineland at Schalick, 10 a.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m.
SWIMMING
SJISA Championships A, GCIT, 10 a.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Manchester Twp., 30 Strikes, 9:30 a.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Lackawanna, 1 p.m.

They all like Mike

Goodwin may not play major minutes, but his role is not downplayed by Mighty Oaks’ coaches, players

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Goodwin hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes for the Salem CC basketball team this season and the minutes he does get usually come in the closing minutes of a game whose outcome has long been decided.

But the first-year forward is just as important to the Mighty Oaks’ process as any of the other 10 players ahead of him in the box score. And, some say, without his often unseen contributions some of what they are enjoying this year as the No. 1 team in the country might not be possible.

Goodwin is the epitome of a deep reserve. He walked on this year with Penns Grove roots, by way of Kingsway and Lake Nona, Fla., keeps his head down, his nose clean and competes with his teammates every day in practice. His work ethic has been rewarded with late-game minutes in the post.

He’s Mike Green’s kind of player.

“Love him, love him,” the coach said after the Mighty Oaks’ latest win, a 124-70 rout of Passaic Saturday. “He comes to practice, he works, he celebrates his teammates the whole game. And he’s getting better. He’s improved big time. When we got him the glass was empty, now we’re about three-quarters full. It doesn’t show on the court because we’re kind of 5-6 guys at his one position, but he comes to practice every day and competes.

“He works hard. When I recruit I’m not just recruiting everybody I think can score the ball or do something. You need to recruit guys who give you extra numbers in practice, go hard in practice, that’s good on the scout team, guys who want to get better get in the gym, guys when you’re down they can pull you up out of it. Everybody here loves Mike. They respect him. He’s a great asset to our team.”

The 6-foot-4 forward has played in 12 of the Mighty Oaks’ first 21 games for a total of 53 minutes. He has eight points, 14 rebounds and blocked five shots. 

He got five minutes in Saturday’s game and although he didn’t score and felt he could’ve done more than he showed he did well enough on the floor to keep the pieces moving for the Mighty Oaks to set the program’s revival-era single-game scoring record.

“I tried to go out there and work on what I worked on with my coaches,” Goodwin said. “I had the chance to be aggressive and give it my all because I know my teammates are going to give it their all every time.

“I wasn’t looking at the clock. I was more worried about the scoring record and going out there and getting my teammates open so we could get that scoring record.”

Of course, he’d like to play more, but it’s the work that drives him.

There’s something to be said for being on the No. 1 team in the country that has real thoughts of winning it all.

“I’ve got that passion to get better every day,” Goodwin said. “Having that passion and pushing hard every day in practice, it pushes everybody else to be better. Nobody wants to be left behind, so me pushing myself I’m also pushing my peers. I’m just blessed to be on this team and be able to experience this with these guys.

“Obviously, from a selfish perspective, I wonder if I’m gonna get in. Sometimes I want to get in, but I’m in the role I am right now. I don’t feel ashamed, because all these other guys are great. It’s competitive. Being competitive obviously I want to play sometimes, but I’m in the role right now it drives me to get better and me getting better my teammates can get better.”

The players appreciate his effort. They pull hard for him because he works so hard for them.

“One thing about Mike, he’s the first person in the gym every day,” said freshman guard Nasseem Wright, the Mighty Oaks’ second-leading scorer and leading rebounder and shot blocker. “Any of the guys know he’s there for us. He’s a workaholic. He brings the energy. Every game we meet at half-court Mike has the most energy; he’s yelling and screaming. On the bench he’s yelling defense first. Mike is kind of like the energy guy for us and gives us that push and motivation in games like this so we can get him out there.

“On this team we all look at each as equal. None of us look lower at Mike because of his play time. From the guys who play the most minutes to Mike, to us everybody’s equal. It’s important to have guys like that because he knows his role, he knows what he has to do to benefit the team. Without Mike some of this might not be possible.”

Saturday sports report

Here are results and details from Saturday’s events on the Salem County sports schedule

BOYS BASKETBALL
Eastern 58, Penns Grove 38: Eastern jumped out to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter and got balanced scoring throughout the lineup to win its fifth in a row. Penns Grove’s Geonni Conrad led all scorers with a career-high 19 points.

PENNS GROVE (7-6): Carson Gipson 0-0-0, Carson Pearsall 2-2-6, Haneef Frisby 0-0-0, Will Roy 0-0-0, Mishawn Brantley 1-4-6, Geonni Conrad 8-0-19, Luis Colon 0-0-0, Jeremy Costacamps 1-0-2, Ahkeen Edwards 2-1-5, Messiah Allah 0-0-0. Totals 14-7-38.
EASTERN (13-2): Sean Karbach 6-0-13, Jake Tubman 1-0-2, Alex Grossman 1-1-3, Ashton Fedora 2-2-6, Landon Bethea 2-0-5, Edy Amankwaah 3-2-9, Evan Cardamone 4-0-8, Micah Fox 4-0-9, Lorenzo Locascio 0-0-0, Kyle Tulman 0-0-0, Brandon Gold 1-0-3. Totals 24-5-58.

Penns Grove712910-38
Eastern2311915-58
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Conrad 3); Eastern 5 (Karbach, Bethea, Amankwaah, Fox, Gold). Rebounds: Eastern 32 (Karbach 9).

Haddon Twp. 70, Schalick 23: Axel Mohr had 19 points and eight rebounds and three other Hawks scored in double figures. Sean Crawford had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Julian Dickerson led Schalick with 10.

SCHALICK (5-6): Julian Dickerson 4-2-10, Dylan Sheehan 2-0-4, Orion Baldwin 1-0-2, Kade Macom 1-0-2, Sherrod Jones 1-0-2, Jacob Schalick 0-1-1, Will Sieminski 1-0-2. Totals 10-3-23.
HADDON TWP. (11-2): Axel Mohr 6-6-19, Chase Perrone 6-0-14, Sean Crawford 5-0-12, Nate Keating 5-0-10, Eamonn Sheehan 3-1-7, Peter Black 1-1-3, RJ Miller 1-0-3, Ryan Gallagher 1-0-2. Totals 28-8-70.

Schalick44105-23
Haddon Twp.19192012-70
3-point goals: Haddon Twp. 6 (Mohr, Perrone 2, Crawford 2, Miller). Rebounds: Haddon Twp. 26 (Mohr 8, Crawford 6).

Cedar Creek 78, Woodstown 61: Blake Bialecki scored a career-high 31 points to move within 90 of 1,000 for his career, but the Wolverines couldn’t overcome four Pirates in double figures. Bialecki hit five of the Wolverines’ 11 3-pointers.

WOODSTOWN (8-5): Jalen Markward 1 0-0 2, Andrew White 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 11 4-4 31, Alejandro Vazquez 4 1-3 11, Jack Hood-McGinley 1 1-2 4, Josh King 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 3 0-0 9. Totals 22 6-9 61.
CEDAR CREEK (8-3): DyShamir Clegg-Campos 8 1-1 19, Jayden Henry 0 5-8 5, Markus Dillard 0 2-2 2, Sandy Thomas 4 0-0 4, Damien Morales 1 0-0 2, Nazir Thornton 7 0-1 15, Markus Polite 7 2-3 17, Frenchmon Bethea 5 3-4 14. Totals 30 13-19 78.

Woodstown1381030-61
Cedar Creek10173120-78
3-point goals: Woodstown 11 (Bialecki 5, Vazquez 2, Hood-McGinley, Fulmer 3); Cedar Creek 5 (Clegg-Campos 2, Thornton, Polite, Bethea).

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea 39, Woodstown 35: Ayres Maitland scored 14 points and Madi Barndt 10 to lead Delsea. Kendall Young and Lauren Hengel led Woodstown with 12 and 10, respectively.

WOODSTOWN (6-8): Lauren Hengel 4 0-0 10, Emma Perry 0 2-2 2, Talia Guardascione 3 2-4 9, Gina Murray 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 6 0-0 12. Totals 14 4-6 35.
DELSEA (6-7): Ayres Maitland 6 2-5 14, Madi Barndt 3 2-6 10, Kaiah Braxton 2 0-0 4, Peyton Parker 1 4-8 6, Melania DiBona 0 2-2 2, Rayleigh Madden 1 1-2 3. Totals 13 11-23 39.

Woodstown751112-35
Delsea 7101111-39
3-point goals: Woodstown 4 (Hengel 3, Guardascione); Delsea 2 (Barndt 2).

Wrestling

BUENA QUAD
WOODSTOWN 49, PENNSAUKEN 24
106: Angel Escobar Erazo (P) pinned TJ Conto, 1:58
113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) dec. Jeremy Slim, 10-4
120: Carson Bradway (WO) dec. Zachary Slime, 8-2
126: Walker Battavio (WO) tech fall over Anghel Juarez, 15-0 (2:04)
132: Barry Coverly (WO) won by forfeit
138: Caleb Smith (P) won by forfeit
144: Peter Lam (P) pinned Jacob Tocco, 0:35
150: Nehemiah Carter (WO) dec. Travis Ngeth, 7-3
157: Mathyias Ellis (WO) pinned Nathan Perez, 1:40
165: Ricky Watts (WO) tech fall over Kevin Terreros, 15-0 (3:26)
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Daymon Rodgers, 1:12
190: Kameron Hoskins (P) pinned Asher Fitzpatrick, 3:08
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Jayden Shockley, 1:20
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Ronell Muns Grullon, 1:17

Woodstown vs. Buena
Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights

DEPTFORD QUAD
SCHALICK 50, PEMBERTON 28
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Kayden Valasquez, 1:07
126: Diego Loeza Castillo (P) tech fall over Terry Both, 16-1 (2:12)
132: Jacob Potts (S) pinned Jariel Diaz, 0:26
138: Colin Bittle (S) won by forfeit
144: Michael Baisch (S) pinned Demitri Donald, 1:11
150: Mason Hollywood (S) won by forfeit
157: Ayden Jenkins (S) tech fall over Eddie Keenan, 18-0 (2:26)
165: Ryan Lambert (P) pinned Ayden Hubbard, 0:50
175: Mayrick Willits (P) pinned Anthony Deaver, 1:14
190: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit
215: Gerardo Felipe (S) dec. Josh Dixon, 7-4
285: JaZeer Oliver (P) pinned Ezequiel Garcia-Cruz, 0:32
106: Harley Donald (P) tech fall over Victor Fenske, 17-1 (0:56)
113: Nicholas Latona (S) won by forfeit

SCHALICK 38, HADDON TWP. 33
106: Connor Rowan (H) pinned Victor Fenske, 5:04
113: Patrick Campise (H) pinned Nicholas Latona, 3:44
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Jon Rodriguez, 0:36
126: Finn Boucher (H) tech fall over Terry Both, 21-3 (4:20)
132: Jacob Potts (S) pinned Blake Thoder, 3:00
138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Michael Coyle, 0:30
144: Gabe Slafman (H) maj. dec. Michael Baisch, 21-9
150: Thomas Andrews (H) pinned Mason Hollywood, 1:49
157: Ayden Jenkins (S) dec. Brady Monoid, 6-2
165: Anthony Deaver (S) dec. Jude Martin, 12-5
175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Jaden Curtis, 16-1 (3:41)
190: Gerardo Felipe (S) won by forfeit
215: Ethan Quiles (S) dec. Granger Revier, 11-4
285: Brennan Berger (H) pinned Ezequiel Garcia-Cruz, 1:30

SCHALICK 50, DEPTFORD 24
113: John Gigante (D) pinned Nicholas Latona, 4:22
120: Corey Hoffman (D) tech fall over Terry Both, 15-0 (4:03)
126: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Aiden Speigel, 1:21
132: Eion Curran (D) pinned Jacob Potts, 1:13
138: Amir Barnes (D) maj. dec. Colin Bittle, 14-2
144: Quentin Boyce (D) dec. Michael Baisch, 9-4
150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Shawn McFriff Dixon, 0:57
157: Ayden Jenkins (S) tech fall over Odess Myers, 25-10 (5:47)
165: Anthony Deaver (S) pinned Andrew Tracy, 1:40
175: Auden Hubbard (S) won by forfeit
190: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit
215: Gerardo Felipe (S) dec. Dayne McDermott, 8-1
285: Jeff Edmonds (S) won by forfeit
106: Victor Fenske (S) pinned Braeden Hutchins, 1:16

SALEM QUAD
PENNS GROVE 39, OVERBROOK 33
113: Doel Torres (P) won by forfeit
120: Jackob Sole (O) won by forfeit
126: Adan Gonzales (P) dec. Alan Marcos, 14-13
132: Nyhla West (P) won by forfeit
138: Double forfeit
144: Matt Kamara (O) won by forfeit
150: Karter Reed (O) pinned Angel Ocasio, 3:16
157: AbdulMuta Alie IbyAbdulHailmTart (P) won by forfeit
165: Payton Seamster (P) won by forfeit
175: Xyon Marshall (O) pinned Richard Simmons, 0:34
190: Randall Ringstaff (O) won by forfeit
215: Shyer Scarborough (O) dec. Cameron Vile, 7-3
285: Antonio Cooper (P) pinned Giovanni Carbanaro
106: Jose Santiago (P) won by forfeit

SALEM 51, PENNS GROVE 30
106: Jose Santiago (P) won by forfeit
113: Doel Torres (P) won by forfeit
120: Zachary Tortella (S) won by forfeit
126: Adan Gonzales (P) pinned Hayden Stauble, 1:55
132: Guilherme Quintaniha (S) won by forfeit
138: Brodie Parker (S) dec. Nyhla West, 20-16
144: Joseph Goetaski (S) won by forfeit
150: Angel Ocasio (P) pinned Christian VanTonder, 1:22
157: AbdulMuta Alie IbyAbdulHailmTart (P) pinned Ziyon Moore, 1:22
165: Jordan Brown (S) won by forfeit
175: Jaivion Sydney (S) pinned Richard Simmons, 1:46
190: Kaleb Ewald (S) won by forfeit
215: Abdur Jenkins (S) pinned Zaviyon Veney, 1:46
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Antonio Cooper, 2:32

PITMAN 53, PENNS GROVE 21
120: King Iglesia (P) won by forfeit
126: Grady Datz (P) tech fall over Adan Gonzales, 16-1 (1:43)
132: John Wisniewski (P) won by forfeit
138: Donte Iannella (P) pinned Nyla West, 0:29
144: Dominick Green (P) won by forfeit
150: Aidan Upham (P) pinned Angel Ocasio, 1:06
157: AbdulMuta Alie IbyAbdulHailmTart (PG) dec. Chris McIntyre, 7-5
165: Alex Simone (P) won by forfeit
175: Anthony Cappello (P) won by forfeit
190: Aiden Millward (P) won by forfeit
215: Zaviyon Veney (PG) pinned Nicolas Horner, 4:34
285: Antonio Cooper (PG) pinned Christian Southard, 0:38
106: Jose Santiago (PG) won by forfeit
113: Doel Torres (PG) won by forfeit

SALEM 60, OVERBROOK 18
120: Zachary Tortella (S) won by forfeit
126: Hayden Stauble (S) pinned Alan Marcos, 1:15
132: Guilherme Quintaniha (S) won by forfeit
138: Brodie Parker (S) won by forfeit
144: Joseph Goetaski (S) pinned Matt Camara, 1:35
150: Karter Reed (O) pinned Christian VanTonder, 1:59
157: Ziyon Moore (S) won by forfeit
165: Jordan Brown (S) won by forfeit
175: Xyon Marshall (O) pinned Jaivion Sydnor, 0:50
190: Kaleb Ewald (S) won by forfeit
215: Abdur Jenkins (S) pinned Syhir Scarborough, 0:57
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Giovanni Carbarnaro, 0:58
106: Double forfeit
113: Jackob Sole (O) won by forfeit

PITMAN 35, SALEM 34
113: Double forfeit
120: Grady Datz (P) maj. dec. Zachary Tortella, 15-4
126: King Iglesia (P) pinned Hayden Stauble, 2:30
132: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Nick Wenzke, 0:07
138: John Wiśniewski (P) pinned Brodie Parker, 1:19
144: Joseph Goetaski (S) pinned Dominick Green, 1:02
150: Aidan Upham (P) pinned Christian VanTonder, 1:11
157: Chris McIntyre (P) pinned Ziyon Moore, 2:57
165: Jordan Brown (S) pinned Alex Simone, 0:58
175: Jaivion Sydnor (S) maj. dec. Anthony Cappello, 16-2
190: Aiden Milward (P) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 0:50
215: Abdur Jenkins (S) pinned Nicolas Horner, 0:31
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Ashton Maggioncalda, 1:18
106: Double forfeit
x-Pitman wins on criteria

STERLING QUAD
COLLINGSWOOD 59, PENNSVILLE 18
113: James Jiles (CO) dec. Erick Davalos, 7-4
120: Kenny Olsen (CO) pinned Earl Wynn, 1:40
132: Chase Wright (CO) pinned Chase Baker, 3:37
138: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Iasah Cruz, 4:34
144: Mason Mesciano (CO) pinned Vincent Grether, 2:48
150: Lino Bataloni (CO) tech fall over Travis Hagan, 21-5 (5:50)
157: Avante Santos (CO) won by forfeit
165: Zachary Akers (CO) maj. dec. Robbie McDade, 14-4
175: Cristian Blyler (P) pinned Julian Jones, 1:24
190: Josiah Evans (CO) pinned Stephen Pangle, 3:14
215: Tim Rambo (CO) pinned Hunter Coulbourn, 1:22
285: Jacob Hand (P) pinned Jadiel Santos, 3:20
106: Robbie Penman (CO) pinned Brett Land, 3:25

Pennsville vs. Vineland
Pennsville vs. Sterling

Record smasher

No. 1 Salem CC puts up 124 points, most in the Mike Green Era, 77 in second half, en route to rout of Passaic

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Nasseem Wright had one eye on the scoreboard and one eye on history.

In a season where this year’s Salem CC basketball team has been checking off all kinds of boxes in an effort to gain an identity of its own, Saturday was the historical high point.

As if they were ever in it to begin with, this Mighty Oaks team may have finally stepped out of the shadow of last year’s historic group, scoring the most points since they revived the program – and likely all-time – in a 124-70 pounding of undermanned Passaic.

It’s the 14th time they have hit 100 in Mike Green’s 73 games as head coach and the eighth time this year — twice as many as last season in 34 games. Their 94.8 ppg scoring average ranks fourth in Division III. They had 100 Saturday with 7:41 to play.

Their previous single-game high in the Green Era was 119 against RCSJ-Cumberland on Jan. 14, 2025. 

“It’s a new group of guys,” Wright said. “The majority of us are freshmen. We’ve already been making history all year so we just want to keep checking those boxes off the list.

“Last year’s team scored 119 points. Once we got into the second half and saw we had like 79 points and there was like nine or 10 minutes left, I’m telling the guys we’ve got a chance to do this, so let’s come out and keep the same energy, respect our opponent and keep playing hard.

“I pay a lot of attention to last year’s team. They set the bar high by winning the regionals and going to the nationals, but I don’t think they won the conference. Coming into the season I wanted to key in on all of those things that they didn’t accomplish and where they went wrong at and then work from there. That’s kind of been the motivation for me personally for this team this year.”

Green understood where his flashy freshman from Philly was coming from.“Nasseem wanted to obliterate everything that last year’s team did, so he had that fire in him,” Green said. “He respects that last year’s team, but he’s just got that fire to him. I don’t want to say that’s what he’s chasing, but he’s kind of chasing it. That’s type of kid he is. He respects those guys, but he wants his team to be on top.”

The Mighty Oaks (21-0) have been on top of the JUCO Division III world since the Week 6 poll Dec. 15 and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down any time soon. They may have started Saturday’s noon start slow coming off the late night that was Thursday’s win at No. 5 Northampton, but once they kicked it into gear the only thing you could say was wow.

They led 47-37 at halftime, then erupted for 77 points in the second half. In case you glanced past that detail, it’s more points in one half than the Panthers scored the entire game.

The Mighty Oaks shot 68 percent from the field in the second half (32-of-47) and hit 7 of 8 from 3-point range. They collected 20 of their record 33 assists in the half. Over the last 27 minutes of the game they were 46-of-66 from the floor.

“We put together 11 guys playing like we need them to play,” Green said. “Usually we go up and we have fall off because guys think it’s garbage time (with a big lead). This time we didn’t have no fall off. Zero fall off.”

The finish was a huge contrast to the way they started, but, then, this has always been a second half team. There were seven lead changes and three ties in the first 13 minutes until Zyaire Gibson’s 3-pointer with 7:00 left in the half gave the Mighty Oaks the lead for good. 

They hit four of their first 10 shots to grab an early 9-2 lead, but then missed nine straight and 12 of their next 15 and the Panthers (3-16) took a four-point lead with 8:17 left in the half. The Mighty Oaks then made five shots in a row and never trailed again.

Everybody contributed. Salem put six scorers in double figures. Jarrell Little had a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Wright had 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocks. Gibson had 15 points with four 3-pointers. Saaid Lee had 12 points and 10 assists.

The bench scored 50 points. Nayeem Johnson had 13 points and eight rebounds in 12 minutes (all in the second half) and Jaiayre Wright had 12 points and six boards in 15 minutes. Three other non-starters had at least eight points. Nobody who scored had less than seven. 

“The second half, remember we always talk about that second unit, they’re just as strong as most teams in our league, and they came out and played … like they were supposed to play, so that was a big boost for us,” Green said.

SALEM CC 124, PASSAIC 70
PASSAIC (3-16): Tyler Williams 1-3 0-0 3, Josiah Etienne 8-20 0-0 19, Ajuwan Tiggs 8-21 4-4 20, Jaquis Davis 3-17 8-13 15, Aidan Secka 0-1 0-0 0, Diego Munoz 0-2 0-0 0, Joshua Renta 5-15 1-1 13. Totals 25-79 13-18 70.
SALEM CC (21-0): Jarrell Little 9-14 0-1 23, Saaid Lee 6-10 0-0 12, Zyaire Gibson 4-9 3-3 15, Nasseem Wright 8-14 1-2 17, Stefan Phillips 3-6 1-1 7, Jahseir Sayles 4-6 0-0 9, Jaiayre Wright 6-10 0-0 12, Qua Smith 4-6 0-0 8, Nayeem Johnson 5-9 2-2 13, Idris Rines 3-7 1-2 8, Michael Goodwin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 52-91 8-11 124.

Passaic3436-70
Salem4777-124
3-point goals: Passaic 7-23 (Williams 1-2, Etienne 3-8, Tiggs 0-1, Davis 1-5, Munoz 0-2, Renta 2-5); Salem CC 12-28 (Little 5-9, Lee 0-1, Gibson 4-9, N. Wright 0-1, Phillips 0-1, Sayles 1-2, J. Wright 0-1, Johnson 1-3, Rines 1-1). Rebounds: Passaic 34 (Williams 9, Seyka 9); Salem CC 53 (Phillips 9, Little 8, Johnson 8, N. Wright 7). Assists: Passaic 10 (Williams 4); Salem CC 33 (Lee 10, Little 8). Total fouls: Passaic 7, Salem CC 17.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION IIIR19ALLGSAC
SALEM CC (1)8-021-015-0
Union (8)11-115-311-2
Northampton (5)9-115-2
Brookdale13-313-68-4
Montgomery (9)7-210-3
Camden7-210-66-5
Ocean9-311-67-4
Bergen10-710-103-9
Atlantic Cape6-67-95-7
RCSJ-Cumberland6-77-106-7
RCSJ-Gloucester5-117-151-11
Thaddeus Stevens3-76-10
Sussex4-107-134-9
Philadelphia2-87-8
Passaic3-143-163-11
Delaware County2-103-14
Harrisburg Area1-72-13
Luzerne1-84-14

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem 124, Passaic 70
Union at Thaddeus Stevens
Philadelphia 71, Luzerne 47
RCSJ-Gloucester 99, Delaware County 68
Essex 80, Delaware Tech 74
Montgomery 90, Ocean 86
Allegany (Md.) 89, Harcum 81
Sussex at Camden
Atlantic Cape 75, Brookdale 72
Lackawanna 81, Baltimore City CC 67
Mercer at Ulster
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Passaic at Luzerne
Union at Montgomery
Harcum at Middlesex
Bergen at Atlantic Cape
Camden at Ocean
Lancaster Bible JV at Thaddeus Stevens
Westchester CC at Essex
Sussex at Harrisburg Area
Philadelphia at Northampton
Lackawanna at Morris
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Atlantic Cape at Salem
Monroe at Essex
RCSJ-Cumberland at Bergen
Northampton at Harrisburg Area
Union at Rockland
Ulster at Raritan Valley
Bucks at Delaware County
Ocean at Sussex
Mercer at Morris
Misericordia JV at Thaddeus Stevens
Camden at Brookdale
Delaware Tech at Baltimore City CC
Philadelphia at Montgomery
Orange at Lackawanna
SATURDAY, JAN. 24
Luzerne at Thaddeus Stevens
Union at RCSJ-Cumberland
Northampton at Monroe-Bronx
Sussex at Philadelphia
Mercer at Orange
Harrisburg Area at Delaware County
Delaware Tech at Middlesex
Monroe at Harcum
Montgomery at Passaic
Camden at Atlantic Cape
Raritan Valley at Westchester
Morris at Essex

SATURDAY’S WOMEN’S GAMES
Middlesex at Salem CC, ppd.
Sussex at Camden
Atlantic Cape 58, Brookdale 40
Essex 79, Delaware Tech 64
Montgomery 61, Ocean 44
Lackawanna 67, Baltimore City 28
Northampton 71, Raritan Valley 58
Passaic 71, Philadelphia 50
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Mercer at Salem CC
Sussex at Passaic
Westchester CC at Essex
Philadelphia at Northampton
Bergen at Atlantic Cape
Harcum at Middlesex
Union at Raritan Valley
Lackawanna at Morris
Camden at Ocean
THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem
Mercer at Morris
Camden at Brookdale
Raritan Valley at Monroe
Delaware Tech at Baltimore City CC
Ocean at Sussex
Philadelphia at Montgomery
RCSJ-Cumberland at Bergen
Orange at Lackawanna
SATURDAY, JAN. 24
Salem at Lackawanna
Camden at Atlantic Cape
Mercer at Orange
Montgomery at Passaic
Sussex at Philadelphia
Delaware Tech at Middlesex
Union at Harcum
Raritan Valley at Westchester
Morris at Essex




Salem County Friday night

Here are the results and details of the games on Friday night’s Salem County sports calendar

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Schalick 44, Lindenwold 8: Nevaeh Robinson and Willow Davis combined for 26 points and the Cougars had another shutout quarter. Robinson scored 14 points and Davis scored 12. The Cougars held Lindenwold scoreless in the second quarter and to just three field goals in the game.

LINDENWOLD (0-11): Nasira Ali-Dunn 2 0-0 5, Faith Samuel 0 0-2 0, Alayah Barker 1 0-0 3, Makayla Williams 0 0-0 0, Kamyra Fleeks 0 0-4 0, Jordan Custis 0 0-0 0, Aniyah Davis 0 0-0 0, Laila Seamon 0 0-0 0. Totals 3 0-6 8.
SCHALICK (6-3): Cali Fisler 1 0-0 2, Vicky Basich 1 1-2 3, Nevaeh Robinson 6 1-2 14, Willow Davis 4 3-6 12, Olivia VanAcker 3 0-0 6, Emmalyn Weir 1 0-0 3, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 1 0-0 2, Paige Sparks 1 0-0 2, Eve Berger 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 5-10 44.

Lindenwold167129-44
Schalick2033-8
3-point goals: Lindenwold 2 (Ali-Dunn, Barker); Schalick 3 (Robinson, Davis, Weir). Rebounds: Schalick 39 (Robinson 8, Davis 6, Basich 7). Fouled out: Samuel. Total fouls: Lindenwold 11, Schalick 4.

Cumberland 67, Salem 34: After a competitive first half, the Colts outscored the Rams 30-6 in the second half. Elizabeth Pflieger led three Cumberland scorers in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Dyaira Anderson and Madison Dixon scored 14 points each for Salem. Salem at Cumberland, 5:30 p.m.

SALEM (4-5): Madison Dixon 5 2-7 14, Carlysia Pierce 0 1-4 1, Dyaira Anderson 5 4-4 14, Jaryn Weathers 1 1-2 3, Kaliyah Taylor 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 8-17 34.
CUMBERLAND (6-7): Ellie Bodine 5 2-2 13, Elizabeth Pflieger 9 2-2 21, Addison Weist 4 5-5 17, NyLasija Gay 1 2-2 4, Kamila Ramos 3 1-1 7, Julianna Rivera 2 1-2 5. Totals 24 13-14 67.

Salem131533-34
Cumberland16211913-67
3-point goals: Salem 2 (Dixon 2); Cumberland 6 (Weist 4, Boden, Pflieger).

BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem Tech 41, Buena 35: Sophomore Raphael Busch scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and the Chargers used a 15-7 fourth quarter surge to snap an eight-game losing streak. It was the Chargers’ first win since their season opener. Chase Pompper also scored 10 points and Aiden Bobo pulled down nine rebounds.

BUENA (1-10): Elwood Taylor 1 0-2 3, Jevon Alexander 6 3-6 15, Sincere Toussant 0 1-2 1, Tyler Weightman 1 0-0 3, Ricky Bessix 2 0-0 4, Nathan Nieves-Medina 1 0-0 3, Zack Mick 0 1-2 1, Brayden Pio 1 0-0 2, Jackson Murray 1 0-0 3. Totals 13 5-12 35.
SALEM TECH (2-8): Chase Pompper 4 1-4 10, Brody Kroll 0 2-2 2, Ayden Myers 1 2-4 4, Aiden Bobo 3 1-4 7, Avery Reed 1 1-2 3, Luke Kroll 2 0-3 5, Raphael Busch 4 2-4 10. Totals 15 9-23 41.

Buena39167-35
Salem Tech711815-41
3-point goals: Buena 4 (Taylor, Weightman, Nieves-Medina, Murray); Salem Tech 2 (Pompper, L. Kroll). Rebounds: Salem Tech 36 (Busch 15, Bobo 9)

Gloucester Catholic 53, Penns Grove 44: The Rams went out fast, opening a 20-8 lead in the first quarter, and kept the Red Devils at arm’s length the rest of the game. B.J. Williams led three GC scorers in double figures with 16 points. Alahajee Fofana grabbed 12 rebounds and Amor Sears dealt 13 assists. Sophomore Carson Pearsall led Penns Grove with a career-high 15 points. Pearson averaged 12 ppg in three games this week.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (7-6): Jack Pund 3 1-2 10, BJ Williams 7 2-2 16, Alahajee Fofana 3 2-2 8, TK Tanner 4 2-2 11, Darius Attoh-Mensah 2 1-2 5, Jordan Mendez 1 0-0 3, Kamor Sears 0 0-2 0, Kalief Armstrong 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-12 53.
PENNS GROVE (7-5): Will Roy 1-0-2, Carson Pearsall 6-2-15, Roman Gipson 5-0-12, Mishawn Brantley 1-0-2, Geonni Conrad 3-0-6, Jeremy Costacamps 3-1-7, Luis Colon 0-0-0. Totals 19-3-44.

Gloucester Cath.2081510-53
Penns Grove813913-44
3-point goals: GC 5 (Pund 3, Tanner, Mendez); Penns Grove 3 (Pearsall, Gipson 2). Rebounds: GC 27 (Fofana 12).

Reliable relays

Woodstown boys edge Glassboro for first state indoor relays title, clinch it in final event of night

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

TOMS RIVER — The Woodstown boys set their lineups to grab the most points possible and it all came down to the last race of the night.

A first- or second-place finish in the 4×400 would wrestle away the Wolverines’ first NJSIAA Indoor Relays state title from rival Glassboro. Running on what had to be dead legs at the end of a long night, all they did was win the race vy 1.4 seconds to give them 38 team points and edge the Bulldogs (who placed sixth) by three for their first NJSIAA indoor title since the 2016 sectionals.

The Wolverines won three races at the Bubble: 4×400 (3:28.27), 4×800 (8:09.20) and the sprint medley (3:38.34). They were second to Glassboro in the distance medley.

“I’m so so happy we won,” said Karson Chew, who ran the second leg of the 4×4 and the leadoff leg in the 4×8. “We’ve been working so hard up to this moment and it’s such a great boost of confidence and momentum for us going into late season. We all went into the meet knowing what we had to do to get the win and executed perfectly.”

One of the key decisions of the night was substituting 800 specialist Josh Crawford into that leg of the sprint medley and they won that race by nearly seven seconds over Audubon. Glassboro was third, some 10 seconds off the pace. Kyle Reitz, Anthony Costello and Ben Lippincott ran the other legs of the race.

“We knew our main competition tonight was Glassboro,” Crawford said. “We respect their team. We knew we had to get as many points as possible, so we made some last-minute changes.”

That win set the stage for the 4×400 drama. Reitz led it off, followed by Chew, Costello and Crawford. Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell and Crawford ran the 4×800.

“We did what we do, as a team, so well,” Crawford said. “We listen to our coaches. We talked to each other and strategize about our strengths and how we are each feeling about what we have left in the tank to put the right person in each position. We trust each other and we know that we will all leave everything we have on the track.”

Schalick’s boys finished tied for tenth with eight pole vault points. Salvatore Longo finished second individually in the event.

Penns Grove and Salem also were in that T-10. The Red Devils were 3-4 in the shot put. The Rams were third in the 4×800 and sixth in the shuttle hurdles.

Pennsville’s girls were ninth. Kallie Morrison had the Eagles’ best individual finish, second in the high jump.

NJSIAA RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
At The Bubble, Toms River
GROUP 1 BOYS
TOP 15 TEAM SCORES: Woodstown 38, Glassboro 35, Glen Rock 30, Ramsey 23, New Providence 22, Hasbrouck Heights 18, Haddon Twp. 16, Audubon 13, Pascack Hills 9, Schalick 8, Highland Park 8, Penns Grove 8, Salem 8, Hanover Park 6, Newark Tech-Essex 6.
4000 Distance Medley: 1. Glassboro 10:43.76; 2. Woodstown (Jacob Marino, David Farrell, Josh Crawford, Karson Chew) 10:45.69.
4×55 Shuttle Hurdles: 1. Hasbrouck Heights 34.85; 6. Salem (Timothy Gregory, Cashmir Parsley, Jerry Seals, Gradin Buzby) 37.92.
4×200: 1. Glen Rock 1:34.87.
4×800: 1. Woodstown (Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell, Josh Crawford), 8:09.20.
Sprint Medley: 1. Woodstown (Kyle Reitz, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford, Ben Lippincott), 3:38.84.
4×400: 1. Woodstown (Kyle Reitz, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford), 3:32.59; 3. Salem (Gradin Buzby, Timothy Gregory, Jerry Seals, Quimere Bergen), 3:38.27.
High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro, 6-0; 1. Leighton Kelly, Glen Rock, 6-0.
Pole Vault: 1. Luciano Zizza, Ramsey, 13-6; 2. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 12-0.08 (14. Josh Weiner, Schalick, 9-6.05).
Shot Put: 1. Evan Youzon, Glen Rock, 57-10; 3. Raymond Brown, Penns Grove, 43-1.5; 4. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove, 42-5.5.

GROUP 1 GIRLS
TOP 15 TEAM SCORES: Ramsey 60, Audubon 48, Glassboro 23, Metuchen 18, Shore 16, Hasbrouck Heights 11, Pequannock 11, Butler 10, Pennsville 9, New Providence 8, Mountain Lakes 8, West Deptford 8, Waldwick 8, Glen Rock 7, Lower Cape May 6, Penns Grove 6.
4000 Distance Medley: 1. Shore Regional 12:42.13.
4×51.5 Shuttle Hurdles: 1. Ramsey 35.34
4×200: 1. Ramsey 1:50.95; 4. Salem (Ramiyah Jones, Janiyah Parsons-Smith, Amaia Massengill, Anyzha Williams), 1:52.0.
4×800: 1. Ramsey 10:14.03.
Sprint Medley: 1. Audubon 4:19.43.
4×400: 1. Ramsey 4:17.60.
High Jump: 1. Jessica Tsang, Mountain Lakes, 5-2; 2. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville, 5-0.02 (10. Molly Gratz, Pennsville, 4-6).
Pole Vault: 1. Elizabeth Mann, Glassboro, 8-6; 7. Molly Gratz, Pennsville, 7-0 (8. Laura Tamberella, Pennsville, 6-0).
Shot Put: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro, 36-8.75; 6. Zoey Ceasar, Penns Grove, 31-1.5 (11. Jarlene Vichi, Penns Grove, 29-8.75.

Major steps forward

Salem CC board approves Accorsi as head football coach, first assistant coach, authorizes purchase of property for practice facility

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — The football program at Salem Community College took a huge step forward tonight when the school’s board of trustees approved two major personnel appointments and authorized the purchase of a piece of property that will become the team’s practice facility.

On the personnel side, the board approved Jay Accorsi as the head football coach and veteran college coach Joe Dougherty as an assistant. On the facilities side, the board authorized the purchase of a piece of property known as the Twins’ field adjacent to the Carneys Point Rec Complex, just beyond the right fence where the baseball team plays its home games.

“Now we can really start making some rapid progress with these folks in place,” Salem CC president Mike Gorman said after the board meeting. “It sets us up to take more big steps.”

ACCORSI

The college plans to formally launch the program Jan. 28.

Salem had been exploring the possibility of bringing football to the campus since Accorsi brought the idea to Gorman in the spring. He was formally hired as a consultant in August, presented his findings through a presentation by athletics director Bob Hughes in October and the board green-lighted the program in November. Thursday night, the board installed him as the program’s first head football coach.

Hughes received more than 80 applications from what he described as some highly qualified candidates from across the college football spectrum and after reviewing his thoughts on process, Gorman said, “at the end it was very obvious Jay had the name recognition and just what he had done in serving as our consultant really demonstrated to us that this is the man we need to get the program started.”

He added, “bringing a guy like Jay on board who has the respect of the South Jersey football community gives us a leg up on everybody else. Just having somebody of his caliber to start the program, that’s putting us out on the right track.”

Accorsi announced his retirement from Rowan University on the final day of spring practice 2024 after 30 years in the program, the last 22 as head coach, the longest tenured head coach in the program’s history. He posted a record of 143-78 with seven conference titles and seven trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Two of his teams reached the national semifinals.

But the thought of junior college football in the state of New Jersey had long intrigued him. His months in retirement gave him a chance to look at it further. The urge to get back in the game returned, but this time with a different approach to the calling.

“First I want to say I am grateful for the opportunity provided to me by the Salem Community College board of trustees, president Michael Gorman and athletic director Bob Hughes,” Accorsi said. “When I walked away at Rowan obviously I was happy and had a great career and was ready to go onto the next chapter of my life and didn’t think it would be football, to be honest with you. This idea kind of popped around. I think it’s more this time for me more about helping other people and helping young men, but I really didn’t think I’d be doing something like this.

“I only imagined it would be possible and only thought it would be a stretch, but it’s kind of becoming a reality now. It’s something I just never thought this would happen. I didn’t think I’d really coach again. I didn’t think I’d be involved with football again. I thought I would be done and headed in a different path or a different career, just be done forever. In my wildest dreams I never really thought this would occur.”

DOUGHERTY

The hiring of his first assistant is full circle moment. Dougherty most recently the defensive backs and special teams coach at Widener, but he’s been the defensive coordinator and national recruiting coordinator at Juniata, offensive coordinator at Catholic University, DC at Hamilton College and coached at Lafayette and Fordham. He was a graduate assistant for KC Keeler and later Accorsi at Rowan in 2001 and 2002..

His position responsible in Salem’s program is currently undetermined.

“We haven’t really gone down that path yet,” Accorsi said. “He obviously has had variety of experiences coaching … Those are things we’re going to piece together and figure out what to do.

“I’m happy the board was able to get me some help right away because it’s, as I thought it would be, been a little overwhelming even for somebody with my experience, so I think it’s a good start in a good direction to have somebody help me a little bit as we start to move this thing forward.”

One of the biggest hurdles to getting the program off the ground was finding a suitable everyday practice facility. The board authorized the purchase of the property adjacent to the Rec not to exceed $125,000. Settlement is expected to be next month.

In addition to the property, the board also approved entry into an agreement for the design and construction oversight of an athletic facility at the field at a fee of $69,500.

“It’s a perfect kind of environment for us to do this,” Gorman said. “Our baseball team is already at an adjacent field to this and we’ll be looking in the future to hopefully bring our softball team back into that complex.”

Top photo: New Salem CC head football coach Jay Accorsi (C) stands between president Mike Gorman (L) and athletics director Bob Hughes during a recent board of trustees meeting.

A pummeling in Pa.

No. 1 Salem CC uses big second half to turn back challenge from No. 5 Northampton, makes it 20-0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Salem CC freshman Nasseem Wright has a unique way of describing the way the Mighty Oaks have been able to turn it on in the second half to win basketball games and become the No. 1 team in the nation this year.

Leaning against the locker room wall after another second half surge carried them to victory he simply said, “They always say after the rain and thunder, the sun comes out. We weather the storm good. The second half we came out and I feel like the sun was out. We figured those guys out and we ended up getting them.”

The top-ranked Mighty Oaks were locked in an expectedly tight battle in the first half at No. 5 Northampton Thursday night, but the sun shined brightly on them in the second half and propelled them to a 99-84 win over the Spartans to stand alone atop the Region XIX Division III standings.

It was their 20th win of the season and 14th away from the Dupont Fieldhouse. The Mighty Oaks (20-0) are one of only seven undefeated teams in the JUCO basketball world and the only one in the Division III poll.

“These guys answered the bell,” coach Mike Green said. “We’re a tough team, a really good team. We’ve got players who dig in. These guys are answering the bell. Every tough one they’ve answered the call. It’s been a pleasure thus far.”

The Mighty Oaks outscored their hosts 56-45 in the second half. They shot better than or equal to their first half percentages in all three shooting aspects of the game and had more rebounds, assists and steals in the second half. They ended up leading by as many as 17.

They’ve only been down at halftime twice this season — Atlantic Cape in the opener and Union in the first game back from the break — but they outscored both teams in the second half by double digits. They’ve been outscored in the second half only three times (Penn Highlands, Essex and Camden) and never by more than two points.

Since they’ve come back from the holiday break they’ve outscored their four opponents in the second half by an average of 11.25 points after trailing by 4 and leading by 1, 13 and 4.

“The first half, a lot of time, we respect our opponent so much that we give them too much respect sometimes,” Wright said. “The first half we’re trying to see what they want to get to. We scout them before the game, for sure, but it’s kind of different when you get into the game. Once we came out the second half we got them figured out.”

“We carried them with us in the first half; like, we always start off slow in the first half,” Jerrell Little said. “i think once we clean up the first half I don’t think no team in the nation can beat us at all.”

That second-half sun shined brightest on Wright and Jerrell Little. The Mighty Oaks’ two leading scorers had only four points combined in the first half. Wright was 0-for-5 from the floor and had just one point at halftime, but he went 5-for-6 in the second half and poured in 14 points. Little had 11 in the second half to finish with 14.

“I was in my head,” Wright said. “Yesterday was one of my best friend’s death anniversary so I was kind of in my head the first half, like this ain’t my day. Coming into the half I just locked in mentally, going inside-out and just remembering it’s just basketball, so the second half I came out with more energy.”

The difference in Little’s halves, he said, was “Mike Green getting in my head about me not shooting the ball. I didn’t take any bad shots, but I didn’t take no shots at all, that’s what he was saying. So the second half I turned it on, started listening to him and got my shots up.”

In all, seven Salem players scored in double figures, including all five starters. Saaid Lee, who didn’t mind saying the Mighty Oaks could go undefeated this year, led all scorers with 20 points.

It really was anybody’s game at halftime. The game was tied nine times and had 13 lead changes in the first half. The Mighty Oaks broke the final tie (39-39) with four free throws in the final 37 seconds to take a 43-39 lead into the break and never lost the lead.

While they were waiting for their two top scorers to come around, Stefan Phillips, Nayeem Johnson and Idris Rines were keeping them in it in the first half. Phillips and Rines combined for 13 points from basically the same position, while Johnson had eight.

That didn’t surprise Wright.

“We recruit a bunch of guys that can go and can hold that weight,” he said, “so if me and Jarrell are slacking we got guys who can pick it up until our time comes.”

And because of that those guys’ time might increase in the near future.

“I was deciding their minutes among four people, that might have to stop,” Green said. “I might have to let those guys get more rhythm. We’ll figure it out. Everybody deserves a chance, but those guys who gave like this one will play a little longer.”

ACORNS: There were 51 fouls called in the game, including two techs on the Mighty Oaks. That led to 82 free throws. Salem was 27-of-35 from the line, Northampton 30-of-47 … The Mighty Oaks’ success is getting noticed around South Jersey. New Salem CC football coach Jay Accorsi reports coaches he meets on the recruiting visits often remark on how well the Mighty Oaks are playing. He said one, Willingboro’s Kenny Scott, even mentioned remembering Green when they were in school together at Towson … Some of the players might be thinking about an undefeated season, but Green says it’s a little too early to be thinking like that. “Yeah, it’s only January,” he said. “We’ve got to play February yet. There are some good teams coming up. The thing is we’re getting everybody’s best shot. They’re not the normal team, they’re not the 0-7 team, the 4-9 team. Against us they’re good, they come to play.”

SALEM CC 99, NORTHAMPTON 84
SALEM CC (20-0): Jarrell Little 4-14 5-5 14, Saaid Lee 6-12 7-8 20, Zyaire Gibson 3-5 1-4 10, Nasseem Wright 5-11 5-6 15, Stefan Phillips 5-8 1-2 13, Jahseir Sayles 1-5 0-0 3, Qua Smith 1-1 0-2 2, Nayeem Johnson 3-10 5-7 12, Idris Rines 3-6 3-3 10. Totals 31-72 27-35 99.
NORTHAMPTON (15-2): Terrence Cobb 2-13 3-3 7, Kevin Rucker 6-17 5-7 19, Jahad Marable 6-10 5-10 17, Mehki Shillingford 0-7 7-10 7, Aiden Brown 6-12 5-9 17, Sihaaj Johnson 0-1 1-2 1, Sebastian Fermin 2-3 0-0 6, Julian Bair 0-1 0-0 0, Anniel Pichardo 0-0 0-0 0, Ermil Fleurinvil 0-0 1-2 1, Lamaj Mapp 3-5 3-4 9. Totals 25-69 30-47 84.

Salem CC4356-99
Northampton3945-84

3-point goals: Salem CC 10-26 (Little 1-3, Lee 1-3, Gibson 3-5, Phillips 2-3, Sayles 1-5, Johnson 1-4, Rines 1-3); Northampton 4-19 (Cobb 0-6, Rucker 2-8, Marable 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Fermin 2-3). Rebounds: Salem CC 53 (Johnson 9, Lee 8, Wright 8); Northampton 46 (Marable 11, Brown 10). Technical fouls: Salem CC team (dunking in warmups), Lee. Fouled out: Phillips, Rines. Total fouls: Salem CC 29, Northampton 22.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION IIIR19ALLGSAC
SALEM CC (1)7-020-015-0
Union (8)12-115-311-2
Northampton (5)9-115-2
Brookdale13-213-58-3
Camden7-210-66-5
Ocean9-311-57-4
Montgomery (9)6-29-3
Bergen10-710-103-9
RCSJ-Cumberland6-77-106-7
Atlantic Cape5-66-94-7
Thaddeus Stevens3-76-10
Sussex4-107-134-9
RCSJ-Gloucester4-116-151-11
Passaic3-133-153-10
Delaware County2-93-13
Luzerne1-74-13
Harrisburg Area1-72-13
Philadelphia1-86-8

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem 99, Northampton 84
Sussex 79, Luzerne 77
Camden at Georgian Court JV
Union 80, Ocean 76
Brookdale 85, RCSJ-Gloucester 78
Thaddeus Stevens at Albright JV
Orange CC 87, Morris 83
Prince George’s at Harcum
Montgomery 98, RCSJ-Cumberland 59
Monroe 94, Raritan Valley 64
Bergen 95, Passaic 74
Rockland CC 101, Essex 73
Mercer 69, Westchester CC 62

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION IIR19ALLGSAC
Harcum (4)7-015-1
Union (11)8-116-26-0
Mercer (17)6-212-33-1
Essex6-311-45-2
Delaware Tech4-46-11
Raritan Valley3-56-93-3
Lackawanna2-62-10
SALEM CC1-52-110-3
Middlesex1-66-130-4
Morris0-60-60-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Harcum at Salem, ppd.
Northampton 58, Camden 43
Passaic 74, Bergen 42
CCBC Essex 92, Raritan Valley 53
RCSJ-Gloucester 82, Brookdale 46
RCSJ-Cumberland at Montgomery
Atlantic Cape 66, Philadelphia 57
Essex at Rockland CC
Middlesex at Morris
Mercer 101, Westchester CC 27

Rams roll on

Salem shuts down Delaware visitors’ dynamic duo, wins eighth straight; includes results and details from the action on Wednesday night’s Salem County sports schedule

BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem 74, DuPont (Del.) 62
Penns Grove 65, Pennsville 17
Pitman 54, Salem Tech 31
Woodstown 67, Schalick 27
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville 55, Penns Grove 46
Woodstown 52, Schalick 27
Salem Tech at Pitman

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM — The Salem Rams didn’t know a whole lot about the A.I. duPont team they brought across the bridge to play Wednesday night, but they did know which Tigers to pay attention to.

The short film session the Rams had in the run up to the game made it pretty clear they had to keep an eye on Amir Robinson and Gi’lyl Conrad. Both were averaging nearly 20 points a game, but Xavier McGriff and Neziah Spence kept them both well below that on their way to a 74-62 border war win.

It was the Rams’ eighth win in a row, their longest winning streak since a 15-gamer in 2021-22.

“We definitely knew they were their guys,” said Spence, who drew the assignment on Conrad. “We watched a little bit of film so we knew what they could do. We knew if we took them away it would make it difficult for them to score.”

As it turned out, Robertson had 15 points and Conrad was held to 11. Seven of Robertson’s points came from the free throw line. Nine of Conrad’s came from outside the 3-point arc.

“They did a great job,” Deshaan Williams said of his teammates’ defensive effort.

Rams coach Anthony Farmer called the defensive showing “one of the better efforts we’ve had putting it all together.”

“We’re trying to put it together for four quarters regardless of what we’re in,” Farmer said. “We’re just trying to be smart about what we’re doing and have an identity and understand the game plan and execute the game plan. We’re getting close.”

In the second quarter they came out in tough man-to-man defense, generally holding the Tigers to one shot, and outscoring them 17-9 to take a 31-22 halftime lead.

Spence showed out at the start of the third quarter. He opened the half with two straight steals, one he got to Williams for a bucket and the other he took for a three-point play. He almost got a third the next time down the court, but got the rebound on the Tigers’ missed shot and fed Williams for another layup to give the Rams their biggest lead.

“We knew what we had to do,” Spence said. “We had to stretch the lead. The second half I came out energetic and feel like I set the tone and got it popping.”

Spence was good on the offensive end, too, going for a game-high 21 points. Tymear Lecator had 19 and Deshaan Williams had his fourth double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds).

But the Tigers (7-2) wouldn’t go away. The 22nd-ranked team in Delaware (MaxPreps) chipped away the rest of the quarter and got back within 3. It was still a three-point game early in the fourth quarter when the Rams (10-1) went on an 11-2 run that expanded to 17-5 to move back comfortably ahead.

Farmer called it being resilient and making adjustments. In trying to keep up, the Tigers had four players foul out.

Rams senior Fatah Paige was most familiar with the Tigers. He played them one time last year when he was at McKean (Del.) High School and said they were “developed way more” than the team he beat handily last year.

Paige is progressing, too. He had seven points, four rebounds and an assist in his fourth game with the Rams since satisfying his transfer requirements. It came on the heels of a massive double-double against Clayton.

“I feel like I was just locked in,” he said of his big game. “I’m still getting warmed up to everything. I feel like as the games go on I’ll get more productive.”

SALEM 74, DUPONT 62
DUPONT (7-2): Tevin Cannon 2 5-6, Tko Jones 3 2-2 9, Amir Robertson 4 7-7 15, Gilyl Conrad 4 0-0 11, Tyaire Herring 1 3-4 5, Arcevis Flowers 0 0-0 0, JaMael Bishop 0 0-0 0, Kaisan Hale 6 0-2 12. Totals 20 17-21 62.
SALEM (10-1): Xavier McGriff 1 4-6 7, Neziah Spence 4 11-13 21, Tymear Lecator 6 6-10 19, Fatah Paige 2 3-4 7, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0, Deshaan Williams 5 4-4 14, BJ Robbins 1 2-2 4, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 30-39 74.

DuPont1392416-62
Salem14171825-74
3-point goals: DuPont 5 (Jones, Herring, Conrad 3); Salem 4 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator). Rebounds: DuPont 19 (Cannon 4); Salem 33 (Williams 10). Fouled out: Jones, Robertson, Hewing, Hale, Stephens. Total fouls: DuPont 27, Salem 22.

PENNS GROVE 64, PENNSVILLE 17: The Red Devils came out smoking, outscoring Pennsville 34-4 in the first quarter. Ten players scored for them in the game, led by Will Roy’s 16 and Carson Pearsall’s 11.

PENNSVILLE (1-11): Jake Layfield 2-0-5, Jacob Farina 1-0-3, Gavin Spears 1-3-5, Aidan Clark 2-0-4. Only players reported. Totals 6-3-17.
PENNS GROVE (7-4): Zane Thomas 3-0-6, Roman Gipson 3-1-7, Will Roy 7-0-16, Mishawn Bradley 1-0-2, Geonni Conrad 1-3-5, Eli Pearsall 0-0-0, Carson Pearsall 5-1-11, Luis Colon 2-2-6, Jeremy Costacamps 2-2-6, Jerry Wooten 1-0-3, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0, Messiah Allah 1-0-2. Totals 26-9-64.

Pennsville4382-17
Penns Grove341299-64
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Layfield, Farina); Penns Grove 3 (Roy 2, Wooton).

WOODSTOWN 67, SCHALICK 25: The Wolverines got back on the winning track after losing the battle for the Diamond Division lead in its previous game, pulling away with a big second quarter and closing it out by allowing only one point in the fourth.

Josh King led the Wolverines with a career-high 17 points. He had double-doubles in each of their first two games, but hadn’t scored in double figures single. He had scored only 16 points in his previous four games combined.

SCHALICK (5-5): Orion Baldwin 0 1-4 1, Julian Dickerson 1 1-2 3, Kade Macom 3 0-0 6, Sherrod Jones 2 1-2 5, Dylan Sheehan 4 0-0 8, Cooper Willoughby 1 0-2 2, Jacob Schalick 0 0-0 0, Will Sieminski 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 3-10 25.
WOODSTOWN (8-4): Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 6 0-1 13, Trey Markward 1 0-0 3, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 3, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 3 0-0 8, Frank Hoerst 3 0-0 6, Connor Miller 2 0-0 5, Alejandro Vazquez 1 1-2 3, Josh King 8 1-2 17, John Hood-McGinley 2 0-0 6. Totals 28 2-5 67.

Schalick66121-25
Woodstown10182415-67
3-point goals: Woodstown 9 (Caesar, White, Markward, Fulmer, Bialecki 2, Miller, John Hood-McGinley 2).

PITMAN 54, SALEM TECH 31: Joey Zubert made his bones keeping shots out of Pitman’s net on the soccer pitch and he doesn’t do a bad job of it on the basketball floor, either. Zubert blocked a pair of shots to go with his 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. He’s been credited with six blocks this season. Parker DeChristopher led all scorers with 17 points.

PITMAN (6-7): Lucas Razze 1 0-0 3, Parker DeChristopher 5 5-8 17, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 3 0-0 6, Joey Zubert 4 4-6 12, Jay Craig 2 1-4 5, Nolan Russell 1 0-0 3, Keaton Libby 0 0-0 0, Michael Aubrey 0 0-0 0, Liam Etter 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 13-22 54.
SALEM TECH (1-8): Chase Pompper 2 1-6 5, Ayden Myers 4 0-0 9, Aiden Bobo 2 1-3 6, Luke Kroll 2 0-0 6, Raphael Busch 2 0-0 4, Micah Cavanaugh 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 3-11 31.

Pitman1417158-54
Salem Tech66613-31
3-point goals: Pitman 5 (Razze, DeChristopher 2, Frost, Russell); Salem Tech 4 (Myers, Bobo, Kroll 2). Rebounds: Pitman 28 (Bowen-Ashwin 7, Frost 8).

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTODAYTOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown8 vs. Schalick872
Tymear Lecator, Salem18 vs. DuPont (Del.)774

Girls games

PENNSVILLE 55, PENNS GROVE 46: Taylor Bass and Addie Johnston had 23 and 18 points, respectively, picking up for injured 1,000-point scorer Marley Wood and the Eagles held off their rivals despite two near career-highs by Penns Grove’s JaNiyah Cummings and Keziah Patterson.

The Red Devils enjoyed their season-high in points. Cummings had her season high, 19 points. Patterson had her second 20-point game of the season (20). Cummings had 14 in the second half.

Bass (15) and Johnston combined for 28 of the Eagles’ 33 first-half points in a 33-21 halftime lead. .

PENNS GROVE (1-10): Keziah Patterson 9 0-0 20, JaNiyah Cummings 8 2-5 19, Mikayla Washington 2 0-2 4, Yeichelyn Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, NyAsia Numan 1 0-0 2, Armahni Blackston 0 0-0 0, Domari Torres 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 2-7 46.
PENNSVILLE (7-3): Taylor Bass 10 1-2 23, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0, Addie Johnston 7 1-1 18, Jaiden Wilson 3 3-5 9, Kylie Harris 0 0-2 0, Jaida Burns 2 1-2 5. Totals 22 6-12 55.

Penns Grove11101312-46
Pennsville20131012-55
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Patterson 2, Cummings, Numan); Pennsville 5 (Johnston 3, Bass 2). Technical fouls: Washington. Total fouls: Penns Grove 12, Pennsville 10.

WOODSTOWN 52, SCHALICK 27: The Wolverines took a five-point lead into the second quarter, then held the Cougars to one point to open an 18-point halftime lead. Lauren Hengel and Emma Perry led the Wolverines with 11 points apiece. Hengel scored five in the second quarter. Perry had nine in the second half. Nevaeh Robinson and Olivia Vanacker both had nine for Schalick.

WOODSTOWN (6-7): Lauren Hengel 4 2-2 11, Kyia Leyman 2 2-4 6, Emma Perry 5 0-0 11, Kendall Young 2 1-2 6, Talia Guardascione 2 2-6 6, Kailyn Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Maddie Roback 0 0-0 0, Ava White 0 0-0 0, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 3 0-0 6, Autumn Paleschic 2 0-0 4, Cecelia Nachbar 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-14 52.
SCHALICK (5-3): Cali Fisler 0 0-0 0, Vicky Basich 1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Robinson 4 1-2 9, Willow Davis 2 0-2 5, Olivia Vanacker 3 2-6 9, Emmalyn Weir 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 0 2-2 2, Bailey Wentz 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 5-12 27.
Woodstown12141412-52
Schalick71127-27
3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Hengel, Perry, Young); Schalick 2 (Davis, Vanacker). Technical fouls: Vanacker. Total fouls: Woodstown 12, Schalick 14.