Sophomores rule the day as No. 3 Mighty Oaks wrap up regular season with 104-69 win over Sussex, await Region 19 tournament seedings, but should get Ocean-Philadelphia winner
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — There’s never been a game Stef Phillips wanted to make it back for more in his entire career than Saturday’s regular-season finale.
The Salem CC forward has been out with a sore knee the last three games and tried all the rehab humanly possible to make sure he was back for Sophomore Day.
Not only did he return for the festivities, he came back in a big way, posting his second career double-double to help the Mighty Oaks crush Sussex 104-69 to complete an historic regular season that saw them ranked No. 1 for six weeks and claim the overall No. 1 seed in Region 19.
He scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. It was his first double-double since the second game of last season.
“After I hurt my knee it was like in the air if I would play or I wouldn’t,” Phillips said. “I made sure I came to rehab every day with the mindset of me getting back, not for this game particular but any game, playoffs or anything.
“Yesterday at practice I felt great. I felt like myself. I woke up this morning happy. I knew for sure I was playing and I played my heart out, too.”
It was a good day for three sophomores, who are guaranteed one more game in Dupont Fieldhouse as a semifinal host in their region tournament bracket. Crowd favorite Mike Goodwin, a Penns Grove native who coach Mike Green called “the ultimate team guy,” earned the first start of his college career and had career highs in points (five) and rebounds (10). Nayeem Johnson scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench.
“The sophomores played really well; they combined for some heavy power,” Green said. “It’s good the sophomores go out with a bang.”
Phillips was active from the start. He scored the first basket of the game on an aggressive putback of a Goodwin miss and had another putback a few minutes later. He scored six of the Mighty Oaks’ first 13 points and had 11 points and nine rebounds at halftime.
“We challenged him to go out there and rebound,” Green said. “He can score the ball . We tried to get him to go out and rebound and he had nine in the first half. He was supposed to be on minutes restriction, but he was playing so well I kind of forgot about it. He gave us what we need.”
Goodwin’s start wasn’t just a token gesture, a tradition to reward time served and out at the first dead ball. He played the first five minutes before giving way to leading scorer Jarrell Little, but that wasn’t the end of his day.
He played a career-high 15 minutes, much to the delight of the student section that began calling him back with eight minutes left in the game. His teammates were working to get him in the scoring column and everyone in the building let out a roar when he finally got one to fall with 4:08 left. It was such an exhilarating experience he followed it with a layup-and-one on the next possession.
He might have even gotten a double-double if he were a little sharper around the basket.
“I never thought I’d start,” he said. “I just thought to be ready whenever my name is called and just perform when it is. But it definitely felt good. You hustle, you work, it felt like all the work, it paid off to finally start.
“I was definitely in my head the first couple shots. I wasn’t finishing through contact and I was a little discouraged, but I tried to pick myself up at halftime. I’ve just got to learn to keep working through it.”
He wasn’t in the game to lead the Mighty Oaks in scoring. His greatest asset is as a rebounder.
“I may not be the best scorer, but I know to hustle and try to get ball off the rim,” he said. “That’s one of my strong suits. I’m going to keep on grabbing the boards.”
Every player who got in the game for the Mighty Oaks scored and seven finished in double figures. All but one grabbed at least one rebound.
They wrapped up the regular season 29-1 and will be one of the No. 1 seeds when Region 19 seeds the two region/district tournament next week. They are projected to face the winner of the play-in game between Ocean and Philadelphia) in their home tournament opener, which will be the sophomores’ final home game.
The Skylanders (8-21) made it hard on Salem early. It was 26-24 when Qua Smith, Nasseem Wright and Phillips returned to the game after a Sussex timeout with 7:37 left in the half. Over the next five minutes the Mighty Oaks outscored the visitors 19-5 to take control of the game.
Phillips had a 3-pointer and another putback in the run.
“Just wearing guys down … and the results show,” Green said. “Sometimes it takes a whole half and it has been lately.”
SCATTERED ACORNS: It was the 13th time this year the Mighty Oaks have hit 100 and the fourth time they have had seven scorers in double figures … They are 14-0 at home this year and have a 21-game home winning streak … They rank first in JUCO Division III in total points, third in scoring average. They’re also first in field goal percentage and assists per game.
SALEM CC 104, SUSSEX 69
SUSSEX (8-21): Nico Sosa 9-22 1-1 20, Isaiah Bivens 3-7 4-4 12, DJ Baker 2-6 2-3 6, Elijah Geary 3-5 1-2 7, Ryan Geene 5-10 4-4 16, Liam DeLorenzi 0-5 0-0 0, Liam Dunn 3-9 0-0 8. Totals 25-64 12-14 69.
SALEM CC: Saaid Lee 5-9 2-2 13, Zyaire Gibson 4-9 0-0 10, Nasseem Wright 7-8 0-0 15, Stefan Phillips 7-11 0-0 15, Mike Goodwin 2-8 1-1 5, Jahseir Sayles 2-8 0-0 4, Jarrell Little 1-7 1-2 3, Qua Smith 4-5 2-2 10, Nayeem Johnson 7-8 2-2 18, Idris Rines 5-10 0-0 11. Totals 44-83 8-9 104.
| Sussex | 32 | 37- | 69 |
| Salem CC | 47 | 57- | 104 |
3-point goals: Sussex 7-20 (Sosa 1-3, Bivens 2-4, Geene 2-4, DeLorenzi 0-3, Dunn 2-6); Salem CC 8-26 (Lee 1-2, Gibson 2-6, Wright 1-1, Phillips 1-3, Sayles 0-5, Little 0-4, Johnson 2-2, Rines 1-3). Rebounds: Sussex 26 (Bivens 7, DeLorenzi 5); Salem CC 49 (Phillips 10, Goodwin 10, Smith 7). Total fouls: Sussex 8, Salem CC 13.
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| x-SALEM CC (3) | 16-1 | 29-1 | 21-1 |
| x-Northampton (8) | 15-2 | 23-4 | |
| x-Montgomery (9) | 14-3 | 19-4 | |
| x-Brookdale (RV) | 14-3 | 19-9 | 13-6 |
| x-Union (13) | 12-5 | 21-8 | 13-4 |
| x-Camden | 12-5 | 17-11 | 12-9 |
| x-Bergen | 10-7 | 15-12 | 15-11 |
| x-Ocean | 10-7 | 15-12 | 10-10 |
| Atlantic Cape | 8-9 | 12-15 | 9-9 |
| Thaddeus Stevens | 7-10 | 12-14 | |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 7-10 | 10-17 | 8-12 |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 6-11 | 10-20 | 4-16 |
| Harrisburg Area | 6-11 | 7-17 | |
| x-Philadelphia | 5-11 | 13-12 | |
| Delaware County | 3-14 | 5-21 | |
| Passaic | 3-14 | 5-23 | 4-16 |
| Sussex | 2-14 | 8-22 | 4-14 |
| Luzerne | 2-15 | 5-22 |
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking; games left in italic are region counters; x-clinched playoff berth
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 104, Sussex 69
Union 69, Brookdale 45
Harrisburg Area 78, Atlantic Cape 75
Northampton 77, Camden 62
Montgomery 89, RCSJ-Gloucester 76
Ocean 111, Luzerne 95
Morris 68, Raritan Valley 66
Lackawanna 79, Delaware Tech 61
Passaic 76, Philadelphia 65
Harcum 64, Mercer 62
Thaddeus Stevens 85, RCSJ-Cumberland 78
Middlesex 90, Ulster 56
PROJECTED REGION 19 SEEDS
1. Salem CC, 2. Northampton, 3. Brookdale, 4. Montgomery, 5. Camden, 6. Union, 7. Bergen, 8. Ocean, 9. Philadelphia
PROJECTED MATCHUPS
North Atlantic A
Ocean-Philadelphia winner vs. Salem
Camden at Montgomery
North Atlantic B
Union at Brookdale
Bergen at Northampton
Winners advance to finals at Northampton
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