Here are the Salem County boys and girls basketball stats leaders for the 2025-26 season; minimum 50 percent of team games, stats contingent on accuracy of reports to state service
After finishing its regular season with the best record in the country, Salem CC returns to No. 1 in JUCO Division III basketball rankings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC men’s basketball team heads into postseason play back as the No. 1 team in the country.
The Mighty Oaks were returned to the top spot in the JUCO Division III rankings after completing their regular season with the best record in the country (29-1).
They jumped Dallas College Richland (now No. 4) and Riverland CC (now No. 5).
‘Ii’s a good selling point for recruits,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We already had the target, it’s not really a bigger one because we’ve been that all year long. It’s just good. It looks good on paper. It looks good to these guys who worked all year for it.”
The Mighty Oaks held the top spot for six weeks before falling to No. 3 after suffering their only loss of the season at Brookdale, ironically a game whose prep was interrupted by a snowstorm.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Green said. “Even if we’ve got to go outside we’re going to practice. Snow, weather, we’ve got to do it.”
Since the loss, however, they have nailed down the overall No. 1 seed in the upcoming Region XIX tournament and will open postseason play Wednesday or Thursday with a home game against Ocean CC, a team they put 100 on twice during the season.
“I think they responded well, I think they responded well in that game as well,” Green said. “There were a couple games I didn’t think we looked as sharp, but I think the last two or three were like we’re probably supposed to look.”
A win over Ocean will send the Mighty Oaks to Northampton CC Saturday to play either Camden or No. 8 Montgomery for an automatic bid to the national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y.
The No. 1 ranking also will make it difficult to deny them one of four at-large bids to the nationals if they lose along the way.
“It gives people something to think about,” Green said. “That’s another thing that’s the beauty of ending the No. 1 team. It gives the committee something to think about regardless of what happens.
“It’s a tiny bit of security. It also allows you if you go ahead and win the championship you’ve gotta be pretty much the No. 1 overall seed.”
JUCO DIVISION III RANKINGS 1. SALEM CC (29-1), 2. Northern Essex (27-3), 3. Dallas-Eastfield (20-8), 4. Dallas-Richland (20-8), 5. Riverland (26-2), 6. Dallas-North Lake (19-10), 7. Dutchess (23-4), 8. Montgomery County (19-4), 9. Northampton (24-4), 10. Ridgewater (20-5), 11. Virginia Peninsula (21-6), 12. North Country (24-3), 13. Genesee (20-7), 14. Union (22-8), 15. Herkimer (18-6).
Also receiving votes: Brookdale, Anoka-Ramsey, Joilet.
Schalick falls in finals of Tri-County Girls Postseason Bracket, last-second shot hits twice and falls away, includes weather update and results from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS Championship Bracket Cumberland 40, Kingsway 37 Postseason Bracket Triton at Washington Twp. GIRLS Championship Bracket Gloucester Catholic 65, Wildwood 26 Postseason Bracket Deptford 33, Schalick 31
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — It was about three hours after the final horn and Schalick girls basketball coach John Whelan still hadn’t gotten completely over the game.
His top-seeded Cougars rallied from nine with 56 seconds left, eight with 34 to go, and had a good look to tie. But Nevaeh Robinson’s shot bounced twice around the goal before falling away, allowing Deptford to escape with a 33-31 victory in the Tri-County Conference Postseason Bracket championship game.
It was 33-24 with under a minute to play. The Cougars (17-7) got free throws from Ava Scurry and Liv VanAcker to start the comeback. Scurry then hit a bucket and Emmalyn Weir nailed a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game.
The Spartans (13-14) put the ball in play under their basket with 2.5 seconds left. Robinson stole the inbounds pass, got to the rim and her shot hit the backboard and then the front of the rim before falling away.
It was that kind of game for the Cougars.
“We just could not put the ball in the basket,” Whelan lamented. “It wasn’t for really a lack of anything else other than that.
“It just wouldn’t go in. Didn’t matter, layup, jump shots. We had several roll around the rim and come out. We did cost ourselves some possessions with some unforced turnovers, that hurt us a little bit, but ultimately it just wasn’t our day in terms of getting the ball to go in the hoop.”
The Cougars held an 18-14 halftime lead behind balanced scoring and their typically tight defense, but went cold in the third quarter and were outscored 11-2. Deptford’s Chaylin Morine scored seven of her team-high 11 points in the quarter. Schalick’s only points came on Willow Davis’ only basket of the game.
Scurry led all scorers with 12 points and blocked three shots to tie her 2024 single-season school record. Robinson had eight points and nine rebounds to reach 300 points and 200 boards for the season. VanAcker had 12 rebounds and five steals, and had two assists to move within one of tying that single-season school record.
Due to the impending storm, the NJSIAA Group I & 4 indoor track championship meet in Toms River has been pushed back to Feb. 28. Salem County qualified for 28 individual spots and three relays to the meet, including Woodstown sectional champions Josh Crawford (400, 800), Kami Casiano (girls high jump) and the boys 4×400 relay.
Wrestling
POINT PLEASANT BEACH QUAD PENNSVILLE 65, EWING 0 106: Brett Land (P) tech fall over Bryce Wittkop, 17-2 113: Greyson Robbins (P) won by forfeit 120: Maximos Efelis (P) maj. dec. Gibril Huq, 12-2 126: Mihki Dicks (P) pinned Makai Hill, 2:59 132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Joseph Lichtmann, 1:02 138: Nathaniel Mason (P) won by forfeit 144: Gabe Supernavage (P) won by forfeit 150: Vincent Grether (P) tech fall over Rocky Richardson, 16-0 157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Tristan Amaru, 1:13 165: Robbie McDade (P) won by forfeit 175: Cristian Blyler (P) dec. Danny Umana-DelaRosa, 8-3 190: Stephen Pangle (P) won by forfeit 215: Andy Hibare (E) pinned Joseph Halstead, 5:00 285: Cephus Horton (E) dec. Trevor Waddington, 8-1
PENNSVILLE 61, PT. PLEASANT BEACH 17 113: Greyson Robbins (P) pinned Max Esposito, 2:30 120: Henry Ventresca (PPB) pinned Maximos Efelis, 1:53 126: Brandon Stizza (PPB) tech fall over Mihki Dicks, 19-3 (5:45) 132: Chase Baker (P) dec. Gavin Sramowicz, 11-4 138: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Dante Pezzello, 2:19 144: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over Jaxon Bowers, 16-0 (5:00) 150: Vincent Grether (P) pinned Davin Marquez, 4:27 157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Mattix Sickel, 1:49 165: Robbie McDade (P) tech fall over Gage Boyle, 17-1 (5:00) 175: Gael Santiago (PPB) pinned Cristian Blyler, 3:42 190: Stephen Pangle (P) pinned Wyland Grant, 4:23 215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) pinned CJ Engelhardt, 4:34 285: Jacob Hand (P) pinned Allan Micheletti, 3:13 106: Brett Land (P) won by forfeit
College basketball
The third-ranked Salem CC men’s basketball will host Ocean CC in its Region 19/North Atlantic District tournament semifinal Wednesday after the Vikings eliminated Philadelphia 76-63 in a play-in game Saturday. The game originally was scheduled for Tuesday, but region officials pushed the game back out of an abundance of caution for the impending snowstorm.
The Mighty Oaks (29-1), the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, beat the Vikings twice during the regular season, 113-90 and 100-78.
The winner of the Salem-Ocean game will meet the Camden-Montgomery winner Saturday at Northampton for the auto bid to the national tournament March 11-14 in Herkimer, N.Y.
Salem bowlers come from behind to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic for first South Jersey Group I title in school history
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Saturday’s sectional finals SOUTH Salem 2, Camden Catholic 1 CENTRAL Middlesex 2, Warren Tech 0 NORTH I Kinnelon 2, Newton 1 NORTH II Rutherford 2, North Arlington 0 GROUP I SEMIFINALS Tuesday, at Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick Salem (12-3) vs. Kinnelon (17.4), 9 a.m. Middlesex (19-0) vs. Rutherford (18-5), 9 a.m. Finals to follow
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
STRATFORD – All year long the Salem bowling team felt underestimated and overlooked. Even in the midst of an historic season, they were dismissed by the competition. The only people who truly believed were the guys in the blue shirts standing on the lanes, so there really was no panic when they lost the first game Saturday.
The Rams proved all the doubters wrong on their generational run Saturday, rallying from that close Game One loss to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic 2 games to 1 and win their first South Jersey Group I bowling title in school history.
The second-seeded Rams (12-3) lost the first game by three pins, 874-871, then stormed the lanes, winning 890-841 to tie the match and 988-866 in the clincher.
“We came back, we rallied together,” captain Troy Carey said. “We just used (the first game) as drive. Yes, it was a frustrating loss because we know it wasn’t our best, but we used it as drive, motivation, to make the next two personal.
“I said to all my seniors how do you want to be remembered at the end of the day. Do you want to be remembered as a team that made history or a team that had a ton of potential, just couldn’t get the job done?”
Armed with that bit of motivation, they went on to post the only upset among the four sectional finals staged at 30 Strikes as all the other No. 1 seeds won their matches.
“Last I think we had like a 5-8 season but people saw what we were capable of and they were coming to us saying you might have a pretty good season,” Rams coach Kenny Buck said. “They lived up to it.
“Having the talent isn’t enough. You have to put that work in, you have to have that dream, to have to do all the unmeasurables to actually be a champion and that’s what they did. I feel like it’s even more than just putting Salem on the map. They showed everyone we’re a force to reckon with.”
The Rams now go to Lucky Strikes in North Brunswick Tuesday – weather permitting – for the Group I Final Four. Middlesex (19-0), Kinnelon (17-4) and Rutherford (18-5) are the other finalists. The Final Four will be seeded based on the teams’ original PowerPoint number at the cutoff date, so the Rams would draw top-seeded Kinnelon in the semifinals.
AJ Carlson (C) has delivered in a big way for the Salem bowling team during the playoffs, consistently bowling over his average.
In a game where there is no defense, success rides on how well a bowler is rolling it that particular day and AJ Carlson came up big for the Rams for the second playoff match in a row. The junior rolled games of 226, 184, 219, posting his career high game and high series. His average entering the match was 151.19.
Six of his seven playoff games have all been above his average – by a total of 239 pins.
Buck called the impact Carlson had on the victory “unmeasurable.”
“This is the best I’ve bowled,” Carlson said. “I did consistently well and I did everything I could to play for the team.
“I just tried to be a team player, play consistent, just stay out of my head. I knew I had the potential to do it because I’ve done it before, but this was my first game with a 200 average during an actual match where it actually counts. I just shot my shot.”
Captain Carey bounced back from an opening 189 that was 20 pins below his average to roll games of 225 and 231 in the two wins. Semaj Carey gave the Rams a third 200 game in the clincher, rolling a 227, 50 pins over his average.
“Just playing for my brothers; I’ve gotta be there for them just like they’re there for me,” Troy said of his comeback. “First game I didn’t bowl to my average, so I felt like I owed them Game 2 and 3. Just played for them.”
The Irish (10-4-2) came out quickly in the match and got strikes from seven of their first nine bowlers. Carlson gave the Rams a shot in the game with a closing run of seven straight strikes, including three in the tenth.
The Rams carried an 11-pin lead into the last frame of that first game, but they suffered two open frames in the tenth to open the door for the Irish to steal. Still, the loss didn’t deter them for the rest of the match. In fact, it may have inspired them.
“We realized once we lost it was by such a small among we could easily bring this thing back in the second and third,” Carlson said. “As long as we played to our averages and as consistently as we could, that would be a clear win.”
“That’s the one thing I really wanted my kids to learn, how to overcome obstacles when you’re confronted with them and were confronted with obstacles on the way to this path, maybe four years’ worth,” Buck said. “The theme for the last couple weeks has been you have to go in there and fight. Especially in the playoffs they really showed that they’re fighters. Have been all season.”
SALEM
G1
G2
G3
SERIES
Rudy Perez
168
181
175
524
AJ Carlson
226
184
219
629
JD Puni
139
143
136
418
Semaj Carey
158
157
227
542
Troy Carey
189
225
231
645
TOTAL
871
890*
988*
2749
CAMDEN CATHOLIC
G1
G2
G3
SERIES
Chase Wolk
199
146
161
506
Brett Kehoe
171
177
158
506
Mike Salamon
169
162
203
534
Sean Burns
171
161
175
507
Rob Nawn
164
195
169
528
TOTAL
874*
841
866
2581
Salem coach Kenny Buck engages with Troy Carey after the Rams’ senior buried his fifth straight strike to open Game Two.
Schalick girls earn a spot in the TCC Postseason Bracket title game, host Deptford Saturday morning; includes TCC Tournament scores and Salem County consolation games
PITTSGROVE — John Whelan held his breath a little bit when the Tri-County Conference officials were seeding their annual tournament and he let out a small sigh of relief when they finished their business.
Whelan’s Schalick girls basketball team was having one of their best seasons in a while, but its power points on Super Bowl Sunday left it on the bubble of making the TCC Championship Bracket reserved for the the league’s 12 heaviest hitters or the Postseason Bracket with what was left.
A power point here or there or a team jump-seeding its neighbor in the standings and a lot of things could change. When it all shook out, the Cougars fell on the Postseason Bracket side of the line — the No. 1 seed, if fact — and now, instead of facing an upper seed in the first round of the upper bracket with the expected consequences, they have a chance to win a championship.
The Cougars earned a spot in the Postseason Bracket championship game Thursday night when they dumped Salem 47-33. They now host Deptford (12-14) for the title Saturday at 10 a.m.
“It’s exciting,” Whelan said. “The girls deserve it. They’ve earned it. They put the work in all season, in the offseason in here, every practice, in the weight room, so it’s kind of come full circle for us. It’s exciting times to have this opportunity.”
In the past, the TCC split its tournament into three divisions – the top 8 (A), the eight in the middle of pack (B) and the also-rans (C),. This year they decided to expand the upper bracket to reward the league’s four division winners that sometimes didn’t make the A Bracket with first-round byes
They seeded it straight on the power points among the conference’s 23 teams – with the exception of the division winners who earned the top four seeds – and went to a 12-team upper and 11-team lower bracket.
The Cougars came in at No. 13, despite having as many or more wins than seven teams in the Championship Bracket at the time of the seeding, meaning they were the first team out and the whole Postseason Bracket went through them. They were the winningest team in the bracket by five wins.
“You always want to strive to play for that higher competition, but we fell where we fell,” Whelan said. “The 1 seed, that would be extra home games for us. We approach it the same way we would any other bracket or championship or any other game. This is just as important to us as it would be if we were in the other bracket.
“It definitely gave us an opportunity to be where we are, for sure. Some of the upper-tier teams is something we’re striving to work towards and we’re making good strides. This is definitely a bracket with good competition, as seen in the past two games, and we’ll see again Saturday. This is the start of our post-season.”
Nevaeh Robinson led Schalick with 14 points and nine rebounds. Cali Fisler had a career-high 13 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She was 5-for-6 in the fourth quarter, undermining the Rams’ strategy for getting back in the game.
The Cougars were 18-of-27 from the line for the game, while the Rams were 13-of-29.
“We talked about the importance of free throws, especially in a playoff game,” Whelan said. “We knew it was going to be physical and we prepared for that mentally and physically. We spent a lot of time with free throws (in practice) and to their credit they knocked them down.”
“I just was really confident this game,” Fisler said. “I knew what I could do at line. I knew my percentages overall have not been very good this season, but I knew what I could do, so I stayed calm despite the noise they were trying to make and I just did what I do.”
Point guard Liv VanAcker got the Cougars through some of the more chaotic moments of the fast-paced game and dished seven assists to move within four of Abby Chomo’s single-season school record (89). Ava Scurry blocked four more shots, leaving her four shy of her single-season record (85).
“It was chaotic, yes, but our team is very good with chaos,” VanAcker said. “At first we start off a little shaky, but we get our groove after a while.”
DyAira Anderson led Salem with 14 points and 20 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Rams forced Schalick into numerous turnovers early and led 5-4 after a turnover-filled first quarter, but they were negatively impacted throughout by missing too many shots in close and struggling at the free throw line.
“You’ve gotta have the ball go through the circle.,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “You can’t get four and five shots at the basket, two feet, and you don’t make it. It’s not so much what they did more than what we didn’t do. We just didn’t execute what we needed to execute. You’ve gotta make shots.”
SCHALICK 47, SALEM 33 SALEM (9-10): Madison Dixon 3 0-2 6, DyAira Anderson 3 8-13 14, Carlysia Pierce 3 5-14 11, Jaryn Weathers 0 0-0 0, Tricia Wilson 1 0-0 2, Kaliyah Taylor 0 0-0 0, Samiyah Moore 0 0-0 0, Zanyah Frieson 0 0-0 0, Timmiyah Simmons 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 13-29 33 SCHALICK (17-6): Cali Fisler 3 7-8 13, Ava Scurry 4 0-0 8, Willow Davis 1 2-2 5, Nevaeh Robinson 5 2-5 14, Liv VanAcker 0 5-8 5, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 2-2 2, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neil 0 0-2 0. Totals 13 18-27 47.
Salem
5
7
10
11-
33
Schalick
4
16
12
15-
47
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Davis, Robinson 2). Rebounds: Salem 55 (Pierce 12, Anderson 20); Schalick 26 (Scurry 5, Robinson 9, VanAcker 6). Technical fouls: Fisler. Fouled out: Pierce, Scurry. Total fouls: Salem 22, Schalick 20.
PENNSVILLE 57, CUMBERLAND 36: Marley Wood scored 10 of her game-high 24 points in the second quarter as the Eagles pulled away from this TCC Championship Bracket consolation game. Jaiden Wilson added a career-high 12 points Next up for the Eagles is a Wednesday date with Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I tournament.
WASHINGTON TWP. 44, WOODSTOWN 20 WOODSTOWN (11-15): Kendall Young 2, Emma Perry 10, Lauren Hengel 4, Kyia Leyman 2, Talia Guardascione 2. WASHINGTON TWP. (16-9): Frankie Begley 1 2-2 4, Shyla McLean 3 0-0 9, Julianna Cassidy 1 0-0 2, Elena Dabrowski 2 0-0 6, Aubrey Mack 6 1-2 13, Jade Mazzuca 1 0-0 2, Tessa Reilley 2 0-0 4, Lena Giannini 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 3-4 44.
Woodstown
2
4
10
4-
20
Washington Twp.
7
17
8
12-
44
3-point goals: Washington Twp. 5 (McLean 3, Dabrowski 2).
Schalick’s Ava Scurry (C) denies Salem’s Kaliyah Taylor entry into the lane during their TCC Postseason Bracket semifinal game Thursday night.
Boys game
WOODSTOWN 77, CLEARVIEW 50: Blake Bialecki led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points that featured five 3-pointers, as the Wolverines snapped a three-game losing streak that tied the longest in coach Ramon Roots’ two-year tenure. Bialecki had 11 points in the first quarter fueled by three 3s. Andrew White had 15 points, 13 in the third quarter, and Alejandro Vazquez had 10.
CLEAVIEW (10-17): Jonah Turner 3 1-2 7, Georgia Kritikson 3 1-1 8, Mike Pellecchia 3 1-2 8, Darren Riddick 4 0-0 9, Alex Whitwork 2 0-0 6, TJ McGovern 1 0-0 3, Logan Poletti 1 0-0 3, David Carter 2 0-0 6, Ethan Munch 0 0-0 0, Patrick Furfari 0 0-0 0, Jake Bernstein 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-5 50. WOODSTOWN (16-11): Elijah Caesar 4 0-2 8, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 7 1-2 15, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 6 1-2 18, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 4 0-2 8, Connor Miller 2 2-2 6, Alejandro Vazquez 3 3-3 10, Brian Booker 1 0-0 2, John Hood-McGinley 0 0-0 0, Josh King 3 0-0 6. Totals 32 7-13 77.
Salem CC pulls down overall No. 1 seed in region/district tournament, two wins away from auto bid to nationals
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
Salem CC, as expected, pulled down the overall No. 1 seed and one of two top seeds in the Region 19 tournaments that will send teams to the JUCO Division III national tournament and will play one home game to get a shot at the trip.
The once-beaten, third-ranked Mighty Oaks (29-1) are the No. 1 seed in the North Atlantic A district tournament and will play either Ocean CC (15-12) or CC Philadelphia (14-12) in Dupont Fieldhouse in their tournament opener Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The winner advances to district championship game at Northampton CC Saturday to play either seventh-ranked Montgomery (19-4) or Camden (17-12) for the automatic berth to the national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y.
“I haven’t seen anything yet, but that’s the reward you get for handling business all year long,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “i kind of wish the No. 1 seed gets to host as well. I think that would be a good thing for the league; it makes it a lot more interesting through the regular season. But No. 1 seed is the work we put in, you get rewarded for it at the end, but you’ve still got to go out there and win games.”
By placing in the A District bracket, the Mighty Oaks avoid No. 10 Northampton, No. 14 Union and Brookdale, the team that handed them their only loss – all 20-win teams. Northampton, as the No.2 overall seeds, tops the North Atlantic B field.
Green isn’t selling anyone short.
“It doesn’t really matter,” he said. “I think the league is tough top to bottom. Like Ocean is a very dangerous team. Montgomery is a dangerous team. Bergen. All those teams that were flirting with .500 down there are really dangerous teams.”
If they lose somewhere along the way officials familiar with the selection process told Riverview Sports News they are still expected to receive an at-large bid to the nationals for their season’s body of work. They had the best overall regular-season record in Division III, were ranked No. 1 for six weeks before losing to Brookdale, won the GSAC by a wide margin and are among the highest scoring teams in the nation.
They lead the country in total points and shooting percentage, are second in assists per game and third in points per game. Five scorers average in double figures. Saaid Lee is ranked third individually in assists. Zyaire Gibson is second in 3-pointers.
REGION 19 BASKETBALL BRACKET North Atlantic A Saturday’s game Philadelphia at Ocean Tuesday’s games Philadelphia-Ocean winner at Salem CC Camden at Montgomery Feb. 28 At Northampton CC Championship game, 3 p.m.
North Atlantic B Tuesday’s games Union at Brookdale Bergen at Northampton Feb. 28 At Northampton Championship game, 6 p.m.
Salem sweeps Doane Academy to reach South Jersey Group I bowling finals for first time in history, bowls Camden Catholic for the title Saturday
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Troy Carey stood on the landing behind his bench surrounded by his happy teammates and laid the news on coach Kenny Buck.
“You are aware now you have to find a place for a banner in the gym,” the Salem senior captain said.
“I guess I’m aware now,” Buck replied.
The Salem bowling team carved another notch in the belt of its “generational run” as well as its own spot on the gym wall Wednesday when it beat Doane Academy at Wood Lanes two games to none to reach the South Jersey Group I championship match for the first time in school history.
The Rams (11-3) rallied from a slow start to clear the hurdle that stopped them last year. They won Game One 857-850 and then closed the match in dominating fashion, crushing it in Game Two 979-872.
They’ll now bowl top-seeded Camden Catholic (10-3-2) Saturday morning at 30 Strikes in Stratford for the South Jersey title and spot in the Group I Final Four.
“We have one end goal,” Carey said. “We’re there now, we’ve just got to complete the mission. This (semifinal) was something in the way of that goal. We knew we had to execute and we did. We started off flat, but we brought it together in the end and we played like us at the end of the day. That’s all that mattered.”
They won the first game after trailing by nearly 100 pins after four frames. Carey closed out his second game with eight straight strikes for a 279, matching his career high game. Rudy Perez opened Game Two with four straight strikes from the leadoff spot and struck out in the tenth for a 222. The Rams threw 29 strikes in the clincher.
“I got to be honest. I was extremely worried, but they just put their heads down and bowled” Buck said. “I knew we had it in us. It just takes one of them to get hot.”
Despite a high confidence level going into the match, the Rams trailed by 98 pins after four frames and 80 after five. They had 11 open frames in the first five, while Doane logged 20 marks. Hunter Johnson, the Spartans’ No. 3, opened the match with five straight strikes.
But somewhere in the middle of the game the Rams found their groove. AJ Carlson and Semaj Carey keyed the comeback. Carlson picked up 75 pins over the final four frames and beat his opposite number by 41 over that stretch to finish with the team’s high game (199, nearly 50 pins over his average).
Semaj picked up 98 pins over the final four frames and outpinned his man by 12 over the same stretch. J.D. Puni beat Johnson by 28 pins over the stretch.
“At the end of the day it’s not over until the last person bowls that last frame,” captain Carey said. “We like our odds regardless. We just fight.”
“We all realized we got here last year (and) we can’t go down like we did last year,” Perez said. “We wanted to make it farther like we should. We prevailed, we overcame the little obstacle we had and started bowling amazing at the end of that first. Bro, I couldn’t be prouder.”
The comeback energized them. They bagged three strikes in each of the first four frames and at least two in every frame thereafter until they blew it out in the tenth. Semaj had an open frame in the first, then ran off four in a row. The Spartans, meanwhile, didn’t have a frame with multiple strikes until the third.
“It’s really the energy, all the guys came together,” Semaj said. “We all boosted our energy by like a thousand. The energy sets the tone for everybody. It starts with the first person ends up at the anchor. If everybody’s on track we’re just going to rolling like a smooth boat.”
And now that boat is speeding to the sectional finals and maybe a better banner for the gym.
Salem captain Troy Carey (L) reacts after burying a third strike in the tenth frame of Game Two to seal the Rams’ 2-0 victory in the South Jersey Group I bowling semifinals. Top photo: J.D. Puni (R) celebrates the victory with teammate Rudy Perez.
SALEM (11-3)
G1
G2
TOT
Rudy Perez
166
222
388
AJ Carlson
199
144
343
JD Puni
145
156
301
Semaj Carey
159
178
337
Troy Carey
188
279
467
TOTAL
857
979
1836
DOANE (8-11)
G1
G2
TOT
Colin Paglione
158
210
368
Caden Smith
114
166
280
Hunter Johnson
197
147
343
Jacob Powell
197
194
391
Chris Powell
184
155
339
TOTAL
850
872
1722
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Wednesday’s sectional semifinals SOUTH No. 1 Camden Catholic 2, Asbury Park 0 No. 2, Salem 2, No. 6 Doane Academy 0 Finals: Salem (11-3) vs. Camden Catholic (10-3-2) CENTRAL No. 1 Middlesex 2, No. 5 Roselle Catholic 0 No. 2 Warren Tech 2, No. 3 Roselle Park 0 Finals: Warren Tech (9-4) at Middlesex (18-0) NORTH I No. 1 Kinnelon 2, No. 4 Butler 0 No. 3 Newton 2, No. 2 Pascack Hills 0 Finals: Newton (15-3) at Kinnelon (16-4) NORTH II No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3), Thursday No. 2 Rutherford 2, No. 6 Wallington 0 Finals: Rutherford (17-5) vs. Belvidere-North Arlington winner
For the sectional semifinalist Salem High bowlers, it’s all about brotherhood, energy and consistency to create a ‘generational run’ of a season
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOWLING Wednesday’s Semifinals No. 5 Asbury Park at No. 1 Camden Catholic No. 6 Doane Academy at No. 2 Salem
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Troy Carey is the consummate team player. He’s the best player on the Salem bowling team and he’s headed to college on a scholarship, but when he was approached by a reporter for an interview on the season he wanted to make sure his teammates and the accomplishments of the Rams this year were highlighted as well.
It’s a request leaders make. He values his teammates so much he asked the school’s vice principal if they could accompany him to next week’s Top 100 Tournament for the best players in the state. He went last year and missed the cut for match play by one pin, but it was only him and coach Kenneth Buck in the big bus and he thought it’d be nice to have the company and support.
It’s been another good year for the Rams and the senior wanted to spread the love in a sport where there is no defense and success hinges on finding the right line that day. Carey and Company are back in the South Jersey Group I semifinals looking to handle some unfinished business when they host Doane Academy today at Wood Lanes.
The Rams were in this same position last year and lost to top-seeded Clayton. But this time, with a year of seasoning and the swagger of a first-time division champion, they are the hunters and confident of extending what already has been a “generational run.”
All five of their projected starters – Troy (206), Semaj Carey (178), AJ Carlson (150), Rudy Perez (188) and Jacob Puni (170) – all have better averages than a year ago. Semaj is nearly 30 pins better.
Unsure whether their season-opening match was a scrimmage or a counter, the Rams didn’t bowl particular well and lost to Kingsway 3-1. When it was over, Troy gathered his teammates and delivered the line that has defined the season.
They won the next eight matches in a row and won the Tri-County Classic Division title for the first time. The only teams they lost to since delivering the line of the year were the No. 2 seed in SJ Group 2 (14-1-1 Lindenwold) and No. 4 in SJ Group 3 (13-0 Deptford). Both are semifinalists in their respective sectionals. They handed Lindenwold its only loss in their first meeting.
Riverview Sports News caught up with Troy and teammates Semaj Carey and A.J. Carlson on Presidents Day at Wood Lanes practicing for the big match. Here is the conversation. Let’s go 10 frames with the Rams.
Salem senior bowler Troy Carey pulls his ball from the return as teammate Semaj Carey returns to his seat during a practice session earlier this week. Top photo, Semaj and AJ Carlson watch Troy send a ball down the lane for a strike.
Riverview Sports News: Troy, why was it important to you to make sure everybody on your team get recognized for the success it has enjoyed this season? TC: Without them I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. The energy we bring as a team not only fuels one another but everything we do. Our energy is unmatched. When we put up our energy that’s when we do our best. Those days where we’re flat and lackadaisical that’s when we have all of our mishaps and mistakes happen. We are firm believers if we bring energy, we come ready to play, no matter how we play we’re ready to show up.
The two words we say before every match are ‘energy’ and ‘consistency’ because that’s when we bowl our best, when we’ve got energy because the energy is going to bring our consistency and that’s just going to let the brotherhood and rest of the team grow even more.
RSN: What did you think of Troy thinking so much of you guys to ask you be allowed to join him at the Top 100. SC: Troy is a factor. He’s basically the leader of the team. He’s like the second coach. He didn’t have to do that. I guess he felt like if he made it, we’re a team, he might as well bring his team with him.
RSN: What is it that makes this team work? SC: First, we’ve got a good coach, and everybody picks each other up. You make a bad shot and the next man picks you up. It’s always the next man up, help your brother out. It’s a brother sport, for real. If somebody does something bad, we pick them up.
And people stepped up and played a bigger role than they did last year. We have some people who played JV last year, now they’re averaging 170-180 on varsity. They really played a big role.
AJC: The thing that’s made us as strong as we are and consistent as we are is chemistry. We try to keep the energy up. We try not to get in our heads too much. Bowling, from my experience, is mostly mental. You’ve got to make sure to stay on your mark consistently and try to stay out of the negative headspace because the second you start getting in your head you start doing bad and then you bring the team down. We really keep the energy up by just being positive.
TC: Last year we were teammates and everything like that, but we weren’t as tight together as we are now. And that comes from just days when we don’t have practice, just going out as a team or some days before the season just going out with each other just bowling, laughing and joking and hanging out outside of this. We’ve got a bunch of classes together and we talk bowling all the time. At the end of the day I’m just glad I can be a part of a team like this.
There are days where not everybody is going to bowl amazing, but that’s why you’ve got teammates. We play not only a next man up mentality but your next ball be your best one. If you don’t throw a strike, it happens. You’re gonna miss spares, you’re not gonna strike on every ball, but that’s why you have teammates to back you up. That’s why you play for each other.
RSN: Is this team better just because it’s older together? SC: I wouldn’t say better because they’re older. One, we’ve got a lot of knowledge. Everybody knows how their ball reacts. Nine times out of ten practice is serious. We’re trying to take it all the way this year, so we don’t like negative energy. We don’t like doubting each other. It’s a better run than last year. We had a solid team last year, but I think everybody in some way got better from last year.
TC: We’re firm believers whether you play JV, varsity or you’re just there to support everybody plays a role because at the end of the day we’re supporting each other. We try to stay like a brotherhood as best we can.
RSN: Because you’re basically the new guy, how concerned were you about fitting into the mix and not upsetting the chemistry? AJC: I know a lot of the members already. My main concern was really just try to be consistent. I’m not exceptional at bowling, but the whole thing was make sure I stay a team player and try to contribute as best I can because you always need somebody who can be consistent.
RSN: Does the success you’re enjoying this year surprise you? I know you got to the sectional semis last year, but they were 5-8-1. Now you’re 10-3 and division champions for the first time with largely the same lineup. SC: Before the season even started I knew we were going to be something special. It’s like what Troy said before the season. We’re on like Tour. We’re on a generational run. Next man, best man. Next ball, best ball. Pick your brother up.
RSN: Explain to me the origins of this “generational run” concept. Was it something that came off the top of your head that stuck or was it something you’d be thinking about for a while? TC: We are the first team from Salem ever to win division champs and we’ve gone the farthest any team has. Last year we got to this spot and lost, but I feel like last year for us, yeah, it was a great year, but at the end of the day it wasn’t our full potential. We had great games and everything, but this year it’s really just showing and I just feel like that generational run is just speaking upon how we’re the best team in school history.
RSN: And it started after that first match, right? TC: We knew at the end of it we’re going to face competition this year, but that kind of drove us that now whoever we play we’ve got to do us, we’ve got to have fun, because at the end of the day, another thing we preach is, if you’re not having fun then there’s no point in doing it. Once you start to lose that focus on just having fun and enjoying it then you’re going to lose the whole point of everything.
After that first game we came over to the huddle and I was like we’ve got to go on a generational run. We’re about to ball out and we indeed did that. I could just tell from the energy and how we were playing as a group that everything was clicking, everybody was just playing their role.
RSN: People come up with those things in sports all time hoping they stick and when they do it makes a great legacy, but could you sense it was going to be special? TC: I’m not going to lie, after that first match of the season yeah we lost but you could see on the team nobody’s heads were down because we all just sensed the exact same thing: Whoever we play next, it’s personal. As a team that’s all you want to hear. For us, we don’t take losses as a burden, we take it as a learning experience.
RSN: What did you think when Troy brought up the idea of making a “generational run?” AJC: We weren’t all bowling our best (in that first match) so we lost, but from there we took it as we’re going to keep winning from here. We’re not gonna lose and if we do lose it’ll be a loss because they were better, not that we were doing bad. The main thing was stay positive, take it game by game, and make sure we don’t take it personally, just keep doing the best we can and take it all the way.
Salem bowlers (from left) AJ Carlson, Troy Carey and Semaj Carey at Wood Lanes.
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Wednesday’s sectional semifinals SOUTH No. 5 Asbury Park (6-10) at No. 1 Camden Catholic (9-3-2) No. 6 Doane Academy (8-10) at No. 2 Salem (10-3) CENTRAL No. 6 Roselle Catholic (13-4) at No. 1 Middlesex (17-0) No. 3 Roselle Park (6-9) at No. 2 Warren Tech (8-4) NORTH I No. 4 Butler (17-0) at No. 1 Kinnelon (15-4) No. 3 Newton (14-3) at No. 2 Pascack Hills (15-0) NORTH II No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3) No. 6 Wallington (14-8) at No. 2 Rutherford (16-5)
Schalick girls have goal to win their TCC Tournament bracket, take first step with win over Pitman, get Salem next in semifinal showdown, includes South Jersey Group I girls tournament pairings
GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea at Gloucester Catholic Clearview 54, Timber Creek 28 Glassboro 44, Kingsway 30 Wildwood 44, Washington Twp. 38 Consolation game Woodstown 45, Triton 36 Postseason Bracket Schalick 43, Pitman 32 Salem 34, Williamstown 27 Clayton 52, GCIT 50 Deptford 61, Penns Grove 25
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — If there’s a bracket to be played there’s a bracket to be won, doesn’t matter if it’s Championship, Postseason or the 3-on-3 tournament down at the local rec.
Knowing there’s a title to claim at the end of the week, Schalick played what coach John Whelan called one of its better overall games of the year, jumped on Pitman early and rolled to a 43-32 win in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Tournament Postseason Bracket. The bracket’s No. 1 seed now hosts Salam in Thursday’s semifinals.
“We definitely have our goal set on winning,” Whelam said. “We played probably, I would say, the best team ball that we’ve played all year. We moved the basketball really well, we made the extra passes, (got) better quality shots.
“It’s starting to click a little more. You’ve seen it the last handful of games where we’ve been moving the ball better. Our offense has looked so much better, and then we continue to stay tough on the defensive end.”
The Cougars held their visitors to single digits points in every quarter, while opening quarter leads of 17-6, 27-15 and 37-24. leads of 17-6 and 27-15 in the first half.
Nevaeh Robinson “had a rhythm going” early for the Cougars and scored all 17 of her points in the first half. When the Panthers recognized the havoc she was causing and switched to a box-and-one on her, Willow Davis kept the offense clicking. Davis scored eight points in the third quarter and 11 of her 14 in the second half.
“We were moving the ball well enough to where we didn’t feel like we needed to really change our offense regardless of the box-and-one,” Whelan said. “Willow stepped up in the second half and hit a lot of shots.”
Robinson also had 11 rebounds, Cali Fisler and Ava Scurry each had 10, and Liv Vanacker had nine. Vanacker also had five assists and Scurry blocked four shots.
SALEM 34, WILLIAMSTOWN 27: The Rams stretched an eight-point halftime lead to double digits, withstood a second-half rally by the Braves that got it to a one-point game and then pulled away to set up a semifinal showdown with Schalick.
“That’s a big win,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “It’s a Group 4 school, it’s a big team and it’s a postseason bracket, so we see it as a big deal for us. We’re excited for tonight.”
The Rams (9-9) played bang-up defense in the first half, holding the Braves (5-17) to only one field goal and five points in the first half. They stretched their halftime lead to 10 in the third quarter, but the Braves went on a run that cut it to one, 28-27, with about three minutes left before the Rams changed defenses and retook control.
“We showed some resiliency, something that we’ve really been working on, to not let that bother us, to keep playing through the clock,” Carr said. “We used a timeout to settle the girls down and we came out and got a basket that next possession.”
Dyaira Anderson led the Rams with a game-high 17 points and 18 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had eight points, six rebounds and nine steals.
Salem and Schalick played once during the regular season with the Cougars taking a 37-33 win on the road.
3-point goals: Williamstown 1 (Waters). Total fouls: Salem 14, Williamstown 17.
DEPTFORD 61, PENNS GROVE 25: The Spartans brought the Red Devils back to earth behind double-doubles from Chaylin Marine and Kendall Evans. Marine had 21 points and 12 rebounds (plus five steals), while Evans had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Red Devils reached the quarterfinals of the Postseason Bracket with a victory over Overbrook in the opening round.
CONSOLATION GAME WOODSTOWN 45, TRITON 36: Kyia Leyman and Kendall Young both enjoyed double-doubles as the Wolverines bounced back from their Championship Bracket opening-round loss to Kingsway. Leyman scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Young had 10 points and 12 rebounds with three assists and five steals.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Paulsboro at Haddon Twp. Burlington City at Woodbury New Egypt at Palmyra Cape May Tech at Glassboro Salem at Audubon Woodstown at Pennsville Schalick at Gateway Clayton at Wildwood Feb. 27 Games (Game at higher seed) Paulsboro-Haddon Twp. vs. Burlington City-Woodbury New Egypt-Palmyra vs. Cape May Tech-Glassboro Salem-Audubon vs. Woodstown-Pennsville Schalick-Gateway vs. Clayton-Wildwood
Salem loses a 16-point early third-quarter lead, falls to Group 4 Williamstown in TCC Championship Bracket quarterfinals; no county teams left in main draw of either boys bracket; includes the South Jersey Group I boys tournament pairings BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Kingsway 66, Timber Creek 57 Overbrook 66, Deptford 55 Cumberland 52, Delsea 47 Williamstown 50, Salem 40 Consolation game Penns Grove 67, Woodstown 55 Postseason Bracket GCIT 85, Clayton 76 Pitman 56, Wildwood 52 Washington Twp. 63, Highland 44
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Anthony Farmer has seen this movie before. He didn’t want to see it – or have to see it – again on this particular night.
There have been times when Farmer’s Salem basketball team have been sharp start to finish. There also have been times they’ve built a seemingly safe lead against a strong opponent early in the game only to have it ripped out from under it at the final horn.
It happened again Tuesday when the Rams lost a 16-point third-quarter lead and wound up losing to Group 4 Williamstown 50-40 in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket.
The Rams (19-5), the No. 2 seed, led 30-14 a minute into the third quarter and 32-21 with 3:50 left in the quarter when it all went south. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers.
“They played 16 minutes of basketball, you know you’ve got to play a full 32,” Farmer said. “We played a half of basketball and now that’s the result.
“We played a really good 16 the first half and scored 11 points I think in the second half with 10 turnovers, so you almost had as many turnovers as you had points in the second half. Obviously, that’s an issue.
“We just have to have a feel for the game. Slow down, move the basketball, get reversals, make plays and play a good brand of basketball, which we just didn’t do. It was just a horrible second half.”
While all the misses hurt, especially with the Braves connecting on the other end, the most gut-wrenching may have been Marshall Stephens’ in-and-out after a nice spin move in the lane that Jameer Gordon turned into a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Braves (16-9) the lead for good.
While the Rams were having their troubles, the Braves were picking up the tempo and coming back. From the time they were down 16 in the third quarter to the end of the game the Braves were 8-of-19 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. They had only seven field goals in the first 17 minutes.
Gordon, a transfer from St. Joe (Hammonton), hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Braves finally got Clinton Suggs into the flow. The Rams held Suggs scoreless in the first half, but the Paul VI transfer scored 14 points in the second 10 in the third quarter. The Braves are 14-2 since Gordon and Suggs became eligible.
Suggs scored five straight points as the Braves trimmed the 16-point deficit to nine with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It was 10 with 3:15 left and the Rams scored only six more free throws the rest of the way. The Braves, meanwhile, scored nine free throws in the last 2:10 of the game alone to slam the door.
“These kids, since I’ve taken over, two years, have just shown fight and grit and fight and grit, so for us there was no panic on our end — at all,” Williamstown coach Adam Dandrea said as his players celebrated loudly in the locker room behind him. “I knew the kids would respond. That was all them right there. That was all them.”
The Braves now travel to Cumberland for Thursday’s semifinals. The Rams can play Delsea in a consolation game if they’re so inclined.
3-point goals: Williamstown 4 (Gordon, Suggs, Forman 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Williams 6, Marshall 5). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Williamstown 14, Salem 23.
PENNS GROVE 67, WOODSTOWN 55: The Red Devils ran out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and held onto it to win the rubber game between rivals created by a TCC Championship Bracket consolation game.
Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad led Penns Grove with 18 points apiece. Four other players scored at least six.
“Just a total team effort like always,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said of the start. “Guys made shots and the defense was stellar.”
The Wolverines put four scorers in double figures, with Elijah Caesar, Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez scored 12 points apiece. Andrew White added 10. Bialecki hit three 3-pointers, giving him 202 for his career.
They took advantage of Penns Grove’s second-quarter foul trouble to climb back into it, but the Red Devils stemmed the tide.
WOODSTOWN (15-11): Elijah Caesar 5-2-12, Blake Bialecki 4-1-12, Alejandro Vazquez 5-0-12, Josh King 2-3-7, Andrew White 4-2-10, Frank Hoerst 0-2-2. Totals 20-10-55. PENNS GROVE (16-10): Roman Gipson 6-5-18, Geonni Conrad 8-0-18, Haneef Frisby 3-1-7, Will Roy 2-0-6, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Luis Colon 2-3-7, Carson Pearsall 3-0-7, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-67.
Woodstown
11
17
14
13-
55
Penns Grove
22
10
17
18-
67
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2); Penns Grove 6 (Gipson, Gonrad 2, Roy 2, Pearsall).
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Riverside at Salem Paulsboro at Woodstown Glassboro at Burlington City Wildwood at KIPP New Egypt at Haddon Twp. Pitman at Penns Grove Audubon at Woodbury Gateway at Palmyra Feb. 27 Games (Games at higher seed) Riverside-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Woodstown Glassboro-Burlington City vs. Wildwood-KIPP New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Penns Grove Audubon-Woodbury vs. Gateway-Palmyra
Riverview Sports News 