UPDATED: Salem CC baseball facing final prep for Monday’s season opener without ever having gotten out on the field
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – John Holt was talking with Bryant & Stratton coach Paul Bottigliero the other day about their Opening Day doubleheader in balmy (compared to here) Virginia Beach when the conversation turned to the most pressing issue of the preseason.
Holt was lamenting “without a doubt the worst” preseason weather woes he’s seen in 30 years of coaching when the Bobcats’ coach dropped the biggest truth bomb.
“He said it’s just God reminding us that baseball needs to be played during baseball season,” Holt said.
The winter has been particularly harsh on Holt’s Salem CC ballclub. The Mighty Oaks open their season Monday before jumping right into demanding Region 19 play 10 days later with the real possibility of playing their first game without having gotten outside to practice. The Bobcats, meanwhile, will have 11 games in by the time they play Salem.
All you have to do is look out the window to see the problem. The remnants of the biggest snowstorm in a decade two weeks ago are still covering the ground. The roads are clear, but grassy surfaces remain blanketed by the white stuff.
“It’s gonna be tough to get on a baseball field somewhere,” Holt said. “If anything I think we’re gonna look maybe to at least get some work outside in a parking lot or something along those lines.”
They tried to get outside Monday, renting space at the artificial-turfed MSI Sports Complex in Upper Chichester – where they moved last year’s season opener – but work crews hadn’t finished plowing the grounds and the Mighty Oaks had to cancel the session. They’ve even set up a full field behind the snack stand at the Carneys Point Rec Complex where they play, and it dries well back Holt says, but it still has to.
“The last couple years we’ve been fortunate enough to run into 40-, 50-degree days in January and we were able to get outside on those,” Holt said. “In 30 years of doing this, this is without a doubt the worst weather ever to where it’s snowed two weeks ago and we still have that snow on the ground. It’s not supposed to happen.”
They’ve been doing live drills in the fieldhouse with pitchers and hitters, but it’s the fielders who suffer the most. No ground balls on the infield or timing on double plays and no fly-ball reads for the outfielders.
“I’ve talked to the guys and they’re stressing pretty hard about it,” Holt said. “They’ve caught a thousand ground balls and a thousand fly balls in their lifetime and all I’m looking for is them to just keep routine routine.
“We do kind of preach that throughout the entire year, but if we can just keep the routine plays routine … I’m going to expect mistakes and we’re going to expect our defense to maybe be where I think it should be, but I do think as a whole we’re a better defensive team than what we were last year so I’m not worried, but then against doing walk-throughs in the gym doesn’t exactly give you what you need for outside.”
First baseman-pitcher Tyler Hacker said the biggest hurdle to playing without being outside is “getting the feel again.”
“We have our fall season, it’s all outside, and when we come back for spring we expect to be playing outside and get true hops and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “It’s difficult to kind of feel that you’re playing your sport outside free, so it’s definitely more of a mind game than a physical thing and I’d say we’ve adjusted well. We’ve done everything we can do to be inside and we learned how to adapt, as we should.
“There’s obviously going to be some roughs, as there is for every first game, just a different kind. We’ve done live ABs, but we haven’t fielded the live ABs in a while, so I think it’ll be a little rough through there, but it shouldn’t take long.”
For one of the newest Mighty Oaks players, this snow business is a play out of left field. Outfielder Cliff Wysinger is a redshirt freshman from McDonough, Ga., who transferred from Auburn-Montgomery and said what the Mighty Oaks are experiencing is “very different” for him. He said his biggest adjustment to not having been outside is gauging whatever wind they’ll encounter on the trip.
“It’s definitely a concern, but I do think we are ready to play,” he said. “I really don’t have any concern. Coach Holt made a good statement saying we’ve done it a thousand times before, what’s one more time. I think we’re prepared as a team. I think we’ll put up some really good runs as an offense. As a defense, we’ll have our mistakes or whatever, but as long as it’s not big mistakes I think we’ll be good.
“It’s definitely a first time for me. We’re usually on the field by now. It’s very different not being outside and I’m hearing this is like one of the worst winters. It’s definitely different for everybody, but we all played the game. We just got to go out there and compete.”
The weather woes aside, it’s still a little early for Holt to commit to an Opening Day lineup and a pitching rotation for the doubleheader is still “up in the air.” Fortunately, he has a lot of options in both areas.
“I’ve got a lot of good problems this year and one of the main purposes of the Bryant & Stratton series is to give those guys the opportunity to prove who’s going to be that nine,” Holt said. “For me it’s let’s see what we get in these two games and give guys opportunities.
“I would have liked to have had a couple more non-conference (games) before we jump into Ocean, a must-win situation, but I think they’ll have enough opportunity with Bryant Stratton to kind of reassure me what I’m thinking, but I’m going to use (the doubleheader) to figure out who those nine are going to be.”
Month: February 2026
Updated: Season suspended
Salem CC women end their basketball season following the arrest of four players in Pennsville over the weekend
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — The Salem Community College women’s basketball program has suspended the remainder of its 2025-26 season following the weekend arrest of four players that athletics department officials say will prevent it from fielding a competitive team.
The players – Raynesecia Q. King, 19; Paula E. Wilson, 19; Tanijya M. Shaw, 18; and Jayda L. Hunter, 19 – were arrested at the Pennsville Walmart Feb. 6 and all charged with concealing merchandise from the store without intent to pay. All listed a Pennsville address as their place of residence although all have out-of-state hometowns on the team roster.
All four had a bail hearing in the Carneys Point/Pennsville Joint Municipal Court and were released on summons.
School officials confirmed the decision to suspend the season after informing all the remaining teams on the schedule. The Mighty Oaks had three games remaining after postponing Tuesday’s game with Morris Club.
Initially, SCC athletics director Bob Hughes confirmed Saturday’s postponement with Middlesex, the first game after the incident, citing only “a personnel issue” that was “player related,” but declined to give details, and Tuesday’s game was removed from the team’s athletic department website.
“I can tell you officially that Salem has decided to discontinue the rest of our women’s basketball season,” Hughes said Monday. “We do not have enough players to field a competitive team at this time.”
Hughes continued to decline comment on the particulars of the weekend issue, citing student privacy concerns. Pennsville police provided the arrest records in response to an Open Public Records request by Riverview Sports News.
Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said Saturday the program was working to reschedule the game, but Hughes said any decision to continue the season wouldn’t be entertained until Monday at the earliest. A despondent sounding Marsh Monday deferred any comment on the season suspension to Hughes.
The Salem women are 3-17 in a season filled with drama and had three games left at the time of the suspension. They had eight healthy players available and are rostered for nine.
”We could not have fielded a competitive team,” Hughes said.
All four players were starters. Shaw, a freshman guard from Arlington, Texas, was their best player statistically, averaging a team-leading 17.6 ppg, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 steals. Hunter, a freshman post who lists Allentown, Pa., as her hometown on the team webpage, was their second-leading rebounder (7.7) while averaging 3.6 ppg. Wilson, a freshman forward from El Paso, averaged 5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and had a team-leading 17 blocked shots. King, a sophomore guard from Dallas who also played softball last spring, averaged 5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.2 steals.
It wasn’t immediately known if the Mighty Oaks would absorb forfeit for the three remaining games or simply end the year 3-17.
The team has had problems this year. Injuries forced them to reschedule three games earlier this season and sources have said there have been other incidents off the floor.As much a team officials have maintained during the adversity they were committed to playing out the season, this situation was one that was too severe to survive.
”I feel sorry for taking away opportunity for competition from any student-athlete,” Hughes said.
Wednesday sports report
Here are the scores and highlights from Wednesday night’s Salem County sports schedule
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pitman 53, Pennsville 16
Woodstown 64, Salem Tech 15
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Schalick 37, Oakcrest 24
Pennsville 49, Pitman 21
Woodstown 67, Salem Tech 16
WRESTLING
Willingboro 33, Salem 30
Pennsville 63, Haddon Heights 10
By Riverview Sports News
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WOODSTOWN 67, SALEM TECH 16: Emma Perry just missed her career-high on her Senior Night, 12 players scored and the Wolverines rolled in their final regular-season game. Perry scored 17 points, one shy of tying her career high she set two weeks ago. Lauren Hengel, another senior, added 12 points and 10 other Wolverines scored.
The Wolverines celebrated their Senior Night, then shutout the Chargers in the first quarter 26-0.
“It was a very good night,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “We have had a tough season this year and the girls continued to work hard every practice and every game.
“There have never been any complaints all year from the girls. They enjoy the game of basketball and they enjoy being around each other. There are countless conversations and jokes happening all the time with this group.
“The best part of the game for me as a coach was seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces. They were out there having fun. Yes, we care about wins and losses, but you play a sport because you have fun doing it. We often forget that and the girls did not forget about that tonight.”
The team’s four seniors — Perry, Hengel, Kyia Leyman and Kailyn Kennedy — all scored in the game. They combined for 39 points, 22 rebounds and 12 assists. In addition to her points, Perry had five rebounds and five assists. Hengel had eight rebounds and seven assists, Leyman had five rebounds and Kennedy had four rebounds.
“This senior class is a very special class,” Smart said of the group that has been a part of 70 wins in four years and played for three head coaches. “(They) all work extremely hard all of the time. They are a tight-knit group, but a very selfless group; you could see that tonight. We gave up good shots for better shots and moved the ball well. Seeing that on over half the shots we made tonight there was an assist is a very special thing.
“I’m going to miss this group so much. They are very special and you can tell how much they mean to the rest of the team based off of tonight’s Senior Night festivities. Luckily, our journey isn’t over yet.”
SALEM TECH (2-14): Rachel Reed 0 0-0 0, Shelby Liber 4 0-0 11, Amora Delaine 0 0-2 0, Carmen Mott 0 0-0 0, Shelby Drummond 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lydon 0 0-0 0, Tiara Bazemore 1 0-0 3, Evening Amedee 0 0-0 0, Maci Fiant 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 0-2 16.
WOODSTOWN (10-13): Lauren Hengel 5 0-0 12, Kyia Leyman 3 0-0 6, Emma Perry 8 0-1 17, Kendall Young 2 1-2 6, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 2 0-0 4, Maddie Roback 1 0-0 2, Ava White 3 0-0 6, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 3 0-0 6, Autumn Paleschic 1 0-0 2, Kamiya Brunson 1 0-0 2, Cecelia Nachbar 1 0-0 2, Gabriella Maldonado 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 1-3 67.
| Salem Tech | 0 | 6 | 8 | 2- | 16 |
| Woodstown | 26 | 19 | 9 | 13- | 67 |
SCHALICK 37, OAKCREST 24: Nevaeh Robinson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Cougars (15-5) to their third straight win. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. The sophomore hit a 3-pointer in each quarter. Ava Scurry added six rebounds to run her career total to 612 and blocked five shots (226). Liv Vanacker had seven rebounds and seven assists.
OAKCREST (5:13): A Tirah Mitchell 2 3-6 7, Rashonda Brown 6 3-9 16, Mia Silipena 0 0-0 0, Riley Sanders 0 0-0 0,, C. Russ 0 1-2 1, Paula Pahang 0 0-0 0, Hailey Perkins 0 0-0 0, Briella Johnson 0 0-0 0, Catina Lark 0 0-0 0, Avery Aponte 0 0-0 0, Palmero 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 7-17 24.
SCHALICK (15-5): Cali Fisler 2 1-7 6, Ava Scurry 2 1-2 5, Willow Davis 1 2-4 4, Nevaeh Robinson 6 1-1 17, Olivia Vanacker 2 1-2 5, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Bailey Wentz 0 0-0 0, Eve Berger 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 6-16 37.
| Oakcrest | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6- | 24 |
| Schalick | 9 | 11 | 11 | 6- | 37 |
Top photo: Schalick’s Ava Scurry is joined by her teammates to commemorate her 600th career rebound. (Submitted photo).
PENNSVILLE 49, PITMAN 21: Taylor Bass pumped in 23 points to surpass 1200 for her career, Marley Wood scored 16 (to go over 1,300) and the Eagles held Pitman scoreless in the third quarter to win their seventh straight. It’s their longest winning streak since they won seven straight in the 2019-20 season. It was their fifth straight win since the coaching change.
PITMAN (4-14): Colette Rollins 1 0-2 3, Jocelyn O’Brien 0 0-0 0, Marlee Adams 1 0-3 2, Kendall Bennett 2 0-0 4, Emery Sharpnack 1 2-2 4, Audrey Duffield 3 0-2 7, Bella Pramov 0 1-4 1. Totals 8 3-13 21.
PENNSVILLE (15-6): Taylor Bass 10 0-2 23, Marley Wood 7 1-2 16, Addie Johnston 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 2 1-2 6, Jaiden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 2-6 49.
| Pitman | 9 | 8 | 0 | 4- | 21 |
| Pennsville | 11 | 8 | 11 | 19- | 49 |
BOYS BASKETBALL
WOODSTOWN 64, SALEM TECH 15: The Wolverines spread the wealth, getting scoring from 12 players, and held the Chargers to three points in the second half to win its third in a row — all over Salem County competition. Andrew White led the way with 13 points. Connor Miller had eight and Frank Hoerst had seven. Blake Bialecki hit two more 3-pointers and is now four away from extending his school record to 200 for his career. He has hit at least one trey in each of his last 19 games.
WOODSTOWN (15-8): Elijah Caesar 2 0-2 4, Jalen Markward 2 0-0 4, Blake Bialecki 2 0-0 6, Alejandro Vazquez 1 1-2 3, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Josh King 3 0-2 6, Andrew White 6 0-0 13, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 2 0-0 6, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 3 0-0 7, Connor Miller 3 0-0 8, Brian Booker 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 1-6 64.
SALEM TECH (2-17): Chase Pompper 3 0-0 6, Brody Kroll 0 0-0 0, Ayden Myers 0 0-0 0, Aiden Bobo 1 1-2 3, Avery Reed 0 0-0 0, Keidyn Robinson 0 0-0 0, Luke Kroll 0 0-0 0, Raphael Busch 3 0-0 6, Micah Cavanaugh 0 0-0 0, Sterling Lewis 0 0-2 0. Totals 7 1-4 15.
| Woodstown | 12 | 28 | 14 | 10- | 64 |
| Salem Tech | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2- | 15 |
PITMAN 53, PENNSVILLE 16: Jay Craig had his third double-double in his last six games and the Panthers hit eight 3-pointers as a team to roll past the Eagles. Craig had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jake Bowen-Ashwin also scored 11 points and Parker DeChristopher had 12. Lucas Razze had eight of the Panthers’ 21 steals.
PENNSVILLE (3-19); Jake Layfield 4 0-0 9, Shamir Watkins 1 0-0 3, Gavin Spears 1 1-2 3, Colin Keevan 0 1-3 1, Danny Knight 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 2-5 16.
PITMAN (10-13): Lucas Razze 3 0-0 8, Parker DeChristopher 4 1-1 12, Joey Zubert 1 0-0 2, Jay Craig 5 1-4 11, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 3 4-6 11, Micah Frost 0 0-0 0, Nolan Russell 0 0-0 0, Keaton Libby 0 0-0 0, Michael Aubrey 0 0-0 0, Carter Snyder 0 0-0 0, Brayden Geary 0 0-0 0, Oliver Spier 3 1-1 9. Totals 19 7-12 53.
| Pennsville (3-19) | 5 | 2 | 6 | 3- | 16 |
| Pitman (10-13) | 16 | 24 | 8 | 5- | 53 |
Wrestling
WILLINGBORO 33, SALEM 30
106: Double forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Fahad Irshad (WI) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:47
126: Zachary Tortella (S) pinned Demarco Edwards, 4:47
132: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Michael Barker, 0:51
138: Yiornniel Cordero (WI) dec. Brodie Parker, 9-6
144: Joseph Goetaski (S) won by forfeit
150: Roatan Alleyne (WI) won by forfeit
157: Ziyon Moore (S) dec. Deryck Montoya, 9-3
165: Precious Bankole (WI) won by forfeit
175: Dovonte Ruiz (WI) won by forfeit
190: Toren Schoners (WI) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:53
215: Abdur Jenkins (S) def. Lebron Martin, SV-1 4-1
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) won by forfeit
PENNSVILLE 63, HADDON HEIGHTS 10
106: Aniello Napolitano (H) pinned Brett Land, 5:53
113: Erick Davalos (P) pinned Andrew Hanchey, 1:22
120: Maximos Efelis (P) won by forfeit
126: Michael Ferraro (H) maj. dec. Mehki Dicks, 13-3
132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Brennan Albright, 2:15
138: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Gavin Gilliss, 4:58
144: Vincent Grether (P) pinned Leo Falco, 3:57
150: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over Ryan Bailey, 18-3 (5:03)
157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ian Bomgardner, 1:30
165: Robbie McDade (P) maj. dec. Andrew Gutkin, 10-2
175: Cristian Blyler (P) dec. Shawn Thompson, 10-3
190: Stephen Pangle (P) won by forfeit
215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) pinned Cameron Mayo, 1:51
285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Nathan Lelionis, 7-2
Answering the bell
Down 2 starters, third-ranked Salem CC weathers storm, beats No. 13 Union, surpasses last year’s win total
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — All year long Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green has been saying his team has a scorebook full of players who not only could start for every other team in Region 19 but be a big piece in their plans. The Mighty Oaks put that theory to the test Tuesday night and delivered on it in a big way.
Down two starters, including their recognized energy guy, the Mighty Oaks weathered the storm and beat No. 13 Union for the second time this season, 96-75.
It was their 27th win of the season, giving them more wins than they had in last year’s historic national tournament season. At 14-1 in Region 19, they hold a one-game lead in the loss column atop the region’s Division III standings and a two-game lead in the loss column on presumably one of the two No. 1 seeds in the region/district tournament.
The Mighty Oaks (27-1) went into what shaped up as one of their sternest tests of the late season without injured sophomore post Stef Phillips (knee) and freshman vocal leader Nasseem Wright (suspended by region rule for picking up a third technical foul in the last game). But their replacements, Idris Rines and Qua Smith, combined for 25 points, 22 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots.
Smith, making his first college start, didn’t give the Mighty Oaks the scoring they would have gotten from Wright, but he did all the other things. He grabbed 16 rebounds, dealt four assists, blocked three shots and caught the eye of the NCAA Division II scouts in attendance. Rines, making his second straight start, had 18 points and six rebounds in a team-high 35 minutes.
“We just had to pick the energy up (without Wright) because he’s a real big energy guy, so everybody else just had to give a little more than they usually give,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “I think everybody stepped up. Our team is built for the next man to be up, so I think everybody just did their job and did what we had to do.”
Green had some options for Wright’s spot, but went with Smith because of matchups. Besides, if he started Nayeem Johnson, the presumptive pick for the spot based on what he’s been provided in a sixth- or seventh-man role, the Mighty Oaks would have lost the game-changing firepower the Montco transfer provides off the bench.
The game was tight in the first half until the Mighty Oaks plugged in the full-court press with a very specific lineup. Usually they have Wright at the top of it, but with him not available, Green wanted Jahsier Sayles, Smith and Johnson with any other guard. They went into it with 6:11 left in the half, right after Jarrell Little’s two free throws got them within 23-21 and went on a defense-fueled 14-6 run that gave them the lead.
“It was a great pressure group that we went with,” Green said.
The Owls rallied to tie it at 35 with 1:17 left in the half, but the Mighty Oaks outscored them 7-1 to the horn to take a 43-36 halftime lead. Rines capped it with a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left after Lee drained the final 22 seconds off the clock.
The Mighty Oaks came out of the break firing. They opened the half with a 17-3 in the first six minutes to take control. Smith was particularly active in the stretch, scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds, blocking a shot and snagging a steal. The steal led to a 3-pointer by Rines, one of the rebounds set Zyaire Gibson on a runout layup and the blocked shot led to a give-and-go with Lee that he finished off with a layup.
“I was just trying to get as many rebounds as I can for the team; that’s really my role, for real,” Smith said. “I was just trying to play my role basically and step up. Definitely big responsibility because we’re playing the No. 13 team in the nation. You’ve got to step up, you’ve got to be ready, and I was ready today.”
“He’s just got to realize doing what we ask him to do is enough, that’s enough,” Green said. “That’s all we want all these guys to realize. Doing what we ask you to do is enough. You’re playing real basketball. You’re not playing JUCO basketball. You’re playing real basketball.”
Salem had only one scorer in double figures at halftime. Because of the way they picked it up after the break, they wound up with five when it was over.
Lee and Little both scored 10 in the second half and finished with 18 and 19, respectively. Little also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Gibson had 14 points and Sayles a career-tying 12. Union’s Nicolas Acosta led all scorers with 27 points (and 16 rebounds).
Phillips is expected to be out another week. Wright will be back for Thursday’s game with Camden. The reserves are expected to be ready all the time, because you never know when their number will be called.
SALEM CC 96, UNION 75
UNION (19-8): Tareak Williams 2-10 6-7 10, Anthony Hicks 5-11 1-1 11, Nicolas Acosta 6-18 15-18 27, Kanye Brown 0-4 3-4 3, Zahkey Jeter 6-13 0-1 12, Aljanai Best 0-3 0-0 0, Jasir Calloway 1-6 5-6 7, James Downing 2-4 0-0 5, Jake Zawacki 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-70 30-37 75.
SALEM CC (27-1): Jarrell Little 4-8 8-10 18, Saaid Lee 4-8 10-14 19, Qua Smith 3-7 1-3 7, Zyaire Gibson 6-12 1-2 14, Idris Rines 6-10 3-5 18, Jahseir Sayles 4-9 2-2 12, Nayeem Johnson 3-7 0-2 6, Mike Goodwin 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 31-63 25-39 96.
| Union | 36 | 39- | 75 |
| Salem CC | 43 | 53- | 96 |
Top photo, Qua Smith (4) and Idris Rines (24) were new starters for Salem CC Tuesday. Rines started last Saturday’s game, but Smith was making his first college start.
Region XIX Standings
| DIVISION III | R19 | ALL | GSAC |
| SALEM CC (3) | 14-1 | 27-1 | 19-1 |
| Northampton (8) | 14-2 | 22-3 | |
| Brookdale (RV) | 14-3 | 18-8 | 12-5 |
| Montgomery (9) | 13-3 | 17-4 | |
| Camden | 12-3 | 17-9 | 12-8 |
| Union (13) | 12-5 | 19-8 | 11-4 |
| Bergen | 10-7 | 14-12 | 14-11 |
| Ocean | 9-7 | 14-11 | 10-9 |
| Atlantic Cape | 8-8 | 12-13 | 9-8 |
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 6-9 | 9-16 | 7-12 |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 6-9 | 10-18 | 4-15 |
| Thaddeus Stevens | 5-10 | 10-14 | |
| Philadelphia | 5-10 | 12-11 | |
| Harrisburg Area | 5-10 | 6-16 | |
| Delaware County | 3-13 | 5-19 | |
| Sussex | 2-13 | 7-21 | 4-13 |
| Passaic | 2-14 | 4-22 | 3-15 |
| Luzerne | 1-14 | 4-21 |
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 96, Union 75
Harrisburg Area 76, Luzerne 60
Montgomery 88, Atlantic Cape 78
Philadelphia 72, Thaddeus Stevens 66
Mercer 89, Lackawanna 82
Camden 80, RCSJ-Cumberland 70
Bergen 76, Brookdale 73
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Harcum 92, Essex 70
RCSJ-Gloucester70, Sussex 69
Hostos 100, Passaic 75
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Ulster at Sussex
Ocean at Northampton
Atlantic Cape at Brookdale
Passaic at Middlesex
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Camden at Salem CC
Misericordia at Harcum
Northampton at Montgomery
Delaware Tech at Frederick
Manhattan CC at Bergen
Ocean at Brookdale
Passaic at Union
Delaware County at Philadelphia
Raritan Valley at Lackawanna
Atlantic Cape at Bergen
Harrisburg Area at Thaddeus Stevens
RCSJ-Gloucester at RCSJ-Cumberland
FRIDAY’S GAME
Delaware County at Luzerne
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Sussex at Salem CC
Passaic vs. Finger Lakes
Union at Brookdale
Atlantic Cape at Harrisburg Area
RCSJ-Cumberland at Thaddeus Stevens
Northampton at Camden
RCSJ-Gloucester at Montgomery
Ocean at Luzerne
Raritan Valley at Morris
Passaic at Roxbury
Lackawanna at Delaware Tech
Ulster at Middlesex
Philadelphia at Passaic
Harcum at Mercer
What a rush
Crowd rushes the floor after Salem’s Tymear Lecator reaches 1,000-point plateau, Woodstown wrestling wins division title in coach’s final regular-season home match, also ncludes scores and highlights from Tuesday night’s Salem County sports calendar
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem 71, Penns Grove 52
WRESTLING
Delsea girls 46, Schalick 21
Woodstown 58, Timber Creek 24
Penns Grove at Palmyra
Schalick 45, Cedar Creek 33
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Tymear Lecator had known for a while what was going to happen if he scored his 1000th career point at home. When the milestone came, he just let it come to him.
The sellout crowd rushed the floor after the Salem junior guard hit the number Tuesday night on a free throw with 2:22 left in the Rams’ 71-52 win over rival Penns Grove.
When he swished the historic shot, they came out of the stands. They came from the other side of the floor. They came in waves. But instead of running away from crush of humanity, Lecator just let the love envelop him. He backed off the foul line, raised his arms in triumph and let the crowd carry him all the way to the far baseline.
“It’s been talked about in school since Monday,” he said. “I didn’t get away from it. I just stood them and let everybody just run into me. I knew they were coming so I just stood there.
“(Scoring 1000 points) has been on my mind since I was a freshman and I knew I had a high chance of getting it, especially in the role I’ve been playing on this team since my freshman year.
“It means a lot because not a lot of guys do it as a junior. Everybody usually gets it their senior year. It means everything because I know how much work I’ve put in over the years. I’m just proud I hit the milestone.”
Lecator is the 18th player in the boys program’s history to join the 1000-Point Club and the first since Anthony Farmer, the son of coach Anthony Farmer, did it in January 2024.
Ironically, they did it against the same team, on the same floor, under similar circumstances and from the same free throw line.
Farmer needed 35 on his night to reach the milestone; he scored 36. Lecator needed 22; he scored 23.
Farmer got it on a free throw in the fourth quarter. Lecator hit the mark on a free throw in the fourth quarter.
The crowd rushed the floor for Farmer. They did the same for Lecator.
“It brought back some good memories,” the elder Farmer said.
It took about 10 minutes to clear the floor after the celebration. And the player still had another free throw to make.
In some ways it was easier to nail that one down than the first one.
“Honestly, it was 10 times easier to make the second one than the first one,” he said. “The first one everybody was standing up getting ready to run on the court, so I was definitely real nervous. The second one was nothing compared to the first one.”
Needing 22 to reach the milestone wasn’t as big an ask as Farmer’s target number against Penns Grove, but it was lofty nonetheless. But Lecator wasn’t worried about getting it. He scored 20 or more 15 times in his career and six times each of the last two seasons, including Monday night at Paulsboro to get close.
“I’m used to scoring 20 … so I was like that ain’t that crazy. I could get that today,” he said. “I just made the right reads and I let the game come to me, and luckily I hit enough shots to score the 22.”
NOTES: Lecator also had eight rebounds and four assists. Deshaan Williams had his sixth double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds). Marshall Stephens and Fatah Paige also grabbed 10 rebounds apiece. Penns Grove’s typical balanced scoring attack was led by Carson Pearsall’s 14 points … Salem remains the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group 1 power points standings by nearly two full points over Haddon Twp. Saturday is the cutoff date.
SALEM 71, PENNS GROVE 52
PENNS GROVE (14-9): Roman Gipson 3 2-4 9, Geonni Conrad 2 2-3 6, Naheef Frisby 2 0-0 5, Will Roy 2 0-0 4, Mishawn Brantley 1 0-4 2, Jameel Horace 2 0-0 4, Carson Pearsall 4 5-9 14, Zane Thomas 3 2-2 8. Totals 19 11-22 52.
SALEM (18-4): Tymear Lecator 9-4-23, Marshall Stephens 3-0-6, Neziah Spence 3-1-8, Fatah Paige 2-0-4, Darrelle Johnson 2-0-4, Deshaan Williams 5-4-14, BJ Robbins 1-2-4, Xavier McGriff 2-1-6, Kyaire Parsons 1-0-2. Totals 28-12-71.
| Penns Grove | 10 | 18 | 11 | 13- | 52 |
| Salem | 11 | 26 | 17 | 17- | 71 |
Wrestling
BOYS
SCHALICK 45, CEDAR CREEK 33
106: Sincere Wilcox (CC) pinned Victor Fenske, 0:46
113: Galel Solano-Lopez (CC) pinned Nicholas Latona, 1:35
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Luke Sess, 0:40
126: Hector Villarrubia-Torres (CC) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:39
132: Gavin Marcasciano (CC) maj. dec. over Jacon Potts, 14-3
138: Masen Cruz (CC) tech fall over Gabriel McFeeley, 15-0 (2:50)
144: Michael Baisch (S) pinned Kyle Smith 1:27
150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Jakob Dase, 1:16
157: Ayden Jenkins (S) tech fall over Jake Hardiman, 16-0
165: Anthony Deaver (S) pinned Cole Burton, 3:30
175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned Xavier Villarubia-Torres, 3:06
190: Gerardp Foe;o[e (S) maj. dec. Giovanni Carnes, 8-0
215: James Cook (S) won by forfeit
285: Slayton D’Amico (CC) pinned Jeff Edmonds, 1:08
WOODSTOWN 58, TIMBER CREEK 24
106: Jimmy Boone (TC) pinned TJ Conto, 0:19
113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) won by forfeit
120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Dyllan Klotz, 2:43
126: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Seth Redman, 1:12
132: Barry Coverly (WO) won by forfeit
138: Chase Icon (WO) won by forfeit
144: Nehemiah Carter (WO) won by forfeit
150: Mathyias Ellis (WO) won by forfeit
157: Matt Cordovz (TC) pinned Tyrell West, 4:24
165: Ricky Watts (WO) pinned Nathaniel Collazo, 3:25
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) maj. dec. Zyeir Green, 12-4
190: Elijah Green (TC) pinned Asher Fitzpatrick, 3:43
215: Julian McCray (TC) pinned Bradley Snitcher, 2:27
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Roland Green, 0:52
GIRLS
DELSEA 46, SCHLAICK 21
100: Isabella Gjini (D) won by forfeit
107: Karleigh Six (D) won by forfeit
114: Ava Baldino (D) won by forfeit
120: Nevaeha Chaney (S) won by forfeit
126: Olivia Guzman (D) pinned River Wojcik, 0:29
132: McKenna Thomas (D) won by forfeit
138: Angelia Deaver (S) dec. Ellie Fanz, 7-3
145: Elizabeth Ostoyic (D) maj. dec. Haley Batista, 11-0
152: McKayla Rutledge (D) won by forfeit
165: Ranae Scurry (S) pinned Kyleigh Dotzel, 0:42
185: Lydia Gilligan (S) pinned Samaiya Figueroa, 5:11
235: Jessica Fantini (S) won by forfeit
Penns Grove tabs Ware
Lifelong Red Devil approved to become school’s head football coach, driven to bring the program back to former glory
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Damian Ware has been through the highs and lows of the Penns Grove football program, both as a player and a coach. The Red Devils are in a downturn right now and he wants to bring them back and now he has that chance.
Ware was installed as the Red Devils’ new head football coach Monday night. He takes over for Marc Maccarone, who stepped down after the final game last season.
It’s an ambitious take for Ware, 48. He’s also the Red Devils’ boys basketball coach and will remain in that position in addition to the football job. Actually, he was coaching that team to a win at rival Pennsville while the board was meeting to approve him for the football job.
He also was an assistant track coach, but will give that up to oversee the strength and conditioning program. He’s hoping his players follow that lead and encourages them to become three-sport athletes.
“I’m a football guy too,” he said. “I’ve been coaching football for over 10 years at Penns Grove, I played football at Penns Grove. I was an all-star player back in the week a few times and a lot of people said I should have played football in college instead of basketball, but I love basketball more so I just played basketball in college. But I’m a football guy as well.”
What else he is is Penns Grove through and through. He played football and basketball there for Al Birch and Steve Kline before going on to play college basketball at FDU in the late 90s (and nearly beating UConn in the NCAA Tournament), and when he returned home served as an assistant for each of the Red Devils’ last three head football coaches – Kemp Carr, John Emel and Maccarone.
“One thing you know about Damian,” athletics director Anwar Golden said, “he is Penns Grove to the core. Nothing comes before the growth of Penns Grove. I’m really excited about working with him.”
The Red Devils had been championship contenders in Group I for years, but they missed the playoffs each of the last two years, bottoming out at 0-9 this past season, their first winless season in recent memory. In the most recent West Jersey Football League reshuffle, they was demoted to the Independence Division after playing in the dynamic Diamond Division since the league’s inception.
“We want to bring the pride back to Penns Grove football,” Ware said. “We were more of a football town than a basketball town and now it’s kind of flipped the other way. I want it to be both, football and basketball, because that’s what we’ve always been.
“We’ve always been a prevalent team in both sports. We’re looking to bring the culture back and bring the pride back to Penns Grove football. That’s part of the reason I wanted to take on the program, to try to bring it back,”
His approach to that will be a “homegrown way.” He said the two biggest factors in bringing them back are the commitment to a youth football program and restoring the culture surrounding the program.
“Without that feeder system it’s tough because kids come into high school without that background, knowledge of playing football or even knowing how to get into a three-point stance,” he said. “We want them to come into high school with some experience.
“We need to get our feeder system back first and foremost, and then change the culture. The pride in football has kind of been lackluster. A lot of guys went to different schools. We’d like to keep our talent here. That’s the No. 1 thing we need to do, keep our talent because we’ve always been one of the best programs because we have some of the best talent around.
“We need to bring the pride back to Penns Grove football, keep the kids here and continue to win like we always have.”
Top photo: Damian Ware (R) talks over a play with Penns Grove head coach Marc Maccarone during a preseason practice last summer. Ware was approved as the Red Devils’ new head coach Monday.
Long time coming
Pennsville girls basketball ends long title drought by clinching share of Diamond Division, plus the rest of Monday’s Salem County sports calendar
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville 65, Penns Grove 25
Pitman 48, Salem Tech 26
Schalick 46, Woodstown 25
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove 80, Pennsville 16
Salem 60, Paulsboro 54
Pitman 52, Salem Tech 31
Woodstown 46, Schalick 33
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — Pennsville assistant coach Ryan Wood stood before the girls basketball team after the game and gave the day its historical context in a way uniquely his own.
The Eagles had just clinched a share of its first division title since 1988 Monday when they bashed Penns Grove 65-25 in Rudy Baric Gym and Wood let them know just how long ago that was.
“Forty years ago,” he said rubbing his hands over his thinning scalp, “I had a full head of hair.”
And if you don’t believe it, his daughter, senior guard Marley Wood, has the proof.
“I’ve seen pictures, him and my brother (Luke) look the exact same, which is really weird,” she said.
The Eagles’ sixth straight win — and fourth since the coaching change — left them 9-1 in the TCC Diamond Division and a share of their first division title since 1988 with Glassboro. The teams split in the regular season.
“We’ve all worked very hard for this,” senior forward Taylor Bass said. “A lot of sweat, blood and tears have gone into it.”
There’s a banner in the far left corner of Pennsville’s Salberg Gym that commemorates the team’s last division title. After the boys soccer team won its first division title in 32 years in October, it left girls basketball with the school’s longest championship drought among teams that have won a championship. The boys basketball program has never won one. The girls track team is now on the clock (2011).
“Every year we get reminded that it’s been a while, so getting to do with my team my senior year and my dad in the back with us is great,” Marley Wood said.
The Eagles (14-6) had control of this one from the start. They built a 33-15 halftime lead, then opened the third quarter with 16 straight points to put it out of reach.
Bass and Addie Johnston led the offense with 18 points apiece. Since the coaching change that elevated Robin Efelis to head coach and brought Ryan Wood back to the bench, Johnston has scored 52 points and hit eight 3-pointers.
“It’s just been good games, good days,” the sophomore said. “My shooting’s been good, my confidence overall has been high. Just been coming out hot every day.”
Wood had six points, but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 12 assists. Already the second-leading all-time girls scorer in school history, she needs one point for 1,300 and four assists for 500. That would put her in the 1300-500-500 Club since she already has 521 rebounds.
PENNSVILLE 65, PENNS GROVE 25
PENNSVILLE (14-6): Taylor Bass 8 1-5 18, Marley Wood 3 0-2 6, Addie Johnston 7 1-2 18, Izzy Saulin 4 2-2 10, Jaida Burns 3 0-0 6, Jaiden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Kylie Weist 1 0-0 3, Reagan Sipps 0 0-0 0, Makayla Griffith 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 4-11 65.
PENNS GROVE (2-18): Janiyah Cummings 6 3-4 16, Keziah Patterson 1 2-2 5, Yeichelyn Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Domari Torres 1 0-0 3, Yanet Cruz 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Washington 1 0-0 2, Armahni Blackston 0 0-0 0, Yasmin Cruz 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-6 26
| Pennsville | 23 | 10 | 19 | 13- | 65 |
| Penns Grove | 7 | 8 | 4 | 7- | 26 |
SCHALICK 46, WOODSTOWN 25: The Cougars put together one of their best defensive efforts of the season in a year filled with big defensive efforts and ended a 13-game losing streak against the Wolverines. It was almost seven years to the day the last time they won in the series, Feb. 12, 2019.
“This one feels good,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “The girls were ready for this game and they put together four full quarters of good basketball. It was a signature win as we come to the end of there egular season. It will be a great momentum builder as we head into the playoffs.”
The Cougars (14-5) held their hosts to single digits in all four quarters. They led 10-8 after the first quarter, then took control in the second quarter. They closed Woodstown out with a 15-3 fourth quarter. They are averaging a shade under 24 points against in their 14 wins this season.
“As always we build off our defense,” Whelan said. “It was an outstanding defensive performance where the girls took pride in winning on that side of the court. That aggressiveness translated to playing downhill on the offensive end. Everyone played a part.”
Ava Scurry anchored the defense. She had 14 rebounds, including the 600th of her career, five steals and seven blocked shots. Cali Fisler had four steals and Olivia Vanacker had eight rebounds, a career-high nine assists and three steals.
Willow Davis led the offense with four 3-pointers and a career-high 18 points. Nevaeh Robinson had 10. Kendall Young was Woodstown’s leading scorer with 10 points.
The Wolverines, who once had a 39-game winning streaks against Salem County opponents, have now won lost two in a row to in-county foes.
SCHALICK (14-5): Ava Scurry 1 2-4 4, Cali Fisler 1 6-10 8, Olivia Vanacker 3 0-0 6, Nevaeh Robinson 3 3-6 10, Willow Davis 6 2-2 18. Totals 14 13-22 46.
WOODSTOWN (9-13): Lauren Hengel 3 0-0 8, Emma Perry 0 1-2 1, Kendall Young 4 0-0 10, Talia Guardascione 0 1-2 1, Gina Murray 2 0-0 5. Totals 9 2-4 25.
| Schalick | 10 | 15 | 8 | 13- | 46 |
| Woodstown | 8 | 6 | 8 | 3- | 25 |
PITMAN 48, SALEM TECH 26: Audrey Duffield scored 19 points and three other players had at least eight as the Panthers snapped a six-game losing streak that followed their last win over the Chargers. Shelby Liber led Salem Tech with 13 points. Amora Delaine had seven points and eight rebounds.
PITMAN (4-13): Marlee Adams 4 1-4 9, Emery Sharpnack 4 0-0 8, Audrey Duffield 7 5-8 19, Bella Pramov 2 0-0 4, Jocelyn O’Brien 4 0-0 8. Totals 21 6-12 48.
SALEM TECH (2-13): Amora Delaine 3 1-6 7, Shelby Liber 5 0-4 13, Rachel Reed 0 0-0 0, Shelby Drummond 1 0-0 2, Evening Amedee 0 1-2 1, Olivia Lydon 0 0-0 0, Carmen Mott 0 0-0 0, Tiara Bazemore 1 1-2 3. Totals 10 3-14 26.
| Pitman | 10 | 18 | 13 | 7- | 48 |
| Salem Tech | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4- | 26 |
Boys games
PENNS GROVE 80, PENNSVILLE 16: The Red Devils went out 17-0 in the first five minutes and got scoring from 13 players.
Will Roy led the assault with 13 points, nine in the first quarter. Zane Thomas and Geonni Conrad had 11 apiece, and Jameel Horace had 10.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” Penns Grove coach Damien Ware said. “We have 10 to 12 guys who can play, contribute for us, so that’s really what we want to do on a night-in, night-out basis. If we can just play together. I tell them (to) play consistent.
“We’ve been playing good in stretches. We play good for five minutes and play bad for five minutes. Once we get to the point where we’re playing consistently good basketball we’re going to be tough to beat. We’re pretty deep. We have a lot of guys who can play, so we’ll be tough to deal with.”
PENNS GROVE (14-8): Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, Carson Pearsall 4 0-0 9, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 6 0-0 13, Mishawn Brantley 3 0-0 6, Geonni Conrad 5 0-0 11, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Jameel Horace 5 0-0 10, Jeremy Costacamps 1 0-0 2, Jerry Wooten 1 1-1 3, Ahkeen Edwards 1 0-0 2, Messiah Allah 0 2-2 2, Eli Pearsall 1 0-0 3, James Minor 0 2-2 2, Zane Thomas 4 3-3 11. Totals 34 8-8 80.
PENNSVILLE (3-17): Jake Layfield 0 0-0 0, Shamir Watkins 1 0-0 2, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0, Danny Knight 1 0-0 3, Jake Farina 2 0-0 6, Trey Clevinger 2 0-0 5, Colin Keenan 0 0-0 0, Liam Crane 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 0-0 16.
| Penns Grove | 25 | 25 | 20 | 10- | 80 |
| Pennsville | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2- | 16 |
SALEM 60, PAULSBORO 54: Tymear Lecator scored 21 points to inch closer to 1,000 career points and hit two free throws in a one-point game to keep the Red Raiders at arm’s length. The junior guard needs 22 points to hit the milestone going into Tuesday’s game with Penns Grove. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Deshaan Williams and BJ Robbins added nine points apiece for the Rams (17-4), the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and No. 2 seed in the upcoming Tri-County Conference Tournament. Marshall Stephens and Donnie Weathers both grabbed 10 rebounds Stephens also blocked three shots.
The Rams came from eight down at halftime to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders got within 54-53, then Lecator hit two free throws to stretch the lead and the Rams (17-4) closed it out from the line. They were 18-of-27 from the line in the game as a team, Lecator was 8-for-10.
When the milestone comes, he’ll be the 18th Salem player on the Salem County boys 1,000-point list.
“I’m not anxious, I know what work I put in and that never lies,” he said. “I’m just looking at it like another game and it’ll definitely be a blessing to hopefully reach the milestone tomorrow.”
SALEM (17-4): Donnie Weathers 2 1-2 5, Xavier McGriff 1 0-0 2, Neziah Spence 0 2-4 2, Tymear Lecator 5 8-10 21, Fatah Paige 1 0-0 2, Deshaan Williams 3 3-4 9, BJ Robbins 4 0-0 9, Marshall Stephens 3 0-1 6, Darrelle Johnson 0 4-6 4. Totals 19 18-27 60.
PAULSBORO (9-10): Malakai McKenzie 4 11-14 21, Jeremiah Carr 3 4-9 10, Jeff Taylor 2 0-0 6, LaShawn Clay 2 0-0 5, Dayvon Kersey 1 1-2 4, Jamal Robinson 1 1-2 3, Khalil Streater 1 1-2 3, Jakai Bennett 0 2-4 2. Totals 14 20-33 54.
| Salem | 13 | 9 | 20 | 18- | 60 |
| Paulsboro | 13 | 17 | 8 | 16- | 54 |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | TODAY | TOTAL | NEXT |
| Tymear Lecator, Salem | 21 vs. Paulsboro | 978 | vs. Penns Grove, Tues. |
WOODSTOWN 46, SCHALICK 33: The teams played even for a half, but Woodstown came out of the break in a strong defensive posture and pulled away. The Wolverines held them hosts to two points in the third quarter to pull ahead, then kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter.
“No special adjustment,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “We just played harder in the second (half),.”
Elijah Caesar led Woodstown’s offense with 14 points. Blake Bialecki added 12, including his 194th career 3-pointer, and went over 200 career assists. Kade Macom led the Cougars with a career-tying 16 points.
WOODSTOWN (14-8): Elijah Caesar 7 0-0 14, Blake Bialecki 4 2-2 12, Lucas Fulmer 0 2-2 2, Andrew White 2 2-4 7, Frank Hoerst 0 0-0 0, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-2 5, Josh King 3 0-0 6, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 6-10 46.
SCHALICK (9-11): Julian Dickerson 4 0-0 10, Orion Baldwin 1 0-0 3, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2, Kade Macom 6 2-2 16, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 2-2 33.
| Woodstown | 13 | 12 | 8 | 13- | 46 |
| Schalick | 12 | 12 | 2 | 7- | 33 |
PITMAN 52, SALEM TECH 31: The Panthers controlled the game by dominating the first and third quarters. Peter DeChristopher led the effort with 16 points, four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Lucas Razze had six points, seven assists and five steals. Aiden Bobo led the Chargers’ offense with 10 points.
SALEM TECH (2-16): Chase Pompper 2 1-2 5, Luke Kroll 2 0-0 6, Ayden Myers 1 0-0 3, Raphael Busch 2 0-0 4, Sterling Lewis 1 1-2 3. Totals 12 3-6 31.
PITMAN (9-13): Lucas Razze 2 1-2 6, Parker DeChristopher 6 0-0 16, Joey Zubert 4 0-0 9, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 1 1-2 3, Jay Craig 4 0-0 8, Oliver Spier 3 0-0 8, Micah Frost 0 0-0 0, Michael Aubrey 0 0-0 0, Kiernan Clark 0 0-0 0, Liam Etter 1 0-0 2, Brady Green 0 0-0 0, Brayden Geary 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 2-4 52.
| Salem Tech | 3 | 12 | 3 | 13- | 31 |
| Pitman | 19 | 11 | 18 | 4- | 52 |
Indoor track
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Salem’s Amiyah Jones and Pennsville’s Aubrey Manorowitz both posted Top 10 finishes in jumping events to headline the Salem County performers at the SJTCA Meet at the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Facility.
Jones was fourth in the girls long jump (15-7) and eighth in the girls triple jump (30-9.75). Manorowitz placed fifth in the girls high jump (4-10).
TCC Tournament
Salem pulls down No. 2 seed in boys championship bracket; Kingsway No. 1 boys seed, Gloucester Catholic No. 1 girls seed; tournament starts Friday
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
Salem’s approach of playing anybody, anywhere, any time and having some success in it landed it the No. 2 seed among the boys and five total Salem County teams made their respective championship brackets in the Tri-County Conference tournament that starts Friday.
The 16-4 Rams, the TCC Classic Division champions and current South Jersey Group 1 No. 1, drew a first-round bye with the other three division winners when the tournament pairings dropped Monday and are the highest seeded Salem County team in either field. They will host the Penns Grove-Williamstown winner in the quarterfinals next Monday.
“We have been able to take care of business during the regular season to put ourselves in this position,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “Now we have to go finish the job.”
Kingsway (No. 1), Delsea and Overbrook are the other three boys top seeds. Gloucester Catholic (No. 1), Wildwood, Glassboro and Timber Creek are the top four seeds in the girls bracket.
Penns Grove (No. 10) and Woodstown (No. 11) are the other two Salem County teams in the boys championship bracket. Pennsville (No. 9) and Woodstown (No. 11) are the two county teams in the girls championship bracket.
All the other county teams were placed in what the conference is calling the “post-season bracket.” Teams that lose in the opening round can play a second game unless they mutually opt out of the matchup.
TCC officials seeded the top 12 teams in each championship bracket according to South Jersey power points, rewarding the four division winners with first-round byes. Other tiebreakers were in place for divisions not decided by Sunday’s deadline and teams could jump seed if they had the head-to-head edge over the team immediately above them in the rankings.
Pennsville and Glassboro are currently tied for the Diamond Division girls lead – Pennsville can clinch a share of its first division title since 1988 today at Penns Grove – but Glassboro got the bye with a better overall record (and power points), and Wildwood overtook the Bulldogs for the 2 seed by virtue of winning their regular-season meeting.
Teams that finished 13 through 23 in the power points standings went to the post-season bracket. Schalick’s girls had the best luck of the local teams on the bubble. The Cougars (13-5) came in at 13 overall, but grabbed the No. 1 seed in their bracket with a first-round bye.
All games in the post-season bracket will be played at the higher seed. The first three rounds of the championship bracket will be played at the higher seed with the finals played in a boys-girls doubleheader at Washington Twp. Feb. 21.
“We are excited to be in a position to have the tournament run through Pittsgrove,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “It’s another step in the right direction for this team.
“The girls have earned this opportunity and they are excited about having home court advantage. Our parents, fans and student section have been great recently creating a fun atmosphere to play in.
“Coach (Les) Berry and I are proud of the girls for everything they’ve accomplished so far and we are excited to see where this opportunity takes us.”
TCC BOYS TOURNAMENT
Championship Bracket
Friday’s games
Game 1: No. 9 Clearview (9-13) at No. 8 Timber Creek (10-10)
Game 2: No. 12 Gloucester Catholic (8-14) at No. 5 Deptford (18-4)
Game 3: No. 11 Woodstown (13-8) at No. 6 Cumberland (15-8)
Game 4: No. 10 Penns Grove (13-8) at No. 7 Williamstown (13-8)
Feb. 17
Game 5: Clearview-Timber Creek winner at No. 1 Kingsway (14-9)
Game 6: Gloucester Catholic-Deptford winner at No. 4 Overbrook (16-6)
Game 7: Woodstown-Cumberland winner at No. 3 Delsea (12-9)
Game 8: Penns Grove-Williamstown at No. 2 Salem (16-4)
Feb. 19 (at higher seed)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Feb. 21
At Washington Twp. HS
Championship game, 11 a.m.
Postseason Bracket
Friday’s games
Game 1: No. 9 Schalick (9-10) at No. 8 Clayton (7-12)
Game 2: No. 5 Glassboro (6-13) bye
Game 3: No. 11 Salem Tech (2-15) at No. 6 Wildwood (13-8)
Game 4: No. 10 Pennsville (3-17) at No. 7 Highland (5-16)
Feb. 17
Game 5: Schalick-Clayton winner at No. 1 GCIT (10-10)
Game 6: Glassboro at No. 4 Triton (7-14)
Game 7: Salem Tech-Wildwood winner at No. 3 Pitman (8-13)
Game 8: Pennsville-Highland winner at No. 2 Washington Twp. (7-15)
Feb. 19 (at higher seed)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Feb. 21 (at higher seed)
Championship game
TCC GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Championship Bracket
Friday’s games
Game 2: No. 12 Cumberland (10-11) at No. 5 Clearview (13-8)
Game 3: No. 11 Woodstown (9-12) at No. 6 Kingsway (14-8)
Game 4: No. 10 Triton (11-10) at No. 7 Washington Twp. (12-8)
Saturday’s games
Game 1: No. 9 Pennsville (13-6) at No. 8 Delsea (12-9)
Feb. 17
Game 5: Pennsville-Delsea winner at No. 1 Gloucester Catholic (17-3)
Game 6: Cumberland-Clearview winner at No. 4 Timber Creek (12-7)
Game 7: Woodstown-Kingsway winner at No. 3 Glassboro (15-6)
Game 8: Triton-Washington Twp. winner at No. 2 Wildwood (14-6)
Feb. 19 (at higher seed)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Feb. 21
At Washington Twp. HS
Championship game, 1 p.m.
Postseason Bracket
Friday’s games
Game 1: No. 9 Pitman (3-13) at No. 8 Highland (2-19)
Game 2: No. 5 Salem (8-8) bye
Game 3: No. 11 Salem Tech (2-12) at No. 6 Clayton (7-11)
Game 4: No. 10 Penns Grove (2-17) at No. 7 Overbrook (4-16)
Feb. 17
Game 5: Pitman-Highland at No. 1 Schalick (13-5)
Game 6: No. 5 Salem at No. 4 Williamstown (4-15)
Game 7: Salem Tech-Clayton winner at No. 3 GCIT (5-16)
Game 8: Penns Grove-Overbrook winner at Deptford (8-13)
Feb. 19
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Feb. 21 (at higher seed)
Championship game
Season records as of Feb. 8
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 9-15
MONDAY, FEB. 9
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEB. 10
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Delsea girls at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
Penns Grove at Palmyra, 5:30 p.m.
Cedar Creek at Schalick, 6 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Morris, TBA
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Oakcrest at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Salem at Overbrook Girls Jamboree, 5 p.m.
Salem at Willingboro, 5 p.m.
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 12
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Camden at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 13
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Clearview at Timber Creek
Gloucester Catholic at Deptford
Woodstown at Cumberland
Penns Grove at Williamstown
Postseason Bracket
Schalick at Clayton
Salem Tech at Wildwood
Pennsville at Highland
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Cumberland at Clearview
Woodstown at Kingsway
Triton at Washington Twp.
Postseason Bracket
Pitman at Highland
Salem Tech at Clayton
Penns Grove at Overbrook
WRESTLING
Schalick, Burlington Twp., Cherry Hill West at Maple Shade, 3:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 14
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem Tech at Salem, 10 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Pennsville at Delsea
WRESTLING
Highland, Mainland at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown, Allentown, Haddon Heights at Delran, 10 a.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Sussex at Salem CC, 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Essex at Salem CC, noon
SUNDAY, FEB. 15
INDOOR TRACK
NJSIAA Sectionals at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m.
Salem County Saturday
Here are the scores and details from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar; includes basketball, wrestling
BOYS BASKETBALL
Deptford 68, Penns Grove 62
Woodstown 66, Pennsville 21
Battle by the Bay, Atlantic City
Cherry Hill East 73, Salem 56
By Riverview Sports News
ATLANTIC CITY — Salem had hoped to get off to a hot start in its highly charged Battle By The Bay matchup with Cherry Hill East. Instead, the Rams fell behind out of the gate and although they played even in the second half fell 73-56.
It was a battle between the No. 2 teams in the South Jersey Group I power points standings against the No. 1 in SJ Group 4.
The Cougars (19-2) ran out to an 11-1 lead and held the Rams (16-4) without a field goal until Deshaan Williams’ put back with 3:22 left in the first quarter. It was 17-9 after the first quarter and 39-22 at halftime.
The Cougars were aware of the damage Salem guard Tymear Lecator could inflict and held him to nine points, the first time he’s been out of double figures in 12 games. The junior guard is now 43 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
Neziah Spence led Salem with 21 points, tying his career high, set earlier this year against A.I. duPont.
Chris Delgado led CHE with 19 points. Justin Farber had 15 points and Chris Abreu 14. The Cougars hit nine 3-pointers in the game. Salem was 3-of-13 from behind the arc.
CHERRY HILL EAST 73, SALEM 56
CHERRY HILL EAST (19-2): Chris Abreu 4 5-7 14, Chris Delgado 7 3-3 19, Justin Farber 5 3-4 15, Noah’s Marciano 2 0-0 5, Rya Olson 1 0-0 2, Noah Johnson 3 1-4 9, Kristian Glenn 3 0-0 7, Jaden Green 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-18 73
SALEM (16-4): Marshall Stephens 1 0-2 4, Xavier McGriff 1 2-2 4, Neziah Spence 6 6-7 21, Tymear Lecator 3 3-3 9, Deshaan Williams 2 1-2 5, BJ Robbins 1 0-2 2, Darrelle Johnson 2 0-0 4, Fatah Paige 2 1-4 5, Donnie Weathers 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 13-24 56.
| Cherry Hill East | 17 | 22 | 15 | 19- | 73 |
| Salem | 9 | 13 | 14 | 20- | 56 |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | TODAY | TOTAL | NEXT |
| Tymear Lecator, Salem | 9 vs. Cherry Hill East | 957 | at Paulsboro, Monday |
WOODSTOWN 66, PENNSVILLE 21: Alejandro Vazquez tied his season-high with four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, Lucas Fulmer hit three 3s and scored a career-high 17 points, and the Wolverines opened a big halftime lead. Vazquez scored 15 points in the first half as the Wolverines opened a 45-9 lead. Danny Knight had 13 of the Eagles’ 21 points.
PENNSVILLE (3-17): Jake Layfield 0 0-0 0, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0, Aidan Clark 0 0-2 0, Danny Knight 4 2-4 13, Jake Farina 2 0-0 6, Shamir Watkins 0 0-0 0, Keevan 0 0-0 0, Trey Clevinger 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 2-6 21.
WOODSTOWN (13-8): Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Jalen Markward 3 1-3 7, Blake Bialecki 3 0-0 8, Alejandro Vazquez 7 0-0 18, John Hood-McGinley 0 0-0 0, Josh King 1 0-0 2, Andrew White 2 0-0 5, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 6 1-2 16, Bryce Ayers 1 0-2 2, Brian Booker 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 1 0-0 2, Connor Miller 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 2-7 66.
| Pennsville | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4- | 21 |
| Woodstown | 19 | 26 | 11 | 10- | 66 |
DEPTFORD 68, PENNS GROVE 62: Both teams had three scorers in double figures, but the Spartans’ trio outscored Penns Grove’s 52-41. Deptford’s Jordan Williams led all scorers with 24 points, Luke Vilary had 17 and Kenny Cockrell had a double-double (11/10 assists). The Red Devils got 15 points apiece from Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad. Carson Pearsall had 11.
PENNS GROVE (13-8): Roman Gipson 7 1-1 15, Haneef Frisby 4 0-0 8, Geonni Conrad 5 5-7 15, Mishawn Brantley 2 0-0 5, Carson Pearsall 4 2-3 11, Jameel Horace 3 2-2 8, Will Roy 0 0-0 0, Luis Colon 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 10-13 62.
DEPTFORD (18-4): Luke Vilary 7 0-0 17, Brian Orio 1 0-0 2, Jordan Williams 11 0-0 24, Kenny Cockerill 3 5-5 11, Mike Yankowski 2 1-2 5, Antoine Sims 1 0-0 2, Bryce Tull 3 0-0 7. Totals 28 6-7 68.
| Penns Grove | 17 | 14 | 17 | 14- | 62 |
| Deptford | 20 | 17 | 17 | 14- | 68 |
Wrestling
WILLIAMSTOWN 40, WOODSTOWN 30
106: Ayden Danley (WI) pinned TJ Conto, 0:44
113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) won by forfeit
120: Carson Bradway (WO) dec. Maddox Slotnick, 4-2
126: Freedom Neff (WI) pinned Walker Battavio, 5:52
132: Joseph Lascala (WI) dec. Barry Coverly, 7-3
138: Jayden Hennessy (WI) tech fall over Luke Woronicak, 18-1 (3:25)
144: Ahmed Valverde (WI) pinned Nehemiah Carter, 2:32
150: Ryan Douk 
tech fall over Mathyias Ellis, 15-0 (5:54)
157: Jack Masterson (WI) pinned Chance Bayonne, 2:17
165: Logan Warfield (WO) dec.Aiden Garcia, SV-1, 19-12
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Aiden Garcia, 4:37
190: Karlens Borgart (WI) dec. Asher Fitzpatrick, 6-4
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Bernardo DeJesus, 1:37
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Logan Kennedy, 0:19
PENNSVILLE QUAD
CLEARVIEW 48, PENNSVILLE 24
106: Brett Land (P) won by forfeit
113: Johnathan Contravo (CL) dec. Erick Davalos, 5-4
120: Michael Lloyd (CL) dec. Earl Wynn, 10-6
126: Jason Hughes (CL) dec. Mehki Dicks, 11-6
132: Landon Wright (CL) maj. dec. Chase Baker, 11-3
138: Ethan Calhoun (CL) pinned Vincent Grether
144: Lucas Gandy (CL) tech fall over nathaniel Mason, 18-2
150: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Logan Wright
157: Elijah Beatty (CL) pinned Gabe Supernavage
165: Tyler Trovato (CL) pinned Robbie McDade
175: Julian Malatesta (CL) pinned Cristian Blyler
190: Stephen Pangle (P) pinned Antonio Green
215: Aaron Veytsman (CL) won by forfeit
285: Jacob Hand (P) won by forfeit
OAKCREST QUAD
OAKCREST 70, SALEM 12
106: Giovanni Taylor (O) won by forfeit
113: Mason Sanchez (O) won by forfeit
120: Joseph Sanchez (O) tech fall over Zachary Tortella, 17-2
126: Keagan Santana (O) tech fall over Jesiyah Tomlinson, 18-2
132: Nikoloz Tchikadze (O) won by forfeit
138: Brodie Parker (S) pinned Kevin Longo
144: Aiden Xayaphachan (O) pinned Joseph Goetaski
150: Ziyon Moore (S) pinned Gavin Gabriel
157: Malik Hughes (O) won by forfeit
165: Adrienn Aponte (O) pinned Jordan Brown
175: Gunnar Olivieri (O) won by forfeit
190: Nyree Montford (O) won by forfeit
215: Nicholas Bellace (O) won by forfeit
285: Youssef Nossair (O) pinned Abdullah Jenkins
STERLING 65, SALEM 15
113: Gavin Kangas (ST) won by forfeit
120: Lucas Romano (ST) tech fall over Zachary Tortella, 19-4
126: Chris Gallucci (ST) pinned Jesiyah Tomlinson, 1:32
132: Guylherme Quintanilha (SA) pinned Ryan Pleis, 0:35
138: Marlon Williams (ST) pinned Brodie Parker, 0:56
144: Joseph Goetaski (SA) dec. Sebastian Adams, 11-10
150: Chase Szpargowski (ST) won by forfeit
157: Mason Marvin (ST) won by forfeit
165: Victor Romano (ST) pinned Jordan Brown, 1:31
175: Rene Camacho (ST) won by forfeit
190: Julian O’Donnell (ST) won by forfeit
215: Liam Crawford (ST) won by forfeit
285: Abdullah Jenkins (SA) won by med. forfeit
106: Luciano Pizzo (ST) won by forfeit
PENNS GROVE QUAD
LINDENWOLD 35, PENNS GROVE 24
106: Jose Santiago (P) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Double forfeit
126: Adan Gonzalez (P) won by forfeit
132: Nyla West (P) won by forfeit
138: Joshua Knight (L) pinned Cristian Garcia, 1:04
144: Brandon Caro (L) won by forfeit
150: Ravon Jackson (L) tech fall over Angel Ocasio, 25-10
157: AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailm Tart (P) pinned Kane Castner, 2:49
165: Angel Ramos (L) pinned Rogelio Fraga-Martinez, 0:23
175: Raheem Johnson (L) won by forfeit
190: Double forfeit
215: Julian Sanchez (L) dec. Antonio Cooper, 6-3
285: Mekhi Collins (L) dec. Maliq Reddick, 5-1
VINELAND 57, PENNS GROVE 22
120: Joseph Ruberti (V) won by forfeit
126: Nick Garreffi (V) dec. Adan Gonzalez , SV-1 17-14
132: Donnie Tharp (V) pinned Nyhla West, 1:15
138: Jayden Minkowski (V) pinned Cristian Garcia, 0:41
144: Angel Ocasio (P) pinned Joel Acosta, 1:15
150: Ismael Rodriguez (V) won by forfeit
157: AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailm Tart (P) won by forfeit
165: Cameron Herman (V) pinned Rogelio Fraga-Martinez, 0:11
175: Cris Lopez Perez (V) won by forfeit
190: Ethyn Mercado (V) won by forfeit
215: Antonio Cooper (P) won by forfeit
285: Brian McCarter (V) pinned Maliq Reddick, 3:51
106: Jose Santiago (P) maj. dec. Jeremiah Rosa, 23-10
113: Santino Machinsky (V) won by forfeit
WINSLOW 66, PENNS GROVE 18
113: Christopher Steed (WI) won by forfeit
120: Aaden King (WI) won by forfeit
126: Alverse Cannon (WI) pinned Adan Gonzalez, 0:49
132: Nathan Downey (WI) pinned Nyhla West, 0:35
138: Noah Young (WI) pinned Cristian Garcia, 0:50
144: Nathan Smalls (WI) pinned Angel Ocasio, 5:03
150: Chase Hamilton (WI) won by forfeit
157: AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailm Tart (P) pinned Luke Virogito, 1:36
165: Emilian Sanchez-Thompkins pinned Rogelio Fraga-Martinez, 1:57
175: Pablo Hernandez (WI) won by forfeit
190: London Brown (WI) won by forfeit
215: Antonio Cooper (P) pinned Make Coney, 1:22
285: Izuchukwu Ugwuzor (WI) pinned Maliq Reddick, 0:43
106: Jose Santiago (P) pinned Jason Green, 0:58
Riverview Sports News 