High-flying Salem plays for SJ Group I title after beating KIPP, faces Cinderella New Egypt Saturday; Paige dunk highlights the win
SJ GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Salem 56, KIPP 42
New Egypt 58, Palmyra 56
Saturday’s game
No. 14 New Egypt at No. 1 Salem, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Top-seeded Salem will play in the South Jersey Group I championship game for the first time since coach Anthony Farmer’s first year (2022) after taking down KIPP, 56-42.
The win also made this year’s team Farmer’s winningest at Salem, one win better than the 2021-22 team that lost to Gloucester in the sectional final. The Rams last won a sectional title in 2008 and played for the state championship.
The Rams (22-5) got another bit playoff showing from their bigs. Deshaan Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Fatah Paige grabbed 12 rebounds and Marshall Stephens had five rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Our bigs played amazing,” point guard Tymear Lecator said. “I just thankful for my bigs. Honestly, I don’t think anybody has a solution for our size. Keep feeding confidence into them and they’re going to keep doing what they’ve got to do for me.”
Paige scored five points, but two came on a high-flying thunderous dunk in the second quarter worthy of an ESPN highlight that brought the crowd to the floor.
“I’ve got to send it to ESPN, it was that crazy,” Farmer said.
Lecator had a front row seat to it.
“I didn’t know if he was about to take off; I wanted him to,” he said. “I saw their guy get ready to take a charge and I saw the way (Paige) was going up and I knew he was about to dunk it. It was just crazy. Ref didn’t call a charge or anything. It was clean. He made the dude fall. It was just crazy. People ran on the court. It was just crazy. Momentum shot out the roof. The place erupted.
“That was the first time I ever witnessed somebody put somebody on a poster that bad in my life.”
New Egypt has become the talk of the tournament. The Warriors (14-14), entered the tournament 11-14 and have upset seeds 3, 6 and 2 in the bracket.
This story will be updated.
SALEM 56, KIPP 42
KIPP (17-10): Noel Campbell-Eason 0-0-0, Morton 5-2-12, Gabe Paul 3-0-8, Josiah Jones 3-0-6, Kamari Strickland 0-0-0, Jaleel Reddick 0-0-9, Moyston McIntosh 4-1-9, Nolan Sims 2-0-6, Mekhi Moore 0-1-1.
SALEM (22-5): Deshaan Williams 7 2-5 16, Neziah Spence 4 4-5 13, Marshall Stephens 0 1-2 1, Tymear Lecator 5 1-1 13, Fatah Paige 2 1-2 5, Darrelle Johnson 3 0-0 8, Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Kyvion Parsons 0 0-0 0, NJ Robbins 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 9-15 56.
| KIPP | 11 | 9 | 7 | 15- | 42 |
| Salem | 16 | 14 | 12 | 14- | 56 |
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
SOUTH
New Egypt (14-14) at Salem (22-5)
CENTRAL
Point Pleasant Beach (21-7) at Thrive Charter (20-5)
NORTH I
Pequannock (22-6) at Waldwick (20-9)
NORTH II
Arts (19-8) at Shabazz (26-1)
Riverview Sports News 