Author: almusky

Defense the key

Woodstown girls use defense to advance to SJIBT Elite 8; Penns Grove boys lose to Cinnaminson, but better for the experience

SATURDAY’S BASKETBALL SCORES
Boys
Paul VI Winter Classic
Cinnaminson 65, Penns Grove 44

South Jersey Invitational
Woodstown 55, Camden Catholic 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CHERRY HILL – Defense wins championships and it’s at least putting the Woodstown girls in a position to chase one in the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament.

The Wolverines punched their ticket to the Elite 8 of the SJIBT Saturday with a 55-41 win over host Camden Catholic.

There are six games remaining in the tournament’s Sweet 16. The entire Elite 8 will be reseeded once it is determined before the field moves on to Eastern High School for the remainder of the event.

The Wolverines (10-2), the last South Jersey Group I team alive in the tournament, used two big defensive stretches to help their cause. They held the Irish (4-10) to three points in the fourth quarter and outscored them 16-3 to secure their fifth win in a row.

“Defense is what nobody loves to play, but it’s the thing that makes or breaks teams,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “They (the Wolverines) play so well together, they’re constantly talking to each other, they trust each other, they’re quick to adjust if you tell them to. All five of them who are on the floor are true basketball players, so any defense you tell them to run, they’re going to run effectively. It works so well.”

It looked like they locked up the win with a big run at the end of the first half. They went on a 13-0 run over the final 5:30 of the second quarter to turn a 16-15 deficit into a 28-16 halftime lead. They held the Irish to 0-for-10 shooting and forced three turnovers in the stretch.

The Irish rallied in the second half to get back into it. They came out firing to start the third quarter and hit five 3s among their first six buckets and first 16 points to erase all the good Woodstown did at the end of the half and take a 35-34 lead. Eight of the first nine buckets of the third quarter by either team were 3-pointers.

Woodstown’s winning defensive flurry actually started on the final play of the third quarter. Megan Donelson picked up a loose ball just outside the top of the key and drove the length of the floor for a layup with five-tenths of a second left to send the Wolverines into the fourth quarter with a 39-38 lead.

They didn’t lose the edge during the break. They forced turnovers on each of the first three possessions of the quarter and four over the first 2:30 and converted them all into points.

Talia Battavio got it started right at the start when she made a steal in just about the same place Donelson picked up her loose moments earlier and drove the floor for a layup. Donelson then stole the ensuing possession and fed Battavio for another layup.

The next time down the floor, Shannon Pierman forced a turnover along the baseline, then converted one of two free throws at the other end after the Wolverines put the ball back in play. The run ended just like it started with Battavio making a steal, driving the length of the floor for a layup and one. It gave the Wolverines a 47-39 lead with 5:30 to play.

“Everybody looks at us crazy because we play a 2-3 zone 90 percent of the time, but when we have Talia and Megan up top … once they get going with their steals, there’s just no stopping them,” Straughn said. “We do things just a little bit different that I think really makes huge difference for us.”

Battavio led the Wolverines with 16 points and four steals. Donelson had 15 points and five steals, and Alyssa Baber, whose 3-pointer stopped the Irish’ run in the third quarter, had a career-high 14 points. Both Battavio and Donelson are less than 115 points from 1,000.

“She’s been a little down on herself,” Straughn said of Baber, who miss all of last season with a knee injury. “Not disappointed in herself, but she knows she could be scoring more. She’s been working really hard in the gym, she’s been shooting a ton in practice and she even said this is why I’ve been working so hard because I know I can do it I just needed to put in a little extra. I think the fruits of her labors paid off.

“When a team plays zone against us like they did tonight, our shooters flourish and she just happened to be hot. She took advantage of it. She works super hard in practice and I think tonight showed she could be like that every game. I think it gave her some confidence.”

SJIBT SWEET 16
WOODSTOWN 55, CAMDEN CATHOLIC 41
WOODSTOWN (10-2) – Talia Battavio 5 5-5 16, Megan Donelson 6 2-2 15, Gianna Mairoini 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Baber 6 0-0 14, Shannon Pierman 2 2-4 6, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Ja1a Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-11 55.
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (4-10) – Kayla Dunn 6 0-0 16, Alexa VanHohen 1 1-2 4, Anna DiPiero 4 0-0 11, Caroline Brennan 3 1-2 7, Aaliyah Jackson 0 3-4 3, Ayana Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-8 41.

Woodstown11171116 –55
Camden Catholic115223 –41
3-point goals: Woodstown 4 (Battavio, Donelson, Baber 2); Camden Catholic 8 (Dunn 4, VanHohen, DiPiero 3). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Camden Catholic 13.

SOUTH JERSEY INVITATIONAL SWEET 16
Williamstown 50, Cherry Hill West 42
Woodstown 55, Camden Catholic 41
Jan. 22: Cherokee vs. Highland
Jan. 22: Lenape vs. Gloucester Catholic
Jan. 24 Holy Cross vs. Moorestown
Jan. 26: Shawnee vs. Paul VI
Jan. 26: Cinnaminson vs. Clearview
Jan. 27: Timber Creek vs. Sterling

Paul IV Winter Classic

WESTMONT – Penns Grove coach Damian Ware knew his team was going up against a machine, but he’s never been one to shy away from competition. What is they say, iron sharpens iron.

The Red Devils may have lost Cinnaminson 65-44 in the Paul VI Winter Classic and were outscored in every quarter, but Ware said they will be better for the experience.

“It was a good game for us to play,” Ware said. “I always want to play up in competition. I don’t like playing down in competition. I want to play teams that are better than us, therefore we get better. We get better by playing better teams. You don’t get better by playing worse teams. That’s one of my beliefs.”

The Red Devils might have lost the game by 21 and all four quarters in the game, but an immediate gauge of the way they got better is by managing to trim the margin of separation in each quarter – 8, 6, 4 and 3.

The Pirates pulled away from an 8-6 game in the first quarter with a couple of late 3-pointers and stretched the lead at the break with a 3 to close out the half.

“We didn’t play super bad, we just didn’t make shots that we needed to make when we needed to make shots,” Ware said. “They’re a team that’s going to make their shots and that’s really what it came down, but it’s not like they just killed us. Each quarter they just beat us by a few points and it totaled up to 20 at the end of the game.”

Starting slow has been a problem. The Red Devils have trailed after the first quarter in nine of their games this season and are 2-7 in them. In games they’ve scored less than 10 points in the first quarter they’re 1-5.

It didn’t help two of their better players were in foul trouble the first half and three others who get a lot of minutes missed the game for various personal reasons. The absences did, however, open the door for some other players to get some quality minutes. 

Neziah Spence, a freshman who’s scored only nine points all season on three 3-pointers, had seven and the Red Devils’ only trey of the game. Sophomore Luis Colon, who’d scored only one, had four.

“It was a chance for other guys to get a little bit of experience,” Ware said. “That’s what we used it as, experience.”

PAUL VI WINTER CLASSIC
CINNAMINSON 65, PENNS GROVE 44
CINNAMINSON (13-2) – Noah Harvey 3 0-0 8, Sody Gautt 3 5-5 11, Drew Harvey 3 2-2 10, Andrew Plaza 4 0-0 9, Collin Parrish 8 0-0 19, Justin Ofori 2 0-0 4, Shane McDevitt 2 0-0 4, James Smith 0 0-0 0, Gavin Ritter 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-7 65.
PENNS GROVE (5-7) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 5 1-2 11, KaRon Ceaser 3 3-3 9, Willie Slocum 3 2-2 8, Mekhi Ballard 0 1-2 1, Camren Thompson 1 0-0 2, Luis Colon 1 2-3 4, Dameon Wilson 1 0-0 2, Neziah Spence 2 2-2 7, Will Roe 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 11-14 44.

Cinnaminson14171618 –65
Penns Grove6111215 – 44
3-point goals: Cinnaminson 8 (N. Harvey 2, D. Harvey 2, Plaza, Parrish 3); Penns Grove 1 (Spence). Total fouls: Cinnaminson 13, Penns Grove 11. NOTES: The Pirates won their seventh in a row. 


Overtime thriller

Marley Wood helps Pennsville keep it together after losing a top scorer, propels Eagles to an OT win over rival Penns Grove, calls it ‘the best feeling ever’

THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Clayton 63, Salem 33
Pennsville 63, Penns Grove 60 (OT)
Pitman 56, Salem Tech 32
Schalick 38, Overbrook 33
Woodstown 60, Glassboro 36

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – As soon as the horn sounded to signal the end of the game, Pennsville coach Sam Trapp leaped from the bench and made a bee-line towards her players coming off the court.

It was reminiscent of but not quite as frantic as the iconic image of Jim Valvano racing around the floor in Albuquerque looking for someone to hug after his North Carolina State team won the national championship in 1983. Valvano was looking for anyone. Trapp was seeking out a certain someone.

It didn’t take long for the coach to find the object of her search. Shortly after her Eagles had secured their 63-60 win over Penns Grove in overtime Thursday night Trapp located Marley Wood in the sea of blue and white uniforms and wrapped her arms around the sophomore guard in a giant bear hug.

“It was kind of a surreal moment; it was like crazy,” Wood said. “That’s the first time she’s ever hugged me like that. I played really hard and I think she saw I was getting kind of frustrated during the game but I stayed (with it) and I kept working and she was just happy that I kept going.”

Wood was the glue that kept the Eagles together down the stretch when circumstances dictated things could have easily gotten away.

They were without Nora Ausland, the other part of their one-two punch, for the most important part of the game after the junior forward injured her left foot and came out with 4:57 left in regulation and the Red Devils on the verge of seizing the momentum. It was the same foot she broke last year that ended her season at Salem after 12 games, although the extent of this latest injury wasn’t immediately known.

The Eagles have been rocked by injuries this season and shortly after the new year began had to elevate players from the junior varsity just to have enough able bodies to function. Post Bella Farina had just gotten back from concussion protocol and guard Taylor Bass was scheduled to return Friday after getting the cast removed from her broken hand, but the incoming snowstorm likely has disrupted those plans.

At least they’re not playing Friday now.

So with Ausland on the shelf after scoring 17 points, the Eagles needed Wood to step up in a big way. And she did. She kept things together with her ball handling, scoring and defense. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was the steadying influence down the stretch.

“I just knew that I had to step up and keep scoring so that we had our momentum still,” Wood said. “I had to kind of take her role and my role at the same time and try to coach my other teammates to keep going, too.”

“Why did I hug her; that’s why,” Trapp said. “To step up and remain composed and to continue to work hard through adversity. That girl has continued to lead this team through and through, through injuries and battles and I applaud her because she’s a sophomore, but she demonstrates leadership at such a supreme level, it’s phenomenal. She’s that player who just knows basketball IQ to put her at an advantage above the other kids on the court.”

Of course, Wood didn’t do it alone, but shepherded those who helped.

Farina was a rock in the post, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and standing her ground, drawing praise from among others Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, who repeatedly called her the best big man in the county’s girls game. Izzy Saulin gave the Eagles several big baskets, Kylie Harris was effective when she subbed in for Farina, and freshman Karsen Cooksey came through with rebounding and defense before fouling out.

Farina had seven points, 10 rebounds and at least three blocked shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. Saulin had 10 points. Harris had the first two baskets in an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter as the Eagles started to pull ahead.

“I was just really glad that everybody stepped up today,” Wood said. “Sometimes it’s hard but today everyone really showed what they could do. I think everybody played a big part of today’s game.”

The Eagles led by 13 early in the third quarter, but the Red Devils rallied behind RaNiyah Wilson and freshmen JaNiyah Cummings and Arianna Dowe. Cummings was a factor inside and Wilson and Dowe combined for 15 points in an 18-7 run that got their team within two late in the third quarter. It was a dogfight the rest of the way.

Wilson scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half and overtime. Cummings had 13 points and Dowe scored 11 of her career-high 15 points and hit all three of her 3-pointers in the second half. 

“That girl scored 33 against Woodstown, that’s impressive, which is why we chose to go box-and-one on her,” Trapp said of Wilson. “They rely on her a lot. They have plenty of other scorers on that court and I mentioned that to our girls … but when you look at film they rely so heavily on No. 3 that you have to take her out and force the other players to step up and score and they did and did a great job.”

Wilson hit two free throws with 16 seconds left that tied the game at 58. The Red Devils had the last shot in regulation. They ran an inbounds play with three-tenths of a second left and got it in to Wilson, but her tap up didn’t connect.

Penns Grove scored first in overtime, but Wood hit a runner with 2:04 left to put Pennsville up for good and after Farina blocked a shot on the next possession she scored on the other end to make it a three-point game. Farina blocked another shot a short time later to keep the Eagles in front.

PENNSVILLE 63, PENNS GROVE 60 (OT)
PENNSVILLE (6-6) – Nora Ausland 8 1-3 17, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-1 3, Bella Farina 3 1-4 7, Kylie Harris 2 0-0 4, Izzy Saulin 5 0-1 10, Marley Wood 6 9-10 22. Totals 25 11-19 63.
PENNS GROVE (6-5) – Meely Horace 4 1-2 9, JaNiyah Cummings 6 1-4 13, RaNiyah Wilson 5 6-11 17, Brianna Robbins 1 0-0 2, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Arianna Dowe 6 0-0 15, Zoe Caesar 2 0-1 4, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 8-18 60.

Pennsville161415135 –63
Penns Grove81318192 –60
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Cooksey, Wood); Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Dowe 3). Fouled out: Cooksey. Total fouls: Pennsville 16, Penns Grove 18.

WOODSTOWN 60, GLASSBORO 36
WOODSTOWN (9-2) – Talia Battavio 7 1-2 19, Megan Donelson 8 2-2 20, Gianna Maiorini 3 0-0 6, Alyssa Baber 1 1-3 4, Shannon Pierman 3 1-2 7, Lauren Hengel 2 0-0 4, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-9 60.
GLASSBORO (6-4) – Tamia Smith 3 4-4 12, Kezia Brackett 4 1-2 9, Kimora Miles 3 0-0 7, Anye Davis 1 0-0 2, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Sanaa Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-6 36.

Woodstown1016277 –60
Glassboro1074 11 –36
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Battavio 4, Donelson 2, Baber); Glassboro 3 (Smith 2, Miles).
NOTES: The 27-point third quarter matched their biggest quarter of the season. It was highlighted by multiple steals from Donelson and Battavio as well as them finishing around the basket and hitting some jumpers. Battavio completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Donelson had five assists, six blocks and six steals. Pierman grabbed 11 rebounds. The Wolverines have won four in a row.

CLAYTON 63, SALEM 38
CLAYTON (6-6) – Rainelle Blocker 9 4-5 22, Jordyn Jones 4 3-3 11, Rosalina Pereira 0 1-2 1, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 7 2-6 18, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, Indian Williams 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 10-16 63.
SALEM (4-7) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 5, Marjziah Bundy 1 1-2 4, Madison Dizon 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 1 4-6 6, Ryann Foote 2 1-2 5, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-2 5, Marissa Bower 4 1-4 12. Totals 13 9-20 38.
3-point goals: Clayton 3 (Delaney 2, Williams); Salem 4 (Hunter, Bower 3).
NOTES: Rodgers grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Foote dished five assists. Hunter had seven rebounds and four steals. The loss snapped Salem’s two-game winning streak.

PITMAN 56, SALEM TECH 32
PITMAN (7-2) – Anna Fisicaro 14 2-6 32, Miya Villari 1 3-4 6, Evelyn Wisely 0 0-0 0, Audrey Duffield 6 0-2 12, Colette Rollins 1 0-0 3, Adriana Collman 1 1-4 3. Totals 23 6-16 56.
SALEM TECH (0-9) – Hanna DeWitt 2 1-3 5, Demajae White 3 1-2 7, Kaylin Beardsley 5 0-0 12, Drummond 1 1-6 3, Rylee Doerr 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 3-11 31.

Pitman5181716 –56
Salem Tech431114 –32
3-point goals: Pitman 4 (Fisicaro 2, Villari, Rollins); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2).
NOTES: Fisicaro also was credited with 17 of the Panthers’ 30 steals. Duffield had seven.

SCHALICK 38, OVERBROOK 33
OVERBROOK (2-8) – Jael Pressley 2 1-6 5, Kaylee Burkhart 0 0-0 0, Sarah Evans 1 0-0 3, Leiani Knight 0 0-0 0, Alani White 0 0-0 0, Zahaisha Nevius 10 0-3 23, Gianna Simon 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 1-9 33.
SCHALICK (3-6) – Ava Scurry 1 1-2 3, Cali Fisler 1 0-1 2, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0, Cianna Gaines 5 3-4 13, Taylor Sparks 3 4-4 12, Abby Willoughby 2 0-0 6, Katie Little 1 0-1 2. Totals 13 8-12 38.

Overbrook112164 –33
Schalick144614 – 38
3-point goals: Overbrook 4 (Evans, Nevins 3); Schalick 4 (Sparks, Willoughby). Total fouls: Overbrook 13, Schalick 12.
NOTES: The Cougars showed their potential in the first and, especially, fourth quarters with high energy defense and crisp ball movement. Gaines scored nine of her career-high 13 in the fourth quarter and she had 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Scurry, with seven rebounds and five blocked shots, hit 100 rebounds and 50 blocks for the season. Schalick used a big fourth quarter rally to win. Schalick is 3-6, Overbrook 2-8.

A lot to take in

Penns Grove outlasts Pennsville in a game that had a little bit of everything, a lengthy delay and a player going over 1,000 points

THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Glassboro 55, Woodstown 47
Overbrook 58, Schalick 31
Penns Grove 75, Pennsville 65
Pitman 101, Salem Tech 44
Salem 90, Clayton 52

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – For all the highs and lows that were going on in the Pennsville-Penns Grove game Thursday night, there were three big takeaways that should have followed the crowd back out into the cold night.

Penns Grove coach Damian Ware picked up another win over his Carleton School teaching colleague, planning period partner and Pennsville coaching buddy Joe Mecholsky. The Red Devils collected a bunch of South Jersey Group I power points and some serious county cred by beating their rivals. And Pennsville’s Luke Wood became the latest member of the 1,000-Point Club.

And, oh, Penns Grove’s floor Zamboni works just fine.

Luke Wood and his family celebrate the Pennsville junior guard scoring his 1,000th career point Thursday night at Penns Grove.

First the highlights:

The Red Devils took down the Eagles 75-65 for their ninth win in the last 10 meetings between the two coaches. They led virtually wire-to-wire largely by hitting 3s and ruling the boards (18 offensive rebounds) and placed three scorers in double figures.

Freshman KaRon Ceaser, riding the high of receiving his first college football scholarship offer from Syracuse earlier in the day, led the Red Devils with 20 points. Giomar Conrad had 18 points and Mehki Ballard, who seems to have found his shooting rhythm just in time for the second half of the season, had 14 with a couple 3-pointers.

Wood became the 17th member of Pennsville’s 1,000-Point Club and second in his family when he drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 5:45 left in a game the Eagles had climbed back into contention for. He needed 19 points coming into the game and finished with a season-high 28, going 11-of-25 from the field. He hit the magic number on his 18th shot of the game.

It was hoped he would reach the milestone at home this weekend, where his sister Ryane, the most recent player to join the club (1224 points ending in 2022), could have been on hand to watch. Instead, he had to settle for reaching the milestone against the same team his coach did against in 1992.

“I don’t know if there’s any other emotion other than it feels good, it’s great,” Wood said. “That’s something you come into high school trying to get and you finally hit it, it feels good.”

Now for the lowlight:

The game was delayed 28 minutes late in the first quarter as a custodian cleaned the gym floor after it had become dangerously slippery from the de-icing salt on spectators’ shoes mixing with the chemicals used to clean the floor. It made for hazardous footing along the sidelines and players from each team fell hard as a result.

Mecholsky threatened to pull his team from the game after Peyton O’Brien slipped along the baseline for a second time in the opening minutes of play. The game was halted at 7:28 p.m. local time – with 36.9 seconds left in the first quarter and Penns Grove leading by 10 – after the Red Devils’ Camren Thompson crashed into the bleachers.

“We’re here with kids, we’re here just trying to play a game and conditions are disastrously … I’ve never even seen that before in my life,” Mecholsky said. “We were going home. We were going home. What am I going do, have a Pennsville kid break his clavicle over there? No. We were leaving. We were leaving. That was an embarrassment. But they did fix it.”

The players from both teams said it was only slippery in the corners and around the sideline. The playing area was not affected, they said.

“The court was fine, but once you went out of bounds it was scary,” O’Brien said, “but we fought through it and they fixed it after a while so we were good.”

“I tried to stay away from the sidelines,” Wood said. “I was playing it smart. I tried to stay in the middle of the floor.”

A custodian made four laps around the court on the cleaner during and went back-and-forth three times along the baselines before the game resumed at 8 p.m. local time. The custodian went around the court twice more at halftime.

A Penns Grove High School custodian cleans the edge of the basketball court during a delay in Thursday night’s game with Pennsville.

The teams hung out in their bench area until the clean-up was finished.

“It was something that was out of any of our control,” Ware said. “For precaution and safety of the kids (the delay) was the best thing to do. You never know, somebody could have slipped, rolled an ankle, fell, bust their elbow up. It was the best thing we could do at that point.”

There were some rumblings the game could be suspended at halftime and resumed at a later date, but the three-person all-female officiating crew indicated at halftime the second half would proceed as scheduled. Ware said he would have not been in favor of a stoppage. The second half proceeded without incident.

The delay didn’t seem to bother the Red Devils’ game. They were leading 24-14 at the time of the delay and wound up winning by that margin. They hit six of their eight 3-pointers after the delay. They led by 20 in the third quarter before Ware subbed in his reserves and Pennsville rallied.

“I was actually kind of tired in the beginning of the game so the delay actually kind of helped me,” Ballard said.

Wood’s milestone 3-pointer got the Eagles to within 10. The junior guard looked a lot more relaxed once he reached 1,000 and he scored the Eagles next seven points. His next 3-pointer got them within six with 3:34  to play, 65-59, but that was as close as they got.

“There’s definitely a little bit of pressure when you’re about to score 1,000 points,” Wood said. “I think definitely after I scored it today everyone could tell the pressure got lifted and that I was back to my normal self.”

Thompson answered with a 3 and the Red Devils kept the margin between eight and 10 for the time that remained.

“They made more 3s than I anticipated and we didn’t rebound like them,” Mecholsky said. “Great game by coach (Ware). His players made shots tonight and they rebounded. They weren’t special, but they outrebounded us and we lost.”

PENNS GROVE 75, PENNSVILLE 65
PENNSVILLE (5-7) – Luke Wood 11-25 2-3 28, Peyton O’Brien 7-9 2-5 18, Daniel Saulin 2-3 0-0 4, Jayden Thomas 3-8 1-2 7, Malik Rehmer 1-4 0-0 2, Cohen Petrutz 1-3 1-2 3, Mason O’Brien 1-2 1-2 3, Logan Hitt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-54 7-14 65.
PENNS GROVE (5-6) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 7 2-4 18, Karon Ceaser 5 8-10 20, Willie Slocum 3 3-4 9, Mehki Ballard 5 2-4 14, Camron Thompson 2 0-0 5, Khiry Higgs 0 0-0 0, Mr Peterson 0 0-0 0, Dameon Wilson 3 0-1 6, Neziah Spence 1 0-2 3, Will Roy 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 15-25 75.

Pennsville17121412 –65
Penns Grove24162213 –75
3-point goals: Pennsville 6-18 (Wood 4-10, P. O’Brien 2-3, Thomas 0-1, Rehmer 0-2, Petrutz 0-2); Penns Grove 8 (Conrad 2, Ceaser 2, Ballard 2, Thompson, Spence). Technical fouls: Wood. Total fouls: Pennsville 17, Penns Grove 13. Officials: Dumas, Jackson, Carter.

SALEM 90, CLAYTON 52
SALEM (7-4) – Jabez DeJesus 18 0-0 41, Paul Weathers 5 0-0 10, Tymear Lecator 4 2-2 10, Donovan Weathers 2 2-2 6, Xavier McGriff 2 1-2 5, Antwan Rodgers 5 0-0 10, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2, Joseph Tunis 2 0-0 6, Anthony Farmer 0 0-0 0. Totals 39 5-6 90.
CLAYTON (3-10) – Dillon Jones 2 1-2 5, Princeton Sackor 6 3-4 17, Nazir Davis 5 0-0 11, Demetris Williams 1 2-4 4, Jon Cox 1 3-4 5, Cristan Scott 1 0-0 2, Ashaud Hines 4 0-0 8. Totals 20 9-14 52.

Salem21252222 –90
Clayton8141218 –52
3-point goals: Salem 7 (DeJesus 5, Tunis 2); Clayton 3 (Sackor 2, Davis).
NOTES: DeJesus smashed his career high by 15 points. 

GLASSBORO 55, WOODSTOWN 47
GLASSBORO (5-7) – Charles Graves 5 12-13 22, Xavier Sabb 5 4-8 14, Clinton Suggs 4 2-3 11, Jayce Grays 1 0-0 2, Josh Buff 1 1-1 3, Michael Dougherty 1 0-2 3. Totals 17 19-27 55.
WOODSTOWN (6-5) – Blake Bialecki 4 0-0 11, M.J. Hall 3 0-0 9, Max Webb 3 3-4 10, Garrett Leyman 2 0-0 5, Rocco String 3 0-2 6, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 3, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Elijah Caesar 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 4-8 47.

Glassboro1642113 –55
Woodstown1561115 –47
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Suggs, Dougherty); Woodstown 9 (Bialecki 3, Hall 3, Webb, Leyman, Vazquez).
NOTES: Graves and Sabb both had double-doubles with Graves grabbing 10 rebounds and Sabb hauling in 11. Webb had six assists and four steals for Woodstown. The Wolverines have lost three in a row.

OVERBROOK 58, SCHALICK 31
SCHALICK (4-5) – Reggie Allen 19, Dan Lis 4, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 4, Jase Volovar 2.
OVERBROOK (9-3) – Jaden St. John 2 0-0 4, Lamar Little 4 0-0 11, Chris Grier 2 1-3 5, Amare Kee 2 1-1 6, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 4 0-1 9, Tory Scott 1 0-0 2, Zair Green 3 1-1 8, Kevin Satchell 0 1-2 1, Elvin Santiago 1 2-2 4, Nic Johnson 2 2-5 6. Totals 22 8-15 58.

Schalick5014 12 –31
Overbrook267916 –58
3-point goals: Overbrook 6 (Little 3, Kee, Mills, Green).

PITMAN 101, SALEM TECH 44
PITMAN (10-3) – Porter Kostiuk 2 6-6 10, Stephen Devanney 1 2-4 4, Hudson Rue 1 0-0 2, Elijah Crispin 8 2-2 19, Trey Tinges 1 1-2 4, Colin Ambrosius 1 0-0 2, Chris Wyllie 3 0-0 7, Michael Fisciaro 12 3-3 32, Sonny Myers 5 1-4 11, Greg Petersen 1 4-4 8, Jake Epting 2 0-0 4. Totals 37 19-25 101.
SALEM TECH (0-10) – Haneef Frisby 12, Joseph Hayes 4, Daviontae Russell 6, Josh Muntz 4, Tyler Zampino 8, Antoine Robinson 8, Chase Ayers 2.

Pitman34232816 –101
Salem Tech121412 6 –44
3-point goals: Pitman 8 (Crispin, Tinges, Wyllie, Fisicaro 5).
NOTES:  The Panthers became the first team to score 100 in Salem Tech’s gym. Clayton hung 100-plus on the visiting Chargers in the 2021-22 and 2019-20 seasons.


Friendly rivalry

For the two coaches in the Pennsville-Penns Grove basketball game, tomorrow they can be friends, today they fight

THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Glassboro 55, Woodstown 47
Overbrook 58, Schalick 31
Penns Grove 75, Pennsville 65
Pitman def. Salem Tech
Salem 90, Clayton 52

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – For everybody else at the Paul W. Carleton School it was just another day at school, but for two of the teachers there it was a day a little different than all others.

For 363 days of the year, Damian Ware and Joe Mecholsky are teachers in the same school. One, Ware, teaches the fifth graders in an upstairs classroom. The other, Mecholsky, has the fourth graders downstairs.

They wave familiarly when they pass in the halls. They have the same planning period and often sit together talking basketball, comparing notes on common opponents.

But Thursday, while the conversation may be cordial and more poor mouth than trash talk, this day is different.

Every other day of the year they’re Carleton School teachers through and through, but when this school day ended Thursday they were trying to beat each other’s brains in as the coaches of the Penns Grove and Pennsville basketball teams that also, by the way, happen to be their high school alma maters.

“Oh, we’ll talk,” Ware said. “We don’t trade secrets or anything, but we’ll have general conversations about hoops and stuff like that.

“It’s actually a lot of fun. We have fun with each other. Neither one of us take anything personally. It’s all fun. It’s all about the kids. It’s a competitive, fun thing, basically.”

Everybody in the school gets caught up in it. Teachers and students are always asking when they’re going to play. The students get a kick out of watching their Mr. M coach the opposition.

Their teams have met nine times in the previous six years they’ve been head coaches at their alma maters and Ware has had the best of it, winning eight of them. Mecholsky finally broke through in the first meeting last season – in the Hyper-Baric Chamber that is Penns Grove’s gym – but the Red Devils got them back in Pennsville in the rematch.

(UPDATE: Ware made it nine out of 10 against his buddy Thursday night as the Red Devils won 75-65.)

There have been some memorable games though.

“We aren’t friendly while coaching against each other because every chance that son of a gun has had a chance to put 100 on my head he does it,” Mecholsky said. “He doesn’t try to hold back his team. He doesn’t try to be nice. No-o-o-o.

“One year (2018), they scored 100 on us and had a foul called so they took the 100 off the board. The next possession instead of just dribbling out the clock, with the crowd going ‘one hundred, one hundred,’ he scored again, so the crowd got to celebrate twice.

“And then the next morning we had breakfast together at the Deepwater Diner as if nothing happened.”

The game has no name, like the Wildman Willey Boot the teams play for in football, and strangely there have been no special wagers between the coaches like mayors and governors sometime do during football bowl games. Those things aren’t needed here. They’re playing for something more. Much more.

“We bet the one thing that can’t be bought with money – pride,” Mecholsky said. “When I see him in the hall the next day and I look at him, yea-h-h-h, I’m able to say I got you. And if he gets me, he’ll give me the same thing. We get on each other, but it’s brotherly love.”

When Friday morning comes things will return to normal for everyone at the Carleton School, unless, of course, school gets canceled or delayed by the impending snowstorm. Ware will make his way upstairs to teach his fifth graders and Mecholsky will head to downstairs to be with his fourth graders.

They’ll pass each other in the halls and get together during their planning period and talk ball as if nothing had happened. Only this time one will have a little extra pep in their step that’s not likely to subside until they play again the last day of the regular season.

“During the game we’re rivals and want to beat each other, Pennsville-Penns Grove,” Mecholsky said, “but right after the game it’s a handshake, it’s a hug and we’re back to work tomorrow.”

Who knows, they might even have breakfast at the Deepwater Diner together again.

Feels so good

McDade pin clinches Pennsville wrestling’s 57-18 over rival Penns Grove; Woodstown falls in basketball

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Robbie McDade is one of those multi-sport athletes who stays in the moment. He plays for the season he’s in at the time, accepts the results in that season and when it’s over moves on to the next one. But he had to admit it was pretty satisfying what happened Wednesday night.

As a football quarterback, he was on the losing end of Pennsville’s annual game for The Boot with rival Penns Grove in the fall. But he got a measure of revenge on the wrestling mat when he pinned Jayden Owens in 3:29 to clinch the Eagles’ 57-18 victory.

“It was pretty satisfying,” McDade said. “It’s always good to beat a rival. It sucks that we lost in the football, but it’s the next mindset. Wrestling, you’ve got to come in here and win. Can’t wait for next year in football and if we see them again here I can’t wait to beat them again.

“Every time we go against these guys, (in) wrestling, (in) football, it always puts a fire in you to do better and try to win. I’m looking forward to that football season.”

The Eagles had the match well in hand when McDade went on the mat for his 157 bout. They won the first seven weight classes of the match, four by forfeit, to open a 39-0 lead. Tre Brown got Penns Grove on the board with a pin of Sky Eppes at 150, then McDade put the Eagles over the top with his second-period pin.

McDade has pinned his last three opponents and won his last seven dual bouts in a row.

“He’s a sophomore this year so he’s still adjusting to varsity-level competition,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “He’s becoming more technical and less backyard brawler. He’s developing a technique, he’s starting to work the system that we teach and he’s having more and more success with it. He’s dangerous.

“Now he’s wrestling better competition and he’s won a couple matches where his technique is prevailing.”

McDade scored one of four pins by Pennsville wrestlers, joining Kameron Drummond (132), Travis Hagan (144) and Trevor Waddington (285).

All of Penns Grove’s points came via pin – Brown, Antonio Garris (165) and first-year wrestler Clinton Bobo (175).

McDade wasn’t the only Eagles wrestler to exact a little revenge in the match. When Elias Lussi scored his 9-2 decision over Isaiah Upshur at 190 in one of the headline bouts of the night, he beat a wrestler who pinned him in 30 seconds a year ago.

WOODSTOWN 41, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 21: The Wolverines won five of the last six matches to pull away and snap a six-match losing streak. They held a 19-15 lead after eight bouts, then got wins from Zach Bevis (165), Greyson Hyland (175), Paul Banff (190), Andrew Sinou (215) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) to seal the win. Banff and Vinciguerra scored pins and Sinou’s decision clinched it.

PENNSVILLE 57, PENNS GROVE 18
106: Gina Shinn (Pv) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Ciccantelli (Pv) won by forfeit
120: Christopher Daniels (Pv) dec. Devine Arce, 6-2
126: Gavriel Supernavage (Pv) won by forfeit
132: Kameron Drummond (Pv) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:51
138: Ayden Perez (Pv) won by forfeit
144: Travis Hagan (Pv) pinned Nasir Garris, 3:29
150: Tre Brown (PG) pinned Sky Eppes, 5:34
157: Robbie McDade (Pv) pinned Jayden Owens, 3:29
165: Antonio Garris (PG) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:28
175: Clinton Bobo (PG) pinned Connor Ayars, 2:44
190: Elias Lussi (Pv) dec. Isaiah Upshur, 9-2
215: Dan Emmons (Pv) dec. Antonio Cooper, 7-6
285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) pinned Samir Brown, 3:48
Records: Pennsville 11-2, Penns Grove 3-5

WOODSTOWN 41, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 21
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 0:55
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) maj. dec. over Luke Silva, 9-1
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Chase Williams, 1:03
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) dec. Willem Groom, 11-6
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) dec. Laitton Roberts, 5-2
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Riley Papiano, 7-0
157: Ricky Watt (SC) dec. Zayden Donahue, 6-4
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) dec. Jake Magonagle, 6-2
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) maj. dec. over Eric Sulik, 11-1
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned Gabrielle Rodriguez, 3:15
215: Andre Sinou (Wo) dec. Evan Elliott, 10-5
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Noval Jenkins, 0:29
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Chase Blandino, 1:00
Records: Schalick/Cumberland 9-4, Woodstown 3-9

Penns Grove’s Tre Brown (red) gets Pennsville’s Sky Eppes upside down in their 150-pound match Wednesday night. On the cover, Pennsville’s Robbie McDade (blue) has control over Jayden Owens on the way to his pin at 157.

Basketball

Overbrook 57, Woodstown 42

PINE HILL – Lamar Little and Nic Johnson scored 14 points apiece and Overbook got off to a fast start and handed the Wolverines (6-4) their second straight loss. Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points and was the Wolverines’ only scorer in double figures. Overbrook (8-3) has won three in a row.

OVERBROOK 57, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (6-4) – Blake Bialecki 12, Alejandro Vazquez 9, M.J. Hall 4, Garrett Leyman 2, Max Webb 2, Rocco String 6, Elijah Caesar 7.
OVERBROOK (8-3) – Jaden St. John 1 0-0 2, Maki Ortiz 2 0-0 4, Kevin Satchell 0 2-2 2, Lamar Little 5 0-0 14, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Chris Grier 1 2-4 4, Nic Johnson 4 4-4 14, Amare Kee 0 0-2 0, Shaun Mills 3 0-0 7, Tory Scott 0 0-0 0, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-12 57.

Woodstown410818 –42
Overbrook1711209 –57
3-point goals: Overbrook 9 (Little 4, Green 2, Johnson 2, Mills).

Mendoza moving on

Salem head coach steps down from storied program after one season in his return to Garden State

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Another Salem County football coach is on the move. Salem’s Danny Mendoza has stepped down after one season with the Rams, but hopes to coach again. 

MENDOZA

Mendoza officially stepped down from the Rams’ coaching position Friday and told his team earlier Wednesday.

“It’s a personal decision for me and my family and I’m looking forward to what’s next,” he said. “I will enjoy the process and find the best situation.

“I appreciate the opportunity. I wish Salem High School and the Salem community nothing but the best going forward.”

There are other opportunities out there for him. He is believed to be a front-runner for the head coaching job at Absegami High School.

Mendoza is the second Salem County head football coach to move on this offseason. Penns Grove’s John Emel recently was named the new coach at West Deptford. Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden declined to comment Wednesday on the progress of the Red Devils’ coaching search.

Salem athletics director Darryl Roberts said he respected Mendoza’s decision and the school appreciated “everything he did coming in and taking care of the kids and keeping the program going.” 

Roberts said the Rams have “some options” in terms of finding Mendoza’s successor but wasn’t at liberty to discuss them at this time. There wasn’t a timetable for naming the new coach, but officials hoped it would be sooner rather than later. 

“We don’t want to run into the same situation as we did last year, going into May and June not knowing who the head football coach would be,” Roberts said. 

The “Jersey-born and Florida-bred’ Mendoza came to Salem in June after two seasons as head coach at Wellington (Fla.) High School with the vision of taking the Jersey grittiness and Florida flashiness and molding them into his own program.

He didn’t have a lot of time to lay the groundwork, coming aboard in June, and with no spring football in New Jersey his first on-field work with his players didn’t come until camp opened. In addition, he had a spartan coaching staff that had him coordinating all three phases of the game and his predecessor was still at the school.

The Rams played a brutal schedule, mostly on the road while they waited to occupy their on-campus stadium, and started the year 0-6. They won their first game over Paulsboro on Oct. 7, then followed it the next week with a win over West Deptford in a rainy inaugural game of their new stadium.

They did make the Group I playoffs and lost a tough opening-round game on the road at South Hunterdon.

“It was obviously a difficult situation when you’re not getting the players in who were there before,” Mendoza said. “With the schedule we had with no stadium, it was definitely a tough deal, but you never go into anything without challenges and expectations and you look forward to every challenge.

“With a very young team I believe they learned a lot. I believe they might not understand now, but I think later on they’ll know what they went through how much stronger it’s going to make them if they decide to use this year’s tribulations to propel them to do better next year under whoever that coach may be.

“I’ve always as a competitor loved difficult situations. I loved to play the best, but at the same time you’ve got to build that up and there was just a lot of things up in the air for just so long. It was definitely an experience, but at the same time I learned a lot. I believe I became a better coach this year and I believe we taught these kids a lot of things that they would have never had their minds open to as well.

“I think we did a lot of good things and I believe this program is 100 times better the way I’m leaving as opposed to when I got it.”

Snow day reset

With the weather putting everything on hold Tuesday, let’s take a look at where things stand on a number of fronts

Chasing 1,000

PLAYER
TEAM
TOTAL
NEEDS
SEA.
AVG.
Luke WoodPennsville9811915.3
Anthony FarmerSalem87112916.9
Meely HoracePenns Grove86413617.2
Megan DonelsonWoodstown86014018.4
Talia BattavioWoodstown85314719.8

Tri-County Conference Standings

CLASSIC GIRLSALLDIVCLASSIC BOYSALLDIV
Wildwood9-33-0Pitman9-33-0
Gloucester Cath.9-32-0Salem6-42-1
Pitman6-21-1Wildwood8-53-2
Clayton5-61-2Gloucester Cath.6-42-2
Salem4-61-2Clayton3-91-3
Salem Tech0-80-3Salem Tech0-90-3
DIAMOND GIRLSALLDIVDIAMOND BOYSALLDIV
Woodstown8-23-0Overbrook7-32-1
Glassboro6-32-1Woodstown6-32-1
Penns Grove5-42-1Penns Grove4-62-1
Pennsville5-62-1Glassboro4-72-1
Schalick2-60-3Pennsville5-61-2
Overbrook2-70-3Schalick4-40-3

SJ Group I Power Points

GIRLSW-LPCTPTS
Wildwood9-3.750248
Woodstown8-2.800200
Palmyra9-1.900195
Maple Shade9-3.750192
Woodbury5-7.417180
Audubon8-3.727175
Gateway8-4.667165
Burlington City8-6.571154
Pennsville5-6.455117
Cape May Tech4-6.400106
Pitman6-2.750101
Glassboro6-3.66797
Penns Grove5-4.55693
Clayton5-6.45591
Salem4-6.40089
Paulsboro4-5.44478
Buena2-6.25067
Riverside3-7.30063
Schalick2-6.25053
KIPP Cooper0-11.00052
Camden Acad.1-8.11132
LEAP0-7.00013
NOTE: Salem Tech (0-8) is No. 20 in South Jersey Group II (36 points).
BOYSW-LPCTPTS
KIPP Cooper11-3.786234
Pitman9-3.750234
Wildwood8-5.615212
Woodbury7-7.500171
Audubon8-4.667168
Salem6-4.600153
Paulsboro5-7.417148
LEAP7-6.538144
Glassboro4-7.364139
Palmyra6-5.545134
Riverside5-7.417125
Pennsville5-6.455122
Penns Grove4-6.400122
Maple Shade4-8.333113
Woodstown6-3.667104
Burlington City2-12.143103
New Egypt4-5.44499
Clayton3-9.25089
Cape May Tech1-10.09167
Gateway0-12.00062
Schalick4-4.50060
Buena0-11.00060
Camden Prep1-3.25036
NOTE: Salem Tech (0-9) is No. 21 in South Jersey Group II (34 points)

Pennsville pulls away

Eagles break away from a tie game with last seven points of third quarter, hold on to snap three-game losing streak

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WESTMONT – The game was going back and forth for so long, it was almost like you were watching a tennis match. It was like the lead changed with every possession. Everyone was just waiting for something to break it open.

“I was waiting for something, that’s for sure,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said with a laugh.

The break in the back and forth finally came late in the third quarter. Pennsville scored the last seven points of the quarter for its biggest lead at the time and went on to beat Haddon Twp. Monday, 51-46, to snap a three-game losing streak.

The game was close throughout. There were six lead changes and three ties in the first half, which ended on Jayden Thomas’ 3-pointer at the buzzer that made it 24-24.

The Brooklyn-born bomber opened the second half with a 3-pointer, too, to put Pennsville on top for good, but the Hawks tied it three more times before the Eagles made the run that gave them control of the scoreboard.

They broke a 33-33 tie with a 7-0 run over the final two minutes of the third quarter when the basket simply closed to the home team. The Hawks missed 10 straight shots in the final two minutes of the quarter, including one possession that had six shots.

“In the first half there both teams just mirrored each other,” Mecholsky said. “They’d miss, we’d miss. They’d make, we’d make. It was back and forth, and then I thought our defense picked it up there in the third quarter and that’s what got us to extend our lead.”

Daniel Saulin, back in the lineup after missing the last game following a previously scheduled oral surgery, broke the tie with an inside bucket and followed it with a three-point play. The 6-foot-7 senior finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

“Danny stabilizes everything, that’s for sure,” Mecholsky said. “He’s just a presence. I think it was obvious they were trying to drive into him to get him into foul trouble and he stood his ground. He played pretty well on the defensive end and just helped calm things down when we weren’t finding our shot.”

Thomas led the Eagles with 14 points. Luke Wood had seven, moving within 19 of 1,000 for his career. Cohen Petrutz, picking up the slack inside with Peyton O’Brien missing the game to attend a baseball showcase, had eight points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

“We were very balanced today,” Mecholsky said. “That was the definition of a team win.”

Pennsville 51, Haddon Twp. 46
PENNSVILLE (5-6) – Luke Wood 2-11 1-2 7, Malik Rehmer 1-3 3-4 5, Cohen Petrutz 3-9 2-2 8, Jayden Thomas 5-10 2-6 14, Daniel Saulin 5-12 3-3 13, Mason O’Brien 1-1 2-2 4, Cole Johnston 0-0 0-0 0, Connor Starn 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-47 13-19 51.
HADDON TWP. (3-10) – Owen Lamba 2 0-0 4, Joe Sheehan 2 0-0 4, Cavan McGovern 2 0-0 4, Axel Mohr 7 5-8 19, Eamonn Sheehan 2 1-2 7, Peter Black 1 1-1 3, Colin Feeley 0 0-0 0, Sean Crawford 2 0-0 5. Totals 18 7-11 46.

Pennsville7171611 – 51
Haddon Twp.816913 – 46
3-point goals: Pennsville 4-14 (Wood 2-6, Thomas 2-3, Rehmer 0-1, Petrutz 0-4); Haddon Twp. 3 (E. Sheehan 2, Crawford). Fouled out: Mohr. Total fouls: Pennsville 15, Haddon Twp. 19.

Rams rise and shine

Salem girls meet the day, erupt for 21-point first quarter and run past Burlington City in morning game

MONDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Salem 52, Burlington City 42
St. Joe’s at Schalick, ppd.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BURLINGTON – The history of Salem’s girls basketball team in morning matchups has been a mixed bag. Sometimes the Rams rise and shine and others they look like they missed their wakeup call.

Monday morning’s road game was one of those times they skipped the snooze alarm and came to play, beating Burlington City 52-42.

Rams coach Tiasia Tatem had a feeling her team would answer the bell.

“I knew it coming in,” she said. “We had a little break because I gave them the weekend off because we didn’t have access to our gym, so I knew coming in they should’ve come in with fresh legs. And I think they were carrying the momentum from Friday night’s game.”

The Rams (4-6) were coming off their highest-scoring game in more than 20 years, a 75-14 rout of Camden Academy Charter, and rode that wave to their best first quarter of the season against the Blue Devils (8-6) – 21 points to open a 21-9 lead.

Kaela Nichols continued her recent roll with two 3-pointers in the quarter and 10 of her team-high 14 points in the first half. Nichols, Marissa Bower (12) and Carlysia Pierce (12) all scored in double figures for the Rams to offset a 33-point game from Aneesa Artis that included 21-of-34 from the free throw line.

“To see the kids come in their senior year with that fire and that spark and just go off, I’m loving watching in,” Tatem said of Nichols. “Carlysia Pierce, she’s great at finding the space; she’s killing the back door right now. She’s tiny, but she’s able to sneak around and she’s great at finding the open position and getting the easy layup. One moment you see her, the next minute she’s going and by the time you realize where she is, there’s already a layup.”

The Rams won’t have to remember to set their alarm anymore as they have regularly scheduled games the rest of the year. They are scheduled to play Gloucester Catholic, Tuesday weather permitting.

Understandably, Tatem will keeping her eye on the weather.

“I want to keep the girls hot,” she said.

Salem 52, Burlington City 42
SALEM (4-6) – Ryann Foote 1 4-4 6, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, Marissa Bower 5 0-2 12, Kaela Nichols 6 0-0 14, Ava Rodgers 3 0-0 6, Carlysia Pierce 5 2-4 12, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 2, Zaniyah Fresion 0 0-0 0, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 6-10 52.
BURLINGTON CITY (8-6) – Aneesa Artis 6 21-34 33, Mya Boykin 2 0-0 4, Anala Stover-Head 0 0-0 0, Olivia Moore 1 0-2 2, Hannah Richey 1 0-0 3, Raquel Wilcox 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 21-36 42.

Salem2113108 –52
Burlington City971016 –42
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Bower 2, Nichols 2). Burlington City 1 (Richey). Technical fouls: Salem, Foote. Fouled out: Rodgers, Hunter, Bundy, Boykin, Stover-Head. Total fouls: Salem 27, Burlington City 15. Officials: McGrath, Rodgers.

Locals on track

Salem’s girls lead county contingent at State Indoor Relays with 3 Group I silver medals; Woodstown’s girls 4×800 also runs second, Schalick’s boys DM third

By Riverview Sports News

TOMS RIVER – Salem’s girls picked up three silver medals and finished fourth as a team Friday in the Group I Championships of the NJSIAA Relays at The Bubble.

The Rams’ shuttle hurdle relay team of Anna Buzby, Sairis Jiminez, Karima Davenport-White and LaMiracle Summers ran 36.05, behind winner Hasbrouck Heights’ 35.03.

Their sprint medley team of Buzby, Rhionna Timmons, Jiminez and Davenport-White ran 4:28.44 and finished second to Metuchen (4:24.58).

Dominique Lewis finished second in the girls shot put with a throw of 35-4.75. Meghan Kreinberg of Jonathan Dayton won the event at 38-0.

Woodstown’s girls 4×800 relay team of Kayla Ayers, Arie Still, Jaime Deal and Sarah Seiden finished second (10:31.93). The Wolverines also finished fourth in the 4×400 relay (4:25.24).

The Rams scored 27 points and finished behind champion Hasbrouck Heights (46), Metuchen (40) and Audubon (37) in the team standings. Woodstown was ninth (12).

On the boys side, Schalick’s distance medley relay team finished third in 11:18.76. The runners were Matthew Tozer, David Stewart, Steve Chomo and reigning county cross country champion Charles Fuerneisen. 

The Cougars were tied for 10th in the team standings.