A year in the making, Salem CC to officially kick off inaugural football season Wednesday, school officials say goal not only to increase enrollment, but ‘change lives’
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Not even the biggest snowstorm in a decade is going to derail Salem Community College from launching its football program.
Like a tush push from the 1, the Mighty Oaks are determined to see this thing they’ve been working on for nearly a year across the goal line. The acorn gets planted Wednesday at 4 p.m. in festivities in the school’s Davidow Theater.
“We are completely ready to go,” SCC athletics director Bob Hughes said. “I think it’s just a culmination of a lot of people’s hard work and efforts and it’ll be great to show the world not just what we’re doing but why we’re doing it. I’m excited for the community and excited to really put this thing into motion.”
School officials are expecting upwards of 200 people for the event, which is free and open to the public. Of course, the fallout of this weekend’s snowstorm could impact the turn out and some elements of the festivities, but not enough to dampen the level of anticipation the likes of which they hadn’t seen here since re-launching athletics in 2019.
“I don’t know if weather will have an impact on that or not, but we’re going to be there,” president Mike Gorman said. “We’re having this kickoff literally and figuratively come snow or high water.”
The school has been exploring the possibility of bringing football to campus since retired Rowan University head coach Jay Accorsi brought the idea to president Gorman last spring and gone about it in what Hughes called “cautiously and in a calculated fashion.”
After going through Accorsi’s exhaustive research, the board of trustees green-lighted the program in November, installed Accorsi as interim head coach to get recruiting off the ground, and will formally introduce him as the program’s first head coach during Wednesday’s event.
The team has secured a practice facility on property adjacent to the Carneys Point Rec Complex, will undertake a spring practice and begin play as a JUCO Division III independent this fall.
With Wednesday’s launch, Salem will join Sussex CC as the only two-year colleges in New Jersey playing NJCAA-sanctioned football and the only two between Central New York and Louisburg, N.C. It’s that wide footprint and underserved player population that gives Accorsi confidence the initiative can succeed.
The two colleges have different motivations for starting their programs. Sussex went into it with the hopes of raising revenue to keep its institution viable. Salem sees it as a means to increase enrollment, but with an even more noble purpose.
Salem officials estimate an influx of more than 100 new students because of the introduction of football and its associated programs. Gorman said at last look the school received 54 new applications for the second semester from football alone. Similarly, it had received 19 new applications because of the volleyball program that will begin play in the next academic year.
“The more important part of this is what we’re going to be able to do for those young people who are applying and coming into our program,” Gorman said. “We’re going to change their lives. That’s the long and short of it. We’re doing this not necessarily to boost enrollment, but to get to another segment of our population and change their lives.
“This is a big deal, but there have been so many other big deals (in his 11-year tenure as president). Every commencement is really a big deal. If you ever attend one of our graduation ceremonies, there’s one moment in time that kind of captures everything that we’re about.
“We ask for the students to stand and be recognized for different categories and activities they’re involved with, but when I get to the line where I say if you’re the first one in your family to attend college stand and be recognized more than half the class always stands up. That’s a dynamic moment. That’s the kind of thing we’re chasing with this. How can we make sure these young people have a chance at something better than they’d have otherwise?”
Snow day provides a chance to check out the Salem County basketball statistical leaders; leaders based on statistics posted to state reporting service (must have played in 75 percent of team’s games)
Boys
SCORING (based on avg.)
GP
FG
FT
PTS
AVG
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
80
40
220
18.3
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
72
33
213
14.2
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
58
179
13.8
Deshaan Williams, Salem
14
55
184
13.1
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
64
21
168
12.9
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
55
23
159
11.4
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
33
133
10.2
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
67
10
161
10.1
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
63
7
148
9.3
Danny Knight, Pennsville
12
108
9.0
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
43
18
111
8.5
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
47
22
131
8.2
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
49
9
107
8.2
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
29
14
73
8.1
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
39
13
104
8.0
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
38
16
117
7.8
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
32
9
77
7.7
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech
11
30
21
84
7.6
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
39
4
96
7.4
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
26
90
6.9
Josh King, Woodstown
15
42
13
98
6.5
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
24
15
69
6.3
BJ Robbins, Salem
13
24
63
4.9
Marshall Stephens, Salem
13
34
71
5.5
3-POINT GOALS (based on total)
GP
TOTAL
AVG
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
36
2.40
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
23
1.77
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
23
1.53
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
21
1.50
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
20
1.67
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
17
1.30
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
17
1.06
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
15
0.94
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
14
1.08
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
14
1.08
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
13
0.80
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
13
1.00
Lucas Fulmer, Woodstown
14
12
0.88
NOTE: Larry Pompper, Salem Tech 9 in 6 games
FT SHOOTING (based on pct.)
GP
FTM
FTA
PCT
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
33
39
.850
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
23
30
.770
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
16
21
.760
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
21
29
.720
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
40
59
.680
Josh King, Woodstown
15
13
21
.620
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
14
23
.610
Andrew Wrote. Wppdstpwm
13
18
30
.600
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
9
16
.560
Ayden Myers, Salem Tech
8
5
10
.500
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech
11
21
42
.500
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
13
27
.480
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
15
35
.430
REBOUNDS (based on avg.)
GP
TOT
AVG
Deshaan Williams, Salem
14
133
9.5
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
122
9.4
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
71
7.9
Marshall Stephens, Salem
13
98
7.5
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
80
6.1
Josh King, Woodstown
15
91
6.1
Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove
16
86
5.4
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
72
4.8
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
50
3.9
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
38
3.8
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
53
3.8
Cooper Willoughby, Schalick
12
45
3.8
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
45
3.8
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
44
3.4
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
49
3.3
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
39
3.3
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
48
3.2
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
42
3.2
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
47
2.9
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
46
2.9
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
47
2.9
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
32
2.9
NOTE: Frank Hoerst, Woodstown had 66 in 10 games; Haneef Frisby, Penns Grove had 79 in 10 games
ASSISTS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
68
5.23
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
54
3.60
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
51
3.40
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
49
3.06
BJ Robbins, Salem
13
48
3.69
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
44
3.38
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
36
2.77
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
30
1.88
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
23
1.64
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
20
1.29
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
19
1.46
Josh King, Woodstown
15
19
1.27
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
18
1.50
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
17
1.06
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
15
1.50
Lucas Fulmer, Woodstown
14
14
1.00
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
14
1.08
NOTE: Kenny Bartee, Schalick, 44 in 5 games
STEALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
42
2.63
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
35
2.69
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
34
2.13
Josh King, Woodstown
15
31
2.07
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
30
2.31
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
28
1.75
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
25
1.92
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
24
1.60
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
24
1.50
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
22
1.47
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
22
1.57
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
21
1.62
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
19
1.90
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
18
1.50
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
17
1.31
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
13
1.00
Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove
16
13
1.06
NOTE: Kenny Bartee, Schalick, 24 in 5 games
BLOCKED SHOTS (Total) 26: Marshall Stephens, Salem 19: Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove 15: Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech 10: Haneef Frisby, Penns Grove 9: Raphael Busch, Salem Tech 8: Sherrod Jones, Schalick 7: Andrew White, Woodstown; Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
Girls
SCORING (based on avg.)
GP
FG
FT
PTS
AVG
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
87
28
222
15.9
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
73
16
172
14.3
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
54
41
166
13.8
Dyaira Anderson, Salem
10
51
23
125
12.5
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove
11
47
21
135
12.3
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
67
13
175
10.9
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove
11
48
12
120
10.9
/Madison Dixon, Salem
9
32
8
88
9.8
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
35
3
83
8.3
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
44
5
122
8.1
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
51
16
126
7.9
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
49
12
119
7.9
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
36
12
85
7.7
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
21
6
60
7.5
Mikayla Washington, Penns Grove
11
19
22
78
7.1
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
31
15
93
6.9
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
25
13
63
6.3
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
21
8
50
5.6
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
25
3
53
5.3
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
32
4
70
4.7
Timmiyah Simmons, Salem
9
16
4
41
4.6
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
18
9
47
4.3
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
18
11
52
3.7
Jaryn Weathers, Salem
9
13
5
32
3.6
Talia Guardascione, Woodstown
14
17
13
49
3.5
3-POINT GOALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
29
1.81
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
27
1.93
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
20
1.43
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
17
1.42
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
15
1.25
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
13
1.44
NOTE: Woodstown’s Mia Waterman has 22 3s in 11 games.
FT SHOOTING (based on pct.)
GP
FTM
FTA
PCT
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
5
6
.830
Talia Guardascione, Woodstown
14
13
18
.720
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove
11
21
29
.720
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
7
11
.640
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
28
47
.600
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
16
28
.570
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
41
73
.560
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
6
11
.550
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
13
26
.500
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
14
5
10
.500
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
5
10
.500
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
9
19
.470
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
13
28
.460
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
12
28
.430
REBOUNDS (based on avg.)
GP
TOT
AVG
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
114
12.7
Dyaira Anderson, Salem
10
123
12.3
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
92
9.2
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
89
8.9
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
104
8.7
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
87
7.3
Mikayla Washington, Penns Grove
11
67
6.1
Alysia Pierce, Salem
11
59
5.4
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
86
5.4
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
53
4.8
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
61
4.4
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
40
4.4
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
56
4.3
Triscia Wilson, Salem
8
34
4.3
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
45
4.1
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
59
3.9
Jaryn Weathers, Salem
9
34
3.8
Janiyah Cummings, Penns Grove
11
40
3.6
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
34
3.4
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
17
45
3.2
ASSISTS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
85
7.08
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
39
3.55
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
30
1.88
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
26
2.36
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
24
1.71
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
24
1.71
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
24
2.67
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
23
2.09
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
21
1.75
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
21
1.31
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
19
2.38
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
18
2.00
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
17
1.13
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
16
1.33
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
16
1.60
STEALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
50
3.57
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
44
3.67
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
40
3.64
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
40
3.64
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
34
3.09
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
33
2.20
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
29
1.81
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
28
2.80
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
24
1.44
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
23
1.64
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
24
2.00
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
23
1.92
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
22
1.57
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
19
1.90
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
19
1.90
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
14
17
1.21
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
16
1.78
Kaliyah Taylor, Salem
8
15
1.88
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
14
1.75
BLOCKED SHOTS (Total) 32: Ava Scurry, Schalick 31: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech 15: Amora Delaine, Salem Tech 14: Dyaira Anderson, Salem 11: Carlysia Pierce, Salem 10: Kyia Leyman, Woodstown; JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove; Marley Wood, Pennsville
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 26-31; *-weather permitting, of course
MONDAY, JAN. 26 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Mastery Camden Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Moorestown Friends at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Gloucester at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Gateway, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m., ppd. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville at Audubon, 6 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Lindenwold at 30 Strikes, cld.
TUESDAY, JAN. 27 BOYS BASKETBALL Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Collingswood at Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown in South Jersey Open at GCIT, 7 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Philadelphia at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Delaware Tech at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28 WRESTLING Woodstown at Cumberland, 5 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 5 p.m. Pennsville, Salem girls at TCC/Colonial Jamboree, Clayton, 5 p.m. SWIMMING TCC Showcase, GCIT, 3 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Launch of Salem CC football program
THURSDAY, JAN. 29 BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. SWIMMING Schalick at Camden Academy Charter, 3:45 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Schalick at Cherokee Challenge, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Bennett Center, 5 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold, 30 Strikes, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Brookdale, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 30 BOYS BASKETBALL Salem vs. Burlington Twp. at Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m. Lindenwold at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Cumberland at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Collingswood, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Collingswood at Schalick, 5 p.m. INDOOR TRACK TCC Showcase at Bennett Complex, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31 BOYS BASKETBALL Collingswood at Schalick, 11:30 p.m. Woodstown at Washington Twp., noon WRESTLING Penns Grove at Highland Quad, 9 a.m. Burlington Twp., Lacey Twp., Pennsauken at Woodstown, 10 a.m. Cumberland, Williamstown, Cedar Creek at Pennsville, 10 a.m. Schalick, Lindenwold at Palmyra, 10 a.m. Salem at Arthur Johnson, 10 a.m. Salem girls at Eastern Jamboree, 9 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Luzerne, noon WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Raritan Valley at Salem CC, noon
Salem CC women snap losing streak with road win, includes scores and highlights from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar; this story will be updated
By Riverview Sports News
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Salem CC women’s basketball team showed what is possible with a fuller complement of players that stays in the game, getting minutes from seven players and scoring from six Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak in a 53-47 win over Lackawanna 63-47.
All seven players Salem coach Brian Marsh had available got in the game and six played at least 22 minutes. The Mighty Oaks postponed three of their previous four games because of an injury-riddled roster and finished the game they did play with four on the floor.
“I think it’s shown over this whole year that when we’re healthy and have extra bodies off the bench we’ve played well,” Marsh said. “We lost to the No. 4 team in the country by five points, the No. 17 team in the country by five points, we played Mercer well in the first half until we kind of got tired, so we’ve shown that when we have the numbers and we play together we can play well.
“Obviously ,we’ve been decimated by injuries this year and we’re starting to get a little bit healthy, but we’re not taking anything for granted, that’s for sure.”
With the win, the Mighty Oaks swept the season series from the Falcons. They had never beaten Lackawanna since reviving the program (0-4).
They jumped out to an 18-10 lead in the first quarter. They let the Falcons back in it in the second quarter, but they regrouped at halftime and pulled away in the second half.
Among their defensive highlights they forced the Falcons (5-11) into 28 turnovers, off which they scored 29 points.
“I thought this team played well,” Marsh said. “They did something today they’ve never done since I’ve been here: we won at Lackawanna. So it’s nice since Lackawanna is going (NCAA) D-II that we got to beat them twice this year.
“I think it shows a lot about my team’s character that they’re playing hard and they’re not given up. A lot of teams have packed it in in the same situation and we just don’t want to do that. I really think this shows a lot of character on our team that we’re willing to continue to play hard and play together.”
Tanijya Shaw led the Mighty Oaks (3-12) with 25 points. Kasey Oliver and Paula Wilson each had 12. Oliver also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
Wilson, a freshman, was making her second straight start after scoring a career-high 20 point in their last game against Mercer and likely will remain a starter for the foreseeable future.
“Paula’s been playing really well,” Marsh said. “The last game she shot really well and I thought she deserved a chance to start.
“I think she’s earned it. She’s played really well. I think she leads us in blocks from her spot, she does really well rebounding and she’s probably our best 3-point shooter, so I think she’s earned it.
“I’m really proud of the way she’s come along. She sat out a year after high school (because of an ACL injury). I think she’s just playing basketball. I think she was a little tentative because of her knee … but I think she’s gotten over that mental hurdle and she’s playing really well for us.”
SALEM CC 63, LACKAWANNA 47 SALEM CC (3-12): RayNescia King 1-6 2-6 4, Tanijya Shaw 8-27 8-10 25, Kasey Oliver 5-10 2-2 12, Paula Wilson 5-17 0-0 12, Jayda Hunter 2-11 1-2 6, Dani Gustin 2-3 0-0 4, Breanne Ruhl 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-74 13-22 63. LACKAWANNA (5-11): Alania Ortiz 3-12 4-4 11, Sophia Suma 4-16 1-4 13, Abbie Larson 0-7 0-0 0, Canyah Randle 1-5 3-4 5, Abigail Merrifield 1-6 1-4 3, Jasmine Romano 3-11 1-2 8, Desire Nale 3-10 1-2 7. Totals 15-67 11-20 47.
Salem CC
20
13
18
17-
63
Lackawanna
13
14
10
10-
47
3-point goals: Salem CC 4-23 (King 0-1, Shaw 1-6, Wilson 2-13, Hunter 1-3); Lackawanna 6-26 (Ortiz 1-7, Suma 4-10, Romano 1-7, Nale 0-2). Rebounds: Salem CC 54 (Oliver 12, King 9, Hunter 9); Lackawanna 58 (Randle 20, Ortiz 8). Total fouls: Salem CC 11, Lackawanna 15.
Region XIX Women’s Standings
DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Harcum (4)
8-0
16-1
Union (11)
9-1
17-2
7-0
Mercer (15)
7-2
14-3
3-1
Essex
7-3
14-4
5-2
Delaware Tech
4-6
7-13
Raritan Valley
3-6
6-13
3-4
Middlesex
3-7
8-14
1-4
Lackawanna
3-7
5-11
SALEM CC
2-6
3-12
0-3
Morris
0-8
0-8
0-4
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 63, Lackawanna 47 Atlantic Cape 54, Camden 42 Mercer 94, Orange 23 Essex 71, Passaic 54 Sussex at Philadelphia Middlesex 61, Delaware Tech 50 Monroe-Bronx 58, RCSJ-Gloucester 55 Union at Harcum Westchester CC 60, Raritan Valley 53
SATURDAY’S MENS GAMES Thaddeus Stevens 90, Luzerne 73 Union 62, RCSJ-Cumberland 57 Northampton 70, Monroe-Bronx 63 Sussex at Philadelphia Orange 88, Mercer 86 Harrisburg Area 83, Delaware County 68 Middlesex 76, Delaware Tech 64 Monroe 92, Harcum 71 Montgomery at Passaic Atlantic Cape 64, Camden 59 Raritan Valley 75, Westchester 70 Essex 75, Morris 73
Boys basketball
WOODSTOWN 60, LEAP 55: Andrew White led three Wolverines in double figures with 15 points. Blake Bialecki added 13 and Eli Caesar had 11. Bialecki added three more 3s to his boys chool record (170). The Wolverines jumped out to a 35-19 halftime lead and held on.
Woodstown (9-6)
17
18
13
12-
60
LEAP (8-5)
11
8
20
16-
55
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TODAY
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
13 vs. LEAP
939
Tymear Lecator, Salem
DNP
832
Wrestling
PENNS GROVE QUAD Woodstown 59, Penns Grove 18 Woodstown 53, Millville 26 Woodstown vs. Haddonfield Millville 58, Penns Grove 24 Haddonfield 76, Penns Grove 6 Haddonfield 66, Millville 12
WOODSTOWN 59, PENNS GROVE 18 106: Jose Santiago (PG) pinned TJ Conto, 4:52 113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) pinned Doel Torres, 1:29 120: Carson Bradway (WO) won by forfeit 126: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Adan Gonzales, 1:12 132: Barry Coverly (WO) won by forfeit 138: Luke Woronicak (WO) pinned Nyhia West, 1:10 144: Nehemiah Carter (WO) tech fall over Cristian Garcia, 24-8 (3:39) 150: Angel Ocasio (P) pinned Josh Woronicak, 0:53 157: AbdulMutaAlie IbnAbdulHailm Tart (P) pinned Chance Baionno, 2:31 165: Logan Warfield (WO) won by forfeit 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) won by forfeit 190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) won by forfeit 215: Double forfeit 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Antonio Cooper, 0:37
WOODSTOWN 53, MILLVILLE 26 106: Aiden Fowler (M) tech fall over TJ Conto, 18-1 (4:20) 113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) pinned Josean Rivera, 1:17 120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Christian Roman, 1:04 126: Ruben Cruz (M) dec. Walker Battavio, 15-12 132: Barry Coverly (WO) pinned Connor Postalwaite, 1:47 138: Luke Woronicak (WO) won by forfeit 144: Nehemiah Carter (WO) won by forfeit 150: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Josh Woronicak, 3:32 157: Chance Baionno (WO) won by forfeit 165: Jared Hoffman (M) pinned Logan Warfield, 3:54 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Kyelle Corley, 1:00 190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) tech fall over Jayden Lenzsch, 19-2 (4:15) 215: Tyshawn English (M) pinned Josiah Mejias-Zimkouski, 1:23 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Andrew Pinnock, 0:51
MILLVILLE 58, PENNS GROVE 24 120: Christian Roman (M) won by forfeit 126: Ruben Cruz (M) pinned Adan Gonzales, 5:47 132: Connor Postalwaite (M) won by forfeit 138: Nyhia West (PG) won by forfeit 144: Cristian Garcia (PG) won by forfeit 150: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Angel Ocasio, 4:47 157: AbdulMutaAlie IbnAbdulHailm Tart (P)G won by forfeit 165: Jared Hoffman (M) won by forfeit 175: Kyelle Corley (M) won by forfeit 190: Jayden Lenzsch (M) won by forfeit 215: Tyshawn English (M) won by forfeit 285: Andrew Pinnock (M) pinned Antonio Cooper, 1:15 106: Jose Santiago (PG) pinned Aiden Fowler, 1:25 113: Josean Rivera (M) maj. dec. Doel Torres, 22-12
HADDONFIELD 76, PENNS GROVE 6 106: Jose Santiago (PG) pinned Michael Scocca, 1:59 113: Cole Spence (H) pinned Doel Torres, 1:44 120: Harrison Carroll (H) won by forfeit 126: Alexandar Frey (H) tech fall over Adan Gonzales, 15-0 (1:20) 132: Charles Miller (H) won by forfeit 138: Pierce Hoffman (H) pinned Nyhia West, 0:26 144: George Falco (H) pinned Cristian Garcia, 0:52 150: William Dietz (H) tech fall over Angel Ocasio, 17-1 (2:25) 157: William Barker (H) pinned AbdulMutaAlie IbnAbdulHailm Tart, 4:48 165: Lino Tete (H) won by forfeit 175: Hutch Rhyne (H) won by forfeit 190: Parker Bawidamann (H) won by forfeit 215: Logan Rhea (H) won by forfeit 285: Michael Grant-Hines (H) pinned Antonio Cooper, 1:57
SCHALICK 46, VINELAND 36 120: Nick Garreffi (V) pinned Terry Both, 4:28 126: Deytin Pickett (V) won by forfeit 132: Chase Bordley (V) pinned Jacob Potts, 3:59 138: Jayden Binkowski (V) pinned Colin Bittle, 3:50 144: Michael Baisch (S_ pinned Joel Acosta, 1:56 150: Mason Hollywood (S) maj. dec. Cole Axelson, 10-2 157: Alan Garcia (V) over Ayden Jenkins, DQ 165: Anthony Deaver (S) pinned Zach Echevarria, 5:26 175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned Cris Lopez Perez, 4:15 190: Gerardo Felipe (S) pinned Liam Anderson, 0:44 215: James Cook (S) pinned Matt Nieves, 1:35 285: Jeff Edmonds (S) pinned Brian McCarter, 4:35 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Santino Machinsky (V) pinned Nicholas Latona, 1:50
SALEM TRI-MATCH Salem 42, Timber Creek 36 Middle Twp. 56, Salem 24 Middle Twp. 69, Timber Creek 9
SALEM 42, TIMBER CREEK 36 120: Zachary Tortella (S) won by forfeit 126: Adrien Morales (S) won by forfeit 132: Jesiyah Tomlinson (S) won by forfeit 138: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Jaire Williams, 1:24 144: Joseph Goetaski (S) pinned Alexander Dang, 1:32 150: Christian VonTonder (S) won by forfeit 157: Matt Cordova (TC) pinned Zyion Moore, 0:42 165: Quasir Pettit (TC) dec. Jordan Brown, 11-4 175: Jaivion Sydnor (S) pinned Ian Chandler, 3:46 190: Elijah Green (TC) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:22 215: Julian McCray (TC) won by forfeit 285: Roland Green (TC) dec. Abdullah Jenkins, SV-1 4-3 106: Lincoln Mitchell (TC) won by forfeit 113: Jimmy Boone (TC) won by forfeit
MIDDLE TWP. 56, SALEM 24 106: Calvin Parke (M) won by forfeit 113: Landon Shivers (M) won by forfeit 120: Benjamin Banks (M) tech fall over Zachary Tortella, 20-2 126: Michael Layer (M) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:54 132: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Thai Nguyen, 0:45 138: Maddox Boyd (M) maj. dec. Brodie Parker, 11-2 144: Joseph Goetaski (S) pinned Emmanuel Ortiz-Sanchez, 0:27 150: Tre Hamer (M) pinned Christian VonTonder, 4:35 157: Colin Prokson (M) pinned Zyion Moore, 1:00 165: Robert Attenborough (M) tech fall over Jordan Brown, 17-2 175: Jaivion Sydnor (S) pinned Jahzeel Perez 190: Connor Hagan (M) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:22 215: Robert Hodges (M) won by forfeit 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Shaun Tangree
Indoor track
TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s David Stewart and Salvatore Longo had the best finishes among Salem County athletes at the SJTCA 15 Saturday at The Bubble.
Stewart finished second in the boys 200, running a 23.35 to Willingboro’s Christopher Jones’ 23.20. Longo was fourth in the boys pole vault at 11-6.
Two other Cougars had top 10 finishes. Chase Riley was eighth in the boys 1600 (4:52.48) and Olivia Luneman was eighth in the girls shot put (27-3).
Woodstown wins two individual events and a relay at Dr. Sander Scorcher, go 1-2 in boys high school 800
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
NEW YORK – The Woodstown track team had another big night in the Big Apple.
The Wolverines won three events and got another athlete qualified for the New Balance Indoor Nationals during the Dr. Sander Scorcher at The Armory in Washington Heights Friday.
Josh Crawford won the boys high school 800 in a 1-2 finish with teammate Karson Chew, they both ran legs on the winning 4×800 relay and Kami Casiano won the girls high school high jump.
“Tonight’s meet was awesome,” Chew said. “We all had a great meet and a great day at The Armory. We’re super excited for the Millrose Games.”
The Wolverines’ 4×800 relay team returns here Feb. 1 for the Millrose.
Crawford won the 800 in 1:54.94 that was the fourth best time in New Jersey this year and 33rd best nationally. Chew was right on his heels, coming in second at 1:55.85 – a U.S. top 50 and N.J. top 10 time – to qualify for the New Balance Nationals.
Crawford went to the front early and Chew came from the outside to quickly pull alongside and they ran out front the rest of the race.
“Being able to PR by three seconds and go 1-2 with Josh is amazing,” Chew said.
Casiano won the high school girls high jump at 5-2, which is the 20th best jump in New Jersey this year.
The boys 4×8 win may have been the most surprising, not because the group wasn’t capable — they won on this track at the Millrose Games Trials — but because the circumstances leading up to it..
They ran 8:08.55 on literally their last legs from a day’s worth of competition and slightly shuffling of the deck.
Jacob Marino led them out with a 2:05 split. David Farrell kept them out front with a PR 2:03. Chew followed with a 2:01 and Crawford brought it home in 1:58.
“The 4×8 wasn’t our prettiest and the only person who really ran well was David,” Chew said. “He put us in the lead of the race by a lot.
“Because we were tired from the 800 we decided to experiment and give me some rest time. Jacob was already tired from his big mile PR beforehand, but he still kept us in the race in second where David took it and through the third lap pulled away to give us first place.”
“They showed grit when most of us weren’t running on fresh legs,” Crawford said.
Aidan Taulane had the best finish among Woodstown’s non-winners. He was a solid fifth in the boys high school shot put (44-1). He missed fourth place by 1.75 inches. The boys 4×200 relay team finished seventh (1:35.01).Lia Covely just missed a top 10 finish in the girls 55 hurdles (9.58).
Photo: Woodstown’s Karson Chew reacts after finishing second to teammate Josh Crawford (L) in the Dr. Sander Scorcher high school boys 800 and learning he qualified for the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Salem edges Wildwood to take lead in TCC Classic Division, but not happy with the effort; Pennsville ends losing streak, and more
BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville 46, Collingswood 44 Gateway 53, Salem Tech 29 Salem 50, Wildwood 49 GIRLS BASKETBALL Salem 52, Buena 15 Haddon Heights 64, Pennsville 46 Schalick 21, Paulsboro 16 Kingsway 54, Woodstown 17 WRESTLING Schalick 72, Pitman 9 Woodstown 42, Pennsville 28
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – There’s not a kid in America who has ever dribbled a basketball and not at one time counted down seconds in his head and drained a bucket at the buzzer to win some imaginary game against their rival or championship.
It’s like the golf kid who stands on the practice green and imagines sinking the putt that wins the Masters or the U.S. Open.
It’s part of growing up with sports in America.
Tymear Lecator was one of the basketball kids dribbling down the seconds in the playground to set up a buzzer beater. He was head on with the real thing Friday night.
There were three of those shots in the four quarters of Salem’s game with Wildwood. Lecator hit two of them to benefit the Rams. The third came at the final horn by Wildwood’s Trevor Troiano but was only good enough to close the margin in a 50-49 Salem win for the upper hand in the TCC Classic Division.
“When I was just a kid I’d be just practicing for that time, backyard, everywhere, and when the time comes don’t shy away,” Lecator said. “I want that shot and I’m confident in taking that shot. And I think it’s a good shot every time.
“You never know going into a game when they’re going to come around. Luckily those shots were in my hand when the buzzer was running down and I was able to get my team a couple buckets.”
Lecator beat the clock twice on his way to a team-high 18 points. His first buzzer-beater came from the right corner at the end of the first quarter and cut the Rams’ early deficit to 9-8. His second came in the third quarter off his steal right in front of the student section and capped a five-point burst in the final three seconds to gave the Rams a 35-31 lead.
It was the last of 11 lead changes in the game.
But Lecator’s most important shots of the game came without the clock moving. He hit a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left to put the Rams up 50-46 lead and render Troiano’s 3 at the final horn moot.
“I definitely knew I had to go to the line and knock down both and I stepped up – after shooting bad at the free throw line,” Lecator said. “Luckily I was able to step up and knock down the two most important ones.”
The win kept the Rams (12-2) undefeated in the Classic Division, while handing the Warriors (7-7) their first division loss. Despite the important win, there were a lot of long faces coming out of the Salem dressing room.
The Rams didn’t shoot it well early against Wildwood’s tight defense, committed 21 turnovers, and nearly let a five-point lead get away in the final 40 seconds. They led 16-15 lead at halftime despite going 3-for-15 from the field in the first quarter, 7-for-26 in the half and 1-for-13 from behind the arc.
“I don’t think really anybody on the team is happy, personally,” Lecator said. “I feel like I played pretty good, but I’m not even happy. We got beat on the backboards. Loose balls. We didn’t play a clean game. Had a couple dumb turnovers. Didn’t take the smartest shots. Rushed a lot of shots.
“We’re, honestly, 20 points better than Wildwood and we just played down to their level today. We didn’t respect the game. Luckily, we still were able to come out with the win, but for sure nobody’s happy.”
Darrelle Johnson gave the Rams a 47-42 lead with less than 40 seconds left. Wildwood missed its next shot that Johnson rebounded, but fell to the floor and was called for traveling. He slammed the ball on the floor that drew a technical foul with 25.4 left.
Troiano hit both technical foul shots and then was fouled driving with the accompanying possession. He hit those two shots with 10.8 seconds to go to make it a one-point game and the Warriors immediately called time.
Xavier McGriff was fouled on the inbounds with 8.8 to go. He made the first of his two free throws, missed the second but the Warriors traveled with the rebound inside of five seconds.
The Warriors fouled Lecator in the backcourt after the inbounds play and the Rams’ guard hit the two free throws that allowed the Rams to escape without joy.
“It’s just high expectations,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “We have a standard here. We have a goal in mind that we’re trying to accomplish and you have to go out and compete and play at a high level in order to accomplish that goal.
“That’s what we’re working for. The win is great, the win is good, but at the same time we want to play a good brand of basketball to help us in March. I didn’t think tonight we played a good brand of basketball to help us in March.
“We’ve found ways this year to win games when we’ve been horrible and that’s part of being a pretty good team, finding a way. But you’ve got to find a way with energy and effort and I thought Wildwood came in with a lot of energy and effort. (Getting) 50-50 balls, offensive rebounding, getting multiple possessions. Those are things that are unacceptable when you’re trying to be ready for March.”
3-point goals: Wildwood 5 (Bannon 2, T. Troiano 3); Salem 2 (Lecator 2). Rebounds: Wildwood 32 (T. Troiano 12, Mawhinney 9); Salem 34 (Williams 7, Stephens 6). Technical fouls: Johnson. Total fouls: Wildwood 21, Salem 14.
PENNSVILLE 46, COLLINGSWOOD 44: Mason O’Brien went for 32 points and the Eagles held on in the final five seconds to snap a 12-game losing streak and score their second win of the season.
O’Brien hit four 3-pointers and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He scored 20 of the Eagles’ 24 points in the second half.
“Mason was clearly the best player on the floor,” Pennsville coach Ray Heine said. “It was an evenly matched game in the first half. We took a 10-point lead late in the third, but it was sloppy finish.
“We’re learning how to close games. We were able to get big stops down the stretch. It’s nice to see things start to translate into game situations. When we play comparable competition I feel we can win.”
PENNSVILLE (2-13): Jake Layfield 0-1-1, Jake Farina 1-0-2, Gavin Spears 2-0-5, Danny Knight 1-0-2, Mason O’Brien 10-8-32, Aiden Clark 2-0-4. Totals 16-9-45. COLLINGSWOOD (0-17): Craig Kelly 0-0-0, Zach Washington 2-0-5, Aaron Young 6-1-15, Amandi Ekezie 2-0-6, Gavin Fife 0-0-0, London Forero 3-2-10, Jayden Diaz 2-1-6, Messiah Norman 1-0-2. Totals 16-4-44.
GATEWAY 53, SALEM TECH 29: Eddie Coryell scored 17 points and Ben Cook posted his fourth double-double of the season as the Gators snapped a two-game losing streak. Cook had 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots and had three steals. Coryell recorded seven assists. Chase Pompper led the Chargers with 13 points.
GATEWAY (7-8): Ben Cook 8 0-0 16, Eddie Coryell 6 1-2 17, Ben Runner 4 3-3 11, Evan Haase 2 0-0 6, Devin Forman 0 2-2 2, DJ Bink 0 1-3 1, Naqwon Langston 0 0-0 0, Tajial James 0 0-0 0, JaQuahn Smith-Carney 0 0-0 0, Max Hohl 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-10 53. SALEM TECH (2-10): Chase Pompper 5 3-6 13, Aiden Bobo 3 0-0 7, Luke Kroll 2 0-0 5, Raphael Busch 2 0-2 4. Only players reported. Totals 12 3-8 29.
SCHALICK 21, PAULSBORO 16: The Cougars found a way to win even when they didn’t play their best, coming to life in the fourth quarter to break away from the defensive battle.
The Cougars scored almost as many points in the fourth quarter as they had the previous three despite top scorer Nevaeh Robinson fouling out, outscoring their hosts 10-2 to overcome a three-point deficit. Robinson led Schalick with 10 points and was the game’s only scorer in double figures.
“We were able to get some shots to fall, that was the difference,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “I think we were fatigued from a tough game against Pitman the night before and we were missing (point guard Olivia) Vanacker so we struggled a little offensively in the first half until we were able to adjust.”
Emmalyn Weir connected with Jaelynn Jarmon for a key bucket in the rally.
“We played well all night defensively so we were able to stay in it,” Whelan said. “The girls fought through the struggles and never let themselves be defeated. We were able to find a way to win on a night that wasn’t our best.”
The Cougars have won four in a row and now have nine wins, their winningest season since 2021-22 (10-11).
KINGSWAY 54, WOODSTOWN 17: Annika Dohlen and Alessia Lentini scored 14 points apiece to lead Kingsway. Lauren Hengel and Kendall Young had six points each for Woodstown.
HADDON HEIGHTS 64, PENNSVILLE 46::Emma Harris hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points, her fourth 30-point game of the season, and the Garnets got 10 points apiece from Lily Yanni and Juliet Bennett. Marley Wood led Pennsville with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Taylor Bass had 13 for the Eagles.
SCHALICK 72, PITMAN 9 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Nicholas Latona (S) won by forfeit 120: Grady Datz (P) won by forfeit 126: Terry Both (S) pinned Nate Wenzke, 1:00 132: Jacob Potts (S) pinned John Wisniewski, 1:51 138: Colin Bittle (S) won by forfeit 133: Michael Bausch (S) pinned Dominick, 0:17 150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Aidan Upham, 1:35 157: Logan Newman (S) won by forfeit 165: Ayden Jenkins (S) pinned Alex Simone, 1:37 175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned Anthony Cappello, 2:49 190: Aiden Milward (P) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 4-1 215: James Cook (S) pinned Nicolas Horner, 0:20 285: Jeff Edmonds (S) pinned Ashton Maggioncalda, 5:04
Here are the Salem CC baseball and softball schedules for spring 2026
BASEBALL FEBRUARY 16: at Bryant & Stratton (Va.) (2), noon; 27: Ocean, 3 p.m.; 28: at Ocean (2), noon MARCH 3: at Delaware Tech, 3 p.m.; 6: at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.; 7: Brookdale (2), noon; 9: vs. Penn State-Hazleton at Myrtle Beach, 9 a.m.; 9: vs. Illinois Valley at Myrtle Beach, 1 p.m.; 10: vs. Lakeland CC at Myrtle Beach, 6 p.m.; 10: vs. CC of Rhode Island at Myrtle Beach, 9 p.m.; 12: vs. Minnesota North-Itasca (2) at Myrtle Beach, 9 a.m.; 13: vs. Elgin (2) at Myrtle Beach, 4 p.m.; 14: Quinsigamond CC at Myrtle Beach, noon; 14: vs. Garrett at Myrtle Beach, 3 p.m.; 15: vs. Surry (2) at Myrtle Beach, noon; 16: Northampton, 3:30 p.m.; 17: at Northampton (2), noon; 20: Atlantic Cape, 3:30 p.m.: 21: at Atlantic Cape (2), noon; 24: at Delaware County, 3:30 p.m.; 25: Delaware County, 3:30 p.m.; 27: RCSJ-Cumberland, 3:30 p.m.; 28: at RCSJ-Cumberland (2), noon; 31: at Montgomery County, 3:30 p.m. APRIL 1: at Montgomery County, 3:17 p.m.; 7: Delaware Tech, 3 p.m.; 10: Middlesex, 3:30 p.m. 11: at Middlesex (2), noon; 17: at Camden, 3 p.m.; 18: Camden (2), noon; 21: Bergen, 3:30 p.m.; 22: at Bergen, 3:30 p.m.; 24: at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3:30 p.m.; 25: RCSJ-Gloucester (2), noon; 28: Mercer (2), 3 p.m.; MAY 1: Union, TBA; 2: at Union (2), noon
SOFTBALL (All games doubleheaders) MARCH 3: Lackawanna, 1 p.m.; 5: at RCSJ-Gloucester, 3 p.m.; 6: Sussex, 1 p.m.; 7: Monroe-Bronx, noon; 12: at Frederick, 3 p.m.; 14: at Chesapeake, noon; 15: at Anne Arundel, noon; 20: Bucks, 3 p.m. 22: at Delaware Tech, noon; 24: at Raritan Valley, 3:30 p.m.; 26: at CCBC Catonsville, 3 p.m.; 28: Morris, noon; 31: at Lackawanna, 3 p.m. APRIL 2: at Monroe-Bronx, 3 p.m.; 3: Howard CC, 3 p.m.; 4: at Mercer, noon; 8: at Cecil, 2 p.m.; 11: Delaware Tech, noon; 13: at Harford, 1 p.m.; 16: Mercer, 3 p.m.; 18: at Sussex, noon; 21: at Morris, 3:30 p.m.; 23: at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.; 25: Raritan Valley, noon.
Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove 81, Clayton 66 Schalick 39, Pitman 38 Salem 86, Pennsville 23 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick 42, Pitman 32 Clayton 39, Penns Grove 28 Pennsville 70, Salem 34 SWIMMING Woodstown 119, Pitman 49 Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT BOWLING Salem Tech in NJTAC, Lucky Strike North Brunswick
Boys basketball
PENNS GROVE 81, CLAYTON 66: Clayton’s James Fritz scored a game-high 23 points, but the Red Devils offset it by placing five scorers in double figures.
Roman Gipson led Penns Grove with 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Luis Colon had a career-high 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Jameel Horace went for 13 and eight. Geonni Conrad had 12 points and five steals, Will Roy had 10 points.
CLAYTON (5-8): Jackson Venuto 3 0-0 6, James Fritz 10 3-8 23, Nasir Carter 2 1-4 5, Trevor Rehm 3 0-0 8, King Mosley 0 0-0 0, Michael Bull 2 3-4 7, Justin Delaney 1 0-0 3, Kevin Mosley 2 2-2 8, Enok Figeruoa 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4, Anthony Taylor 0 0-0 0, Dominic Lemon 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 9-18 66. PENNS GROVE (10-6): Roman Gipson 8-0-16, Carson Pearsall 4-0-9, Benoni Conrad 5-2-12, Will Roy 5-0-10, Mishawn Brantley 2-0-4, Luis Colon 7-0-14, Jameel Horace 6-0-13, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0, Jeremy Costacamps 0-0-0. Totals 37-2-78.
SCHALICK 39, PITMAN 38: Dylan Sheehan hit the go-ahead free throw with six seconds left and the Cougars defended Pitman’s final layup to seal the victory and snap a three-game losing streak.
Justin Iacona converted a pass from Sheehan into a layup to tie the game with less than a minute to play. Julian Dickerson and Jase Volovar then trapped the ball at midcourt creating a steal by Sheehan, who was fouled driving to the basket. He made the second free throw to break the tie.
The Cougars battled back from a 19-6 first-quarter deficit to get the win.
“We talked all week about how physical Pitman is and how well they shoot the ball,” Schalick coach James Turner said. “Defensively we made too many mistakes in the first quarter. We made adjustments in the second quarter and our guys really responded.
“They played their asses off, made the necessary changes, and executed when it mattered most.:
Dickerson led the Cougars’ offense with 15 points, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Volovar made his first start of the season and scored five of the first six points of the game. He finished with 10.
SALEM 86, PENNSVILLE 23: Salem’s Tymear Lecator filled the box score with 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Darrell Johnson had 11 points and Fatah Paige had 10 points and six rebounds. Marshall Stephens had six points and seven rebounds, grabbing his 100th career rebound in the process, blocked three shots. Deshaan Williams grabbed eight boards.
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TODAY
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
DNP
926
Tymear Lecator, Salem
26 vs. Pennsville
814
Girls games
SCHALICK 42, PITMAN 32: Nevaeh Robinson scored eight of her game-high 20 points in the second quarter as the Cougars erased a one-point deficit and took control of the game. It was their third straight win.
PENNSVILLE 70, SALEM 34: Taylor Bass hit a career-tying six 3-pointers and erupted for a career-high 31 points, leading three Eagles in double figures. Marley Wood hit all four of her 3s in q 16-point first half and finished with 19. Addie Johnston had 11 points. The Eagles hit 14 3-pointers in the game. Madison Dixon led Salem’s offense with 10 points. Dyaira Anderson grabbed 17 rebounds.
Nasseem Wright one-ups his coach with triple-double as No. 1 Salem CC remains undefeated; women postpone another game, vow to complete season
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Nasseem Wright did something Thursday night not even his head coach did when he was in college, and Mike Green played Division I basketball.
Wright sent everyone scrambling for the archives after going for the first triple-double of the Green Era, leading the undefeated top-ranked Mighty Oaks past Atlantic Cape for the second time this season, 101-88.
Wright scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished 10 assists. He had eight, nine and five in the second half. He also had three steals and four blocked shots, coming that close to a 5-by-5.
It’s the Mighty Oaks’ first triple-double since Lamar Woody went for 39 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a 93-58 win over Sussex on Feb. 8, 2020.
“I was knowing (he was close),” Wright said. “I wasn’t counting individual assists, points or rebounds, but I knew I was aggressive on the rebounds and finding my open teammates. I ain’t going to lie, the second half especially, I felt like I had a lot of assists, so I was kind of knowing in my head. But I already was having a high rebounding game so I kind of had a thought (it might happen).”
Green came close to a triple-double “a lot of times” during his decorated college career that spanned Towson and top-ten Butler, but he never completed the feat. He went for 19, 6 and 12 against Notre Dame his second game at Butler and had lines of 11/12/9 (Detroit Mercy), 24/13/8 (Milwaukee) and 16/8/10 (Youngstown State) in 2008.
“Me and Coach MG, we have like a funny bond off the court, so it’s definitely a one-up on him. I’m definitely going to talk to him about that one.”
Green wasn’t jealous at all. In fact, he was genuinely happy for his freshman guard.
“We’ve got to get him a graphic drawn up; that’s a big deal, not normal,” Green said. “It’s a testament to his work, his skill set. He’s very versatile. And it came in a game that was needed. It was no game he was hunting for it; he really did all those things within the game. It’s a testament to him.
“I’m not jealous, heck no. We needed it. We needed it. When I got close, I got close, but we needed it. He did his job and we needed everything he did. Every rebound, every pass, we needed it, and he delivered.”
Wright never had a triple-double in high school, but he twice came within one assist of pulling it off this season — against Thaddeus Stevens Dec. 4 and Ocean Dec. 18. He’s now averaging 17.4 mpg, a team-high 8.2 rig and 4.2 assists.
His teammates were just as excited about the feat as he was.
“I’m proud of ‘Seem,” freshman Idris Rines said. “Last year for me in high school I got my school’s first-ever triple-double. Seem’s a hard worker. Seem’s been talking about it. And Seem’s been on pace for a lot of them this year. Even the first game time we played Atlantic Cape he almost got a triple-double with eight blocks. I’m proud of ‘Seem. I’m going to text him later, but it’s well deserved. He brings our energy. That’s why he’s our captain.”
Nayeem Johnson led the Mighty Oaks (22-0) in scoring with 20 points in 29 minutes off the bench. He was 7-of-12 from the floor and also had four rebounds and two assists. Jarrell Little had 18 points, 12 in the second half; Saaid Lee had 16, Zyaire Gibson 12 on four 3-pointers, and Rines had 11.
Johnson scored six points in a 17-2 Salem run over the final 3:13 of the first half, holding the Buccaneers (7-11) to just two free throws, to erase a four-point deficit and take a 52-41 halftime lead. Before the outburst there were eight ties and four lead changes in the half.
“I know when I come in the game I just have to either pick up the slack or keep up what they’re doing; I’ve got to produce,” he said. “It was just another night for me to help the team as much as I can.”
The Bucs wouldn’t go away and cut it to 78-77 with 7:14 to play, then the Mighty Oaks hit four 3-pointers over the next four minutes and moved back comfortably ahead. Rines hit two of them, one with 6:20 left to make it 81-77 and the other with 3:56 to break an 81-81 tie and touch off a 13-2 that put the Mighty Oaks on top for good.
“I think MG just trusts me, my teammates just trust me,” said Rines, who hit a pair of big 3s against the Bucs in the season opener that started the Mighty Oaks on this trek. “I was on the bench when their big like changed his gameplan to stop guarding the 3-point line and I just tried to take advantage of my shooting ability and what he was giving me.”
SALEM CC 101, ATLANTIC CAPE 88 ATLANTIC CAPE (7-11): Logan Sparks 4-8 4-6 12, Quinn Baumann 0-0 0-0 0, Corey Thomas 1-2 0-0 2, Amin Hines 5-12 0-0 13, Olin Knox 8-14 2-6 18, Jaleel Clark 1-3 0-0 3, Jayden Lopez 1-2 0-0 2, Sahmir Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Carlos Rodriguez 7-17 6-8 22, Justin Moore 1-4 0-0 2, Salou Hane 1-4 0-0 3, Christian Ferguson 4-8 1-1 11. Totals 33-74 13-21 88. SALEM CC (22-0): Jarrell Little 4-16 8-10 18, Saaid Lee 5-12 4-6 16, Zaire Gibson 4-7 0-0 12, Nasseem Wright 6-8 2-5 14, Stefan Phillips 1-4 0-0 3, Jahseir Sayles 0-0 1-2 1, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 4-4 6, Nayeem Johnson 7-12 4-6 20, Idris Rines 4-7 1-2 11, Mike Goodwin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-69 24-35 101.
Atlantic Cape
41
47-
88
Salem CC
52
49-
101
3-point goals: Atlantic Cape 9-18 (Hines 3-6, Clark 1-1, Lopez 0-1, Rodriguez 2-4, Hane 1-4, Ferguson 2-2); Salem CC 13-28 (Little 2-8, Lee 2-3, Gibson 4-6, Phillips 1-4, Johnson 2-3, Rines 2-4). Rebounds: Atlantic Cape 35 (Knox 13, Sparks 8). Salem CC 37 (N. Wright 13). Total fouls: Atlantic Cape 21, Salem CC 19.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
SALEM CC (1)
9-0
22-0
17-0
Northampton (6)
11-1
17-2
Union (5)
12-2
16-5
11-2
Montgomery (12)
9-2
12-3
Brookdale
13-3
14-6
9-4
Camden
8-2
11-7
7-6
Ocean
10-4
12-7
8-5
Bergen
11-7
12-10
5-9
RCSJ-Cumberland
6-7
7-11
6-8
Atlantic Cape
6-8
7-11
5-9
RCSJ-Gloucester
5-11
7-15
1-11
Thaddeus Stevens
3-8
7-11
Sussex
4-12
7-15
4-10
Passaic
4-14
4-16
3-11
Harrisburg Area
2-8
3-14
Philadelphia
2-10
7-10
Delaware County
2-10
3-15
Luzerne
1-9
4-15
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem 101, Atlantic Cape 88 Monroe 109, Essex 69 Bergen 86, RCSJ-Cumberland 66 Northampton 85, Harrisburg Area 53 Rockland 87, Union 62 Ulster at Raritan Valley Bucks 76, Delaware County 74 Ocean 104, Sussex 78 Mercer at Morris Misericordia JV at Thaddeus Stevens Brookdale 60, Camden 49 Baltimore City CC 71, Delaware Tech 60 Montgomery 91, Philadelphia 79 Lackawanna 93, Orange 74 SATURDAY’S GAMES Luzerne at Thaddeus Stevens Union at RCSJ-Cumberland Northampton at Monroe-Bronx Sussex at Philadelphia Mercer at Orange Harrisburg Area at Delaware County Delaware Tech at Middlesex Monroe at Harcum Montgomery at Passaic Camden at Atlantic Cape Raritan Valley at Westchester Morris at Essex
Women’s game ppd.
CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC women postponed the third of their last four games due to a limited roster, but multiple officials in the program said the Mighty Oaks are committed to playing a complete season.
The Mighty Oaks were scheduled to play RCSJ-Gloucester at DuPont Fieldhouse, but the game was moved to a date when the team would have a deeper roster. They played Tuesday’s region counter against Mercer with six players and finished with four on the floor.
They are planning to play at Lackawanna Saturday and hope to have seven, possibly eight, players available.
They have been hit by a spate of injuries that has decimated an already shorthanded roster. They had four players hurt during the game against Hagerstown and postponed the next two games against Harcum and Middlesex that followed.
Both coach Brian Marsh and athletics director Bob Hughes said Thursday the program was committed to playing out the year. Three teams in JUCO Region 19 – Delaware County, Bucks, RCSJ-Cumberland — already have given up the ghost.
“I thought we were getting close to that decision, but I told my players and I told Bob, our AD, I want to play,” Marsh said. “We are shorthanded and a lot of teams that we’ve played this year wouldn’t play Mercer, No. 17 in the country, but I said no, we want to play it
“We’re the type of program that wants to play anyone, anywhere, anytime, so if we keep saying it we’ve got to live by it … They want to finish the season; I want to finish the season. Until it gets to a point where we can’t do anything, I’m going to continue to push this thing and play. We’re going to play this thing as long as we can.
“I don’t want to be a program, unless we absolutely have to, that packs it in. That’s our last option. I don’t want that to be our first option. I told (the players) we’re doing everything we can to save this season.”
All three of the postponed games have been rescheduled for later in the season – Harcum next Thursday and Middlesex and RCSJ-Gloucester in February.
The Mighty Oaks are currently 2-12, 1-6 in Region 19.
Marsh said he wants to get 12 players on the roster for next season. He already has a player from Texas committed and is recruiting South Jersey like never before.
“We’re definitely gonna be here next year,” he said. “I expect a big class.”
Region XIX Women’s Standings
DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Harcum (4)
8-0
16-1
Union (11)
9-1
17-2
7-0
Mercer (15)
7-2
13-3
3-1
Essex
7-3
13-4
5-2
Delaware Tech
4-5
7-12
Lackawanna
4-6
5-10
Raritan Valley
3-6
6-12
3-4
Middlesex
2-7
7-14
1-4
SALEM CC
1-6
2-12
0-3
Morris
0-8
0-8
0-4
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, ppd. Camden 80, Brookdale 42 Monroe 107, Raritan Valley 15 Delaware Tech 84, Baltimore City CC 54 Ocean 75, Sussex 61 Philadelphia at Montgomery RCSJ-Cumberland at Bergen Lackawanna 52, Orange 43 SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Lackawanna Camden at Atlantic Cape Mercer at Orange Montgomery at Passaic Sussex at Philadelphia Delaware Tech at Middlesex Union at Harcum Raritan Valley at Westchester Morris at Essex
Here are scores and details from Wednesday night’s Salem County sports calendar; includes track, basketball, wrestling and bowling
INDOOR TRACK PHILADELPHIA — Schalick’s Salvatore Longo and Penns Grove’s JaKai Ingram placed sixth in their respective events Wednesday night o post the highest finishes among Salem County athletes competing in the Nike Elite Indoor Meet at Penn’s Ott Center.
Longo was sixth in the boys pole vault at 11-6. He made three attempts at 12-0, a height that reduced the field to the final three. Ingram placed sixth in the boys shot with a PR of 45-0.25. It came on his final throw of the night.
Among the other Salem County athletes at the meet …
Kylee Goodson (Penns Grove) was ninth in the boys 400 with a PR of 50.66 that is the 34th fastest time in the state this year.
Arianna Dowe (Penns Grove) was ninth in the girls triple jump (32-11.75). Teammate Zoey Ceasar was tenth in the girls shot put (30-1.5)
Ahmad Tucker (Salem) was 13th in the boys long jump with a PR of 19-11.5.
Steve Chomo (Schalick) was 14th in the boys 800 with a season-best 2:04.25. He was sixth in his heat.
BOYS BASKETBALL Wildwood 68, Salem Tech 30: Trevor Troiano hit five of the Warriors’ 11 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points. Nolan Mawhinney added 13. Chase Pompper led the Chargers with 12 points. Wildwood (7-6) visits Salem Friday for first place in the TCC Classic Division.
3-point goals: Wildwood 11 (G. Troiano 2, Benichou, T. Troiano 5, Santiago, Sewell, McWade); Salem Tech 1 (L. Kroll).
GIRLS BASKETBALL OVERBROOK 65, SALEM TECH 37 Gianna Simon and Leigha Muff both went for 23 points as the Rams (2-12) won for the first time since their season opener. Muff hit five 3-pointers. Shelby Liber hit five 3-pointers and led the Chargers (2-9) with 18 points. Amora Delaine was credited with 21 rebounds.
3-point goals: Overbrook 8 (Simon 2, Washington, Muff 5); Salem Tech 6 (Drummond, Liber 5).
WRESTLING PENNSVILLE 49, TIMBER CREEK 30 106: Brett Land (P) pinned Lincoln Mitchell, 1:05 113: Jimmy Boone (T) pinned Jariel Colon, 1:42 120: Earl Wynn (P) tech fall over Dyllan Blotz, 19-3 126: Mehki Dicks (P) won by forfeit 132: Maximos Efelis (P) won by forfeit 138: Chase Baker (P) won by forfeit 144: Nathaniel Mason (P) tech fall over Jaire Williams, 24-8 150: Travis Hagan (P) won by forfeit 157: Matt Cordova (T) won by forfeit 165: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Nathaniel Collazo, 2:38 175: Ian Chandler (T) pinned Cristian Blyler, 3:07 190: Elijah Green (T) pinned Stephen Pangle, 0:49 215: Julian McCray (T) pinned Hunter Coulbourn, 2:34 285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Roland Green, 4-1
WINSLOW 53, SALEM 21 106: Jason Green (WI) won by forfeit 113: Christopher Steed (WI) won by forfeit 120: Aaden King (WI) tech fall over Zachary Tortilla, 15-0 (1:30) 126: Alverse Cannon (WI) pinned Hayden Stauble, 1:00 132: Guilherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Nathan Downey, 3:35 138: Angel Berrios (WI) pinned Brodie Parker, 0:40 144: Noah Young (WI) pinned Joseph Goetaski, 2:21 150: Nathan Smalls (WI) pinned Christian VanTonder, 2:50 157: Zion Moore (S) dec. Joshua Martinez, 10-7 165: Luke Vigorito (WI) pinned Jordan Brown, 3:50 175: Jaivion Sydnor (S) pinned London Brown, 1:34 190: Caleb Walderrama (WI) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:40 215: Abdur Jenkins (S) dec. Kameriin Walters, 5-2 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) dec. Izuchukwu Ugwuzor, 9-3
Clayton at Schalick
BOWLING Deptford 3, Salem 1: Edward Tokley rolled games of 247, 276 and 277 for an 800 series to lead Deptford (9-0) in the battle of Tri-County Conference division leaders. Troy Carey rolled the high game (254) and high series (633) for the Rams (8-2), who had an eight-match winning streak stopped. Deptford won the girls match, 4-0.
Riverview Sports News 