Author: almusky

Friday roundup

Woodstown basketball falls to Delsea; Penns Grove wrestling battles in Maryland, Pennsville suffers first duals loss

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Woodstown was looking to purge the bad taste left by the upsetting loss to Penns Grove the night before, but instead lost another close game.

The Wolverines held Delsea to its season-low in points and hit seven 3-pointers Friday, but their fourth-quarter rally came up just short and they fell to the Crusaders 40-37.

Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez combined for five of the Wolverines’ 3-pointers and had nine points apiece. Delsea’s Chase Ambrosius led all scorers with 17 points, going 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

It was Delsea’s sixth win in a row. It’s the Crusaders’ longest winning streak since winning eight in a row in 2018-19.

DELSEA 40, WOODSTOWN 37
DELSEA (7-1) – Luke Van Auken 4 2-2 10, Frank Master 1 0-0 2, Chase Ambrosius 2 11-13 17, Mike McGinley 5 0-0 11. Totals 12 13-15 40.
WOODSTOWN (4-2) – Manny Ortega 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 3 0-0 9, Alejandro Vazquez 3 1-1 9, M.J. Hall 1 0-0 3, Garrett Leyman 2 1-2 5, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Max Webb 1 0-2 2, Rocco String 3 0-3 6. Totals 14 2-8 7.

Delsea18985 –40
Woodstown117811 –37
3-point goals: Delsea 3 (Ambrosius 2, McGinley); Woodstown 7 (Ortega, Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2, Hall).

Wrestling

CHESAPEAKE CITY, Md. – Three Penns Grove wrestlers scored second-round pins Friday to stay alive in the championship bracket of the Red Devils’ annual pilgrimage to the Battle at the Bridge tournament.

Devine Arce (120), Anthony Brown (150) and Isaiah Upshur (190) all reached the quarterfinals. Arce scored his second round pin in 1:50, Brown scored his in 1:07 and Upshur scored his in 3:37.

The Red Devils, who’ve been coming to the tournament regularly since 2012, brought 11 wrestlers to the event and are currently 16th in the team standings. Plymouth Whitemarsh (Pa.) leads the field.

Clinton Bobo (175) has scored 10 points for the Red Devils win pins in the first round and the consolation second round.

BATTLE AT THE BRIDGE
TEAM SCORES: Plymouth Whitemarsh 92, Sussex Central 75, Havre de Grace 66, Aberdeen 58, Harford Tech 57, Conrad Science 56, Langley 55, North Caroline 54, Linganore 51, Marple Newtown 51, Penncrest 44.5, Howard 44, Odessa 44, Queen Anne 41, Concord 36, Penns Grove 33, North East 32.5, Middletown 31, Elkton 19, Kent County 15.5, Bohemia Manor 8, St. Charles 8.

Eagles drop first duals

PENNSVILLE – Absegami won six of seven bouts in the middle of the match to hand Pennsville its first dual match defeat of the season 45-26.

Robbie McDade’s pin at 165 got the Eagles (4-1) to within 33-20 with four bouts remaining, but Julian Rivera scored a pin in the next bout to close out the match.

Travis Hagan (138) and Trevor Waddington (285) also scored pins for Pennsville, while Christopher Daniels and Gabriel Supernavage scored major decisions.

The Eagles are currently No. 2 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, 0.33 points behind undefeated Gloucester.

ABSEGAMI 45, PENNSVILLE 26
106: Liam Kisby (A) pinned Lucas Thomas, 2:31
113: Amelia Taylor (A) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 3:02
120: Christopher Daniels (P) maj. dec. over Tristan Brown, 14-1
126: Gabriel Supernavage (P) maj. dec. over Michael Famelio, 14-2
132: Nathaniel DeStefano (A) pinned Ayden Perez, 2:43
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Brendan Ross, 1:25
144: Johnny Font (A) pinned Joseph Maurer, 5:11
150: Christopher Eaton (A) won by forfeit
157: Ibn Russell (A) dec. Sky Eppes, 4-3
165: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Joshua Herring, 1:00
175: Julian Rivera (A) pinned Justin Oldaker, 0:36
190: Brayden Wright (A) dec. Elias Lussi, 5-0
215: Thomas Appello (A) dec. Daniel Emmons, 3-0
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Brandon Miller, 2:58
Records: Absegami 1-2, Pennsville 4-1

Cougars paired in Battle

Battle of the Beach pairs Schalick with Cedar Grove in this year’s fourth annual showcase in Ocean City

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Mike Wilson would watch the Battle at the Beach games on television whenever practice week prep would allow. He always wanted to play in it, but never had the chance.

Well, the Schalick football coach can cross that off his bucket list now.

SCHALICK

His Cougars, coming off one of the best years in school history and still loaded with talent, will get one of the Friday games in this year’s fourth annual Battle in Ocean City. They are scheduled to play Cedar Grove in an all-Group I matchup Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. in Carey Stadium. All that awaits is approval from their board.

“I think it’s good because it’s a showcase weekend,” Wilson said. “John (Emel), Mike (McKeown), (Clyde) Folsom, those guys have done a great job of organizing a great weekend. Just to have the opportunity to play in a showcase weekend like that is a big deal. It’s good for the kids. It’s good for the school.

“I’ve watched plenty of it on TV. Usually we’re playing that weekend, so I don’t have time to get down there myself. But last year I watched St. Joe Prep on TV. I watched Mainland play on TV. I played on that field growing up … the ferris wheel in the background … the beach in the background. I played there in high school, played there in youth football. It’s one of the best fields in New Jersey. It’s a great atmosphere.”

It’s just another chance for Schalick administrators to give their athletes a special experience. Later this winter the Cougars’ basketball team will play Clayton in the Wells Fargo Center before a Sixers game.

“To me, as an athletics director, that’s what you’re supposed to do – try to provide opportunities out of the norm for your kids to enhance your programs,” AD Doug Volovar said at the time of the basketball announcement. “That just seems like it’d be a great opportunity as an athletics director to give your kids a chance to do something different, to being a part of something special.”

CEDAR GROVE

While Schalick will be making its Battle debut, Cedar Grove has been there before. The Panthers played in it in 2022 and got crushed by Salem.

The Panthers went 8-2 last year and lost to eventual sectional champion Shabazz in the first round of the North Jersey-2 playoffs. Schalick won its first 11 games before losing to Glassboro in the Central Jersey final.

Other Battle at the Beach games that have been previously announced are George Washington (Phila.)-Glassboro, Winslow-Montclair, Willingboro-Oakcrest, Irvington-Eastside Camden, Millville-Holy Spirit, Mainland-Camden, Washington Twp.-Northern Highlands and Rancocas Valley-Pascack Valley. 

Penns Grove is likely to play in the event, but no matchup has yet been made.

Challenge met

Woodstown passes its first major test of the season, Pennsville overwhelms Schalick in a battle of teams fighting the injury bug, Salem gets second straight win

THURSDAY GIRLS SCORES
Woodstown 61, Penns Grove 53
Pennsville 52, Schalick 14
Salem 45, Salem Tech 19

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – As almost everybody’s favorite to win the Tri-County Diamond Division and then some in South Jersey, the Woodstown girls basketball team knows it’s going to get everybody’s best shot every night.

The Wolverines faced their biggest test of the young season Thursday night and answered the bell like the favorites they are.

In a battle between the two best teams in the division, Woodstown grabbed the lead late in the first quarter, endured some anxious moments near the end of the first half and then finally pulled away in the second half for a 61-53 victory over Penns Grove.

“This is probably the biggest challenge we’ll have in all of our division games,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “They’re athletic, they’re quick, they’re the second-best team in our division, but I’ve got 10 girls who play together. There’s nobody in my opinion in our division who has as much of a team as I do.”

While Megan Donelson (25 points) and Talia Battavio (20) did most of their scoring as usual, the Wolverines (5-1) got contributions from throughout the lineup. Shannon Pieman grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots. Alyssa Baber had 10 boards.

And they needed every bit of it. They took the lead midway through the first quarter, but Penns Grove never let them get comfortable. 

The Red Devils were out of sorts during their two games in Wildwood after Christmas, but they were determined to play their game and not get caught up in the early-season enormity of the game. They pressed from the jump and made the Wolverines work for everything they got.

Donelson and Battavio combined for all of Woodstown’s points in the first quarter and 28 of their 30 in the first half.

Penns Grove is a team that likes to drive and attack the basket. But as the first half worn on, the Wolverines’ defense kept forcing the Red Devils farther out for shots and it produced the predictable results.

Woodstown led by 12 with less than two minutes left in the first half, but Penns Grove rallied and things got real intense in the final minute of the half. With 25.8 seconds to go in an eight-point game, Penns Grove’s RiNiyah Wilson was fouled by Battavio driving to the basket and the reaction led to a technical foul on the Wolverines guard.

Wilson hit three of the four free throws to make it a five-point game and the Red Devils had the ball with a chance to cut it to two or three. But Gianna Maiorini thwarted those plans when she stole the possession and fed Donelson who banked in a short jumper in the lane with six seconds to go. Donelson then stole the next inbounds pass and the Wolverines ran out the clock to take a seven-point halftime lead.

“If they would’ve gotten the lead I think it would’ve been a different game,” Straughn said.

The Red Devils got to within four several times early in the second half, but the Wolverines pushed it back out to 10 . They kept the Red Devils at arm’s length the rest of the game to win their fifth in a row while sending their hosts to their third straight loss.

“I think we could’ve done a little bit better than what we actually did, but we ended up pulling out the win and that’s just all that matters,” Donelson said.

While Donelson and Battavio were the big producers for Woodstown, Wilson did all she could to keep Penns Grove in it. The transfer from Kingsway led all scorers with a career-high 33 points and she grabbed nine rebounds.

“My coach talks about mental toughness, fight through the game, if we’re down pick my teammates up, keep going, keep fighting,” Wilson said. “I like playing in big games. I like competition.”

WOODSTOWN (5-1, 2-0) – Talia Battavio 6 6-8 20, Megan Donelson 11 2-2 25, Alyssa Baber 3 2-5 8, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Shannon Pieman 2 2-2 6, Lauren Hengle 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 12-17 61.
PENNS GROVE (4-3, 1-1) – Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 0 1-2 1, RaNiyah Wilson 14 3-7 33, Arianna Dowe 1 0-2 3, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Meely Horace 6 2-4 14, Rolande Delva 1 0-0 2, Zoey Caesar 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cummings 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-15 53.

Woodstown18121714 –61
Penns Grove12111416 –53
3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Battavio 2, Donelson); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Dowe). Technical fouls: Battavio. Fouled out: Taylor. Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Penns Grove 19.

Pennsville 52, Schalick 14

PENNSVILLE – The Eagles had the best of it in this battle of teams fighting through injuries. They opened a 24-7 halftime lead, then erupted for 21 points in the third quarter and shut out the Cougars in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles were down to four core players because of the injuries and brought up several players from the junior varsity to replenish the ranks. Veterans and newcomers alike got together for a film session before the start of the night’s JV game to hammer out a game plan for the main event.

They got the bulk of their scoring from Marley Wood (20 points) and Nora Ausland (18) while the others help keep it in the road. Wood and Ausland combined for all of Pennsville’s points in the first half.

“The girls who got pulled up stepped up and played the role we needed them to play,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “Izzie Saulin really stepped up on the defensive end. She had some great blocks and solid rebounding.”

SCHALICK (1-4, 0-2) – Cali Fisler 2 1-1 6, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Gianna Gaines 1 0-4 2, Carly Vicente 1 0-0 2, Katie Little 0 0-0 0, Madison Brown 0 0-0 0, Virginia Basich 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 1-5 14.
PENNSVILLE (4-3, 2-0) – Calli Ausland 1 0-0 2, Nora Ausland 8 0-2 18, Sophia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 2 0-0 6, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0, Marley Wood 8 3-3 20, Fredo 0 0-0 0, Lily Edwards 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 3-5 52.

Schalick4370 –14
Pennsville1212217 –52
3-point goals: Schalick 1 (Fisler); Pennsville 5 (N. Ausland 2, McGee 2, Wood). Total fouls: Schalick 8, Pennsville 12.

Salem 45, Salem Tech 19

SALEM – The Rams put together another strong defensive effort to grab their second straight win. They collected 30 steals and blocked 20 shots against the Chargers.

Ava Rogers had 10 points, nine rebounds and blocked seven shots. QwenNazha Johnson-Logan had nine points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks and had five steals. Ryann Foote had seven steals.

The Rams have recorded 59 steals and 40 blocked shots in their two-game winning streak. Johnson-Logan has had 23 blocks in the two games and is averaging 7.6 per game this season.

SALEM TECH (0-6, 0-2) – Kaylin Beardsley 2 2-2 7, Rylee Doerr 1 1-2 3, Morgan VanDover 2 1-2 6, Demajae White 0 1-2 1, Drummond 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 5-8 19.
SALEM (2-3, 1-1) – QwenNazha Johnson-Logan 4 1-1 9, Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 6, Ryann Foote 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 5 0-1 10, Marissa Bower 3 0-0 8, Kashira Patterson 1 0-0 2, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-6 5, Zaniyah Fresno 1 0-0 2, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-12 45.

Salem Tech8236 –19
Salem10101114 –45
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley, VanDover); Salem 4 (Hunter 2, Bower 2).

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICOVDIVDIAMONDOVDIV
Gloucester Cath.7-12-0Woodstown5-12-0
Wildwood5-22-0Pennsville4-32-0
Pitman4-21-1Glassboro4-31-1
Salem2-31-1Penns Grove4-31-1
Clayton2-50-2Schalick1-30-1
Salem Tech0-60-2Overbrook1-40-2

‘Gio-cashing’

Penns Grove uses 20 seconds of chaos from Giomar Conrad at the end of the first half to take the momentum from Woodstown, Salem uses a big second half to beat Salem Tech, Pennsville’s balanced attack takes down Schalick

THURSDAY BOYS SCORES
Penns Grove 64, Woodstown 54
Pennsville 57, Schalick 37
Salem 84, Salem Tech 52

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Think of all the things you can do in 20 seconds. Maybe sprint from the easy chair to the mailbox and back on a cold winter’s day. How about a quick run to the fridge during a TV timeout of the big game. 

Some teams take longer than that to attack the basket, a situation that could be remedied with the introduction of a shot clock, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Penns Grove boys basketball coach Damian Ware isn’t sure he can do anything in 20 seconds, but he’s glad his team can.

That’s all the time Giomar Conrad and the Red Devils needed to flip the script on Woodstown Thursday night and turn a double-digit deficit into a halftime lead and an eventual 64-54 win to spoil the previously unbeaten Wolverines’ long awaited home opener.

Woodstown (4-1) led by double digits most of the first half, but Conrad scored eight straight points over the final 20 seconds to give his team a 32-30 halftime lead they never lost.

“That was crazy,” Conrad said, “but at the same time it felt good. I’d never done anything like that before.”

It started with a 3-pointer from the right side to cut the deficit to 30-27. Then in rapid-fire succession, Mekhi Ballard got a steal and fed him for a layup to make it 30-29, he put back a missed shot after another steal to put the Red Devils ahead, and then Willie Slocum picked off another rushed pass in the backcourt and fed Conrad for one final strike.

With time running out, Conrad drove wildly and appeared to lose his footing. His throw at the basket didn’t go in, but he was fouled right before the horn sounded. With no one else on the floor, he made the first of his two free throws and Penns Grove led by two at the break. If you want to extend the run even farther back, he hit two free throws inside 40 seconds that made it 30-24.

“I’m thinking, ‘finally,’” Ware said. “That’s what we did, honestly, in our heyday. Back when we won the South Jersey championship in 2020, that’s what we did all game long. We were known for that type of play, just tempo, tempo, turning teams up. And we didn’t have to come back, we just blew teams out.

“We’re trying to get this team to that same level to where they understand how they have to play, how hard we have to play and the energy we have to play with. We’re starting to get there. I’ve seen it in spurts for the last three games. Today I think was the culmination of everything and we kind of made a great run.”

The Red Devils (3-5) carried the momentum of those 20 seconds of chaos into the second half. Slocum scored the first three buckets of the third quarter to fuel a 14-3 run that gave them a 13-point lead with just over three minutes to go in the quarter. 

The Wolverines tried to come back, but never got closer than six the rest of the game. They were 8-of-27 from the field with nine turnovers in the second half.

Understandably, Woodstown coach Phil Campbell was in no mood to talk about it and declined a post-game interview request.

Conrad finished as the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. Slocum had 11 and Ballard added 10. Rocco String led Woodstown with 17 points.

PENNS GROVE (3-5, 1-1) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Roman Gipson 1 2-2 4, Giomar Conrad 8 1-2 21, Karon Ceaser 3 1-2 8, Willie Slocum 4 3-4 11, Mehki Ballard 4 1-3 10, Camron Thompson 1 0-0 2, Khiry Higgs 0 0-0 0, Mr Peterson 3 0-1 6, Jaden Sorrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 8-13 64.
WOODSTOWN (4-1, 1-1) – Manny Ortega 2 1-2 7, Blake Bialecki 2 2-3 7, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0, M.J. Hall 4 2-2 11, Garrett Leyman 2 2-2 6, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 3, Max Webb 1 0-0 3, Rocco String 8 1-4 17. Totals 20 8-13 54.

Penns Grove9231715 –64
Woodstown1515915 –54
3-point goals: Penns Grove 6 (Conrad 4, Ceaser, Ballard); Woodstown 6 (Ortega 2, Bialecki, Hall, Bokolas, Webb). Total fouls: Penns Grove 13, Woodstown 14. Officials: Lawler, Montacalva.

Pennsville 57, Schalick 37

PITTSGROVE – Luke Wood led three Pennsville scorers in double figures with 16 points as the Eagles started the new year with a win for the second year in a row. Cohen Petrutz and Jayden Thomas both hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points apiece.

The Eagles trailed after the first quarter, then took the lead for good in the second quarter and steadily pulled away.

Wood is now 66 points away from 1,000 for his career. He has scored in double figures in his last 14 straight games. 

PENNSVILLE (4-3, 1-1) – Luke Wood 6 4-4 14, Malik Rehmer 1 0-1 2, Cohen Petrutz 4 0-0 11, Peyton O’Brien 2 1-2 5, Daniel Saulin 1 2-3 4, Jayden Thomas 4 0-0 11, Mason O’Brien 3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 0 2-4 2. Totals 21 9-14 57.
SCHALICK (2-3, 0-2) – Reggie Allen 3 0-2 7, Nylan Sutton 5 0-2 10, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 8, Dan Lis 3 1-2 9, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Sherrod Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 1-6 37.

Pennsville12131616 –57
Schalick13789 –37
3-point goals: Pennsville 6 (Petrutz 3, Thomas 3); Schalick 6 (Allen, Johnson 2, Lis 2, Volovar). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Schalick 14.

Salem 84, Salem Tech 52

WOODSTOWN – The homestanding Chargers gave the Rams all they could handle for a half, but they changed defenses at halftime and Salem erupted for 58 points in the second half to win going away.

“Momentum killed us,” Tech coach Bryan Riley said. “(Antoine) Robinson got his third foul as soon as the third quarter started and we switched from man to zone (defense) at half.”

Jabez DeJesus and Anthony Farmer took advantage of the switch. DeJesus scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half while Farmer had 10 of his 12.

Salem, meanwhile, held Tech’s two main scorers, Robinson and Haneef Frisby, to eight points apiece, but the Chargers got 13 from Tyler Zampino and 12 from Chase Wills.

Zampino had eight in the first quarter. Robinson scored six of his points in the second quarter as the Chargers took a 31-26 halftime lead, but he picking up his third foul early in the second half limited his effectiveness the rest of the game.

SALEM (3-3, 1-1) – Anthony Farmer 4 4-8 12, Ramaji Bundy 3 3-4 9, Jabez DeJesus 11 2-2 26, Paul Weathers 6 0-0 13, Tymear Lecater 4 0-0 9, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 7, Antwan Rodgers 3 0-0 6, Donaven Weathers 0 0-0 0, Davonte Jackson 1 0-0 2, Joey Tunis 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 9-14 84.
SALEM TECH (0-7, 0-2) – Antoine Robinson 4 0-4 8, Chase Wills 5 2-5 12, Tyler Zampino 6 0-3 13, Josh Muntz 0 0-2 0, Haneef Frisby 3 2-5 8, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 2, Gio Holmes 2 0-0 4, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0, Daviontae Russell 2 1-1 5. Totals 23 5-20 52.

Salem1882830 –84
Salem Tech1714912 –52
3-point goals: Salem 5 (DeJesus 2, P. Weathers, Lecater, McGriff); Salem Tech 1 (Zampino). Total fouls: Salem 15, Salem Tech 12.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICOVDIVDIAMONDOVDIV
Pitman7-12-0Overbrook5-12-0
Gloucester Cath.6-12-0Woodstown4-11-1
Wildwood5-32-1Pennsville4-31-1
Salem3-31-1Glassboro3-31-1
Clayton1-70-3Penns Grove3-51-1
Salem Tech 0-70-2Schalick2-30-2

Looking for answers

Pennsville girls trying to make their way after a spate of injuries, Trapp contemplating options for lineup

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOOLWICH TWP. – When it rains, it pours.

The Pennsville girls basketball lineup already was being impacted by injuries, but the bug dug in even deeper during Wednesday night’s 43-35 loss at Kingsway, leaving coach Sam Trapp to search for answers as the Eagles head into the most demanding part of their schedule.

“It’s been extremely challenging; we’re struggling,” Trapp said. “We’ve got a lot of thinking to do in a short amount of time.”

The Eagles are down to four of the players Trapp dedicated to her varsity lineup – Marley Wood, Nora Ausland, Izzy Saulin and Kylie Harris – and not all of them are 100 percent.

Point guard Wood is playing on a sore ankle she hurt in the Buena tournament last week. Ausland, the team’s leading scorer, jammed her finger Wednesday. Additionally, Taylor Bass is out another two weeks with a broken finger, Anikka Macalino has a knee injury and Bella Farina has a head injury.

It’s not the sort of news a coach wants with the Eagles heading into a stretch of four Tri-County Diamond Division games within its next seven or before Bass is expected to return.

The immediate answer is to call up some JV players to replenish the lineup, but many of them aren’t really ready yet for the varsity grind. Freshman Karson Cooksey is now serving as their sixth man.

All the available varsity players are expected to engage in some film study before Thursday night’s JV game against Schalick to develop some sort of gameplan.

“The way things are going I’m basically putting almost everybody on my roster and act like each kid has an extra fifth quarter to play,” Trapp said. “There are 10 kids down on the JV level who are splitting time, so I have six who are dressing for me right now.

“I’m hoping moving forward we can finish at least the rest of this season healthy with what we have and hopefully we get these kids back on the court sooner rather than later.”

Despite the injuries, the Eagles were tied 21-21 at halftime Wednesday before “the cookie crumbled the wrong way.” They were outscored 22-14 in the second half, 18-7 in the third quarter. Pennsville’s Ausland led all scorers with 24 points.

KINGSWAY 43, PENNSVILLE 35
PENNSVILLE (3-3) – Marley Wood 3 1-3 7, Nora Ausland 9 2-4 24, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Bella Farina 1 0-0 2, Karson Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 3-7 35.
KINGSWAY (3-3) – Paige Horton 3 2-2 8, Ava Valente 4 2-2 13, Jaylynn Curtis 2 0-0 6, Olivia Myers 4 0-1 8, Gabriella Scaffi 2 0-1 4, Chloe McNeill 1 0-0 2, Erin Lail 1 0-0 2, Vienna Gantz 0 0-0 0, Bella Archer 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 4-6 43.

Pennsville10117 7 –35
Kingsway147184 –43
3-point goals: Pennsville 4 (N. Ausland 4); Kingsway 5 (Valente 3, Curtis 2). Total fouls: Pennsville 15, Kingsway 7.

Cover photo” Pennsville girls coach Sam Trapp draws up a play during a time out in the Buena holiday tournament.

Getting closer

Woodstown wrestlers start the new year with a win over Pitman that wasn’t as taxing as their post-Christmas gauntlet

WEDNESDAY WRESTLING
Woodstown 46, Pitman 26
Schalick/Cumberland 58, Sterling 18

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown wrestling team needed a breather.

After putting themselves through a gauntlet of nail biters in their three matches after Christmas, the Wolverines clinched their first match of the new year in the middle part of the proceedings Wednesday night and went on to put away Pitman 46-26. 

POLK

It was a lot less stressful than their last three matches. In those exercises, they lost to Northern Burlington and Cinnaminson and beat Audubon, and all three matches went down to the final bout.

“We want to win matches, but I thought we wrestled well tonight,” Woodstown coach Adam Hyland said. “I thought over the weekend we didn’t wrestle up to our capabilities. We just didn’t wrestle well.

“I thought tonight our performance was better. That’s what we really focus on – how well are we performing, not necessarily if we win or lose. I thought we performed a lot better.”

Speaking of performing, Ryan Polk turned in one of the Wolverines’ better individual ones. With forfeits locked up in the final two weights on the night, Polk’s first pin of the season, over Ayden Epley at 132, provided the points to clinch the match.

Polk is somewhat a man on a mission, trying to earn a spot back in the varsity lineup. The junior wrestled with the varsity at 126 as a freshman, but was relegated to the JVs last year with the emergence of Alex Torres. He was getting his shot at 132 this winter with Torres injured and made the most of it.

“We need to get Polky going,” Hyland said. “He’s had some tough losses recently for us. Tonight he hit the technique we work on in practice. He did his job. I’m really proud of him.”

It was a breakthrough night for Polk. He pulled off a cross-face cradle he’d been working to perfect all season to set up his pin and second win of the season.

“It meant a lot,” Polk said. “Last year I only had one win on the varsity (in three matches).”

Polk’s pin made it impossible for Woodstown to lose, then Brett Rowand pinned Robert Graves in 1:14 at 150 to slam the door. The Wolverines also got a pin from Travis Balback (120) and a major decision from Paul Banff (190) to open the match.

“We’ve been working hard all season,” Hyland said. “I tell them we’re concerned with the end of the season, not the beginning of the season, so it’s a process and in terms of where we are in that process we’re about where we need to be. We’ve still got a ways to go, but we’re getting closer.

“We just need to get matches and get them in the groove. We just haven’t been competing very much, so I think as we progress through the season, get more matches under our belt, get more experience and get some guys back from being out, we’re going to get better as the year goes on.”

WOODSTOWN 46, PITMAN 26
190: Paul Banff (W) maj. dec. over Dom Saffioti, 10-2
215: Aiden Milward (P) maj. dec. over Josiah Mejias, 9-1
285: Mateo Vinciguerro (W) won by forfeit
106: Chase Blandino (W) won by forfeit
113: Skylar Nicola (P) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (W) pinned A.J. Starr, 0:12
126: Adriano Platt (P) maj. dec. over Carson Bradway, 10-0
132: Ryan Polk (W) pinned Ayden Epley, 1:29
138: Jacob Lawrence (P) dec. Will Groom, 7-4
144: Jon Bruno (P) pinned Angel Hernandez, 3:01
150: Brett Rowand (W) pinned Robert Graves, 1:14
157: Chase Rollins (P) dec. Zayden Donahue, 7-3
165: Zach Bevis (W) won by forfeit
175: Greyson Highland (W) won by forfeit

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 58, STERLING 18
120: Kamrin Johnson (S) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 3:21
126: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Joseph Rogers, 0:37
132: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Alexander Mexica, 0:12
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Jayden Williams
144: Declan Winters (S) dec. Riley Papiano, 6-3
150: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Jermaine Stewart, 2:31
157: Ricky Watt (SC) maj. dec. over Brandon Rebecca, 17-7
165: Koen Martin (SC) pinned John Beasley, 3:23
175: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Rene Camacho, 2:43
190: Kenny McArdle (S) dec. Eric Sulick, SV-1 3-1
215: Ronald Piernikoski (SC) won by forfeit
285: Nick Gellien (S) pinned Logan Hancock, 1:33
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) won by forfeit

Seeing some signs

Schalick girls draw some positives from their loss to Gloucester, boys get first road win since February 2021

TUESDAY BASKETBALL
Girls
Gloucester 33, Schalick 24
Boys
Schalick 47, Cape May Tech 35

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The Schalick girls basketball team’s approach hasn’t changed even if the calendar has turned the page to a new year. Their goal remains to continue to improve every game.

A nine-point loss in their first game of the new year – 33-24 to Gloucester Tuesday – may not appear to have done anything to further that agenda, but there were several positive takeaways hidden within the setback.

“I told them this isn’t a game to hang your head,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “It’s a tough loss, but we played astronomically better on defense today. We played with energy. 

“Even before I said anything Cianna (Gaines), one of our team captains, stepped in and said even though it’s a loss it’s a confidence booster because we showed flashes of the way we played. It definitely feels good as a coach to have players step up and speak, especially in that regard. I think they’re coming to the realization of what they’re capable of doing if we can put together four full quarters of basketball.”

Among the positives, the Cougars (1-3) scored 20 points in the second half and were outscored by only two. They cut a nine-point halftime deficit to four with 1:25 left in the third quarter and had a chance to make it a one-point game going into the fourth when Cali Fisler was fouled on a 3-point shot right before the horn, but she made only one of the three free throws.

The Lady Lions (4-3) opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run to retake the momentum.

“The second half, you can’t complain about putting 20 points on the board in a half,” Whelan said. “There are a lot of good things to come out of this loss and that’s with missing two key pieces to our team. We just want to continue to grow.”

Of course, they still have things to clean up. The Cougars lost under the weight of 52 turnovers, off which Gloucester scored 29 of its points. They scored only four points in the first half.

Part of their troubles can be attributed to their inexperience. It didn’t help they were missing two key players. Taylor Sparks has been out all season after hurting her knee in the final scrimmage; the Cougars are hopeful she’ll return Friday. Point guard Abby Willoughby also missed the game, having sprained an ankle in a basketball-related activity over the holidays.

With Willoughby on the mend, it felt to Fisler to handle the point and Whelan said the sophomore did a “fantastic” job. Fisler led the Cougars with 11 points, all of them coming in the second half. Ava Scurry had six points and nine rebounds.

GLOUCESTER 33, SCHALICK 24
GLOUCESTER (4-3) – Bailey Schoenfieldt 5 0-0 11, Valerie Hatterer 2 1-2 5, Maya Beringer 2 0-0 4, Elizabeth Shultes 0 2-4 2, Victorina Serrano 0 0-0 0, Logan Thomson 2 3-4 7, Kierstynn O’Donnell 1 2-6 4. Totals 12 8-15 33.
SCHALICK (1-3) – Carly Vicente 2 1-6 5, Cali Fisler 4 3-5 11, Madison Brown 0 0-0 0, Katie Little 0 0-0 0, Ava Scurry 2 2-2 6, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Cianna Gaines 1 0-2 2. Totals 9 6-15 24.

Gloucester67614 –33
Schalick2212 8 –24
3-point goals: Gloucester 1 (Schoenfieldt); Schalick 0. Total fouls: Gloucester 13, Schalick 14.

Boys Game

SCHALICK 47, CAPE MAY TECH 35: Daniel Lis scored 14 points and Nylan Sutton had 11 as the Cougars evened their record to 2-2 with their first road win since Feb. 5, 2021 (Woodstown).

It’s the last time they had two wins after four games and marks the earliest they’ve gotten their second win since 2018-19 (Dec. 20). They didn’t get their second win last year until their 14th game, Jan. 24 (Woodstown).

“It’s always nice getting a win in front of your home crowd, but good teams need to find a way to win on the road,” Cougars coach James Turner said.

Lis and Sutton combined for 11 points in the first quarter as the Cougars opened a 13-8 lead. The Cougars were 8-for-14 from the free throw in the fourth quarter to close it out.

SCHALICK 47, CAPE MAY TECH 35
SCHALICK (2-2) – Reggie Allen 3 0-2 7, Nylan Sutton 3 5-8 11, Nasir Sutton 3 2-5 9, Jordan Johnson 1 1-4 3, Dan Lis 4 4-4 14, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 1 1-1 3. Totals 15 13-24 47
CAPE MAY TECH (0-7) – Paul Simmerman 0 0-0 0, Ronnie Neenhola 4 0-0 8, Colin Gery 1 4-6 6, Chance Ginyard 1 0-0 2, Ben Lynch 5 2-3 14, Alec Dooley 0 1-2 1, Tyler Dille 0 2-3 2, Henry O’Brien 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 9-14 35.

Schalick1310Cape May Tech12 –47
Cape May Tech812105 – 35
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Allen, Na. Sutton, Lis 2); Cape May Tech 2 (Lynch 2). Fouled out: Johnson. Total fouls: Schalick 14, Cape May Tech 17.


This week’s schedule

An full all-county basketball date highlights this week’s Salem County high school schedule for the week of Jan. 1-6; send additions, deletions or alterations to al.muskewitz@gmail.com

Tuesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Gloucester at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Schalick at Cape May Tech, 5:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Woodstown at Bennett Center, Toms River

Wednesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Pennsville at Kingsway

WRESTLING
Sterling at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Penns Grove, Schalick at SJCTA Meet, Toms River

Thursday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Salem, Atlantic City at Oakcrest, 5 p.m.

SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Timber Creek at GCIT, 7 p.m.
Schalick vs. Glassboro at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.

BOWLING
Lindenwold vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.

Friday

BASKETBALL
Boys
Delsea at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Absegami at Pennsville
Penns Grove in Bohemia Manor (Md.) Tournament

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Salem at Gateway, 10 a.m.
Delsea at Pennsville, 11:30 a.m.
OLMA at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.

Boys
Pennsauken Tech at Schalick, 11:30 a.m.

WRESTLING
Penns Grove in Bohemia Manor (Md.) Tournament, 9 a.m.
Schalick, Mainland, Overbrook at Haddon Heights, 9 a.m.
Pennsville at Hammonton Duals, 10 a.m.
Woodstown in Collingswood Tournament

INDOOR TRACK
Woodstown at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island, N.Y.

A different approach

Penns Grove skips halftime meeting to regain its stroke; it worked in second half, but Red Devils come up short

BOARDWALK CLASSIC
Saturday’s Boys Games
Tatnall 63, Pleasantville 50
Triton 54, Paulsboro 50
Brandywine (Del.) 66, St. Paul’s (Md.) 52
Ocean City 54, Shawnee 41
Kingsway 55, Glassboro 47
Lower Cape May 51, Penns Grove 38
Middle Twp. 63, Rancocas Valley 42

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – Damian Ware would have liked to have thought that fourth quarter slump his Penns Grove basketball team went through in its last game against Vineland was just an anomaly, a one-time thing that would disappear the next time the Red Devils took the floor.

Well, it didn’t disappear. It actually carried into the first half of their Boardwalk Classic game Saturday against Lower Cape May.

It took nearly 10 minutes of game clock for the Red Devils to hit their first field goal of the game and they had only three in the first half. The did find the range in the second half after a unique bit of strategy and got as close as three, but they couldn’t come back completely and eventually lost 51-38.

The shooting woes were such a concern that when the horn sounded to end the first half and the Caper Tigers (4-1) sprinted to their locker room, Ware – for the first time in his career – kept his team in the bench area and then rolled out the basketballs to get in some halftime shooting practice. Given the Red Devils would’ve had to walk halfway to the Crest to get to their dressing area, that might not have been such a bad an idea.

“That wasn’t it at all,” Ware said. “I just wanted to get some shots up because we couldn’t score the ball at all and that’s been part of our problem. I wanted them to shoot some extra shots to see the ball go through the net, especially in this gym. It’s a different feel, it’s a different acoustic in here, so I wanted them to get a better rhythm for the shots.

“I’m no genius. I figure you get more shots and get more repetitions, you get better looks at the basket. I didn’t feel we played bad in the first half. We got what we wanted. We just missed the shots and we missed free throws. That’s part of our problem all season. We get what we want on offense, it comes down to executing and finishing and making the shot.”

The slump actually started in the fourth quarter against Vineland at Delsea. The Red Devils rallied to take a lead in the third quarter of that game, then in the fourth quarter they went 1-for-10 from the floor, committed seven turnovers and were outscored 19-2.

They scored only four points in the first quarter against Lower Cape May and they all came from the free throw line, and even that could have been better. Lower’s deliberate style didn’t give the Red Devils many shots to begin with, but the ones they were getting they weren’t making. They were just 0-for-4 in the first quarter and 3-of-15 in the first half. On top of that, they were 4-for-10 from the foul line in the first quarter.

Mr Peterson finally broke the ice with a short jumper in the lane with 6:09 left in the second quarter. Giomar Conrad hit a 3-pointer a minute later and Carmen Thompson scored with 35 seconds left in the half.

While the Red Devils were missing, Lower Cape May sophomore Josh Gretta was torching them from outside. Penns Grove had 11 points at halftime, Gretta had four 3s and 14 points for Lower Cape May.

“It was frustrating a little bit, but I always had in the back of my mind we could always come back,” Peterson said.

The shots were falling in the halftime shooting session and it continued in the second half. The Red Devils hit six of their first seven from the floor and had the deficit down to three with four minutes to go in the third quarter. KaRon Ceaser hit the first two buckets, Mekhi Ballard hit a pair of 3s and Conrad had a three-point play and a layup.

“I’m glad he did it,” Ballard said. “I was happy when he said that because in the first half we weren’t making any of our shots. I was kind of annoyed (with the first half), but I knew I had to keep shooting if we wanted to get back into the game.”

The Caper Tigers stretched the lead back out to a safe distance and with time now the enemy it forced the Red Devils to rush some shots in hopes of making one last push. They missed the four shots they got in the final 2:15 to finish 10-of-20 from the field in the half and 13-of-35 for the game.

LOWER CAPE MAY 51, PENNS GROVE 38
PENNS GROVE (2-5) – Giomar Conrad 4 6-6 15, Willie Slocum 1 0-7 2, Mekhi Ballard 2 0-0 6, Carmen Thompson 1 0-0 2, Mr Peterson 3 0-0 6, Jaden Sorrell 0 2-2 2, Khiry Higgs 0 0-2 0, Luis Colon 0 0-0 0, Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, KaRon Ceaser 2 1-2 5, Brandin Robbins 0 0-0 0, Neziah Spence 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 9-19 38.
LOWER CAPE MAY(4-1) – Mackey Bonner 4 1-2 9, Oguer Nunez 1 0-0 2, Ty Bonner 3 5-5 13, John Fernandez 3 0-0 6, Josh Gretta 5 0-0 14, Brayden Melo 1 1-2 3, Mason Cronin 2 0-0 4, Amir Clark 0 0-0 0, Matt Dicave 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 7-9 51.

Penns Grove4716 11 –38
Lower Cape May14101017 –51
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Conrad, Ballard 2); Lower Cape May 6 (T. Bonner 2, Gretta 4). Total fouls: Penns Grove 14, Lower Cape May 17.

Cover photo: The Penns Grove basketball team spent its halftime Saturday getting in some extra shooting practice to break out of a slump that started in the fourth quarter of its previous game.

You’ve gotta have heart

Denby questions team’s mental toughness and heart after Penns Grove girls drop their second straight at the Shore

BOARDWALK CLASSIC
Saturday’s Girls Games
Egg Harbor Two. 57, Newark Academy 28
Absegami 50, Timber Creek 28
Cumberland 34, Oakcrest 13
Ocean City 66, Penns Grove 34
Holy Spirit 47, Cheltenham (Pa.) 30
OLMA 45, Wildwood 43
Wildwood Catholic 60, Bishop Eustace 32

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – The theme of this year’s Penns Grove girls basketball team is playing with mental toughness. It certainly faces its biggest challenge after this week’s trip to the Boardwalk Classic.

The Red Devils went into the Christmas break undefeated for the second year in a row and ranked No. 25 in the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament poll, but find themselves spiraling into the New Year 4-2 after losing their second straight game in the Wildwood Convention Center 66-34 to Ocean City Saturday.

Their resolve was going to be tested Saturday as it was after the way their loss to St. Dominic went down Thursday night. It was strained even further after a listless showing against the Red Raiders (2-4).

“As a coach, you’ve got to have players who have heart – we ain’t got no heart, we ain’t going to win nothing,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “We can’t just have one girl play the whole game. We need everybody on the bench.

“We’re lacking heart right now, to be honest. We need everybody to carry the heart. We can’t just rely on one person.”

Brianna Robbins was the only Penns Grove player to score in double figures and led all scorers in the game with 17 points. Most of those (13) came in the second half when the Red Devils’ two other main scorers all but disappeared. The junior made the biggest plays in the second-half comeback against St. Dominic that was thwarted by a no-call on a drive in the closing seconds of a two-point game.

The Red Devils’ two other big scorers – RiNiyah Wilson and Meely Horace – had seven and five points, respectively, Saturday. Wilson, who averaged 17.6 ppg entering the game, had two points in the second half – on a pair of third-quarter free throws. Horace, who averaged 18.5 before Christmas and is on track to reach the 1,000-point plateau later this season, didn’t score in the second half.

“For you to be ranked and not put any points up and take your own self out of the game because mentally (you weren’t in it in, is not a good look),” Denby said. “Mentally is emotions. If you can’t control your emotions because your shot’s not falling, you get mad, you get upset, and instead of turning that negative energy to positive, you wind up on the bench because it’s too late. As coaches, we’re going to go to our freshmen and put them in the game.”

This one was easy to dissect and it goes directly to heart. The Red Devils committed too many turnovers and were outplayed on the boards. They didn’t get their first offensive rebound until RiNiyah Wilson banged a ball off an Ocean City defender under the basket; the Red Devils promptly turned over the inbounds play. The Red Raiders, meanwhile had 21 offensive boards off which they scored 26 points.

Penns Grove didn’t get its first putback basket until about two minutes left in the third quarter when Robbins followed her missed and-one free throw

The Red Devils have no time for a pity party. Their first game after the new year is an early Diamond Division showdown with Woodstown Jan. 4. 

“Hopefully it will put some fire up their (rear ends),” Denby said. “Moving forward, these last two losses, when they get in practice they’re going to feel it. They’re going to feel it. And hopefully mentally they’ll get back by themselves.”

“It’s going to make us play harder,” Robbins promised.

OCEAN CITY 66, PENNS GROVE 34
PENNS GROVE (4-2) – Meely Horace 2 1-3 5, RaNiyah Wilson 2 2-2 7, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Arinna Dowe 1 0-0 2, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 0 3-4 3, Brianna Robbins 7 3-6 17. Totals 12 9-15 34.
OCEAN CITY (2-4) – Callie Smith 5 2-4 12, Brielle Smith 3 1-2 7, Madelyn Adamson 2 1-2 5, McKenna Chisolm 5 2-3 12, Gabrielle Henry 1 0-0 3, Alexis Allegretto 2 0-0 4, Sophia Bishop 1 0-0 3, Kaia Chew 2 0-0 5, Scarlett Fletcher 1 2-4 4, Allie Hudson 3 2-2 9, Casey Adamson 1 0-0 2, Marley Ostrander 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 10-17 66.

Penns Grove86911 –34
Ocean City21918 18 –66
3-point goals: Penns Grove 1 (Wilson); Ocean City 4 (Henry, Bishop, Chew, Hudson). Total fouls: Penns Grove 12, Ocean City 13.