Salem sweeps Doane Academy to reach South Jersey Group I bowling finals for first time in history, bowls Camden Catholic for the title Saturday
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Troy Carey stood on the landing behind his bench surrounded by his happy teammates and laid the news on coach Kenny Buck.
“You are aware now you have to find a place for a banner in the gym,” the Salem senior captain said.
“I guess I’m aware now,” Buck replied.
The Salem bowling team carved another notch in the belt of its “generational run” as well as its own spot on the gym wall Wednesday when it beat Doane Academy at Wood Lanes two games to none to reach the South Jersey Group I championship match for the first time in school history.
The Rams (11-3) rallied from a slow start to clear the hurdle that stopped them last year. They won Game One 857-850 and then closed the match in dominating fashion, crushing it in Game Two 979-872.
They’ll now bowl top-seeded Camden Catholic (10-3-2) Saturday morning at 30 Strikes in Stratford for the South Jersey title and spot in the Group I Final Four.
“We have one end goal,” Carey said. “We’re there now, we’ve just got to complete the mission. This (semifinal) was something in the way of that goal. We knew we had to execute and we did. We started off flat, but we brought it together in the end and we played like us at the end of the day. That’s all that mattered.”
They won the first game after trailing by nearly 100 pins after four frames. Carey closed out his second game with eight straight strikes for a 279, matching his career high game. Rudy Perez opened Game Two with four straight strikes from the leadoff spot and struck out in the tenth for a 222. The Rams threw 29 strikes in the clincher.
“I got to be honest. I was extremely worried, but they just put their heads down and bowled” Buck said. “I knew we had it in us. It just takes one of them to get hot.”
Despite a high confidence level going into the match, the Rams trailed by 98 pins after four frames and 80 after five. They had 11 open frames in the first five, while Doane logged 20 marks. Hunter Johnson, the Spartans’ No. 3, opened the match with five straight strikes.
But somewhere in the middle of the game the Rams found their groove. AJ Carlson and Semaj Carey keyed the comeback. Carlson picked up 75 pins over the final four frames and beat his opposite number by 41 over that stretch to finish with the team’s high game (199, nearly 50 pins over his average).
Semaj picked up 98 pins over the final four frames and outpinned his man by 12 over the same stretch. J.D. Puni beat Johnson by 28 pins over the stretch.
“At the end of the day it’s not over until the last person bowls that last frame,” captain Carey said. “We like our odds regardless. We just fight.”
“We all realized we got here last year (and) we can’t go down like we did last year,” Perez said. “We wanted to make it farther like we should. We prevailed, we overcame the little obstacle we had and started bowling amazing at the end of that first. Bro, I couldn’t be prouder.”
The comeback energized them. They bagged three strikes in each of the first four frames and at least two in every frame thereafter until they blew it out in the tenth. Semaj had an open frame in the first, then ran off four in a row. The Spartans, meanwhile, didn’t have a frame with multiple strikes until the third.
“It’s really the energy, all the guys came together,” Semaj said. “We all boosted our energy by like a thousand. The energy sets the tone for everybody. It starts with the first person ends up at the anchor. If everybody’s on track we’re just going to rolling like a smooth boat.”
And now that boat is speeding to the sectional finals and maybe a better banner for the gym.
Salem captain Troy Carey (L) reacts after burying a third strike in the tenth frame of Game Two to seal the Rams’ 2-0 victory in the South Jersey Group I bowling semifinals. Top photo: J.D. Puni (R) celebrates the victory with teammate Rudy Perez.
SALEM (11-3)
G1
G2
TOT
Rudy Perez
166
222
388
AJ Carlson
199
144
343
JD Puni
145
156
301
Semaj Carey
159
178
337
Troy Carey
188
279
467
TOTAL
857
979
1836
DOANE (8-11)
G1
G2
TOT
Colin Paglione
158
210
368
Caden Smith
114
166
280
Hunter Johnson
197
147
343
Jacob Powell
197
194
391
Chris Powell
184
155
339
TOTAL
850
872
1722
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Wednesday’s sectional semifinals SOUTH No. 1 Camden Catholic 2, Asbury Park 0 No. 2, Salem 2, No. 6 Doane Academy 0 Finals: Salem (11-3) vs. Camden Catholic (10-3-2) CENTRAL No. 1 Middlesex 2, No. 5 Roselle Catholic 0 No. 2 Warren Tech 2, No. 3 Roselle Park 0 Finals: Warren Tech (9-4) at Middlesex (18-0) NORTH I No. 1 Kinnelon 2, No. 4 Butler 0 No. 3 Newton 2, No. 2 Pascack Hills 0 Finals: Newton (15-3) at Kinnelon (16-4) NORTH II No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3), Thursday No. 2 Rutherford 2, No. 6 Wallington 0 Finals: Rutherford (17-5) vs. Belvidere-North Arlington winner
For the sectional semifinalist Salem High bowlers, it’s all about brotherhood, energy and consistency to create a ‘generational run’ of a season
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOWLING Wednesday’s Semifinals No. 5 Asbury Park at No. 1 Camden Catholic No. 6 Doane Academy at No. 2 Salem
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Troy Carey is the consummate team player. He’s the best player on the Salem bowling team and he’s headed to college on a scholarship, but when he was approached by a reporter for an interview on the season he wanted to make sure his teammates and the accomplishments of the Rams this year were highlighted as well.
It’s a request leaders make. He values his teammates so much he asked the school’s vice principal if they could accompany him to next week’s Top 100 Tournament for the best players in the state. He went last year and missed the cut for match play by one pin, but it was only him and coach Kenneth Buck in the big bus and he thought it’d be nice to have the company and support.
It’s been another good year for the Rams and the senior wanted to spread the love in a sport where there is no defense and success hinges on finding the right line that day. Carey and Company are back in the South Jersey Group I semifinals looking to handle some unfinished business when they host Doane Academy today at Wood Lanes.
The Rams were in this same position last year and lost to top-seeded Clayton. But this time, with a year of seasoning and the swagger of a first-time division champion, they are the hunters and confident of extending what already has been a “generational run.”
All five of their projected starters – Troy (206), Semaj Carey (178), AJ Carlson (150), Rudy Perez (188) and Jacob Puni (170) – all have better averages than a year ago. Semaj is nearly 30 pins better.
Unsure whether their season-opening match was a scrimmage or a counter, the Rams didn’t bowl particular well and lost to Kingsway 3-1. When it was over, Troy gathered his teammates and delivered the line that has defined the season.
They won the next eight matches in a row and won the Tri-County Classic Division title for the first time. The only teams they lost to since delivering the line of the year were the No. 2 seed in SJ Group 2 (14-1-1 Lindenwold) and No. 4 in SJ Group 3 (13-0 Deptford). Both are semifinalists in their respective sectionals. They handed Lindenwold its only loss in their first meeting.
Riverview Sports News caught up with Troy and teammates Semaj Carey and A.J. Carlson on Presidents Day at Wood Lanes practicing for the big match. Here is the conversation. Let’s go 10 frames with the Rams.
Salem senior bowler Troy Carey pulls his ball from the return as teammate Semaj Carey returns to his seat during a practice session earlier this week. Top photo, Semaj and AJ Carlson watch Troy send a ball down the lane for a strike.
Riverview Sports News: Troy, why was it important to you to make sure everybody on your team get recognized for the success it has enjoyed this season? TC: Without them I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. The energy we bring as a team not only fuels one another but everything we do. Our energy is unmatched. When we put up our energy that’s when we do our best. Those days where we’re flat and lackadaisical that’s when we have all of our mishaps and mistakes happen. We are firm believers if we bring energy, we come ready to play, no matter how we play we’re ready to show up.
The two words we say before every match are ‘energy’ and ‘consistency’ because that’s when we bowl our best, when we’ve got energy because the energy is going to bring our consistency and that’s just going to let the brotherhood and rest of the team grow even more.
RSN: What did you think of Troy thinking so much of you guys to ask you be allowed to join him at the Top 100. SC: Troy is a factor. He’s basically the leader of the team. He’s like the second coach. He didn’t have to do that. I guess he felt like if he made it, we’re a team, he might as well bring his team with him.
RSN: What is it that makes this team work? SC: First, we’ve got a good coach, and everybody picks each other up. You make a bad shot and the next man picks you up. It’s always the next man up, help your brother out. It’s a brother sport, for real. If somebody does something bad, we pick them up.
And people stepped up and played a bigger role than they did last year. We have some people who played JV last year, now they’re averaging 170-180 on varsity. They really played a big role.
AJC: The thing that’s made us as strong as we are and consistent as we are is chemistry. We try to keep the energy up. We try not to get in our heads too much. Bowling, from my experience, is mostly mental. You’ve got to make sure to stay on your mark consistently and try to stay out of the negative headspace because the second you start getting in your head you start doing bad and then you bring the team down. We really keep the energy up by just being positive.
TC: Last year we were teammates and everything like that, but we weren’t as tight together as we are now. And that comes from just days when we don’t have practice, just going out as a team or some days before the season just going out with each other just bowling, laughing and joking and hanging out outside of this. We’ve got a bunch of classes together and we talk bowling all the time. At the end of the day I’m just glad I can be a part of a team like this.
There are days where not everybody is going to bowl amazing, but that’s why you’ve got teammates. We play not only a next man up mentality but your next ball be your best one. If you don’t throw a strike, it happens. You’re gonna miss spares, you’re not gonna strike on every ball, but that’s why you have teammates to back you up. That’s why you play for each other.
RSN: Is this team better just because it’s older together? SC: I wouldn’t say better because they’re older. One, we’ve got a lot of knowledge. Everybody knows how their ball reacts. Nine times out of ten practice is serious. We’re trying to take it all the way this year, so we don’t like negative energy. We don’t like doubting each other. It’s a better run than last year. We had a solid team last year, but I think everybody in some way got better from last year.
TC: We’re firm believers whether you play JV, varsity or you’re just there to support everybody plays a role because at the end of the day we’re supporting each other. We try to stay like a brotherhood as best we can.
RSN: Because you’re basically the new guy, how concerned were you about fitting into the mix and not upsetting the chemistry? AJC: I know a lot of the members already. My main concern was really just try to be consistent. I’m not exceptional at bowling, but the whole thing was make sure I stay a team player and try to contribute as best I can because you always need somebody who can be consistent.
RSN: Does the success you’re enjoying this year surprise you? I know you got to the sectional semis last year, but they were 5-8-1. Now you’re 10-3 and division champions for the first time with largely the same lineup. SC: Before the season even started I knew we were going to be something special. It’s like what Troy said before the season. We’re on like Tour. We’re on a generational run. Next man, best man. Next ball, best ball. Pick your brother up.
RSN: Explain to me the origins of this “generational run” concept. Was it something that came off the top of your head that stuck or was it something you’d be thinking about for a while? TC: We are the first team from Salem ever to win division champs and we’ve gone the farthest any team has. Last year we got to this spot and lost, but I feel like last year for us, yeah, it was a great year, but at the end of the day it wasn’t our full potential. We had great games and everything, but this year it’s really just showing and I just feel like that generational run is just speaking upon how we’re the best team in school history.
RSN: And it started after that first match, right? TC: We knew at the end of it we’re going to face competition this year, but that kind of drove us that now whoever we play we’ve got to do us, we’ve got to have fun, because at the end of the day, another thing we preach is, if you’re not having fun then there’s no point in doing it. Once you start to lose that focus on just having fun and enjoying it then you’re going to lose the whole point of everything.
After that first game we came over to the huddle and I was like we’ve got to go on a generational run. We’re about to ball out and we indeed did that. I could just tell from the energy and how we were playing as a group that everything was clicking, everybody was just playing their role.
RSN: People come up with those things in sports all time hoping they stick and when they do it makes a great legacy, but could you sense it was going to be special? TC: I’m not going to lie, after that first match of the season yeah we lost but you could see on the team nobody’s heads were down because we all just sensed the exact same thing: Whoever we play next, it’s personal. As a team that’s all you want to hear. For us, we don’t take losses as a burden, we take it as a learning experience.
RSN: What did you think when Troy brought up the idea of making a “generational run?” AJC: We weren’t all bowling our best (in that first match) so we lost, but from there we took it as we’re going to keep winning from here. We’re not gonna lose and if we do lose it’ll be a loss because they were better, not that we were doing bad. The main thing was stay positive, take it game by game, and make sure we don’t take it personally, just keep doing the best we can and take it all the way.
Salem bowlers (from left) AJ Carlson, Troy Carey and Semaj Carey at Wood Lanes.
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Wednesday’s sectional semifinals SOUTH No. 5 Asbury Park (6-10) at No. 1 Camden Catholic (9-3-2) No. 6 Doane Academy (8-10) at No. 2 Salem (10-3) CENTRAL No. 6 Roselle Catholic (13-4) at No. 1 Middlesex (17-0) No. 3 Roselle Park (6-9) at No. 2 Warren Tech (8-4) NORTH I No. 4 Butler (17-0) at No. 1 Kinnelon (15-4) No. 3 Newton (14-3) at No. 2 Pascack Hills (15-0) NORTH II No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3) No. 6 Wallington (14-8) at No. 2 Rutherford (16-5)
Schalick girls have goal to win their TCC Tournament bracket, take first step with win over Pitman, get Salem next in semifinal showdown, includes South Jersey Group I girls tournament pairings
GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea at Gloucester Catholic Clearview 54, Timber Creek 28 Glassboro 44, Kingsway 30 Wildwood 44, Washington Twp. 38 Consolation game Woodstown 45, Triton 36 Postseason Bracket Schalick 43, Pitman 32 Salem 34, Williamstown 27 Clayton 52, GCIT 50 Deptford 61, Penns Grove 25
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — If there’s a bracket to be played there’s a bracket to be won, doesn’t matter if it’s Championship, Postseason or the 3-on-3 tournament down at the local rec.
Knowing there’s a title to claim at the end of the week, Schalick played what coach John Whelan called one of its better overall games of the year, jumped on Pitman early and rolled to a 43-32 win in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Tournament Postseason Bracket. The bracket’s No. 1 seed now hosts Salam in Thursday’s semifinals.
“We definitely have our goal set on winning,” Whelam said. “We played probably, I would say, the best team ball that we’ve played all year. We moved the basketball really well, we made the extra passes, (got) better quality shots.
“It’s starting to click a little more. You’ve seen it the last handful of games where we’ve been moving the ball better. Our offense has looked so much better, and then we continue to stay tough on the defensive end.”
The Cougars held their visitors to single digits points in every quarter, while opening quarter leads of 17-6, 27-15 and 37-24. leads of 17-6 and 27-15 in the first half.
Nevaeh Robinson “had a rhythm going” early for the Cougars and scored all 17 of her points in the first half. When the Panthers recognized the havoc she was causing and switched to a box-and-one on her, Willow Davis kept the offense clicking. Davis scored eight points in the third quarter and 11 of her 14 in the second half.
“We were moving the ball well enough to where we didn’t feel like we needed to really change our offense regardless of the box-and-one,” Whelan said. “Willow stepped up in the second half and hit a lot of shots.”
Robinson also had 11 rebounds, Cali Fisler and Ava Scurry each had 10, and Liv Vanacker had nine. Vanacker also had five assists and Scurry blocked four shots.
SALEM 34, WILLIAMSTOWN 27: The Rams stretched an eight-point halftime lead to double digits, withstood a second-half rally by the Braves that got it to a one-point game and then pulled away to set up a semifinal showdown with Schalick.
“That’s a big win,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “It’s a Group 4 school, it’s a big team and it’s a postseason bracket, so we see it as a big deal for us. We’re excited for tonight.”
The Rams (9-9) played bang-up defense in the first half, holding the Braves (5-17) to only one field goal and five points in the first half. They stretched their halftime lead to 10 in the third quarter, but the Braves went on a run that cut it to one, 28-27, with about three minutes left before the Rams changed defenses and retook control.
“We showed some resiliency, something that we’ve really been working on, to not let that bother us, to keep playing through the clock,” Carr said. “We used a timeout to settle the girls down and we came out and got a basket that next possession.”
Dyaira Anderson led the Rams with a game-high 17 points and 18 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had eight points, six rebounds and nine steals.
Salem and Schalick played once during the regular season with the Cougars taking a 37-33 win on the road.
3-point goals: Williamstown 1 (Waters). Total fouls: Salem 14, Williamstown 17.
DEPTFORD 61, PENNS GROVE 25: The Spartans brought the Red Devils back to earth behind double-doubles from Chaylin Marine and Kendall Evans. Marine had 21 points and 12 rebounds (plus five steals), while Evans had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Red Devils reached the quarterfinals of the Postseason Bracket with a victory over Overbrook in the opening round.
CONSOLATION GAME WOODSTOWN 45, TRITON 36: Kyia Leyman and Kendall Young both enjoyed double-doubles as the Wolverines bounced back from their Championship Bracket opening-round loss to Kingsway. Leyman scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Young had 10 points and 12 rebounds with three assists and five steals.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Paulsboro at Haddon Twp. Burlington City at Woodbury New Egypt at Palmyra Cape May Tech at Glassboro Salem at Audubon Woodstown at Pennsville Schalick at Gateway Clayton at Wildwood Feb. 27 Games (Game at higher seed) Paulsboro-Haddon Twp. vs. Burlington City-Woodbury New Egypt-Palmyra vs. Cape May Tech-Glassboro Salem-Audubon vs. Woodstown-Pennsville Schalick-Gateway vs. Clayton-Wildwood
Salem loses a 16-point early third-quarter lead, falls to Group 4 Williamstown in TCC Championship Bracket quarterfinals; no county teams left in main draw of either boys bracket; includes the South Jersey Group I boys tournament pairings BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Kingsway 66, Timber Creek 57 Overbrook 66, Deptford 55 Cumberland 52, Delsea 47 Williamstown 50, Salem 40 Consolation game Penns Grove 67, Woodstown 55 Postseason Bracket GCIT 85, Clayton 76 Pitman 56, Wildwood 52 Washington Twp. 63, Highland 44
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Anthony Farmer has seen this movie before. He didn’t want to see it – or have to see it – again on this particular night.
There have been times when Farmer’s Salem basketball team have been sharp start to finish. There also have been times they’ve built a seemingly safe lead against a strong opponent early in the game only to have it ripped out from under it at the final horn.
It happened again Tuesday when the Rams lost a 16-point third-quarter lead and wound up losing to Group 4 Williamstown 50-40 in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket.
The Rams (19-5), the No. 2 seed, led 30-14 a minute into the third quarter and 32-21 with 3:50 left in the quarter when it all went south. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers.
“They played 16 minutes of basketball, you know you’ve got to play a full 32,” Farmer said. “We played a half of basketball and now that’s the result.
“We played a really good 16 the first half and scored 11 points I think in the second half with 10 turnovers, so you almost had as many turnovers as you had points in the second half. Obviously, that’s an issue.
“We just have to have a feel for the game. Slow down, move the basketball, get reversals, make plays and play a good brand of basketball, which we just didn’t do. It was just a horrible second half.”
While all the misses hurt, especially with the Braves connecting on the other end, the most gut-wrenching may have been Marshall Stephens’ in-and-out after a nice spin move in the lane that Jameer Gordon turned into a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Braves (16-9) the lead for good.
While the Rams were having their troubles, the Braves were picking up the tempo and coming back. From the time they were down 16 in the third quarter to the end of the game the Braves were 8-of-19 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. They had only seven field goals in the first 17 minutes.
Gordon, a transfer from St. Joe (Hammonton), hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Braves finally got Clinton Suggs into the flow. The Rams held Suggs scoreless in the first half, but the Paul VI transfer scored 14 points in the second 10 in the third quarter. The Braves are 14-2 since Gordon and Suggs became eligible.
Suggs scored five straight points as the Braves trimmed the 16-point deficit to nine with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It was 10 with 3:15 left and the Rams scored only six more free throws the rest of the way. The Braves, meanwhile, scored nine free throws in the last 2:10 of the game alone to slam the door.
“These kids, since I’ve taken over, two years, have just shown fight and grit and fight and grit, so for us there was no panic on our end — at all,” Williamstown coach Adam Dandrea said as his players celebrated loudly in the locker room behind him. “I knew the kids would respond. That was all them right there. That was all them.”
The Braves now travel to Cumberland for Thursday’s semifinals. The Rams can play Delsea in a consolation game if they’re so inclined.
3-point goals: Williamstown 4 (Gordon, Suggs, Forman 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Williams 6, Marshall 5). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Williamstown 14, Salem 23.
PENNS GROVE 67, WOODSTOWN 55: The Red Devils ran out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and held onto it to win the rubber game between rivals created by a TCC Championship Bracket consolation game.
Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad led Penns Grove with 18 points apiece. Four other players scored at least six.
“Just a total team effort like always,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said of the start. “Guys made shots and the defense was stellar.”
The Wolverines put four scorers in double figures, with Elijah Caesar, Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez scored 12 points apiece. Andrew White added 10. Bialecki hit three 3-pointers, giving him 202 for his career.
They took advantage of Penns Grove’s second-quarter foul trouble to climb back into it, but the Red Devils stemmed the tide.
WOODSTOWN (15-11): Elijah Caesar 5-2-12, Blake Bialecki 4-1-12, Alejandro Vazquez 5-0-12, Josh King 2-3-7, Andrew White 4-2-10, Frank Hoerst 0-2-2. Totals 20-10-55. PENNS GROVE (16-10): Roman Gipson 6-5-18, Geonni Conrad 8-0-18, Haneef Frisby 3-1-7, Will Roy 2-0-6, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Luis Colon 2-3-7, Carson Pearsall 3-0-7, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-67.
Woodstown
11
17
14
13-
55
Penns Grove
22
10
17
18-
67
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2); Penns Grove 6 (Gipson, Gonrad 2, Roy 2, Pearsall).
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Riverside at Salem Paulsboro at Woodstown Glassboro at Burlington City Wildwood at KIPP New Egypt at Haddon Twp. Pitman at Penns Grove Audubon at Woodbury Gateway at Palmyra Feb. 27 Games (Games at higher seed) Riverside-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Woodstown Glassboro-Burlington City vs. Wildwood-KIPP New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Penns Grove Audubon-Woodbury vs. Gateway-Palmyra
Salem CC women’s basketball program looking for new coach after Marsh resigns after three seasons, tumultuous 2025-26
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Brian Marsh has resigned as Salem Community College’s women’s basketball coach after three seasons and a tumultuous 2025-26 campaign. He will remain as the assistant director of financial aid for the college.
MARSH
Marsh came into the program as an assistant coach and recruiter when the school brought the program back for the 2023-24 season and was handed the team that August when the original coach left before the Mighty Oaks played their first game.
He had a 23-43 record, with a high-water mark of 11 wins last season.
“It was a very difficult decision,” he said. “I’ve been very committed to this program to get thing up and running … it just became two full-time jobs. My coaching’s supposed to be a part-time job and I was doing 60-70 hours a week for the past couple years.
“With recruiting and getting this program started and everything that’s going on it just became very difficult. Obviously, with it being a very frustrating year this year … I just figured it was time to kind of move on and enjoy life. Everything that happened in my life this year (including the loss of his mother and brother) I just thought maybe it was a good time to kind of move this thing on … There’s a quote I saw that sort of goes here: Even lions get tired.”
The athletics department will begin a national search immediately for Marsh’s successor, but there is no timetable on naming his replacement. The job should have some appeal. The college recently added football and volleyball to increase its visibility. Marsh said he had 22 applicants in his most recent search for an assistant coach.
“We’re very grateful for the time and the commitment that Coach Marsh gave to the Salem Community College’s women’s basketball program,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “His passion and commitment to the young women here was truly remarkable.”
This year’s team went 3-17 and suspended the season with three games left following the arrest of four players that left it without enough player to field a competitive team. They only had eight available players as it was.
The season also was impacted by the postponement of three midseason games when injuries cut into the roster and other off-court issues.
“We strive to create a great student-athlete experience for every student-athlete in every program here at SCC,” Hughes said. “Clearly we fell short of that having to end the season early and we’ll work to make sure the team is given every opportunity to complete the seasons moving forward.”
Even as the turmoil churned, Marsh, 54, always expressed hope he would be coaching the team next season and was actively recruiting locally for it.
“It was a frustrating season,” Marsh said. “Coach Kia (trainer Kiarrah Johnson) did an excellent job of keeping our girls healthy, but when you have eight girls and we just couldn’t keep them healthy it was a balancing act.
“I give my team a lot of credit. My players fought hard and they wanted to finish this thing like I did, and I gave them a lot of credit for that. We easily could have packed it in, there were teams that packed it in in January, but we kept fighting and kept fighting. Obviously at the end we just didn’t have enough players and it was very disappointing.
“It was just a very frustrating year on that end. You try to keep fighting and fighting, eventually it gets to a point where you don’t want to put your players in danger or get them out there playing 40 minutes so they even get more injured. It was one of the those things that unfortunately was out of my hands, the circumstances. The players played hard every game. We could have had a much different season had we been healthy.”
Salem CC baseball opens its season with doubleheader sweep at Bryant & Stratton (Va.); LeBold has homer, 6 RBIs in opener, String homers in nightcap
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Apparently, not having been outside to practice all winter didn’t affect the Salem CC baseball team much.
LEBOLD
The Mighty Oaks, stuck inside since the biggest snowstorm in a decade three weeks ago still had the area looking like the frozen tundra, opened their season Monday with a 10-6, 6-2 sweep of Bryant & Stratton, a team that has already played 11 games. Both wins were come-from-behind affairs.
It marked their first doubleheader sweep to open the season since the revival of the program, their first Opening Day win since 2023 and their third Opening Day win since 2020.
The Mighty Oaks had concerns about not being outside, but coach John Holt reminded them they have played the game before and to keep things as simple as possible once they did get on the field.
“They’ve caught a thousand ground balls and a thousand fly balls in their lifetime and all I’m looking for is them to just keep routine routine,” Holt said before the trip.
The hitters didn’t have a problem. Sophomore outfielder Jason LeBold had a big day. He had seven RBIs in the doubleheader and had the go-ahead RBI in both games.
He drove in six in the opener. He hit a three-run go-ahead homer in the second inning after the Bobcats dropped an inning-ending third strike the batter before, hit a two-run single in the fourth and drove in a run with an infield out in the sixth. In the nightcap, he broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth with an RBI double.
Former Woodstown standout Rocco String made his first college hit a big one, launching a three-run homer in seventh inning of the nightcap.
Tyler Hacker had two doubles and an RBI in the opener and two singles and an RBI in the nightcap. He also closed out the opener on the mound with a game-ending double play. Actually, the Mighty Oaks ended both games with a double play.
The Mighty Oaks are off now until Feb. 27 when they open Region 19 play at home against Ocean. Perhaps by then the snow will be gone.
Woodstown boys win 4×400 relay in record time, but it left them one point short of winning the South Jersey Group I indoor sectionals; the difference was Glassboro’s third-place finish by 0.10 seconds
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Blink your eyes. That’s how close it was to determining the South Jersey Group I boys indoor track sectionals champion Sunday.
As these meets always seem to do lately, it came down to the final race between Woodstown and Glassboro in the 4×400 relay.
Woodstown had to win it and have Glassboro finish fourth or worse – or some other combination of a six-point swing – to win it all at the Bubble.
The Wolverines did what they needed to do, winning the race in a PR meet record (3:30.30), but Glassboro raced to third (3:37.78), a scant 0.10 seconds ahead of fourth-place Gateway, to grab just enough points to win the team title by one point.
Glassboro scored 54.60 points overall to Woodstown’s 53.60.
The Wolverines relay team of Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Kyle Reitz and Josh Crawford obliterated the old 4×400 record of 3:32.09, set by Woodbury last year. Salem finished second in the race.
“We knew going into the 4×4 that we needed two things to happen,” Chew said. “We needed to win and Glassboro couldn’t get third or better. Unfortunately, only one of those things was in the cards for us.
“Everyone ran a great race and we all did the best we could with what we could control. Now it just comes down to regaining our confidence and going into states with a good mentality.”
Through five events both teams were lagging behind leader Haddon Twp., but after the completion of the high jump and 800, the Wolverines had pulled in front, bringing Glassboro with them. The margin was seven points..
Glassboro made a big move in the 3200, the next-to-last event in the meet. Top-seeded Bulldog Joseph Saicic won the race and Jaeden Wesley, the 18th-seeded runner, finished fourth. Jacob Marino gave Woodstown its only points in the race, finishing sixth.
Salem County produced three individual champions. Crawford won the 400 (51.13) and 800 (1:59.87, going 1-2 with Chew), and Woodstown’s Kami Casiano won the girls high jump (5-0). In addition, there were four other runner-ups — Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson (400), Woodstown’s Aiden Taulane (shot put), Woodstown’s Lia Covely (girls 55 hurdles) and Pennsville Kallie Morrison (girls high jump).
In all, Salem County qualified 28 individuals and three relays to the state group championships back here on Feb. 22.
This is the second major win for Casiano this year. She won the Tri-County Showcase with a jump of 5-2. She started the new year with a third-place finish in Penn’s Ott Center on Jan. 3 (4-10) and finished fourth in a batch meet here on Jan. 10 (5-0).
“I’m so happy about winning sectionals today,” Casiano said. “A big goal I had for myself this season was consistency. I’m getting past my nerves and giving it my all.”
Here are the event winners and Salem County qualifiers to the state group championships. The top six in each event score points and qualify for state.
This story will be updated.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SECTIONALS BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 54.60, WOODSTOWN 53.60, Haddon Twp. 36, Camden 32.60; SALEM 29.60, Gateway 22, PENNS GROVE 20, Audubon 17, Woodbury 14, Burlington City 12, Palmyra 8.60, SCHALICK 6, West Deptford 2, Buena 2. 400: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 51.13; 2. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 52.07; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 52.41. 1600: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 4:33.47; 4. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:36.50; 6. David Farrell, Woodstown 4:42.96 55 Hurdles: 1. Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey, Camden 7.83; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 8.42; 5. Gradin Buzby, Salem 8.64 55 Dash: 1. Donte Davis, Burlington City 6.55; 3. Jelani Beverly, Salem 6.70; 6. Kyle Reitz, Woodstown 6.81 800: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:59.87; 2. Karson Chew, Woodstown 2:00.56 3200: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 9:52.30; 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:14.36 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Kyle Reitz, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford) 3:30.30 (meet record, old record 3:32.09, Woodbury 2025); 2. Salem (Quimere Bergen, Gradin Buzby, RaShar Stevenson, Jerry Seals) 3:37.61 High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 6-2; 3. Tommy White, Penns Grove 5-6; T5. Jerry Seals, Salem 5-2; T5. Anthony Costello, Woodstown 5-2 Pole Vault: 1. Bobby McIlvaine, Haddon Twp. 12-0; 3. Salvatore Longo, Schalick 11-0; 4. Gradin Buzby, Salem 11-0 Shot Put: 1. Kyle Stephens, Haddon Twp. 47-9; 2. Aiden Taulane, Woodstown 46-2.5; 3. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 45-7; 6. Jailon Fletcher-Wilson, Salem 43-2
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Audubon 90, Glassboro 47, Haddon Twp. 46, West Deptford 32, WOODSTOWN 31, Buena 20, Woodbury 12, PENNSVILLE 8, Lower Cape May 8, SALEM 5, PENNS GROVE 4, Palmyra 2, Burlington City 2, Gateway 2 400: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 1:00.72 1600: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 5:08.61; 4. Abby Marino, Woodstown 5:29.58 55 Hurdles: 1. Casey Birdwell, Haddon Twp. 8.83; 2. Lia Covely, Woodstown 9.40 55 Dash: 1. Kathryn McGuire, Audubon 7.60 800: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 2:19.05 3200: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 11:20.98; 3. Abby Marino, Woodstown 11:58.23 4×400: 1. Audubon 4:18.72; 4. Salem (Dynastie Tucker, Brooklynn Jackson, Amaia Massengill, Alysha Williams) 4:24.47; 6. Woodstown (Maria Holmes, Angelina Lindenmuth, Abby Marino, Lia Covely) 4:38.23 High Jump: 1. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-0; 2. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10 Pole Vault: 1. Morganna Makuszewski, Audubon 9-0 Shot Put: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro 37-6.75; 4. Zoey Caesar, Penns Grove 30-11.25; 5. Sara Lodge, Woodstown 30-5.75; 6. Ava Rodgers, Salem 29-10.5
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 15-22
SUNDAY, FEB. 15 INDOOR TRACK South Jersey Group I Sectionals at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m.
MONDAY, FEB. 16 WRESTLING Cedar Creek at Salem, 10 a.m. NJSIAA Team Tournament At Paulsboro Buena vs. Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville vs. Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Winners to follow At Audubon Haddon Twp. vs. Woodstown, 5 p.m. Maple Shade vs. Audubon, 5 p.m. Winners to follow COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Bryant & Stratton (Va.)
TUESDAY, FEB. 17 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Timber Creek at Kingsway Deptford at Overbrook Cumberland at Delsea Williamstown at Salem, 5 p.m. Consolation game Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Postseason Bracket Clayton at GCIT Glassboro at Triton Wildwood at Pitman Highland at Washington Twp. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea at Gloucester Catholic Clearview at Timber Creek Kingsway at Glassboro Washington Twp. at Wildwood Consolation game Woodstown at Triton, 5:30 p.m. Postseason Bracket Pitman at Schalick Salem at Williamstown Clayton at GCIT Penns Grove at Deptford
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 WRESTLING Pennsville at Pennsauken, 6 p.m. Team Sectional Finals BOYS BOWLING South Jersey Group I Tournament Salem vs. Doane Academy, Wood Lanes, 3 p.m. Asbury Park at Camden Catholic
THURSDAY, FEB. 19 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Timber Creek-Kingsway vs. Deptford-Overbrook Cumberland-Delsea vs. Williamstown-Salem Postseason Bracket Clayton-GCIT vs. Glassboro-Triton Wildwood-Pitman vs. Highland/Washington Twp. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea-Gloucester Catholic vs. Clearview-Timber Creek Kingsway-Glassboro vs. Washington Twp.-Wildwood Postseason Bracket Pitman-Schalick vs. Salem-Williamstown Clayton-GCIT vs. Penns Grove-Deptford Consolation game Cumberland at Pennsville, 4 p.m. WRESTLING Salem at New Egypt, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20 BOYS BASKETBALL Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Medford Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. WRESTLING St. Joseph (Hamm.) at Salem, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m. State Team Semifinals
SATURDAY, FEB. 21 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 11 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 1 p.m. BOYS BOWLING South Jersey Group I Championship WRESTLING Pennsville, Ewing at Pt. Pleasant Beach, 10 a.m.
SUNDAY, FEB. 22 TRACK NJSIAA Group Championships, Bennett Center, 9 a.m.
Scores, details and projected playoff pairings highlight the Saturday Salem County sports report; Salem projected to pull down No. 1 boys seed in South Jersey Group 1; will be updated with more
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 BOYS BASKETBALL Salem 66, Salem Tech 44 Steinert 55, Schalick 30 Haddonfield 49, Woodstown 44 GIRLS BASKETBALL Middle Twp. 55, Schalick 26 TCC Tournament Delsea 47, Pennsville 30 WRESTLING Highland, Mainland at Pennsville Woodstown at Delran Quad
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — All year long the carrot Salem’s boys basketball team had been chasing was the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament. It appears the Rams have claimed their prize.
After dispatching Salem Tech 66-64 on Saturday’s final day of power points qualifying, the Rams (19-4) appear to have secured the No. 1 seed by nearly two full points over No. 2 Palmyra. If the tournament were seeded as of 5 p.m. Saturday night, they would host No. 16 Riverside in the opening round of the playoffs.
It’s the first time an Anthony Farmer-coached Salem team is No. 1 in South Jersey. The Rams went to the South Jersey finals in his first season as the No. 2 seed.
“We’ve been taking care of business all season long, we’ve been finding ways to win, so this is the result,” Farmer said. “We’re excited about being the 1 seed and having everything come through Salem and having home court advantage. Now we’ve just got to get to work and see how far we can go with this thing.”
Here are the top 16 South Jersey Group I boys qualifers (and projected matchups) based on the power points standings at press time:
1. Salem (19-4), 2. Palmyra (17-6), 3. Haddon Twp. (20-5), 4. KIPP (15-6), 5. Burlington City (12-11), 6. Penns Grove (15-10), 7. Woodbury (11-14), 8. Woodstown (15-10), 9. Paulsboro (11-11), 10. x-Audubon (12-12), 11. Pitman (10-14), 12. Glassboro (7-15), 13. Wildwood (12-11), 14. New Egypt (11-13), 15. Gateway (13-11), No. 16 Riverside (9-14). x-LEAP, No. 10 in the power points standings, is ineligible for the playoffs.
Projected pairings based off those seeds: Riverside at Salem, Paulsboro at Woodstown, Glassboro at Burlington City, Wildwood at KIPP, New Egypt at Haddon Twp., Pitman at Penns Grove, Audubon at Woodbury, Gateway at Palmyra.
Projected pairings based off those seeds: Clayton at Haddon Twp., Burlington City at Woodbury, New Egypt at Palmyra, Riverside at Glassboro, Cape May Tech at Audubon, Woodstown at Pennsville, Schalick at Gateway, Salem at Wildwood.
In Farmer’s mind, having the home court is the biggest advantage to being the No. 1 seed.
“That is the big deal,” he said. “Kids have a tendency to get behind the home crowd and play with more energy and play better at home. Salem has a lot of support, our fans come out, so it’s great for us to be at home.”
The Rams were home Saturday and sent their seniors off in style. Farmer played the seniors on Senior Day and they made it happen.
Donnie Weathers led them with 13 points. Xavier McGriff had 12, and Kaden Robinson and Marshall Stephens had 10 apiece. All the players will be available for their next start, Tuesday against Williamstown in the Tri-County Tournament quarterfinals..
“We’ve been playing good basketball the last few weeks, I’m excited where we are,” Farmer said. “You want to be playing your best basketball around this time and I feel like we’re more disciplined, we have a better understanding of who we are as a group, so I’m excited about the run we’re going to make.”
HADDONFIELD 49, WOODSTOWN 44: The Wolverines cut a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with five seconds left, but couldn’t come all the way. Haddonfield missed a free throw with 4.7 seconds left and the Wolverines had the ball, but couldn’t get the tying shot to fall and the Bulldogs escaped with their 11th straight win.
Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points, but was held without a 3-pointer for the first time in 21 games and the first time at home since last year’s opening-round win in the South Jersey Group I tournament. He remains at 199 for his career. He had a good look at one with about 30 seconds left and the Wolverines down five, but rattled the rim three times before falling out. Elijah Caesar and Alejandro both hit two 3s and both finished with 10 points.
Chris Beane led Haddonfield (21-3) with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chase Stadler hit three 3s and finished with 10. The Bulldogs are the projected No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group 2.
HADDONFIELD (21-3): Mike Douglas 2 1-6 6, John Scipione 1 2-4 5, Chris Beane 4 4-8 12, Jack McKeever 1 0-0 2, Mike Mooney 3 1-4 7, Ryan Guyeiyian 1 5-9 7, Chase Stadler 3 1-4 10. Totals 15 14-35 49. WOODSTOWN (15-10): Elijah Caesar 4 0-0 10, Andrew White 3 0-3 6, Blake Bialecki 6 6-7 12, Alejandro Vazquez 3 2-3 10, Josh King 1 4-4 6. Totals 17 12-17 44.
STEINERT 55, SCHALICK 30: The Spartans from Mercer County dominated the first and third quarters to take control of the game. Steinert’s Michael Shaklin hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points. Christian Guagliardo went 6-of-9 from the line and added 10. Julian Dickerson led Schalick with 14 points.
Steinert
16
18
15
6-
55
Schalick
9
13
3
5-
30
Girls games
DELSEA 47, PENNSVILLE 30: Peyton Parker scored 22 points and the Crusaders held Pennsville’s top two scorers to a combined 13 points to win in the final game of the opening round of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket. The loss snapped Pennsville’s seven-game winning streak and was the Eagles’ first in the six games since changing coaches Feb. 2.
Taylor Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 10 points. Marley Wood was held to three. She tried to play through illness in the first half, but sat out the second.
“Delsea came out to play,” Eagles coach Robin Efelis said. “They were aggressive and played well. We had a few days of good practices, but it wasn’t enough.”
MIDDLE TWP. 55, SCHALICK 26: The Panthers went looking for a last-minute game addition to enhance its power points position and the Cougars answered the call to test themselves against the projected No. 1 team in South Jersey Group 2.
Middle (21-4) jumped out quickly and held the Cougars (15-6) to two points in each of the first two quarters. Interestingly, the Panthers didn’t put a scorer in double figures, but had 11 players scored. Vicky Basich led Schalick with eight points. Nevaeh Robinson had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Schalick benefitted from the game as well. The Cougars earned enough power points to project to No. 10 in the South Jersey Group 1 standings, the second-highest team from Salem County.
Sophomores rule the day as No. 3 Mighty Oaks wrap up regular season with 104-69 win over Sussex, await Region 19 tournament seedings, but should get Ocean-Philadelphia winner
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — There’s never been a game Stef Phillips wanted to make it back for more in his entire career than Saturday’s regular-season finale.
The Salem CC forward has been out with a sore knee the last three games and tried all the rehab humanly possible to make sure he was back for Sophomore Day.
Not only did he return for the festivities, he came back in a big way, posting his second career double-double to help the Mighty Oaks crush Sussex 104-69 to complete an historic regular season that saw them ranked No. 1 for six weeks and claim the overall No. 1 seed in Region 19.
He scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. It was his first double-double since the second game of last season.
“After I hurt my knee it was like in the air if I would play or I wouldn’t,” Phillips said. “I made sure I came to rehab every day with the mindset of me getting back, not for this game particular but any game, playoffs or anything.
“Yesterday at practice I felt great. I felt like myself. I woke up this morning happy. I knew for sure I was playing and I played my heart out, too.”
It was a good day for three sophomores, who are guaranteed one more game in Dupont Fieldhouse as a semifinal host in their region tournament bracket. Crowd favorite Mike Goodwin, a Penns Grove native who coach Mike Green called “the ultimate team guy,” earned the first start of his college career and had career highs in points (five) and rebounds (10). Nayeem Johnson scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench.
“The sophomores played really well; they combined for some heavy power,” Green said. “It’s good the sophomores go out with a bang.”
Phillips was active from the start. He scored the first basket of the game on an aggressive putback of a Goodwin miss and had another putback a few minutes later. He scored six of the Mighty Oaks’ first 13 points and had 11 points and nine rebounds at halftime.
“We challenged him to go out there and rebound,” Green said. “He can score the ball . We tried to get him to go out and rebound and he had nine in the first half. He was supposed to be on minutes restriction, but he was playing so well I kind of forgot about it. He gave us what we need.”
Goodwin’s start wasn’t just a token gesture, a tradition to reward time served and out at the first dead ball. He played the first five minutes before giving way to leading scorer Jarrell Little, but that wasn’t the end of his day.
He played a career-high 15 minutes, much to the delight of the student section that began calling him back with eight minutes left in the game. His teammates were working to get him in the scoring column and everyone in the building let out a roar when he finally got one to fall with 4:08 left. It was such an exhilarating experience he followed it with a layup-and-one on the next possession.
He might have even gotten a double-double if he were a little sharper around the basket.
“I never thought I’d start,” he said. “I just thought to be ready whenever my name is called and just perform when it is. But it definitely felt good. You hustle, you work, it felt like all the work, it paid off to finally start.
“I was definitely in my head the first couple shots. I wasn’t finishing through contact and I was a little discouraged, but I tried to pick myself up at halftime. I’ve just got to learn to keep working through it.”
He wasn’t in the game to lead the Mighty Oaks in scoring. His greatest asset is as a rebounder.
“I may not be the best scorer, but I know to hustle and try to get ball off the rim,” he said. “That’s one of my strong suits. I’m going to keep on grabbing the boards.”
Every player who got in the game for the Mighty Oaks scored and seven finished in double figures. All but one grabbed at least one rebound.
They wrapped up the regular season 29-1 and will be one of the No. 1 seeds when Region 19 seeds the two region/district tournament next week. They are projected to face the winner of the play-in game between Ocean and Philadelphia) in their home tournament opener, which will be the sophomores’ final home game.
The Skylanders (8-21) made it hard on Salem early. It was 26-24 when Qua Smith, Nasseem Wright and Phillips returned to the game after a Sussex timeout with 7:37 left in the half. Over the next five minutes the Mighty Oaks outscored the visitors 19-5 to take control of the game.
Phillips had a 3-pointer and another putback in the run.
“Just wearing guys down … and the results show,” Green said. “Sometimes it takes a whole half and it has been lately.”
SCATTERED ACORNS: It was the 13th time this year the Mighty Oaks have hit 100 and the fourth time they have had seven scorers in double figures … They are 14-0 at home this year and have a 21-game home winning streak … They rank first in JUCO Division III in total points, third in scoring average. They’re also first in field goal percentage and assists per game.
SALEM CC 104, SUSSEX 69 SUSSEX (8-21): Nico Sosa 9-22 1-1 20, Isaiah Bivens 3-7 4-4 12, DJ Baker 2-6 2-3 6, Elijah Geary 3-5 1-2 7, Ryan Geene 5-10 4-4 16, Liam DeLorenzi 0-5 0-0 0, Liam Dunn 3-9 0-0 8. Totals 25-64 12-14 69. SALEM CC: Saaid Lee 5-9 2-2 13, Zyaire Gibson 4-9 0-0 10, Nasseem Wright 7-8 0-0 15, Stefan Phillips 7-11 0-0 15, Mike Goodwin 2-8 1-1 5, Jahseir Sayles 2-8 0-0 4, Jarrell Little 1-7 1-2 3, Qua Smith 4-5 2-2 10, Nayeem Johnson 7-8 2-2 18, Idris Rines 5-10 0-0 11. Totals 44-83 8-9 104.
Sussex
32
37-
69
Salem CC
47
57-
104
3-point goals: Sussex 7-20 (Sosa 1-3, Bivens 2-4, Geene 2-4, DeLorenzi 0-3, Dunn 2-6); Salem CC 8-26 (Lee 1-2, Gibson 2-6, Wright 1-1, Phillips 1-3, Sayles 0-5, Little 0-4, Johnson 2-2, Rines 1-3). Rebounds: Sussex 26 (Bivens 7, DeLorenzi 5); Salem CC 49 (Phillips 10, Goodwin 10, Smith 7). Total fouls: Sussex 8, Salem CC 13.
Salem CC’s three sophomores (L-R) Mike Goodwin, Stefan Phillips and Nayeem Johnson combined for 48 points and 23 rebounds on Sophomore Day.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
x-SALEM CC (3)
16-1
29-1
21-1
x-Northampton (8)
15-2
23-4
x-Montgomery (9)
14-3
19-4
x-Brookdale (RV)
14-3
19-9
13-6
x-Union (13)
12-5
21-8
13-4
x-Camden
12-5
17-11
12-9
x-Bergen
10-7
15-12
15-11
x-Ocean
10-7
15-12
10-10
Atlantic Cape
8-9
12-15
9-9
Thaddeus Stevens
7-10
12-14
RCSJ-Cumberland
7-10
10-17
8-12
RCSJ-Gloucester
6-11
10-20
4-16
Harrisburg Area
6-11
7-17
x-Philadelphia
5-11
13-12
Delaware County
3-14
5-21
Passaic
3-14
5-23
4-16
Sussex
2-14
8-22
4-14
Luzerne
2-15
5-22
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking; games left in italic are region counters; x-clinched playoff berth
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 104, Sussex 69 Union 69, Brookdale 45 Harrisburg Area 78, Atlantic Cape 75 Northampton 77, Camden 62 Montgomery 89, RCSJ-Gloucester 76 Ocean 111, Luzerne 95 Morris 68, Raritan Valley 66 Lackawanna 79, Delaware Tech 61 Passaic 76, Philadelphia 65 Harcum 64, Mercer 62 Thaddeus Stevens 85, RCSJ-Cumberland 78 Middlesex 90, Ulster 56
PROJECTED REGION 19 SEEDS 1. Salem CC, 2. Northampton, 3. Brookdale, 4. Montgomery, 5. Camden, 6. Union, 7. Bergen, 8. Ocean, 9. Philadelphia
PROJECTED MATCHUPS North Atlantic A Ocean-Philadelphia winner vs. Salem Camden at Montgomery North Atlantic B Union at Brookdale Bergen at Northampton Winners advance to finals at Northampton
Riverview Sports News 