Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 3-8
FEB. 3 GIRLS BASKETBALL GCIT at Salem Tech Pennsville at West Deptford Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4:15 p.m. Schalick at Buena BOYS BASKETBALL Buena at Pennsville Riverside at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. TRACK Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island BOWLING Salem vs. Hammonton at DiDonato Bowling Center FEB. 4 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Schalick Woodstown at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Overbrook Pitman at Salem Salem Tech at Clayton BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem Tech Overbrook at Penns Grove Salem at Pitman Schalick at Glassboro Woodstown at Pennsville MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Montgomery County (Pa.) CC, 7 p.m.
FEB. 5 WRESTLING Pennsville at Gateway Penns Grove at Clearview Salem at Gloucester Catholic BOWLING Salem, Salem Tech in TCC Showcase at 30 Strikes
FEB. 6 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Clayton Schalick at Pennsville Wildwood at Salem Tech Woodstown at Overbrook BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem Overbrook at Woodstown Pennsville at Schalick Glassboro at Penns Grove Salem Tech at Wildwood BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes SWIMMING NJSIAA Sectionals at GCIT WRESTLING Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton Pennsauken at Schalick MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FEB. 7 GIRLS BASKETBALL Buena at Salem Pennsville at Millville WRESTLING Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove Salem at Winslow BOWLING NJSIAA Playoffs
FEB. 8 GIRLS BASKETBALL Cumberland at Schalick, 11:30 a.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Cherokee, 11:30 p.m. Absegami at Salem, noon WRESTLING Burlington City, Egg Harbor Twp., St. Joe (Hamm.) at Pennsville Salem, Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Harrisburg Area CC, noon
Saturday basketball: Pennsville’s girls win in overtime, Schalick’s boys snap losing streak, includes all the day’s games involving Salem County teams
GIRLS GAMES
BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 46, Camden Catholic 45 (OT)
Schalick 73, Buena 31
Gateway 26, Schalick 21
Oakcrest 78, Pennsville 52
Bridgeton 63, Woodstown 51
Deptford 63, Penns Grove 60
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – After a disappointing game against a top team the night before, Pennsville coach Steve Merritt challenged his team to put on a good show Saturday in what he expected to be a similarly tough game against Camden Catholic.
The Eagles gave their coach almost everything he asked for and it resulted in a 46-45 overtime victory.
“They never quit, they played really good defense and were active,” Merritt said. “I was really pleased with the way we played today.
“I told them before the game when I got this job and started working with you I was really happy with the effort and desire to win and for the most part I was happy with it. Yesterday I was little disappointed; let’s go out and put on a good show and they did.”
Playing with 1,000-point scorer Nora Ausland (fouled out) and Jaida Burns (injured) on the bench down the stretch in regulation and all of overtime, the Eagles outscored the Irish 4-3 in the extra session.
All the points in overtime came from the free throw line.
Marley Wood put Pennsville ahead 45-44 with 29 seconds left when she made one of two. The Irish rebounded the shot she missed and tried to hold the ball for a last shot, but the Eagles tied it up with 8.7 seconds and took possession.
Wood was fouled again and this time missed both shots. Edore Pela drve through several Pennsville hands on her way to the basket and put up a short shot for the win that rattled around the rim and didn’t fall.
Pennsville took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Irish rallied to force overtime. The Eagles had a chance to win in regulation. Taylor Bass got a steal with two seconds left and raced towards the basket, but her potential game-winning shot rimmed out as the horn blew.
Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 15 points. Ausland had 14 points, 11 in the second quarter to get the Eagles back in the game.
Pela led all scorers with 22 points. She had 11 in the Irish’ fourth-quarter comeback.
CENTERTON – Jase Volovar has been missing his shot lately and wondered where it had gone. It came back to him Saturday and he had a feeling it would.
He and Nylan Sutton both enjoyed career days in Schalick’s 73-31 rout of Buena that snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Volovar tied his career-high with three 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points. Sutton, a senior forward, hit 11 buckets and scored a career-high 24 points.
“It was about going out and coming out as a team and bouncing back from a couple losses,” Volovar said. “Getting back in the rhythm of winning coming up for this game (at Glassboro) Tuesday.
“I thought today we really came together as a team and were moving the ball extremely well, which really helped us get in the rhythm, helped me open up a lot.”
It started quickly for the Cougars’ junior guard. He missed his first 3, but came back down and hit one, then right away got a steal and layup off the press and was on his way to something special. He hit two more 3s before halftime and had 16 points at the break.
“I had been missing my shot,” he said. “Warming up I said my shot was going to be pretty good today. I was hitting from deep, all over the court, every area.”
He credited the increased shooting in practice with helping him get back on track.
Justin Iacona was also feeling it. He hit three 3s, too, and finished with 11 points.
BRIDGETON 63, WOODSTOWN 51: It was all Jameel Purnell and Tavon Chandler for Bridgeton in a tight first half, but the Bulldogs got more players involved in the second half and pulled away.
Purnell scored 34 points in the game and Chandler had 16 to almost outscore the Wolverines on their own, and they combined for all their team’s points in the first half as they built a 25-22 halftime lead.
The Wolverines stayed within reach, but, coach Ramon Roots said, just “didn’t make enough winning plays” to get over the top.
Blake Bialecki hit four 3-pointers and led Woodstown with 14 points. Alejandro Vazquez had 12 and Rocco String had 11. WOODSTOWN (11-5) – Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 5 0-1 14, Alejandro Vazquez 4 2-2 12, M.J. Hall 1 1-2 3, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 4, Rocco String 4 3-4 11, Brayden Hall 1 0-0 3. Totals BRIDGETON (8-12) – Leroy Ortiz Rodriguez 2 0-0 4, Joel Francisco Lopez 2 0-0 4, Kyion Gray 1 0-0 3, Stephen Little 0 0-0 0, Jameel Purnell 14 1-2 34, Jahzeer Thompson 0 0-0 0, Geraldo Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Tavon Chandler 6 2-4 16, Jerrell Burks 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-6 64.
DEPTFORD 63, PENNS GROVE 60: Deptford’s Alonzo Hernandez made it a three-point game with two free throws with 10.2 seconds left and Penns Grove missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds. Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser put back his miss to get the Red Devils within 61-60.
DEPTFORD (11-5) – Jordan Williams 10-0-21, Kenny Cockrell 4-1-9, Luke Vilary 2-0-4, Brian Orio 1-02-4, Ayden Copestick 7-3-21, Alonzo Hernandez 1-2-4. Totals 25-8-63. PENNS GROVE (8-8) – B.J. Robbins 7-5-22, Roman Gipson 2-3-8, Karon Ceaser 9-2-22, Antoine Robinson 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Will Roy 0-2-2. Totals 21-12-60.
Schalick wins three matches on cutoff day to win first division title in 12 years, Woodstown scores big win over Manasquan, and more
By Riverview Sports News
LINDENWOLD — Schalick wrestling coach Joe Frassenei expected to have continued success when his program split its co-op with Cumberland this season, but he didn’t necessarily expect this kind of success this soon.
The Cougars easily defeated three more teams Saturday in the Lindenwold Quad Meet and when they routed Salem they clinched the Tri-County Conference Classic Division title and their first division crown since 2013.
The Cougars routed Salem 77-6 to complete an undefeated division slate. They also beat Lindenwold 68-11 and Palmyra 79-0. It left them 22-1 at the state cutoff date and a solid No. 4 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and would probably be higher if they played a stronger schedule.
“We’re pleasantly surprised,” Frassenei said. “We knew we were going to be OK. I did not expect us to be this good this quick. I think we’re a year ahead of where I thought we were going to be. I figured we were going to take a step back a little bit this year because we lost half our team, but actually we’ve done much better than I thought we would.”
When the program split, the Cougars maintained 10 of the weight classes with “their” wrestlers. The four slots they had to fill have done well in their own right.
Gerardo Felipe (215) is 20-6, Collin Bittle (138) is 9-3, Caleb Jenkins is 29-1 moving up to 113 from 106 with his only loss a decision to a former co-op teammate, and Emma Cain (106) is 11-1 but inow focusing on the girls regionals.
Only a handful of Cougars got to wrestle three matches Saturday and many of their bouts were forfeited. Among those who wrestled more than once, Ryan Miller (132) had a tech fall and a pin, Bittle (138) had a major decision and two pins, Eric Sulik (165) had three pins and undefeated Ricky Watt (175) had two tech falls.
“It’s been a satisfying season,” Frassenei said. “The kids have been fantastic, they bought into it and they’re young, so we’re going to have all these kids back next year. Hopefully we can build upon that.”
Lindenwold Quad
SCHALICK 68, LINDENWOLD 11 120: Deny Ramos pinned E’Shion Underwood, 2:17 126: Luke Silva (S) won by forfeit 132: Ryan Miller (S) tech fall over Joshua Knight, 20-5 (2:13) 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Brandon Caro, 5:36 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) tech fall over Josiah Jones, 17-1 (3:00) 150: Koen Martin (S) tech fall over Junior Avila, 16-0 (2:28) 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Rahkeem Johnson, 1:01 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Angel Ramos, 19-3 (1:38) 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Julian Sanchez, 0:52 285: Julian Reid (S) pinned Rowan Dietz, 0:42 106: Jaime Lopez (L) tech fall over Victor Fenske, 17-2 (5:24) 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Johnny Palacios, 0:38
SCHALICK 77, SALEM 6 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) tech fall over Guylherme Quintanilha, 17-2 (1:59) 132: Ryan Miller (S) won by forfeit 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Cassidy Werkheiser, 0:42 144: Michael Baisch (S) won by forfeit 150: Koen Martin (S) won by forfeit 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Tytiana Miller, 0:15 175: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit 285: Abdullah Jenkins (SAL) pinned Julian Reid, 2:53 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit
SCHALICK 79, PALMYRA 0 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) won by forfeit 132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Shane Mulherin, 0:26 138: Colin Bittle (S) maj. dec. Chace Mulherin, 14-6 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) maj. dec. Justin Lopez, 19-6 150: Koen Martin (S) won by forfeit 157: Riley Papiano (S) pinned SyKeem Muse, 1:51 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Luke Van Sciver, 1:29 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Burak Sayin, 22-5 (3:36) 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit 285: Julian Reid (S) won by forfeit
Central Regional Quad
BAYVILLE – Pennsville had a tough day, going 0-3 as a team, losing to Central Regional, Clearview and Hammonton. Individually, Gabe Supernavage, Travis Hagan and Connor Ayars pinned two opponents, Christopher Daniels won two decisions and Nathaniel Mason won twice.
CENTRAL REGIONAL 53, PENNSVILLE 27 113: Mason Lugo (CR) pinned Erick Davalos, 1:15 120: Luke Condello (CR) pinned Mekhi Dicks, 1:22 126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Kriztopher Bustamante, 7-2 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Nicholas Thorn, 2:44 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Ben Laskowski, 1:02 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ethan Kiernan, 3:14 150: Jonathan Barrera (CR) won by forfeit 157: Nicholas Straniero (CR) won by forfeit 165: Alexander Setaro (CR) pinned Juan Velasquez, 0:42 175: Donovan Stesner (CR) tech fall over Christian Blyler, 15-0 (1:59) 190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Deklan McLaughlin, 1:01 215: Rhys Santarsiero (CR) won by forfeit 285: Mason Medina (CR) pinned Trevor Waddington, 3:45 106: Max Stierle (CR) pinned John Sassi, 0:58
CLEARVIEW 54, PENNSVILLE 12 120: Mekhi Dicks (P) dec. Logan Wright, 12-11 126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Ethan Calhoun, 7-4 132: Anthony Morales (CR) tech fall over Nathaniel Mason, 16-1 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Brady McCullough 144: Elijah Beatty (CR) tech fall over Travis Hagan, 21-4 150: Julian Malatesta (CR) won by forfeit 157: Kole Reiss (CR) won by forfeit 165: Tyler Trovato (CR) pinned Juan Velasquez 175: William Hyatt (CR) pinned Christian Blyler 190: Aaron Veytsman (CR) dec. Connor Ayars, 9-3 215: Double forfeit 285: Mason Nate (CR) pinned Trevor Waddington 106: Jonathan Contravo (CR) pinned John Sassi 113: Michael Lloyd (CR) tech fall over Erick Davalos, 19-3
HAMMONTON 57, PENNSVILLE 22 106: Tyler Police (H) pinned John Sassi, 1:18 113: Nicodemo Cirillo (H) pinned Erick Davalos, 1:31 120: Shane Way (H) tech fall over Mekhi Dicks, 15-0 126: Gavin Morris (H) maj. dec. Christopher Daniels, 8-0 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) over Gavin Kovacz, inj. 138: Luca Giagunto (H) pinned Gabe Supernavage, 2:18 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Scott Engelke, 3:34 150: Matthew Gehres (H) won by forfeit 157: Michael Maimone (H) won by forfeit 165: Vincent Palermo (H) pinned Juan Velasquez, 1:55 175: Julius Witcher (H) pinned Christian Blyler, 0:51 190: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Matthew Kane, 11-1 215: Mark Hartley (H) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Angel Arvizu, 1:56
Dual Match
Woodstown secured some major power points when Angel Hernandez pinned Chris Mendoza in 4:49 at 144 to clinch its 43-31 win over Manasquan. Had the bout gone the other way with a Mendoza pin, the match would have been tied and gone to criteria to determine the winner. Laitton Roberts, Greyson Hyland, Paul Banff, Walter Carter, Mateo Vinciguerra , Carson Bradway and Travis Balback also won bouts for the Wolverines.
WOODSTOWN 43, MANASQUAN 31 150: Michael O’Connor (M) pinned Thomas Lacy, 1:57 157: Torrin Travey (M) pinned Brent Reardon, 0:54 165: Laitton Roberts (WO) dec. Connor Brewer, 2-0 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Dan Riccione, 1:23 190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned David Dawson, 0:58 215: Walter Carter (WO) maj. dec. Kai Donahue, 10-1 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Charlie Kauffman, 0:11 106: Shea Travey (M) pinned Hunter Allen, 1:13 113: Shane Kerstetter (M) pinned Jadon Middlemiss, 3:50 120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Shane DePinto, 1:23 126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Logan Milancewich, 1:17 132: Jaden Sanders (M) dec. Alex Torres, 13-12 138: Charlie Hunt (M) maj. dec. Louie Scholl, 16-7 144: Angel Hernandez (WO) pinned Chris Mendoza, 4:49
Mighty Oaks respond to coach’s time out to run away from Luzerne, match 2020-21 team for most wins in a season since program return; third quarter dooms Salem CC women on the road
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green had seen enough to know he had seen too much. Luzerne had just taken the early lead, the Salem CC basketball team had just committed back-to-back turnovers and Green knew if something didn’t change soon his Mighty Oaks would fall into a trap they might not be able to escape from.
He did what any coach seeing his team on the edge would do. He called a time out to propagate a change.
Message received. The Mighty Oaks scored the next 10 straight points as part of a bigger 24-4 run that sent them off and running to a 112-67 win.
“It looked like weren’t ready to play, man,” Green said. “It was like they stayed up all night and I just let them know they (Luzerne) traveled about two and half, three hours; we’re at home. You guys act like you don’t want to play.
“This is an opportunity. Some guys aren’t going to have that opportunity on Tuesday. Take advantage of all the opportunities you get. I just let them know this ain’t no sleep game. You’ve got to come out and play, they’re basketball players. The guys picked up on that and we got rolling.”
The Mighty Oaks (18-6) broke 100 for the fourth time this season despite missing three starters to illness and injury, including leading scorer Akeem Taylor (ankle), whose status is uncertain for Tuesday’s important region game at Montgomery CC. With the win, they now have matched the 2020-21 team (18-10) for the winningest season since bringing back the program.
The Mighty Oaks got points from everywhere, with five players scoring in double figures. Josh Ramos and Tyrese Fortune led the way with 24 points apiece. A.J. Jones had 20, Jyheim Spencer had 18 and another double-double, and Stefan Phillips, pressed into his second career start in Taylor’s absence, had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
“Everybody getting involved is always good,” Phillips said. “That’s what you want. You don’t want one person to shine. You want the whole team to shine.”
It didn’t start easy. Luzerne’s Sedrick Beasley picked Fortune’s pocket and turned it into a layup with 12:55 left in the first half to give the Trailblazers (5-13) a 10-9 lead. Jones got called for an offensive foul on the next possession and that was enough for Green to call his fateful pause.
When the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor they ripped off the next 10 points to take the lead for good. The Trailblazers tried to stop the surge with a time out, but it only delayed the inevitable. Salem returned to the floor and ran off another eight in a row. They scored on eight straight possessions in the three-minute spree.
“Coach said get it together, they shouldn’t be in the game with us,” said Fortune, who hit a 2 and 3 in the middle of the first flurry. “I started off talking on defense and we started getting turnovers and advancing the ball up and scoring the ball every time we got downcourt.”
The points flowed so freely even Spencer hit a 3-pointer. It was his first in a scholastic or collegiate game since his senior year in high school – in 2020. He did hit one, he said, in the Philly Brotherly Love Pro-Am Summer League this past summer, but he was 0-for-3 from behind the arc in non-scrimmages for the Mighty Oaks before hitting early in the second half..
“All season I said I was going to take one, but I hadn’t hit one yet,” he said. “We were warming up and I was making the shot, so they basically told me if you’re making the shot you might as well shoot it in the game. I shot it in the game and I made it.”
“I don’t think it’s like a Bigfoot sighting,” Green said. “The kid has skills. He’s just unlocking a lot of different things. That’s one of the things we work on, getting him to unlock it and getting more confident. He’s got that shot and he’s gonna take it. He’s encouraged to take it.”
No one has to encourage Ramos to take the 3, but it’s encouraging when he hits them. He hit six 3s against the Trailblazers, three in each half. It was the most he’s had in a game since pumping in nine against RCSJ-Cumberland in mid-January and had hit only 16 in the nine games since before Saturday.
“It’s just getting back in my rhythm,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing, just being confident in my shot. I feel like I wasn’t too confident in my shot but I feel like now, today, I was beginning to get my shot up and get a feel for it.”
Everybody who had a big game was breaking out of something.
Jones had four 20-point games last year, but had scored only 25 points in his previous six games since his last double-figure outing. He was 7-for-9 from the field against the Trailblazers and 6-of-9 from the line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“We’re trying to get a championship, so I’m just here to give what the team needs,” he said. “Whether it’s defense, scoring, rebounding or assists, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the coach asks, that’s what you do. We’ve got plenty of guys who can do scoring and other things. I just do what the team needs.”
Phillips didn’t learn he was starting until right before the team came out for the opening tip. His only other start came in the second game with Williamson Trades Jan. 23, but he’s played in 19 games. He hardly missed a shot around the basket early in the season and he didn’t miss Saturday, going 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line.
“I was excited,” he said. “It took me back to how it felt back in high school. I just wanted to get back in the win column, that’s what charged me up. Coming back from a loss to be able to dominate the way we did was enough for me to be charged up.”
“He’s gonna be a rally good player next year,” Green predicted. “He’s good now, he’s going to be really good next year when he’s featured.”
Fortune had his career high. He had an eight-game stretch in the middle of the season in which he was averaging 12.8 a game, but he had only 37 points in the five games before Saturday.
“It all started off with practice, coach said just let it fly,” Fortune said. “He’s been telling me this all season, but I just had to get it out because the first part of the season I was in a struggle. I think it was just me rushing lot. Today I was patient, I got my team involved and everything just came to me, so I took advantage of it.”
SALEM CC 112, LUZERNE COUNTY 67 LUZERNE COUNTY CC (5-13) – Vagiba Donzo 0-1 1-2 1, Sedrick Beasley 6-11 2-4 15, Mackeenan Morgan 2-9 0-2 6, Vincent Garrett 3-20 2-4 8, Kaprie Cottle 2-6 2-2 8, Melvin Egbeto 2-4 2-3 7, William Preston 0-2 0-0 0, Al-Quron Michel 1-5 0-0 2, Tyler Collins 4-8 5-5 14, Ryan Probeyahn 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 23-70 14-22 67. SALEM CC (18-6) – Dontarius Jones 0-9 2-2 2, Tyrese Fortune 7-13 6-6 24, Josh Ramos 9-19 0-0 24, Stefan Phillips 4-4 3-3 11, Jyheim Spencer 7-11 3-5 18, A.J. Jones 7-9 6-9 20, Rodney Shelton 3-7 0-0 6, Tajee Jordan 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 39-75 23-29 112.
Luzerne
30
37-
67
Salem CC
49
63-
112
3-point goals: Luzerne 7-21 (Beasley 1-1, Morgan 2-6, Garrett 0-2, Cottle 2-4, Egbeto 1=2, Preston 0-1, Michel 0-1, Collins 1-3, Probeyahn 0-1); Salem 11-31 (D. Jones 0-6, Fortune 4-9, Ramos 6-13, Spencer 1-1, A. Jones 0-2). Rebounds: Luzerne 34 (Garrett 7, Beasley 6, Cottle 6); Salem 53 (Spencer 11, Shelton 10, Phillips 11). Technical fouls: Luzerne coach Strothers Fouled out: Jordan. Total fouls: Luzerne 20, Salem 17.
Women’s game
BRANCHBURG – The Salem CC women held their own with Raritan Valley in the first half, but danger signs were looming.
Sophia Larsen made a steal and layup right before the buzzer to give the Lions a seven-point halftime lead, then they pulled away in the third quarter to hand the Mighty Oaks a 75-54 setback that increases the pressure on Salem’s hopes for a Region XIX playoff berth.
The Mighty Oaks fell to 10-10 and must win two of their remaining four games to extend their season.
The Lions (14-9) outscored Salem 23-8 in the third quarter. Ona Riopedre led four Raritan Valley scorers in double figures with 27 points. Larsen finished with 11.
Salem CC (10-10)
17
14
6
17-
54
Raritan Valley (14-9)
19
19
23
14-
75
Region XIX standings
Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Jan. 23
MEN’S DIVISION III (x-based on percentage)
REGION
ALL
Union
13-0 (1.000)
17-3
Montgomery
12-1 (.923)
16-2
Philadelphia
14-2 (.875)
18-5
Camden
12-3 (.800)
14-9
Salem CC
11-4 (.733)
18-6
Northampton
10-4 (.714)
17-4
Brookdale
11-6 (.647)
15-7
Atlantic Cape
9-6 (.600)
12-10
Ocean
7-6 (.538)
11-7
RCSJ-Gloucester
8-7 (.533)
10-13
Passaic
6-8 (.429)
10-11
Delaware County
6-10 (.375)
7-14
Sussex
5-10 (.333)
7-17
Lehigh Carbon
5-11 (.313)
5-16
Harrisburg Area
4-11 (.267)
5-17
Thaddeus Stevens
3-11 (.214)
4-14
Luzerne
3-12 (.200)
5-13
Bergen
2-14 (.125)
3-18
RCSJ-Cumberland
0-15 (.000)
0-22
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem 112, Luzerne 67 Harrisburg Area 83, Passaic 71 Camden 89, Bergen 56 Ocean 93, Sussex 83 Essex 102, Mercer 92 Thaddeus Stevens at Montgomery Delaware Tech at Harcum Delaware County 85, Lehigh Carbon 80 Philadelphia 102, RCSJ-Cumberland 52 Chesapeake 83, Morris 73 Winchester 104, Raritan Valley 93 Lackawanna 88, Middlesex 65 Atlantic Cape 66, RCSJ-Gloucester 62
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem at Montgomery Union at Philadelphia Brooksdale at Passaic Bergen at Ocean Camden at Luzerne Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester Lehigh Carbon at Thaddeus Stevens Raritan Valley at Middlesex Atlantic Cape at Delaware County Mercer at Lackawanna
DIVISION II WOMEN
REG
ALL
Union
13-0
22-0
Harcum
9-3
16-5
Lackawanna
9-4
14-6
Raritan Valley
8-4
14-9
Mercer
7-5
14-5
Middlesex
4-8
9-12
Salem CC
4-10
10-10
Essex
2-10
4-12
Morris
0-0
0-0
Delaware Tech
0-12
0-18
SATURDAY’S GAMES Raritan Valley 75, Salem CC 54 Sussex 70, Ocean 44 Montgomery 74, Northampton 67 Camden 61, Bergen 40 Lehigh Carbon at Delaware County, canceled Delaware Tech at Harcum Montgomery 76, RCSJ-Cumberland 37 Mercer 79, Essex 65 RCSJ-Cumberland at Philadelphia Middlesex at Lackawanna, ppd Union 89, CCBC Essex 70 RCSJ-Gloucester 66, Atlantic Cape 45
TUESDAY’S GAMES Raritan Valley at Middlesex Camden at Montgomery Bergen at Ocean Essex at Harcum Brookdale at Passaic Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester RCSJ-Cumberland at Bucks Mercer at Lackawanna Delaware Tech at Union
Schalick wins 3 as Salem County athletes shine at the TCC/Olympic Conference Indoor Track Championships, also includes basketball and wrestling results
By Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield, David Stewart and the girls 4×400 relay team and Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team all won events Friday night to lead Salem County’s contingent in the Tri-County & Olympic Conference Indoor Track Showcase at The Bubble.
Jordan, one of the state’s premier distance runners, won the girls 1600 (5:12.91). Stewart won the boys 400 (50.67). The girls 4×4 relay team of Allyson Green, Hadfield, Gia Martellacci and Brooke Valentine won it 4:23.38
Stewart also finished second in the 55-meter dash (6.61). Martellacci scored in the girls 400 and 55-meter dash.
The Cougars finished third in the girls team standings, behind champion Washington Twp. and runnerup Williamstown.
Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team of Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello and Josh Crawford won in 3:34.41. Lucas and Crawford went 2-3 in the 800 and Jacob Marino was second in the 3200.
The Wolverines were fourth in the boys standings, a half-behind behind third-place Deptford.
TCC/OLYMPIC CONFERENCE SHOWCASE At The Bubble, Toms River (Salem County scorers)
NON-OLYMPIC GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 93, Williamstown 66, SCHALICK 29, Kingsway 26, Timber Creek 20, WOODSTOWN 20, Delsea 14, Clearview 14, Overbrook 12, Glassboro 12, Deptford 9, Highland 8, PENNSVILLE 6, Cumberland 5, Triton 3 400: 2. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 1:01.16; 4. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 1:02.27 1600: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 5:12.9155: 6. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 7.76 3200: 6. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 12:49.36 4×400: 1. Schalick (Allyson Green, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci, Brooke Valentine), 4:23.38; 3. Woodstown (Sarah Seiden, Lia Covely, Kayla Ayars, Jaime Deal), 4:29.62 High jump: 4. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 4-10 Pole vault: 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6 Shot put: 5. Allyson Green, Schalick, 30-1.25
BOYS TEAM SCORES: Williamstown 57, Delsea 41, Deptford 40.5, WOODSTOWN 40, Highland 37, Glassboro 28.5, SCHALICK 25.5, Washington Twp. 16, Timber Creek 12, Triton 10, SALEM 8, PENNS GROVE 6.5, Overbrook 5, Cumberland 4, Clearview 3. 400: 1. David Stewart, Schalick, 50.67; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 51.36 55 hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 7.58 800: 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:01.36; 3. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.53 55: 2. David Stewart, Schalick, 6.61 3200: 2. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:13.53 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford), 3:34.41; 4. Penns Grove (Sebastian Hernandez, Bryan Garlic, Knowledge Young, DeQuan Brown), 3:44.88 High jump: T-6. Sebastian Hernandez, Penns Grove, 5-6 Pole vault: 4. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-6 Shot put: 6. Sheldon Goldsboro, Schalick, 43-9
Basketball
BOYS HOLY CROSS PREP SHOWCASE MEDFORD TECH 70, SALEM 61: The Rams got off to a fast start, opening a 20-11 first-quarter lead, but Medford Tech’s Tyler Branson and Nesta Rice came to life and Jaguars pulled away. Branson hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 points while Rice finished with 18.
Salem placed four scorers in double figures, led by Tymear Lecator’s 14. Xavier McGriff had 13 and Neziah Spence and Deshaan Williams had 10 apiece. Lecator also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Williams grabbed eight rebounds.
3-point goals: Medford Tech 9 (Branson 5, James, Rice, Jackson 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator 2). Rebounds: Salem 40 (Williams 8, Rogers 7, Lecator 7).
GATEWAY 44, SALEM TECH 37: The Gators pulled away from a close game with a big third quarter. Joseph Hayes led Salem Tech with 12 points. Aiden Bobo had 11.
GATEWAY (4-12): Justin Dugan 19, Benjamin Contarino 4, Jake Finger 14, Sean Cawley 2, Dylan Ceravolo 5. SALEM TECH (0-17): Ayden Myers 2 0-2 4, Joseph Hayes 3 3-4 12, Aiden Bobo 4 2-2 11, Sam Battiato 1 1-2 4, Larry Pompper 2 0-2 4, Chase Ayars 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-12 37.
Gateway
10
8
18
8-
44
Salem Tech
7
12
10
8-
37
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Hayes 3, Bobo, Battiato).
GIRLS HADDON TWP. 57, PENNSVILLE 42: Alli Kamulda scored all of her points on six 3-pointers for Haddon Twp. Pennsville freshman Addie Johnston hit a career-high four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points.
PENNSVILLE 53, CLAYTON 24 126: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Cayden Wentz, 1:00 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Antonio Mendez, 1:39 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over William Camp, 18-3 (5:15) 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Matthew Kamara, 1:41 150: Steve Benkert (C) won by forfeit 157: Brodie Carey (C) won by forfeit 165: Kenneth Johnson (C) pinned Juan Velasquez, 3:08 175: Joseph Halstead (P) won by forfeit 190: Connor Ayars (P) def. Jeffrey Smith, SV-1 3-0 215: Michael Nichols (C) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit 106: John Sassi (P) pinned Ayden Figueroa, 0:45 113: Earl Wynn (P) pinned Joshua Wentz, 0:54 120: Mehki Dicks (P) dec. Dylan Adams, 4-1
Penns Grove’s Wilson passes 1,000-point plateau in loss, Woodstown girls get back on track; Pennsville boys snap 12-game losing streak, Penns Grove boys over .500 for first time since 2020-21; Woodstown’s String goes for 26 points, 25 rebounds to join 200-200 club for second year in a row
GIRLS
BOYS
Wildwood 56, Penns Grove 42
Penns Grove 60, Wildwood 47
Overbrook 28, Salem Tech 24
Pennsville 66, Salem Tech 49
Woodstown 52, Clayton 34
Woodstown 84, Clayton 62
Camden Tech 46, Salem 40
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson knew it was going to be a monumental day when she woke up Thursday morning, but it wasn’t until she got to the gym and saw the presentation in front of her for the first time did she realize what a big deal it really was.
The Penns Grove senior was in line to score her 1,000th career point in the game with Wildwood – she only needed half her average to get it – but the celebration already started before she got into Rudy Baric Gym.
There was a set of gold balloons spelling out “1-0-0-0” behind the Penns Grove bench. There was a banner anticipating the feat behind the Red Devils’ basket. There were hand-held fans with her picture on it and baseball-like player cards.
There was even a cake. Now, all she had to do was complete the task.
Wilson hit the milestone on a layup with 4:01 left in the first half, touching off a celebration that included a short video on the scoreboard of her career. The only thing that dampened the day from a Penns Grove perspective was Wildwood won the game, 56-42.
“It means a lot,” Wilson said of the milestone. “Starting slow in my school seasons and then coming out, starting, getting hotter over time it’s … an unbelievable moment.”
She became the eighth girls player in recorded Penns Grove history to reach the milestone and 20th player in school history. With the 25 she scored against the Warriors she now has 1,013 points for her career.
Wilson started her career at Kingsway, but didn’t become a scorer until she transferred to Penns Grove last year. She scored 251 points at her former school – just 19 as a freshman – and may end up with well over 900 at Penns Grove by the end of this season.
Red Devils coach Jennifer Denby wouldn’t take credit for turning her into scorer. She just “gave her the floor … and she seized the opportunity.”
Wilson has scored in double figures in each of her last 20 games and has had 30 or more four times in her last seven. She’s averaging 24.2 ppg this season on a team that has only seven players.
“As a coach it’s good to see the girls reach a great milestone,” Denby said. “Coaches are just put in place to put the players in place. They’ve got to do the work, and that’s what NyNy is, she’s been putting in the work.
“She came here with a little bit of points and she said she wanted to get her thousand. Every day she’d come into the classroom, write down her plan and stuck to it every day. She wrote it down last year at the end of the season, we made out a plan and she went right through it.”
It hasn’t been lost on the college recruiters. At the moment, Wilson’s three top choices are Delaware State, Morgan State and N.C. Central.
3-point goals: Wildwood 6 (McCracken 2, Wilber, Benichou 3); Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, Patterson). Rebounds: Wildwood 30 (McCracken 18). Fouled out: Washington. Total fouls: Wildwood 11, Penns Grove 14.
Penns Grove senior RaNiyah Wilson stands under the banner school officials erected in the gym commemorating her feat as a 1,000-point scorer.
WOODSTOWN 52, CLAYTON 34: Talia Battavio broke out of a mini scoring slump with 21 points, Megan Donelson had 15 and the Wolverines (12-5) played some tenacious defense to snap a three-game losing streak.
Battavio helped the Wolverines get off to fast start with 14 points in a 26-2 first quarter. The Wolverines led 38-8 at halftime, holding the Clippers to only three field goals.
The losing streak was the program’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Woodstown coach Matt Smart said it felt “very good” to get back on the winning side of things.
“The team played together,” he said. “Our defense led to offensive output. We had lot of girls get into the game at critical times and perform well. They played with confidence and had a lot of fun today.”
OVERBROOK 28, SALEM TECH 24 OVERBROOK (5-12): Gianna Simon 3 2-3 8, Jael Pressley 4 2-8 10, Lelani Knight 3 4-8 10. Only three players reported. Totals 10 8-19 28. SALEM TECH (2-13): Hannah Dewitt 0 1-8 1, Shelby Liber 2 1-4 6, Shelby Drummond 1 1-2 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 3, Demajae White 3 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 2 1-4 5. Totals 9 4-18 24.
Overbrook
6
10
6
6-
28
Salem Tech
5
4
5
10-
24
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Liber). Rebounds: Salem Tech 50 (Scott 14, White 14, Doerr 12).
Boys games
PENNSVILLE 66, SALEM TECH 49: Wins have been hard to come by for the Eagles this season this season, so when one does come around it’s worth celebrating.
The Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak when they beat the Chargers for the second time this season.
“We came through a very tough part of our schedule where we faced tough opposition every night and tonight it was our chance to execute the way we want to,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We’ve been priding ourselves on defense and tonight we let our defense do the talking. The ball went in the basket and it felt good to get back on the winning side of the ledger.”
Jovanni Rios got the Eagles (2-15) off to a quick start scoring nine in the first quarter and 21 of his career-high 28 points in the first half. The junior was 11-of-15 from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds and had seven steals. He has scored 49 points over the last three games.
“He was the whole reason we got out early,” Mecholsky said. “He was just everywhere. He really played hard tonight.
“He’s been the biggest positive surprise in this season. He wouldn’t have been given the chance to develop under different circumstances, but he’s taken advantage of the opportunity he was given and really ran with it.”
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Rios 0-1, Knight 1-3, O’Brien 0-1, Johnston 2-6, McDevitt 0-1, Miller 0-2, Laughty 0-1); Salem Tech 1 (C. Pompper). Rebounds: Pennsville 31 (Rios 5, Meranti 5). Technical fouls: Hayes. Total fouls: Pennsville 23, Salem Tech 22.
PENNS GROVE 60, WILDWOOD 47: The Red Devils put together a big second half to pull away from a tied game that extended their winning streak to six in a row and got them over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 season. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Warriors.
“Well, in ’20 we won the South Jersey Group I sectional so we graduated that class and the last four years we have been growing the program back after COVID,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “This was the next group of kids that have the basketball skills to be successful.
“But being so young and playing the tough schedule early in the year has allowed us to see great competition and now we are reaping the benefits of it.”
The teams battled to a 29-29 tie in the first half, then the Red Devils outscored their hosts 31-18 in the second. Karon Ceaser and Roman Gipson combined for 21 points in the second half. Ceaser hit three of his four 3s in the third quarter to give the Red Devils some separation.
Ceaser finished with 19 points. Gipson had 15 and Will Roy 11.
PENNS GROVE (8-7): KaRon Ceaser 6 3-5 19, B.J. Robbins 2 2-2 7, Will Roy 4 1-2 11, Jameel Horace 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Roman Gipson 5 3-5 15, Antoine Robinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-14 60. WILDWOOD (5-11): Eric Jordan 2 0-0 4, Nolan Mawhinney 3 0-0 6, Trevor Troiano 2 0-0 6, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Jordan Dozier 1 0-0 2, Gianni Troiano 1 1-2 3, Brian Cunniff 10 2-2 24. Totals 20 3-4 47.
Penns Grove
16
13
18
13-
60
Wildwood
14
15
11
7-
47
3-point goals: Penns Grove 9 (Ceaser 4, Robbins, Roy 2, Gipson 2); Wildwood 4 (Troiano 2, Cunniff 2). Rebounds: Penns Grove 23 (Ceaser 9), Wildwood 35 (Cunniff 11).
WOODSTOWN 84, CLAYTON 62: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers for the second time this season and scored 22 points and Rocco String scored a season-high 26 points as the Wolverines won their fourth straight.
String scored 11 points in the first quarter and combined with M.J. Hall for 18 as the Wolverines (11-4) opened a 25-8 lead. Hall finished with 15 points.
String also grabbed 25 rebounds to surpass 200 points and 200 rebounds for the second year in a row. He’s averaging 14.5 rebounds a game and has snared 65 in his last four games. He also had four blocked shots in the game, leaving him 22 shy of 100 for the season and 26 short of 200 for his career. He has had at least four blocks in each of his last 14 games.
CLAYTON (7-10): Princeton Sackor 4 4-5 13, Nazir Davis 5 1-1 13, Demetris Williams 3 1-2 7, Josiel Figueroa-Marrero 1 2-2 4, James Fritz 5 0-0 14, Jackson Venuto 2 0-0 5, Hasir Carter 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 8-10 62. WOODSTOWN (11-4): Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, John Hood-McGindley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 22, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 6, M.J. Hall 7 1-3 15, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 0-0 3, Sid Leevy 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 12 2-3 26, Brayden Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 7-10 84.
Clayton
8
15
19
20-
62
Woodstown
25
20
19
20-
84
3-point goals: Clayton 8 (Sackor, Davis 2, Fritz 4, Venuto); Woodstown 7 (Bialecki 6, White). Rebounds: Woodstown 61 (String 25). Total fouls: Clayton 7, Woodstown 15.
Confusing call in final minute impacts Salem CC’s loss at Philadelphia; women get left behind by Union; includes region standings
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – For the second Tuesday in a row the Salem CC basketball team went on the road to face a team it was chasing in the Region XIX standings and had trouble handling the ball.
That was frustrating enough given the tightness of the standings, but there was something that didn’t sit right with coach Mike Green’s even more in the 62-59 loss to CC of Philadelphia.
The Mighty Oaks were trailing by two with a minute to play when CCP’s Tahjir Davis was fouled under the basket. The contact was hard enough that Davis was forced to leave the game.
The Mighty Oaks believed they would be able to choose Davis’ replacement shooter from the players remaining on the floor. Instead, the Lions sent Kristion Tiller into the game off the bench to take the shots.
Tiller, a 76-percent free throw shooter, hit both shots and the Lions (17-5) stayed ahead the rest of the game. The freshman made three more free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the Mighty Oaks (17-6) at bay and was 8-for-9 from the line for the game.
“If you watched the live stream you see me arguing with the referees,” Green said. “The kid got hurt and we were supposed to pick a kid who was already in the game. Instead, they let them bring an 80-percent free throw shooter off the bench.
“He wasn’t in the game. We were supposed to be allowed to pick a guy who was already in the game. Of course, if they get to pick they’re going to bring the best shooter they’ve got in to the game.
“I don’t think they understand the rule. I was trying to go back and forth with them about that. They just didn’t understand the rules clearly. It’s a big deal to me. I know the rules. I played for a long time.”
Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes, who was in attendance at the game, said he would seek clarification from the region office Wednesday.
“I was there and confused as to what happened,” said Hughes, a former college basketball coach. “I will be following up tomorrow.
“I want to get clarity because the rule has changed at least twice in the last 20 years, but my understanding is that as long as the foul is ruled a common foul the opposing coach can select between the four remaining players.”
The Mighty Oaks trailed by nine early in the second half, but rallied to tie it at 46 and held a 51-50 lead with 5:04 to go. But the Lions buried back-to-back 3s and Salem never led again.
Akeem Taylor’s bucket with 5.5 left got Salem to 62-59. Josh Ramos gave the Mighty Oaks a chance to force overtime when he stole the inbounds pass and got it to Taylor for what Green called a “good look” from the left side of the arc, but his 3 missed the mark.
Jyheim Spencer ran down the rebound in the right corner, but he could only redirect an off-balanced 3 towards the basket as time expired.
The Mighty Oaks were only 4-of-29 from 3-point range in the game. Green also lamented their number of turnovers, which he correctly surmised were more than their field goals (22-21).
Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Spencer cleared a career-high 20 rebounds, extending his season average to 15.8 per game. CCP’s Malachi Montgomery led all scorers with 19 points.
PHILADELPHIA 62, SALEM CC 59 SALEM CC (17-6): Dontarius Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tamir Powell 1-12 2-2 4, A.J. Jones 3-6 0-2 7, Tyrese Fortune 1-7 1-2 3, Josh Ramos 2-7 0-0 6, Xavier Brewington 3-12 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 6-17 2-3 14, Jyheim Spencer 3-9 3-4 9, Stefan Phillips 2-6 3-4 7. Totals 21 13-22 59. PHILADELPHIA (17-5): Regjon Knight 5-18 3-6 15, Malachi Montgomery 8-17 0-3 19, Kristion Tiller 1-2 8-9 11, Maki Pettigrew 0-7 0-1 0, Brince Shelton 2-7 0-0 4, Tahjir Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Jaques Aurel Silue 0-0 0-0 0, Kaleem Henderson 0-0 2-2 2, Devon Stanley 0-2 5-6 5, Dontae Bacon 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 19-59 18-27 62.
Salem CC
28
31-
59
Philadelphia
30
32-
62
3-point goals: Salem 4-29 (Powell 0-7, A. Jones 1-1, Fortune 0-3, Ramos 2-7, Brewington 1-5, Taylor 0-5, Spencer 0-1); Philadelphia 6-17 (Knight 2-9, Montgomery 3-5, Pettigrew 0-1, Tiller 1-2). Rebounds: Salem 45 (Spencer 20); Philadelphia 40 (Davis 8). Fouled out: Brewington, Stanley. Total fouls: Salem 21, Philadelphia 18.
Women’s game
PHILADELPHIA – The Salem CC women gave one of the best teams in the country a battle for two quarters, but Union showed in the second half why it is the undefeated fourth-ranked team in the country.
The Owls outscored the Mighty Oaks 56-27 in the second half on the strength of 10 3-pointers and pulled away to a 95-54 victory.
The Mighty Oaks had it to 19-15 early in the second quarter, then Union started pulling away. The Owls (21-0) led 39-27 at halftime, then put 34 on Salem in the third quarter. They hit seven of their 12 3-pointers in the quarter with Destiny Bynum Johnson hitting four.
Maggie St. Clair led Salem with 18 points. Union had four scorers in double figures.
The loss didn’t really impact Salem’s road to the playoffs. The Mighty Oaks still need to find two wins among their final five games to earn a post-season berth.
3-point goals: Union 14-32 (Ogunwolere 1-2, Brightwell 1-4, Bynum Johnson 6-10, J. Smith 0-1, DeLosSantos 1-1, Williams 1-1, Fulton 0-1, C. Smith 0-1, Edwards 0-1, Hillman 0-3, Walker 4-6, Mehmedovic 0-1); Salem 5-17 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 2-4, Laurence 0-6, King 0-3, Hopkins 2-2). Rebounds: Union 54 (DeLosSantos 10, Bynum Johnson 8, Mehmedovic 8); Salem 41 (Zullo 8, Jackson 7). Total fouls: Union 11, Salem 12.
Region XIX standings
MEN DIVISION III
REGION
ALL
Union
13-0
17-3
Montgomery
12-1
15-2
Philadelphia
12-2
17-5
Camden
11-3
13-9
Salem
10-4
17-6
Northampton
10-4
17-4
Brookdale
11-5
15-6
Atlantic Cape
8-6
11-9
RCSJ-Gloucester
8-6
10-12
Passaic
6-7
10-10
Ocean
5-6
9-7
Sussex
5-9
6-16
Lehigh Carbon
5-9
5-14
Delaware County
5-10
6-14
Harrisburg Area
3-11
4-17
Luzerne
3-11
4-12
Thaddeus Stevens
3-11
4-14
Bergen
2-13
3-17
RCSJ-Cumberland
0-14
0-20
TUESDAY’S GAMES Philadelphia 62, Salem 59 Union 110, Lehigh Carbon 65 Brookdale 79, Northampton 73 Montgomery 74, Delaware County 73 Thaddeus Stevens 78, Harrisburg Area 65 RCSJ-Gloucester 94, RCSJ-Cumberland 44 Middlesex 76, Essex 74 Delaware Tech at Mercer Raritan Valley 95, Lackawanna 90 Orange County 97, Sussex 38
THURSDAY’S GAMES Brookdale at Ocean Cecil at Delaware Tech Essex at RCSJ-Cumberland Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area Raritan Valley at Rockland Luzerne at Miseracordia JV Atlantic Cape at Mercer Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon Morris at Westchester CC
WOMEN’S DIVISION II
REGION
ALL
Union
13-0
21-0
Harcum
8-3
15-5
Lackawanna
9-4
14-6
Raritan Valley
7-4
13-8
Mercer
6-5
12-5
Middlesex
4-7
9-11
Salem
4-9
10-9
Essex
2-10
4-11
Delaware Tech
0-11
0-17
TUESDAY’S GAMES Union 95, Salem 54 Middlesex 73, Essex 69 (OT) Lackawanna 80, Raritan Valley 70 Delaware Tech at Mercer RCSJ-Gloucester 67, RCSJ-Cumberland 27 Sussex 57, Orange County 46 Atlantic Cape 69, Bergen 50 Brookdale 65, Northampton 58 Philadelphia at Passaic
THURSDAY’S GAMES Harcum at Middlesex Brookdale at Ocean Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon Philadelphia at Bergen Cecil at Delaware Tech Raritan Valley at Monroe Atlantic Cape at Mercer RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton Sussex at Dutchess RCSJ-Gloucester at Passaic
Pennsville’s Ausland breaks through the 1,000-point barrier, joins her brother on the esteemed list; Glassboro girls stun Woodstown, plus all of Tuesday’s Salem County basketball action
TUESDAY GIRLS GAMES
TUESDAY BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 67, Overbrook 25
Overbrook 80, Pennsville 44
Penns Grove 51, Schalick 43
Penns Grove 72, Schalick 50
Glassboro 52, Woodstown 44
Woodstown 55, Glassboro 49
Wildwood 82, Salem 13
Salem 72, Wildwood 43
Gloucester Cath. 72, Salem Tech 31
Gloucester Cath. 77, Salem Tech 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland thought she’s be able to go to bed Monday night as routinely and calm as as anyone could be on the verge of a major milestone, but the anticipation of what the next day held proved too much to sleep on.
She tossed and turned all night, and when she did nod off she dreamed of what was to come and then woke up realizing it hadn’t happened yet. The school day provided a suitable distraction, but when she got to the gym and saw the family gathering in the upper rows of the bleachers the butterflies returned.
Once she got in the game, though, the nerves gave way to normal game-day focus and she was able to settle into the game.
Then came the moment of truth. The Pennsville senior became Salem County’s newest 1,000-point scorer and joined her brother on the elite list while scoring a Pennsville career-high 28 points Tuesday as the Eagles soared past Overbrook 67-25.
She needed 13 points to reach the milestone and she hit the number on a free throw with 6:10 left in the second quarter. She hit a 3 moments earlier to get to 999. She now has 1,015 points for her career.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted off of me and I’m proud of myself that I was able to reach that even being out half of my sophomore season and a few games last year,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to do that.”
Ausland scored her first 462 points in two seasons at Salem, and missed 14 games her sophomore year because of injury.
Ironically, she scored her 1,000th point against the team she scored her first points against and did it for the coach with whom she started her career at Salem, Steve Merritt. She scored a team-high 15 points as a freshman against Overbrook in her high school debut Dec. 17, 2021.
Her first points in that game came on a short jumper after missing on a 3-ball, her dad and trainer Mike Ausland said.
“That’s something I had no idea about; completely lost track of that,” Merritt said. “I was happy to be here, it was good fun. And she deserves it, it’s a long road. It’s a good night.”
As much as everyone wanted it to happen Tuesday, there were no special arrangements to get her the ball to make it happen. The points she was going to get were going to come within the framework of the offense.
The first time she touched the ball she dished it off to Taylor Bass for an opening 3-pointer. She didn’t score for the first time until midway through the first quarter when she gave the Eagles the lead for good. She also had 14 rebounds (for 521 in her career) and seven assists.
Her next target on the points parade is brother Gage, who scored 1,144 points in three seasons at Salem before graduating in 2020.
“It meant a lot to me because my brother, he got it in his three years; I wanted to be like him,” Nora said. “That’s what influenced me to do that first. Now that I finally get it I feel accomplished. So now my goal is to beat him, of course.”
“And she’ll beat me, too,” Gage said.
With Ausland safely over the 1,000-point barrier, the focus now turns on Marley Wood’s quest for the milestone. Wood, a junior, is 69 points away from the number.
If she hits it, she will be the third member of her on the list. Luke Wood, who is not playing basketball this season to focus on baseball, has 1,198 career points. Their sister Ryane, a 2022 Pennsville grad, has 1,224 points and is the school’s fourth all-time leading girls scorer.
“I’m really excited because I want to see my name up on the banner with my brother and my sister,” Marley said.
Katie Kline is Pennsville’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 2,110 points. She graduated in 2004.
Pennsville’s Nora Ausland is flanked by her parents in celebrating her 1,000th career point Tuesday against Overbrook.
PENNS GROVE 51, SCHALICK 43: RaNiyah Wilson moved closer to becoming Penns Grove’s next 1,000-point scorer when she went for 31 points and was the difference against a Cougars team that gave the Red Devils a battle for four quarters.
Wilson needs 11 points to join the elite club teammate Meely Horace joined last season and is projected to get it Thursday at home against Wildwood. She has gone for 30 or more twice in the last week as she closed the gap on the milestone.
The Cougars limited the senior guard to 11 points in the first half on 5-of-19 shooting, but she got loose for 20 in the second half.
Penns Grove pulled away from a close game with eight straight points early in the second quarter, but Schalick never went away. The Cougars needed three players to match Wilson’s production. Freshman Navaeh Robinson (11), Ava Scurry (10) and Cali Fisler (10) combined for 31 points.
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Willoughby, Robinson); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Patterson). Fouled out: Fisler, J. Cummings. Total fouls: Schalick 14, Penns Grove 14.
GLASSBORO 52, WOODSTOWN 44: The Bulldogs put together a big fourth quarter to upset Woodstown and hand the Wolverines their third straight loss and snapped their 38-game winning streak against TCC Diamond Division opponents.
Woodstown held a 36-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs went on a 20-8 tear to snap a four-game losing streak.
Kezia Brackett was Glassboro’s leading scorer with 14 points, but Sanaa Thomas scored eight of her 13 in the fourth quarter to lead its comeback.
“They were ferocious on the glass today and played great defense on our drives,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Brackett and Thomas played with an extreme tenacity on both ends of the floor. They were able to attack the basket, grab offensive and defensive rebounds and pressure the ball.
“They had other girls make big shots when they had the chance to. Their ability to close our and defense our drives without fouling made it difficult to score. They did not give up many second chance opportunities to us.”
Megan Donelson led the Wolverines with 17 points and pulled into a tie with teammate Talia Battavio for second place on Woodstown’s all-time girls scoring list, 108 points behind the top spot. She had five of their points in the fourth quarter and 12 in the second half.
The three-game losing streak is Woodstown’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Tuesday’s loss sets up a potential Diamond Division championship game showdown at Pennsville Feb. 4.
“We did not execute tonight,” Smart said. “We talk about playing our style of basketball each and every night — pressure the ball, push the pace, try and get open looks — and we did not do that tonight. We tried to force some shots that were not there instead of working to get an easy shot.
“While the last three games are obviously disappointing, the great thing about basketball is we get to play another game on Thursday (at Clayton). We need to find that Woodstown Basketball that makes us who we are. We need to play with confidence. I have no doubt the girls will be up for that challenge.”
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 10 (Green, Moore 3, Am. Eggers, High 3, As. Eggers, Hutchinson); Salem Tech 7 (Liber 5, Beardsley, Bazemore). Rebounds: Salem Tech 24 (Beardsley 6).
Boys games
Salem’s Xavier McGriff has scored 56 points in the Rams’ three-game winning streak after enjoying a career night against Wildwood Tuesday. (Photo by Jalen Freeman)
SALEM 72, WILDWOOD 43: Xavier McGriff continued his recent run of strong play, going for a career-high 22 points to lead the Rams to a third straight win that got them back to .500 (8-8) after forfeiting four wins due to an ineligible player. The Rams are 5-1 since the ruling Jan. 13.
McGriff, a junior guard, has scored 56 points during the three-game winning streak. He had 21 points in his previous game against Pennsville.
“He’s been in the program three years, played JV for two years and just stuck with it,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “He’s just a real hard worker, he listens, he’s good in the classroom, he’s good in the hallways, he’s good in the locker room.
“You know, the basketball gods tend to reward kids who put the work in on and off the floor and right now it’s just coming to light. I’m glad the kid’s shooting the ball well, it’s the perfect time of the season, and I hope he keeps lightin’ it up.”
Neziah Spence also had a career night, going for 18 points. Tymear Lecator had 11 points and 12 rebounds and came within two assists of a triple-double. Deshaan Williams also had a double-double (14 points/10 rebounds) and Antwuan Rogers grabbed 12 boards.
Wildwood (5-10)
5
10
11
17-
43
Salem (8-8)
14
16
23
19-
72
PENNS GROVE 72, SCHALICK 50: Playing four men down due to injury and illness, the Red Devils turned to their bench to give them a boost and it came through big to help them continue their longest winning streak since opening the 2020-21 season 8-0. It was their fifth straight win to get back to .500 (7-7) on the season.
Gionni Conrad, a part-time varsity player, came off the bench and scored all five of his points in the second quarter when the Red Devils outscored the Cougars 24-9 to take control of the game. Will Roy scored seven of his 11 in the quarter and Roman Gipson threw in eight of his team-high 17.
“Next man up mentality,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said.
Jameel Horace continued his run of strong play with a career-high 15 points. He has averaged 13 points over the past three games.
Schalick’s Reggie Allen led all scorers with 20 points. He is averaging 18.4 ppg over his last five games.
WOODSTOWN 55, GLASSBORO 49: M.J. Hall scored 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to lift the Wolverines to victory. They held off a furious Glassboro rally by going 8-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Rocco String had 13 points and Garrett Leyman 11.
GLASSBORO (6-9): Davon Barr 0 0-0 0, Xavier Sabb 3 0-4 7, Adien Harris 4 0-0 8, Tae Thomas 1 2-2 4, Kenny Smith 10 4-5 25, Alex Adeleye 1 2-2 5, Will Boggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-13 49. WOODSTOWN (10-4): Eli Caesar 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 2 3-4 9, Alejandro Vazquez 2 1-2 6, M.J. Hall 6 5-6 18, Garrett Leyman 3 1-2 8, Rocco String 6 1-2 13, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 12-18 55.
OVERBROOK 80, PENNSVILLE 44: Lamar Little scored 27 points and the Rams hit 12 3-pointers to hand the Eagles their 12th straight loss. The Rams have won 13 in a row. Jovanni Rios led Pennsville with a career-high 17 points.
Ausland, Wood move closer to 1,000-point plateau, but Pennsville drops close game with Haddon Heights
MONDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Cinnaminson 50, Woodstown 44 Gateway 57, Salem Tech 20 Gloucester City 36, Schalick 16 Haddon Heights 53, Pennsville 48 Palmyra at Salem MONDAY’S BOYS GAME Bordentown 51, Schalick 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland can’t wait for Pennsville’s next game for two important reasons: she’s projected to hit the 1,000-point milestone and to put Monday’s loss to Haddon Heights behind her.
The Pennsville senior moved seven points closer to the career milestone, but the Eagles lost to the Garnets 53-48.
She now needs 13 points to become the newest member of Salem County’s 1,000-point club and join her brother Gage in the elite group. It’s expected to come Tuesday when the Eagles (10-4) host Overbrook, a team they beat by 37 in the first meeting this season.
“I’m excited (anticipating Tuesday’s game) because today was a mess,” Ausland said. “It shouldn’t have been like that at all, but you can’t change it, so tomorrow will be a better game.”
The points she gets Tuesday will come within the framework of the offense, just as they were going to happen Monday. Ausland had 10 in the earlier meeting with Overbrook and 25 against it last year.
“It is better that way,” she said, “because the more nerves, the more that I miss my shots. I try not to think about it and just let it happen when it happens.”
When it does happen, Eagles coach Steve Merritt said, it will bring a “collective sigh of relief” because it has been on everyone’s radar all season.
And after it hits, the focus will shift to Marley Wood’s pursuit of 1,000. The junior guard led the Eagles Monday with 16 points and now has 923 in her career. She hit four 3-pointers in the game and has 82 in her career.
Ausland might have been held to single digits by the Garnets, but she helped the Eagles (10-4) in a number of other ways. She had 11 rebounds and several steals and assists. She made back-to-back steals early in the third quarter that Taylor Bass turned into runout layups in a 7-0 run that drew the teams even after the Eagles trailed by 14 early in the game.
The areas that hurt them most were rebounding and 3-point defense. The Garnets (12-5) hit 10 3-pointers. Every time the Eagles got close, the Garnets hit another to keep their hosts at bay. Leading scorer Emma Harris (21 points) hit four, Brielle Connor three and CeCe Matthews (12 points) two.
“Those were two points of emphasis pre-game,” Merritt said. “We said No. 3 (Harris), No. 22 (Sami Szabo), they love 3s. No. 5 (Matthews) came out and hit a couple right away; now I’ve got three people to worry about.
“And rebounding. I said at some point during the course of the game no ball should hit the floor. We came up short in those areas.”
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 2; all games 5:30 p.m. unless noted
JAN. 27 GIRLS BASKETBALL Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Gloucester City at Schalick Palmyra at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Gateway Woodstown at Cinnaminson, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Schalick at Bordentown, 6:30 p.m. SWIMMING Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 7 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Lanes JAN. 28 GIRLS BASKETBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville Salem at Wildwood Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown Pennsville at Overbrook Penns Grove at Schalick Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic Wildwood at Salem BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes WRESTLING Penns Grove at Riverside, 5 p.m. Salem, Holy Spirit at Oakcrest, 5 p.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at CC of Philadelphia, 7 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m. JAN. 29 WRESTLING Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m. Cumberland at Woodstown, 6 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m. Pitman at Schalick BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes SWIMMING Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3:30 p.m. JAN. 30 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick at Paulsboro Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Camden Tech at Salem Overbrook at Salem Tech Woodstown at Clayton, 7 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Clayton at Woodstown Penns Grove at Wildwood BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. JAN. 31 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Haddon Twp. Salem Tech at Camden Tech Winslow at Salem BOYS BASKETBALL Gateway at Salem Tech Salem vs. Medford Tech at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. WRESTLING Clayton at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 7 p.m. TRACK Tri-County & Olympic Conference at Bennett Center, Toms River FEB. 1 GIRLS BASKETBALL Camden Catholic at Pennsville, 1 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Oakcrest at Pennsville, 11:30 p.m. Schalick at Buena, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Bridgeton, 11:30 a.m. Deptford at Penns Grove, 1 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Clearview, Hammonton at Central Regional, 10 a.m. Pennsville girls at Eastern, 9 a.m. Penns Grove vs. Bordentown, Vineland, Winslow Salem, Schalick, Palmyra at Lindenwold, 9 a.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Luzerne County CC at Salem CC, noon WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Raritan Valley CC, noon
FEB. 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Eastern, 10 a.m.
pinned E’Shion Underwood, 2:17
