Salem CC finishes third in national tournament after beating DC-North Lake on Rines’ late 3-pointer; Gibson makes all-tournament team
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT At Herkimer, N.Y. Saturday’s Games Fifth-place game Richland 70, Joliet 66 Third-place game Salem CC 76, Dallas North Lake 75 Championship game Northern Essex 68, Dallas Richland 62
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
HERKIMER, N.Y. – Idris Rines didn’t just hit the shot of the game, it was the shot of Salem CC’s record-breaking year. No, it did not win a championship. It did more than that. It salvaged a season.
The Mighty Oaks came here to the JUCO Division III national tournament to win a national championship. That dream was dashed Friday night, but Rines made sure they made good on coach Mike Green’s overnight boast of going home with something when he delivered a pure 3-pointer from the top of the key with 17 seconds left to bring them a 76-75 win over third-seeded Dallas College North Lake.
Back-to-back losses to end the season would’ve been a bummer for a team that had the best record in the country coming into this JUCO Division III national tournament. Instead, thanks to Rines’ shining moment, just like last year, the Mighty Oaks (32-3) are one of the few college basketball teams in America that will end their season with a win.
By beating the Blazers (23-12), they finished third in the national tournament, two spots higher than they did when they won on Saturday here a year ago.
“You want to go out winning, man,” Green said. “You want to go out smiling. You don’t want to be in here all sad. Our guys answered the bell.
“You come down here to win everything, you lose one and then you kind of get sidetracked. Try to tell those boys to fight. They worked way too hard to leave here with nothing. The light switched on.”
Stefan Phillips (25), one of Salem CC’s three sophomores and the only player back from last year’s tournament team, is all smiles as he holds the third-place trophy from the national tournament. (NJCAA photo). Top photo, Idris Rines lets fly the 3-pointer that won the game.
The play that produced the winning basket was supposed to be Rines setting a back screen for Nayeem Johnson to get a layup. But when he saw how much room the defense had left him, he called for the inbounds pass from Nasseem Wright and let it fly. He finished with nine points and six rebounds.
“That wasn’t my first game-winner, but that might have been like the biggest game-winner,” Rines said. “I had a couple in high school, but nothing like a championship game-winner.
“MG trusted me. The play wasn’t designed for that, but we just executed it. And that might have been our biggest execution play out of a timeout. We struggled all year executing out of timeouts.
“The biggest thing was sending our sophomores out with their last game and winning it. We wanted to come out of here with something. We knew we didn’t win the (district) and once we lost that we thought we had nothing, but third place gets a trophy and we’d love to send Mike (Goodwin), Stef (Phillips) and Nayeem (Johnson) off with something. Once MG told us we had an idea we could win something we just knew we had to.”
Asked if he ever saved a season before, he said, “not like this.”
“We all knew it was going in,” said guard Zyaire Gibson, the Mighty Oaks’ true 3-point specialist. “We practice that shot every day. Wide open. He had it. I heard coach Mike Green say ‘Shoot it!’ and we knew it was good.”
Rines had something of a reputation as a 3-point shooter in high school despite a 6-5 frame that would hint otherwise and he showed his worth from beyond the arc with the Mighty Oaks from the very first game at Atlantic Cape. He hit a clutch one in that game and shot it at 30.1 percent for the season. His two Saturday gave him 31 for the year.
“He’s versatile,” Green said. “He’s a guard in a forward’s body. He’s just so much stronger than everybody so we post him. Everything we told him before the season what we were going to do with him we did it and he bought into it.”
The Mighty Oaks had to play a little defense after Rines’ basket but Nayeem Johnson said “that was the easy part.” Because of all the foul trouble they had in the second half, they knew they had to stay disciplined, and they pulled it off.
Johnson came off his man to help Jarrell Little close off Elijah Black’s drive down in the lane with the clock winding down and then stepped out to challenge Zach Thompson’s off-balanced 3 at the buzzer that missed everything.
Nayeem Johnson (11) made his first start in a Salem CC uniform in place of injured point guard Saaid Lee. He was the Mighty Oaks’ second-leading scorer in the game and was in on the last two defensive plays that preserved the victory. (NJCAA photo)
The Mighty Oaks had a lot going against them. They played without injured point guard Saaid Lee, their two leading scorers (Little and Wright) were in heavy foul trouble, North Lake was in the double bonus midway through the second half and Salem hadn’t taken a free throw yet, and they were down 10 with 9:57 to play.
They brought it back with a 10-2 run to made it 60-58 with 8:25 to go. They tied it on a three-point play by Rines at 8:08 and took a 64-62 lead on Nayeem Johnson’s three-point play on either side of the 8:00 media timeout. It went back and forth the rest of the game.
Romiel Carter gave the Blazers a 75-73 lead on a free throws with 24.5 seconds left and Green called time with 19.2 to set the stage for Rines’ winning 3.
“We definitely matured during the season,” Gibson said. “We talk about adversity all year. We’ve had games, certain teams that weren’t supposed to be in it as long that stayed in it and we had to fight and fight and fight. Today we made sure we didn’t harp on yesterday’s loss and we came together as the game went on and we made sure everyone was still on the same page. We kept executing and as MG preaches execute plays, we made shots and got stops and we got back in the game and won it.
“We came out at halftime and told each other this is our last 20 minutes playing with each other for this season. For our sophomores we’re going to send them home on a good note. We’re walking home with a trophy – trophies – and they feel good. Everybody’s walking out of here with a smile, nobody has their head down, it feels great.”
Gibson made the all-tournament team for his body of work in the event. He had 39 points and seven 3-points in three tournament games. He 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the consolation game.
Little was their leading scorer with 18 points despite playing the last 17 minutes with four fouls. Johnson, making his first start in a Salem uniform, had 17 points.
ACORNS: Top-seeded Northern Essex won the championship game, beating Dallas College Richland, 68-62. Richland was bidding to become the lowest seeded team (10th) to win the national championship … With his 597 points this season, Little is now 16th on the Mighty Oaks’ all-time scoring list. Wright (557) is tied for 21st and Lee (5-7) is tied for 29th … The national tournament the next two years will be played in Rochester, Minn.
This story will be updated.
SALEM CC 76, DALLAS NORTH LAKE 75 SALEM CC (32-3): Jarrell Little 6-15 3-3 18, Zyaire Gibson 4-11 2-3 11, Nasseem Wright 2-6 2-2 6, Nayeem Johnson 4-12 9-11 17, Stefan Phillips 4-6 2-2 13, Jahseir Sayles 0-2 0-0 0, Qua Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Idris Rines 3-9 1-1 9, Mike Goodwin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 19-22 76. DALLAS NORTH LAKE (23-12): Santana Spivey 2-8 0-0 5, Jordan Edwards 5-8 6-8 16, Elijah Black 2-8 0-0 4, Zach Thompson 2-7 8-12 12, Romiel Carter 8-16 6-8 22, Zaedyn Owens 0-8 2-4 2, JaDen Stiggers 4-7 2-2 12, Damian Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Ngozi Ofili 0-0 0-0 0, Marco Assirifix 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-63 24-34 75.
Salem CC
37
39-
76
Dallas North Lake
38
37-
75
3-point goals: Salem CC 9-22 (Little 3-6, Gibson 1-7, Johnson 0-1, Phillips 3-3, Sayles 0-2, Rines 2-3); North Lake 3-15 (Spivey 1-6, Black 0-1, Thompson 0-2, Owens 0-3, Stiggers 2-3). Rebounds: Salem CC 39 (Gibson 8, Wright 7, Rines 6); North Lake 47 (Carter 14). Total fouls: Salem CC 23, North Lake 20.
Zyaire Gibson was Salem CC’s representative on the all-tournament team for his steady play and body of work in the tournament. (NJCAA photo)
Salem CC basketball will play for third place in the national tournament after losing to top-seeded Northern Essex in Division III semifinals; Knights’ Robinson scores 39
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT At Herkimer, N.Y. Friday’s Games Joliet 102, Genesee 100 (OT) Riverland 97, Ridgewater 89 Northern Essex 88. Salem CC 85 Dallas Richland 67, Dallas North Lake 59 Saturday’s Games Fifth-place game: Joliet vs. Riverland, noon Third-place game: Salem CC vs. Dallas North Lake, 2 p.m. Championship game: No. 1 Northern Essex vs. No. 10 Dallas Richland, 5 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
HERKIMER, N.Y. – The Salem CC basketball team hasn’t felt the pain of defeat very often this season, but each one hurt worse than the last. The one Friday cut deepest of all.
The Mighty Oaks had their dream of winning a national championship shattered on a snowy night here when they suffered an uncharacteristically mistake-prone 88-85 loss to top-seeded Northern Essex in the semifinals of the JUCO Division III national tournament.
The fourth-seeded Mighty Oaks (31-2) have lost only three games this year and all carried some significance. The first, to Brookdale, ended their season-opening 22-game winning streak and knocked them from No. 1 in the country. The second, to Montgomery County, cost them the district championship, an automatic bid here and maybe even the No. 1 seed. Friday’s loss ended their dream of winning their first national championship.
“We made the same mistakes against Montco we made tonight,” Salem coach Mike Green said. “(Giving up) offensive rebounds when it mattered the most, no stops when it mattered the most. (The loss to) Montco hurt more than anything, the championship and the way my guys played. At least they went out and competed today. It’s unfortunate. So close, but so far.
“I thought we played well enough to win. We just didn’t guard and turned the ball over.”
The most frustrating element of the loss was once the Mighty Oaks did fall behind every time they would get close, the Knights (32-3) answered to turn them away, either by creating an empty possession through a turnover or missed shot or answering with points of their own.
They got within 52-50, Alex Johnson hit buckets on consecutive possessions to push it back to 56-50. They closed to 61-59, Jacob Mercedes answered with a basket. They drew within 62-61 with 12:00 left then missed three straight shots and Jayvon Depina made them pay with a 3-pointer. They tied it at 66, then the Knights went on a 9-0 run through the 8:00 media timeout while the Mighty Oaks went through six straight empty possessions. It was like that the whole second half.
“Their pressure really wasn’t nothing,” Nasseem Wright said. “Our team is young, so like none of us want to make mistakes and that causes us to make mistakes. I don’t want to discredit their team, but it was moreso like we were just giving away possessions. We’d come down and score and then we’d give up a backdoor layup. That’s not anything they did, that’s on us by not guarding our man. We were literally giving them those possessions.
“If they were outright better than us it’s like I won’t be able to accept (the loss) but I’ll be able to see from it. I can’t see it now because I don’t think none of these teams are better than us. I just feel like we’re literally just giving away championships by not being disciplined. Those same things we’ve been dealing with throughout the whole season versus lesser teams who aren’t playing for anything, it didn’t really harm us. But now when you’ve got guys who are coming out there, they might not be the better team, but they’re going to play as hard as ever because they’re playing for something, those mistakes are going to come back and bite you.
“Those same mistakes you can’t do because it’s not about skill at the end of the day, it’s about who’s going out there willing to die on the court. That’s something we didn’t do. We didn’t die on the court. We didn’t leave it all on the floor. That’s not like us. It happened in the Brookdale game, which was a loss, it happened in the Montco game, which was a loss, and it happened today.”
Northern Essex’ Joan Vidal (12) lunges to knock the ball away from Salem’s Nayeem Johnson. (NJCAA photo)
The Mighty Oaks were charged with 21 turnovers and gave up 36 points in the paint. They let sophomore guard Alex Johnson get loose for 39 points. It’s the most points the Mighty Oaks have given up by one player since Sussex’ P.J. Ross went for 39 against them near the end of Green’s first season. Johnson was 12-of-23 from the field and 15-of-19 from the free throw line.
Alejandro Delgado, the Region 21 Player of the Year, had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, including one of a Saaid Lee layup with 11.7 seconds left that kept Salem once again from getting within two.
“My guys didn’t follow the scouting report,” Green said. “They did it their way and so you give up 40 points to one guy. Let right-handed drivers go right-handed drive. That’s the game: 20 turnovers, 39 points to a right-handed driver.”
Their own top scorers, Jarrell Little and Wright, both fouled out in the final two minutes. They finished with nine and eight points, respectively, the only time this season they’ve been held to single digits in the same game. Lee wound up as their leading scorer with 23 points, two shy of his career high. He was 6-of-9 from the field, hit all three of his 3-pointers and all eight of his free throws.
The freshman point guard hit a deep 3-pointer over Johnson with 5.9 seconds left to draw his team within 87-85. Johnson hit a free throw at the other end with 4.6 seconds left to make it a three-point game and Green called his final time out immediately after the shot went through to set up a game-tying play.
They just wanted to get any shot, but Lee tripped shortly after crossing mid-court and may have had a case for a blocking foul against the Knights, but was called for traveling. Lee defended the inbounds pass to Johnson and replays looked as if the ball went out off Johnson’s hands, but the officials awarded the ball to the Knights with four-tenths of a second left and they simply passed it in with the Mighty Oaks standing near their bench to end the game.
“I pulled it,” he said of the turnovers. “I feel horrible.”
The Mighty Oaks can still leave here on a positive note if they beat third-seeded Dallas North Lake in Saturday’s 2 p.m. consolation game. It would allow them to end the season with a win, just not the win they came here to get.
NORTHERN ESSEX 88, SALEM CC 85 SALEM CC (31-3): Jarrell Little 3-11 2-4 9, Saaid Lee 6-9 8-8 23, Zyaire Gibson 4-5 3-3 14, Nasseem Wright 4-10 0-2 8, Stefan Phillips 1-3 0-0 3, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0, Qua Smith 1-1 5-6 7, Nayeem Johnson 6-13 3-4 15, Idris Rines 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 28-58 21-27 85. NORTHERN ESSEX (32-3): Alex Johnson 12-23 15-19 39, Joan Vidal 2-3 1-2 5, Yunosuke Matsuda 2-7 0-0 5, Christian Sanders 3-4 4-6 11, Alejandro Delgado 6-12 2-4 15, Jayvon Depina 1-5 0-0 3, Cristian Moscat 0-4 2-2 2, Johnarieus Davis 2-4 0-0 4, Jacob Mercedes 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 30-64 24-33 88.
Salem CC
42
43-
85
Northern Essex
49
39-
88
3-point goals: Salem CC 8-19 (Little 1-5, Lee 3-3, Gibson 3-4, Wright 0-1, Phillips 1-2 Sayles 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Rines 0-2); Northern Essex 4-13 (Johnson 0-2, Matsuda 1-1, Sanders 1-1, Delgado 1-2, Depina 1-4, Moscat 0-2, Davis 0-1). Rebounds: Salem CC 41 (Wright 9, Smith 7, Johnson 7); Northern Essex 32 (Delgado 7, Moscat 7). Fouled out: Little, Wright. Total fouls: Salem CC 26, Northern Essex 19,
Salem’s Saaid Lee launches (and hits) a deep 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left to bring the Mighty Oaks within two of Northern Essex in Friday’s national semifinal game. Lee was the Mighty Oaks’ leading scorer with 23 points.
Top photo: Northern Essex guard Alex Johnson brings the ball up against Salem CC Friday. Johnson scored a career-high 39 points as the Knights downed the Mighty Oaks 88-85 to advance to the JUCO Division III national title game. (NJCAA photo)
Salem CC guaranteed to finish higher than last year at national tournament after wearing down No. 12 Joliet in second half, faces No. 1 seed Northern Essex next in battle of 30-win teams
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT At Herkimer, N.Y. Thursday’s games No. 11 Ridgewater 83, No. 6 Montgomery County 66, comp. of susp. game No. 5 DC Eastfield 78, No. 8 Northampton 66 No. 6 Montgomery County 84, No. 7 Dutchess 74 No. 1 Northern Essex 99, No. 9 Genesee 78 No. 4 Salem CC 91, No. 12 Joliet 78 No. 10 DC Richland 67, No. 2 Riverland 64 No. 3 DC North Lake 89, No. 11 Ridgewater 82 Friday’s Games Genesee (N.Y.) vs. Joliet, noon Riverland (Minn.) vs. Ridgewater (Minn.), 2 p.m. Northern Essex (31-3) vs. Salem CC (31-2), 5 p.m. DC Richland (Texas) vs. DC North Lake (Texas), 7 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
HERKIMER, N.Y. – To see Zyaire Gibson off the basketball floor or away from his Salem CC teammates you might think he was the quietest player on the team. The way he quietly sits in his locker stall. Or the way he moves past the crowd on his way out of the gym.
So it might have looked so out of character to see the freshman guard pumping his fist jubilantly in the air as he was running back down the floor Thursday after draining a 3-pointer in one of the biggest moments of the game.
GIBSON
Don’t be fooled. “He’s fiery, man, he’s fiery,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said.
Actually, the 3 that brought out that fire was part of a pair he hit on consecutive shots down the stretch to salt away the Mighty Oaks’ 91-78 victory over upset-minded Joliet JC in the quarterfinals of the JUCO Division III national tournament here.
The Mighty Oaks had taken the lead earlier in the second half, but the 12th-seeded Wolves wouldn’t go quietly. The Mid-Atlantic champions had drawn within three with 3:08 to play when Gibson fired his salvos. His first 3 in the exchange stretched Salem’s lead to six, Saaid Lee hit two free throws to make it 84-76 and then Gibson hit his emotional 3 from the left corner to make it 87-76 with 2:15 to go.
That’s when he sprinted back down the floor with his fist pumping all the way. When he decides to pull back the curtain, he said, “depends on the situation.” The situation Thursday demanded it.
“We were in crunch time, the team needed me to hit a shot, and I came up big,” he said. “The adrenaline in the moment, it felt good, I had to emphasize it. We work on those type shots coming down in transition. My team trusts me to hit it. Make or miss, they’re gonna tell me it’s a good shot, so I pulled up, I shot it, it went in.”
“He always brings the energy, whether he’s rolling or not rolling,” Nasseem Wright said. “Once he hits a couple shots his emotion is going to start to show. He definitely shows emotion. Especially when he hits a 3 like that, the emotions are gonna come out, for sure.”
The win moved fourth-seeded Salem (31-2) into a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Northern Essex (31-3) at 5 p.m. Friday. As part of the Final Four, the Mighty Oaks are guaranteed a better finish than they had here a year ago (fifth) and are two wins away from their first national championship.
The Mighty Oaks wore down another opponent in the second half like it has all year, running nine players in and out of the game to the six the Wolvers (16-12) generally play. Seven of their players saw at least 20 minutes and only one, Wright, played more than 30 (33). Joliet’s five starters averaged 35 minutes with one going 39 and another going 40.
“They played six guys,” Wright said. “You saw yesterday they only played six guys, so we knew they were burned out even before the game. Their whole team was in the training room, so we knew they were burned out. We knew they were going to come out and fight, but I don’t think anybody in nation is more conditioned than us and ready for the moment like us, so I think that was the turning point.”
Even Joliet coach Danny Turner conceded his team was wore out by the end of the game.
“We got worn down,” he said. “We just couldn’t guard any more off the dribble. Give Salem credit with their quickness and their excellent guard play. Their execution just put a lot of pressure on us. We’re not deep at all, we usually play 7-8 guys at all, so that kind of hurt us, the fatigue factor.
“The thing I was impressed with the most about Salem was their composure. Very poised team. Well coached. They didn’t get rattled at all.”
Salem CC’s Nasseem Wright hangs finishes off one of his dunks during the Mighty Oaks’ big second half in the national tournament Thursday. (NJCAA photo)
The Mighty Oaks trailed by five with 15:53 to play, then flipped the switch. They immediately embarked on an 18-2 run to take the lead and scored 57 points in the second half. They were 8-from-11 from the field in that stretch and wound up shooting 68 percent in the half and 5-of-10 from 3-point range.
They shot only 39 percent from the floor in the first half, 4-of-15 from 3-point range, and trailed by one at the break. Their two big 3-point shooters, Gibson and Jarrell Little, were both 1-for-5 from behind the arc.
Stef Phillips, the only player on the roster who played in last year’s national tournament, got the Mighty Oaks going with a 3 from the right corner and then it was on.
Wright was particularly active in the second half, hitting all six of his shots, scoring 12 of his 14 points, grabbing six of his 11 rebounds and dealing three assists. He followed Phillips’ 3 by double juggling a rebound over Joliet’s Jeff Fleming and finishing it off with a uncontested dunk to tie the game. Before the run was over, he swooped in to steal a rebound and feed Saaid Lee for a layup and then whipped a pass cross court to Idris Rines for a layup to make it 58-49 with 12:30 to play.
“I came out flat, getting the jitters out, I’d never been in the national tournament, but I had my teammates and coaching picking me up, so I knew I was going to get rolling sooner or later,” he said. “One thing about me, defense always led to my offense, so I knew once I woke up defensively, got some big rebounds, my offense was going to come.
“That’s what coach Mike was telling me, don’t worry about none of the (old) plays. The first half is over, we have a half of basketball to play. I knew once I got a couple defensive stops and some big rebounds my offense was going to come.”
Twelve was a big number for the Mighty Oaks in the second half. Little scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the half and Lee had 12 of his 15 in the half.
“We do that all the time,” Gibson said. “We were going to figure it out. We did figure it out.”
SALEM CC 91, JOLIET JC 78 JOLIET JC (16-12): Ricky Hill 6-18 0-0 13, Jyaveion Green 5-10 0-0 11, Levi Goad 5-14 2-2 13, Jeff Fleming 6-12 1-1 13, Victor Yatou 9-18 2-4 20, Kareem Parker 1-3 0-0 2, Dominick Hale 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Dillon 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Faber 1-1 2-2 4, Gabe Patterson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 34-79 7-9 78. SALEM CC (31-2): Jarrell Little 7-13 1-1 17, Saaid Lee 5-8 3-4 15, Zyaire Gibson 5-11 1-1 14, Nasseem Wright 7-9 0-0 14, Stefan Phillips 2-6 2-2 7, Jahseir Sayles 0-0 0-0 0, Qua Smith 1-1 0-0 2, Nayeem Johnson 5-14 3-6 13, Idris Rines 4-5 0-1 9. Totals 36-67 10-25 91.
Joliet JC
35
43-
78
Salem CC
34
57-
91
3-point goals: Joliet 3-17 (Hill 1-6, Green 1-4, Goad 1-5, Patterson 0-2); Salem CC 9-25 (Little 2-6, Lee 2-2, Gibson 3-9, Phillips 1-4, Johnson 0-3, Rines 1-1). Rebounds: Joliet 38 (Yatou 11, Fleming 7); Salem CC 39 (Wright 11, Little 6). Total fouls: Joliet 11, Salem CC 12).
Salem’s Nayeem Johnson tries to power his way out of traffic with a loose ball during the Mighty Oaks’ national tournament game with Joliet. (NJCAA photo)
Top photo: The Salem CC players rush over the bracket board to move their nameplate into the semifinals after taking down Joliet 91-78 Thursday.
Mighty Oaks draw Cinderella Joliet in national tournament opener after 12th seed beats No. 5 DC Eastfield; Montco game suspended with 6:33 left in second half due to power outage
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT At Herkimer (N.Y.) CC No. 9 Genesee (N.Y.) 68, No. 8 Northampton (Pa.) 62 No. 12 Joliet (Ill.) 84, No. 5 DC Eastfield (Texas) 83 No. 10 DC Richland (Texas) 63, No. 7 Dutchess (N.Y.) 58 No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) 64, No. 6 Montgomery County (Pa.) 61, 2nd half, susp. Thursday’s games Resumption of Montco-Ridgewater game, 9 a.m. No. 8 Northampton vs. No. 5 DC Eastfield, 10 a.m. No. 7 Dutchess (N.Y.) vs. No. 6 Montco (Pa.)-No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) loser, noon No. 1 Northern Essex (Mass.) vs. No. 9 Genesee (N.Y.), 2 p.m. No. 4 Salem CC vs. No. 12 Joliet (Ill.), 4 p.m. No. 2 Riverland (Minn.) vs. No. 10 DC Richland (Texas), 6 p.m. No. 3 DC North Lake (Texas) vs. No. 6 Montgomery County (Pa.)-No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) winner, 8 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
HERKIMER, N.Y. — It’s funny how things have a way of turning out sometimes.
A couple hours before the selection show for the JUCO Division III national tournament came on the air, the Salem CC coaches had a replay of a Joliet Junior College game playing in the office. The Wolves were in as a district champion and if the Mighty Oaks were getting an at-large bid, the Mid-Atlantic champions might be a team they’d have to play.
Not that the Mighty Oaks had any idea who they were going to play or how the seedings were going to fall, but guess who they play in their tournament opener Thursday?
Joliet, the No. 12 seed with the weakest overall record in the field, put down fifth-seeded Dallas College Eastfield 84-83 Wednesday on a layup with 3.5 seconds left after missing an open layup moments earlier that could have put it away.
“We’re a team of destiny,” Wolves guard Ricky Hill said. “We play a lot of good teams, we played a lot of close games. I don’t really feel our record (16-11) reflects who we are as a team.”
Indeed, as the only Division III JUCO in Illinois, the Wolves played a schedule largely of Division I and Division II teams. They’ve even knocked off some of the bigger names on that level this year.
The Salem coaches watched the game from the jump, setting up shop seven rows behind the Eastfield bench. The players joined them after halftime. They’d seen all the teams on film. Seeing them live confirmed what they suspected.
“Good team, really good team,” Green said. “They’ve got a really good front six or seven that look like they’ve been playing together for years. Very well put together. Play well for each other.”
“We’re going to have to play hard,” guard Zyaire Gibson said after watching the game.
By the same token, Joliet coach Danny Turner has been impressed with the Mighty Oaks’ guard play. Their top five scorers – all averaging double figures – are all guards. The top three – Jarrell Little, Nasseem Wright and Saaid Lee – all have more than 130 assists apiece. Gibson (87) and Little (80) lead the team in 3-pointers.
“Their guards are extremely good, high IQ, so we’re going to have to do something to contain their guards and keeping them from executing, and that’s either in transition or in their half-court set,” Joliet coach Danny Turner said.
Last year here the Mighty Oaks won their first-round game, but expended an awful lot of energy to do and didn’t have anything left to face second-seeded Mohawk Valley in the quarterfinals. Green can’t count on that happening to the Wolves this year.
“I don’t know; it’s a different team,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of conditioning they’re in. But they’ve been playing like that all year, been playing six or seven guys. They might be fine. That’s how they play. It’s tough on their legs, but it’s championship time, it’s win or go home, so I’m sure it’s mind over matter and they’re a champion so I’m sure they’re thinking mind over matter.”
The Wolves did use a lot of energy. They held a 12-point lead with 8:42 to play, but found themselves in a dogfight after Reggie McDonald got the Harvester Bees (20-10) to within one on a 3-pointer with 2:04 to play.
Joliet had a chance to extend their lead with less than 25 seconds left, but Hill missed a wide open layup down the lane. Eastfield’s Aiden White grabbed the rebound and brought it all the way back, finishing the play with a layup to put the Bees up 83-82 with 19.5 seconds to go.
“It was one of those things that was like, ‘I wish I could have that back,’ but you’ve got to keep playing and make the right play the next play,” Hill said. “Shout out to Kareem (Parker) and Levi (Goad) for getting that and making it up for me because we’re a team and we’re just going to ride out with each other.”
The Wolves did get another chance. They worked the clock down, Hill missed a 3-pointer, but Parker grabbed the rebound and laid it back up to give Joliet an 84-83 lead with 3.5 seconds to go. Eastfield’s Braydon Campbell fired off a shot from midcourt at the buzzer that missed and the Wolves had the first real upset of the tournament.
“I think the jitters are out now,” Turner said. “The guys were a little nervous coming in. We did some uncharacteristic things on both sides of the ball, but now we’re settled down. Definitely after a win like this, against a very, very well-coached team.”
JOLIET 84, DC EASTFIELD 83 JOLIET (16-11): Ricky Hill 8-14 10-11 27, Jyaveion Green 4-11 2-2 13, Levi Goad 4-7 4-4 15, Jeff Fleming 4-8 0-1 8, Victor Yatou 1-8 5-8 7, Kareem Parker 4-5 2-2 10, Josh Dillon 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Faber 1-1 0-0 2, Gabe Patterson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 27-56 23-28 84. DALLAS COLLEGE EASTFIELD (20-9): Braydon Campbell 5-15 5-5 15, Aiden White 5-13 0-1 12, Ricky Wilson 7-11 1-315, David Uwalaka 6-12 1-2 16, Martez James 5-9 4-5 14, Reggie McDonald 2-3 0-0 6, Montreal Chalmers 0-1 0-0 0, Martin Nicholas 2-5 0-0 4, Vuk Vukadinovic 0-0 1-2 1, Nash Beard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-69 12-18 83.
Joliet
45
39-
84
DC Eastfield
40
43-
83
3-point goals: Joliet 7-17 (Hill 1-4, Green 3-8, Goad 3-4, Patterson 0-1); Eastfield 7-20 (Campbell 0-3, White 2-6, Uwalaka 3-6, James 0-1, McDonald 2-3, Nicholas 0-1). Rebounds: Joliet 35 (Fleming 7, Yatou 6, Parker 6); DC Eastfield 37 (James 12, Wilson 6). Total fouls: Joliet 17, DC Eastfield 20.
Joliet guard Ricky Hill (L) tries to get around DC Eastfield’s Aiden White during the first half of their game Wednesday. (NJCAA photo)
Top photo: Salem CC coaches Mike Green (R) and Marvin Kilgore take in the action from Wednesday’s Joliet-DC Eastfield game in the Division III JUCO national tournament. The Mighty Oaks will play Joliet in their first tournament game Thursday.
Salem CC’s Phillips brings national championship tournament experience to a roster full of new players who’ve never been here before
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
UTICA, N.Y. – Stef Phillips took one step into the gym for Salem CC’s first practice at the national tournament venue Tuesday and it all came rushing back to him. The sights, the sounds, the smells of last year’s national tournament flooded his senses.
He even saw things in his mind’s eye that weren’t there yet – specifically, the big bracket board on the other side of the floor where the Mighty Oaks planted their logo after winning their first-round game.
On a team of virtually all new players, Phillips holds a unique position. He’s the only player on the roster who has ever faced what the Mighty Oaks are about to experience this week in the JUCO Division III national tournament in nearby Herkimer, N.Y.
“All of it’s familiar,” the sophomore post said before stepping into the banquet that recognized the 12 teams participating in the event. “You always remember your first experience coming to the national tournament. The only thing I don’t remember is the food, so hopefully I’ll remember that today.”
A year ago they were all new, as the Mighty Oaks made their first national tournament appearance in school history. When most of the players left for greater pursuits or just didn’t come back, Phillips found himself as the team’s only returnee. He didn’t feel left behind – he was planning to stay two years all along – but thought he’d have “somebody else” back with him.
Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green agreed “it’s important,” on a team with so many new players, to have a player who has been there done that, and he’s glad Phillips is in that role. Because Phillips is the only one who’s been here, it’s only natural the players have picked his brain about the experience. Interestingly, a lot of the questions had to do with the banquet. They’re just eager to play.
“This is a different group of kids,” Phillips said. “These kids are ultra confident. They’re not afraid to be themselves. I try to tell them to take it all in, enjoy the moment because you don’t know when you’re going to get an opportunity in here. You don’t want to take it for granted.”
The game will come soon enough. As the No. 4 seed, the Mighty Oaks (30-2) have a first-round bye and won’t play until 4 p.m. Thursday. They’ll meet the winner of Wednesday’s 2 p.m. game between No. 5 Dallas College Eastfield and No. 12 Joliet.
All the players were curious, but freshman Idris Rines was the most inquisitive.
“I look at Stef as a big brother; my first practice at Salem, Stef took me (as his drill partner),” Rines said. “I didn’t want to come in here blind. It’s not nerves or anything like that. I just want to know the layout, what I’m going into, how it is and what to expect. It was everything that Stef explained.”
The players followed their captain’s lead all the way to the national tournament.
“He was the first player off the bus, walked away, knew where to go,” Rines said. “So we all just followed him.”
NOTES: The Mighty Oaks will work out at Utica University Wednesday before heading to Herkimer to watch Eastfield-Joliet game … Green has no preference of the opponent. “It’s a tournament of champions; they’re all champions,” Green said. “I worry about my team, making sure we’re locked in and ready to go” … Banquet organizers drew door prizes for a lucky player on each team. Qua Smith had his number drawn for Salem. He won a Gatorade sports bottle.
Here is a list of Salem County’s all-time leading scorers in basketball; documented additions/updates should be sent to al.muskewitz@gmail.com
Boys
PLAYER
SCHOOL
TOTAL
YEAR
Paul Gause
Schalick
3144
2005
Keith Jackson
Salem
1940
1986
Richard Brokenbaugh
Penns Grove
1730
1989
Marcus Robinson
Salem
1726
1990
Joe Hickman
Woodstown
1726
1972
Zach Manorowitz
Pennsville
1679
2020
Mike Holloway
Schalick
1634
2015
Rashan Holloway
Schalick
1622
2014
Kavon Lewis
Penns Grove
1600
2020
Dominique Roy
Penns Grove
1574
2008
Mike Wright
Penns Grove
1551
1988
Derrick Parsley
Salem
1532
2008
Greg Frith
Schalick
1532
1990
Fred Drains
Woodstown
1444
1989
Jawan Roane
Penns Grove
1424
2018
Jerry Dickerson
Salem
1416
1963
Sean Collins
Schalick
1393
1996
Geshawn Davis
Penns Grove
1393
2013
Melvin Allen
Schalick
1355
2014
Ron Michael
Salem
1350
2002
Bradley Rowand
Woodstown
1346
2000
Tyler Lunsford
Schalick
1345
2016
James Rowe
Salem
1300
1997
Dan Feruck
Pennsville
1284
1980
Lowell Fortune
Salem
1255
1989
Brian Sye
Salem
1227
1978
Ralph Kowalkowski
St. James
1220
1955
Josh Hedgeman
Schalick
1219
1989
Luke Wood
Pennsville
1198
2025
William Barnes
Salem
1192
2005
Jamar D. Johnson
Penns Grove
1189
2020
Anthony Farmer
Salem
1175
2024
Jim Shivers
Woodstown
1170
1973
George Seager
Pennsville
1158
1989
Michael Moore
Penns Grove
1147
1991
Gage Ausland
Salem
1144
2020
Butch Karr
Pennsville
1143
2009
Scott Powers
Woodstown
1134
1993
Joe Cassidy
St. James
1117
1983
Clifton Shaw
Penns Grove
1111
1996
Blake Bialecki
Woodstown
1107
2026
Billy McMackin
Woodstown
1105
2003
Joe Mecholsky
Pennsville
1103
1992
Mike Driscoll
Woodstown
1100
1968
Brandon Bermudez
Salem Tech
1097
2023
Tim Buzby
Pennsville
1093
1987
Jim Brown
Salem
1085
1985
Ramon Roots
Salem
1080
2016
Mike Harrell
Schalick
1075
1986
Brian Booker
Woodstown
1068
2002
Keith Robinson
Penns Grove
1065
2019
Troy Johnson
Schalick
1062
2017
x-Tymear Lecator
Salem
1061
Lew Ridgeway
Salem
1058
1975
Eric Spencer
St. James
1054
1990
Tom Summiel
Salem
1050
1971
Clint Hitchner
Woodstown
1050
1996
Jamy Thomas
Pennsville
1048
1994
DeAndre Solomon
Schalick
1044
2014
Charles McNeil
Penns Grove
1040
1956
Jim Smith
Woodstown
1038
1955
Charles Haines
Penns Grove
1030
1953
Bruce Spencer
St. James
1023
1983
Colin Rieger
Pennsville
1014
2015
Terrence Sorrell
Salem
1014
1988
Darryl Gause
Schalick
1007
2001
Dan Yucis
Pennsville
1003
1999
Matt Kates
Schalick
1002
2008
Woodrow Furbush
Salem
1002
2011
x-active
Girls
PLAYER
SCHOOL
TOTAL
YEAR
Katie Kline
Pennsville
2110
2004
Amanda Young
St. James
1762
1995
Sharias Hill
Penns Grove
1661
2009
Brittany Smith
Salem
1623
2007
Talia Battavio
Woodstown
1620
2025
Megan Donelson
Woodstown
1588
2025
Tia Furbush
Schalick
1574
2021
Tori Smick
Woodstown
1566
2013
Shayla Llanos
Salem
1436
2008
Crystal Bailey
Schalick
1406
1984
Stephanie Owen
Woodstown
1381
1993
Marley Wood
Pennsville
1362
2026
Dawn Curry
Pennsville
1288
2008
Tamara Watkins
Penns Grove
1276
2005
Charlie Baldwin
Woodstown
1275
2020
Shaqui Coppage
Salem
1265
2010
Vynette Miller
Salem
1255
1985
Kelli Griffith
Pennsville
1248
1989
Paige Caldwell
Woodstown
1237
2017
Taylor Bass
Pennsville
1237
2026
Ryane Wood
Pennsville
1224
2022
Carly Lane
Penns Grove
1217
2001
Shaniece Banks
Penns Grove
1205
2008
Elizabeth Hudock
Salem
1203
2019
Marie Patrick
Salem
1186
1995
Hannah Cooksey
Pennsville
1168
2019
Lindsey Minch
Pennsville
1163
2010
Riley Fulmer
Woodstown
1163
2022
RaNiyah Wilson
Penns Grove
1156
2025
Nora Ausland
Pennsville
1144
2025
Tiasia Tatem
Salem
1139
2015
Che’Na Thompson
Salem
1130
2009
Ashley Hansen
Schalick
1124
2008
Bethany Humenik
Woodstown
1120
2009
Kelly Thompson
Woodstown
1115
1990
Latika Ross
Salem
1102
2001
Lindsay Rivell
Salem
1081
2001
Caitlin McCaffery
Pennsville
1080
2003
Natrice Reed
Penns Grove
1065
2018
Meely Horace
Penns Grove
1063
2024
Kayla Mayers
Woodstown
1041
2015
Shannon Pollock
St. James
1037
1993
Christy Britton
St. James
1037
1989
Ashley Engel
Woodstown
1012
2007
Susanne Daly
St. James
1002
1991
Sandy Alston
Penns Grove
1983
x-active
There are a lot of points in this picture of 1,000-point scorers (L-R) Woodstown’s Talia Battavio and Pennsville’s Marley Wood, Ryane Wood, Luke Wood, Nora Ausland and Jamy Thomas. There were more than 7,100 points represented here at the time this photo was taken.
New Egypt stuns top-seeded Salem in overtime for SJ Group I final; 14th-seeded Warriors knocked off 3, 6, 2 and 1 along the way
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS SOUTH New Egypt 48. Salem 46 (OT) CENTRAL Thrive Charter 48, Point Pleasant Beach 23 NORTH I Waldwick 66, Pequannock 61 NORTH II Shabazz 95, Arts 72 GROUP I FINAL FOUR March 11 New Egypt (15-14) vs. Thrive Charter (21-5) at Monroe H.S., 5 p.m. Waldwick (21-9) vs. Shabazz (27-1) at Franklin H.S., 6 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The clock struck midnight twice for Cinderella Saturday and she’s still dancing.
New Egypt continued its magical run through the Group 1 basketball playoffs Saturday, knocking off the biggest of the single-digit seeds it’s been beating in the post-season when it took down top-seeded Salem 48-46 in overtime.
The 14th-seeded Warriors (15-14), over .500 for the first time since Jan. 23, extended their Hoosiers story into the Group I semifinals, where they’ll play Central Jersey champion Thrive Charter (21-5) Wednesday at Monroe High School.
The Rams (22-5) had chances to win or tie it at the end of regulation and overtime, but their shots didn’t fall. Their dream of winning a sectional title turned into a pumpkin when they missed two free throws with 0.8 seconds left in overtime.
Warriors coach Mick Hughes shared afterwards that his 2-year-old daughter, Penny, “demanded” he read her a story last night. Her choice: Cinderella.
You can’t make this up.
“She knew we were playing today,” Hughes said realizing the irony, “but it all happened and it happened because these guys believe in themselves. We had a little bit of a disappointing regular season, but we thought we had the talent to make a run.
“Just from jump in the playoffs we liked what we saw right away and once we won that first game against Haddon Twp., who was a great ball club, we kind of just said to ourselves why not us. We just believed. That’s really it. It’s funny how far that can take you.”
The Warriors have mowed down top seeds like the power points didn’t matter. They beat the 3, 6, 2 and 1 seeds (with a combined record of 81-29 at the time of their game) along the way. Thrive was the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey.
“After we won that first round we knew it wasn’t a Cinderella, we were actually here to play some good basketball,” senior Nolan Arnold said. “We started locking down on defense, started making shots and … we knew we had a shot. No more Cinderella now.”
Salem (22-6) was playing in the sectional final for the first time since 2022 – coach Anthony Farmer’s first season with the team – and looking to win its first sectional title since 2008.
Farmer described the game as a “heavyweight fight” and neither team gave an inch. There were 11 ties and nine lead changes. The game was tied at the end of the second, third and fourth quarters. The Rams last led 44-42 with 1:52 left in regulation.
“We had opportunities,” Farmer said. “We had chances to make some big plays, to make some big shots and we just came up short. We just didn’t make the plays. We left them on the floor. That’s what happens in a tight game like this.
“We never got a run when we were able to get into our stuff and execute. We were always fighting, clawing back, trading blows. We couldn’t get our run.”
The Warriors had a chance to take all the momentum midway through the third quarter when a six-point lead could’ve gone to nine after Arnold made both ends of an intentional foul, but they turned over the ensuing possession and never got a shot. The Rams stormed back to tie it by quarter’s end and the slugging continued in front of a sold-out crowd.
Arnold, New Egypt’s all-time leading scorer headed to Iona for baseball, hit two free throws with 21.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Warriors a 48-46 lead. He also hit the game-tying layup with 38 seconds left in regulation after the Warriors scrambled to save a ball from going out of bounds.
“Early on in the season foul shooting wasn’t my strong suit,” Arnold said. “During practice we’ll shoot foul shots non-stop now and that definitely helped late in this game. I just told myself to relax, I told myself I’m going to make these two and we’re going to win the game.”
The Rams had a chance to win it at the end of regulation and win it or tie at the end of overtime. Neziah Spence got through traffic and put up a runner in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter but his shot hit the rim. In overtime, after Arnold’s go-ahead free throws, Xavier McGriff took a 3-pointer from in front of Salem’s bench with four seconds left that went long and Fatah Paige was fouled trying to put back the rebound with 0.8 seconds remaining.
Paige needed to make both free throws to extend the game. He missed the first shot and the Rams were called for a lane violation anticipating a rebound on the second miss effectively ending the game.
“There was a lot of pressure, it just felt like there was a lot of pressure, and I let it get to me,” Paige said. “There’s just a lot of emotion right now. It’s going to take me a little while to move past this, but I’ll get past it.”
3-point goals: New Egypt 5 (Ferris 3, Reynolds 2); Salem (Spence 4, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 33 (Williams 12, Paige 10). Fouled out: Kennedy. Total fouls: New Egypt 19, Salem 16.
Top photo: New Egypt coach MickHughes celebrates with his players after they beat Salem in overtime for the South Jersey Group I basketball title Saturday.
High-flying Salem plays for SJ Group I title after beating KIPP, faces Cinderella New Egypt Saturday; Paige’s dunk highlights the win
SJ GROUP I TOURNAMENT Salem 56, KIPP 42 New Egypt 58, Palmyra 56 Saturday’s game No. 14 New Egypt at No. 1 Salem, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Fatah Paige delivered one of the most electric plays of the year and Tymear Lecator had a front-row seat for it.
Paige, Salem’s 6-4 transfer from Delaware, threw down a thunderous dunk in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s South Jersey Group I semifinal with KIPP that turned the gym upside down. The Rams already had the momentum, but the dunk was like hitting the turbocharger and they rode it to a 56-42 victory.
But to call it just a thunderous dunk would not do it justice. It was highlight film material.
It started with Paige’s steal in the backcourt. He got the ball to Lecator and the Rams’ crafty point guard had the presence to give it back to him. A defender came over looking to draw a charge, but Paige flew past him like he wasn’t there and slammed it down bringing the crowd tumbling out of their seats and head coach Anthony Farmer looking for the production truck.
“I’ve got to send it to ESPN, it was that crazy,” Farmer said.
“I didn’t know if he was about to take off; I wanted him to,” Lecator said. “I saw their guy get ready to take a charge and I saw the way (Paige) was going up and I knew he was about to dunk it. It was just crazy. Ref didn’t call a charge or anything. It was clean. He made the dude fall. It was just crazy. People ran on the court. It was just crazy. Momentum shot out the roof. The place erupted.
“That was the first time I ever witnessed somebody put somebody on a poster that bad in my life.”
As if that weren’t enough, the Rams got another steal and layup the very next play and rolled out to a 10-point halftime lead they extended in the third quarter and maintained the rest of the game. They now host New Egypt Saturday for the sectional crown.
Paige’s big play was just part of another big playoff performance from the Rams’ bigs. Deshaan Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Paige grabbed 12 rebounds for the second straight game and Marshall Stephens had five rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Our bigs played amazing,” Lecator said. “I just thankful for my bigs. Honestly, I don’t think anybody has a solution for our size. Keep feeding confidence into them and they’re going to keep doing what they’ve got to do for me.”
In the Rams’ three playoffs wins, Williams has two double-doubles and is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds, Paige is averaging 8 points and 10 rebounds, and Stephens has had eight points and 18 boards.
“They’ve been big,” Farmer said. “It’s been a strength for us on this run, being big and physical down the stretch and being able to match people inside and match their physicality. Having that trio of bigs has been key for our run.
“It’s definitely something you can’t take for granted, especially in Group 1. Having some size definitely gets you’re an advantage. But you look around the league, Glassboro had a trio of bigs, (but the Rams’) have been phenomenal. They’ve been taking in everything I’ve been preaching, that no one is as big and physical as us and we need to get on the boardboard, we need to impose our will and Fatah over this run has been a grown man. He’s flying around and creating havoc for people.”
The win sends the Rams to their first sectional final since Farmer’s first season with them in 2021-22. They last won a sectional crown in 2008 and played for the state championship. This team exceeded the 2021-22 team’s win total tonight.
Their opponent Saturday has become the talk of the tournament. The Warriors (14-14), entered the tournament as the 14th seed and have upset seeds 3, 6 and 2 in the bracket.
“Obviously they’ve been playing well enough to get there regardless of the seed, so we’ll approach them as a 2 seed,” Farmer said.
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS SOUTH New Egypt (14-14) at Salem (22-5) CENTRAL Point Pleasant Beach (21-7) at Thrive Charter (20-5) NORTH I Pequannock (22-6) at Waldwick (20-9) NORTH II Arts (19-8) at Shabazz (26-1)
No doubt, really: Salem CC draws fourth seed, first-round bye in the JUCO Division III national tournament
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT March 11-14, Herkimer, N.Y. March 11 No. 8 Northampton (27-4) vs. No. 9 Genesee (23-7), noon No. 5 Dallas Eastfield (20-9) vs. No. 12 Joliet (15-11), 2 p.m. No. 7 Dutchess (26-4) vs. No. 10 Dallas-Richland (20-9), 4 p.m. No. 6 Montgomery County (21-4) vs. No. 11 Ridgewater, (22-6) 6 p.m. March 12 Northampton-Genesee winner vs. No. 1 Northern Essex (30-3), 2 p.m. Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner vs. No. 4 Salem (30-2), 4 p.m. Dutchess-Dallas Richland winner vs. No. 2 Riverland (29-2), 6 p.m. Montco-Ridgewater winner vs. No. 3 Dallas North Lake (22-10), 8 p.m. At-large berths in italics
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Some anxious few days turned into cheers of joy (relief, maybe) Wednesday when the Salem CC basketball team landed one of four at-large bids to the NJCAA Division III national tournament next week in Herkimer, N.Y.
The Mighty Oaks (30-2), No. 1 in the country at the end of the regular season but upset in their district championship game to leave their inclusion to the selection committee, were installed as the No. 4 seed. They will play the Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner at 4 p.m. March 12 after drawing a first-round bye. Ironically, Mighty Oaks assistant coach Scooter Wilkerson had Joliet playing on the office TV before practice.
“I wasn’t really tripping.” freshman Nasseem Wright said. “I knew we were going to go to the tournament. We lost the (district) championship and it was a disappointment but it doesn’t overshadow all the work we put in to this point. I’m excited.
“I told you right after the game I knew were going to get in. That’s how God works. It was in God’s hands and I trusted it.”
The Mighty Oaks had heard rumors earlier in the day they were getting in, which made for a business-like practice Wednesday afternoon, but their spot didn’t become public until the selection show aired later that evening. The team watched the show in the gym after practice.
Three-point threat Zyaire Gibson was the first player to set up a seat in front of the monitor to watch the show. He didn’t have any doubts about the Mighty Oaks getting in, either.
“We worked for this,” he said. “We’re 30-2. We had a heartbreaking loss, but … now that we know we made it, keep our head down, not harp on the last loss, play hard and hopefully win this.”
“I kind of knew we were going to get in,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “I think it’s just another chance at life, basically. Just another run we need to go on to get this one.”
The host of the selection show made a special mention of Gibson’s specialty when he talked about the Mighty Oaks’ spot in the tournament, but the guard said he only got the half of it.
“They talked about my (3-point) shot attempts, they’ve got to talk about the makes,” he said. “I’m No. 1 in the (field) in makes, too.”
The other top four seeds are No. 1 Northern Essex, No. 2 Riverland (Salem’s opening-round opponent last year) and No. 3 Dallas North Lake. The other at-large bids went to Dallas Eastfield (20-9), Dallas Richland (20-9) and Ridgewater (22-6).
Salem’s Region 19 and Dallas’ Region 5 both got three teams in the field. Both sets were separated into different pods so region rivals wouldn’t meet until the semifinals.
“I told you those guys usually get it right,” head coach Mike Green said. “We’re fortunate to get a fourth seed, fortunate to get a bye. When you don’t take care of business the way you’re supposed, you leave it up in somebody else’s hands and we did that, but I think the committee did a good job.”
The Mighty Oaks had a lot going for them. They were ranked No. 1 in the country for six weeks during the season, had the best record in Region XIX and the best record in the country at the end of the regular season.
A year ago the Mighty Oaks went into the tournament as a 10thseeded automatic qualifier and won three games in four days. This year they have a first-round bye and a more focused mindset.
“Last year we were just happy to be there,” Green said. “This year it’s a real business trip, and we’re going to treat it as such.
“Last year’s team fought that first game against Riverland and we didn’t anything that second game (against Mohawk Valley). We got a bye (this year). We get a chance to watch, we get an extra day to scout, so these guys ought to come in with guns blazing.”
Riverview Sports News 