Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 8-13; x-scrimmage
MONDAY, DEC. 8 BOYS BASKETBALL x-Triton at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL x-Triton at Salem, 3:30 p.m. x-Pennsville at Millville, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 9 BOYS BASKETBALL x-Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m. x-Penns Grove at Vineland, 4 p.m. x-Salem at Bridgeton, 4 p.m. x-Schalick at Cumberland, 4 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL x-Bridgeton at Salem, 3:30 p.m. x-Cumberland at Schalick, 4 p.m. x-Highland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Gloucester at Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Overbrook at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Morris at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10 BOYS BASKETBALL x-Woodstown at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. SWIMMING Schalick at Camden County Tech, 4 p.m. TRACK Pennsville Polar Bear Meet, 3 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Clayton at Bowlero, 3:45 p.m.
THURSDAY, DEC. 11 BOYS BASKETBALL x-Cinnaminson at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. x-St. Joseph at Schalick, 4 p.m. x-Salem Tech at Pennsauken Tech GIRLS BASKETBALL x-Cumberland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. x-Schalick at Bridgeton, 4 p.m. x-Woodstown at Lower Cape May, 4:45 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown at Camden Academy Charter, 3:30 p.m. Salem vs. Pitman at GCIT, 6 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland, 5 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 12 WRESTLING Pennsville girls in TCC Jamboree, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, DEC. 13 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove Showcase Cumberland vs. West Deptford, 10:30 a.m. Winslow vs. Deptford, 12:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Woodbury, 4:30 p.m. Penns Grove vs. Lindenwold, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove Showcase Woodbury at Penns Grove, 2:30 p.m. WRESTLING Schalick Holiday Tournament, 9 a.m. Salem at Vineland Tournament Woodstown at Delaware Valley Tournament INDOOR TRACK Salem at Ott Center, Philadelphia COLLEGE BASKETBALL Brookdale at Salem CC, 2 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Lackawanna at Salem CC, noon
No. 2 Mighty Oaks stay undefeated, women remain winless
By Riverview Sports News
PARAMUS – Team after team this season have threatened Salem CC’s status as one of the nation’s undefeated men’s basketball teams and time after time the Mighty Oaks have stood up to the challenge.
Bergen CC was the latest take a run at Salem, but after tying the game twice early in the second half, the second-ranked Mighty Oaks went back up by 12 and stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the night en route to a 90-78 win that ran their record to 11-0.
The Bulldogs had the game tied at 48 five minutes into the second half and at 52 with 13:45 to play, but the Mighty Oaks hit a 3-pointer and dropped in a layup off a steal and pulled away.
“We are getting teams’ best shots,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said.
Jarrell Little had another big game offensively, leading the Mighty Oaks with 29 points and hitting five 3-pointers. In the four games this week, Saturday to Saturday, Little scored 112 points and hit 20 3-pointers. He is averaging 20.9 ppg for the season.
Wright had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Saaid Lee had 13 points and Qua Smith had 11 points.
“Jarrell is the hot hand right now and our guys are doing a great job of finding (him) while still being offensive threats,” Green said.
Salem CC(11-0)
44
46-
90
Bergen (5-6)
38
40-
78
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
8-0
9-0
6-0
SALEM CC (2)
6-0
11-0
5-0
Northampton (5)
6-0
10-0
Montgomery (11)
4-0
5-1
Brookdale
8-2
8-4
4-2
Camden
6-3
6-3
4-2
Ocean
6-3
6-3
3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
4-3
5-3
4-1
Thaddeus Stevens
2-2
4-5
Bergen
4-6
5-6
2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-5
3-6
1-3
Sussex
2-6
3-7
1-5
Atlantic Cape
2-6
2-6
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-7
2-6
Harrisburg Area
1-4
1-9
Philadelphia
1-7
3-7
Delaware County
1-8
2-8
Luzerne
0-5
2-6
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 90, Bergen 78 RCSJ-Gloucester 85, Mercer 80 (OT) Union 89, Sussex 51 Montgomery 95, Luzerne 66 Ocean 99, Harrisburg Area 77 Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens Delaware County 61, Williamson Trades 59 Brookdale 73, Camden 70 RCSJ-Cumberland 83, Passaic 78 Monroe at Morris Lackawanna 82, Middlesex 73 TUESDAY’S GAMES RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC Bergen at Camden Sussex at Brookdale Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland Middlesex at Raritan Valley Westchester at Morris Luzerne at Delaware County Mercer at Lackawanna Thaddeus Stevens at Northampton
Women’s game
BRANCHBURG — The Salem CC women held their own in the first half, but Raritan Valley came out after the break and hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter and five in the second half to send the Mighty Oaks to another loss, 65-45.
Tanijya Shaw kept Salem (0-7) in the game in the first half with 14 of her 25 points, but the Mighty Oaks gave up too many points and too many 3s in the third quarter. Maria Eguizabal Ruales broke out in the third quarter with two 3-pointers and 12 points and the Lions outscored Salem 25-13 to pull away.
The Mighty Oaks will look to get their first win and then some next week with three home games against teams with a combined record of 2-17.
SALEM CC (0-7): RayNescia King 1 2-4 4, Tanijya Shaw 8 7-10 25, Kasey Oliver 1 0-0 2, Jayda Hunter 4 0-0 8, Janice Cardona 0 1-3 1, Dani Gustin 1 0-0 2, Paula Wilson 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 10-17 56. RARITAN VALLEY (3-5): Julia Sole Pons 2 8-10 12, Maria Eguizabal Ruales 8 0-0 20, Paula Aguilera Ortega 3 2-2 8, Elizabeth May 4 0-0 11, Saionni Patrick 0 0-0 0, Aviva Palms 0 1-2 1, Jayla McNeil 2 0-1 4, Telma Comba 3 3-5 9. Totals 22 14-20 65.
Salem CC
9
14
13
9-
45
Raritan Valley
14
11
25
15-
65
3-point goals: Salem CC 3 (Shaw 2, Wilson); Raritan Valley 7 (Eguizabal Ruales 4, May 3). Total fouls: Salem 15, Raritan Valley 16
Region XIX Women’s Standings
DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
6-0
12-0
5-0
Harcum (8)
4-0
9-1
Mercer (RV)
4-1
8-2
2-0
Essex
3-1
6-2
3-1
Lackawanna
2-2
2-6
Delaware Tech
1-2
2-8
Raritan Valley
1-3
3-5
1-2
Middlesex
1-4
5-8
0-3
Morris
0-3
0-3
0-2
SALEM CC
0-5
0-7
0-3
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
SATURDAY’S GAMES Raritan Valley 65, Salem CC 45 Passaic 95, RCSJ-Cumberland 26 Mercer 104, RCSJ-Gloucester 64 Union 1, Morris 0, forfeit Brookdale 69, Camden 56 Middlesex 74, Lackawanna 59 TUESDAY’S GAMES Morris at Salem CC Bergen at Camden Middlesex at Raritan Valley Ocean at Northampton Harcum at Essex Atlantic Cape at RCSJ-Cumberland Sussex at Brookdale Passaic at Montgomery Philadelphia at RCSJ-Gloucester Mercer at Lackawanna Union at Delaware Tech
Smith comes off the bench to spark 10-0 closing run that lifts No. 2 Salem CC over Thaddeus Stevens for tenth win of season
THURSDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – As a role player, Qua Smith doesn’t get the kind of minutes in a Salem CC box score the way the starters do, but he knows when he does get time he has to be ready for it. Head coach Mike Green expects it.
The 6-4 freshman from Philadelphia only got nine minutes in the Mighty Oaks’ 89-79 win over Thaddeus Stevens Thursday night, but it’s what he did in the final two that made all the difference in keeping his team undefeated.
His defense and athleticism sparked second-ranked Salem’s 10-0 closing run after the Bulldogs tied the game at 79. He scored only three points, but it was a three-point play with 1:20 left that gave the Mighty Oaks a five-point lead, and after that came up with a rebound, two assists and a big steal to keep the Bulldogs from threatening again.
“I just make sure when I get in to grab rebounds and do whatever my coach tells me to do,” Smith said. “The mindset is just compete. No matter how many minutes you get, give 100 percent, the whole time.
“You’ve just to stay calm and stay confident. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you get, you’ve just got to go there and do what you have to do for the team. It’s a team thing. It’s not about yourself. That’s how we got the win today.”
It was just a couple weeks ago Green gave his reserves some extended minutes in a blowout win and lamented their play demonstrated they didn’t “appreciate” the opportunity. Smith was locked in when he went into a much tighter game this time.
The Mighty Oaks never trailed in the game and led by as many 16 in the second half. But the Bulldogs (4-5) started hitting the shots they were missing in the first half and eventually tied it at 79 on leading scorer Kneco Hill’s 3-pointer with 2:12 to play. The battle-tested Mighty Oaks weren’t worried.
“You just had to stay calm,” Nasseem Wright said. “Calm men always win through adversity like that. It was just staying calm, staying poised and finishing the game up.”
That’s just about when Smith reentered the game. No sooner had he checked in then Jerrell Little blocked a shot, collected the loose ball and fed Smith for a three-point play at the other end to make it a five-point game with 1:20 left.
From there to the end, Smith had a defensive rebound, made a steal that Little converted into a layup and assisted on Little’s final bucket of the game.
“He turned the game,” Green said. “There are times when he’s locked in and we got lucky it was the last two minutes tonight. We’ve just got to do a better job getting him locked in more often.
“If Quade’air’s locked in he’ll play a lot more minutes for us. It’s hard to keep him locked in. You’ve got classes on Monday and Wednesday, you play Tuesday and Thursday, and he just was sick so we haven’t played him since the Essex game (Nov. 22). We’ve got to get him locked him,. Same with Jaiayre (Wright). Once we get them locked in they give us another push and we needed that push tonight. Jayaire did it early and Qua did it late.”
“Qua always changes the game for us with his athleticism and rebounding at the end,” Little said. “Our coach always says there’s no garbage minutes on our team because everybody needs to come to play all the time. We need every single person on our team from first to last on the bench. He came in a changed the game.”
Little led the Mighty Oaks with 27 points .Wright came within one assist of a triple double, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Point guard Saaid Lee had 16 points in 37 minutes.
SALEM CC 89, THADDEUS STEVENS 79 THADDEUS STEVENS (4-5): William Fowlkes 2-9 3-3 7, Levon Brown 3-10 2-2 8, Kneco Hill 9-20 6-6 27, Isaiah Diggs 5-9 0-1 10, Tyree Banks 4-7 0-0 11, Luis Torres 0-2 1-2 1, Willie Hashamy 4-8 0-0 8, Anthony Henson 1-3 0-0 2, Jesse Smith 1-4 0-0 3, Travis Turner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-74 12-14 79. SALEM CC (10-0): Jarrell Little 11-22 2-3 27, Saaid Lee 6-9 1-2 16, Zyaire Gibson 1-8 1-2 3, Nasseem Wright 9-13 3-8 21, Stefan Phillips 3-4 0-0 7, Jahseir Sayles 2-4 0-0 5, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 2-2 4, Quadeair Smith 1-1 1-3 3, Idris Rines 1-5 1-2 3. Totals 35-69 11-22 89.
Thaddeus Stevens
32
47-
79
Salem CC
41
48-
89
3-point goals: Thaddeus Stevens 7-19 (Fowlkes 0-2, Hill 3-8, Banks 3-5, Henson 0-1, Smith 1-3); Salem CC 8-28 (Little 3-9, Lee 3-4, Gibson 0-7, N. Wright 0-1, Phillips 1-1, Sayles 1-2, Rines 0-4). Rebounds: Thaddeus Stevens 38 (Brown 8, Diggs 7); Salem CC 41 (N. Wright 11, J. Wright 6). Technical fouls: Thaddeus Stevens bench, Salem CC coach Green. Total fouls: Thaddeus Stevens 17, Salem CC 15.
Salem CC’s Nasseem Wright came within one assist of a triple-double Thursday night against Thaddeus Stevens. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The top photo is Qua Smith at the foul line. (Salem CC photos)
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
7-0
7-0
5-0
SALEM CC (2)
6-0
10-0
5-0
Northampton (5)
6-0
10-0
Montgomery (11)
3-0
4-1
Brookdale
7-2
7-4
3-2
Camden
6-2
6-2
4-1
Ocean
5-3
5-3
3-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
4-3
4-3
3-1
Thaddeus Stevens
2-2
4-5
Bergen
4-6
5-6
2-4
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-5
3-6
1-3
Sussex
2-5
2-6
1-4
Harrisburg Area
1-3
1-8
Atlantic Cape
2-6
2-6
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-6
2-5
Philadelphia
1-7
3-7
Delaware County
1-8
1-8
Luzerne
0-4
2-5
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 89, Thaddeus Stevens 79 Union 66, Essex 64 Camden 61, Atlantic Cape 55 Philadelphia 64, Delaware County 59 RCSJ-Cumberland 82, Luzerne 77 Raritan Valley 74, Morris 72 Northampton 83, Harrisburg Area 74 Brookdale 79, Bergen 71 FRIDAY’S GAMES Baltimore City at Harcum Eastern JV at RCSJ-Gloucester Mercer vs. Manor Philadelphia at Lancaster Bible JV SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem at Bergen RCSJ-Gloucester vs. Mercer/Manor Mercer vs. RCSJ-Gloucester/Eastern JV Union at Sussex Luzerne at Montgomery Ocean at Harrisburg Area Bucks at Thaddeus Stevens Williamson Trades at Delaware County Brookdale at Camden RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic Monroe at Morris Middlesex at Lackawanna
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
5-0
11-0
4-0
Harcum (8)
4-0
8-1
Mercer (RV)
4-1
7-2
2-0
Essex
3-1
6-2
3-1
Lackawanna
2-2
2-5
Delaware Tech
1-2
2-8
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-5
0-2
Middlesex
0-4
4-8
0-3
SALEM CC
0-4
0-6
0-2
Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Bucks, cancelled Harcum 86, Lackawanna 29 Union 76, Monroe 66 Montgomery 83, Ocean 40 Atlantic Cape 63, Camden 36 Brookdale 66, Bergen 50 Northampton 64, Sussex 22 Johnson County 99, Raritan Valley 48 CCBC Catonsville 61, Essex 59 FRIDAY’S GAME Baltimore City at Harcum SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Raritan Valley RCSJ-Cumberland at Passaic Mercer at RCSJ-Gloucester Union at Morris Brookdale at Camden Middlesex at Lackawanna
No. 4 Union women overwhelm Salem CC, remain undefeated while Mighty Oaks remain winless
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — The game was only four minutes old and his team was in the middle of a 20-0 run that gave it control of the game, but UCNJ women’s coach Jaleel Taylor was seeing something he didn’t like.
During a 30-second time out he barked to the trainer to “rub some BioFreeze” on his players’ arms to get them talking because he knew that would get them going.
There wasn’t enough time during the timeout to get the gel distributed, but the mere suggestion was enough for the fourth-ranked Owls to change their approach. They came out of the pause and continued to pour it on, eventually routing winless Salem CC 98-32.
“It was a fear factor, that’s simply what it is,” Taylor said. “Just to get our girls to talking.
“We’ve been trying to get them to talk since the beginning of preseason. They love each other off the court. They love each other in the classroom. But on the court we’ve got to become a better communicating team, because we know if we’ve got communication we can be better on both ends of the court, so the BioFreeze is like a funny scare tactic to them.”
Even without the icy-hot, the Owls (10-0) were pretty good on both ends of the floor Monday. They forced the Mighty Oaks (0-6) into 38 turnovers – 26 off steals – off which they scored a whopping 55 points. There were only nine possessions in the first three quarters they failed to convert a turnover into points while building a 85-24 lead.
And when they weren’t rolling in layups off the turnovers, they were hitting from the outside. The Owls hit a season-best 9-of-23 from 3-point range, 6-of-12 in the first half.
“I think the break helped,” Taylor said. “We were coming off a very hectic November. We played nine games in November (all on the road) and we had three days off for break. I think those three days for them just to go home, relax, not even think about basketball, they came back rejuvenated and worked really well. The girls got their feet back under them.”
The Mighty Oaks didn’t make a field goal in the first quarter (0-for-7) and hit only one — Paula Wilson’s 3-pointer — in the final eight minutes of the second quarter. Union scored 38 points in the half off turnovers.
“In watching film against Union, they get a majority of their points off turnovers and runouts and in the first half that’s exactly what they did,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “They’re ranked nationally, they’re a really good team … but you just don’t to play to those strengths.
“I wanted to slow it down a little bit, make them work for shots because they’re typically not a great shooting team (but) they shot really well today. You’ve got to give them some credit, they’re a good team for a reason, but there are some things we need to work on.”
It was a little better in the second half. The Mighty Oaks gave up 18 fewer points in the second half than the first, cut their turnovers from 24 to 14 and gave up only two second-chance points.
“The one thing I really liked about my team is we never quit,” Marsh said. “Down 50, 60 points we kept fighting hard, so that’s something we can build upon. In a game like this you’ve got to find things that you can build upon, that you’re proud of, and I’m proud that they never stopped working hard.”
ACORNS: Because its gym is undergoing renovations, Union will play all of its games this season on the road. That means the women’s team will travel 4,548 round trip bus/van miles during the regular season. “That’s a lot of miles,” Taylor said. The Owls’ mens team is in the same boat … In five games since the revival of Salem’s program, the average margin in the series has been 60 points
UNION 98, SALEM CC 32 UNION (10-0): Jasmin Mckay 7-10 5-5 19, Zakiyyah Lindsey 6-14 5-6 20, Jada Rodgers 1-3 2-2 4, Darrian Jackson 2-5 0-0 5, Zanaya Parsons 6-6 0-0 12, Aaliyah Littles 3-9 1-1 7, Gracie Cruz 2-6 0-0 4, Gianna Papineau 5-9 0-0 12, Emani Resto 2-5 0-0 4, Maria Paula Urena Rojas 3-9 0-0 9, Brianna Patterson 0-3 0-0 0, Asia Kirkpatrick 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-82 13-14 98. SALEM CC (0-6): RayNescia King 0-10 1-2 1, Tanijya Shaw 3-15 5-8 11, Kasey Oliver 2-3 1-4 5, Dani Gustin 0-2 3-6 3, Jayda Hunter 0-5 3-4 3, Justine Cardona 1-5 2-3 4, Americana Hunter 0-2 0-0 0, Paula Wilson 2-6 0-0 5. Totals 8-48 15-27 32.
Union
32
26
27
13-
98
Salem CC
7
8
9
8-
32
3-point goals: Union 9-23 (Mckay 0-1, Lindsey 3-4, Rodgers 0-1, Jackson 1-2, Cruz 0-1, Papineau 2-3, Urena Rojas 3-8, Patterson 0-3); Salem CC 1-15 (King 0-3, Shaw 0-3, Hunter 0-2, Cardona 0-2, Hunter 0-1, Wilson 1-4). Rebounds: Union 46 (Mckay 7, Resto 7); Salem CC 35 (Shaw 9, Hunter 8). Total fouls: Union 21, Salem CC 13.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union (4)
5-0
10-0
4-0
Harcum (8)
3-0
7-1
Mercer (RV)
3-1
6-2
2-0
Essex
2-1
5-1
2-1
Lackawanna
2-1
2-4
Delaware Tech
1-1
2-7
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Middlesex
0-3
4-7
0-2
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-4
0-2
SALEM CC
0-4
0-6
0-2
Number in parenthesis is Division II national ranking.
MONDAY’S GAMES Union 98, Salem 32 TUESDAY’S GAMES Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna Mercer at Delaware Tech Northampton at Camden Harcum at Morris Sussex at Passaic Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen Brookdale at Delaware County
No. 2 Salem CC men stay unbeaten with road win at Camden; women still seeking first win after loss at Delaware Tech
TUESDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 69, Camden CC 59 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Delaware Tech 64, Salem CC 53
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BLACKWOOD – At the start of each of the last two seasons Salem CC basketball coach Mike Green and assistant Scooter Wilkerson got together to plot the worst-case scenario for the first month of the season. Green wouldn’t disclose his projection except to say it was better than his assistant’s – and that one was pretty good.
Suffice to say, the team is “way ahead of schedule.”
The second-ranked Mighty Oaks head into Thanksgiving 9-0 after a 69-59 win at Camden County College Tuesday night.
“I thought we’d be pretty good,” Green said after pushing his career coaching record to 44-17 (.721) with the strong start. “I thought we’d struggle at a couple places, but we’re way ahead of Scooter’s (projection) and we’re ahead of mine, let’s put it that way.”
The players expected to have success this year, even though the roster is completely new, but being undefeated might have caught some of them by surprise.
“I didn’t think we were going to be bad, but undefeated was unexpected, I’m not going to lie,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “But for us to be that way I think we’re way ahead of the curve where we’re supposed to be right now.”
“To be honest, I felt like we were going to be right where we’re at right now,” Nasseem Wright said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys. We’re not looking past anybody, we’re just executing the job. It’s cool (to be undefeated), but there’s more to do, for sure.”
The Mighty Oaks took control of the game with a 17-0 run in the middle of the first half. And although the players never felt uncomfortable even when the Cougars made a couple runs at them, it just had that kind of feel about it.
They led by 16 after that initial outburst and maintained the lead throughout. The Cougars rode some intense defense to draw within six with five minutes left. Green called time at that point and the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor with renewed energy and scored the next six points to push their lead back to double digits.
Second-chance buckets by Lee and Stefan Phillips and Zyaire Gibson’s layup after a Wright steal made it 62-50 with 3:22 left. The lead slipped below 10 only once the rest of the way.
“They don’t let you breathe,” Green said. “They’ve got a toughness about them. Our kids again answered the bell.
“We just had to reset the group. Let them know we’re still winning, it ain’t the end of the world. Let’s put something on top of it.”
The Mighty Oaks put five scorers in double figures. Jarrell Little, the newly-minted Region 19 Division III Player of the Week, and Lee led the way with 14 points apiece. Wright, Idris Rines and Stefan Phillips had 10 points apiece.
Lee scored all his points in the second half. He also had five rebounds and five assists, including the alley-oop pass that produced Wright’s thunderous dunk at the end of the game. Wright also had 10 rebounds and five assists, and once again Phillips didn’t miss a shot.
“The more weapons we’ve got, the better it is, and we’ve got a good amount of weapons,” Green said. “Nobody has successfully taken all of them out yet.”
The good thing about having a brand new team is it isn’t burdened by history. The win was the Mighty Oaks’ first in six games at Camden since the revival of the program (0-5). Green was 0-2 and had 13-point leads in both games.
The players were aware of all that, prompting Wright to call Tuesday night’s game “personal.”
“Any time you lose in overtime or you got a lead you surrender, you don’t forget that,” Green said.
One piece of history the new Mighty Oaks won’t want to forget is they have now won 11 in a row going back to last year and 17 of their last 18 (with only loss to national champion and current No. 1 Mohawk Valley in the national tournament). They’re now 7-0 away from home this season, 6-0 in true road games.
So they’re undefeated going into Thanksgiving. Going into Christmas without a loss — a joyous No-L, get it — that would be something. They play seven games in December, two against teams they’ve already beaten and none against the other three nationally ranked teams in the league.
“It’s tough, you’ve got to stay healthy,” Green said of the prospects. “Hopefully our guys stay healthy. If you stay healthy, anything can happen.”
SALEM CC 69, CAMDEN 59 SALEM CC (9-0): Jarrell Little 5-15 0-0 14, Saaid Lee 6-10 2-4 14, Nasseem Wright 4-6 2-2 10, Idris Rines 4-7 0-0 10, Stefan Phillips 5-5 0-0 10, Zyaire Gibson 3-12 0-0 7, Lenar Anderson 1-2 0-2 2, Jaiayre Wright 1-2 0-0 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-59 4-8 69. CAMDEN (5-2): Cam Rembert 6 0-0 12, Su Allyene 2 6-9 10, Mikey Campbell 3 0-0 6, Kyree Henry 0 0-0 0, Zhamere Crawford 1 1-2 4, Christian Durham 3 0-0 6, Sami Singletary 0 2-2 2, Istavan Norwood 8 0-2 16, Ayden Chopstick 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 9-15 59.
Salem CC (9-0)
31
38-
69
Camden (5-2)
20
39-
59
3-point goals: Salem CC 7-26 (Little 4-11, Lee 0-1, N. Wright 0-2, Rines 2-3, Gibson 1-8, Anderson 0-1) Camden 2 (Crawford, Copestick). Rebounds: Salem CC 33 (N. Wright 10). Total fouls: Salem 13, Camden 15.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
7-0
7-0
5-0
SALEM CC
6-0
9-0
5-0
Northampton
6-0
9-0
Montgomery
4-0
4-1
Camden
5-2
5-2
3-1
Brookdale
5-2
5-4
2-2
Ocean
4-3
4-3
2-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
3-3
3-3
3-1
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-3
3-4
1-3
Bergen
3-5
4-5
2-3
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-4
Atlantic Cape
2-4
2-4
1-4
Sussex
2-5
2-6
1-4
Harrisburg Area
1-3
1-6
Passaic
2-6
2-6
2-5
Delaware County
1-6
1-6
Luzerne
0-3
2-4
Philadelphia
0-7
2-7
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 69, Camden 59 Northampton 98, Delaware County 51 Union 100, Passaic 50 Harrisburg Area 69, Philadelphia 54 Morris 90, Essex 73 Thaddeus Stevens at RCSJ-Gloucester RCSJ-Cumberland 79, Atlantic Cape 73 Sussex 92, Bergen 84 Montgomery 78, Lackawanna 52 Middlesex 71, Mercer 70 SATURDAY’S GAMES Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area Morris at Allegany (Md.) DEC. 2 GAMES Philadelphia at Luzerne Brookdale at Delaware County Sussex at Passaic Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna CCBC Catonsville at Harcum Northampton at Camden Harrisburg Area at RCSJ-Cumberland Mercer at Delaware Tech Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen
Women’s game
NEWARK, Del. — A cold night from the floor doomed the Salem CC women to a fifth straight loss to open the season, 64-53 at Delaware Tech.
The Mighty Oaks shot 23-of-82 from the floor and 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Tanijya Shaw led the offense with 16 points. Point guard Justine Cardona returned to the lineup a missing the past three games with an ankle injury and had 11 points and five rebounds. Kasey Oliver trapped a team-high 12 rebounds.
Salem CC (0-5)
8
10
16
19-
53
Delaware Tech (2-7)
15
16
16
17-
64
SALEM CC LEADERS Scoring: Tanya Shaw 16, Justine Cardona 11, Kasey Oliver 10. Rebounding: Kasey Oliver 12, Dani Gustin 7. Steals: RayNescia King 4, Tanijya Shaw 4.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
4-0
9-0
3-0
Harcum
3-0
7-1
Mercer
3-1
6-2
2-0
Essex
2-1
5-1
2-1
Lackawanna
2-1
2-4
Delaware Tech
1-1
2-7
Morris
0-2
0-2
0-1
Middlesex
0-3
4-7
0-2
Raritan Valley
0-3
2-4
0-2
SALEM CC
0-3
0-5
0-1
TUESDAY’S GAMES Delaware Tech 64, Salem CC 53 Harcum 70, Raritan Valley 60 Bergen 69, Sussex 59 Mercer 101, Middlesex 43 Atlantic Cape 89, RCSJ-Cumberland 37 Essex 125, Morris 20 Union 86, Lackawanna 33 DEC. 2 GAMES Union at Salem Middlesex at Essex Raritan Valley at Lackawanna Mercer at Delaware Tech Northampton at Camden Harcum at Morris Sussex at Passaic Ocean at Atlantic Cape RCSJ-Gloucester at Bergen Brookdale at Delaware County
Salem CC survives Essex in 2 OTs to remain undefeated, Little goes for 42; women remain winless
SATURDAY BASKETBALL Salem CC 109, Essex 106 (2 OT) Essex women 64, Salem CC 35
By Riverview Sports News
NEWARK – Mike Green knew his Salem CC basketball team was going to face its share of tests during the season. The Mighty Oaks faced their biggest test so far Saturday and came through it — in double overtime.
Zyaire Gibson hit a 3-pointer with 36.7 seconds left to give second-ranked Salem the lead, then hit a pair of free throws with 12.2 seconds left to seal a 109-106 road win over Essex to remain undefeated.
“Every time on the road get it and go, whether it’s by 20 or two, get it and go,” Green said. “Road wins are tough … You’ve got to win ugly.”
The Mighty Oaks (8-0), who trailed by as many as 12 in the game, had the ball at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but couldn’t get off a shot either time.
Jarrell Little led the Mighty Oaks with 42 points. He was 16-of-28 from the field, 8-of-14 from 3-point range. It’s the most points by a Salem player in the Green Era and the most since Akeem Taylor scored 33 against Camden in his Mighty Oaks debut last January. Niame Scott had 33 against Sussex in February 2024.
Lamar Woody scored 50 for the Mighty Oaks in a February 2020 game against Atlantic Cape. He was 23-of-30 from the floor in that game.
Saaid Lee had 22 points (and five assists), Nasseem Wright 18 (with 16 rebounds and six assists), and Gibson 14.
The Division II Wolverines (2-5) missed an off-balanced 3-pointer contested by Idris Rines for the tie at the end of the second overtime. The 106 points they scored were the second-most against the Mighty Oaks in the Green Era and only the third time a team has scored 100. Brookdale put 107 on them in Green’s second game as coach in 2024.
“Wild, really wild,” Green said of the game. “I’m sure it was good to watch, but it was a tough one.
“They (Essex) were protecting their home. They were up to play against the No. 2 team in the nation and our guys didn’t anticipate that. But they (his team) made winning plays at the end and we got the stop that we were begging for all game long. We finally figured it out.”
The Mighty Oaks entered the game ranked sixth in NJCAA Division III in scoring. It was their fourth game this year scoring more than 100 points and third in a row.
They’ve now won 10 in a row going back to last season. They had two six-game winning streaks last year.
SALEM CC (8-0): Jarrell Little 16-28 2-4 42, Saaid Lee 9-17 3-4 22, Nasseem Wright 6-14 6-8 18, Zyaire Gibson 3-18 5-6 14, Qua Smith 2-5 4-6 8, Stefan Phillips 1-5 1-3 3, Idris Rines 1-7 0-0 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0 0. Totals 38-95 21-31 109.
Salem CC
48
39
5
17-
109
Essex
46
41
5
14-
106
3-point goals: Salem CC 12-37 (Little 8-14, Lee 1-1, Gibson 3-15, Phillips 0-2, Rines 0-4, Sayles 0-1). Rebounds: Salem CC (Wright 16, Lee 7, Rines 8). Total fouls: Salem CC 17.
.
HIGHEST SCORING GAMES IN GREEN ERA
PTS
OPPONENT, DATE
119
at RCSJ-Cumberland (53), Jan. 14, 2025
114
RCSJ-Cumberland (56), Dec. 19, 2024
113
Ocean (90), Nov. 18, 2025
112
Luzerne (67), Feb. 1, 2025
111
at Passaic (73), Nov. 20, 2025
110
Harrisburg Area (66), Feb. 10, 2024
109
at Essex (106), Nov. 22, 2025
106
Lancaster Bible JV (71), Nov. 21, 2024
106
RCSJ-Gloucester (70), Jan. 13, 2024
102
Bergen (69), Nov. 13, 2025
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
6-0
6-0
4-0
SALEM CC
5-0
8-0
4-0
Northampton
5-0
8-0
Montgomery
3-0
3-1
Camden
4-1
5-1
3-0
Brookdale
5-2
5-4
2-2
Ocean
4-2
4-3
2-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
3-3
3-4
1-3
Bergen
3-4
3-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-3
2-3
1-3
RCSJ-Cumberland
2-3
2-3
2-1
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-3
Passaic
2-5
2-5
2-4
Delaware County
1-5
1-5
Sussex
1-5
1-6
0-3
Luzerne
0-3
2-4
Harrisburg Area
0-3
0-6
Philadelphia
0-6
2-6
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 109, Essex 106 (2 OT) Ocean 96. Philadelphia 86 RCSJ-Gloucester 77, Harrisburg Area 72 Northampton 87, Luzerne 53 Camden 69, Passaic 50 RCSJ-Cumberland 87, Sussex 74 Bergen at Thaddeus Stevens Union 76, Delaware County 56 Morris 100, Montgomery (Md.) 88 Lackawanna 68, Delaware Tech 61
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Camden Delaware County at Northampton Union at Passaic Philadelphia at Harrisburg Area Essex at Morris Thaddeus Stevens at RCSJ-Gloucester RCSJ-Cumberland at Atlantic Cape Bergen at Sussex Montgomery at Lackawanna Mercer at Middlesex
Women’s game
NEWARK – The Salem CC women were in a tight battle early, then Essex went on an 21-2 run on the way to an 18-point halftime lead and rolled to a 64-35 victory to keep the Mighty Oaks winless.
The Mighty Oaks (0-4) are shorthanded as it is, but their options were even more limited after their two posts fouled out. Injured point guard Justine Cardona remains out, but the team is hoping to have her back for Tuesday’s game against Delaware Tech.
“Our play is very inconsistent right now,” coach Brian Marsh said. “We will keep working hard and get this straightened out.”
Salem CC
14
5
9
7-
35
Essex
14
23
13
14-
64
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
3-0
8-0
3-0
Mercer
2-0
5-1
1-0
Lackawanna
2-0
2-3
Harcum
1-0
5-1
Essex
1-1
4-1
1-1
Delaware Tech
0-1
1-7
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
Middlesex
0-2
4-6
0-1
SALEM CC
0-2
0-4
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-2
1-3
0-2
SATURDAY’S GAMES Essex 64, Salem CC 35 Mercer at Harcum Union 92, Middlesex 35 Philadelphia 82, Ocean 46 Passaic67, Camden 56 Montgomery 79, RCSJ-Cumberland 29 Lackawanna 68, Delaware Tech 64
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem at Delaware Tech Harcum at Raritan Valley Bergen at Sussex Mercer at Middlesex RCSJ-Cumberland at Atlantic Cape Essex at Morris Union at Lackawanna
Scorching No. 2 Salem CC makes it seven in a row; women give No. 17 Palm Beach a battle, but can’t get last shot to fall
SALEM CC BASKETBALL Salem CC 111, Passaic 73 WOMENS BASKETBALL Palm Beach State 59, Salem CC 56
By Riverview Sports News
PATERSON – Salem CC enjoyed one of its best shooting nights in coach Mike Green’s head coaching career, placed six scorers in double figures and scored 67 points in the second half to beat Passaic 111-73 for its seventh win in a row.
Nasseem Wright led the second-ranked Mighty Oaks (7-0) with 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Zyaire Gibson and Idris Rines had 16 points apiece, Saaid Lee and Jarrell Little each had 15 and Stefan Phillips had 10 without missing a shot. Little had six assists
The Mighty Oaks shot a season-high 58.1 percent from the floor (43-of-74), the second-best night in their 2 1/2 seasons under Green. They shot .596 in a February win at Luzerne in Green’s first season.
Phillips was 4-for-4, Lee 6-for-7 and Rines 6-for-9. Phillips is 14-of-15 from the floor in his last four games.
They scored 100 points for the second game in a row and third time this season.
Salem CC 111, Passaic 73
SALEM CC (7-0): Nasseem Wright 8-13 4-8 20, Zyaire Gibson 6-11 0-0 16, Idris Rines 6-9 2-2 16, Saaid Lee 6-7 3-3 15, Jarrell Little 5-10 3-4 15, Stefan Phillips 4-4 2-2 10, Qua Smith 3-8 2-3 8, Lenar Anderson 2-4 0-0 4, Jaiayre Wright 1-4 1-2 3, Jahseir Sayles 1-3 0-0 2, Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 43-74 17-24 111. PASSAIC (2-4):
Salem CC
44
67-
111
Passaic
31
42-
73
3-point goals: Salem CC 8-24 (N. Wright 0-1, Gibson 4-9, Rines 2-4, Lee 0-1, Little 2-3, Smith 0-2, Anderson 0-2, J. Wright 0-1, Sayles 0-1). Rebounds: Salem CC 52 (N. Wright 7, Rines 6, Lee 6, Little 6). Total fouls: Salem CC 20.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
5-0
5-0
4-0
SALEM CC
5-0
7-0
3-0
Northampton
4-0
7-0
Montgomery
3-0
3-1
Camden
4-1
4-1
2-0
Brookdale
4-2
4-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-2
2-2
1-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-4
1-3
Bergen
3-4
3-4
1-2
Ocean
2-3
3-3
2-2
Passaic
2-3
2-3
2-2
Thaddeus Stevens
1-2
3-3
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-3
1-3
1-1
Delaware County
1-4
1-4
Sussex
1-4
1-5
0-2
Luzerne
0-2
2-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-5
Philadelphia
0-5
1-5
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 111, Passaic 73 Luzerne 95, Miseracordia JV 85 Northampton 59, SUNY-Broome 51 Middlesex 77, Bucks 67 Raritan Valley at Mercer Philadelphia at Georgian Court JV Atlantic Cape at Brookdale Ocean 80, RCSJ-Gloucester 79 Bergen 80, Sussex 74
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Essex Philadelphia at Ocean Harrisburg Area at RCSJ-Gloucester Luzerne at Northampton Passaic at Camden Sussex at RCSJ-Cumberland Bergen at Thaddeus Stevens Union at Delaware County Montgomery at Morris Delaware Tech at Lackawanna
Women’s game
CARNEYS POINT – The Salem women bounced back from a rough loss in its last game to give the 17th-ranked team in the country a full-game battle Thursday, but just couldn’t get their final shot to fall.
The Mighty Oaks held the halftime lead, then rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter to tie the game in the final minute, but they couldn’t get a game-tying 3-pointer with a second left to go and fell to No. 17 Palm Beach (Fla.) State 59-56.
“We gave them everything we had,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “They had a really good third quarter and we battled back to get back into the game.
“I’m really proud of our team. They played really hard coming off a really bad loss (at Mercer) and that’s really all you ask for. They gave me everything they had.”
The Mighty Oaks took a 29-25 halftime lead, shooting 50 percent from the field and holding Palm Beach leading scorer Janiah Suprius to 10 points, but the visitors from Florida used a big third quarter to take a 44-37 lead into the fourth. The Panthers scored the first eight points of the third quarter and 12 of the first 14.
Salem scored the first seven of the fourth quarter to tie the game with 8:01 to play. Palm Beach went up by nine three minutes later, but the Mighty Oaks rallied again and tied it at 56 on Paula Wilson’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left.
A pair of free throws by Suprius with six seconds left made it 59-56. The Mighty Oaks called time to get the ball to midcourt. They inbounded to Shaw and got a good look, but her 3-pointer from the right side with a second left hit the back of the rim and they couldn’t get the rebound before the horn sounded.
“Being down three we wanted to get a good look at a 3-pointer and we got a good look from TJ and she just didn’t make it,” Marsh said. “I could definitely live with that shot. I thought we got the shots that we needed down the stretch. We need to make them.”
Shaw led the Mighty Oaks with 16 points. Jayda Hunter grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Suprius led all scorers with 31 points.
“The things that we’ve been focusing on they really took to heart tonight and put it towards the game and that’s we had the result that we did,” Marsh said. “Even though we came up short I told them I was extremely proud of the way they played. We got to shots we wanted down the stretch. The next time we’ll make them.”
3-point goals: Palm Beach 3-14 (Kline 1-1, Suprius 2-4, Kovach 0-3, Todd 0-3, Pire 0-3); Salem CC 4-11 (King 0-1, Shaw 2-6, Hunter 0-1, Wilson 2-3). Rebounds: Palm Beach 26 (Suprius 7, Nguyen 6); Salem CC 41 (Hunter 19, Gustin 9). Fouled out: Oliver. Total fouls: Palm Beach 23, Salem CC 20.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
2-0
7-0
2-0
Mercer
2-0
5-1
1-0
Harcum
1-0
4-1
Lackawanna
1-0
1-3
Delaware Tech
0-0
1-6
Essex
0-1
3-1
0-1
Middlesex
0-1
4-5
0-0
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
SALEM CC
0-1
0-3
0-1
Raritan Valley
0-2
1-3
0-2
THURSDAY’S GAMES Palm Beach (Fla.) State 59, Salem CC 56 RCSJ-Gloucester 101, Ocean 38 Mercer 88, Raritan Valley 54 Northampton 80, SUNY-Broome 35 Sussex 48, Bergen 46 Atlantic Cape 67, Brookdale 62 Philadelphia 93, RCSJ-Cumberland 29 Bronx 72, Middlesex 64 Union 86, Essex 59 Five Towns 96, Lackawanna 38 Allegany (Md.) 55, Camden 51
FRIDAY’S GAME Palm Beach State at Harcum
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem at Essex Mercer at Harcum Union at Middlesex Ocean at Philadelphia Passaic at Camden Montgomery at RCSJ-Cumberland Morris at Raritan Valley Delaware Tech at Lackawanna
No. 2 Mighty Oaks make it six in a row, back home over Ocean; Salem women play first game in two weeks, fall at Mercer
MENS BASKETBALL Salem CC 113, Ocean 90 WOMENS BASKETBALL Mercer 88, Salem CC 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – One of the biggest keys to Salem CC’s deep run to the national tournament last year was its ability to get contributions from throughout the roster. The starters were the engine, but when the reserves went in the game the Mighty Oaks could count on getting something from them to keep the train rolling.
The new group of starters still make the Mighty Oaks go this year, but the new group of reserves are still trying to find their niche.
Second-ranked Salem won its sixth straight Tuesday night, returning home from a weekend away to beat Ocean 113-90.
All five starters scored in double figures (82 points) for the second time this season and had the Mighty Oaks (6-0) on pace to break the scoreboard, but when coach Mike Green gave the second group a chance to show their stuff with a comfortable lead, the Vikings kept it from getting further out of hand.
They hadn’t given up that many points in a game since a 102-93 loss at Camden in the eighth game last season.
“We gave those guys who don’t play as much … some game reps so they can help us later on down the road,” Green explained. “A few of them didn’t appreciate those minutes, so we might have to pull them back.
“We were good offensively, we were good defensive with our first five, six guys. Those guys seven, eight, nine, ten, they’ve got to give us something. If they think they’re going to outscore those starters, they got it all wrong. They’ve got to come guard, they’ve got to make that extra pass, they’ve got to come get a rebound because those five who start are going to score the ball – all year long. Last year we were good from one to 11. We’ve got to get that again.”
“Any team shouldn’t be scoring 90 points on us,” freshman guard Jarrell Little said. “Ninety points is way too much for a team like that, especially if we’re blowing them out.”
It’s not that they’re down on the non-starters, the group just didn’t deliver on this particular night.
“They’ve got it, they’ve just got to come show it,” Green said. “If they come in with the wrong mindset they’re going to struggle more and more and more. But we recruited them for a reason. They have to understand their role on the team.”
The Mighty Oaks’ shooting stroke came around. They were 38-of-132 from 3-point range coming into the game, but hit a season-high 14-of-29 against the Vikings (2-3), tying for third-most in Green’s 58-game tenure as coach. Seven players hit at least one; the starters were 11-for-16. The reason they had a 22-point halftime lead is because they had seven more 3s than the Vikings in the half.
“We want to be around double-digit 3s and we got 14 of them today – and a good percentage, too,” Green said. “We were shooting 28 percent from 3, that’s why teams were zoning us.”
“We were just shooting the ball today,” Little said. “It’s our home gym, we’re supposed to be lighting it up.”
Little was 0-for-10 from beyond the arc the last time the Mighty Oaks played at home, but he nailed the first 3 of the game from the right corner and had three on the night en route to a game-high 23 points. In the three games since that cold home debut, he’s averaging just under 22 points a game and is 8-of-21 from behind the arc.
“My coach always gave me the confidence to shoot the ball; either way, I’m just going to keep shooting,” Little said. “That’s all he put in my brain, just keep shooting, and I worked on it the next day at practice. I was just focusing on being consistent, taking better shots and working on my game.”
He wasn’t the one who’s shot came around. Zyaire Gibson was 2-of-12 from behind the arc in the Mighty Oaks’ two wins at Penn Highlands last weekend, but he hit 4-of-5 in the first half and finished with 14 points.
“He can shoot the ball; we’re just trying to get those guys confident in the shot they’re taking,” Green said. “Saving face when you miss is when you make. You can’t go out there feeling sorry for yourself, the basketball gods don’t care. You can go 0-for-10, they don’t care.”
The Mighty Oaks also got big games from starters Nasseem Wright and Saaid Lee. Wright had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lee, the point guard, bounced back from fouling out Sunday seven minutes into the second half with 15 points and eight assists
“I just wanted to make up for this week; it made me want to be there for my team,” Lee said. “I left them on the water by themselves last game, so I wanted to make sure I was there to do what I’ve got to do and be there for them.”
Salem CC 113, Ocean 90
OCEAN (2-3): A.J. Lemons 6-12 5-6 18, Myles Marabuto 2-4 2-2 7, Jamari Smith 7-10 8-10 22, Aiden Sosinov 4-6 0-0 8, James Gibbons 3-3 0-0 6, Jack Malek 2-3 0-0 4, Kai Barckley 3-5 0-0 6, Omar Hadid 1-2 0-0 2, Aiden Falduto 0-0 0-0 0, Jeremy Grospe 1-5 0-1 2, Mattox Watson 1-1 1-3 4, Tristan Ulrich 0-1 0-0 0, Mason Krye 2-6 0-0 5, Liam Yefet 2-2 0-6 4, Joseph Witter 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 35-63 16-28 90. SALEM CC (6-0): Jarrell Little 9-15 2-2 23, Saaid Lee 7-10 0-0 15, Zyaire Gibson 5-7 0-1 14, Nasseem Wright 8-15 3-5 20, Stefan Phillips 4-4 0-0 10, Jahseir Sayles 0-3 0-0 0, Jaiayre Wright 1-3 1-2 3, Qua Smith 1-4 5-8 7, Lenar Anderson 3-7 0-1 7, Idris Rines 4-9 4-4 14, Michael Goodwin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 42-78 15-23 113.
Ocean
41
49-
90
Salem
63
50-
113
3-point goals: Ocean 4-18 (Lemons 1-4, Marabuto 1-2, Sosinov 0-1, Barckley 0-2, Grospe 0-4, Watson 1-1, Ulrich 0-1, Krey 1-3); Salem 14-29 (Little 3-6, Lee 1-1, Gibson 4-5, N. Wright 1-2, Phillips 2-2, Sayles 0-3, Smith 0-1, Anderson 1-4, Rines 2-5). Rebounds: Ocean 32 (Yefet 8); Salem 38 (N. Wright 5, Smith 5, Rines 5). Technical fouls: Gibbons. Fouled out: J. Smith. Total fouls: Ocean 20, Salem 19.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
5-0
5-0
4-0
SALEM CC
4-0
6-0
2-0
Camden
4-0
4-0
2-0
Northampton
3-0
5-0
Montgomery
2-0
2-1
Brookdale
3-2
3-4
1-2
Atlantic Cape
2-2
2-2
1-2
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-3
1-2
Bergen
2-3
2-3
1-1
Ocean
2-3
2-3
1-2
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-2
1-2
1-1
Delaware County
1-3
1-3
Passaic
1-3
1-3
1-2
Sussex
1-3
1-4
0-2
Thaddeus Stevens
0-2
2-3
Luzerne
0-2
1-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-5
Philadelphia
0-4
1-4
TUESDAY’S GAMES Salem 113, Ocean 90 Prince George’s 105, Essex 94 Union 84, Atlantic Cape 66 Sussex 68, Luzerne 64 Allegany (Md.) 103, Harrisburg Area 66 Delaware County at Thaddeus Stevens Brookdale 63, Philadelphia 54 Morris 88, Lackawanna 76 RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton Montgomery 67, Camden 65 Passaic 89, Bergen 80
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES CCBC Dundalk at Delaware Tech Harcum at Cecil
THURSDAY’S GAMES Salem at Passaic Miseracordia JV at Luzerne SUNY-Broome at Northampton Bucks at Middlesex Raritan Valley at Mercer Philadelphia at Georgian Court JV Atlantic Cape at Brookdale Ocean at RCSJ-Gloucester Sussex at Bergen
Women’s game
WEST WINDSOR – The Salem CC women were playing just their second game of the season and first game in two weeks, and the layoff was evident.
The Mighty Oaks were held to 14 points in the first half and fell on the road to Mercer, 88-39.
“It helped us in a way because our players got healthy,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said of the layoff, “but (it) affected our timing, for sure.”
The Mighty Oaks were shorthanded as it was, but they already were without injured point guard Justine Cardona and Neicy King fouled out in the first half.
“It definitely affected our press break and we had 41 turnovers,” Marsh said. “But they still played hard even very short-handed.”
Mercer’s Alexandra Galan-Garcia led all scorers with 29 points. Evangelina Fransisco had 20. Kasey Oliver and Tanya Shaw led Salem with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
SALEM CC (0-2): Ray’Nescia King 0-1 0-0 0, Tanijya Shaw 4-12 4-5 12, Kasey Oliver 5-11 3-9 13, Dani Gustin 4-9 0-2 8, Breanne Ruhl 0-0 0-0 0, Jayda Hunter 0-6 3-5 3, Paula Wilson 1-8 1-2 3. Totals 14-47 11-24 49. MERCER (4-1): Evangelina Fransisco 7-14 1-2 20, Mayah Alford 6-10 0-2 12, Zaakirah Edwards 5-16 0-3 10, Gabriella Smith 3-8, 0-0 6, Qui-Mia Wilkins 2-9 1-4 5, Alexandra Galan-Garcia 13-22 2-4 29, Patricia Moore 2-5 0-0 4, Emma Wilke 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 39-91 4-12 88.
Salem CC
6
8
10
15-
39
Mercer
22
20
18
28-
88
3-point goals: Salem 0-7 (King 0-1, Shaw 0-1, Oliver 0-3, Hunter 0-2); Mercer 6-24 (Fransisco 5-9, Edwards 0-3, Smith 0-4, Wilkins 0-1, Galan-Garcia 1-2, Moore 0-1, Wilke 0-3). Rebounds: Salem 48 (Hunter 12, Oliver 6); Mercer 49 (Wilkins 10, Alford 7). Fouled out: King, Moore. Total fouls: Salem 13, Mercer 22.
Region XIX Standings
WOMENS DIVISION II
R19
ALL
GSAC
Union
1-0
6-0
1-0
Harcum
1-0
4-1
Mercer
1-0
4-1
0-0
Lackawanna
1-0
1-3
Essex
0-0
3-0
0-0
Delaware Tech
0-0
1-6
Middlesex
0-1
4-4
0-0
Raritan Valley
0-1
1-2
0-1
Morris
0-1
0-1
0-0
SALEM CC
0-1
0-2
0-1
TUESDAY’S GAMES Mercer 88, Salem CC 39 Essex 53, Prince George’s 46 Harcum 113, Middlesex 45 Union 84, Raritan Valley 60 Montgomery 44, Camden 43 Passaic 82, Bergen 51 Philadelphia 74, Brookdale 67 Northampton 84, RCSJ-Cumberland 23 Lackawanna 69, Morris 56 Atlantic Cape 73, Sussex 41
THURSDAY’S GAMES Palm Beach (Fla.) State at Salem CC Ocean at RCSJ-Gloucester Raritan Valley at Mercer SUNY-Broome at Northampton Sussex at Bergen Atlantic Cape at Brookdale RCSJ-Cumberland at Philadelphia Middlesex at Bronx Union at Essex Lackawanna at Five Towns Allegany (Md.) at Camden
No. 2 Salem CC makes it five in a row with hard-fought win over host Penn Highlands, Mighty Oaks show moxie pulling away in final six minutes
PENN HIGHLANDS TURKEY CLASSIC Sunday’s Games Sandhills 115, Bryant & Stratton 58 Salem CC 80, Penn Highlands 70
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – When Mike Green went looking to replace all the players who moved on from last year’s national tournament run – and there were a lot of them – he recruited for games just like this.
It was toughness the Salem CC coach went looking forward and the players he signed showed how much of it they had down the stretch Sunday to lift the second-ranked Mighty Oaks past Penn Highlands 80-70 in the Black Bears’ Turkey Classic.
The Mighty Oaks (5-0) lost an 11-point halftime lead in the second half and had their point guard foul out with 13 minutes left, but after getting back into the game they outscored their hosts 17-4 over the last five minutes to win going away.
“This team has a toughness about them,” Green said. “I think last year around this time they would have lost that game until we got Akeem (Taylor) and Jyheim (Spencer). This team has a lot of toughness, and it shows.”
Jerrell Little was particularly strong down the stretch. He had the bulk of the Mighty Oaks’ points in the closing run and finished with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Nasseem Wright had 17 points and 13 rebounds and made the all-tournament team. Saaid Lee had four points, but was big on hustle points (three rebounds, three assists, four steals) and Zyaire Gibson had nine points, three rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
“It was a collective (effort),” Green said. “They posed a threat to us and I said that coming here, and our guys stepped in there and battled. This team has a nastiness about them and it’s a good nastiness. We did a good job recruiting. We’ve got to see it through.”
Top photo: The Salem CC basketball team talks things over Sunday during a second-half timeout down by four with eight minutes to play
Salem CC 80, Penn Highlands 70
SALEM CC (5-0): Jahseir Sayles 1-3 0-0 2, Jerrell Little 8-16 7-10 23, Saaid Lee 1-3 2-2 4, Jaiayre Wright 0-2 0-0 0, Qua Smith 1-3 1-2 3, Zyaire Gibson 2-8 3-5 9, Nasseem Wright 7-12 3-6 17, Lenar Anderson 3-4 0-0 8, Idris Rines 1-5 2-2 5, Stefan Phillips 2-3 3-4 9. Totals 26-60 21-29 80. PENN HIGHLANDS (1-6): Keyshawn White 2-5 0-0 4, Alex Moise 1-2 0-0 2, Wes Simon 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Ross 2-4 3-4 7, Ahmad Boone 4-10 4-4 12, B.J. Lavender 7-20 1-2 18, Jay Brumbaugh 1-3 2-3 5, Manny Brannon 0-0 2-2 2, Des Handon 5-19 3-4 13, Victor Raymond 3-5 1-2 7. Totals 25-68 16-21 70.
Salem CC
45
35-
80
Penn Highlands
34
36-
70
3-point goals: Salem CC 7-23 (Sayles 0-2, Little 0-4, Gibson 2-7, Anderson 2-2, Rines 1-4, Phillips 2-3); Penn Highlands 4-24 (White 0-1, Boone 0-4, Lavender 3-12, Brumbaugh 1-2, Handon 0-5). Rebounds: Salem CC 40 (Little 6, N. Wright 13). Penn Highlands (White 9, Raymond 9). Total fouls: Penn Highlands 22. All-Tournament: Nasseem Wright, Salem; B.J. Lavender, Penn Highlands; Isaiah Upchurch, Sandhills; Donovan Barnes, Bryant & Stratton.
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Camden
4-0
4-0
2-0
Union
4-0
4-0
3-0
SALEM CC
3-0
5-0
1-0
Northampton
3-0
5-0
Montgomery
2-0
2-1
Atlantic Cape
2-1
2-1
1-1
Ocean
2-2
2-2
1-1
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-1
1-1
1-0
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-3
1-2
Brookdale
2-2
2-4
0-2
Bergen
2-3
2-3
1-1
Delaware County
1-3
1-3
Passaic
1-3
1-3
1-2
Luzerne
0-1
1-2
Thaddeus Stevens
0-2
2-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-4
Sussex
0-3
0-4
0-2
Philadelphia
0-4
1-4
SUNDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 80, Penn Highlands 70 Morris 59, Howard CC 55 Camp CC 51, Essex 37 Raritan Valley 88, Cecil 64 Richard Bland at Harcum Delaware Tech at Montgomery (Md.)
TUESDAY’S GAMES Ocean at Salem Prince George’s at Essex Union at Atlantic Cape Luzerne at Sussex Harrisburg Area at Allegany (Md.) Delaware County at Thaddeus Stevens Philadelphia at Brookdale Morris at Lackawanna RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton Camden at Montgomery Bergen at Passaic
No. 2 Salem CC runs over Bryant & Stratton in Penn Highlands Turkey Classic, plays host team Sunday
PENN HIGHLANDS TURKEY CLASSIC Salem CC 89, Bryant & Stratton 55 Sandhills 107, Penn Highlands 98 Sunday’s Games Sandhills vs. Bryant & Stratton, 1 p.m. Salem CC vs. Penn Highlands, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Second-ranked Salem CC regained some of its 3-point shooting touch, started fast and ended even faster in overrunning Bryant & Stratton (Ohio), 89-55, Saturday in the opening game of the Penn Highlands Turkey Classic.
The Mighty Oaks were cold from behind the arc in their home opener (7 of 37), but went 10-of-28 in the Penn Highlands gym. Jerrell Little, 0-for-10 from 3 in the last game, hit their first 3 of the game and went on to shoot 5-of-11 on deep balls against the Bobcats. The Mighty Oaks are 24-of-73 from 3-point range in their three road games this season.
“It’s a win, another road win, feisty team, feels great getting another one,” coach Mike Green said. “This is the third team that’s zoned us in a row, so most of the teams must think we can’t shoot the ball and we haven’t proved it yet.”
Little finished with 19 points. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nasseem Wright led all scorers with 20 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. Jaiayre Wright had five points, but grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
Stefan Phillips, the only returning player from last year’s national tournament team, scored a career-high 14 points without missing a shot. He was 5-for-5 from the field, 3-for-3 at the line and hit his only 3-point attempt.
“That’s what we expect from him the whole year,” Green said. “The kind of game he played today is what’s expected of him. It’s good to see he finally put it together. He’s done a good job leading us. it felt good to see him play the way we envision him playing.”
The Mighty Oaks (4-0) opened the game with an 11-2 run and steadily stretched the lead. The Bobcats got within 22 with about eight minutes left, then Salem went on a 20-4 run to slam the door.
“We kept our foot on the pedal the whole game,” Green said. “We’re here to pile up wins. However they look it doesn’t even matter, it’s winning.”
On Sunday they play host Penn Highlands, a team that puts up 35 3-pointers a game.
Salem CC 89, Bryant & Stratton 55
BRYANT & STRATTON (2-3): Aaron Wilson 3-5 0-0 7, Caron McClendon 0-2 1-2 1, Kevon Clay 0-1 0-0 0, Donovan Barnes 6-12 1-2 14, Curtis Granger 1-3 0-0 2, Zavionn Thurman 2-5 0-0 4, Remi Gilmore 3-7 1-2 9, Jack Smith 0-4 0-0 0, Jayshaun Lewis 3-6 0-1 6, Blake Brookenthal 3-10 0-0 8, Hunter Graham 2-6 0-1 4. Totals 23-71 3-8 55. SALEM CC (4-0): Jahseir Sayles 1-4 1-2 4, Jarrell Little 7-15 0-0 19, Saaid Lee 4-9 0-0 9, Jaiayre Wright 1-1 3-4 5, Qua Smith 1-2 2-2 4, Zaire Gibson 1-8 0-0 2, Nasseem Wright 9-13 2-4 20, Lenar Anderson 2-4 0-0 5, Idris Rines 2-4 0-0 5, Stefan Phillips 5-5 3-3 14, Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 34-67 11-15 89.
Bryant & Stratton (Ohio)
26
29-
55
Salem CC
47
42-
89
3-point goals: B&S 6-36 (Wilson 1-10, McClendon 0-1, Barnes 1-4), Granger 0-1), Thurman 0-3, Gilmore 2-6, Smith 0-4, Lewis 0-1, Brookenthal 2-6); Salem CC 10-28 (Sayles 1-2, Little 5-11, Lee 1-3, Smith 0-1, Gibson 0-6, N. Wright 0-1, Anderson 1-2, Rines 1-1, Phillips 1-1). Rebounds: B&S 29 (Brookenthal 7, Graham 5); Salem CC 44 (Gibson 6, J. Wright 8).
Region XIX Standings
DIVISION III
R19
ALL
GSAC
Camden
4-0
4-0
2-0
Union
4-0
4-0
3-0
SALEM CC
3-0
4-0
1-0
Northampton
3-0
5-0
Montgomery
2-0
2-1
Atlantic Cape
2-1
2-1
1-1
Ocean
2-2
2-2
1-1
RCSJ-Cumberland
1-1
1-1
1-0
RCSJ-Gloucester
2-2
2-3
1-2
Brookdale
2-2
2-4
0-2
Bergen
2-3
2-3
1-1
Delaware County
1-3
1-3
Passaic
1-3
1-3
1-2
Luzerne
0-1
1-2
Thaddeus Stevens
0-2
2-3
Harrisburg Area
0-2
0-4
Sussex
0-3
0-4
0-2
Philadelphia
0-4
1-4
SATURDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 89, Bryant & Stratton (Ohio) 55 Union 77, Harrisburg Area 52 RCSJ-Gloucester 87, Luzerne 70 Morris 79, Cecil 76 Camden 60, Thaddeus Stevens 58 Frederick 71, Mercer 66 Montgomery 65, Philadelphia 58 Atlantic Cape 81, Sussex 57 RCSJ-Cumberland at Brookdale Bergen 86, Delaware County 82 Northampton 81, Ocean 75 Raritan Valley 81, Howard CC 73 Essex 87, Delaware Tech 85
SUNDAY’S GAMES Salem CC at Penn Highlands, 3 p.m. Morris vs. Howard CC Essex vs. Camp CC Raritan Valley at Cecil Richard Bland at Harcum Delaware Tech at Montgomery (Md.)
Riverview Sports News 