Despite their powerful stats, Salem CC’s Taylor and Spencer left off the All-Region 19 Division III Teams
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green will stand up for his guys as high as the day is long, but when the results of this year’s Region XIX All-Division III basketball team crossed his field of view he just couldn’t stand still.
Green’s improved Salem CC team has two of the more dynamic players in the entire region let alone Division III – 6-4 sophomore guard Akeem Taylor and 6-8 freshman post Jyheim Spencer – but when the region’s “All” teams crossed the coach’s clipboard Thursday neither were on any of the three teams. It was presumably because they became eligible at mid-year and didn’t meet the criteria of playing in at least 80 percent of their teams games.
They certainly played in 80 percent of the 14 regular-season games for which they were eligible after being activated Jan. 7. Spencer played in them all and Taylor missed two (86 percent). They both played in Wednesday’s post-season win at CC of Philadelphia.
You can’t argue with their impact or production. Green said the whole first month of the season the Mighty Oaks would be a different team when they joined the lineup and they have been. Salem is 12-3 since they started playing.
Taylor would have been among the Division III leaders in scoring (20.8 ppg) and was undoubtedly the straw the stirred the Mighty Oaks’ drink. Spencer averages a double-double (13.3 ppg/14.3 rpg) and would be the second-leading rebounder in Division III nationally and sixth in blocked shots (42/2.8 per game) had he played enough games to qualify. He already has one Division I offer.
When they first handed Green the all-star list the second-year coach looked to see what he already suspected and threw the paper in the trash. One of his assistants pulled it back and he glanced again to make sure he hadn’t overlooked anything in haste and then tossed it back in again.
The Division III MVP was Sean Emfinger of Montgomery, who the Mighty Oaks will face in Saturday’s North Atlantic District B championship game at Northampton. Green was fine with that call. Emfinger averaged 20.2 ppg (22.1 in conference games) and 8.3 rebounds with 124 assists and 60 steals. He put 19 and 12 on the Mighty Oaks when they played Feb. 4.
Green called the type of season his two players had “amazing years, first-team all-conference type years, an All-American type of year.”
Spencer did get placed on the ballot for second team from what Green was told. Alas, there will be none of that.
“With the way things go around this league I’m never surprised,” Green said. “It’s kind of a fraternity I haven’t gotten in yet. It’s just my first full year.
“Hopefully these guys aren’t penalizing my players because of who they think I am, because they don’t know me. I don’t hardly even know these guys. Hopefully they don’t think the success I had has anything to do with these kids. They’re not playing against me. I kind of get a feeling these guys think they’re beating me, Mike Green, instead of Salem from the way these guys are celebrating after the game.”
The snubs do add fuel to another interesting debate – is Green a viable Coach of the Year candidate? After all, his team put together a record-breaking season with 22 wins (so far), a region-best 8.5-game overall turnaround (11 in the win column) and a spot in the district title game – all without one all-region player.
“The way things are going you’d think it would be me, right?,” he said, not that he’s worried about it. “What they’re telling me is we don’t have a top 15 player in the league, so how are we in the championship game? So, I should be Coach of the Year just on that, but there are a lot of coaches in the league doing a great job. That could go either way.”
If the snub is bothering the two Mighty Oaks stars, they don’t seem to be letting on.
“They’re mature,” Green said. “They’ve got bigger fish to fry. They’ve got a championship (to pursue) and they’re getting recruiting. They’ll get a last laugh.”
Spencer stars as Salem CC moves within a Saturday win of a trip to the national tournament after beating CC of Philadelphia on the road
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT DIVISION III MEN WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Salem CC 83, Philadelphia 70 Montgomery 83, Brookdale 64 Union 87, Atlantic Cape 84 Northampton 83, Camden 66 SATURDAY’S GAMES (At Northampton) Northampton (23-5) vs. Union (22-4), noon Salem CC (22-7) vs. Montgomery (21-5), 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – Jyheim Spencer wasn’t in a seat when the Salem CC basketball team pulled out of the Dupont Fieldhouse parking lot for its Region XIX playoff opener Wednesday night, but by the middle of the second half he was driving the bus.
The 6-foot-8 freshman post they call “Six,” whose story of redemption has been well-documented and admired by many of the college recruiters who have seen it, was as beastly as he’s been all season. “Dominant” is how coach Mike Green described him.
Spencer had another double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds – his ninth in 15 games – plus six blocked shots and four steals, as the Mighty Oaks bounced third-seeded CC of Philadelphia 83-70 to reach the JUCO Division III North Atlantic District B finals Saturday at Northampton.
The sixth-seeded Mighty Oaks (22-7) will play second-seeded No. 13 Montgomery County CC at 3 p.m. with a trip to the Division III national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y., March 12-15 in the balance. With the region receiving two automatic bids to the nationals, the region tournament was split into two districts crowning two champions.
“I just had to play like today was my last game,” Spencer said. “Just play every play hard, don’t take any off; just play like it’s the last game.
“For me, this is very big because I got another chance. Not only do I get another chance, I’m in the playoffs now. I never even thought I was going to be able to play again, now I’m in the playoffs. It just felt like the first game all over again. First playoff game, got to set the tone.”
Spencer, who was already in Philly and met the team upon its arrival at the CCP gym, made his presence felt all game, but he was especially impactful in the second half and particularly the final 12 minutes.
Akeem Taylor hit two free throws to give Salem a seven-point lead, then Spencer went on a tear. He converted a sharp entry pass from Taylor into a dunk and then after hurting his left ankle fouling a guy made a put back and another basket to push the lead to 14.
Later in the quarter he picked a CCP player’s pocket coming out of the backcourt and finished that off with a dunk to make it 68-54 with 6:17 to play. The Lions (20-8) got within six with 1:30 to go before looking for someone to foul and Fortune closed them out at the line.
“That’s the way he’s supposed be for us all year long,” Green said of Spencer. “When he’s not that, we struggled, so when he is that, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
“He was a dog. He was a beast. That’s what we needed. That’s what he needs to be for us to go where we need to go.”
All three of the Mighty Oaks’ Jan. 7 newcomers played major roles in the program’s first playoff victory in three years. In addition to Spencer, Taylor had 18 points and six assists, and Tamir Powell had 14 points. Tyrese Fortune, who has been there from the beginning but only recently started spreading his wings, also scored 18 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 40 seconds to close it out.
The Mighty Oaks are 12-3 since adding those players to their roster in the second semester.
“He played great,” Taylor said of Spencer. “He grabbed all the rebounds we needed. He did everything we needed. I feel like everybody played well today. We could have gotten 50-50 balls more, but besides that everything was good.”
The Mighty Oaks lost to CCP earlier this season in a game they readily admit they didn’t play well. They had more turnovers than made shots in that one – a season-high 22 turnovers to 21 field goals – but on this night they were more focused and had only seven. They also made more shots.
“We came in this expecting to win,” Taylor said. “Last game we didn’t really play so well. I think we had more turnovers than made shots. We came into this one confident.”
And they left victorious.
ACORNS: The Mighty Oaks are 8-5 away from Dupont this season. One of those losses was to Montco, 74-72 on Feb. 4, in which they had a shot at the end but messed up their spacing and got the shot blocked … Several of the Mighty Oaks continue to get four-year offers, but only one has made a pledge. Rodney Shelton has committed to Harris-Stowe, an NAIA HBCU in St. Louis, Green said … Taylor is weighing several options – he recently return from visits to Harris-Stowe and Northwestern Ohio – and hinted a commitment could be coming in March.
SALEM CC 83, PHILADELPHIA 70 SALEM CC (22-7) – Akeem Taylor 6-12 6-10 18, Tyrese Fortune 4-10 9-13 18, Jyheim Spencer 9-12 0-1 18, Tamir Powell 4-8 5-8 14, Xavier Brewington 2-5 2-5 7, Josh Ramos 1-2 0-0 3, A.J. Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Tivon Woolford 1-1 0-0 2, Dontarius Jones 0-1 1-2 1, Rodney Shelton 0-1 0-2 0, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-53 23-41 PHILADELPHIA (20-8) – Regjon Knight 11-29 5-7 29, Malachi Montgomery 1-16 2-6 4, Maki Pettigrew 4-19 0-0 9, Brince Shelton 4-16 3-7 12, Tahjir Davis 5-10 0-0 10, Saleem Henderson 1-1 0-0 2, Devon Stanley 2-3 0-1 4, Dontae Bacon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-95 10-21 70.
Salem CC
42
41-
83
Philadelphia
34
36-
70
3-point goals: Salem 4-15 (Taylor 0-1, Fortune 1-7, Powell 1-3, Brewington 1-1, Ramos 1-2, D. Jones 0-1); CCP 4-19 (Knight 2-5, Montgomery 0-4, Pettigrew 1-6, Shelton 1-3, Davis 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 38 (Spencer 19, Fortune 6); CCP 35 (Knight 7, Davis 10). Fouled out: Stanley, Davis. Total fouls: Salem 17, CCP 26.
Salem CC’s Jyheim Spencer (L) cuts across the lane in hopes of giving teammate Akeem Taylor a big target.
Woodstown snaps out of state tournament slump, the only Salem County boys team to win in the opening round; Penns Grove has heart broken in final second of overtime
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES South Jersey Group I Tournament Pitman 58, Wildwood 50 Burlington City 59, Penns Grove 58 Woodbury 57, Glassboro 56 Audubon 40, Paulsboro 39 Haddon Twp. 74, Clayton 68 Palmyra 59, Salem 50 Woodstown 71, New Egypt 52 KIPP Cooper Norcross 62, Maple Shade 15
SATURDAY’S QUARTERFINALS (9) Burlington City at (1) Pitman (5) Woodbury at (4) Audubon (6) Palmyra at (3) Haddon Twp. (7) Woodstown at (2) KIPP Cooper Norcross
WOODSTOWN 71, NEW EGYPT 52: Rocco String led three Woodstown scorers in double figures with 18 points as the Wolverines beat New Egypt for the second time this season to win its first South Jersey tournament game in five years.
The Wolverines’ last win in the South Jersey Group I tournament came in 2020 when they beat Maple Shade in the opening round.
In addition to String’s exploits, M.J. Hall pumped in 17 points and Elijah Caesar tied his career high with 11.
The Wolverines (16-9) now travel to No. 2 seed KIPP Cooper Norcross in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
“I’m just proud of the boys for the commitment and hard work they put in,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “They never shy away from getting better and they battle for me and their teammates each and every day. We didn’t have any offseason. It has just been non-stop work every day.
“Some games we may only have like a seven- or eight-man rotation, but those other guys from the JV and varsity bench are so key. They came to practice and made each other better each day.
“This is the first playoff win since 2020 and we are motivated to keep getting better and better. At the end of the day they trust their work, give 110 percent and live with the results. That’s all you can ask from your team. We have built a family and I’m proud to be their coach.”
PALMYRA 59, SALEM 50: Palmyra placed five scorers in double figures, jumped out to a 10-point first-quarter lead and ended the Rams’ season with coach Anthony Farmer sitting on 99 career wins.
The Rams had the margin to four and the ball with a minute to play, but suffered a turnover and then gave up a three-point play.
Jesahi Robinson led Palmyra with 14 points. Sam Adams and Jaleel Laitmore each had 12, DaShon Edmonds chipped in 11 and John Latimore added 10. Robinson also grabbed six rebounds and dealt six assists.
Salem (14-13)
7
17
12
14-
50
Palmyra (15-13)
17
14
16
12-
59
BURLINGTON CITY 59, PENNS GROVE 58 (OT): The Red Devils staged a furious second-half rally to force overtime and had a three-point lead with 90 seconds left in the extra period only to have Chase Downs hit the go-ahead layup with nine-tenths of a second left to break their heart.
Zane Thomas’ put back with 13.3 seconds left gave the Red Devils a 58-57 lead before Downs drove the length of the floor for the game-winner.
Downs also hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 52, but neither team could deposit the winning shot. Penns Grove had two shots under the basket with 20 seconds left that didn’t fall and had the ball out of bounds with 3.2 seconds left and couldn’t get a shot.
Thomas, a sophomore just back from a knee injury, led all scorers with a career-high 19 points. He had scored only seven points all season prior to the game. B.J. Robbins had 17 points and KaRon Ceaser had 10.
“I’m proud of how we fought back,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “We were down 14 in the third quarter and battled and kept scraping back. For a young team it showed a lot of courage and toughness. And all these guys will be back next yer to make a title run.”
BURLINGTON CITY (10-15): Chase Downs 5-1-12, Jason Brown 7-3-17, Jamie Lambing 2-0-5, Corey Degree 2-0-4, Piper Comiso 2-0-6, Rashard Newark 6-3-15. Totals 24-7-59. PENNS GROVE (11-14): B.J. Robbins 7-0-17, Roman Gipson 2-2-6, KaRon Ceaser 4-1-10, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Luis Colon 1-0-2, Zane Thomas 9-1-19. Totals 25-4-58.
Burlington City (10-15)
13
12
13
14
7-
59
Penns Grove (11-14)
13
8
14
17
6-
58
3-point goals: Burlington City 4 (Downs, Lambing, Comiso 2); Penns Grove 4 (Robbins 3, Ceaser).
Two Salem County teams, Woodstown and Pennsville, advance to the second round of tournament
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES South Jersey Group I Tournament Haddon Twp. 56, (8) Schalick 13 Glassboro 51, Penns Grove 37 Audubon 58, Cape May Tech 20 Woodstown 52, Gateway 24 Wildwood 77, Riverside 5 Pennsville 70, Woodbury 56 Clayton 43, Burlington City 27 Palmyra 40, New Egypt 35
SATURDAY’S QUARTERFINALS (9) Glassboro at (1) Haddon Twp. (5) Audubon vs. (4) Woodstown (6) Pennsville at (3) Wildwood (7) Clayton at (2) Palmyra
WOODSTOWN 52, GATEWAY 24: The Gators knocked Woodstown back on its heels early with two big shots some smart, aggressive man defense, but the Wolverines shook it off, started playing their brand of basketball and steadily pulled away.
“Great defense led to open layups and shots,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “
Talia Battavio led on both ends of the floor, scoring a team-high 13 points and recording eight of the Wolverines’ 24 steals. Megan Donelson had 11 points, four rebounds and five steals. Kyia Leyman had 10 points, four boards and three steals.
Actually, every player who got in the game made some type of contribution.
“I’m really proud of the effort that we showed today,” Smart said. “Everyone played as hard as possible when they were on the court.”
The Wolverines (18-6) now host fifth-seeded Audubon Saturday.
Gateway (10-15)
6
4
2
12-
24
Woodstown (18-6)
15
18
11
8-
52
PENNSVILLE 70, WOODBURY 56: Taylor Bass led five Pennsville scorers in double figures with 22 points despite missing all of the second quarter with early foul trouble and the Eagles used a big second half to push past Woodbury.
Nora Ausland and Addie Johnston both scored 13 points, Jaida Burns had a career-high 12 and Marley Wood 10 for all the Eagles’ scoring. Johnston hit three 3s in their 23-point third quarter. Ausland grabbed 17 rebounds, while Burns had nine.
The Eagles (18-9) now travel to No.3 Wildwood for their quarterfinals game Saturday.
GLASSBORO 51, PENNS GROVE 37: The teams played to a 19-19 halftime tie, but Glassboro pulled away in the second half. They outscored the Red Devils 19-9 in the third quarter to seize control. Kezia Brackett (14) and Tamia Smith (12) led the offense, while Kimora Miles and Lily Czubas each pulled down 10 rebounds.
Glassboro (12-13)
11
8
19
13-
51
Penns Grove (11-13)
11
8
9
9-
37
HADDON TWP. 56, SCHALICK 13: Kiersten Callahan led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points and the Hawks scored more points in the first quarter than Schalick scored the entire game. Twelve players scored from Township in the game.
Defense also was a key to the victory. The Hawks held the Cougars without a field goal in the first and fourth quarters and collected 16 steals. Alli Kamulda led the way with four steals, while Sammy Martin and Emory Shaw each had three.
Penns Grove girls tune up for playoffs with win at Salem, Pitman’s Crispin reaches milestone against Salem Tech
By Riverview Sports News
SALEM – RaNyiah Wilson scored 31 points to jump several places on the Salem County all-time girls scoring list and propelled Penns Grove to a 54-35 victory over Salem in its final preparation for the South Jersey Group I tournament.
The Red Devils (11-12) open the tournament Wednesday as the No. 8 seed hosting Glassboro.
The Red Devils pressed from the jump and held the Rams to only three field goals in the first half while opening a 26-13 halftime lead. Wilson had 19 of their points.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Robbins, Cummings); Salem 5 (Gray, Pierce, Dixon, Frieson 2).
Boys Game
PITMAN 64, SALEM TECH 48: Pitman’s Elijah Crispin became the 111th player in New Jersey history — 41st in South Jersey and third in his family — to reach the 2,000-point milestone when he hit a driving layup with 3:27 left in the first half. The bucket gave the Panthers a 26-12 lead.
Crispin finished with 24 points and now has 2,011 for his career.
The Panthers (19-6) are the No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group I and open the playoffs Wednesday against Wildwood with a potential second-round matchup against Penns Grove. They wouldn’t potentially meet either Woodstown or Salem until the sectional final March 7.
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 23-March 1
SUNDAY, FEB. 23 TRACK NJSIAA Group I Championship, Bennett Center, Toms River WRESTLING NJSIAA Girls South Regionals, Absegami COLLEGE BASEBALL Sussex CC vs. Salem CC (2), MSI Chichester, noon
MONDAY, FEB. 24 GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Genesee CC at Salem CC, 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament (16) Wildwood at (1) Pitman, 5:30 p.m. (9) Burlington City at (8) Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. (12) Glassboro at (5) Woodbury, 5 p.m. (13) Paulsboro at (4) Audubon, 4 p.m. (14) Clayton at (3) Haddon Twp., 7:30 p.m. (11) Salem at (6) Palmyra, 6 p.m. (10) New Egypt at (7) Woodstown, 7 p.m. (15) Maple Shade at (2) KIPP Cooper Norcross, 5 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament (16) Schalick at (1) Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m. (9) Glassboro at (8) Penns Grove, 4 p.m. (12) Cape May Tech at (5) Audubon (13) Gateway at (4) Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. (14) Riverside at (3) Wildwood (11) Woodbury at (6) Pennsville, 5 p.m. (10) Burlington City at (7) Clayton, 5 p.m. (15) New Egypt at (2) Palmyra COLLEGE BASKETBALL Region XIX Division III Tournament Salem CC at CC of Philadelphia, 6 p.m. Brookdale at Montgomery Atlantic Cape at Union Camden at Northampton
FRIDAY, FEB. 28 COLLEGE BASEBALL Brookdale at Salem CC, 1:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 1 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Wildwood-Pitman vs. Burlington City-Penns Grove Glassboro-Woodbury vs. Paulsboro-Audubon Clayton-Haddon Twp. vs. Salem-Palmyra New Egypt-Woodstown vs. Maple Shade-KIPP Cooper Norcross GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Schalick-Haddon Twp. vs. Glassboro-Penns Grove Cape May Tech-Audubon vs. Gateway-Woodstown Riverside-Wildwood vs. Woodbury-Pennsville Burlington City-Clayton vs. New Egypt-Palmyra WRESTLING Region 8 Championships, Egg Harbor Twp., 9 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL North Atlantic Championship At Northampton (Two winners advance to national tournament) A: Camden-Northampton winner vs. Atlantic Cape-Union winner, noon B: Salem-Philadelphia winner vs. Brookdale-Montgomery winner, 3 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Brookdale CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC (2), noon
Salem solidifies its position as a tough out in the playoffs after winning Tri-County B Flight as a No. 8 seed; Farmer: I wouldn’t want to see us
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Salem coach Anthony Farmer stood out on the floor, surrounded by his jubilant players, holding the plaque that signified them as tournament champions and knowing it’s only the beginning.
“We got hardware,” he told the players as all they reached in to touch it. “We want more. We want more.”
The Rams won the overachievers B Flight of the Tri-County Conference Showcase Friday night, but they also won something more.
Their us-against-the-world tour continued with a 66-53 victory over Glassboro and the message it sent resounded louder than the music blaring over the gym sound system during game breaks.
It was as if they were telling the world – well, at least the state of New Jersey – seed us as low as you want, we’re going to be tough to handle in the state tournament.
The Rams won the middle bracket of their conference tournament as the No. 8 seed in the flight – effectively the 16th overall seed – and won three straight games on the road by double digits to make it happen. They face a similar road (pun intended) in the South Jersey Group I tournament, where they’ve been installed as the 11th seed in a 16-team field.
“Putting us down there even though we know we’re not supposed to be there, it put a chip on our shoulder,” sophomore guard Tymear Lecator said. “We knew who we are, we knew the type of team we are, we knew these guys can’t really stay with us. It gave us a chip on our shoulder – we’re all we got, we’re all we need – and we came in and did what we had to do.”
Salem center Antwuan Rogers celebrates with his teammates after the Rams were given the championship plaque for winning the TCC B Flight.
The Rams may have been an 11-12 team when the TCC tournament started at the beginning of the week, but they’ve been playing more like the 18-8 team they would have been if the NJSIAA hadn’t stripped them of four wins in January due to an ineligible player.
They’ve played with a chip on their shoulder ever since and that makes even more dangerous when the game is on the line. They’ve gone 11-5 since the ruling and now have won five in a row.
“It was really about showing everybody what we can do really do,” senior forward Azhone Burden said. “We went through a lot this season. Everybody’s been thinking we were just done. We’re coming to show them we’re really good.”
“We want to prove we can win it all, that we’re the best,” sophomore Deshaan Williams added.
That mindset was on full display in the fourth quarter, when they turned their game up a notch and pulled away from a 44-44 tie to win. With Tymear Lecator handling the ball and getting to the line, and Williams and Burden delivering big baskets and rebounds, the Rams outscored their hosts 22-9 in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout.
“It’s really a testament to everything we’ve been through,” Farmer said. “Things that have happened to us all year, it’s just been blow after blow after blow. That’s fine. We preach basketball is really a game of life. We fought through adversity and I’m really proud of my guys.
“Tonight we grew up a little bit – we’ve been growing up – and were able to get on the other side of it by making the plays we needed to make down the stretch. We made some errors, but overall we made more plays down the stretch that got us over the hump.”
Lecator returned to the floor after serving a two-game suspension for his ejection in the Penns Grove game and led the Rams with 26 points and seven assists. He was 11-of-13 from the line, 8-for-10 in the fourth quarter. Williams had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Burden scored all six of his points in the 13-3 run that opened the fourth quarter.
“I definitely wanted to get back there, I’ve been wanting to be back,” Lecator said. “We’ve been playing a great brand of basketball recently so I definitely wanted to get back and play with my guys and keep that going into the playoffs.
“It was fun. I missed being back out there. I knew what it was going to be, I knew what type of game this was going to be, and I was excited to play in it.”
Salem guard Tymear Lecator (L) directs the Rams’ offense while Glassboro defender Kenny Smith eyes making a move on the ball.
Kenny Smith led Glassboro, the sixth seed in the flight, with 25 points. He scored the Bulldogs’ first seven points of the game. Xavier Sabb had 12, including a dunk that beat the second quarter buzzer and gave the Bulldogs a 30-29 halftime lead.
It was a play that had the potential to be a huge momentum grabber. Devon Barr stole the ball in front of the scorer’s table and blindly flipped it backwards onto the court of play. Sabb collected it near midcourt and drove hard to the basket, finishing it off with a thunderous dunk right before the horn sounded.
Fortunately for the Rams, the halftime break helped keep a lid on the emotion of the play, so they weren’t worried about it becoming a firestarter. Neither team led by more than four in the second half until the Rams pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The ruling that took away those early wins also slowed Farmer’s run to 100 career wins. Friday he officially picked up No. 99. He can reach the milestone with an opening-round win in the SJ Group I tournament Wednesday at sixth-seeded Palmyra.
To reach the Final Four, the Rams potentially would have to go through the 1, 2 and 3 seeds – all on the road. The Rams have as many or more “on the floor” wins this season than all three of those teams.
“I think you should really be nervous,” Farmer warned the Rams’ potential playoff opponents. “I wouldn’t want to see us.
“(No. 100) will be a great milestone when it comes. I’m all about survive and advance. I want to win for the guys. I want to win for the city. That’s (milestone) great along the way, but my overall goal is to bring some hardware back to Salem.”
And he didn’t mean the plaque the Rams were holding Friday night.
SALEM 66, GLASSBORO 53 SALEM (14-12) – Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 2 1-2 7, Neziah Spence 4 2-2 13, Tymear Lecator 6 11-13 26, Deshaan Williams 5 1-4 11, Darrelle Johnson 0 0-0 0, Antwuan Rogers 1 1-2 3, Joe Tunis 0 0-0 0, Azhone Burden 3 0-0 6. Totals 21 16-23 66. GLASSBORO (10-15) – Xavier Sabb 4 3-6 12, Tre Thomas 1 2-4 4, Kenny Smith 7 9-12 25, Davon Barr 2 0-0 4, Will Boggans 0 0-0 0, Marley Crowl 2 1-2 6, Aiden Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 15-24 53.
Salem
9
20
15
22-
66
Glassboro
14
16
14
9-
53
3-point goals: Salem 8 (McGriff 2, Spence 3, Lecator 3); Glassboro 4 (Sabb, Smith 2, Crowl). Rebounds: Salem 32 (Williams 10); Glassboro 24 (Smith 6). Fouled out: Spence, Sabb. Total fouls: Salem 21, Glassboro 22.
Salem’s Xavier McGriff encourages the crowd to get into it as the Rams close out Glassboro to win the B Flight of the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
Woodstown’s Battavio becomes Wolverines’ all-time leading scorer in girls basketball; Schalick, Penns Grove girls fall short after rallying to get back in their game; Salem boys to play for TCC B Flight title
TCC GIRLS TOURNAMENT Washington Twp. 46, Woodstown 39 Clearview 65, Pennsville 46 Delsea 42, Penns Grove 39 Deptford 44, Schalick 41 Highland 63, Salem Tech 38 TCC BOYS TOURNAMENT Salem 88, Gloucester Catholic 76 Woodstown 69, Penns Grove 41
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SEWELL – Back when she was a middle schooler Talia Battavio can remember walking into the Woodstown gym to watch the players she looked up to as a young basketball player, glancing at the banner with all the school’s big scorers on it and thinking how neat it would be to have her name on the list someday.
She earned her place on the big board last year when she hit 1,000 points, but now she’s moved all the way to the top of it.
Battavio hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter Thursday night to become Woodstown’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball. Sadly, the emotion of the milestone wasn’t enough to carry the Wolverines to victory and they fell to second-seeded Washington Twp. 46-39 in the Tri-County Conference A Flight semifinals.
“I don’t think it’s like really hit me yet; I think when the season’s over (it will),” she said. “But it’s a big accomplishment and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and all my coaches who have gotten me to where I am today. It is a huge accomplishment and I’ve very grateful.”
The Goldey-Beacom signee needed seven points to pass Tori Smick as Woodstown’s all-time leading scorer in the girls game, but said she wasn’t even thinking about it as the game got underway. In fact, she admitted being surprised when they called time to recognize the feat.
She tied the record in a low-scoring first half and had to sit on it through halftime. She reset the standard that stood for 12 years in typical Talia fashion, hitting a 3-pointer from the left corner 25 seconds into the third quarter. More than one-third of her career points have come from behind the 3-point arc.
“On my 1,000th, I hit it on a foul shot, so I think it was pretty cool for (the record-breaking points) to be a 3-pointer,” she said.
Battavio finished with 24 points in the game and now has 1,584 points for her career. The only player in school history with more points is boys leading scorer Joe Hickman, who wrapped up his 1,726-point career in 1972.
She is now the fifth leading scorer in Salem County girls history, having also surpassed Schalick’s Tia Furbush on the county girls list. No. 4 is Salem’s Brittany Smith (1623), a rung on the ladder Battavio could reach in the upcoming South Jersey Group I tournament.
“I remember going to the high school games in middle school and I told myself, I would look at the banner and I knew I was going to do it,” she said. “Really, just (for) the thousand, but this was like the cherry on top. This was a really big accomplishment for me.”
Battavio has always been a scorer. She dropped 260 points as a freshman, 395 as a sophomore and made a big move last season with 539., getting both her 100th 3-pointer and 1,000th career point. She also has 183 3-pointers, more than 230 assists and is closing in on 200 steals.
“Talia is a great player,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Credit has to go to her family, also to (her coaches) and all the teammates that have come before her, and she’ll tell you that. It is an individual record, but she didn’t do it all. There are lots of people along the way who have helped her.
“My favorite part of the night was when she got it, and it was a big shot in the game, seeing all the other girls go up and hug her and congratulate her. Talia, all year, through the ups and downs, never lost her confidence. She’s never afraid to shoot the ball and I’ll never take that away from her. When she has the ball in her hands and she’s shooting it, we’re confident it has a pretty good shot of going in.
“It’s incredible to see her growth throughout her hs career. I saw her play her freshman, sophomore and junior years and now having the blessing and opportunity to be her coach, she’s great.”
But she isn’t the only Woodstown player chasing history. Her running mate, the other half of the Wolverines’ dynamic duo, Megan Donelson, likely will pass Smick as well. She’s sitting at 1,548 points.
Now that record is squared away, Battavio’s mindset going forward is “focusing on going far.” The Wolverines open the South Jersey Group I Tournament next week as the No. 4 seed hosting Gateway. Barring upsets along the way, their path to the Final Four will run through Audubon, Haddon Twp. and Wildwood.
“I’m just playing basketball,” she said. “I’m letting my shots come to me and not forcing anything. However (the point total) ends up it ends up.”
The loss Thursday night snapped a six-game winning streak. The Wolverines trailed 18-16 at halftime. They missed an agonizing number of shots around the basket and Washington Twp. started pulling away.
“When we play these bigger group schools … it’s obviously a test for us and a challenge where we’re playing a more physical style basketball and we have to step up to the challenge,” Smart said. “Sometimes we do a very good job of doing that and then there are other times that we struggle.
“I never question the girls desire to win the game, but we have to find a way to get shots to fall under the basket under pressure and tonight was just a night they weren’t falling. We took good quality shots, they just weren’t falling.”
Alaina LaMonica hit five 3-pointers and led the Minutemaids (18-5) with 21 points. They now play top-seeded Gloucester Catholic (21-4) for the A Flight championship.
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Battavio 2); Washington Twp. 6 (McLean, LaMonica 5). Total fouls: Woodstown 12.
DEPTFORD 44, SCHALICK 41: The Cougars rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit with a strong second half. They had a chance to tie the C Flight semifinal in the final 15 seconds but missed two layups.
“We played a great second half (with) much more energy and up tempo, more confident,” Cougars coach John Whalen said.
A pair of freshmen led the comeback. Olivia Vanacker scored all 10 of her points in the second half, with Nevaeh Robinson tossing in eight of her team-high 12.
HIGHLAND 63, SALEM TECH 38: The Tartans got big games from Sage Shaw and Tajai Webb to snap a five-game losing streak and score their second win of the season. Shaw scored 30 points and grabbed 30 rebounds, and Webb scored 20 points.
Shelby Liber hit four of Salem Tech’s seven 3-pointers and led the Chargers with 12 points.
3-point goals: Highland 3 (Webb 2, Shinholster); Salem Tech 7 (Drummond 2, Liber 4, Bazemore).
CLEARVIEW 65, PENNSVILLE 46: Juliette Mirigliani hit career-high seven 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 38 points and the Pioneers held two of Pennsville’s top three scorers to five points each to win the A Flight consolation game. Mirigliani, a junior, has scored 65 points in the Pioneers’ two tournament games.
Taylor Bass led Pennsville with 17 points. The Pioneers held 1,000-point scorers Marley Wood and Nora Ausland to five points each.
DELSEA 42, PENNS GROVE 39: The Red Devils came from 13 points down in the first half to turn this B Flight semifinal into a battle, but just couldn’t finish it off at the end.
Penns Grove trailed 24-11 in the second quarter, but rallied behind RaNiyah Wilson and JaNiyah Cummings to cut its deficit to six at halftime. The Red Devils ramped up their defense in the second half and eventually took their first lead of the game on a layup by Wilson with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
A 3-pointer by Wilson gave Penns Grove a 36-33 lead with 5:13 to play, but Delsea scored the next eight points and never trailed again. Another 3 by Wilson with 56 seconds to go made it 41-39. Delsea tried to help the Red Devils by missing five of six free throws in the final 42 seconds, but the Red Devils were denied on a layup and had another shot rim out leaving them only a desperation heave at the buzzer that hit the backboard.
Wilson finished with a game-high 19 points. Cummings had 15.
Delsea
16
8
8
10-
42
Penns Grove
8
10
11
10-
39
Boys Complete game carries Salem to final
GLOUCESTER CITY – The Rams played perhaps their most complete game of the year in beating Gloucester Catholic for the third time this season, 88-76, for a spot in the B Flight title game as the No. 8 seed.
“Tonight was the first game we played 32 minutes; we played very well,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said after securing career win No. 98. “Followed the game plan, executed the game plan, played hard and played together. I was really, really impressed with our win tonight.”
The Rams (13-12) scored 20 points or more in every quarter. Eight players scored and six had eight points or more.
Xavier McGriff led the offense with 23 points. Antwuan Rogers had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Deshaan Williams had 12 points and eight rebounds. Darrelle Johnston had six points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Joe Tunis had 10 points and seven boards, and senior transfer Azhone Burden had what Farmer called “his best all-around night in a Rams uniform,” with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
GC’s Carlos Mendez led all scorers with 34 points. Jack Mustaro, their all-time leading scorer, had 18.
Salem will play at Glassboro, the No. 6 seed, for the B Flight title. The game is scheduled for Saturday, but because of an apparent conflict at Glassboro, the game is tentatively set for Friday.
The teams played earlier this season with the Bulldogs winning 76-62, but the Rams didn’t have Rogers that night. The junior post was in Texas on a football trip, but he’ll be fully available for this one. They’ll also have leading scorer Tymear Lecator back after serving his two-game penalty from last week’s ejection.
SALEM (13-12) – Donovan Weathers 3 1-2 7, Xavier McGriff 9 2-4 23, Neziah Spence 2 3-4 8, Deshaan Williams 5 2-3 12, Darrelle Johnson 2 2-2 6, Joe Tunis 3 3-4 10, Antwuan Rogers 6 1-1 13, Azhone Burden 4 1-1 9. Totals 34 15-22 88. GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (11-15) – Carlos Mendez 11 8-10 34, Jack Mustaro 6 2-2 18, Gary Connelly 1 0-0 3, Ben Cook 2 2-2 6, Jack Pund 2 0-0 4, Ehthan Dugue 4 1-2 10, Kamani Pyram 0 1-2 1. Totals 26 14-18 76.
Salem
22
21
20
25-
88
Gloucester Catholic
18
7
18
33-
76
3-point goals: Salem 5 (McGriff 3, Spence, Tunis); Gloucester Catholic 10 (Mendez 4, Mustaro 4, Connelly, Dugue). Rebounds: Salem 52 (Rogers 13, Williams 8); Gloucester Catholic 12 (Mustaro 4).
WOODSTOWN 69, PENNS GROVE 41: After losing to the Red Devils twice earlier this season, the Wolverines came out hungry and added more fuel to the adage that it’s difficult to beat a team three times in a season.
The Wolverines placed three scorers in double figures. Rocco String dominated inside with 24 points, M.J. Hall gave them 19 and Blake Bialecki had 12.
After the teams played a tight first quarter, the Wolverines pulled away with a 15-7 second and extended their lead with a 19-9 third. String scored 14 points in the first half. Hall had 11 in the third quarter and 17 in the second half.
“We’re in playoff mode,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said.
Sixth-seeded Salem CC opens Region XIX Division III men’s tournament at CC of Philadelphia, winner plays for a bid to national tournament
REGION XIX TOURNAMENT DIVISION III MEN Saturday’s Games No. 10 RCSJ-Gloucester (11-16, 9-9) at No. 7 Brookdale (18-7, 12-6) No. 9 Ocean (16-8, 11-7) at No. 8 Atlantic Cape (14-13, 11-7) Feb. 26 Games RCSJ-Gloucester/Brookdale at No. 2 Montgomery (20-5, 15-3) No. 6 Salem (21-7, 13-5) at No. 3 Philadelphia (20-7, 15-3), 6 p.m. Atlantic Cape/Ocean at No. 1 Union (21-4, 17-1) No. 5 Camden (17-10, 14-4) at No. 4 Northampton (22-5, 14-4) March 1 Games At Northampton CC (Winners to NJCAA Tournament) North Atlantic A Championship Atlantic Cape/Ocean/Union vs. Camden/Northampton, noon North Atlantic B Championship RCSJ-Gloucester/Brookdale/Montgomery vs. Salem/Philadelphia, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Just how deep is the Division III men’s basketball configuration in Region XIX? After putting together its first 20-win season in 20 years and making the biggest turnaround in the league, Salem CC pulled down a No. 6 seed for the region tournament that starts this weekend.
The Mighty Oaks will play at third-seeded CC of Philadelphia in the second round of the Region XIX Tournament Wednesday at 6 p.m.
“It feels good, it’s been a while for this school, but the job ain’t through,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “It’d feel great to play in that national tournament. I keep telling my guys that’s where you want to be.”
It’s been a nice ride so far. The Mighty Oaks had their winningest season since reviving the program in 2019, enjoyed their first 20-win season in 20 years and beat a ranked opponent for the first time ever. They’re ranked eighth in the country (JUCO Division III) in scoring (87.2 ppg) and third in 3-pointers per game (8.8)
“We’re really proud of what coach Green and the team have been able to accomplish,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “We’re looking forward to cheering them on and supporting them up in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.”
The team got a huge boost in January when they got four players back from injury and eligibility issues. They’ve gone 11-3 since their arrival.
If they had played enough games to qualify for the national stats (60 percent of team’s games), Jyheim Spencer would rank a solid second in Division III rebounding (14.0 rpg) and Akeem Taylor would be T-4 in the region in scoring (21.0 ppg). And because they hadn’t played in 80 percent of their team’s games, neither are eligible for all-region consideration.
“It’s OK,” Green said. “I hope they have a chip on their shoulder.”
The Mighty Oaks’ 21-7 record represents a 10-win, 8.5-game improvement over last season. When Green took the team after Christmas last year it was 2-5 and he went 9-9 trying to lay the foundation for his program.
“I think we’ve got enough guys who care,” he said of the difference. “It’s not just go out there and see what happens any more. I think these guys go out there and expect to win. Last year it was moreso go out there and give whatever you’ve got.
“I’m sure those guys wanted to win, too, but we had a built-in excuse last year, seven guys, eight guys. We don’t have that built-in excuse.”
It figures to be a competitive tournament. Five of the top six teams all posted 20 wins. Three are in the Top 15 and two others – CCP and Salem – received votes for consideration.
“On our side’s matchup I feel like anybody can beat anybody,” Green said. “It means your league’s good top to bottom. I don’t think it was that last year.”
The Mighty Oaks played CCP once this season and lost 62-59 at the end of the most demanding stretch of the season, a six-game run that included the top four teams in the league. They had a “good look” to send the game into overtime, but Taylor’s shot from the left side of the arc missed the mark.
It also was the game officials erroneously allowed the Lions to insert one of their best free throw shooters off the bench to replace the injured player who was fouled instead of allowing the Mighty Oaks to make the choice as per the rule for a common foul.
Ironically, CCP knocked the Mighty Oaks out of the playoffs the last time they made it (second round 2022).
“I think we played terrible that game, so I definitely feel good about the matchup,” Green said.
If the Mighty Oaks get through their tournament opener, they’ll advance to the bracket final at Northampton where they’ll play for a berth in the national tournament.
Because the region receives two direct bids to the JUCO national tournament, it will incorporate two separate brackets to produce two champions. One bracket is headed by No. 1 seed Union and the other that includes Salem is headed by No. 2 seed Montgomery County.
Riverview Sports News 