Here are the boys all-star teams of the Tri-County Conference Classic and Diamond Divisions as voted on by the coaches
CLASSIC DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
SECOND TEAM
Elijah Crispin, Pitman
Princeton Sackor, Clayton
Jack Mustaro, Gloucester Cath.
Carlos Mendez, Gloucester Cath.
Tymear Lecator, Salem
James Fritz, Clayton
Brian Cunniff, Wildwood
Deshaan Williams, Salem
Michael Fisicaro, Pitman
Hudson Rue, Pitman
DIAMOND DIVISION
FIRST TEAM
SECOND TEAM
Kenny Smith, Glassboro
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
Lamar Little, Overbrook
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
Zair Green, Overbrook
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
Xavier Sabb, Glassboro
Xavier Wright, Overbrook
Rocco String, Woodstown
Reggie Allen, Schalick
LIBERTY DIVISION First Team: Luke VanAuken, Delsea; Ayden Chopstick, Deptford; Asa Wharton, Timber Creek; Christopher Stowell, Timber Creek; Talen Walsh, Triton Second Team: C.J. Atkings, Timber Creek; Kasir Baker, Triton; Jaylen Williams, Highland; Jordan Williams, Deptford; Jelani Poles, Delsea
ROYAL DIVISION First Team: Nasir Williams-Bey, Kingsway; Luke Andres, Clearview; Mike Hart, Kingsway; Gevon Conrad, Washington Twp.; Mark Hallman, GCIT Second Team: Caprice Stewart, Clearview; T.J. Collier, Kingsway; Michael Stanwood, GCIT; Reggie Brown, Williamstown; Pietro Fornasiero, Washington Twp.
Salem CC installed as No. 10 seed in JUCO Division III national tournament, draws No. 7 at-large Riverland (Minn.) CC in opening round
TALE OF THE TAPE
TEAMS (Nat. Rank)
REC
OFF (RK)
DEF (RK)
RB (RK)
RBA (RK)
Dutchess CC (1)
26-1
82.5 (22)
62.3 (2)
42.1 (19)
31.8 (15)
Mohawk Valley (3)
26-1
83.5 (19)
61.7 (1)
46.2 (7)
33.7 (21)
Minn. State C&T (4)
29-2
89.7 (5)
70.1 (15)
39.6 (32)
30.5 (9)
Sandhills (5)
27-6
96.5 (1)
84.7 (76)
49.6 (3)
36.3 (35)
Union (7)
23-4
86.6 (8)
71.9 (19)
46.9 (6)
30.6 (11)
Northern Essex (8)
28-3
90.7 (3)
70.8 (16)
45.9 (9)
28.5 (3)
Salem CC
23-7
86.6 (7)
72.4 (24)
43.8 (13)
38.6 (55)
Dallas-Mountain View
15-18
86.2 (9)
86.3 (79)
32.9 (75)
36.5 (37)
x-Riverland (13)
29-3
85.9 (10)
67.3 (6)
39.5 (33)
29.0 (5)
x-Genesee (9)
23-6
85.8 (12)
72.3 (23)
43.0 (15)
37.7 (49)
x-Dallas-Richland (15)
20-11
73.9 (57)
65.2 (4)
35.8 (64)
29.5 (6)
x-Herkimer (2)
23-4
80.9 (25)
62.4 (3)
41.1 (24)
31.5 (13)
Nat. rank is where team appeared in final regular-season poll; x-at large bid.
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT At Herkimer (N.Y.) College March 12 No. 8 Northern Essex (28-3) vs. No. 9 Dallas Richland (20-11), noon No. 5 Herkimer (23-4) vs. No. 12 Dallas-Mountain View (15-18), 2 p.m. No 7 Riverland (29-3) vs. No. 10 Salem CC (23-7), 4 p.m. No. 6 Union (23-4) vs. No. 11 Genesee (23-6), 6 p.m. March 13 Northern Essex/Dallas Richland vs. No. 1 Duchess (26-1), 1 p.m. Herkimer/DallasMountain View vs. No. 4 Sandhills (27-6), 3 p.m. Salem-Riverland winner vs. No. 2 Mohawk Valley (26-1), 6 p.m. Union-Genesee winner vs. No. 3 Minnesota State C&TC (29-2), 8 p.m. Salem-Riverland loser vs. Union-Genesee loser, 11 a.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green remembers his first Selection Show when he played in college. The excitement and anticipation were real.
It was pretty much a given that year his Butler team was going to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The drama was where it would go, how high it would be seeded and who they were going to play in the first round.
When their name finally went up on the screen the players leapt out of their seats and the room erupted in cheers.
Green wanted that for his Salem CC basketball team Wednesday as they watched the selection show for the NJCAA Division III Tournament together for the first time. The Mighty Oaks knew they had a spot in the field as North Atlantic District B champions. All they were waiting to hear was their seed and road to the championship.
They didn’t have to wait long. The Mighty Oaks (23-7) were installed as the No. 10 seed and will open the tournament against seventh-seeded 13th-ranked Riverland (Minn.) CC (29-3) at Herikmer College Wednesday at 4 p.m.
When their name finally appeared on the screen, everybody who came to watch the show on three big-screen TVs in the fieldhouse cheered loudly.
“It was a one-in-a-lifetime thing because I’ve never experience this before,” freshman guard Xavier Brewington said. “I feel great for our team. I feel confident in our team. We’re going to try to win it all.”
Teams are guaranteed two games in the tournament. If the Mighty Oaks beat Riverland, they’ll play second-seeded No. 3 Mohawk Valley Thursday at 6. If they lose their opener, they’ll get the loser of Region XIX rival Union and Genesee CC at 11 a.m. They’ll keep playing as long as they keep winning, but they can only win the tournament from the winner’s bracket.
When it revealed the Mighty Oaks could get Mohawk Valley (26-1) in the second round, leading scorer Akeem Taylor didn’t flinch. “We want them,” he said from his seat on the floor. Mohawk Valley leads JUCO D-III in scoring defense.
“We want everybody,” Taylor said. “They’re just ranked so high, why wouldn’t we want to play them? We want to show that we’re the best, so that’s what we’ve got to go through.”
“It seems like he embraces being the underdog,” Green said.
As soon as the show ended, Green headed to his office to do some research on their opening-round opponent.
“I don’t know much about them,” he said. “I just know they’re a higher seed than us.
“We’re not familiar with any of these teams. We don’t watch them all year long; it’s not like the NCAA. You just don’t know. We’ve got to put work in and figure them out. We’ve got seven days to figure them out.”
Riverland was ranked No. 1 for 12 consecutive weeks earlier this season. The Blue Devils are led by Nazih Chehade, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Florida averaging 14.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, shooting 58 percent from the field and has 127 assists.
ACORNS: Salem is one of two unranked teams in the 12-team field … The Mighty Oaks will leave for the tournament Monday, but won’t practice at the facility until Tuesday … Riverland has three scorers averaging in double figures.
Woodstown boys fall to Haddon Twp. in South Jersey Group I semifinals; got within 1 three times in second half, but couldn’t get the lead
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I Tuesday’s boys semifinals Haddon Twp. 57, Woodstown 49 Woodbury 60, Pitman 50 Friday’s championship game (5) Woodbury (16-14) at (3) Haddon Twp. (21-9), 7:30 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WESTMONT – M.J. Hall stood in a vacant part of a quiet Woodstown locker room, leaned back against the lockers and pinched his fingers into his eyes to dab away the tears. This one hurt.
There might not have been a lot of people who expected the Wolverines to get this far in the South Jersey Group I basketball playoffs, but there they were Tuesday night, into the game to the end before ultimately falling to third-seeded Haddon Twp., 57-49.
And then it hit him. Not only did it hurt they came up short, it also was the end of his high school career.
“Just knowing you’ll never be able to play with the same boys again that you’ve grown up with is just something you never want to imagine,” Hall said. “I played with everything I had, not just for me and the other seniors, but (for) the coaching staff and all the rest of the boys.”
In another part of the dressing room Eli Caesar was feeling the same sense of loss. He and Hall were the Wolverines’ leading scorers with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
“We worked really hard all season,” Caesar said. “Nobody expected us to make this this far, but we did. To come up short in the semifinals, it sucks.”
The Wolverines went into the season with a first-year head coach and without the benefit of a summer program, but they put together one of their winningest seasons in years that included the program’s first playoff win since 2020. They knocked off the No. 2 seed on the road in the quarterfinals and were oh-so-close to taking down another upper seed on this night.
They were down by eight midway through the third quarter, but Hall hit six straight points to get them back within two with two minutes left in the period. The continued to fight back and actually took a one-point lead with 5:23 to play after an odd six-point play.
While Eli Caesar was hitting a 3-pointer out on the perimeter, Haddon Twp. was called for a foul away from the ball. The Wolverines got the bucket and the ball and Garrett Leyman promptly hit a 3-pointer to put them up 44-43.
But whenever the Hawks needed a basket, Jaden Haltiwanger seemed to always be there to deliver. He made a nice move in the lane and dropped in a layup that put the Hawks back on top for good.
Haltiwanger led the Hawks with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He had seven points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter.
The Wolverines’ comeback was fueled by their ability to attack inside, but they lost that edge late in the game when both big men, Leyman and first-team Diamond Division pick Rocco String, fouled out.
They did get within one on Caesar’s 3-pointer with 1:50 to go, but Nate Keating snuck behind the Woodstown defense while Haddon Twp. worked the clock for a layup and then hit two free throws to make it a five-point game with a minute to play.
A basket by Hall with 50 seconds left made it 52-49, but he missed the and-one and the Wolverines never got closer. The Hawks then closed it out at the free throw line.
“You hate losing more than you love winning,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “It’s about getting better. It’s a process, a journey. We came a long way since that Salem game (season opener) and just got better and better and better.
“They played hard tonight, we just left a couple plays out there. We fought and fought and we just needed to make that one play to take it over the top. We just didn’t make that one extra play.”
Woodstown girls fall at Haddon Twp. in South Jersey Group I basketball semifinals
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I Tuesday’s Girls Semifinals Haddon Twp. 46, Woodstown 44 Wildwood 54, Clayton 38 SJ Group I Championship Friday’s Game (3) Wildwood (22-7) at (1) Haddon Twp. (27-3)
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WESTMONT – The Woodstown girls basketball team has been using the last three seconds of last year’s South Jersey Group I championship game as nuclear fuel for this entire season. You know, the kind of fuel that runs hot and never runs out.
That’s about how close they came to getting another crack at what they missed out on last March.
The Wolverines needed to get past top-seeded Haddon Twp. Tuesday night to set up a finals rematch with Wildwood. They were in it all the way to the end, too, but just came up short, 46-44.
“We played our heart out and I’m going to miss playing with all these girls,” Wolverines senior Talia Battavio said. “We made some really good memories.
“We thought we had it just like anyone else would, but it wasn’t the outcome we wanted.”
The Wolverines (19-7) had their chances. They led by seven at halftime and were up by five with 3:40 to play and just couldn’t close the deal.
The Hawks (27-3) came out of a timeout in the fourth quarter and scored the next 10 points – the last seven by Kiersten Callahan – to flip the script. Battavia and Lauren Hengel brought the Wolverines back with buckets to make it a one-point game with 10 seconds to go. Callahan made the second of two free throws with five-tenths of a second left to make it 46-44.
As long as there was time on the clock the Wolverines still had a chance. They were going to have to get something quick, but never got a shot. Their inbounds pass for Battavio was too long and Battavio never got a hand on it.
“They’re a very tough and talented team that we knew wasn’t going to give up til the end,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “I’m just very proud of our girls as well for not giving up. There were shots that were missed, there were things that’s could have changed, but that’s the game of basketball and that’s the game of life.
“I’m super proud of everything we’ve accomplished this year. It sucks that it ends like this, but when we look back, hopefully we look back on this year with fond memories.”
The loss closes the book on the careers of two of the most prolific scorers in Salem County history.
Battavio, with 1,620 career points, and Megan Donelson, with 1,588, leave as the top two scorers in Woodstown girls basketball history and fifth and sixth, respectively, on the Salem County all-time girls list. They are ninth and 11th on the county scoring list regardless of gender.
The Wolverines were 81-28 in their four years with the program (11-4 in the playoffs) and reached as least the South Jersey semifinals all four years. They won the South Jersey Group I title as sophomores in 2023 and played in the final last year.
“It’s been a lot of memories,” Battavio said. “It was very … great.”
“It was a blast from my freshman year up to now,” Donelson said. “I love my teammates. Especially having three different coaches; I had bonds with all of them. I had a blast.”
“They should be proud of everything that they’ve accomplished,” Smart said. “None of that comes without hard work.”
The Wolverines played off their two stars throughout the game, but circumstances separated their collective threat. Battavio was slow to start, but Donelson was there to pick up the slack and scored seven of her 12 points in the final three minutes of the first quarter.
Donelson was on track for a big day, but got in foul trouble and when she came out after picking up her third with 3:35 to go in the second quarter it was Battavio’s turn to go to work. She scored seven of her team-high 17 in the final 2:43 of the second quarter to help the Wolverines open a 25-18 halftime lead.
“I had to do a lot more,” Battavio said. “Having Megan out there makes it a lot easier. She’s such a great player and it helps me be a better player and nice versa.”
Regardless who was doing their scoring, the Wolverines had their way with the Hawks in the first half. They shot 10-of-25 from the floor in the half, compared to 7-of-27 by the Hawks, and outrebounded their hosts a whopping 22-8.
“They were killing us on the glass in the first half; that’s really what we talked about in the first half,” Hawks coach Mark Petito said. “We showed what we were all about (in the second half). “We’re all guts. We play tough. If you’re going to come in and play us it’s going to be very hard for you.
“We didn’t defend real well first half, we didn’t rebound well, and that hurt us, but we got back to what we are and that’s a tough, defensive, gritty team.”
Donelson picked up her fourth 51 seconds into the third quarter and came out for the rest of the period. That’s when the Hawks got back into it, holding the Wolverines to three points in the quarter and forging a 28-all tie heading into the fourth.
“I don’t like being in foul trouble, no one likes being in foul trouble,” Donelson said. “It’s definitely hard to get out of my head to not foul. It was definitely a challenge for me. I love a challenge.”
She was back in the game to start the fourth quarter and the foul trouble didn’t stop her from playing her usual aggressive style. In one particular stretch she hit a free throw, missed the second, rebounded the miss and turned it into a layup to give the Wolverines a five-point lead. Then she dove for a loose ball on the floor, got possession and called time before the refs could call a jump ball.
“Whenever I’m out on that court I give it my all.,” Donelson said. “I do it for my teammates. I do it for myself. I do it for my coaches. I just five it my all. It doesn’t matter how many fouls I have.”
The Hawks called time with 2:48 to play. Abby Wiedeman came out of the break and immediately hit a 3-pointer. Callahan then pulled a loose ball out of a scrum and scored a layup to tie the game at 40. Then she hit a 3-ball from the left corner with 1:24 left and the Hawks never trailed again.
Callahan scored eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter when the Hawks needed her most.
“In the first half I wasn’t hitting my shots like I normally do, but I knew I had to keep my head up and stay confident and that’s what I did in the second half,” she said.
Here is a thumbnail look at the AQ teams Salem CC could face in the JUCO Division III national tournament, March 12-15, 4 at-large teams will be announced Wednesday with the bracket
TEAMS (Nat. Rank)
REC
OFF (RK)
DEF (RK)
RB (RK)
RBA (RK)
Dutchess CC (1)
26-1
82.5 (22)
62.3 (2)
42.1 (19)
31.8 (15)
Mohawk Valley (3)
26-1
83.5 (19)
46.2 (7)
61.7 (1)
33.7 (21)
Minn. State C&T (4)
29-2
89.7 (5)
70.1 (15)
39.6 (32)
30.5 (9)
Sandhills (5)
27-6
96.5 (1)
84.7 (76)
49.6 (3)
36.3 (35)
Union (7)
23-4
86.6 (8)
71.9 (19)
46.9 (6)
30.6 (11)
Northern Essex (8)
28-3
90.7 (3)
70.8 (16)
45.9 (9)
28.5 (3)
Salem CC
23-7
86.6 (7)
72.4 (24)
43.8 (13)
38.6 (55)
Dallas Col.-Mountain View
15-18
86.2 (9)
86.3 (79)
32.9 (75)
36.5 (37)
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT March 21-15, Herkimer (N.Y.) College (Automatic qualifiers)
SALEM CC MIGHTY OAKS LOCATION: Carneys Point, N.J. (Region 19) COACH: Mike Green (2nd season, 32-16) RECORD: 23-7 (North Atlantic District B) NATIONAL RANK: Unranked PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-3 G Tamir Powell (10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg); 6-6 G Tyrese Fortune (11.3, 6.7); 6-3 G Xavier Brewington (10.7, 4.9); 6-4 G Akeem Taylor (21.2, 5.4); 6-8 F Jyheim Spencer (13.1, 14.1). NOTES: The Mighty Oaks have won five in a row … Gone 13-3 since Powell, Taylor and Spencer joined the lineup Jan. 7 … Taylor was district tournament MVP … Spencer has 10 double-doubles and would be ranked second nationally (Division III) in rebounding had he played enough games to qualify for the stats … Brewington and Josh Ramos (72 3-pointers) have played in all 30 games
UNION COLLEGE OWLS LOCATION: Cranford, N.J. (Region 19) COACH: Devon Stanberry (9th season) RECORD: 23-4 (North Atlantic A) NATIONAL RANK: 7 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-6 G/F David McKnight (9.1, 3.4); 6-8 G/F Nick Acosta (17.9, 12.1); 6-3 G Joey Gargiulo (14.1, 3.9); 6-2 G Kayne Brown (6.9, 2.4); 6-11 C Jeremiah Saint Jean (5.9, 7.9). NOTES: The Owls have won four in a row and 15 of last 16 … Devin Geiger is averaging 17.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg … Acosta has 59 blocked shots, Saint Jean has 46 … Leads the country in shooting percentage (.641)
NORTHERN ESSEX KNIGHTS LOCATION: Haverhill, Mass. (Region 21) COACH: Darren Stratton (22nd season, 350-209) RECORD: 28-3 (East) NATIONAL RANK: 8 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-2 G Ryan Pacy (9.1, 2.9); 5-10 G Javien Kirmil (11.8, 1.8); 6-2 G Yunosuke Matsuda (4.7, 3.5); 6-7 F Christian Sanders (8.5, 6.9); 6-4 F Alejandro Delgado (15.0, 8.6). NOTES: The Knights have won five in a row … Led their region championship game a total of 36 seconds. Stratton got his 350th career win in that game … Roster has players from four foreign countries (Cameroon, Japan, France, Turkiye) … Matsuda had 118 assists.
SANDHILLS CC FLYERS LOCATION: Pinehurst, N.C. (Region 10) COACH: Mike Apple (14th season, 361-97) RECORD: 27-6 (Mid-Atlantic) NATIONAL RANK: 5 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-1 G Kevin Gentry (5.1, 1.5); 6-2 G Mike Fee (5.6, 3.4); 6-5 G Isaiah Upchurch (13.8, 3.7); 6-6 F Damien Robinson (18.5, 12.4); 6-6 F Zack Noel (8.9, 8.2). NOTES: The Flyers have won 14 in a row, in which they’ve scored 100 points or more seven times … Making seventh straight trip to national tournament … Lead Division III nationally in scoring (96.5).
MOHAWK VALLEY CC HAWKS LOCATION: Utica, N.Y. (Region 3) COACH: Harley Fuller (4th season, 106-30) RECORD: 26-1 (North) NATIONAL RANK: 3 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-0 G Jamir Smith (14.6, 3.5); 6-3 G Jalen Bradberry (16.2, 3.2); 6-8 C Andre Pasha (14.3, 11.2); 6-10 F Isaiah Earl (9.8, 7.0); 6-6 G/F Alex Barnhill (14.3, 9.0). NOTES: The Hawks have won eight in a row … Smith has 141 assists … Bradberry has hit 64 3-pointers and shot 40.5 percent behind the arc … Leads the nation in scoring defense (61.7 ppg) and shooting defense (.365)
DUTCHESS CC FALCONS LOCATION: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Region 15) COACH: Robert Piano (4th season, 78-32) RECORD: 26-1 (Northeast) NATIONAL RANK: 1 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-2 G Seiray Sinerna (9.1, 4.3); 6-7 F Quincey Platt (8.4, 7.1); 6-3 G Alijah England (16.8, 6.0); 5-9 G Amadou Diallo (11.8, 3.9); 5-10 G Daniel Ogunleye (5.9, 1.1). NOTES: The Falcons have won three in a row … Ranked second in scoring defense (62.3 ppg), and shooting defense (.373) and third in turnovers created (18.9). They’re second in the country in steals (15.0) and third in blocks (6.8) … “We had an idea what we had with this roster and, we talked about it in August, that we expect to be great,” Piano told the Poughkeepsie Journal after the region championship game.
MINNESOTA STATE COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE SPARTANS LOCATION: Fergus Falls, Minn.(Region 13) COACH: Dave Cresap (2nd season, 43-15) RECORD: 29-2 (North Plains) NATIONAL RANK: 4 PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-2 G Mason Muir (16.6, 4.0); 6-4 F Fodar Sheriff (21.8, 10.6); 6-4 G Yonis Mohamud (15.9, 4.1); 5-11 G Braylon Baldwin (4.5, 2.7); 6-5 F Tyson McArthur (9.4, 5.3). NOTES: M State has won 14 in a row … Making first national tournament appearance since 2003-04 … Made 15-win turnaround over last season … Sheriff, who lists Upper Darby as his hometown though he went to high school is North Dakota, was MVP of the region tournament … Muir has 131 assists, Sheriff 137 … Ranked second nationally in 3s per game (9.5) … Cresap won 666 games in 28 years as a high school coach before making the jump to college.
DALLAS COLLEGE-MOUNTAIN VIEW LIONS LOCATION: Dallas, Texas (Region 5) COACH: LeRoi Phillips (19th season, 315-249) RECORD: 15-18 (South Central) NATIONAL RANK: Unranked PROJECTED STARTERS: 6-5 F Augustine Chibuko (14.2, 8.9); 5-9 G Louis Conner (8.5, 5.1); 6-3 G Noel Duplechain (7.8, 2.7); 6-1 G Adrian Banks (6.2, 1.0); 6-4 G Ashton Price (24.8. 5.7) NOTES: The Lions have won four in a row and have scored 90-plus in each of their last five … They started the season 3-8 and were 5-11 on Dec. 14 … Ranked ninth nationally in scoring (86.2), but 79th in scoring defense (86.3) … Price has averaged 35 points over the last five games, shooting 63-for-123 from the floor … Chibuko has 66 blocked shots, but he’s fouled out of 11 games … Conner is averaging 8.1 assists per game.
Salem CC wins district basketball title, headed to JUCO Division III nationals for first time in school history; Taylor named tournament MVP
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Salem CC basketball team has been a second-half club all season long. So why should things be any different in its biggest game in school history.
The Mighty Oaks already had a six-point lead when they went into halftime Saturday, then they opened the second on a 12-0 run to take complete control of their Region XIX North Atlantic District B championship game on the way to a 74-66 win over second-seeded Montgomery County CC to earn their first ever trip to the JUCO national Tournament.
“It’s a great feeling, a feeling I’ve never felt before,” freshman swingman Tamir Powell said. “I’ve never won anything in high school, ever before. This is my first championship. It feels great.”
Now they’re headed to Herikmer (N.Y.) College to play for the Division III national title March 11-15. EIght district champions and four at-large selections will make up the field. The bracket will be announced at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Union (Region XIX/North Atlantic A) and Dallas College-Mountain View (South Central) also have locked up tournament bids. The remaining automatic bids should be filled Sunday.
“It feels good just to give these guys another chance to get looked at, to get seen,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “I told them all year long the nationals is where you want to be. You’ll have a bunch of coaches there and they only want winners, man, and we’re a winner, so I’m just happy I got a chance to deliver on my promise.
“They (Montco) were the defending champs and we came in and took care of business.”
And it wasn’t that close.
It’s not so much that the Mighty Oaks (23-7) pulled away in the second half to win their first district title – they only outscored the Mustangs 40-38 – but rather the way they did it and the smoothness with which they maintained the lead.
The run out in the first four minutes of the second half gave them an 18-point lead that never fell back into single digits until the final two minutes.
“It was all motivation,” Powell said. “We took what we had the last game and we brought the energy, we brought the fight and the grit. We knew we were the better team so we went out and played like it.”
Sophomore Akeem Taylor, who wasn’t even considered for the All-Region XIX Team because he joined the team at mid-season, was clearly the difference in the game. He went for 27 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots and was named MVP of the District B tournament, basically the Mighty Oaks’ half of the Region XIX bracket.
He had 18 points, four rebounds and six assists in the Might Oaks’ tournament opening win at CC of Philadelphia. Both teams they took down in the tournament beat them in one-possession games during the regular season.
“I feel like the last time they got us because of me,” Taylor said. “I think I went out in the first half with three fouls. I wasn’t playing at 100 percent. It was just all about revenge. That’s what I think motivated me today. There was a lot of extra motivation.”
Green, who orchestrated the best turnaround in the league in his first full season at the helm, was named District Coach of the Year as the coach of Saturday’s winning team.
Powell started the Mighty Oaks’ second-half run with a bucket and 3-pointer. He had 11 points in the half and finished with 19; he’s been averaging 15 over his last five games. Xavier Brewington had 10 points and Jyheim Spencer had another double-double (11/10).
Montco had three scorers in double figures but none of its other four scorers had more than five points.
“Our bench played well; that’s the difference,” Green said. “That’s why everybody says why do you play 12 players – because you can wear teams down.
“They had a short bench. Our bench came and gave us minutes and gave our starters a rest and when they got in they were much stronger. It worked out how we planned it, man.”
And now they’re making plans for an even bigger tournament.
SALEM CC 74, MONTGOMERY COUNTY CC 66 SALEM CC (23-7) – Tamir Powell 7-12 1-1 19, Tyrese Fortune 1-8 1-2 3, Xavier Brewington 2-8 6-11 10, Akeem Taylor 8-18 11-12 27, Jyheim Spencer 5-6 1-2 11, Dontarius Jones 1-2 0-0 2, A.J. Jones 1-1 0-1 2, Tivon Woolford 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Ramos 0-2 0-0 0, Rodney Shelton 0-2 0-0 0, Tajee Jordan 0-1 0-0 0, Stefan Phillips 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 20-29 74. MONTGOMERY CO. (21-6) – Matthew Williams 6-14 6-9 18, Sean Emfinger 9-18 3-4 22, Baasil Sanders 5-14 5-7 16, Jaylon Williams 1-3 2-2 5, John Dinolfi 0-5 2-3 2, Jonathan Brooks 0-0 1-2 1, Steven Hill 0-2 0-0 0, Darrius Gaeta 0-7 0-0 0, Emmanuel Rodriguez 0-2 0-0 0, Isaac Martin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-66 19-27 66.
Salem CC
34
40-
74
Montgomery County CC
28
38-
66
3-point goals: Salem 4-15 (Powell 4-7, Fortune 0-2, Brewington 0-2, Taylor 0-1, D. Jones 0-1, Ramos 0-2); Montco 3-17 (M. Williams 0-3, Emfinger 1-3, Saunders 1-3, J. Williams 1-2, Dinolfi 0-3, Hill 0-1, Gaeta 0-1, Rodriguez 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 49 (Taylor 13, Spencer 10); Montco 40 (M. Williams 13, Emfinger 10). Fouled out: Spencer, Emfinger, Saunders, J. Williams. Total fouls: Salem 21, Montco 25.
JUCO DIVISION III DISTRICT CHAMPS (Updated Sunday) East: No. 8 Northern Essex (28-3) Mid-Atlantic: No. 5 Sandhills (27-6) North: No. 3 Mohawk Valley (26-1) Northeast: No. 1 Dutchess (26-1) North Atlantic A: No. 7 Union (23-4) North Atlantic B: Salem CC (23-7) North Plains: No. 4 Minnesota State C&T (29-2) South Central: Dallas College-Mountain View (15-18) x-ranking in final regular-season poll
Tyrese Fortune and there rest of the Salem CC basketball team give Akeem Taylor the business after Taylor was named MVP of the North Atlantic District B Tournament. Taylor had 27 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game.
Woodstown boys, girls teams headed to semifinal showdowns at Haddon Twp.; Pennsville’s historic girls season ends under barrage of Wildwood 3s
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I Girls Quarterfinals Haddon Twp. 35, Glassboro 25 Woodstown 46, Audubon 38 Wildwood 75, Pennsville 55 Clayton 56, Palmyra 38 Boys Quarterfinals Pitman 61, Burlington City 38 Woodbury 62, Audubon 55 Haddon Twp. 47, Palmyra 43 Woodstown 53, KIPP Cooper 49 TUESDAY’S GAMES Girls Semifinals (4) Woodstown at (1) Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m. (7) Clayton at (3) Wildwood Boys Semifinals (5) Woodbury at (1) Pitman, 6 p.m. (7) Woodstown at (3) Haddon Twp., 7:30 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown boys and girls basketball teams have taken different roads to success under first-year head coaches this season, but now their paths converge in the same place, against the same opponent, on the same day with a big prize on the line.
The Wolverines’ travel expenses will be reduced greatly Tuesday when both teams travel to Haddon Twp. to play their respective South Jersey Group I semifinals games.
The girls will play at 5:30 p.m. after taking down Audubon 46-38 Saturday. The boys will follow at 7:30 after holding off and upsetting second-seeded KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy on the road 53-49.
“I think it’s a special moment,” Wolverines boys coach Ramon Roots said.
“It’s a very neat and unique experience and we’re looking forward to it,” girls coach Matt Smart agreed.
The two coaches got to know each other working on the Wolverines football staff in the fall and they’ve since admired each other’s work during the basketball season. And the teams have become fans of each other, with the boys Saturday cheering loudly behind the girls’ bench before heading up the highway for their own game and the girls sticking around to watch the boys Tuesday after their game had finished.
The boys plan on leaving a little earlier Tuesday so they can watch the girls play.
“We talked about this in the first round when I heard it was like a chance,” Roots said. “I really wasn’t looking ahead, but now it’s a great feeling.
“It’s great for the school, great for the program. I feel like both teams really have a chance. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. I’m just excited for the city of Woodstown. It would’ve been better if we were both in Woodstown, but I’m glad we’re in the same location. We’re definitely going to be there to support them. Hopefully we both get the win and can go to the South Jersey championship.”
What the boys saw Saturday was the girls take control of their game with a defensive-minded second quarter that saw them hold the Green Wave to four points and take a 24-16 halftime lead.
Megan Donelson took a charge in a big moment, Ryann Foote and Emma Perry grabbed some big defensive rebounds and the Wolverines were on their way.
“We talked at the end of the first quarter to the defense not letting back-door cuts, finding open shooters, playing good help defense, the things we talked about in practice all week and I think the girls took that with stride,” Smart said. “It was about boxing out and rebounding and not letting second- and third-shot opportunities happen.”
With the Green Wave focusing on stopping Woodstown all-time leading scorers Talia Battavio and Donelson, it was imperative for the Wolverines get points from the other players on the floor. Donelson scored 17 to pass Tori Smick as Woodstown’s second all-time leading scorer – with Smick in the stands and later visiting the pair that passed her – but they also got 10 points from Lauren Hengel and seven points and 13 rebounds from Kyia Leyman.
“Coming into the game we figured they were going to triangle-and-two us,” Smart said. “So all week after Gateway our talk was our other three on the court have to produce. If they’re going to try to shut down Megan and Talia, it’s those other three girls’ time to shine and Kyia took advantage of being down low.
“What we’ve talked about with Kyia all year is confidence. She’s a great player. She had a rough go the past two years (with knee injuries), but this is the year she has to shine and she’s improved each and every day in practice and each and every game and we’re very proud of her.”
In the boys game, the seventh-seeded Wolverines took down the No. 2 seed in the bracket, but don’t call it an upset. Roots wouldn’t.
The Wolverines opened up a comfortable lead through three quarters by playing tough defense. When they had a 15-point lead with three minutes left it looked like they were going to cruise into the semifinals, but the Titans didn’t make it easy on them.
They took their press and trap up a notch and quickly began knocking back the deficit and Woodstown had no time outs let some of the steam off. The Titans got it to one with 30 seconds left. The Wolverines went back up two, then Alejandro Vazquez hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to ice it.
Vazquez was 6-for-6 from the free throw line – all in the second half. He finished with a team-high 12 points.
“They definitely played us tough, we knew they wouldn’t quit,” Roots said. “I think we were just pressing it too much, eager to get the ball down the court and it caused a lot of turnovers. I wasn’t really worried. I trusted the guys.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight and when the fourth quarter came they were going to take their best shot. (His team) did a great job overcoming adversity. They did a great job on us, but we definitely did a good job responding.”
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Caesar, Leyman, Bialecki 3, Vazquz 2, Hall); KIPP 2 (Shelton 2). Fouled out: M. Hall, Chambliss. Total fouls: Woodstown 24, KIPP Cooper 21.
Girls game
WILDWOOD 75, PENNSVILLE 55: Wildwood hit a season-high 19 3-pointers, outscoring Pennsville from behind the arc alone – to advance to the South Jersey Group I semifinals and end the Eagles’ historic season.
Macie McCracken and Angela Wilber each hit six treys for the Warriors (21-7), while Rebecca Benichou hit five. McCracken scored a game-high 27 points, Wilber had 19 and Benichou 15. McCracken also had 12 rebounds and seven assists.
The 19 3s were the most the Warriors have hit in a game since draining in 21 against Woodstown on Jan. 25, 2024. McCracken and Wilber each had seven in that game.
“How do you defend a team that makes 19 3-point baskets,” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “The only baskets they made in the first half were 3-point baskets and yet we were closer at half today than we were the first time we played them. Zones or man-to-man, it didn’t matter.”
The one thing that worked in Pennsville favor was its transition/fast break offense. When the Eagles were able to spring her, Taylor Bass ran the floor and converted the layup. She led the Eagles with 18 points to finish her junior year with 894 career points. Since Feb. 1 Bass has averaged 18.3 ppg.
Addie Johnston hit four 3-pointers for the Eagles and added 14 points. Nora Ausland scored nine to finish her high school career with 1144 points – exactly the same number her brother Gate scored before graduating Salem in 2020.
After the game the Pennsville player had a visit from former Wildwood coach Dave Troiano, who won more than 600 games in nearly 40 years as a coach. He praised them for their grit and determination and told them not to be too disheartened – he saw a number of good things, just not enough of them.
“High praise from a man who should know,” Merritt said.
The loss ended the program’s winningest season in nearly 40 years. At one point they won six in a row, their longest winning streak in five years. They had two players pass the 1,000-point barrier.
“It was a great year and all 12 members of the squad deserve the credit,” Merritt said. “Those who didn’t get a lot or any varsity play still came to practice, participated in drills and contributed to their teammates’ and the team’s success. True team players.
“I am unabashedly proud of the season, but even more proud of how they performed. Grateful and thankful to have been given the opportunity to coach (Pennsville’s girls team). I’m looking forward to next year eagerly.”
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).
Riverview Sports News 