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.
Here are the Region XIX basketball standings; games through Feb. 18; teams .500 or better make the tournament, seeding meeting Wednesday
MEN’S DIVISION III
REGION
ALL
x-Union
17-1
21-4
x-Montgomery
15-3
20-5
x-Philadelphia
15-3
20-7
x-Northampton
14-4
22-5
x-Camden
14-4
17-10
x-Salem
13-5
21-7
x-Brookdale
12-6
18-7
x-Ocean
11-7
16-8
x-Atlantic Cape
11-7
14-13
x-RCSJ-Gloucester
9-9
11-16
Passaic
7-11
11-15
Lehigh Carbon
6-12
7-17
Sussex
5-12
8-20
Luzerne
5-13
7-16
Delaware County
5-13
9-17
Harrisburg Area
4-13
5-19
Thaddeus Stevens
4-14
5-17
Bergen
3-15
4-19
RCSJ-Cumberland
0-18
0-26
x-Clinched playoff spot
TUESDAY’S GAMES Harcum 89, Hagerstown CC 68 Brookdale 82, Sussex 59 Mercer 100, Raritan Valley 98 Montgomery 67, Middlesex 66 Essex 92, Atlantic Cape 81 Union 84, RCSJ-Cumberland 38 Morris 104, Prestige Prep 49 WEDNESDAY’S GAME Penn St.-Lehigh Valley at Lehigh Carbon THURSDAY’S GAME Morris at Mercer
PROJECTED PLAYOFF PAIRINGS SATURDAY’S GAMES RCSJ-Gloucester at Brookdale Atlantic Cape at Ocean FEB. 26 GAMES Gloucester-Brookdale winner at Montgomery Salem at Philadelphia Atlantic Cape-Ocean winner at Union Camden at Northampton
DIVISION II WOMEN
REGION
ALL
x-Union
15-1
24-2
x-Harcum
12-3
21-5
x-Lackawanna
12-4
17-6
x-Raritan Valley
11-5
18-10
x-Mercer
9-7
16-7
Middlesex
5-10
12-14
Salem CC
4-12
11-13
Essex
2-13
5-14
Morris
0-0
0-0
Delaware Tech
0-15
0-21
x-Clinched playoff spot
TUESDAY’S GAMES Montgomery 55, Salem 43 Raritan Valley 74, Mercer 69 Harcum 86, Hagerstown CC 33 Brookdale 52, Sussex 32 Atlantic Cape 65, Lehigh Carbon 51 Lackawanna 83, Middlesex 67 Northampton 58, Passaic 47 THURSDAY’S GAMES Middlesex at Harcum Lackawanna at Monroe Univ. Lehigh Carbon at Manor Anne Arundel at Delaware Tech FEB. 22 Essex at Delaware Tech Harcum at Allegany (Md.)
Schalick, Woodstown, Penns Grove win first-round games in the Tri-County Conference girls tournament
TRI-COUNTY GIRLS TOURNAMENT Flight A Gloucester Catholic 60, Timber Creek 31 Wildwood 69, Gloucester Tech 50 Woodstown 52, Clearview 48 Washington Twp. 64, Pennsville 42 Flight B Williamstown 64, Cumberland 24 Triton 41, Glassboro 40 Penns Grove 42, Kingsway 39 Delsea 59, Clayton 53 Flight C Schalick 53, Salem 25 Overbrook 45, Salem Tech 43 (7) Highland at (2) Pitman THURSDAY’S GAMES Flight A (4) Wildwood at (1) Gloucester Catholic (3) Woodstown at (2) Washington Twp. Flight B (4) Triton at (1) Williamstown (7) Delsea at (3) Penns Grove Flight C (4) Schalick at (1) Deptford (3) Overbrook vs. (7) Highland/(2) Pitman
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Schalick girls coach John Whalen went to bed Monday night resigned to the fact his team just missed out on the biggest tournament of the season. But about an hour before their Tri-County Conference flight opener Tuesday the Cougars got a big surprise.
With his junior players standing behind him, Whalen out of curiosity opened the South Jersey Group I girls tournament bracket on his computer and discovered they had indeed landed a spot in the field. It’s a tough spot — No. 16 to face top-seeded Haddon Twp. — but a spot nonetheless.
The Cougars were the No. 17 team in the SJ Group I power points, but apparently bumped up into the field when Pitman fell out.
“It’s a nice surprise,” Whalen said. “I’m excited for the girls. It’ll be a good experience, especially for the juniors who didn’t get to see the playoffs last year and the freshmen will get a good experience. It’ll be a good opportunity for us as we look ahead to the future.”
Buoyed by that news, they went out and put together a balanced effort to throttle Salem 53-25 in their TCC Tournament Flight C opener.
The Cougars (6-16) jumped out to a 15-4 lead and outscored the Rams in three of the four quarters. Ten players scored, led by freshman Navaeh Robinson’s 11 points. Five players scored six points apiece.
“We played a very good, a complete, basketball game today,” Whalen said. “Before the game we kind of challenged the girls to play fast, play aggressive. We came out, we pressed, forced some turnovers, got some early scoring. It was good to see it be a balanced effort both defensively and offensively. Everybody chimed in and did their part.
“It’s nice for all the girls to kind of find some success. We’re starting to gain some confidence as the season is kind of coming to an end. It gives us a lot to look forward to for next year when we bring back everybody.”
While their South Jersey Group I Tournament draw is a tough one, the Cougars will get an advance feel for facing a No. 1 seed. Their win over Salem sends them to face the top seed in their flight, Deptford, Thursday.
Motivated Salem was the only Salem County boys team to emerge victorious from Tuesday’s opening round of the Tri-County Conference Tournament TRI COUNTY BOYS TOURNAMENT Flight A Overbrook 59, Deptford Twp. 49 Pitman 52, Delsea 41 Timber Creek 58, Woodstown 49 Kingsway 73, Penns Grove 43 Flight B Salem 57, Clearview 44 Gloucester Catholic 50, Triton 48 Glassboro 54, Williamstown 41 Highland 42, Washington Twp. 37 Flight C Cumberland 67, Schalick 45 Wildwood 86, Pennsville 35 GCIT 86, Salem Tech 18 THURSDAY’S GAMES Flight A (4) Pitman at at (1) Overbrook (3) Timber Creek at (2) Kingsway Flight B (8) Salem at (5) Gloucester Catholic (7) Highland at (6) Glassboro Flight C (5) Cumberland at (1) Clayton (3) Wildwood at (2) GCIT
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
MULLICA HILL – The last kind of team anybody wants to play in a tournament setting is one with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
Salem has been playing with an us-against-the-world mindset for the last month or so and Tuesday added another notch in its belt, knocking off adjusted top-seed Clearview 57-44 in the opening round of B Flight play in the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
The Rams (12-12) have been facing an uphill climb since mid-January when the NJSIAA ruled they had played an ineligible player and stripped them of four victories. That created a cascade of challenges that left a 15-win team on the floor to be seeded eighth in the second tier bracket of their conference tournament and No. 11 in the upcoming South Jersey Group I tournament.
In addition, they had to play Tuesday without leading scorer Tymear Lecator, serving the first of a two-game suspension for his ejection in the Penns Grove game, which would have been coach Anthony Farmer’s 100th career coaching win without the NJSIAA ruling.
“We’re keeping receipts,” Farmer said. “We’re definitely playing it to the tee, playing it up. It’s us against everyone, no one’s going to give us anything, everyone’s against us, we’ve got to go take it.
“We’re embracing it. Nothing has gone our way this year, but that’s life. That’s adversity. Life is adversity. Basketball teaches you how to deal with that. We’ve been facing adversity all year, but it’s how you respond to it.”
The Rams showed they meant business right from the start Tuesday night, holding their hosts to two points in the first quarter and opening an 11-2 lead.
Neziah Spence led the Rams’ offense with 17 points. Deshaan Williams had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Darrelle Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists. Xavier McGriff had eight points, eight boards and three steals. Joe Tunis brought energy for 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.
“When one guy guys goes, I know it’s a cliché, but it gives other guys opportunity to step up,” Farmer said. “That’s what this is about. We’ve been preaching the brotherhood all year, picking each other up.”
This year’s TCC B Flight has become a flight of fancy with all four lower seeds pulling off road “upsets” in the opening round. The Rams now travel to fifth-seeded Gloucester Catholic, one of those teams seeded ahead of them they have already beaten twice this season.
“We’re just trying to get better and hit our stride at the right time and win three, four in a row next week when it really matters,” Farmer said.
Riverview Sports News 