Category: BASKETBALL

Back in control

Woodstown girls regain the lead in Diamond Division after turning back Pennsville, Battavio, Donelson closing in on 1,500 points, Eagles’ Wood nearing 1,000

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Woodstown 59, Pennsville 47
Glassboro 52, Schalick 22
Clayton 66, Salem Tech 12
Penns Grove 64, Overbrook 19
Pitman at Salem

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The Woodstown girls basketball team hasn’t had a five-year stranglehold on the TCC Diamond Division by folding under the pressure of a challenge.

The Wolverines faced the sternest late-season challenge to their diamond dynasty Tuesday night, but they never flinched and turned back upstart Pennsville 59-47.

The teams entered the game tied for the Diamond Division lead. Had the Wolverines fallen, it not only would have ended their 34-game Salem County winning streak, it may also have ended their run of four straight division titles.

Now, they’ve won 35 straight against in-county opponents and are on the verge of a fifth straight Diamond Division crown having only the two weakest teams left to play on their divisional schedule.

“At the beginning of the season we set a list of goals and obviously one of those goals was to win the division,” said Woodstown coach Matt Smart, the newest gatekeeper of the dynasty. “It’s something we will never take for granted, especially with this group of girls.

“They come out in games like today, they had a different look on their face. You could tell that we had three days off and they kind of got re-energized, refocused. Basketball is a long season and I think those three days off helped us a lot and you could tell the girls were extremely focused. When we play together like that, we’re just phenomenal.”

The Wolverines trailed only once in the game, at 7-5. From there they went on a 13-2 run to the end of the quarter, capped by Ryann Foote’s bucket at the buzzer, to take control. Foote only regained her eligibility in January after transferring from Salem – where she played for current Pennsville coach Steve Merritt as a freshman – and has brought additional quality to an already stacked line-up.

She had her Woodstown best eight points in the game and pulled down seven rebounds. She called getting the win against a former teammate and coach “put the cherry on top” of the day.

“I was excited because we really needed a win,” Foote said. “We obviously knew we really had to show up and do good, but we didn’t really let that get in our heads. We just knew we had to play our game and work as a team and a family to get it done.”

The Wolverines were led by Talia Battavio (18) and Megan Donelson (13). Battavio hit four 3-pointers and moved within three points of 1,500 for her career. Donelson needs 14 to reach that milestone.

Meanwhile, a big part of the Wolverines’ success came from eliminating one of the Eagles’ three main scorers. Taylor Bass had 18 points and Marley Wood had 15 (to move within 20 points of 1,000), to basically play Battavio and Donelson to a scoring stalemate, but the Wolverines held 1,000-point scorer Nora Ausland scoreless for the second time this season and got modest contributions from their supporting cast..

The Eagles won the last time Ausland was shut out, but that wasn’t the case this time.

“Just watching film on them from our previous game we kind of made a few adjustments and I’ll be honest Meg Donelson came up to me on Monday and said I want to try to guard her,” Smart said. “Whenever Meg comes up to me like that and she has a look on her that’s like we’re doing this (it’s happening).

“She is a phenomenal defender. She always has the hardest assignment every game. She has to output us for offense and stop the girl on defense and she’s always up for the challenge.”

Had Pennsville won the game, the Eagles would have been in good position to win a division title for the first time since 1988. They’d have held a one-game lead on Woodstown with division games left with only Penns Grove and Schalick.

It’s unlikely the Wolverines will lose one of their two remaining division games that would have given the Eagles the chance to climb back into a share for the title. 

“I told them 18 games ago, when I pointed that out to you it would have been nice (to get), but I didn’t realize how good you could be,” Merritt said. “I discovered. I learned. Today was a big step. We were there. Nobody expected us to be there, but here we are. I’m proud of them. Of course, I’m disappointed, but I’m proud of them. We hung in there.”

WOODSTOWN 59, PENNSVILLE 47
WOODSTOWN (13-5): Talia Battavio 5 4-4 18, Megan Donelson 5 1-2 13, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 3 0-0 6, Kyia Leyman 3 1-1 7, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Ryann Foote 3 1-3 8, Kendall Young 3 0-0 7. Totals 22 7-10 59.
PENNSVILLE (13-6): Taylor Bass 8 0-0 18, Marley Wood 6 1-3 15, Nora Ausland 0 0-0 0, Addie Johnston 2 2-2 8, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Jaida Burns 1 2-3 4. Totals 18 5-8 47.

Woodstown1882013-59
Pennsville981515-47
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Battavio 4, Donelson 2, Foote, Young); Pennsville 6 (Johnston 2, Wood 2, Bass 2). Rebounds: Woodstown 39 (Leyman 8, Donelson 9, Maiorini 10, Foote 7). Total fouls: Woodstown 10, Pennsville 10. Officials: Lahm, Mathis, Cooper.

GLASSBORO 52, SCHALICK 22
GLASSBORO (8-10): Sanaa Thomas 1 0-2 2, Grace Moore 6 0-0 12, Kezia Brackett 9 2-6 22, Kimora Miles 2 1-2 6, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Lily Czubas 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 3-10 52.
SCHALICK (4-12): Abby Willoughby 1 0-0 3, Cali Fisler 3 4-7 10, Navaeh Robinson 2 0-0 5, Olivia Vanacker 1 0-2 2, Willow Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals 8 4-9 22.

Glassboro14131015-52
Schalick80113-22
3-point goals: Glassboro 3 (Brackett 2, Miles); Schalick 2 (Willoughby, Robinson). Rebounds: Glassboro 39 (Brackett 8, Czubas 11).

CLAYTON 66, SALEM TECH 12

Salem Tech (2-16)5205-12
Clayton (12-5)22181412-66

3-point goals: GCIT 7 (Duer 3, Sheehan, Giannone, Clement 2); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2). Rebounds: GCIT 24 (Duer 4); Salem Tech 23 (White 7, Beardsley 9).

SALEM COUNTY ALL-TIME
SCORING LIST (GIRLS)		TODAYPOINTS
Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004) 2110
Amanda Young, St. James
(1995)		 1762
Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009) 1661
Brittany Smith, Salem (2007)1623
Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) 1574
Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) 1566
Talia Battavio, Woodstown18 vs. Pennsville1497
Megan Donelson, Woodstown13 vs. Pennsville1486
1000-POINT WATCH  
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 588)0 vs. Woodstown1050
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 791)19 vs. Overbrook1042
Marley Wood, Pennsville15 vs. Woodstown980

Seeing the future

Woodstown’s White has breakout game at Pennsville, includes scores and stats from Tuesday’s high school boys basketball games involving teams from Salem County

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Pitman 61, Salem 58
Woodstown 68, Pennsville 30
Overbrook 58, Penns Grove 43
Glassboro 72, Schalick 45
Clayton 126, Salem Tech 62

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Woodstown coach Ramon Roots’ focus was clearly on the present Tuesday night, but he also got a pretty good glimpse of the future.

The Wolverines had their way with Pennsville in a 68-30 win. It was the kind of game that gave them a chance to do a lot of things, play a lot of different people.

Impressed by his play in a weekend loss to Bridgeton last time out, Roots gave Andrew White his most appreciable minutes of the season and the freshman didn’t disappoint.

White scored a career-high nine points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot.

“At the beginning of the year, like at practice and stuff, you would see glimpses of what he can be,” Roots said. “He’s going to be a big piece of the program in the future. He just got kind of lost in the rotation a little bit, but he’s always been that type of player.

“Then in the Bridgeton game I just happened to try something. He only had like a 2-3 minute stint, but in the first couple possessions he got back-to-back rebounds and he got a putback. I’ve just been impressed at what he’s been doing in practice and the JV level. He’s been working his way up and he’s going to keep on adding minutes.”

White did most of his damage in the second half. He scored eight points in a 32-point third quarter that left the Wolverines with a 37-point lead.

“This means a lot,” he said. “It shows on the varsity level that I can do it.”

As White spoke one of his teammates draped the Wolverine medallion indicative of the game’s MVP around his neck.

“This means everything,” he said. “I worked my butt off to get the chain.”

The big third quarter was the Wolverines’ first 30-point quarter of the season and more than doubled their point production for the game. They opened the half with four straight 3-pointers, two by Alejandro Vazquez and one each from Garrett Leyman and Eli Caesar. The Wolverines hit seven in the game.

Six different players scored in the third quarter, nine players scored in the game.

“Our tempo in the first half was slow,” Roots said. “I was telling the guys before the game let’s pass the ball inside. I think they thought I meant be passive. I was explaining we had 12, 12 and then we had 30. We had more (points) there than in the first half combined.”

Among the other future leanings Roots worked into the game was getting White and fellow freshman Branden Hall on the floor at the same time and giving junior Blake Bialecki extended minutes at point guard. Hall had four points in the third quarter. Bialecki didn’t score in the game, but he dished at least a half-dozen assists in the first half, four in the first quarter.

WOODSTOWN 68, PENNSVILLE 30
WOODSTOWN (12-5): Eli Caesar 3 0-0 7, John McGindley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 0 0-0 0, Alejandro Vazquez 4 0-0 11, Josh King 1 0-2 2, Garrett Leyman 3 0-1 7, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 4 1-2 9, Sid Leavy 1 0-0 2, Rocco String 7 0-0 14, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Brayden Hall 4 0-0 7, Connor Miller 3 0-0 7. Totals 30 1-5 68.
PENNSVILLE (2-17): Perry Meranti 0 0-0 0, Jovanni Rios 6 2-7 14, Cole Johnston 0 0-0 0, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 5, C.J. McDevitt 1 2-3 4, Danny Knight 0 0-0 0, Shilon Jefferson 1 0-0 2, Logan Hitt 0 0-0 0, Arturus Frantzy 1 0-0 2, Jacob Miller 0 0-0 0, Griffin Hern 1 0-0 3, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0
Noah Owen 0 0-0 0, J.P. Laughrey 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 4-10 30.

Woodstown12123212-68
Pennsville74811-30
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Caesar, Vazquez 3, Leyman, Hall, Miller); Pennsville 2 (O’Brien, Hern).
Rebounds: Woodstown 37 (String 11, Ceasar 6, Leyman 5). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Pennsville 11. Officials: Lahm, Mathis, Cooper.

PITMAN 61, SALEM 58
SALEM (8-10): Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 6, Neziah Spence 6 0-0 14, Tymear Lecator 8 1-3 19, Deshaan Williams 5 4-4 14, Antwan Rogers 1 0-0 2, Joe Tunis 0 1-2 1, Azhone Burden 1 0-0 2, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 6-9 58.
PITMAN (13-3): Hudson Rue 1 0-0 2, Elijah Crispin 8 8-11 27, Greg Peterson 3 0-0 8, Michael Fisicaro 5 1-2 14, Aidan Stranahan 4 2-2 10. Totals 21 13-15 61.

Salem1172416-58
Pitman19151314-61
3-point goals: Salem 6 (McGriff 2, Spence 2, Lecator 2); Pitman 8 (Crispin 3, Peterson 2, Fisicaro 3). Rebounds: Salem 41 (Lecator 10, Williams 7, Burden 7; Pitman 26 (Rue 10, Stranahan 8)

OVERBROOK 58, PENNS GROVE 43
OVERBROOK (17-2): Lamar Little 3-0-8, Xavier Wright 4-0-8, Zair Green 6-0-12, Elvin Santiago 1-0-2, Bilal Robinson 9-0-20, J.R. Stanley 2-0-5, Jayden Wilkerson 1-0-2, Jaden St. John 0-1-1. Totals 26-1-58.
PENNS GROVE (9-9): Will Roy 1-0-3, B.J. Robbins 0-0-0, Roman Gipson 5-7-17, Karon Ceaser 2-2-6, Antoine Robinson 0-0-0, Jameel Horace 8-1-17, Luis Colon 0-0-0, Jeremy Costacamps 0 0-0 0. Totals 16-10-43.

Overbrook10181713-58
Penns Grove1013128-43
3-point goals: Overbrook 5 (Little 2, Robinson 2, Stanley); Penns Grove 1 (Roy).

GLASSBORO 72, SCHALICK 45
SCHALICK (5-15): Reggie Allen 4 8-8 17, Nylan Sutton 3 2-6 8, Sherrod Jones 4 2-3 10, Jamari Whitley 2 0-0 5, Jase Volovar 2 0-0 5. Totals 15 12-17 45.
GLASSBORO (7-11): William Goggans 2, Xavier Sabb 24, Tashean Thomas 9, Davon Barr 2, Alex Adeleye 1, Kenny Smith 22, Aiden Harris 10, Marley Crowl 2. No other details reported.

Schalick166914-45
Glassboro14162319-72
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Allen, Whitley, Volovar); Glassboro NA.

CLAYTON 126, SALEM TECH 62
CLAYTON (9-10): Princeton Sackor 9 4-5 22, Nazir Davis 9 0-0 23, Demetris Williams 8 0-0 17, Josiel Figueroa 3 0-0 6, James Fritz 6 0-2 14, Jackson Venuto 6 1-2 15, Nasir Carter 3 1-1 7, Mason Gable 3 0-0 9, Rodney Robinson 2 1-1 5, Justin Delaney 0 1-3 1, Trevor Rehm 1 0-0 3, King Mosley 1 2-2 4. Totals 51 10-16 126.
SALEM TECH (0-18): Chase Pompper 6 0-0 12, Ayden Myers 2 0-0 4, Joseph Hayes 7 1-2 15, Sam Battiato 3 0-0 6, Larry Pompper 2 0-0 4, Logan Pace 2 0-0 4, Chase Ayars 8 0-0 16. Totals 30 1-2 61.

Clayton33283728-126
Salem Tech13151618-62
3-point goals: 14 (Davis 5, Williams, Fritz 2, Venuto 2, Gable 3, Rehm).

Un-fortune-ate

Salem CC falls to No. 5 Montco as potential game-winning 3 is blocked in closing seconds

By Riverview Sports News

BLUE BELL, Pa. – The Salem CC basketball team came within a whisker of upsetting a nationally ranked region team for the second time this season, but in the end had its potential game-winning shot batted away.

The Mighty Oaks lost to No. 5 Montgomery County CC 74-72 Tuesday night and had the potential game-winning shot in their hands. The Mustangs (18-2) blocked Tyrese Fortune’s potential game-winner with 1.4 seconds left to deny Salem’s upset bid and extend their own winning streak to 12 games.

“We fought,” Salem coach Mike Green said. “The Montco coach celebrated as if they won the championship; that doesn’t sit right with me. I guess he forgot they’re the defending champs and ranked No. 5. We will see them again.”

The Mighty Oaks (18-7) played catch-up most of the game. They were down seven with 1:51 to play, but Akeem Taylor dropped in three straight layups between a couple Montco free throws to bring them within 73-70 with 31.9 seconds to left.

Xavier Brewington’s layup of a Taylor pass with 8.8 seconds left made it a one-point game. Salem fouled on the inbounds play and Montco’s Baasil Saunders hit the second of two free throws to set up the final play.

Taylor brought the ball up the floor for the Mighty Oaks and got it to Fortune on the right side of the arc with time running out. Emfinger slipped between Taylor and Saunders to block Fortune’s shot.

With a little better spacing, it might have been different.

Fortune raised his hands after falling to the floor seeking a foul, but there was no call and the clock ran out.

The Mighty Oaks, who received votes in the national JUCO Division III poll for the second time in three weeks, played the top four D-3 teams in Region 19 over their last six games. Green was hoping to gain a split of the gauntlet, but instead went 1-3 while winning the two easier games in between.

Region XIX standings

Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Feb. 4

MEN’S DIVISION III
(x-based on percentage)		REGION
ALL
Union13-0 (1.000)17-3
Montgomery14-1 (.933)18-2
Philadelphia14-2 (.875)18-5
Camden13-3 (.813)15-9
Northampton11-4 (.733)18-4
Salem11-5 (.688)18-7
Brookdale11-6 (.647)16-7
Atlantic Cape10-6 (.625)13-10
Ocean8-6 (.571)12-7
RCSJ-Gloucester8-8 (.500)10-14
Passaic6-8 (.429)10-12
Lehigh Carbon6-11 (.353)6-16
Sussex5-10 (.333)7-17
Delaware County5-11 (.313)7-15
Harrisburg Area4-11 (.267)5-17
Luzerne3-12 (.200)5-14
Thaddeus Stevens3-13 (.188)4-16
Bergen2-15 (.118)3-19
RCSJ-Cumberland0-15 (.000)0-22

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Montgomery 74, Salem 72
Union at Philadelphia
Brooksdale 75, Passaic 64
Ocean 95, Bergen 89
Camden 81, Luzerne 63
Northampton 80, RCSJ-Gloucester 68
Lehigh Carbon 71, Thaddeus Stevens 70 
Raritan Valley 87, Middlesex 70
Atlantic Cape 71, Delaware County 70
Lackawanna 102, Mercer 97

THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem
Sussex at Union
Frederick at Delaware Tech
Harrisburg Area at Luzerne
Thaddeus Stevens at Passaic
Baltimore City CC at Harcum
Lehigh Carbon at Manor College
Raritan Valley at Essex
Montgomery at Northampton
Atlantic Cape at Ocean
Prestige Prep at Morris
Camden at RCSJ-Cumberland

DIVISION II WOMENREGALL
Union13-022-0
Harcum11-318-5
Lackawanna10-415-6
Raritan Valley8-414-9
Mercer7-614-6
Middlesex4-89-12
Salem CC4-1010-10
Essex2-114-13
Morris0-00-0
Delaware Tech0-130-19

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley at Middlesex, ppd.
Montgomery 65, Camden 47
Ocean 62, Bergen 50
Sussex 76, Lehigh Carbon 66
Harcum 84, Essex 56
Brookdale 75, Passaic 51
RCSJ-Gloucester 88, Northampton 49
Bucks 60, RCSJ-Cumberland 25
Lackawanna 73, Mercer 66
Delaware Tech at Union

THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem
Northampton at Passaic
Baltimore City CC at Harcum
Lehigh Carbon at Manor
Sussex at Montgomery
Raritan Valley at Essex
Camden at RCSJ-Cumberland
Bucks at Mercer
Atlantic Cape at Ocean
Philadelphia at Brookdale
Montgomery (Md.) at Middlesex

One that got away

Pennsville boys lose big early lead, fall to Buena on Senior Night, girls stage big rally in fourth to get past West Deptford; Costacamps makes most of first start for Penns Grove, and more

GIRLS GAMESBOYS GAMES
Haddon Twp. 61, Penns Grove 36Penns Grove 76, Riverside 48
Pennsville 58, West Deptford 51Buena 57, Pennsville 49
Schalick 37, Buena 21
GCIT 52, Salem Tech 22

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Senior Night started with such promise for the Pennsville basketball team, on the court and on the scoreboard. But in the end a winnable night turned into a game that got away.

The Eagles raced out to a 15-point lead on Buena early in the second quarter, but they couldn’t hold it. A lack of rebounding and a series of turnovers down the stretch conspired to send them to a 57-49 loss.

“Sometimes you get grapes and sometimes you get raisins,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “Tonight we got the raisins. Tomorrow we’ll look to have grapes.”

The teams played a triple-overtime game in their first meeting, but the Eagles (2-16) came out Monday determined not to do that again. They held the Chiefs (6-12) to two points in the first quarter and led 17-2 two minutes into the second. But then Josue Cuadrado got going for Buena and the Chiefs cut their deficit in half by halftime.

“That’s a dagger,” Mecholsky said of the early lead. “17-2, you want to go ahead and put that game away when you can; credit to Buena, they stuck with it, and offensively we shut down again. 17-2, everybody thought it was a good night, let’s blow these guys out, we lost our brains. Young teams will lose their brains sometimes.”

Cuadrado’s run in the second quarter just set the stage for Jaevon Alexander in the second half. Alexander scored 22 of his 25 points in the half and made the biggest plays down the stretch.

His 3-pointer with 5:06 left in the third quarter tied the game at 26 and moments later Cuadrado’s three-point play gave the Chiefs the lead for good.

Buena led 48-46 with one minute to play, then Pennsville committed four straight turnovers off which the Chiefs scored seven points to decide the game. Alexander had three steals in the stretch. The first one he sent Cuadrado off on a layup, the last two he took in himself. Pennsville had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter.

“We got beat by the better team,” Mecholsky said. “When the chips were down we folded. None of us collectively played well tonight. I didn’t coach well, the players didn’t play well and everybody collectively in the Pennsville basketball program has to get better for each other.”

The loss spoiled a 25-point game by Pennsville’s Jovanni Rios. He had eight in the first quarter to get the Eagles going.

The game got off the chain at the end. Moments after Cuadrado beat the buzzer with a final layup, one of the referees tossed his whistle to his officiating partners at midcourt and squared up on a Pennsville assistant. The game video from above the floor clearly shows the official taking a boxer’s stance.

The other two officials moved their partner away from situation and towards the officials’ dressing area with Mecholsky chasing behind. Pennsville police and game security stepped on the floor to restore order and PMHS athletics director Jamy Thomas directed the gym to be cleared.

There appeared to be some additional activity outside the gym, but it had dispersed by the time security still inside rushed out to the scene.

BUENA 57, PENNSVILLE 49
BUENA (6-12): Elwood Taylor 0 0-0 0, Josue Cuadrado 9 3-5 21, Carlo Spreng 1 0-0 2, Troy Gregory 0 2-6 2, Jaevon Alexander 9 3-5 25, Shamel Rivera 2 3-5 7, Ricky Bessix 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 11-21 57.
PENNSVILLE (2-16): Danny Knight 1 0-0 3, Mason O’Brien 3 0-0 8, Cole Johnston 0 0-0 0, Shiloh Jefferson 1 1-2 4, Jovanni Rios 9 6-9 25, Perry Meranti 2 0-0 4, Logan Hitt 1 0-0 3, C.J. McDevitt 1 0-0 2, Arturus Franzy 0 0-0 0, 30 Owen Noah 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-11 49.

Buena2152119-57
Pennsville1410817-49
3-point goals: Buena 4 (Alexander 4); Pennsville 6 (Knight, O’Brien 2, Jefferson, Rios, Hitt). Rebounds: Pennsville 20 (Meranti 5, Rios 5).

PENNS GROVE 76, RIVERSIDE 48: Red Devils coach Damian Ware gave Jeremy Costacamps his first varsity start and the sophomore made the most of the opportunity.

Costacamps drew the start because the Red Devils were down in the post and he responded with 10 points.

“He’d gotten into a car accident and hurt his knee, so he’s been out a couple weeks,” Ware said. “He just came back last week and looked really good so I said let’s throw him in the starting lineup, let’s give him a chance.

“He did what he’s supposed to do. He did what I expected him to do, actually.”

Costacamps had been making his bones on the JV team, but played in one varsity game before Monday night. He scored four points in a January game against Pennsville shortly before the accident. Ware already has decided the sophomore would start again Tuesday against Overbrook.

“You play well, you play, you keep playing well, you play more,” Ware said. “It’s all about opportunities and maximizing your opportunities, and he did that tonight.”

Eleven players scored for the Red Devils (9-8). Roman Gipson led the way with 13 points. Karon Ceaser had 10 and Luis Colon tied his career high with nine.

RIVERSIDE (2-17): Isaiah Ali-Lewis 2-0-5, Cameron Brown 8-1-18, Shane Stoney 2-0-4, Andrew Weaver 2-0-6, Dan Ventura 1-0-2, Jeremiah Boston 2-0-6, Justin Porter 2-0-5, Brett Grinnam 0-2-2. Totals 19-3-48.
PENNS GROVE (9-8): B.J. Robbins 2-1-6, Roman Gipson 5-1-13, Karon Ceaser 3-2-10, Antoine Robinson 0-1-0, Jameel Horace 3-2-8, Will Roy 3-0-7, Geonni Conrad 1-0-3, Luis Colon 4-1-9, Caleb Fowler 2-0-4, Mishawn Brantley 2-1-5, Jeremy Costacamps 4-2-10. Totals 29-11-76.

Riverside612822-48
Penns Grove11242021-76
3-point goals: Riverside 7 (Ali-Lewis, Brown, Weaver 2, Boston 2, Porter); Penns Grove 7 (Robbins, Gipson 2, Ceaser 2, Roy, Conrad).

Girls games

PENNSVILLE 58, WEST DEPTFORD 51: A steady and successful march to the foul line and a switch on defense midway through the fourth quarter powered the Eagles to their second straight win in the tuneup for their TCC Diamond Division showdown with Woodstown.

The Eagles (13-5) went 13-of-14 from the line and switched to a man defense to power a 25-9 fourth-quarter uprising that won them the game.

Pennsville trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter. Marley Wood went 7-for-7 from the line and scored 13 points in the quarter. Nora Ausland went 6-for-7 and had eight in the frame.

“They had a lead and I could see that West Deptford’s coach wanted to hold the ball; naturally, we couldn’t allow that,” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “I handed out assignments and told them to personal responsibility if their player got the ball or scored. To their credit, they stepped up.”

Wood led all scorers with 23 points and moved to within 35 of 1,000 for her career. Ausland, who went over 1,000 last week, finished with 13. Taylor Bass had 12 with two 3-pointers.

A win over the Wolverines Tuesday night would give the Eagles a split of their season series and a one-game lead in the division race.

PENNSVILLE (13-5): Taylor Bass 5 0-0 12, Marley Wood 6 11-15 23, Addie Johnston 2 0-0 4, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Calli Ausland 0 2-2 2, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Nora Ausland 2 8-9 13. Totals 17 21-26 58.
WEST DEPTFORD (7-12): Julia Barger 1 0-0 2, Juana Abdelhamid 1 3-4 5, Reyanna Jamison 2 3-4 8, Alyssa Taylor 2 0-0 4, Carleen Connelly 5 1-2 12, Deanna Lawrence 4 4-6 12, Addison Fronza 3 0-0 8. Totals 18 11-16 51.

Pennsville11121025-58
West Deptford1114179-51
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Bass 2, N. Ausland); West Deptford 4 (Jamison, Connelly, Fronza 2). Fouled out: N. Ausland, Fronza. Total fouls: Pennsville 13, West Deptford 20.

SCHALICK 37, BUENA 21: The Cougars took control of the game with a 14-4 second quarter and got more separation with an 11-2 third. The win snapped a four-game losing streak.

“We challenged the girls to be more aggressive scoring inside and they did a nice job,” Schalick coach John Whalen said. “Likewise, defensively we were aggressive and very disciplined when we decided to press in the middle two quarters.”

Freshman Navaeh Robinson led the Cougars (4-11) with nine points.

SCHALICK (4-11): Abby Willoughby 5, Cali Fisler 3, Ava Scurry 6, Olivia Vanacker 3, Navaeh Robinson 9, Willow Davis 5, Olivia Lunemann 4, Carly Vicente 2.
BUENA (1-15): Mya Nicole 11, Jones Jiavonni 2, Leylani Muniz 2, Kayla Lafferty 2, Athena Bradley 2, Isabella Adkins 2.

Schalick814114-37
Buena64212-21

HADDON TWP. 61, PENNS GROVE 36
PENNS GROVE (8-8): Syanna Robbins 3 0-0 9, Brianna Robbins 2 0-0 4, RaNiyah Wilson 4 2-2 10, Keziah Patterson 2 2-2 6, JaNiyah Cummings 14 5-8 36.
HADDON TWP. (17-3): Kiersten Callahan 9 0-0 18, Samantha Farnham 0 0-0 0, Sammy Martin 1 0-0 3, Arianna Turkot 1 0-0 2, Maeve Sheenan 1 0-0 2, Reagan Maher 0 0-0 0, Madi Kamulda 4 3-4 11, Abby Weideman 4 1-2 11, Kaitlyn Martin 0 0-0 0, Alli Kamulda 3 3-6 11, Emory Shaw 0 2-2 2. Totals 23 9-14 61.

Penns Grove771111-36
Haddon Twp.14201116-61
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (S. Robbins 3); Haddon Twp. 8 (Callahan 3, Martin, Weideman 2, Kamulda 2).

GCIT 52, SALEM TECH 22
GLOUCESTER TECH (11-4): Maggie Duer 5 0-0 13, Gina Sheehan 3 0-0 7, Savanna Shute 1 0-0 2, Leanne Riddick 2 0-0 4, Reis Hartman 2 0-0 4, Ingrid Giannone 1 1-2 4, Addison Tinges 1 0-0 2, Grace Popoff 1 0-0 2, N. Woods 1 0-0 2, Averie Clement 5 0-0 12. Totals 22 1-2 52.
SALEM TECH (2-15): Demajae White 3 2-2 8, Kaylin Beardsley 4 0-0 10, Amora Elaine 1 0-0 2, Rachel Reed 1 0-0 2, Lavae Scott 0 0-0 0, Tiara Bazemore 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 2-2 22.

GCIT2214115-52
Salem Tech22711-22
3-point goals: GCIT 7 (Duer 3, Sheehan, Giannone, Clement 2); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2). Rebounds: GCIT 24 (Duer 4); Salem Tech 23 (White 7, Beardsley 9).
SALEM COUNTY ALL-TIME
SCORING LIST (GIRLS)		TODAYPOINTS
Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004) 2110
Amanda Young, St. James
(1995)		 1762
Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009) 1661
Brittany Smith, Salem (2007)1623
Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) 1574
Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) 1566
Talia Battavio, WoodstownDNP1479
Megan Donelson, WoodstownDNP1473
1000-POINT WATCH  
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 588)13 vs. West Deptford1050
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 772)10 vs. Haddon Twp.1023
Marley Wood, Pennsville23 vs. West Deptford965

This week’s schedule

Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 3-8

FEB. 3
GIRLS BASKETBALL
GCIT at Salem Tech
Pennsville at West Deptford
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4:15 p.m.
Schalick at Buena
BOYS BASKETBALL
Buena at Pennsville
Riverside at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
TRACK
Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island
BOWLING
Salem vs. Hammonton at DiDonato Bowling Center

FEB. 4
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Schalick
Woodstown at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Pitman at Salem
Salem Tech at Clayton
BOYS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Penns Grove
Salem at Pitman
Schalick at Glassboro
Woodstown at Pennsville
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Montgomery County (Pa.) CC, 7 p.m.

FEB. 5
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Gateway
Penns Grove at Clearview
Salem at Gloucester Catholic
BOWLING
Salem, Salem Tech in TCC Showcase at 30 Strikes

FEB. 6
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Pennsville
Wildwood at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Overbrook
BOYS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Schalick
Glassboro at Penns Grove
Salem Tech at Wildwood
BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes
SWIMMING
NJSIAA Sectionals at GCIT
WRESTLING
Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton
Pennsauken at Schalick
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

FEB. 7
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Buena at Salem
Pennsville at Millville
WRESTLING
Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove
Salem at Winslow
BOWLING
NJSIAA Playoffs

FEB. 8
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cumberland at Schalick, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Cherokee, 11:30 p.m.
Absegami at Salem, noon
WRESTLING
Burlington City, Egg Harbor Twp., St. Joe (Hamm.) at Pennsville
Salem, Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Harrisburg Area CC, noon

Really good show

Saturday basketball: Pennsville’s girls win in overtime, Schalick’s boys snap losing streak, includes all the day’s games involving Salem County teams

GIRLS GAMESBOYS GAMES
Pennsville 46, Camden Catholic 45 (OT)Schalick 73, Buena 31
Gateway 26, Schalick 21Oakcrest 78, Pennsville 52
Bridgeton 63, Woodstown 51
Deptford 63, Penns Grove 60

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – After a disappointing game against a top team the night before, Pennsville coach Steve Merritt challenged his team to put on a good show Saturday in what he expected to be a similarly tough game against Camden Catholic.

The Eagles gave their coach almost everything he asked for and it resulted in a 46-45 overtime victory.

“They never quit, they played really good defense and were active,” Merritt said. “I was really pleased with the way we played today.

“I told them before the game when I got this job and started working with you I was really happy with the effort and desire to win and for the most part I was happy with it. Yesterday I was little disappointed; let’s go out and put on a good show and they did.”

Playing with 1,000-point scorer Nora Ausland (fouled out) and Jaida Burns (injured) on the bench down the stretch in regulation and all of overtime, the Eagles outscored the Irish 4-3 in the extra session.

All the points in overtime came from the free throw line.

Marley Wood put Pennsville ahead 45-44 with 29 seconds left when she made one of two. The Irish rebounded the shot she missed and tried to hold the ball for a last shot, but the Eagles tied it up with 8.7 seconds and took possession.

Wood was fouled again and this time missed both shots. Edore Pela drve through several Pennsville hands on her way to the basket and put up a short shot for the win that rattled around the rim and didn’t fall.

Pennsville took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Irish rallied to force overtime. The Eagles had a chance to win in regulation. Taylor Bass got a steal with two seconds left and raced towards the basket, but her potential game-winning shot rimmed out as the horn blew.

Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 15 points. Ausland had 14 points, 11 in the second quarter to get the Eagles back in the game.

Pela led all scorers with 22 points. She had 11 in the Irish’ fourth-quarter comeback.

PENNSVILLE 46, CAMDEN CATHOLIC 45 (OT)
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (10-6) – Kayla Dunn 4 0-0 10, Caroline Brennan 0 0-4 0, Edore Pell 7 4-8 22, Maddie Brennan 2 0-0 4, Alexa vonHohenstein 1 1-2 3, Khloe Bowman 0 3-4 3, Ayana Jackson 0 0-0 0, Ashanty Alacron 1 0-0 3, Finley Green 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 8-16 45.
PENNSVILLE (12-5) – Taylor Bass 3 7-7 15, Marley Wood 0 5-10 5, Nora Ausland 4 3-4 14, Addie Johnston 3 1-2 7, Jaida Burns 2 1-2 5, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 17-25 46.

Camden Catholic (10-6)1096173-45
Pennsville (12-5)41711104-46
3-point goals: Camden Catholic 7 (Dunn 2, Pell 4, Alacron); Pennsville 3 (Bass 2, Ausland). Rebounds: Pennsville 35 (Bass 9, Burns 9, Ausland 8). Fouled out: C. Brennan, vonHohenstein, Ausland. Total fouls: Camden Catholic 23, Pennsville 17.

GATEWAY 26, SCHALICK 21
GATEWAY (7-11) – Jayda Catoe 0 0-0 0, Peyton Cutler 3 4-10 10, Maggie Eliasen 0 0-0 0, Layla DeMaise 1 2-4 4, Sarai Gary 1 4-6 6, Lexi Kirwin 2 1-2 6. Totals 7 11-22 26.
SCHALICK (3-11) – Abigail Willoughby 2 0-0 4, Cali Fisler 2 1-5 5, Ava Scurry 3 1-2 7, Navaeh Robinson 1 1-2 3, Willow Davis 0 2-5 2. Totals 8 5-14 21.

Gateway6758-26
Schalick3882-21
3-point goals: Gateway 1 (Kirwin). Rebounds: Gateway 31 (Cutler 12)
SALEM COUNTY ALL-TIME
SCORING LIST (GIRLS)		TODAYPOINTS
Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004) 2110
Amanda Young, St. James
(1995)		 1762
Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009) 1661
Brittany Smith, Salem (2007)1623
Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) 1574
Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) 1566
Talia Battavio, WoodstownDNP1479
Megan Donelson, WoodstownDNP1473
1000-POINT WATCH  
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 560)14 vs. Camden Catholic1036
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 762)DNP1013
Marley Wood, Pennsville 5 vs. Camden Catholic943

Career games by Volovar,
Sutton boost Schalick

CENTERTON – Jase Volovar has been missing his shot lately and wondered where it had gone. It came back to him Saturday and he had a feeling it would.

He and Nylan Sutton both enjoyed career days in Schalick’s 73-31 rout of Buena that snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Volovar tied his career-high with three 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points. Sutton, a senior forward, hit 11 buckets and scored a career-high 24 points.

“It was about going out and coming out as a team and bouncing back from a couple losses,” Volovar said. “Getting back in the rhythm of winning coming up for this game (at Glassboro) Tuesday.

“I thought today we really came together as a team and were moving the ball extremely well, which really helped us get in the rhythm, helped me open up a lot.”

It started quickly for the Cougars’ junior guard. He missed his first 3, but came back down and hit one, then right away got a steal and layup off the press and was on his way to something special. He hit two more 3s before halftime and had 16 points at the break.

“I had been missing my shot,” he said. “Warming up I said my shot was going to be pretty good today. I was hitting from deep, all over the court, every area.”

He credited the increased shooting in practice with helping him get back on track.

Justin Iacona was also feeling it. He hit three 3s, too, and finished with 11 points. 

SCHALICK 73, BUENA 31
BUENA (5-12) – Troy Gregory 3 0-0 6, Jayden Rivera 0 0-2 0, Richie Wilson 1 0-0 2, Tyler Weightman 1 2-2 5, Shamel Rivera-Collazo 7 4-8 18. Totals 12 6-12 31.
SCHALICK (5-14) – Jase Volovar 8 1-3 20, Nylan Sutton 11 2-5 24, Sherrod Jones 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whitley 1 0-4 2, Kenneth Bartee 4 0-0 8, Justin Iacona 4 0-0 11, Nicholas Ashwell 1 0-0 2, Ryan Horner 1 0-0 2, Kade Macom 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 3-12 73.
3-point goals: Buena 1 (Weightman); Schalick 6 (Volovar 3, Iacona 3).

BRIDGETON 63, WOODSTOWN 51: It was all Jameel Purnell and Tavon Chandler for Bridgeton in a tight first half, but the Bulldogs got more players involved in the second half and pulled away.

Purnell scored 34 points in the game and Chandler had 16 to almost outscore the Wolverines on their own, and they combined for all their team’s points in the first half as they built a 25-22 halftime lead. 

The Wolverines stayed within reach, but, coach Ramon Roots said, just “didn’t make enough winning plays” to get over the top. 

Blake Bialecki hit four 3-pointers and led Woodstown with 14 points. Alejandro Vazquez had 12 and Rocco String had 11. 

WOODSTOWN (11-5) – Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 5 0-1 14, Alejandro Vazquez 4 2-2 12, M.J. Hall 1 1-2 3, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 4, Rocco String 4 3-4 11, Brayden Hall 1 0-0 3. Totals
BRIDGETON (8-12) – Leroy Ortiz Rodriguez 2 0-0 4, Joel Francisco Lopez 2 0-0 4, Kyion Gray 1 0-0 3, Stephen Little 0 0-0 0, Jameel Purnell 14 1-2 34, Jahzeer Thompson 0 0-0 0, Geraldo Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Tavon Chandler 6 2-4 16, Jerrell Burks 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-6 64.

Woodstown10121712-51
Bridgeton7182018-63
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Bialecki 4, Vazquez 2, Leyman, B. Hall); Bridgeton 8 (Gray, Purnell 5, Chandlor 2). Rebounds: Bridgeton 41 (Purnell 14). Fouled out: Ortiz. Total fouls: Woodstown 15, Bridgeton 14.

OAKCREST 78, PENNSVILLE 52: Maison Webster hit nine 3-pointers to fuel a 30-point game and Tyree Montford scored 23 for Oakcrest. Mason O’Brien led Pennsville with 13.

OAKCREST (7-10) – Adriece Diggs 3-0-6, Levar Price 1-3-6, Zicri Forest 2-0-4, Maison Webster 10-2-30, Nyree Montford 11-1-23, Jayden Collins 2-0-5, Prince Palmer 2-0-4. Totals 31-6-78.
PENNSVILLE (2-15) – Perry Meranti 4-1-9, Cole Johnston 3-0-9, Jovanni Rios 1-1-3, Mason O’Brien 5-2-13, C.J. McDevitt 1-0-2, Daniel Knight 0-2-6, Logan Hitt 0-3-3, Jacob Miller 1-1-4, J.P. Laughrey 1-0-3. Totals 18-8-52.

Oakcrest8152628-78
Pennsville1161619-52
3-point goals: Oakcrest 11 (Price, Webster 9, Collins); Pennsville 8 (Johnston 3, O’Brien, Knight 2, Miller, Laughrey). Rebounds: Pennsville 24 (Meranti 6, Rios 6).

DEPTFORD 63, PENNS GROVE 60: Deptford’s Alonzo Hernandez made it a three-point game with two free throws with 10.2 seconds left and Penns Grove missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds. Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser put back his miss to get the Red Devils within 61-60. 

DEPTFORD (11-5) – Jordan Williams 10-0-21, Kenny Cockrell 4-1-9, Luke Vilary 2-0-4, Brian Orio 1-02-4, Ayden Copestick 7-3-21, Alonzo Hernandez 1-2-4. Totals 25-8-63.
PENNS GROVE (8-8) – B.J. Robbins 7-5-22, Roman Gipson 2-3-8, Karon Ceaser 9-2-22, Antoine Robinson 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Will Roy 0-2-2. Totals 21-12-60.

Deptford14102215-63
Penns Grove19161015-60
3-point goals: Deptford 5 (Williams, Copestick 4); Penns Grove 6 (Robbins 3, Gipson, Ceaser 2).

Getting the message

Mighty Oaks respond to coach’s time out to run away from Luzerne, match 2020-21 team for most wins in a season since program return; third quarter dooms Salem CC women on the road

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green had seen enough to know he had seen too much. Luzerne had just taken the early lead, the Salem CC basketball team had just committed back-to-back turnovers and Green knew if something didn’t change soon his Mighty Oaks would fall into a trap they might not be able to escape from.

He did what any coach seeing his team on the edge would do. He called a time out to propagate a change.

Message received. The Mighty Oaks scored the next 10 straight points as part of a bigger 24-4 run that sent them off and running to a 112-67 win.

“It looked like weren’t ready to play, man,” Green said. “It was like they stayed up all night and I just let them know they (Luzerne) traveled about two and half, three hours; we’re at home. You guys act like you don’t want to play.

“This is an opportunity. Some guys aren’t going to have that opportunity on Tuesday. Take advantage of all the opportunities you get. I just let them know this ain’t no sleep game. You’ve got to come out and play, they’re basketball players. The guys picked up on that and we got rolling.”

The Mighty Oaks (18-6) broke 100 for the fourth time this season despite missing three starters to illness and injury, including leading scorer Akeem Taylor (ankle), whose status is uncertain for Tuesday’s important region game at Montgomery CC. With the win, they now have matched the 2020-21 team (18-10) for the winningest season since bringing back the program.

The Mighty Oaks got points from everywhere, with five players scoring in double figures. Josh Ramos and Tyrese Fortune led the way with 24 points apiece. A.J. Jones had 20, Jyheim Spencer had 18 and another double-double, and Stefan Phillips, pressed into his second career start in Taylor’s absence, had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

“Everybody getting involved is always good,” Phillips said. “That’s what you want. You don’t want one person to shine. You want the whole team to shine.”

It didn’t start easy. Luzerne’s Sedrick Beasley picked Fortune’s pocket and turned it into a layup with 12:55 left in the first half to give the Trailblazers (5-13) a 10-9 lead. Jones got called for an offensive foul on the next possession and that was enough for Green to call his fateful pause.

When the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor they ripped off the next 10 points to take the lead for good. The Trailblazers tried to stop the surge with a time out, but it only delayed the inevitable. Salem returned to the floor and ran off another eight in a row. They scored on eight straight possessions in the three-minute spree.

“Coach said get it together, they shouldn’t be in the game with us,” said Fortune, who hit a 2 and 3 in the middle of the first flurry. “I started off talking on defense and we started getting turnovers and advancing the ball up and scoring the ball every time we got downcourt.”

The points flowed so freely even Spencer hit a 3-pointer. It was his first in a scholastic or collegiate game since his senior year in high school – in 2020. He did hit one, he said, in the Philly Brotherly Love Pro-Am Summer League this past summer, but he was 0-for-3 from behind the arc in non-scrimmages for the Mighty Oaks before hitting early in the second half..

“All season I said I was going to take one, but I hadn’t hit one yet,” he said. “We were warming up and I was making the shot, so they basically told me if you’re making the shot you might as well shoot it in the game. I shot it in the game and I made it.”

“I don’t think it’s like a Bigfoot sighting,” Green said. “The kid has skills. He’s just unlocking a lot of different things. That’s one of the things we work on, getting him to unlock it and getting more confident. He’s got that shot and he’s gonna take it. He’s encouraged to take it.”

No one has to encourage Ramos to take the 3, but it’s encouraging when he hits them. He hit six 3s against the Trailblazers, three in each half. It was the most he’s had in a game since pumping in nine against RCSJ-Cumberland in mid-January and had hit only 16 in the nine games since before Saturday.

“It’s just getting back in my rhythm,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing, just being confident in my shot. I feel like I wasn’t too confident in my shot but I feel like now, today, I was beginning to get my shot up and get a feel for it.”

Everybody who had a big game was breaking out of something.

Jones had four 20-point games last year, but had scored only 25 points in his previous six games since his last double-figure outing. He was 7-for-9 from the field against the Trailblazers and 6-of-9 from the line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“We’re trying to get a championship, so I’m just here to give what the team needs,” he said. “Whether it’s defense, scoring, rebounding or assists, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the coach asks, that’s what you do. We’ve got plenty of guys who can do scoring and other things. I just do what the team needs.”

Phillips didn’t learn he was starting until right before the team came out for the opening tip. His only other start came in the second game with Williamson Trades Jan. 23, but he’s played in 19 games. He hardly missed a shot around the basket early in the season and he didn’t miss Saturday, going 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line.

“I was excited,” he said. “It took me back to how it felt back in high school. I just wanted to get back in the win column, that’s what charged me up. Coming back from a loss to be able to dominate the way we did was enough for me to be charged up.”

“He’s gonna be a rally good player next year,” Green predicted. “He’s good now, he’s going to be really good next year when he’s featured.”

Fortune had his career high. He had an eight-game stretch in the middle of the season in which he was averaging 12.8 a game, but he had only 37 points in the five games before Saturday.

“It all started off with practice, coach said just let it fly,” Fortune said. “He’s been telling me this all season, but I just had to get it out because the first part of the season I was in a struggle. I think it was just me rushing lot. Today I was patient, I got my team involved and everything just came to me, so I took advantage of it.”

SALEM CC 112, LUZERNE COUNTY 67
LUZERNE COUNTY CC (5-13) – Vagiba Donzo 0-1 1-2 1, Sedrick Beasley 6-11 2-4 15, Mackeenan Morgan 2-9 0-2 6, Vincent Garrett 3-20 2-4 8, Kaprie Cottle 2-6 2-2 8, Melvin Egbeto 2-4 2-3 7, William Preston 0-2 0-0 0, Al-Quron Michel 1-5 0-0 2, Tyler Collins 4-8 5-5 14, Ryan Probeyahn 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 23-70 14-22 67.
SALEM CC (18-6) – Dontarius Jones 0-9 2-2 2, Tyrese Fortune 7-13 6-6 24, Josh Ramos 9-19 0-0 24, Stefan Phillips 4-4 3-3 11, Jyheim Spencer 7-11 3-5 18, A.J. Jones 7-9 6-9 20, Rodney Shelton 3-7 0-0 6, Tajee Jordan 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 39-75 23-29 112.

Luzerne3037-67
Salem CC4963-112
3-point goals: Luzerne 7-21 (Beasley 1-1, Morgan 2-6, Garrett 0-2, Cottle 2-4, Egbeto 1=2, Preston 0-1, Michel 0-1, Collins 1-3, Probeyahn 0-1); Salem 11-31 (D. Jones 0-6, Fortune 4-9, Ramos 6-13, Spencer 1-1, A. Jones 0-2). Rebounds: Luzerne 34 (Garrett 7, Beasley 6, Cottle 6); Salem 53 (Spencer 11, Shelton 10, Phillips 11). Technical fouls: Luzerne coach Strothers  Fouled out: Jordan. Total fouls: Luzerne 20, Salem 17.

Women’s game

BRANCHBURG – The Salem CC women held their own with Raritan Valley in the first half, but danger signs were looming.

Sophia Larsen made a steal and layup right before the buzzer to give the Lions a seven-point halftime lead, then they pulled away in the third quarter to hand the Mighty Oaks a 75-54 setback that increases the pressure on Salem’s hopes for a Region XIX playoff berth.

The Mighty Oaks fell to 10-10 and must win two of their remaining four games to extend their season.

The Lions (14-9) outscored Salem 23-8 in the third quarter. Ona Riopedre led four Raritan Valley scorers in double figures with 27 points. Larsen finished with 11.

Salem CC (10-10)1714617-54
Raritan Valley (14-9)19192314-75

Region XIX standings

Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Jan. 23

MEN’S DIVISION III
(x-based on percentage)		REGION
ALL
Union13-0 (1.000)17-3
Montgomery12-1 (.923)16-2
Philadelphia14-2 (.875)18-5
Camden12-3 (.800)14-9
Salem CC11-4 (.733)18-6
Northampton10-4 (.714)17-4
Brookdale11-6 (.647)15-7
Atlantic Cape9-6 (.600)12-10
Ocean7-6 (.538)11-7
RCSJ-Gloucester8-7 (.533)10-13
Passaic6-8 (.429)10-11
Delaware County6-10 (.375)7-14
Sussex5-10 (.333)7-17
Lehigh Carbon5-11 (.313)5-16
Harrisburg Area4-11 (.267)5-17
Thaddeus Stevens3-11 (.214)4-14
Luzerne3-12 (.200)5-13
Bergen2-14 (.125)3-18
RCSJ-Cumberland0-15 (.000)0-22

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem 112, Luzerne 67
Harrisburg Area 83, Passaic 71
Camden 89, Bergen 56
Ocean 93, Sussex 83
Essex 102, Mercer 92
Thaddeus Stevens at Montgomery
Delaware Tech at Harcum
Delaware County 85, Lehigh Carbon 80
Philadelphia 102, RCSJ-Cumberland 52
Chesapeake 83, Morris 73
Winchester 104, Raritan Valley 93
Lackawanna 88, Middlesex 65
Atlantic Cape 66, RCSJ-Gloucester 62

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Montgomery
Union at Philadelphia
Brooksdale at Passaic
Bergen at Ocean
Camden at Luzerne
Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester
Lehigh Carbon at Thaddeus Stevens
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Atlantic Cape at Delaware County
Mercer at Lackawanna

DIVISION II WOMENREGALL
Union13-022-0
Harcum9-316-5
Lackawanna9-414-6
Raritan Valley8-414-9
Mercer7-514-5
Middlesex4-89-12
Salem CC4-1010-10
Essex2-104-12
Morris0-00-0
Delaware Tech0-120-18

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley 75, Salem CC 54
Sussex 70, Ocean 44
Montgomery 74, Northampton 67
Camden 61, Bergen 40
Lehigh Carbon at Delaware County, canceled
Delaware Tech at Harcum
Montgomery 76, RCSJ-Cumberland 37
Mercer 79, Essex 65
RCSJ-Cumberland at Philadelphia
Middlesex at Lackawanna, ppd
Union 89, CCBC Essex 70
RCSJ-Gloucester 66, Atlantic Cape 45

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Camden at Montgomery
Bergen at Ocean
Essex at Harcum
Brookdale at Passaic
Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester
RCSJ-Cumberland at Bucks
Mercer at Lackawanna
Delaware Tech at Union






Friday roundup

Schalick wins 3 as Salem County athletes shine at the TCC/Olympic Conference Indoor Track Championships, also includes basketball and wrestling results

By Riverview Sports News

TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield, David Stewart and the girls 4×400 relay team and Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team all won events Friday night to lead Salem County’s contingent in the Tri-County & Olympic Conference Indoor Track Showcase at The Bubble.

Jordan, one of the state’s premier distance runners, won the girls 1600 (5:12.91). Stewart won the boys 400 (50.67). The girls 4×4 relay team of Allyson Green, Hadfield, Gia Martellacci and Brooke Valentine won it 4:23.38

Stewart also finished second in the 55-meter dash (6.61). Martellacci scored in the girls 400 and 55-meter dash.

The Cougars finished third in the girls team standings, behind champion Washington Twp. and runnerup Williamstown.

Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team of Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello and Josh Crawford won in 3:34.41. Lucas and Crawford went 2-3 in the 800 and Jacob Marino was second in the 3200.

The Wolverines were fourth in the boys standings, a half-behind behind third-place Deptford.

TCC/OLYMPIC CONFERENCE SHOWCASE
At The Bubble, Toms River
(Salem County scorers)

NON-OLYMPIC
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 93, Williamstown 66, SCHALICK 29, Kingsway 26, Timber Creek 20, WOODSTOWN 20, Delsea 14, Clearview 14, Overbrook 12, Glassboro 12, Deptford 9, Highland 8, PENNSVILLE 6, Cumberland 5, Triton 3
400: 2. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 1:01.16; 4. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 1:02.27
1600: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 5:12.9155: 6. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 7.76
3200: 6. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 12:49.36
4×400: 1. Schalick (Allyson Green, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci, Brooke Valentine), 4:23.38; 3. Woodstown (Sarah Seiden, Lia Covely, Kayla Ayars, Jaime Deal), 4:29.62
High jump: 4. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 4-10
Pole vault: 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6
Shot put: 5. Allyson Green, Schalick, 30-1.25

BOYS
TEAM SCORES: Williamstown 57, Delsea 41, Deptford 40.5, WOODSTOWN 40, Highland 37, Glassboro 28.5, SCHALICK 25.5, Washington Twp. 16, Timber Creek 12, Triton 10, SALEM 8, PENNS GROVE 6.5, Overbrook 5, Cumberland 4, Clearview 3.
400: 1. David Stewart, Schalick, 50.67; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 51.36
55 hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 7.58
800: 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:01.36; 3. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.53
55: 2. David Stewart, Schalick, 6.61
3200: 2. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:13.53
4×400: 1. Woodstown (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford), 3:34.41; 4. Penns Grove (Sebastian Hernandez, Bryan Garlic, Knowledge Young, DeQuan Brown), 3:44.88
High jump: T-6. Sebastian Hernandez, Penns Grove, 5-6
Pole vault: 4. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-6
Shot put: 6. Sheldon Goldsboro, Schalick, 43-9

Basketball

BOYS
HOLY CROSS PREP SHOWCASE
MEDFORD TECH 70, SALEM 61: The Rams got off to a fast start, opening a 20-11 first-quarter lead, but Medford Tech’s Tyler Branson and Nesta Rice came to life and Jaguars pulled away. Branson hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 points while Rice finished with 18.

Salem placed four scorers in double figures, led by Tymear Lecator’s 14. Xavier McGriff had 13 and Neziah Spence and Deshaan Williams had 10 apiece. Lecator also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Williams grabbed eight rebounds.

MEDFORD TECH (7-8) – Tyler Branson 9 5-5 28, Noah Johnson 1 2-2 4, David James 1 0-0 3, Nesta Rice 5 7-11 18, Daquan Stratton 4 0-0 8, Kwell Jackson 4 0-0 8, Noah Talbert 0 1-2 1. Totals 24 15-20 70.
SALEM (8-9) – Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Xavier McGriff 6 0-0 13, Neziah Spence 2 4-4 10, Tymear Lecator 4 4-4 14, Deshaan Williams 3 4-7 10, Antwuan Rogers 2 1-2 5, Joe Tunis 3 1-2 7, Azhone Burden 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 14-19 61.

Medford Tech11182013-70
Salem20121613-61
3-point goals: Medford Tech 9 (Branson 5, James, Rice, Jackson 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator 2). Rebounds: Salem 40 (Williams 8, Rogers 7, Lecator 7).

GATEWAY 44, SALEM TECH 37: The Gators pulled away from a close game with a big third quarter. Joseph Hayes led Salem Tech with 12 points. Aiden Bobo had 11.

GATEWAY (4-12): Justin Dugan 19, Benjamin Contarino 4, Jake Finger 14, Sean Cawley 2, Dylan Ceravolo 5.
SALEM TECH (0-17): Ayden Myers 2 0-2 4, Joseph Hayes 3 3-4 12, Aiden Bobo 4 2-2 11, Sam Battiato 1 1-2 4, Larry Pompper 2 0-2 4, Chase Ayars 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-12 37.

Gateway108188-44
Salem Tech712108-37
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Hayes 3, Bobo, Battiato).

GIRLS
HADDON TWP. 57, PENNSVILLE 42: Alli Kamulda scored all of her points on six 3-pointers for Haddon Twp. Pennsville freshman Addie Johnston hit a career-high four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points.
 
PENNSVILLE (11-5) – Taylor Bass 3 2-6 9, Marley Wood 2 3-6 7, Nora Ausland 3 1-2 7, Addie Johnston 5 2-5 16, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-19 43.
HADDON TWP. (15-3) – Kiersten Callahan 3 3-6 11, Sammy Martin 2 0-0 4, Madi Kamulda 2 2-5 6, Abby Weideman 4 2-4 12, Kaitlyn Martin 2 0-0 4, Alli Kamulda 6 0-0 18, Emory Shaw 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 7-15 57.

Pennsville6111411-42
Haddon Twp.1321149-57
3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Bass, Johnston 4); Haddon Twp. 10 (Callahan 2, Weideman 2, A. Kamulda 6). 

CAMDEN TECH 42, SALEM TECH 9: Ryan Jones scored 11 points and collected six steals to lead the defensive effort against the Chargers.

SALEM TECH (2-14) – Shelby Drummond 1 0-0 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 3, Demajae White 0 1-2 1, Amora Delaine 0 2-2 2. Only players reported. Totals 2 3-4 9.
CAMDEN TECH (8-10) – Camille Walker 2 1-2 5, Ryan Jones 5 0-0 11, Vianny Fernandez 1 1-1 3, Kamillah Rolley 4 2-2 10, Melania Jenkins 1 0-0 2, Leandra Myers 3 0-0 6, Ericka Bennett 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 4-5 42.

Salem Tech2043-9
Camden Tech161844-42
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Drummond, Scott); Camden Tech 1 (Jones). Rebounds: Salem Tech 8 (Drummond 3); Camden Tech 21 (Walker 8).

Wrestling

PENNSVILLE 53, CLAYTON 24
126: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Cayden Wentz, 1:00
132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Antonio Mendez, 1:39
138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over William Camp, 18-3 (5:15)
144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Matthew Kamara, 1:41
150: Steve Benkert (C) won by forfeit
157: Brodie Carey (C) won by forfeit
165: Kenneth Johnson (C) pinned Juan Velasquez, 3:08
175: Joseph Halstead (P) won by forfeit
190: Connor Ayars (P) def. Jeffrey Smith, SV-1 3-0
215: Michael Nichols (C) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit
106: John Sassi (P) pinned Ayden Figueroa, 0:45
113: Earl Wynn (P) pinned Joshua Wentz, 0:54
120: Mehki Dicks (P) dec. Dylan Adams, 4-1

RaNiyah’s red-letter day

Penns Grove’s Wilson passes 1,000-point plateau in loss, Woodstown girls get back on track; Pennsville boys snap 12-game losing streak, Penns Grove boys over .500 for first time since 2020-21; Woodstown’s String goes for 26 points, 25 rebounds to join 200-200 club for second year in a row

GIRLSBOYS
Wildwood 56, Penns Grove 42Penns Grove 60, Wildwood 47
Overbrook 28, Salem Tech 24Pennsville 66, Salem Tech 49
Woodstown 52, Clayton 34Woodstown 84, Clayton 62
Camden Tech 46, Salem 40

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson knew it was going to be a monumental day when she woke up Thursday morning, but it wasn’t until she got to the gym and saw the presentation in front of her for the first time did she realize what a big deal it really was.

The Penns Grove senior was in line to score her 1,000th career point in the game with Wildwood – she only needed half her average to get it – but the celebration already started before she got into Rudy Baric Gym.

There was a set of gold balloons spelling out “1-0-0-0” behind the Penns Grove bench. There was a banner anticipating the feat behind the Red Devils’ basket. There were hand-held fans with her picture on it and baseball-like player cards.

There was even a cake. Now, all she had to do was complete the task. 

Wilson hit the milestone on a layup with 4:01 left in the first half, touching off a celebration that included a short video on the scoreboard of her career. The only thing that dampened the day from a Penns Grove perspective was Wildwood won the game, 56-42.

“It means a lot,” Wilson said of the milestone. “Starting slow in my school seasons and then coming out, starting, getting hotter over time it’s … an unbelievable moment.”

She became the eighth girls player in recorded Penns Grove history to reach the milestone and 20th player in school history. With the 25 she scored against the Warriors she now has 1,013 points for her career.

Wilson started her career at Kingsway, but didn’t become a scorer until she transferred to Penns Grove last year. She scored 251 points at her former school – just 19 as a freshman – and may end up with well over 900 at Penns Grove by the end of this season.

Red Devils coach Jennifer Denby wouldn’t take credit for turning her into scorer. She just “gave her the floor … and she seized the opportunity.”

Wilson has scored in double figures in each of her last 20 games and has had 30 or more four times in her last seven. She’s averaging 24.2 ppg this season on a team that has only seven players.

“As a coach it’s good to see the girls reach a great milestone,” Denby said. “Coaches are just put in place to put the players in place. They’ve got to do the work, and that’s what NyNy is, she’s been putting in the work.

“She came here with a little bit of points and she said she wanted to get her thousand. Every day she’d come into the classroom, write down her plan and stuck to it every day. She wrote it down last year at the end of the season, we made out a plan and she went right through it.”

It hasn’t been lost on the college recruiters. At the moment, Wilson’s three top choices are Delaware State, Morgan State and N.C. Central.

WILDWOOD 56, PENNS GROVE 42
WILDWOOD (13-2): Macie McCracken 5 5-9 17, Angela Wilber 3 2-2 9, Rebecca Benichou 7 3-4 20, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Kiana D’Antuono 0 1-2 1, Addison Troiano 1 2-6 4, Sarah Djellal 0 0-0 0, Laila Fathi 2 1-1 5. Totals 18 14-24 56.
PENNS GROVE (8-7): Mikayla Washington 1 0-0 2, JaNiyah Cummings 1 1-2 3, RaNiyah Wilson 11 2-2 25, Brianna Robbins 0 2-4 2, Keziah Patterson 4 1-2 10, NyAsia Numan 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-10 42.

Wildwood15131513-56
Penns Grove1015710-42
3-point goals: Wildwood 6 (McCracken 2, Wilber, Benichou 3); Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, Patterson). Rebounds: Wildwood 30 (McCracken 18). Fouled out: Washington. Total fouls: Wildwood 11, Penns Grove 14.
Penns Grove senior RaNiyah Wilson stands under the banner school officials erected in the gym commemorating her feat as a 1,000-point scorer.

WOODSTOWN 52, CLAYTON 34: Talia Battavio broke out of a mini scoring slump with 21 points, Megan Donelson had 15 and the Wolverines (12-5) played some tenacious defense to snap a three-game losing streak.

Battavio helped the Wolverines get off to fast start with 14 points in a 26-2 first quarter. The Wolverines led 38-8 at halftime, holding the Clippers to only three field goals.

The losing streak was the program’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Woodstown coach Matt Smart said it felt “very good” to get back on the winning side of things.

“The team played together,” he said. “Our defense led to offensive output. We had lot of girls get into the game at critical times and perform well. They played with confidence and had a lot of fun today.”

WOODSTOWN (12-5): Talia Battavio 8 4-4 21, Megan Donelson 6 2-2 15, Gianna Maiorini 2 0-0 4, Lauren Hengel 1 0-0 2, Kyia Leyman 2 0-0 4, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Ryann Foote 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 2 0-0 4, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Ava White 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-6 52.
CLAYTON (9-5): Rainelle Blocker 7 3-4 17, Janice Blair 0 1-4 1, India Byant 0 0-0 0, Ava Delaney 3 0-0 8, Bella Wiseburn 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 2 2-2 4. Totals 13 6-10 34.

Woodstown261268-52
Clayton261313-34
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Battavio, Donelson); Clayton 2 (Delaney 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Clayton 6.

OVERBROOK 28, SALEM TECH 24
OVERBROOK (5-12): Gianna Simon 3 2-3 8, Jael Pressley 4 2-8 10, Lelani Knight 3 4-8 10. Only three players reported. Totals 10 8-19 28.
SALEM TECH (2-13): Hannah Dewitt 0 1-8 1, Shelby Liber 2 1-4 6, Shelby Drummond 1 1-2 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 3, Demajae White 3 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 2 1-4 5. Totals 9 4-18 24.

Overbrook61066-28
Salem Tech54510-24
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Liber). Rebounds: Salem Tech 50 (Scott 14, White 14, Doerr 12).

Boys games

PENNSVILLE 66, SALEM TECH 49: Wins have been hard to come by for the Eagles this season this season, so when one does come around it’s worth celebrating.

The Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak when they beat the Chargers for the second time this season.

“We came through a very tough part of our schedule where we faced tough opposition every night and tonight it was our chance to execute the way we want to,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We’ve been priding ourselves on defense and tonight we let our defense do the talking. The ball went in the basket and it felt good to get back on the winning side of the ledger.”

Jovanni Rios got the Eagles (2-15) off to a quick start scoring nine in the first quarter and 21 of his career-high 28 points in the first half. The junior was 11-of-15 from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds and had seven steals. He has scored 49 points over the last three games.

“He was the whole reason we got out early,” Mecholsky said. “He was just everywhere. He really played hard tonight.

“He’s been the biggest positive surprise in this season. He wouldn’t have been given the chance to develop under different circumstances, but he’s taken advantage of the opportunity he was given and really ran with it.”

PENNSVILLE (2-15): Danny Knight 1-4 1-3 4, Jovanni Rios 11-15 6-11 28, Mason O’Brien 2-10 0-5 4, Logan Hitt 2-2 0-0 4, Cole Johnston 3-10 0-0 8, C.J. McDevitt 3-6 4-4 10, Perry Meranti 1-6 2-2 4, Arturus Franzy 0-0 0-0 0, Jacob Miller 1-4 0-0 2, Gavin Spears 0-0 0-0 0, Noah Owen 0-0 0-0 0, J.P. Laughty 0-1 2-6 2, Adrian Alleye 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-55 15-31 66.
SALEM TECH (0-16): Sam Battiato 3 0-0 6, Larry Pompper 3 2-4 8, Aiden Bobo 3 0-2 6, Keidyn Robinson 4 2-3 10, Jayden Reed 1 2-2 4, Ayden Myers 2 2-4 6, Chase Pompper 2 0-4 5, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 8-19 49.

Pennsville2124714-66
Salem Tech1461910-49
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Rios 0-1, Knight 1-3, O’Brien 0-1, Johnston 2-6, McDevitt 0-1, Miller 0-2, Laughty 0-1); Salem Tech 1 (C. Pompper). Rebounds: Pennsville 31 (Rios 5, Meranti 5). Technical fouls: Hayes. Total fouls: Pennsville 23, Salem Tech 22.

PENNS GROVE 60, WILDWOOD 47: The Red Devils put together a big second half to pull away from a tied game that extended their winning streak to six in a row and got them over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 season. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Warriors.

“Well, in ’20 we won the South Jersey Group I sectional so we graduated that class and the last four years we have been growing the program back after COVID,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “This was the next group of kids that have the basketball skills to be successful.

“But being so young and playing the tough schedule early in the year has allowed us to see great competition and now we are reaping the benefits of it.”

The teams battled to a 29-29 tie in the first half, then the Red Devils outscored their hosts 31-18 in the second. Karon Ceaser and Roman Gipson combined for 21 points in the second half. Ceaser hit three of his four 3s in the third quarter to give the Red Devils some separation.

Ceaser finished with 19 points. Gipson had 15 and Will Roy 11.

PENNS GROVE (8-7): KaRon Ceaser 6 3-5 19, B.J. Robbins 2 2-2 7, Will Roy 4 1-2 11, Jameel Horace 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Roman Gipson 5 3-5 15, Antoine Robinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-14 60.
WILDWOOD (5-11): Eric Jordan 2 0-0 4, Nolan Mawhinney 3 0-0 6, Trevor Troiano 2 0-0 6, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Jordan Dozier 1 0-0 2, Gianni Troiano 1 1-2 3, Brian Cunniff 10 2-2 24. Totals 20 3-4 47.

Penns Grove16131813-60
Wildwood1415117-47
3-point goals: Penns Grove 9 (Ceaser 4, Robbins, Roy 2, Gipson 2); Wildwood 4 (Troiano 2, Cunniff 2). Rebounds: Penns Grove 23 (Ceaser 9), Wildwood 35 (Cunniff 11).

WOODSTOWN 84, CLAYTON 62: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers for the second time this season and scored 22 points and Rocco String scored a season-high 26 points as the Wolverines won their fourth straight.

String scored 11 points in the first quarter and combined with M.J. Hall for 18 as the Wolverines (11-4) opened a 25-8 lead. Hall finished with 15 points.

String also grabbed 25 rebounds to surpass 200 points and 200 rebounds for the second year in a row. He’s averaging 14.5 rebounds a game and has snared 65 in his last four games. He also had four blocked shots in the game, leaving him 22 shy of 100 for the season and 26 short of 200 for his career. He has had at least four blocks in each of his last 14 games.

CLAYTON (7-10): Princeton Sackor 4 4-5 13, Nazir Davis 5 1-1 13, Demetris Williams 3 1-2 7, Josiel Figueroa-Marrero 1 2-2 4, James Fritz 5 0-0 14, Jackson Venuto 2 0-0 5, Hasir Carter 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 8-10 62.
WOODSTOWN (11-4): Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, John Hood-McGindley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 22, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 6, M.J. Hall 7 1-3 15, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 0-0 3, Sid Leevy 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 12 2-3 26, Brayden Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 7-10 84.

Clayton8151920-62
Woodstown25201920-84
3-point goals: Clayton 8 (Sackor, Davis 2, Fritz 4, Venuto); Woodstown 7 (Bialecki 6, White). Rebounds: Woodstown 61 (String 25). Total fouls: Clayton 7, Woodstown 15.
SALEM COUNTY ALL-TIME
SCORING LIST (GIRLS)		TODAYPOINTS
Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004) 2110
Amanda Young, St. James
(1995)		 1762
Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009) 1661
Brittany Smith, Salem (2007)1623
Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021) 1574
Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013) 1566
Talia Battavio, Woodstown21 vs. Clayton1479
Megan Donelson, Woodstown15 vs. Clayton1473
1000-POINT WATCH  
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 560)7 vs. Haddon Twp.1022
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 762)25 vs. Wildwood1013
Marley Wood, Pennsville 7 vs. Haddon Twp.938

Needing clarity

Confusing call in final minute impacts Salem CC’s loss at Philadelphia; women get left behind by Union; includes region standings

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA – For the second Tuesday in a row the Salem CC basketball team went on the road to face a team it was chasing in the Region XIX standings and had trouble handling the ball.

That was frustrating enough given the tightness of the standings, but there was something that didn’t sit right with coach Mike Green’s even more in the 62-59 loss to CC of Philadelphia.

The Mighty Oaks were trailing by two with a minute to play when CCP’s Tahjir Davis was fouled under the basket. The contact was hard enough that Davis was forced to leave the game.

The Mighty Oaks believed they would be able to choose Davis’ replacement shooter from the players remaining on the floor. Instead, the Lions sent Kristion Tiller into the game off the bench to take the shots.

Tiller, a 76-percent free throw shooter, hit both shots and the Lions (17-5) stayed ahead the rest of the game. The freshman made three more free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the Mighty Oaks (17-6) at bay and was 8-for-9 from the line for the game.

“If you watched the live stream you see me arguing with the referees,” Green said. “The kid got hurt and we were supposed to pick a kid who was already in the game. Instead, they let them bring an 80-percent free throw shooter off the bench.

“He wasn’t in the game. We were supposed to be allowed to pick a guy who was already in the game. Of course, if they get to pick they’re going to bring the best shooter they’ve got in to the game.

“I don’t think they understand the rule. I was trying to go back and forth with them about that. They just didn’t understand the rules clearly. It’s a big deal to me. I know the rules. I played for a long time.”

Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes, who was in attendance at the game, said he would seek clarification from the region office Wednesday.

“I was there and confused as to what happened,” said Hughes, a former college basketball coach. “I will be following up tomorrow.

“I want to get clarity because the rule has changed at least twice in the last 20 years, but my understanding is that as long as the foul is ruled a common foul the opposing coach can select between the four remaining players.”

The Mighty Oaks trailed by nine early in the second half, but rallied to tie it at 46 and held a 51-50 lead with 5:04 to go. But the Lions buried back-to-back 3s and Salem never led again.

Akeem Taylor’s bucket with 5.5 left got Salem to 62-59. Josh Ramos gave the Mighty Oaks a chance to force overtime when he stole the inbounds pass and got it to Taylor for what Green called a “good look” from the left side of the arc, but his 3 missed the mark.

Jyheim Spencer ran down the rebound in the right corner, but he could only redirect an off-balanced 3 towards the basket as time expired.

The Mighty Oaks were only 4-of-29 from 3-point range in the game. Green also lamented their number of turnovers, which he correctly surmised were more than their field goals (22-21).

Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Spencer cleared a career-high 20 rebounds, extending his season average to 15.8 per game. CCP’s Malachi Montgomery led all scorers with 19 points.

PHILADELPHIA 62, SALEM CC 59
SALEM CC (17-6): Dontarius Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tamir Powell 1-12 2-2 4, A.J. Jones 3-6 0-2 7, Tyrese Fortune 1-7 1-2 3, Josh Ramos 2-7 0-0 6, Xavier Brewington 3-12 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 6-17 2-3 14, Jyheim Spencer 3-9 3-4 9, Stefan Phillips 2-6 3-4 7. Totals 21 13-22 59.
PHILADELPHIA (17-5): Regjon Knight 5-18 3-6 15, Malachi Montgomery 8-17 0-3 19, Kristion Tiller 1-2 8-9 11, Maki Pettigrew 0-7 0-1 0, Brince Shelton 2-7 0-0 4, Tahjir Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Jaques Aurel Silue 0-0 0-0 0, Kaleem Henderson 0-0 2-2 2, Devon Stanley 0-2 5-6 5, Dontae Bacon 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 19-59 18-27 62.

Salem CC2831-59
Philadelphia3032-62
3-point goals: Salem 4-29 (Powell 0-7, A. Jones 1-1, Fortune 0-3, Ramos 2-7, Brewington 1-5, Taylor 0-5, Spencer 0-1); Philadelphia 6-17 (Knight 2-9, Montgomery 3-5, Pettigrew 0-1, Tiller 1-2). Rebounds: Salem 45 (Spencer 20); Philadelphia 40 (Davis 8). Fouled out: Brewington, Stanley. Total fouls: Salem 21, Philadelphia 18.

Women’s game

PHILADELPHIA – The Salem CC women gave one of the best teams in the country a battle for two quarters, but Union showed in the second half why it is the undefeated fourth-ranked team in the country.

The Owls outscored the Mighty Oaks 56-27 in the second half on the strength of 10 3-pointers and pulled away to a 95-54 victory.

The Mighty Oaks had it to 19-15 early in the second quarter, then Union started pulling away. The Owls (21-0) led 39-27 at halftime, then put 34 on Salem in the third quarter. They hit seven of their 12 3-pointers in the quarter with Destiny Bynum Johnson hitting four.

Maggie St. Clair led Salem with 18 points. Union had four scorers in double figures.

The loss didn’t really impact Salem’s road to the playoffs. The Mighty Oaks still need to find two wins among their final five games to earn a post-season berth.

UNION (21-0): Ore Ogunmolere 5-9 0-0 11, Yasmeen Brightwell 3-10 0-0 7, Destiny Bynum Johnson 9-18 2-4 26, Jalaiyah Smith 0-4 2-2 2, Hillary DeLosSantos 6-9 2-2 15, Nyla Williams 2-3 2-2 7, Amiyah Fulton 0-1 0-0 0, Saran Camara 0-1 1-2 1, Cynic Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Sumaya Judd 1-3 0-0 2, Maria Paula Urena Rojas 0-0 0-0 0, Isabellą Edwards 0-2 0-0 0, Ayva Tillmon 1-7 0-0 2, Jaslin Walker 5-7 0-0 14, Gianna Meclis 0-0 0-0 0, Aniya Brown 1-2 1-2 3, Harita Mehmedovic 2-8 1-2 5. Totals 35-86 11-16 95.
SALEM CC (10-9): Nyaijah Jackson 3-9 3-6 9, Caroline Zullo 3-8 0-0 7, Maggie St. Clair 6-14 4-5 18, Kathryn Laurence 2-11 1-2 5, Jakayla Jenkins 0-7 0-0 0, RayNescia King 0-6 1-2 1, Dani Gustin 2-4 0-0 4, Akira Chambers 2-5 0-0 4, Alexa Hopkins 2-2 0-0 6. Totals 20-66 9-15 54.

Union19203422-95
Salem CC13141215-54
3-point goals: Union 14-32 (Ogunwolere 1-2, Brightwell 1-4, Bynum Johnson 6-10, J. Smith 0-1, DeLosSantos 1-1, Williams 1-1, Fulton 0-1, C. Smith 0-1, Edwards 0-1, Hillman 0-3, Walker 4-6, Mehmedovic 0-1); Salem 5-17 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 2-4, Laurence 0-6, King 0-3, Hopkins 2-2). Rebounds: Union 54 (DeLosSantos 10, Bynum Johnson 8, Mehmedovic 8); Salem 41 (Zullo 8, Jackson 7). Total fouls: Union 11, Salem 12.

Region XIX standings

MEN DIVISION IIIREGIONALL
Union13-017-3
Montgomery12-115-2
Philadelphia12-217-5
Camden11-313-9
Salem10-417-6
Northampton10-417-4
Brookdale11-515-6
Atlantic Cape8-611-9
RCSJ-Gloucester8-610-12
Passaic6-710-10
Ocean5-69-7
Sussex5-96-16
Lehigh Carbon5-95-14
Delaware County5-106-14
Harrisburg Area3-114-17
Luzerne3-114-12
Thaddeus Stevens3-114-14
Bergen2-133-17
RCSJ-Cumberland0-140-20

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Philadelphia 62, Salem 59
Union 110, Lehigh Carbon 65
Brookdale 79, Northampton 73
Montgomery 74, Delaware County 73
Thaddeus Stevens 78, Harrisburg Area 65
RCSJ-Gloucester 94, RCSJ-Cumberland 44
Middlesex 76, Essex 74
Delaware Tech at Mercer
Raritan Valley 95, Lackawanna 90
Orange County 97, Sussex 38

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Brookdale at Ocean
Cecil at Delaware Tech
Essex at RCSJ-Cumberland
Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area
Raritan Valley at Rockland
Luzerne at Miseracordia JV
Atlantic Cape at Mercer
Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon
Morris at Westchester CC

WOMEN’S DIVISION IIREGIONALL
Union13-021-0
Harcum8-315-5
Lackawanna9-414-6
Raritan Valley7-413-8
Mercer6-512-5
Middlesex4-79-11
Salem4-910-9
Essex2-104-11
Delaware Tech0-110-17

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Union 95, Salem 54
Middlesex 73, Essex 69 (OT)
Lackawanna 80, Raritan Valley 70
Delaware Tech at Mercer
RCSJ-Gloucester 67, RCSJ-Cumberland 27
Sussex 57, Orange County 46
Atlantic Cape 69, Bergen 50
Brookdale 65, Northampton 58
Philadelphia at Passaic

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Harcum at Middlesex
Brookdale at Ocean
Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon
Philadelphia at Bergen
Cecil at Delaware Tech
Raritan Valley at Monroe
Atlantic Cape at Mercer
RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton
Sussex at Dutchess
RCSJ-Gloucester at Passaic