Salem CC’s Phillips brings national championship tournament experience to a roster full of new players who’ve never been here before
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
UTICA, N.Y. – Stef Phillips took one step into the gym for Salem CC’s first practice at the national tournament venue Tuesday and it all came rushing back to him. The sights, the sounds, the smells of last year’s national tournament flooded his senses.
He even saw things in his mind’s eye that weren’t there yet – specifically, the big bracket board on the other side of the floor where the Mighty Oaks planted their logo after winning their first-round game.
On a team of virtually all new players, Phillips holds a unique position. He’s the only player on the roster who has ever faced what the Mighty Oaks are about to experience this week in the JUCO Division III national tournament in nearby Herkimer, N.Y.
“All of it’s familiar,” the sophomore post said before stepping into the banquet that recognized the 12 teams participating in the event. “You always remember your first experience coming to the national tournament. The only thing I don’t remember is the food, so hopefully I’ll remember that today.”
A year ago they were all new, as the Mighty Oaks made their first national tournament appearance in school history. When most of the players left for greater pursuits or just didn’t come back, Phillips found himself as the team’s only returnee. He didn’t feel left behind – he was planning to stay two years all along – but thought he’d have “somebody else” back with him.
Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green agreed “it’s important,” on a team with so many new players, to have a player who has been there done that, and he’s glad Phillips is in that role. Because Phillips is the only one who’s been here, it’s only natural the players have picked his brain about the experience. Interestingly, a lot of the questions had to do with the banquet. They’re just eager to play.
“This is a different group of kids,” Phillips said. “These kids are ultra confident. They’re not afraid to be themselves. I try to tell them to take it all in, enjoy the moment because you don’t know when you’re going to get an opportunity in here. You don’t want to take it for granted.”
The game will come soon enough. As the No. 4 seed, the Mighty Oaks (30-2) have a first-round bye and won’t play until 4 p.m. Thursday. They’ll meet the winner of Wednesday’s 2 p.m. game between No. 5 Dallas College Eastfield and No. 12 Joliet.
All the players were curious, but freshman Idris Rines was the most inquisitive.
“I look at Stef as a big brother; my first practice at Salem, Stef took me (as his drill partner),” Rines said. “I didn’t want to come in here blind. It’s not nerves or anything like that. I just want to know the layout, what I’m going into, how it is and what to expect. It was everything that Stef explained.”
The players followed their captain’s lead all the way to the national tournament.
“He was the first player off the bus, walked away, knew where to go,” Rines said. “So we all just followed him.”
NOTES: The Mighty Oaks will work out at Utica University Wednesday before heading to Herkimer to watch Eastfield-Joliet game … Green has no preference of the opponent. “It’s a tournament of champions; they’re all champions,” Green said. “I worry about my team, making sure we’re locked in and ready to go” … Banquet organizers drew door prizes for a lucky player on each team. Qua Smith had his number drawn for Salem. He won a Gatorade sports bottle.
Category: BASKETBALL
Cinderella lives
New Egypt stuns top-seeded Salem in overtime for SJ Group I final; 14th-seeded Warriors knocked off 3, 6, 2 and 1 along the way
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
SOUTH
New Egypt 48. Salem 46 (OT)
CENTRAL
Thrive Charter 48, Point Pleasant Beach 23
NORTH I
Waldwick 66, Pequannock 61
NORTH II
Shabazz 95, Arts 72
GROUP I FINAL FOUR
March 11
New Egypt (15-14) vs. Thrive Charter (21-5) at Monroe H.S., 5 p.m.
Waldwick (21-9) vs. Shabazz (27-1) at Franklin H.S., 6 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The clock struck midnight twice for Cinderella Saturday and she’s still dancing.
New Egypt continued its magical run through the Group 1 basketball playoffs Saturday, knocking off the biggest of the single-digit seeds it’s been beating in the post-season when it took down top-seeded Salem 48-46 in overtime.
The 14th-seeded Warriors (15-14), over .500 for the first time since Jan. 23, extended their Hoosiers story into the Group I semifinals, where they’ll play Central Jersey champion Thrive Charter (21-5) Wednesday at Monroe High School.
The Rams (22-5) had chances to win or tie it at the end of regulation and overtime, but their shots didn’t fall. Their dream of winning a sectional title turned into a pumpkin when they missed two free throws with 0.8 seconds left in overtime.
Warriors coach Mick Hughes shared afterwards that his 2-year-old daughter, Penny, “demanded” he read her a story last night. Her choice: Cinderella.
You can’t make this up.
“She knew we were playing today,” Hughes said realizing the irony, “but it all happened and it happened because these guys believe in themselves. We had a little bit of a disappointing regular season, but we thought we had the talent to make a run.
“Just from jump in the playoffs we liked what we saw right away and once we won that first game against Haddon Twp., who was a great ball club, we kind of just said to ourselves why not us. We just believed. That’s really it. It’s funny how far that can take you.”
The Warriors have mowed down top seeds like the power points didn’t matter. They beat the 3, 6, 2 and 1 seeds (with a combined record of 81-29 at the time of their game) along the way. Thrive was the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey.
“After we won that first round we knew it wasn’t a Cinderella, we were actually here to play some good basketball,” senior Nolan Arnold said. “We started locking down on defense, started making shots and … we knew we had a shot. No more Cinderella now.”
Salem (22-6) was playing in the sectional final for the first time since 2022 – coach Anthony Farmer’s first season with the team – and looking to win its first sectional title since 2008.
Farmer described the game as a “heavyweight fight” and neither team gave an inch. There were 11 ties and nine lead changes. The game was tied at the end of the second, third and fourth quarters. The Rams last led 44-42 with 1:52 left in regulation.
“We had opportunities,” Farmer said. “We had chances to make some big plays, to make some big shots and we just came up short. We just didn’t make the plays. We left them on the floor. That’s what happens in a tight game like this.
“We never got a run when we were able to get into our stuff and execute. We were always fighting, clawing back, trading blows. We couldn’t get our run.”
The Warriors had a chance to take all the momentum midway through the third quarter when a six-point lead could’ve gone to nine after Arnold made both ends of an intentional foul, but they turned over the ensuing possession and never got a shot. The Rams stormed back to tie it by quarter’s end and the slugging continued in front of a sold-out crowd.
Arnold, New Egypt’s all-time leading scorer headed to Iona for baseball, hit two free throws with 21.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Warriors a 48-46 lead. He also hit the game-tying layup with 38 seconds left in regulation after the Warriors scrambled to save a ball from going out of bounds.
“Early on in the season foul shooting wasn’t my strong suit,” Arnold said. “During practice we’ll shoot foul shots non-stop now and that definitely helped late in this game. I just told myself to relax, I told myself I’m going to make these two and we’re going to win the game.”
The Rams had a chance to win it at the end of regulation and win it or tie at the end of overtime. Neziah Spence got through traffic and put up a runner in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter but his shot hit the rim. In overtime, after Arnold’s go-ahead free throws, Xavier McGriff took a 3-pointer from in front of Salem’s bench with four seconds left that went long and Fatah Paige was fouled trying to put back the rebound with 0.8 seconds remaining.
Paige needed to make both free throws to extend the game. He missed the first shot and the Rams were called for a lane violation anticipating a rebound on the second miss effectively ending the game.
“There was a lot of pressure, it just felt like there was a lot of pressure, and I let it get to me,” Paige said. “There’s just a lot of emotion right now. It’s going to take me a little while to move past this, but I’ll get past it.”
NEW EGYPT 48, SALEM 46
NEW EGYPT (15-14): Nolan Arnold 4 12-13 20, Clyde Ferris 6 2-4 17, Cam Cassandrea 0 0-0 0, Ryan Reynolds 2 0-0 6, Paul Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Dylan Harper 1 0-0 2, Jake Milicia 0 1-4 1. Totals 14 15-21 48.
SALEM (22-6): Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 0 0-0 0, Neziah Spence 5 2-2 16, Tymear Lecator 3 1-2 8, Fatah Paige 2 2-5 6, Deshaan Williams 3 4-8 10. BJ Robbins 0 2-2 2, Darrell Johnson 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 11-19 46.
| New Egypt | 11 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 4- | 48 |
| Salem | 9 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 2- | 46 |
Top photo: New Egypt coach Mick Hughes celebrates with his players after they beat Salem in overtime for the South Jersey Group I basketball title Saturday.
It’s a slam dunk
High-flying Salem plays for SJ Group I title after beating KIPP, faces Cinderella New Egypt Saturday; Paige’s dunk highlights the win
SJ GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Salem 56, KIPP 42
New Egypt 58, Palmyra 56
Saturday’s game
No. 14 New Egypt at No. 1 Salem, 3 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Fatah Paige delivered one of the most electric plays of the year and Tymear Lecator had a front-row seat for it.
Paige, Salem’s 6-4 transfer from Delaware, threw down a thunderous dunk in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s South Jersey Group I semifinal with KIPP that turned the gym upside down. The Rams already had the momentum, but the dunk was like hitting the turbocharger and they rode it to a 56-42 victory.
But to call it just a thunderous dunk would not do it justice. It was highlight film material.
It started with Paige’s steal in the backcourt. He got the ball to Lecator and the Rams’ crafty point guard had the presence to give it back to him. A defender came over looking to draw a charge, but Paige flew past him like he wasn’t there and slammed it down bringing the crowd tumbling out of their seats and head coach Anthony Farmer looking for the production truck.
“I’ve got to send it to ESPN, it was that crazy,” Farmer said.
“I didn’t know if he was about to take off; I wanted him to,” Lecator said. “I saw their guy get ready to take a charge and I saw the way (Paige) was going up and I knew he was about to dunk it. It was just crazy. Ref didn’t call a charge or anything. It was clean. He made the dude fall. It was just crazy. People ran on the court. It was just crazy. Momentum shot out the roof. The place erupted.
“That was the first time I ever witnessed somebody put somebody on a poster that bad in my life.”
As if that weren’t enough, the Rams got another steal and layup the very next play and rolled out to a 10-point halftime lead they extended in the third quarter and maintained the rest of the game. They now host New Egypt Saturday for the sectional crown.
Paige’s big play was just part of another big playoff performance from the Rams’ bigs. Deshaan Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Paige grabbed 12 rebounds for the second straight game and Marshall Stephens had five rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Our bigs played amazing,” Lecator said. “I just thankful for my bigs. Honestly, I don’t think anybody has a solution for our size. Keep feeding confidence into them and they’re going to keep doing what they’ve got to do for me.”
In the Rams’ three playoffs wins, Williams has two double-doubles and is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds, Paige is averaging 8 points and 10 rebounds, and Stephens has had eight points and 18 boards.
“They’ve been big,” Farmer said. “It’s been a strength for us on this run, being big and physical down the stretch and being able to match people inside and match their physicality. Having that trio of bigs has been key for our run.
“It’s definitely something you can’t take for granted, especially in Group 1. Having some size definitely gets you’re an advantage. But you look around the league, Glassboro had a trio of bigs, (but the Rams’) have been phenomenal. They’ve been taking in everything I’ve been preaching, that no one is as big and physical as us and we need to get on the boardboard, we need to impose our will and Fatah over this run has been a grown man. He’s flying around and creating havoc for people.”
The win sends the Rams to their first sectional final since Farmer’s first season with them in 2021-22. They last won a sectional crown in 2008 and played for the state championship. This team exceeded the 2021-22 team’s win total tonight.
Their opponent Saturday has become the talk of the tournament. The Warriors (14-14), entered the tournament as the 14th seed and have upset seeds 3, 6 and 2 in the bracket.
“Obviously they’ve been playing well enough to get there regardless of the seed, so we’ll approach them as a 2 seed,” Farmer said.
SALEM 56, KIPP 42
KIPP (17-10): Noel Campbell-Eason 0-0-0, Morton 5-2-12, Gabe Paul 3-0-8, Josiah Jones 3-0-6, Kamari Strickland 0-0-0, Jaleel Reddick 0-0-0, Moyston McIntosh 4-1-9, Nolan Sims 2-0-6, Mekhi Moore 0-1-1. Totals 17-4-42
SALEM (22-5): Deshaan Williams 7 2-5 16, Neziah Spence 4 4-5 13, Marshall Stephens 0 1-2 1, Tymear Lecator 5 1-1 13, Fatah Paige 2 1-2 5, Darrelle Johnson 3 0-0 8, Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Kyvion Parsons 0 0-0 0, NJ Robbins 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 9-15 56.
| KIPP | 11 | 9 | 7 | 15- | 42 |
| Salem | 16 | 14 | 12 | 14- | 56 |
GROUP I SECTIONAL FINALS
SOUTH
New Egypt (14-14) at Salem (22-5)
CENTRAL
Point Pleasant Beach (21-7) at Thrive Charter (20-5)
NORTH I
Pequannock (22-6) at Waldwick (20-9)
NORTH II
Arts (19-8) at Shabazz (26-1)
Mighty Oaks get in
No doubt, really: Salem CC draws fourth seed, first-round bye in the JUCO Division III national tournament
JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
March 11-14, Herkimer, N.Y.
March 11
No. 8 Northampton (27-4) vs. No. 9 Genesee (23-7), noon
No. 5 Dallas Eastfield (20-9) vs. No. 12 Joliet (15-11), 2 p.m.
No. 7 Dutchess (26-4) vs. No. 10 Dallas-Richland (20-9), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Montgomery County (21-4) vs. No. 11 Ridgewater, (22-6) 6 p.m.
March 12
Northampton-Genesee winner vs. No. 1 Northern Essex (30-3), 2 p.m.
Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner vs. No. 4 Salem (30-2), 4 p.m.
Dutchess-Dallas Richland winner vs. No. 2 Riverland (29-2), 6 p.m.
Montco-Ridgewater winner vs. No. 3 Dallas North Lake (22-10), 8 p.m.
At-large berths in italics
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Some anxious few days turned into cheers of joy (relief, maybe) Wednesday when the Salem CC basketball team landed one of four at-large bids to the NJCAA Division III national tournament next week in Herkimer, N.Y.
The Mighty Oaks (30-2), No. 1 in the country at the end of the regular season but upset in their district championship game to leave their inclusion to the selection committee, were installed as the No. 4 seed. They will play the Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner at 4 p.m. March 12 after drawing a first-round bye. Ironically, Mighty Oaks assistant coach Scooter Wilkerson had Joliet playing on the office TV before practice.
“I wasn’t really tripping.” freshman Nasseem Wright said. “I knew we were going to go to the tournament. We lost the (district) championship and it was a disappointment but it doesn’t overshadow all the work we put in to this point. I’m excited.
“I told you right after the game I knew were going to get in. That’s how God works. It was in God’s hands and I trusted it.”
The Mighty Oaks had heard rumors earlier in the day they were getting in, which made for a business-like practice Wednesday afternoon, but their spot didn’t become public until the selection show aired later that evening. The team watched the show in the gym after practice.
Three-point threat Zyaire Gibson was the first player to set up a seat in front of the monitor to watch the show. He didn’t have any doubts about the Mighty Oaks getting in, either.
“We worked for this,” he said. “We’re 30-2. We had a heartbreaking loss, but … now that we know we made it, keep our head down, not harp on the last loss, play hard and hopefully win this.”
“I kind of knew we were going to get in,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “I think it’s just another chance at life, basically. Just another run we need to go on to get this one.”
The host of the selection show made a special mention of Gibson’s specialty when he talked about the Mighty Oaks’ spot in the tournament, but the guard said he only got the half of it.
“They talked about my (3-point) shot attempts, they’ve got to talk about the makes,” he said. “I’m No. 1 in the (field) in makes, too.”
The other top four seeds are No. 1 Northern Essex, No. 2 Riverland (Salem’s opening-round opponent last year) and No. 3 Dallas North Lake. The other at-large bids went to Dallas Eastfield (20-9), Dallas Richland (20-9) and Ridgewater (22-6).
Salem’s Region 19 and Dallas’ Region 5 both got three teams in the field. Both sets were separated into different pods so region rivals wouldn’t meet until the semifinals.
“I told you those guys usually get it right,” head coach Mike Green said. “We’re fortunate to get a fourth seed, fortunate to get a bye. When you don’t take care of business the way you’re supposed, you leave it up in somebody else’s hands and we did that, but I think the committee did a good job.”
The Mighty Oaks had a lot going for them. They were ranked No. 1 in the country for six weeks during the season, had the best record in Region XIX and the best record in the country at the end of the regular season.
A year ago the Mighty Oaks went into the tournament as a 10thseeded automatic qualifier and won three games in four days. This year they have a first-round bye and a more focused mindset.
“Last year we were just happy to be there,” Green said. “This year it’s a real business trip, and we’re going to treat it as such.
“Last year’s team fought that first game against Riverland and we didn’t anything that second game (against Mohawk Valley). We got a bye (this year). We get a chance to watch, we get an extra day to scout, so these guys ought to come in with guns blazing.”
JUCO Division III Tournament
| AUTO (District) | W-L | STR | L10 | OFF | DEF |
| No. 1 Northern Essex (East) | 30-3 | 16 | 10-0 | 89.3 | 71.0 |
| No. 2 Riverland (North Plains) | 29-2 | 3 | 9-1 | 85.6 | 66.5 |
| No. 8 Northampton (North Atlantic) | 27-4 | 4 | 8-2 | 80.2 | 67.0 |
| No. 7 Dutchess (Northeast) | 26-4 | 4 | 9-1 | 85.4 | 65.5 |
| No. 9 Genesee (North) | 23-7 | 14 | 10-0 | 85.7 | 75.6 |
| No. 3 Dallas-North Lake (South Central) | 22-10 | 5 | 8-2 | 85.5 | 75.4 |
| No. 6 Montgomery Co. (North Atlantic) | 21-4 | 7 | 9-1 | 83.2 | 71.0 |
| No. 12 Joliet (Mid-Atlantic) | 15-11 | 5 | 8-2 | 84.8 | 81.2 |
| AT-LARGE | W-L | L10 | OFF | DEF |
| No. 4 Salem CC | 30-2 | 8-2 | 93.0 | 71.9 |
| No. 10 Dallas Richland | 20-9 | 7-3 | 76.7 | 68.2 |
| No. 5 Dallas Eastfield | 20-9 | 7-3 | 83.9 | 71.9 |
| No. 11 Ridgewater | 22-6) | 8-2 | 96.6 | 82.9 |
Then there was one
Salem boys survive Woodstown’s best shot to become the last Salem County team standing in South Jersey Group I playoffs
SJ GROUP 1 TOURNAMENT
BOYS
No. 1 Salem 64, No. 8 Woodstown 53
No. 4 KIPP 50, No. 12 Glassboro 49
No. 14 New Egypt 47, No. 6 Penns Grove 38
No. 2 Palmyra 57, No. 10 Audubon 33
Wednesday’s semifinals
KIPP (17-9) at Salem (21-5)
New Egypt (13-14) at Palmyra (21-7)
GIRLS
No. 1 Haddon Twp. 49, No. 8 Woodbury 34
No. 4 Glassboro 57, No. 5 Palmyra 35
No. 3 Audubon 48, No. 11 Woodstown 29
No. 2 Wildwood 51, No. 7 Gateway 41
Wednesday’s semifinals
Glassboro (21-7) at Haddon Twp. (21-8)
Audubon (20-8) at Wildwood (21-7)
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – There really is only one mindset to have when it comes playoff time – survive and advance – and Salem was definitely in survival mode in the second half of its South Jersey Group I playoff game Monday night.
The top-seeded Rams were stuck in one of those cold spells that have hit them on occasion this season and they trailed county rival Woodstown by seven with five minutes left in the third quarter. But they turned to Deshaan Williams and Fatah Paige to get it inside, they got back on track and, with the Wolverines tired from all the energy they spent to get that lead, shook the doldrums and eventually the Wolverines, 64-53.
They now host No. 4 KIPP in Wednesday’s sectional semifinals. The Titans (17-9) edged No. 12 Glassboro, 50-49.
“That’s what it’s about,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “It’s about playing four quarters. We punched them in the mouth early, they responded, give them credit, but it’s a four=quarter game.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching since Williamstown. That game kind of enlightened us and showed us what we need to do. “We’ve been in that situation before. We’ve had leads, lost them, came back. Tonight was just one of those nights where we cranked it up and … survive and advance, man. That’s what it’s about this time of year.”
The Rams (21-5) appeared headed for an easy win, but this was anything but easy. Xavier McGriff “got the party started” as they like to say, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Rams forge a 28-10 lead two minutes into the second quarter, but for the next 15 minutes or so they were in a fight for their playoff lives.
From that point to the end of the half, the Wolverines forced them into 0-for-4 shooting and eight turnovers and got it back to 29-25 at the break. The run was fueled by two 3-point plays by Frankie Hoerst with back-to-back 3s by Blake Bialecki and Elijah Caesar in between.
While the first quarter belonged to McGriff, the second quarter was Hoerst’s. The freshman scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in the second quarter alone and finished with 10 points and 13 boards for the game.
“We’ve been working on him the last couple weeks one-on-one, teaching him different moves and stuff and he really turned it on,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “And that’s what we expect from him.”
The halftime break did nothing to slow the Wolverines down. They opened the second half on an 11-0 run to grab a 36-29 lead. Bialecki gave them the lead with 6:33 left in the third quarter and Alejandro Vazquez and Caesar hit back-to-back 3s to extend it before Williams finally got the Rams on the board after seven empty possessions with 4:53 left in the quarter.
But all that energy the Wolverines expended getting back in the game and taking the lead took its toll. Vazquez conceded they were spent down the stretch.
“It gassed us out,” he said. “We fought hard and I’m proud of our guys, but we were all tired.”
That’s where Williams and Paige took over. Williams had 12 straight points for the Rams in the third quarter to bring them back and finished with another double-double. Paige was inserted when Marshall Stephens got in foul trouble and just played too good to come out. He neutralized Hoerst in the fourth quarter, grabbing nine of his 12 rebounds.
“The guards weren’t shooting it well so we had to rely on our big guys,” guard Tymear Lecator said. “We had our shot in the first half, it was not our night. A couple 3s we let go fell in, but a lot didn’t so we knew it wasn’t our night and we knew if we wanted to get the job done we couldn’t keep jacking up 3s, we had to attack down there and that’s what we did. We fed it to our big guys and got out of there with a good win.”
“O-o-oh, I can’t talk enough about Fatah, the way he came in and changed the game with his athleticism, energy, effort,” Farmer said. “I challenged him about a week or two ago about getting on that backboard. You’re big and strong, your athletic, you should go in there, you should be getting on that backboard and tonight, man, he just was phenomenal. He was huge for us.”
Williams had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Paige had six points to go with his boards. Tymear Lecator had 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
“They started hitting a lot of shots, so everybody looked toward me to get the ball and score and I feel like that’s what I did,” Williams said of his third-quarter outburst. “It felt good, especially in the playoffs. It was a good environment to do it.”
“We were not losing,” Paige said. “I had that mindset from the jump. They had their little run and I was like, nah, we’re not losing and I did everything in my power to make sure we didn’t. I had to get on the backboard, make sure there were no easy baskets, stay hungry.”
SALEM 64, WOODSTOWN 53
WOODSTOWN (17-12): Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 11, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 4 3-5 13, Alejandro Vazquez 3 2-3 9, Josh King 2 0-0 4, Andrew White 2 2-4 6, Trey Markward 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Frankie Hoerst 4 2-5 10, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 10-19 53.
SALEM (21-5): Xavier McGriff 3 1-2 10, Naziah Spence 1 2-3 5, Tymear Lecator 3 5-5 12, Fatah Paige 3 0-0 6, Deshaan Williams 9 1-3 19, BJ Robbins 2 4-6 8, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 1 0-0 2, Darrelle Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 13-19 64.
| Woodstown | 10 | 15 | 20 | 8- | 53 |
| Salem | 20 | 9 | 14 | 21- | 64 |
NEW EGYPT 47, PENNS GROVE 38: Damian Ware really liked the way the playoff road was laying out in front of his Penns Grove basketball team. First-round upsets left a couple double-digit seeds in the path of the Red Devils’ potential spot in the sectional final. All they had to do was get through it.
They got the desired defensive effort they wanted Monday night, but they didn’t have the shooting success to go with it and they fell to the 14th-seeded Warriors to end their season.
“It was back and forth in the fourth quarter,” Ware said. “We missed a few shots, they hit a few shots and pushed it out to five, then we had to foul and they made their free throws at the end to push it out to nine. But it was really like a two-point game most of the fourth quarter.
“We just missed shots. We missed shots that we normally would make at a decent rate. Got a lot of good looks, got a lot of clean looks, but shots just weren’t falling today. That’s what it came down to. Our game play wasn’t bad, we held them to 47 points. Our goal was to keep teams under 50, but we didn’t make shots.”
The sixth-seeded Red Devils (17-12) held their last lead at 35-34 with 3:30 to play, then hit only one more shot the rest of the game. The Warriors, who upset third-seeded Haddon Twp. in the opening round, meanwhile, scored seven points in a row to take the lead for good, then scored their last six points from the free throw line.
Another crucial stretch came at the end of the third quarter when they suffered three turnovers in the final 20 seconds that the Warriors turned into two buckets for a 27-25 lead.
Nolan Arnold, New Egypt’s all-time leading scorer with more than 1,600 career points, led all scorers with 20 points. Clyde Ferris added 16 with three 3-pointers.
Roman Gipson hit four 3-pointers for Red Devils and led them with 16 points. Geonni Conrad had 10 points.
“I tell the kids the game is the game,” Ware said. “You’re going to make shots, you’re going to miss shots, but you’ve got to hit them when they matter the most and we just didn’t make the shots when they mattered the most.”
NEW EGYPT 50, PENNS GROVE 41
NEW EGYPT (13-14): Nolan Arnold 8-4-20, Clyde Ferris 5-3-16, Dylan Harper 0-0-0, Paul Kennedy 1-3-5, Ryan Reynolds 2-1-6, Jake Milicia 0-0-0, Thomas Marabuto 0-0-0. Totals 16-11-47.
PENNS GROVE (17-12): Roman Gipson 6-0-16, Geonni Conrad 4-1-10, Will Roy 0-1-1, Haneef Frisby 1-1-3, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Carson Pearsall 1-0-2, Luis Colon 1-0-2. Totals 15-3-38.
| New Egypt | 9 | 8 | 10 | 20- | 47 |
| Penns Grove | 5 | 11 | 9 | 13- | 38 |
Girls game
AUDUBON 48, WOODSTOWN 29: Third-seeded Audubon never gave the Wolverines a chance to get anything going and rolled into a semifinal showdown at Wildwood.
The Wolverines (12-16) were held to seven points in the first half and were down by 21 going into the fourth quarter, but they did outscore their hosts over the course of the final eight minutes.
“They played extremely tough and aggressive,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said of the Green Wave. “They made it hard to get into our sets and played great defense.
“I was proud of the way we fought the entire time. There were times we could’ve given up, but the girls wanted to continue to fight. We took some really good shots that just didn’t fall our way today.”
The Wolverines didn’t have a scorer in double figures, but Lauren Hengel and Kendall Young each scored eight points apiece.
Audubon’s Emma Speyerer hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points. Kylie Cannaday had 14 points and seven rebounds. The Green Wave had 12 steals as a team and four blocked shots.
It was a tough year for the Wolverines. They had to rebuild after graduating two of the most prolific scorers in school history and doing so meant putting players in positions they may not have been comfortable playing. But they persevered without complaint.
“What I’ll miss most about the senior class is their camaraderie they have,” Smart said. “Tonight when we got back to the locker room, I went to lock it up thinking everyone had left, and the seniors and a couple juniors were hanging out. They didn’t want to leave. We sat there for about an hour sharing stories and laughs from the season.
“When a sad moment like a season coming to the end happens, if you can look back on the good times, it’s very special. When they can look back on the memories that they made with friends, it’s a special group. Yes, there were tears today, but there were a lot of smiles and laughs.”
AUDUBON 48, WOODSTOWN 29
WOODSTOWN (12-16): Lauren Hengel 3 1-2 8, Emma Perry 3 0-1 6, Kyia Leyman 2 1-2 5, Kendall Young 3 2-2 8, Talia Guardascione 1 0-0 2, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 4-7 29.
AUDUBON (20-8): Peyton Marrone 1 0-0 2, Emma Speyerer 7 0-0 18, Kylie Cannaday 5 0-1 10, Giavanna Heller 3 0-0 6, Sophia Homa 1 6-6 8, Mylia Madden 0 0-0 0, Ciara Poponi 0 0-0 0, Jules Heck 2 0-0 4, Acen Bantle 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 6-7 48.
| Woodstown | 4 | 3 | 7 | 15- | 29 |
| Audubon | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13- | 48 |
This week’s schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 2-7
MONDAY MARCH 2
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodstown at Salem, 5 p.m.
Glassboro at KIPP, 6 p.m.
New Egypt at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Audubon at Palmyra, 6 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodbury at Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m.
Palmyra at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 4 p.m.
Gateway at Wildwood, 5 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Delaware Tech, 3 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Lackawanna at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Woodstown-Salem vs. Glassboro-KIPP
New Egypt at Penns Grove vs. Audubon-Palmyra
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Woodbury-Haddon Twp. vs. Palmyra-Glassboro
Woodstown-Audubon vs. Gateway-Wildwood
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NJCAA Division III Selection Show, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester (2), 3 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
WRESTLING
Region Tournament
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Sussex at Salem CC (2), 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
WRESTLING
Region Tournament
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Brookdale at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC (2), noon
SUNDAY, MARCH 8
INDOOR TRACK
Meet of Championship, Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
WRESTLING
Girls Region Tournament
District downer
Top-ranked Salem CC upset in North Atlantic District finals, still confident of at-large bid; selection show Wednesday
JUCO D-III DISTRICT FINALS
Saturday’s Games for AQ berths
North Atlantic A
Montgomery (21-4) 58, Salem CC 55
North Atlantic B
Northampton (27-4) 96, Brookdale 86
South Central
Dallas North Lake (22-10) 101, Dallas Brookhaven 79
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was supposed to be the crowning moment of a dominant Region XIX basketball season. It turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments.
Just how big of one is a matter for a bunch of basketball guys zoomed together from some far-flung places deciding who gets the four coveted at-large bids to the national tournament.
Top-ranked Salem CC came to Northampton as the favorite in the Region XIX/North Atlantic District A finals Saturday, but overlooked a Montgomery County team playing with a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove.
The Mighty Oaks played their poorest game of the season, maybe the poorest in Mike Green’s 2 1/2-year tenure as head coach, and were stunned by the Mustangs 58-55.
The win sends the eighth-ranked Mustangs (21-4) to the JUCO Division III national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y., March 11-14 as an automatic qualifier.
The Mighty Oaks (30-2) were hoping to be going back to better their fifth-place showing of a year ago but now must wait for the selection show Wednesday at 6 p.m. to see if a return trip becomes a reality.
“I got a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a tough L,” leading scorer Jarrell Little said. “I feel like we didn’t come to play our Salem basketball today. We had a lot of turnovers. I hope we can get in the national tournament and play them again, but I just got a bad taste in my mouth. A bad loss.”
It wasn’t one of the Mighty Oaks’ best or even average games. They seemed out of it from the start, although they did wake up from it midway through the second half to get back in it and even take a couple small leads.
But it was all a fight for survival. They couldn’t get it inside and they couldn’t hit from the outside against the Mustangs’ zone.
They shot 7-for-27 from the field in each half, ended up with 18 turnovers, just six assists and were outrebounded by 14. They had just 13 offensive boards and nine second-chance points. Where they normally put four or more scorers in double figures, Little was the only one (17 points). The bench, one of the keys to their success all year, was outscored 18-9.
“They out-toughed us,” Green said. “They were the tougher team … We didn’t execute. We were terrible executing. We practiced. We do things certain things and then we went out and did what we wanted to do and we lost.”
Montco had something different for them than first time they played and both Little and Nasseem Wright suggested the Mighty Oaks may have overlooked them because of it despite Green’s warnings to the contrary.
The Mustangs were being coached by assistant Jerome Monroe because their head coach and point guard were suspended for the game after being ejected from their semifinal win over Camden. Ironically, Monroe accepted Koran Prince’s Region XIX Coach of the Year award along with the rest of the winners’ hardware after the game.
Monroe was on Green’s Salem staff last year. He said he didn’t use any of the secrets he picked up with the way the Mighty Oaks did things on their way to the national tournament last year because that would be too easy and he knew Green would be ready for that.
“I did not try to do that because Mike, as a ballplayer — we played back in the day when we were kids — he was always a crafty player and I knew he would be a crafty coach, so I didn’t even try to plan for it,” he said. “I just tried to plan to get my guys ready to take this home.
“I was going to switch the defneses up a lot and get up on them and make them work like they make teams work all season. I watched a bunch of film and I felt like we’ve got to make them work and it worked out.”
Salem point guard Saaid Lee said the Mustangs looked different than when the teams played the first time. They knew to be ready for it, but it still caught them off guard.
“I did expect it to be different but I didn’t expect it to be like that,” Lee said. “They had a better coach coaching them so they threw a lot of stuff at us; we just weren’t as prepared.”
For all the shortcomings, the Mighty Oaks did rally from 11 down with 12:12 to play and took a 41-40 lead on Little’s 3 from the left corner with 9:13 to go. Saaid Lee put two free throws behind it to make it a three-point lead.
Zyaire Gibson hit a 3 to put Salem up 51-50 with 3:08 left, and later hit three free throws to give them a 55-52 lead with 1:38 to go.
Montco led 56-55 with 20 seconds left. The Mighty Oaks were working to retake the lead, but Lee had the ball knocked away by Qudire Bennett in lane traffic with nine seconds to go. Idris Rines fouled Bennett immediately and he hit two free throws to bring the final margin.
“I was trying to corner kick it but I ended up turning it over,” Lee said. “I was just trying to make whatever the right play was, but they all collapsed on me and I wasn’t strong with it.”
It was a tough day for the usually steady point guard. He was 0-for-8 from the field, scoring all nine of his points from the free throw line, and was charged with six turnovers. It was that kind of day for the Mighty Oaks.
MONTGOMERY 58, SALEM CC 55
MONTGOMERY (21-4): Brandon Bush 1-4 2-3 4, Qudire Bennett 5-9 2-2 13, Tariq Jennings 3-7 6-7 13, Issac Cole 4-14 2-5 10, Julius Marshall 0-1 0-0 0, Matthew Williams 1-5 0-2 2, Steven Hill 4-7 0-0 9, Kevin Addison 3-11 1-2 7, Ryan Holmburg 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 13-21 58.
SALEM CC (30-2): Jarrell Little 6-17 2-3 17, Saaid Lee 0-8 9-10 9, Zyaire Gibson 2-7 3-3 9, Nasseem Wright 1-9 2-2 4, Stefan Phillips 2-4 3-5 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0, Qua Smith 0-1 1-2 1, Nayeem Johnson 1-3 1-3 3, Idris Rines 2-4 1-3 5. Totals 14-54 22-31 55.
| Montgomery | 26 | 32- | 58 |
| Salem CC | 22 | 33- | 55 |
Highway to Herkimer
Here are the district tournaments that will earn automatic bids to the NJCAA Division III national tournament March 11-14 in Herkimer, N.Y.; four at-large teams also will be selected
JUCO DIVISION III RANKINGS
1. SALEM CC (29-1), 2. Northern Essex (27-3), 3. Dallas-Eastfield (20-8), 4. Dallas-Richland (20-8), 5. Riverland (26-2), 6. Dallas-North Lake (19-10), 7. Dutchess (23-4), 8. Montgomery County (19-4), 9. Northampton (24-4), 10. Ridgewater (20-5), 11. Virginia Peninsula (21-6), 12. North Country (24-3), 13. Genesee (20-7), 14. Union (22-8), 15. Herkimer (18-6).
DISTRICT TOURNAMENTS
North Atlantic A (Feb. 26-28)
Salem CC 80, Ocean 60
Montgomery 85, Camden 65
Saturday’s game at Northampton
No. 1 Salem CC vs. No. 8 Montgomery, 3 p.m.
North Atlantic B (Feb. 26-28)
Brookdale 73, No. 14 Union 62
Northampton 72, Bergen 64
Saturday’s game at Northampton
Brookdale vs. No. 9 Northampton, 6 p.m.
East (Feb. 26-March 2)
No. 2 Northern Essex 94, Bristol 67
Quincy 85, Springfield Tech 65
Roxbury 80, Massasoit 70
Friday’s games
Northern Essex 101, MassBay CC 74
Quincy vs. Roxbury
Sunday’s game
Northern Essex vs. Quincy-Roxbury
Mid-Atlantic (Feb. 27-28)
Joliet 88, Penn Highlands 67
No. 11 Virginia Peninsula 98, Allegheny County 56
Sunday’s game
Joliet vs. Va. Peninsula, 12:30 p.m.
North (Feb. 27-March 1)
No. 13 Genesee 88, Tompkins Cortland 71
Mohawk Valley 76, No. 15 Herkimer 75 (OT)
No. 12 North Country 77, Hudson Valley 73
Onondaga 80, Adirondack 77
Saturday’s games
Genesee vs. Mohawk Valley
North Country vs. Onondaga
Northeast (Feb. 25-March 1)
No. 7 Dutchess 93, LaGuardia 75
Hostos 80, Nassau 71
Sullivan 65, Queensborough 61
Monroe Bronx 64, Borough of Manhattan 53
Saturday at Suffolk County CC
Dutchess vs. Hostos, 5 p.m.
Sullivan vs. Monroe Bronx, 7:30 p.m.
North Plains (Feb. 26-March 1)
Central Lakes Brainerd 82, St. Cloud T&C 79
No. 10 Ridgewater 108, Minn North Rainy River 84
No. 5 Riverland 108, Minn. North Mesabi Range 56
Anoka-Ramsey 81, Northland T&C 71
Friday’s games
Ridgewater 105, Central Lakes-Brainerd 97
Riverland 85, Anoka-Ramsey 75
Sunday’s game
Ridgewater vs. Riverland
South Central (Feb. 25-28)
No. 6 Dallas North Lake 84, Dallas Mountain View 76
Dallas Brookhaven 85, Dallas Cedar Valley 75
Friday’s games
Dallas Brookhaven 51, No. 4 Dallas Richland 50
Dallas North Lake 82, No. 3 Dallas Eastfield 78
Saturday’s game
Brookhaven vs. North Lake, 4 p.m.
Stealing one
Woodstown girls come up with late steal and layup, last-second free throws to complete comeback against Pennsville; Schalick, Salem both fall in the South Jersey Group I opening round
SJ GROUP I GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Friday’s games
Woodbury 48, Burlington City 10
Palmyra 40, New Egypt 23
Glassboro 60, Cape May Tech 15
Audubon 54, Salem 35
Woodstown 51, Pennsville 47
Gateway 43, Schalick 21
Monday’s games
Woodbury at Haddon Twp.
Palmyra at Glassboro
Woodstown at Audubon
Gateway at Wildwood
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — There’s a power in sports even stronger than the will to keep a rival from beating you three times in the same season. It’s the will to keep a legacy alive.
That’s the power that drove the Woodstown girls team Friday night.
The Wolverines have made deep playoffs runs so regularly in recent years it’s almost an expectation. They haven’t lost a first-round playoff game since 2019, and if they had any say in it weren’t about to start in what many would consider a rebuilding year. They did face their biggest challenge to that legacy Friday and found a way to keep it alive.
Emma Perry’s dramatic steal and layup with 13 seconds left snapped a 47-all tie and Lauren Hengel hit two free throws in the final second to send the Wolverines past sixth-seeded Pennsville 51-47 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
“It was big for us because our team the past four years we’ve had a very good program,” senior forward Lauren Hengel said. “It’s not even about losing about them the past two games but keeping the tradition alive of a good, solid Woodstown girls basketball team. For the players who went before us and the older girls that we played with the past four years and the younger girls who are coming up, showing them what it means to play for Woodstown.
“No one’s really brought it up with us because they didn’t want to stress us out, but we knew. We knew this is Woodstown basketball. Show up for your school, for the tradition, for the girls before you and keep it going.”
The 11th-seeded Wolverines (12-15) lost to the Eagles (16-8) twice during the regular season and were in danger of being the first Woodstown team in a long time to lose to the same team three times in one season trailing by seven with 3:39 to play.
It was at that point Pennsville star Marley Wood picked up her fifth foul and her departure changed so much of what the Eagles could do on both ends of the floor.
The Wolverines chipped away and finally got it tied at 45 on Hengel’s 3-pointer from the right corner right after Kyia Leyman kept the possession alive by banging a loose ball off a Pennsville defender out of bounds.
“I didn’t have time to think, “ Hengel said. “That that was just me doing what I love and playing basketball, not even thinking and just taking the shot. I was practicing in our gym before we left trying to fix my shot and get it just right before the game. It was a big deal to me.”
The game was tied again at 47 and stayed that way until 13 seconds remained when Pennsville set up for a routine inbounds play at midcourt opposite of the benches.
The Eagles wanted to get the ball into Taylor Bass and give her a chance to push to the basket and either get a shot or, depending on how the Wolverines played it, kick out for a 3-pointer, but Perry threw a wrench into all that. She ran up on Bass to knock the inbounds pass away (and Bass along with it) and after a frozen few seconds to realize there was no foul, Perry scooped up the loose ball and drove in alone for the go-ahead layup.
“I knew she was coming right to the ball so I kind of cheated out a little bit and was able to get there and took it out of her hands,” Perry said, admitting there was contact on the turnover. “The play was supposed to be for me to stay back but I just remember cheating out a little bit. I knew there wasn’t that much time left and anything I could do to get my hand on the ball I was trying to do it. I try to pop out and get steals as much as I can, but that was definitely a highlight.”
“She’s insane,” Hengel said of Perry. “She has some crazy footwork and she’s a pest on defense. I just think that was just huge and nobody deserved that play more than her.”
“It was a big play by her, but there were big plays made by everybody all game and that’s what I’m so proud of,” coach Matt Smart said. “For the most part the girls played extremely hard. That’s kind of what we preach in practice all week and that’s what they preach to each. They knew what they had to do win this game and then we went out and accomplished it.”
There was still time on the clock to get an equalizer or maybe a game-winner, but the Eagles lost the ball out of bounds attacking the basket with 2.8 seconds left. When the Wolverines put the ball back in play Hengel was fouled immediately and went to the line for her game-sealing free throws.
Hengel got Woodstown going early while the Eagles were still settling into the game and led the Wolverines with 15 points. Kendall Young had 14, Leyman 12 and Perry 10.
Pennsville’s Wood led all scorers with 20 points and finished her high school career as the Eagles’ second all-time leading girls scorer with 1352 points and 12th all-time in Salem County. Bass had 11 points and finished with 1237, tied for 19th on the all-time county girls list.
The Wolverines now play at third-seeded Audubon in the quarterfinals Monday.
“It just feels nice to not be done playing basketball,” Smart said.
Top photo: Woodstown’s Emma Perry (13) knocks away an inbounds pass intended for Pennsville’s Taylor Bass leading to her tie-breaking layup late in the fourth quarter that sent the Wolverines to playoff victory.
WOODSTOWN 51, PENNSVILLE 47
WOODSTOWN (12-15): Lauren Hengel 6 2-4 15, Emma Perry 5 0-0 10, Kyia Leyman 5 2-5 12, Kendall Young 5 3-4 14, Talia Guardascione 0 0-4 0, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-13 51.
PENNSVILLE (16-8): Taylor Bass 3 4-5 11, Marley Wood 5 9-12 20, Addie Johnston 1 1-2 4, Izzy Saulin 6 0-0 12, Jaiden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Jaida Burns 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 14-19 47.
| Woodstown | 15 | 8 | 11 | 17- | 51 |
| Pennsville | 8 | 13 | 10 | 16- | 47 |
GATEWAY 43, SCHALICK 21: Down 12 with 90 seconds left in the third quarter, Schalick coach John Whelan figured it was time to roll the dice. He rolled out something the Cougars hadn’t practiced – a full-court man defense – with the aim of getting his team back in the game.
It worked for a while. The Cougars cut the deficit in half with about six and a half minutes left, but the Gators regrouped and made the plays to open it back up.
The Cougars were without Ava Scurry, the county’s leading shot-blocker by a wide margin, and guard Emmalyn Weir was excused in the third quarter for a school event. The Gators also clamped down on leading scorer Neveah Robinson, holding her without a field goal and to only two points.
“But our girls battled to the end and I am extremely proud of all they accomplished this season,” Whelan said.
Indeed. The Cougars made an 11-win turnaround from the season before and enjoyed their winningest season since 209. They won their first three games of the season and were never below .500 at any point.
Sophomore guard Liv VanAcker had three assists in the game set the Cougars’ single-season record with 91.
GATEWAY 43, SCHALICK 21
SCHALICK (17-8): Cali Fisler 2 2-4 6, Emmalyn Weir 2 1-2 6, Willow Davis 1 2-2 5, Nevaeh Robinson 0 2-2 2, Liv VanAcker 0 0-2 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 7-12 21.
GATEWAY (17-10): Sydney Hughes 0 2-3 2, Jayda Catoe 5 0-2 10, Peyton Cutler 4 0-0 8, Layla DeMaise 3 2-2 8, Lucy Matthews 4 3-6 13, Koby Williams 0 0-0 0, Lexie Kirwin 1 0-0 2, Caitlin Gettings 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-14 43.
| Schalick | 5 | 3 | 9 | 4- | 21 |
| Gateway | 9 | 8 | 8 | 18- | 43 |
AUDUBON 54, SALEM 35: Emma Speyerer scored 22 points and two of her Green Wave teammates also scored in double figures. Dyaira Anderson had a double-double for the Rams (12 points and 12 rebounds).
The loss brought a close to Kemp Carr’s first season as the Rams’ coach. His team produced the program’s winningest season since 2022-23, made a six-win improvement over the year before and was .500 as late as Feb. 17.
AUDUBON 54, SALEM 35
SALEM (9-11): Carlysia Pierce 5 3-6 3, Dyaira Anderson 5 2-12 12, Saniyah Moore 1 0-0 2, Jaryn Weathers 0 2-2 2, Timmiyah Simmons 1 0-0 2, Kaliyah Taylor 2 0-2 4, Madison Dixon 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 7-24 35.
AUDUBON (19-8): Emma Speyerer 10 2-4 22, Kylie Canada 1 0-0 2, Giavanna Heller 8 0-1 16, Sophia Homa 3 4-6 10, Mylia Madden 1 0-0 3, Jules Heck 0 1-4 1, Acen Bangle 0 0-0 0, Clara Poponi 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 7-15 54.
| Salem | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10- | 35 |
| Audubon | 16 | 10 | 21 | 7- | 54 |
Salem County sweep
All three Salem County teams in South Jersey Group I boys playoffs won opening round games, two to collide in quarterfinals, Penns Grove gets second home game; upsets abound
SJ GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT
Friday’s games
Salem 67, Riverside 42
Woodstown 67, Paulsboro 49
Glassboro 64, Burlington City 61 (OT)
KIPP 46, Wildwood 41
New Egypt 42, Haddon Twp. 36
Penns Grove 43, Pitman 33
Audubon 45, Woodbury 41
Palmyra 66, Gateway 53
Monday’s games
No. 8 Woodstown at No. 1 Salem
No. 12 Glassboro at No. 4 KIPP
No. 14 New Egypt at No. 6 Penns Grove
No. 10 Audubon at No. 2 Palmyra
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Alejandro Vazquez was watching the Salem Community College playoff game with his Woodstown teammates Thursday night when the conversation turned to the Wolverines’ road in their own playoffs.
The Woodstown senior said he planned to give more than 100 percent in the Wolverines’ playoff opener against Paulsboro and even more in an anticipated second-round matchup with rival Salem.
Vazquez delivered on his first promise Friday, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 22 points in leading the Wolverines to a 67-49 win. The stage is at least set for him to fulfill the second promise as his team now draws top-seeded Salem Monday night.
“He just hit shots; he played big tonight,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “Andro was the first person in the gym. I told them come in at 3:30 and he was there at 3:15 getting his shots up. He was the first one in the gym, took the basketballs out. He was locked in right from the beginning.”
The Red Raiders clamped down on Woodstown gunner Blake Bialecki, but the Wolverines found offense elsewhere. In addition to Vazquez’ big game, freshman Frankie Hoerst had a career-high 16 points and Elijah Caesar had 11.
“In their zone they keyed on Blake,” Roots said. “They were in the 1-3-1, 1-2-2, they were physical with Blake. Blake made the right read and Andro just came and hit shots. Frankie played well, rebounded the ball, kicking it out. It was just a group effort.
“And we played at good pace. We took our time. We didn’t get sped up. We just played a good brand of basketball.”
Vazquez was really big in the third quarter when the Wolverines pulled away. He had 11 points in the quarter and Woodstown outscored its visitors 17-6 to carry a 46-29 lead into the fourth quarter. Paulsboro made a push and got within 10 in the fourth quarter but then Woodstown “made the right plays at the right time and made it difficult for them” to get any closer.
The next round promises to be even more intriguing. Roots was Salem coach Anthony Farmer’s assistant before taking the Woodstown job and every game between the teams since except the first one, which was Roots’ first game as head coach, has been a battle. Earlier this year the Wolverines had the ball down by three with five seconds left, but lost the possession to a curious carry call.
“I think we’re at a good space right now,” Roots said. “I think that Clearview game kind of helped us get back on track. You know, we went on that three-game skid, so that game got us back on track. We feel Paulsboro and Salem play similar styles, and I think Paulsboro did a good job preparing us for Salem, but Salem in the No. 1 team, they’re the favorite as they should (be), but I like our chances. If we play the right way and just control the ball, not get sped up and just play our pace I think we have a good chance.”
WOODSTOWN 67, PAULSBORO 49
PAULSBORO (11-4): Khalil Streater 5 0-0 10, Malakai McKenzie 7 1-3 18, Jeremiah Carr 6 1-1 14, LaShawn Clay 1 0-0 3, Majal Robinson 2 0-0 4, Jeff Taylor 0 0-0 0, Jakai Bennett 0 0-2 0, Dayvon Kersey 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 2-6 49.
WOODSTOWN (17-11): Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 11, Jalen Markward 1 1-2 3, Andrew White 2 0-0 5, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 1 2-2 4, Frank Hoerst 6 4-4 16, Alejandro Vazquez 7 5-6 22, Josh King 2 0-2 4. Totals 23 15-20 67.
| Paulsboro | 12 | 11 | 6 | 20- | 49 |
| Woodstown | 15 | 14 | 17 | 21- | 67 |
PENNS GROVE 43, PITMAN 33: The Red Devils followed a road map that will a team a lot of games. They put together a balanced offense and played tight defense.
The Red Devils, enjoying their winningest season since 2019-20 following this plan, didn’t have a player score more than nine points, but they spread the wealth among eight scorers. Haneef Frisby and Roman Gipson headed the effort with nine points apiece.
“We followed the gameplay to a T,” coach Damian Ware said. “We knew they had good shooters and we could not let them get open looks. Guys did their job and only allowed three 3-pointers to a team that can hit 10 to 15 if you’re not locked in.”
With New Egypt’s upset of third-seeded Haddon Twp., the Red Devils (17-11) get another home game and will host 14th-seeded Warriors (12-14) Monday night.
PITMAN (11-16): Lucas Razze 1-0-3, Parker DeChristopher 3-3-9, Joey Zubert 5-1-12, Jay Craig 1-0-2, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 3-0-7. Totals 13-4-33.
PENNS GROVE (17-11): Roman Gipson 4-1-9, Geonni Conrad 3-0-7, Will Roy 2-3-7, Haneef Frisby 3-3-9, Mishawn Brantley 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-1-5, Carson Pearsall 1-0-2, Luis Colon 1-0-2. Totals 17-8-43.
| Pitman | 7 | 6 | 11 | 9- | 33 |
| Penns Grove | 13 | 10 | 6 | 14- | 43 |
SALEM 67, RIVERSIDE 42: The top-seeded Rams settled into the tournament with an expected win over a 16-seed, but considering some of the other results in the bracket they likely feel fortunate to have avoided the upset.
Three Rams scored in double figures and three others had 10 rebounds to lead the attack. Neziah Spence led the offense with 16 points, while Fatah Paige had 13 and 1,000-point scorer Tymear Lecator had 11. Deshaan Williams, Cole Sayers and Marshall Stephens grabbed 10 rebounds apiece.
The win earned Salem coach Anthony Farmer his second 20-win season with the Rams (21-8) and his first since the debut campaign.
SALEM 67, RIVERSIDE 42
RIVERSIDE (12-15): Cameron Brown 11 1-2 25, Andrew Weaver 4 3-4 13, Justin Porter 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Boston 2 0-0 4, Brett Grinnan 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Ali-Lewis 0 0-0 0, Gabriel Sanchez 0 0-0 0, Lewi Bin Isreal 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 4-4 42.
SALEM (20-5): Tymear Lecator 5 0-0 11, Neziah Spence 7 0-0 16, Darrelle Johnson 1 0-0 2, BJ Robbins 4 0-0 9, Deshaan Williams 3 0-0 6, Cole Sayers 2 0-0 4, Marshall Stephens 3 0-0 6, Fatah Paige 5 0-0 13. Totals 30 0-0 67.
| Riverside | 7 | 5 | 13 | 17- | 42 |
| Salem | 19 | 8 | 16 | 24- | 67 |
Riverview Sports News 