Back at it

Salem CC returns to action after three-week break, sweep Camden CC; Taylor, Spencer have smashing debuts

MEN’S GAME
Salem CC 84, Camden CC 79
WOMEN’S GAME
Salem CC 61, Camden CC 55

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green had been saying for weeks his Salem Community College basketball team would be different and better when the four players who had been sitting on the sidelines in street clothes got on the court in January. He wasn’t wrong.

Akeem Taylor, Jyheim Spencer, Tamir Powell and Taje’e Jordan — all out the first semester for ankle injuries or academics — all made their season debuts Tuesday night and the Mighty Oaks indeed were different than they had been.

Taylor and Spencer had smashing debuts that literally were three years in the making, but all four played big roles as the Mighty Oaks opened the new year with an entertaining 84-79 win over long-time thorn Camden CC. They had beaten the Cougars only once in their previous eight games since reviving the program in 2019 (Dec. 21, 2021).

Taylor, who missed the first half of the season with an ankle injury and spent the first semester doing the book at the scorer’s table, had 33 points, five rebounds and two assists, prompting inquiring minds to wonder if it was the most points in a Salem CC debut at least since the revival of the program. Spencer, who also had an ankle injury, had 22 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in his first college game since December 2020.

Powell, another of the first-semester boot brigade, had six points and four assists. And Jordan, who played on the team last year but was academically ineligible in the first semester, had two points and six rebounds.

“I like to pride myself on telling you the truth,” Green said. “They’re just different players, man. I wish we would’ve had them earlier, but they’re at the top of the league when it comes to top players and they showed it from Day One. I didn’t expect them to show it like that so early, but they showed it.

“I knew they were good. I knew they’d be good, thinking maybe 16 for one, 18 the other, but 30 and 20, that’s next level. We knew we had that firepower coming in. The coaching staff did a good job of saying we’ll be all right, let’s just get through it, because once we get the full team we’ll be tough to deal with.”

And they weren’t even as full of strength as they could be even with the additions. Niame Scott and Julien Jones are out for a considerable period with first-semester injuries. They lost two other contributors as academic casualties and a third is stepping back to focus on his coursework. Dontarius Jones and Tyrese Fortune missed the game still stuck in Delaware after the weekend snowstorm. And A.J. Jones hasn’t registered for second semester classes yet.

Taylor, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Chester, started his college career at Kutztown in 2021 and then took a gap year before landing at Salem. He wasn’t sure he was even going to play Tuesday. He tore all three ligaments in his left ankle in a preseason practice and had only been cleared to play hours before tip.

He wasted no time getting involved. He took Salem’s first shot of the game, a left-handed layup that rolled off the rim. He got it again on the next possession and this time rolled it in right-handed for the game’s first points.

He had 16 points at halftime on 7-of-9 shooting, including back-to-back three-point plays – one off a sharp pass from Spencer – during the Mighty Oaks’ early comeback. He and Spencer combined for 15 of Salem’s first 17 points of the game.

“First game against a real good team that we lost to the first time, there was a lot of hype, so I was excited to get back,” he said. “I was looking forward to this game – a lot – because they’re one of the top teams in our conference.

“I thought it was just going to be a game to get me in the rhythm, but the first couple shots went in and I was like it’s go time. That was the best debut ever, the best one I ever had my whole life.”

Spencer had an even longer and harder road to get here. He started out at Caldwell University in 2020, but ran into academic difficulties, left school and fell into trouble that got him incarcerated for 18 months. Green found him, gave him a shot “not knowing me from a can of paint,” for which is he greatly appreciative, and now the 6-8 post from Dover is a freshman here with two years of eligibility.

“I was kind of nervous a little bit but my teammates told me it’s just another game,” Spencer said. “They were encouraging me that I’m really him, that I’m really a dog out there on the court. It doesn’t matter who’s guarding me, just go out there and do what you’re supposed to do.

“I didn’t think I was going to do what I did, but my teammates encouraged me to go harder than what I usually do. I really fed off them.”

No more than three of the newcomers were on the floor at any one time in the game and most of the time there were two, but they all got significant minutes. Among other things, they allow the Mighty Oaks to play more above the rim and free up some of their other shooters.

New and old players alike didn’t get the new year off to a good start. Perhaps it was the combination of the two big newcomers having three years off of competition and the team not playing since Dec. 19, but the Mighty Oaks (11-4) fell behind 15-4 at the outset.

They finally started getting things together when Spencer entered for the first time five minutes into the game. They got back within one on Taylor’s crashing putback with 7:40 left in the half and took the lead for the first time since 2-0 on two free throws by Powell with 5:55 to go. They trailed 41-39 at the break, but it stayed tight the rest of the game.

The Mighty Oaks pulled away late. They opened a seven-point lead on Spencer’s slam with 1:51 to go, then sealed it with three free throws by Taylor and Powell in the final 11 seconds.

SALEM CC 84, CAMDEN CC 79
CAMDEN CC (9-6): Tyson Shaw 4-8 1-2 9, Demere Hollingsworth 5-11 5-6 16, Mikey Campbell 3-7 1-2 7, Elijah Hightower 14-18 2-7 30, Jacquez Williams 3-9 0-0 6, Noah Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Charlie LaBarre 0-0 0-0 0, Glenmore King 2-4 0-0 5, Davit Gelashvilli 1-2 0-0 3, Cam Rambert 0-3 0-1 0, Titus Blalock 1-3 1-2 4. Totals 33-66 10-20 79.
SALEM CC (11-4): Tamir Powell 1-11 3-3 6, Joshua Ramos 1-9 0-0 3, Xavier Brewington 3-13 4-6 11, Rodney Shelton 0-3 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 11-19 10-12 33, Tivon Woolford 1-3 4-6 7, Taja’e Jordan 1-3 0-0 2, Jyheim Spencer 9-12 4-4 22. Totals 27-73 25-31 84.

Camden CC	41	38-	79
Salem CC	49	45-	84

3-point goals: Camden CC 3-7 (Hollingsworth 1-1, Williams 0-1, King 1-2, Blalock 1-3); Salem CC 5-25 (Powell 1-6, Ramos 1-9, Brewington 1-5, Taylor 1-2, Woolford 1-2, Spencer 0-1). Rebounds: Camden CC 39 (Hightower 12, Campbell 10); Salem CC 42 (Spencer 14) Total fouls: Camden CC 24, Salem CC 17.

Women’s Game

CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC women knew well before Christmas what they needed to do when they returned from the holidays in order to make the Region XIX playoffs.

They had to go three games over .500 in their remaining 15 games and were probably going to lose one of the winnable games off the schedule because Morris paused its season. It seemed a tall task for a team that won its first three games of the season, but that was the bed they made for themselves.

That made Tuesday night’s first game of 2025 imperative to get. It almost got away from them, but the Mighty Oaks got it nonetheless, holding off Camden CC 61-55 to start the new year right.

“It was a huge first step for us, especially in the new year, trying to get that win,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We’ve got a game on Thursday and a game on Saturday, trying to go 3-0 this week and obviously it starts with this game.

“I don’t like to look ahead, but this is a game we had to have for our playoff aspirations, for sure.”

The Mighty Oaks (5-6) didn’t look like a team that hadn’t played since Dec. 17 at the outset. They jumped out to an eight-point halftime lead and led by 17 late in the third quarter, then they had to hold on for dear life.

They shot only 19 percent from the floor in the quarter and the Cougars took advantage of it, bringing the margin all the way back to three before Nyaijah Jackson sealed it with three free throws in the final 11 seconds.

Jackson, a 55-percent free throw shooter this season, went 5-of-10 from the line for the game and finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Marsh called her a “tough basketball player who wants to do whatever it takes to win.”

“I just had to take my time,” the freshman guard from Wilmington said. “We needed those free throws. I tried to make them count. The crowd was talking a lot of stuff.”

Akira Chambers also had a double-double for Salem with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Maggie St. Clair (13) and Kathryn Laurence (10) also scored in double figures. Julie Maldonado (11/12) and Katelyn Burns (10/10) had double-doubles for the Cougars (12-4).

After the win, the Mighty Oaks (5-6) now must go 8-6 the rest of the way to snag a spot in the Region XIX playoffs. It may be 7-6 if they lose a second game off the schedule with Morris, a team that seems to have abandoned the season.

Marsh said it’s doable.

“I think so,” he said. “I honestly said to my team I think we’re going to make a run. It’s starting to come together. Our energy and our execution is starting to come together. I just think we’re going to be a team don’t want to play right now.

“I think we ended the year (2024) very strong and we’re starting very strong, so I think it’s going to be a team if we put everything together for January we’re going to be a tough out in February.”

SALEM CC WOMEN 61, CAMDEN CC 55
CAMDEN CC (12-4): Erica Paranzino 3-12 6-6 12, Brianna Kemble 5-22 1-4 11, Katelyn Burns 5-8 0-0 10, Clara Pons de vall Ruiz 3-7 0-1 7, Julia Maldonado 3-12 4-4 11, Isabella Boyle 2-12 0-0 4. Totals 21-73 11-15 55.
SALEM CC (5-6): RayNescia King 1-5 0-2 2, Kathryn Laurence 4-8 0-0 10, Jakayla Jenkins 4-10 1-2 9, Akira Chambers 7-12 0-2 14, Alexa Hopkins 0-7 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 4-13 5-10 13, Maggie St. Clair 5-13 3-4 13, Daniella Gustin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-70 9-20 61.

Camden CC	12	12	11	20-	55
Salem CC	16	16	18	11-	61

3-point goals: Camden CC 2-10 (Kemble 0-2, Ruiz 1-3, Maldonado 1-5); Salem CC 2-15 (King 0-3, Laurence 2-5, Hopkins 0-3, Jackson 0-2, St. Clair 0-2). Rebounds: Camden CC 40 (Maldonado 12, Burns 10); Salem CC 53 (Chambers 14, Jackson 12). Fouled out: Kemble. Total fouls: Camden CC 19, Salem CC 17.

Less is more

Tuesday girls roundup: Penns Grove doing more with less, focusing on quality over quantity; Cummings has a career double-double

GIRLS GAMES
Clayton 72, Salem Tech 45
Glassboro 65, Schalick 15
Penns Grove 58, Overbrook 19
Pitman 48, Salem 33

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Look across the court to any bench at a high school basketball game. You’ll see a long row of chairs stretching from the scorer’s table to the end line. You won’t find an empty seat and both sides of the pre-game layup line stretches all the way to the mid-stripe.

And then you’ve got a team like the Penns Grove girls. The Red Devils have taken a minimalist approach to their game, where less is more. They played six players Tuesday and that was more than plenty to take down Overbrook 58-19.

“It tells me my kids have heart, fight and determination,” coach Jennifer Denby said. “It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality, and we have girls who can play the game.”

It’s a team that reminds many of the Penns Grove squad two years ago that went all the way to the South Jersey Group I semifinals with a seven-man roster, a Magnificent Seven.

“We have a handful (of players), but like I keep telling them we have the quality,” Denby continued. “We have 100 percent genuine, authentic players on our team. And that’s all we need, and we’re good with that. I just want them to compete on a higher level.”

“The numbers don’t matter,” sophomore center JaNiyah Cummings said. “You can have like 30 people and still be losing. If you have a good team, a good team where you have connection, and you can move the ball then you can do anything, honestly.”

One thing about a small roster, there’s a lot of opportunity for big games individually and the Red Devils had a lot of quality performances against the Lady Rams.

RaNiyah Wilson continued her march towards 1,000 points with a game-high 24. The senior guard now has 787 career points and is on pace to hit the milestone Feb. 8 against Glassboro. Perhaps sooner if she picks up one certain aspect of her game.

“She is a big scorer and I keep telling her play defense,” Denby said. “If you play defense, you get easy buckets. The teams we play who are not as fortunate like we are, she should get 30 and 40 points if she plays defense. Defense is the key for getting her 1,000 points.”

That was very much in evidence during one brief stretch in the second half. Wilson scored the last basket of the third quarter and the first basket of the fourth both after stealing inbounds passes and turning them into driving layups.

But the big games didn’t just stop with her.

Brianna Robbins had nine points and 10 rebounds. Mikayla Washington had four points and grabbed 13 boards.

But the biggest game belonged to Cummings. She had a career day, scoring 18 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Her previous career high was 13 points last year against Pennsville. Her best game this year was 12 in a double-double against Pleasantville.

“I don’t know what it was, I got this spark of energy and I just wanted to play,” she said. “I just wanted to play and I wanted to win.”

“Cummings is a true student-athlete; she is my AP girl,” Denby said. “Regardless if she’s going through a lot of negative things, Cummings still comes to perform and she stands on her own. It takes a lot for an individual to stand on their own. Cummings does that day in and day out, and I take my hat off to her.”

Cover photo: RaNiyah Wilson (5) and JaNiyah Cummings (24) had two of Penns Grove’s biggest games against Overbrook Tuesday.

PENNS GROVE 58, OVERBROOK 19
OVERBROOK (1-7): Leslie Rosario 0 0-0 0, Gia Simon 6 0-1 13, Jayel Presley 0 2-4 2, Leiani Knight 1 1-2 5, Ahlani White 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Bella Sepuleda 0 0-0 0, Lily Lafountain 0 0-0 0, Talia Wiggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-7 29.
PENNS GROVE (4-2): Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 4 0-0 9, RaNiyah Wilson 9 3-6 24, Keziah Patterson 1 0-0 3, Mikayla Washington 2 0-2 4, JaNiyah Cummings 9 0-0 18. Totals 25 3-8 58.

Overbrook	2	4	4	9-	19
Penns Grove	13	12	14	19-	58

3-point goals: Overbrook 2 (Simon, Knight); Penns Grove 5 (B. Robbins, Wilson 3, Patterson). Total fouls: Overbrook 7, Penns Grove 5.

PITMAN 48, SALEM 33
SALEM (0-6): Carlysia Pierce 3 0-2 6, Dakirah Gray 2 3-4 8, Marcela Vilalpando 1 1-2 3, Navaho Hickman 4 1-4 13. Only four players reported. Totals 10 5-15 30-x.
PITMAN (2-4): Colette Rollins 1 0-0 2, Jocelyn O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Audrey Duffield 10 3-4 24, Jess Bretz 8 2-8 18. Only four players reported. Totals 21 5-12 48.

Salem	9	13	5	6-	33
Pitman	11	10	12	15-	48

3-point goals: Salem 5 (Gray, Hickman 4); Pitman 1 (Duffield). x-Box score doesn’t tabulate.

GLASSBORO 65, SCHALICK 15
SCHALICK (1-4): Cali Fisler 0 1-3 1, Naveah Robinson 1 2-4 5, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Willow Davis 1 0-0 3, Olivia Lunemann 1 0-0 2. Totals 5 3-7 15.
GLASSBORO (3-4): Sanaa Thomas 3 0-3 7, Tamia Smith 8 0-0 19, Grace Moore 3 0-0 6, NiJha Norzon Clark 1 0-0 2, Kezia Brackett 10 0-1 21, Kimora Miles 2 0-1 4, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Lily Cubas 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 0-5 65.

Schalick	7	0	0	8-	15
Glassboro	14	24	17	10-	65

3-point goals: Schalick 2(Robinson, Davis); Glassboro 5 (Thomas, Smith 3, Brackett). Rebounds: Glassboro 31 (Wedderburn 11). Note: Glassboro’s Thomas had 10 assists.

CLAYTON 72, SALEM TECH 49
CLAYTON (5-1): Rainelle Blocker 5 0-2 10, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, India Bryant 4 0-0 9, Ava Delaney 10 0-3 23, Napria Loatman 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 11 0-2 24, Isabella Wiseburn 1 0-0 2. Totals 33 0-7 72.
SALEM TECH (2-4): Hannah Dewitt 3 0-0 6, Shelby Drummond 2 0-0 4, Kaylin Beardsley 1 1-4 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2, Demajae White 3 0-0 2, Shelby Liber 7 2-3 20, Evening Amedee 1 0-0 2, Rylee Doerr 3 0-1 6. Totals 23 3-8 49.

Clayton	20	23	12	17-	72
Salem Tech	7	15	11	16-	49

3-point goals: Clayton 6 (Bryant, Delaney 3, Simon 2); Salem Tech 4 (Liber 4). Rebounds: Salem Tech 63 (White 22, Doerr 11).

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	TODAY	POINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	DNP	1332
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	DNP	1295
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 427)	DNP	889
Marley Wood, Pennsville	DNP	799
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 536)	24	787

Through games of Jan. 7

Saturday basketball

Penns Grove takes a step forward even though it comes at the expense of a loss; Pennsville splits with Cumberland

BOYS GAMES
Eastern 56, Penns Grove 43
Cumberland 70, Pennsville 49
GIRLS GAME
Pennsville 61, Cumberland 25

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – His young team had just taken another loss to one of the bluebloods it schedules early in the season to teach and toughen for the road ahead. The loss in itself would be enough to dampen a day that still had a lot of left in it, but Penns Grove coach Damian Ware didn’t feel all that bad and told his team that after the loss’ initial sting wears off it shouldn’t either.

The Red Devils absorbed a 56-43 loss to an Eastern team now on an eight-game winning streak Saturday. It came less than a week since they took their lumps in a 30-point loss to St. Augustine on the Wildwood boardwalk, but this one felt different.

In the St. Augustine game, the Red Devils fell behind and the deficit just kept growing. Saturday against the Vikings they fell behind after taking a lead out of the gate, but instead of watching the gap grow larger, they kept it in a manageable range.

It did get to be a 20-point game midway through the third quarter, but the Red Devils brought it back to 10 early in the fourth.

“We’re still getting there,” Ware said. “The thing is, against St. Augustine the lead went from 10 to 15 to 20 to 30; it kept building. Today, it got to 20 and we cut it back down. That shows me that we’re growing and we’re getting better.

“I’m not happy with the loss, but I’m proud of the effort.”

The roadmap for this one is pretty easy to follow. The Red Devils started fast. They scored the first 10 points of the game and for a brief moment gave rise to the idea they might be able to pull off the upset.

But the Vikings finally got on the board a little more than halfway through the first quarter and the fortunes of both teams quickly turned. The Vikings went on a 16-2 run that carried into the second quarter to take control and after Nasir Benjamin turned into a one-man wrecking crew at the end of the quarter they had a 13-point halftime lead. That’s a 23-point swing over the last 13 minutes of the half.

“One of the keys to the game with this team was they’re a Group 4 squad and they’re very, very solid, so we knew we had to execute on offense,” Ware said. “That’s exactly what we did to start the game: We executed. We ran a couple sets, we got the open shot and we knocked the shots down.

“Later in the first quarter they went to a little 2-2-1 press and we started going too fast. We started pressing a little bit. Instead of staying calm and making the right play we started to try to put our head down and just drive through guys that are 6-5. Not gonna happen when we’re 6-foot.”

Brandin Robbins and Roman Gipson played big roles in the Red Devils’ fast start. They opened the game with 3-pointers and then each had a layup. Robbins’ layup was a scoop in traffic that looked more like a softball pitch at the basket, but it went in as one of those circus shots teams need to hit that give rise to an upset.

Robbins cooled off, but Gipson stayed hot. He led the Red Devils with a career-high 21 points. Whenever it looked like the Vikings were about to pull away, Gipson or Antoine Robinson hit a bucket to keep it from getting too far out of reach. Robinson had 11 points

Gibson is averaging 12.5 points a game this season, but he’s had 40 points in his last two games.

“Gipson’s starting to play,” Ware said. “I’ve been trying to get him to play like this for two years now and now he’s finally starting to get downhill and he’s playing with supreme confidence.

“That;s the thing about Roman. When he plays with confidence and he plays strong, he’s tough to deal with because he has a lot of moves. And as the kids say, ‘he’s got a deep bag.’ He’s got a deep bag of tricks. If he uses them and learns how to implement them at the right time he’ll be very successful.”

Sean Karbach led Eastern with 15 points. Jake Tulman and Kaedon Harper had 10 points apiece. Chase Huggard had eight points seven rebounds, seven assists and six of the Vikings’ 15 steals. Connor Henry didn’t score, but he had nine rebounds.

EASTERN 56, PENNS GROVE 43
EASTERN (8-1) – R.J. Gadson 0 0-0 0, Nasir Benjamin 4 0-1 8, Devansh Shah 1 0-0 2, Jake Tulman 4 0-0 10, Logan Dawson 1 0-0 3, Nate Zanetich 0 0-0 0, Chase Huggard 3 2-2 8, Connor Henry 0 0-0 0, Colin Virastek 0 0-0 0, Sean Karbach 7 1-1 15, Kaedon Harper 5 0-0 10, Ashton Fedore 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 3-4 56.
PENNS GROVE (2-4) – Karon Ceaser 2 0-0 4, Brandin Robbins 2 0-0 5, Jameel Horace 0 1-2 1, Luis Colon 0 1-2 1, Roman Gipson 8 3-4 21, Antoine Robinson 5 0-0 11, Caleb Foster 0 0-2 0, Haneef Frisbee 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 5-8 43.

Eastern	16	20	10	11-	56
Penns Grove	14	8	9	12-	43

3-point goals: Eastern 3 (Tulman 2, Dawson); Penns Grove 4 (Robbins, Gipson 2, Robinson). Rebounds: Eastern 33 (Henry 9, Huggard 7, Karbach 6); Penns Grove 22 (Frisbee 5, Robinson 4). Total fouls: Eastern 15, Penns Grove 7.

CUMBERLAND 70, PENNSVILLE 49: The Colts used a big second half to pull away from a tight game and hand the Eagles their third straight loss.

The Eagles led 28-27 at halftime, but it was all Cumberland in the second half. Kaleb Green scored 14 of his 24 points and Pat Crawford 11 of his 19 after halftime. And Kevin Fiorani scored seven of his nine second-half points in the third quarter.

“We just ran out of gas,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said.

Mason O’Brien did all he could to keep Pennsville in it. He had all 16 of the Eagles’ points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 28 points and is now averaging 16.2 ppg through the team’s first six games.

The Eagles made a couple shots in the first half that left the impression that this was going to be their day.

O’Brien hit a 3-pointer from the right corner that gave Pennsville its first lead, then hit an off-balanced one right before the buzzer to tie the game at 16. The second 3 touched off a 13-point run that gave the Eagles a 10-point lead with 4:20 left in the first half. Their first basket of the second quarter was C.J. McDevitt’s equally acrobatic throw that made it through the hoop.

Perry Meranti’s bucket off an inbounds pass put Pennsville up 26-16. At that point the Colts went to a zone and it changed the game. Cumberland used it to spark an 11-0 run to retake the lead. Jovanni Rios stopped the run and gave the Eagles a 28-27 halftime lead, but it didn’t stop the Colts’ momentum. They outscored Pennsville 43-21 in the second half.

“We just couldn’t penetrate the zone, couldn’t outshoot the zone, couldn’t do the things we needed to do to beat the zone, so the zone took them home,” Mecholsky said. “(His team) showed a lot of heart after getting beat by 50 the night before coming back to the gym the next day ready to work and were doing the things we wanted to do, we just weren’t able to continue that for four quarters.”

CUMBERLAND (2-6) – Kaleb Green 8 7-7 24, Jay Davis 3 0-0 6, Kameron Fiorani 0 2-2 2, Pat Crawford 8 3-5 19, Major Martin-Dunn 1 0-0 2, Troy Collins 2 0-0 4, Khalif Dawkins 1 0-0 2, Kevin Fiorani 4 1-1 9, Sincere Sadler 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 13-15 70.
PENNSVILLE (1-5) – Mason O’Brien 9-23 6-8 28, Jovanni Rios 5-6 1-4 11, Cole Johnston 2-4 0-0 5, Shiloh Jefferson 0-1 0-0 0, C.J. McDevitt 1-2 1-2 3, Perry Meranti 1-1 0-0 2, Daniel Knight 0-2 0-0 0, Jacob Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Hitt 0-1 0-0 0, Noah Owen 0 0 0, Griffin Hern 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-40 8-14 49.

Cumberland	16	11	19	24-	70
Pennsville	16	12	10	11-	49

3-point goals: Cumberland 1 (Green); Pennsville 5-18 (O’Brien 4-13, Johnston 1-3, Knight 0-1, Hitt 0-1). Fouled out: Ka. Fiorani. Total fouls: Cumberland 16, Pennsville 16.

Girls game

PENNSVILLE 61, CUMBERLAND 25: The Eagles jumped out to a big lead and placed four scorers in double figures for the first time this season while winning its third game in a row.

The Eagles got their expected scoring from their Big Three – Marley Wood (17), Nora Ausland (14) and Taylor Bass (12) – but this time added fourth to the mix. Freshman Addie Johnston, a 5-foot-7 freshman, scored a career-high 12 points.

The last time they had four scorers in double figures in a game was a Feb. 9, 2024 win over Millville – Wood (12), Ausland (11), Bass (10) and Bella Farina (13).

Johnston scored only 20 points in her previous five games, but had 16 in her last two. Four times Saturday she ran the floor leading the transition and finished with the layup. Interestingly, all four games in which she has scored this season, the Eagles (4-2) have won.

“She’s really coming into her own,” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “She is not playing as a typical freshman. Not free of freshman mistakes, but clearly playing at a higher level than most her age. I foresee an exceptional future/career.”

PENNSVILLE (4-2) – Taylor Bass 5 0-0 12, Marley Wood 8 0-0 17, Nora Ausland 5 1-2 14, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Addison Johnston 5 0-0 12, Izzy Saulin 0 0-2 0, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Ashlyn Fredo 1 0-0 2, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 1-4 61.
CUMBERLAND (3-6) – Isabella Albert 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Pflieger 1 0-0 2, Addison Weist 4 0-0 9, Ellie Bodine 1 1-2 4, DeMyra Spence 1 0-2 2, Gabby Albert 2 0-0 4, DaNya Gould 0 0-0 0, Aleena Fennal 0 0-0 0, Kamila Ramos 1 0-0 2, Mikaylah Piccioni 1 0-0 2, JaLynn Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 1-4 25.

Pennsville	22	14	17	8-	61
Cumberland	4	6	6	9-	25

3-point goals: Pennsville 8 (Bass 2, Wood, N. Ausland 3, Johnston 2); Cumberland 2 (Weist, Bodine). Rebounds: Pennsville 11 (N. Ausland 4).

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	POINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	1332
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	1295
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 427)	889
Marley Wood, Pennsville	799
x-RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 492)	743

Through games of Jan. 4; x-Missing Dec. 27 game vs. Deptford

Happy Hengel

Friday’s girls roundup: Woodstown junior comes to game in good mood, has career night as Wolverines get back on track

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pennsville 57, Overbrook 20
Penns Grove 50, Schalick 14
Salem Tech 36, Camden Academy Charter 32
Wildwood 77, Salem 27
Woodstown 62, Glassboro 39

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Lauren Hengel came to the gym Friday in a good mood. That was a good sign for the Woodstown girls basketball team looking to get back on the winning track.

Hengel came into the game with confidence and it translated to a big game as she helped the Wolverines beat Glassboro 62-39 to snap a two-game losing streak.

The 5-8 junior scored a career-high 14 points on the strength of 5-for-7 shooting from the floor and a pair of 3-pointers. She also had two rebounds and two steals. She scored 10 points in the third quarter.

Hengel gave the Wolverines a trio of double-figure scorers for the first time this season, joining Talia Battavio (19) and Megan Donelson (15). Battavio and Donelson combined for seven of Woodstown’s 11 3-pointers in the game. Hengel had two. Donelson scored all of her points in the first half.

“Lauren was amazing today,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “She came in today with a big smile on her face. She’s a big Notre Dame fan, so I think she just had a positive mindset (after watching the Irish beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to reach the CFP semifinals).

“We’ve always known that Lauren is a phenomenal basketball player. This whole season our big thing (with everyone except Battavio and Donelson) is confidence. They are phenomenal basketball players and a lot of times they’re open for great shots and they’re not confident to take it. Lauren today was confident with every single shot she took. She stepped into it. She made some big plays for us. She was fearless and smart at the same time, which really helped us.”

The Wolverines (5-2) came into the game having been swept in their appearance in the Haddon Twp. Holiday Tournament. They started out on a road towards three in a row Friday, falling behind the Bulldogs 9-2 in the first two minutes, but then Smart called the time out that turned their game around.

“We challenged the girls at practice this week to box out,” Smart said. “We were going for rebounds, but we weren’t finding a girl, being physical and boxing out. Glassboro at the beginning of the game kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit, we called time out and responded very well.

“Instead of just turning around looking for the ball off the back end of a shot, we were finding a girl, we were physical, we were letting the ball hit the ground one or two times and then attacking it. Basketball is a contact sport, a physical sport, so let’s find a girl, let’s box her out and then go attack that rebound. I think that set the tone for the whole game for us.”

With that mindset they climbed back in the game and eventually led 17-14 at quarter’s end. They stretched the lead to 14 at halftime and 23 after three quarters.

During the run, Battavio and Donelson hit a couple 3s, Kyia Leyman had a strong putback and Hengel had a bucket.

Somewhere in there was Smart’s favorite play of the game that summed up the approach to the day. Gianna Maiorini was battling under the boards and although she didn’t get this particular rebound she boxed out her man for a good five or six seconds which allowed a teammates to swoop in and secure the rebound.

The Wolverines grabbed 32 rebounds as a team. Eleven players had at least one, which was more than the number of players who scored points for them. Leyman and Donelson each had six boards. Maiorini had five.

The win extended Woodstown’s winning streak over TCC Diamond Division rivals to 34 in a row.

WOODSTOWN 62, GLASSBORO 39
GLASSBORO (2-4) – Sanaa Thomas 2 0-0 5, Tamia Smith 4 3-11 11, Kezia Brackett 5 4-10 15, Kimora Miles 0 1-2 1, Sianna Wedderburn 2 1-2 5, Grace Moore 1 0-0 2, NiJha Norzon Clark 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-25 39.
WOODSTOWN (5-2) – Talia Battavio 5-18 6-7 19, Megan Donelson 4-11 3-4 15, Gianna Maiorini 1-4 0-0 2, Kyia Leyman 1-1 0-0 2, Lauren Hengel 5-7 2-3 14, Emma Perry 1-3 0-0 2, Kendall Young 1-1 0-0 3, Jaia Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Mia Waterman 0-2 0-0 0, Brynley Ecret 2-2 0-0 5, Kailyn Kennedy 0-0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0-0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 11-14 62.

Glassboro	14	7	6	12-	39
Woodstown	17	18	15	11-	62

3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Thomas, Brackett); Woodstown 11-28 (Battavio 3-11, Donelson 4-8, Hengel 2-4, Perry 0-1, Young 1-1, Waterman 0-2, Ecret 1-1). Rebounds: Woodstown 32 (Donelson 6, Leyman 6). Total fouls: Glassboro 12, Woodstown 18.

SALEM TECH 36, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 32: Shelby Drummond and Demajae White scored 11 points apiece and the Chargers (2-3) dominated the backboards to snap a three-game losing streak and double their win total of a year ago.

According to the game’s statistical report, the Chargers cleared 76 rebounds. White had 24, Kaylin Beardsley 14 and Rylee Doerr had 12. Drummond had nine. The Chargers are now 2-3 for the season. They won once all last season.

SALEM TECH (2-3) – Shelby Liber 1 0-0 2, Hannah Dewitt 1 0-2 2, Lavae Scott 0 0-0 0, Demajae White 4 3-3 11, Shelby Drummond 4 0-0 11, Rylee Doerr 1 0-2 2, Kaylin Beardsley 2 2-2 8. Totals 13 5-9 36.
CAMDEN ACAD. (3-2) – Yomeidy DeLaRosa 3 2-8 8, Leslie Ramirez 1 0-0 2, Aishaara Davis Bonilla 2 0-3 4, Skylar Goods 1 0-0 2, Nyeema Torres 5 2-5 16. Totals 12 4-12 32.

Salem Tech	10	7	8	11-	36
Camden Academy	7	12	9	4-	32

3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Drummond 3, Beardsley 2); Camden Acad. 4 (Torres 4).

PENNSVILLE 57, OVERBROOK 20: Taylor Bass led three double-figure scorers with 19 points and Marley Wood had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists as the Eagles (3-2) went over .500 for the first time in coach Steve Merritt’s tenure. Nora Ausland had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Eagles.

PENNSVILLE (3-2) – Taylor Bass 8 0-0 19, Marley Wood 5 0-0 12, Nora Ausland 5 0-0 10, Jaida Burns 3 1-2 7, Addison Johnston 0 1-1 1, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Sofia Belitas 0 0-0 0, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 2-3 57.
OVERBROOK (1-6) – Gianna Simon 6 2-2 16, Rosetta Loebman 0 0-0 0, Lelani Knight 0 0-0 0, Ahlani Knight 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Lily LaFountain 0 0-0 0, Talia Wiggins 1 1-2 4, Kiya Townsend 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-4 20.

Pennsville	19	24	8	6-	57
Overbrook	3	2	4	11-	20

3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Bass 3, Wood 2); Overbrook 3 (Simon 2, Wiggins).

WILDWOOD 77, SALEM 27
WILDWOOD (6-0) – Macie McCracken 12 4-4 33, Angela Wilber 2 2-2 6, Rebecca Benichou 6 4-8 18, Cydnee Killian 1 0-0 2, Kiana D’Antuono 0 0-0 0, Addison Troiano 2 3-6 7, Sarah Djellal 0 1-2 1, Laila Fathi 1 2-2 5, Julia Ennis 1 0-0 2, Emma Contreras 0 0-0 0, Ellasyn Morey 0 0-0 0, Antoinette Cooper 1 0-0 2, Lily Atkinson 0 0-0 0, Mollie Farrell 0 1-2 1. Totals 26 17-26 77.
SALEM (0-5) – Carlysia Pierce 3 1-1 8, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 4, Lyric Hayes 0 1-3 1, Zaniyah Frieson 2 0-0 4, Shyla Parsons 1 0-2 2, Timmiyah Simmons 2 0-0 6, Triscia Wilson 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 2-4 27.

Wildwood	26	16	16	19-	77
Salem	7	9	2	9-	27

3-point goals: Wildwood 8 (McCracken 5, Benichou 2, Fathi); Salem 3 (Pierce, Simmons 2).

PENNS GROVE 50, SCHALICK 14
PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson 9 6-7 28, Brianna Robbins 2 2-4 6, Ialliyah Cummings 3 3-7 9, Keziah Patterson 3 0-0 6, Sianna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Washington 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 12-20 50.
SCHALICK (1-3) – Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Robinson 2 0-2 5, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Willow Davis 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 1 0-0 2, Carl Vicente 0 0-0 0, Olivia VanAcker 0 0-2 0, Vic Basich 0 1-2 1, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 1-6 14.

Penns Grove	10	12	10	18-	50
Schalick	3	7	0	4-	14

3-point goals: Penns Grove (Wilson 4); Schalick 1 (Robinson). Total fouls: Penns Grove 10, Schalick 16.

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	POINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	1332
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	1295
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 413)	875
Marley Wood, Pennsville	782
x-RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 492)	743

Through games of Jan. 3; x-Does not include 12/27 game vs. Deptford

Total package

Friday boys roundup: Frisbee, Robinson getting comfortable in their new surroundings back home in Penns Grove; story will be updated

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Gloucester Catholic 85, Salem Tech 42
Overbrook 72, Pennsville 26
Penns Grove 69, Schalick 37
Salem 65, Wildwood 48
Woodstown 57, Glassboro 39

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Haneef Frisbee and Antoine Robinson looked into the future last year and knew they were going to play somewhere different this basketball season. They didn’t know quite where at the time, but they did know they were going to go there together.

Where one decided to go, the other one would, too. That’s just the way they roll. Ultimately, the two Salem Tech teammates decided there was no place like home. They came back to their roots in Penns Grove to give the Red Devils the benefit of their size and length.

It’s taken some time getting used to a new school, a new team, a new floor, but Friday night they were the most comfortable they’ve been in their new surroundings all season and helped the Red Devils rout Schalick 69-37 in Rudy Baric Gym.

Frisbee, a lean 6-2 junior forward, had nine points, 10 rebounds and a couple steals. Robinson, a thick 6-1 junior guard, had eight points and six rebounds.

“We were definitely more comfortable than we have ever been,” Frisbee said.

Frisbee was hot early, scoring six of the Red Devils’ first eight points and grabbing five of his rebounds in the quarter. Robinson gave them a steadier game, spreading his production across all four quarters.

It’s not like they’re coming into a totally new environment. The two players are originally from Penns Grove and played there all the way through middle school. They went to Salem Tech for the academy there and naturally joined the basketball team.

Frisbee had 381 points, 292 rebounds and 77 blocked shots in 49 career games with the Chargers. Robinson had 365 points, 107 rebounds and 46 assists in 44 career games.

But two tough seasons in the win-loss column had them reassessing their choices and prospects for playing at the next level and they came – together – to Penns Grove to enroll in its Early College program.

“We came as a package,” Robinson said. “We thought about it hard, we even talked to our parents about it to bring them along and we made the decision to come to Penns Grove High School.”

“Twan’s basically my brother,” Frisbee said. “I put my trust in him wherever I go. Wherever I am I can always count on him to be there, like my right hand man. He’s not my brother, but I consider him like a brother.”

The bonus is the basketball team benefits from their size and length, elements that were missing with the graduation of last year’s class.

In the five games they’ve played at Penns Grove, Robinson has 27 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and 10 steals. Frisbee 31 points, 25 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Penns Grove coach Damian Ware didn’t know they were coming until Frisbee’s grandmother told him, but he knew of them. He had seen them play in middle school and, of course, when the Red Devils played Tech the last two years. The players already knew them from going to middle school together.

So with that familiarity, the transition was a little smoother than most. Now, it was a matter of getting them up to speed with the way the Red Devils play.

“As far as the play on the floor they have a lot to learn because they didn’t understand what we do here compared to what they did at their other school,” Ware said. “Haneef has played with great energy since Game 1, but he’s fouled out of three of our five games. Antoine’s thing is just understanding the speed of our game and how we play. Here, we move.

“That’s the thing with Antoine. When he picks up the pace of the game he’s going to be great. By the end of the season I guarantee he’ll be one of the studs in South Jersey, for sure.”

Penns Grove’s Roman Gipson led all scorers with 19 points.

PENNS GROVE 69, SCHALICK 37
SCHALICK (1-6) – Reggie Allen 2 3-5 7, Nylan Sutton 0 0-0 0, Justin Iacona 2 0-0 5, Sherrod Jones 2 0-0 5, Jase Volovar 2 0-0 6, Sean Kelly 1 1-2 4, Jamari Whitley 1 3-5 6, Jacob Schalick 1 2-2 4, Guage Cramer 0 0-0 0, Nick Aswell 0 0-2 0, Ryan Horner 0 0-0 0, Kade Macom 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 9-16 37.
PENNS GROVE (2-3) – Karon Ceaser 2 2-4 7, Brandin Robbins 1 2-2 5, Will Roe 1 0-0 2, Jameel Horace 3 1-2 8, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, Roman Gipson 8 3-6 19, Geonni Conrad 1 1-2 3, Antoine Robinson 4 2-2 10, Caleb Fowler 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisbee 4 1-2 9, Mishawn Brantley 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 12-20 69.

Schalick	6	9	7	15-	37
Penns Grove	19	14	27	9-	69

3-point goals: Schalick 6 (Volovar 2, Iacono, Jones, Whitley, Kelly); Penns Grove 3 (Ceaser, Robbins, Horace). Rebounds: Schalick 16 (Sutton 8); Penns Grove 34 (Frisbee 10, Robinson 6, Gipson 6, Horace 6). Total fouls: Schalick 18, Penns Grove 13.

SALEM 65, WILDWOOD 48: Tymere Lecator scored 22 points and Deshaan Williams and Antwuan Rogers both had double-doubles to lead the Rams (6-1) to their third straight win. It’s their second three-game winning streak of the season.

Williams, a 6-2 sophomore transfer from Cumberland, had a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds and got the game ball for his effort. He had 11 rebounds twice las a 5-11 freshman ast year for the Colts.

Rogers had 10 points and 14 boards, his third double-double in seven games this season. Lecator had seven rebounds and seven assists to go with his points. Xavier McGriff had 10 points.

WOODSTOWN 57, GLASSBORO 39: Blake Bialecki scored 19 points, Rocco String 16 and Elijah Caesar added a career-high tying 11 as the Wolverines (3-2) won their third straight. Bialecki and String both had double-doubles with Bialecki grabbed 11 rebounds and String snaring a career-high 20. String also blocked seven shots.

WOODSTOWN (3-2) – Rocco String 7 2-6 16, Garrett Leyman 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 19, M.J. Hall 2 0-0 4, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 6, Eli Caesar 5 0-0 11. Totals 23 5-10 57.
GLASSBORO (1-5) – Xavier Sabb 5 4-8 16, Davon Barr 1 0-0 2, Maurice Davis 2 4-6 8, Kenny Smith 3 0-2 8, Tashean Thomas 2 0-0 4, Aiden Harris 0 0-0 0, Will Boggans 0 0-0 0, Marley Crowl 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-16 39.

Woodstown	20	17	9	11-	57
Glassboro	7	13	6	13-	39

3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2, Caesar); Glassboro 5 (Sabb 3, Smith 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 14, Glassboro 12.

OVERBROOK 72, PENNSVILLE 26
OVERBROOK (5-2) – Zair Green 10, Xavier Wright 7, Lamar Little 14, Bilal Robinson 4, Elvin Santiago 4, J.R. Stanley 3, Jaden St. John 6, Rashon Jones 5, Jayden Wilkerson 4, Gavin Cajuste 3, Cody Harris 9, Jason Boyd 3.
PENNSVILLE (1-4) – Mason O’Brien 4-1-10, Jovanni Rios 3-1-7, Perry Meranti 0-0-0, Cole Johnston 0-0-0, Shiloh Jefferson 1-0-2, Daniel Knight 1-0-2, C.J. McDevitt 1-1-3, Jacob Miller 1-0-2.

Overbrook	22	24	13	13-	72
Pennsville	9	7	2	8-	26

3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (O’Brien 2).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 85, SALEM TECH 41
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (3-5) – Carlos Mendez 6 2-2 15, Jack Mustaro 10 7-7 31, Jack Pund 2 2-4 6, Danny Zellner 3 0-0 6, Ben Cook 3 0-4 6, Kybron Ricks 2 2-4 6, Zack Payne 0 0-0 0, Gary Connelly 1 0-0 2, Jordan Mendez 0 0-0 0, Kimani Pyram 1 2-2 5, C.J. Mitchell 3 0-0 6, Anthony Polidoro 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 15-23 85.
SALEM TECH (0-7) – Connor Dougan 5 3-4 15, Joseph Hayes 2 2-4 8, Larry Pompper 4 4-7 13, Logan Pace 0 0-4 0, Alex Thomas 3 0-1 6, Aiden Bobo 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 9-22 42.

Gloucester Catholic	26	17	17	15-	85
Salem Tech	13	15	8	6-	42

3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 6 (C. Mendez, Mustaro 4, Pyram); Salem Tech 5 (Dougan 2, Hayes 2, Pompper).

Salem County stats

Here are the Salem County high school basketball statistical leaders through Jan. 1, disclaimer: stats based on games inputted by schools to state reporting service

Boys

SCORING

PLAYER, SCHOOL	GP	FG	FT	PTS	AVG
Tymear Lecator, Salem	6	38	28	118	19.7
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville	4	14	10	59	14.8
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown	4	17	15	58	14.5
Nylan Sutton, Schalick	4	18	7	53	13.3
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville	4	12	6	44	11.0
Rocco String, Woodstown	4	19	5	43	10.8
Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove	4	15	5	40	10.0
Reggie Allen, Schalick	4	11	4	36	9.0
Antwuan Rogers, Salem	6	23	7	53	8.8
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove	4	13	5	35	8.8
Neziah Spence, Salem	6	20	5	52	8.7
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove	4	13	3	32	8.0
Sherrod Jones, Schalick	3	10	2	24	8.0
C.J. McDevitt, Pennsville	3	3	5	22	7.3
Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech	5	9	3	26	7.2
Deshaan Williams, Salem	6	14	14	42	7.0
Xavier McGriff, Salem	6	17	3	42	7.0

REBOUNDING

PLAYER, SCHOOL	GP	TOT	AVG
Rocco String, Woodstown	4	61	15.3
Antwuan Rogers, Salem	6	56	9.3
Darrelle Johnson, Salem	5	32	6.4
Deshaan Williams, Salem	6	38	6.3
Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove	4	25	6.3
Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove	4	20	5.0
Garrett Leyman, Woodstown	4	20	5.0
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville	4	20	5.0

3-POINT GOALS
14: Tymear Lecator, Salem
10: Neziah Spence, Salem
9: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
8: Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech
6: Brayden Hall, Woodstown
5: Reggie Allen, Schalick; Xavier McGriff, Salem; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove

BLOCKED SHOTS
25: Rocco String, Woodstown
6: Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove
5: Deshaan Williams, Salem

ASSISTS
39: Tymear Lecator, Salem
17: Neziah Spencer, Salem
14: Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove

STEALS
27: Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
16: Tymear Lecator, Salem
12: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove
10: Xavier McGriff, Salem; Darrelle Johnson, Salem; Jovanni Rios, Pennsville; Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove

Girls

SCORING

PLAYERS, SCHOOL	GP	FG	FT	PTS	AVG
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove	2	21	4	48	24.0
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	6	43	17	119	19.8
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	6	36	19	99	16.5
Nora Ausland, Pennsville	4	22	6	58	14.5
Marley Wood, Pennsville	4	18	6	50	12.5
Brianna Robbins, Penns Grove	2	9	3	23	11.5
Naveah Robinson, Schalick	3	13	1	33	11.0
Carlysia Pierce, Salem	4	16	7	43	10.8
Taylor Bass, Pennsville	4	14	4	35	8.8
Ava Scurry, Schalick	3	10	2	22	7.3
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove	2	6	1	13	6.5
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove	2	5	0	13	6.5
Nevaeh Hickman, Salem	4	11	0	25	6.3
Willow Davis, Schalick	3	7	1	19	6.3
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick	2	6	0	12	6.0
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech	3	7	1	15	5.0

REBOUNDING

PLAYER, SCHOOL	GP	TOT	AVG
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech	4	35	8.8
Ava Scurry, Schalick	3	23	7.7
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick	2	15	7.5
Naveah Robinson, Schalick	3	22	7.3
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech	3	21	7.0
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove	2	13	6.5
Kyia Lehman, Woodstown	6	38	6.3
Cali Fisler, Schalick	3	18	6.0
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown	6	33	5.5
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	6	33	5.5
Abby Willoughby, Schalick	3	16	5.3
Jaida Burns, Pennsville	4	20	5.0
Marley Wood, Pennsville	4	20	5.0
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove	2	10	5.0

3-POINT GOALS
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
8: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
6: Naveah Robinson, Schalick
4: Carlysia Pierce, Salem; Willow Davis, Schalick

BLOCKED SHOTS
7: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
6: Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
5: Cali Fisler, Schalick

ASSISTS
22: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
19: Marley Wood, Pennsville
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
11: Navaho Robinson, Schalick
10: Gianna Maiorini, Woodstown; Nora Ausland, Pennsville
8: Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
7: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech; Abby Willoughby, Schalick

STEALS
38: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
18: Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
15: Naveah Robinson, Schalick
13: Gianna Maiorini, Woodstown; Taylor Bass, Pennsville
10: Nora Ausland, Pennsville; Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech; Abby Willoughby, Schalick
7: Kaylin Beardsley, Salem Tech; Kendall Young, Woodstown; Ava Scurry, Schalick
6: Lizzy Daly, Woodstown; Emma Perry, Woodstown; Marley Wood, Pennsville

Salem County schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the remainder of this week and the first full week of the new year

JAN. 2
BOWLING
Salem vs. Lindenwold at 30 Strikes
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester City at Wood Lanes

JAN. 3
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown
Pennsville at Overbrook
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter
Wildwood at Salem
BOYS BASKETBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Pennsville
Salem at Wildwood
Schalick at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Glassboro
WRESTLING
Penns Grove in Bohemia Manor (Md.) Tournament
Schalick at Egg Harbor Twp.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Timber Creek at GCIT, 7 p.m.
Schalick vs. Glassboro at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.

JAN. 4
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Cumberland, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cumberland at Pennsville, 11:30 a.m.
Eastern at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Hammonton Duals
Penns Grove, Paul VI, Willingboro at Audubon
Haddon Heights, Mainland, Overbrook at Schalick
Salem, Burlington City, St. Joe at Pitman
Woodstown in Collingswood Duals
INDOOR TRACK
Salem, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

JAN. 5
WRESTLING
Schalick at Williamstown Tournament
Pennsville girls at Williamstown Tournament

JAN. 6
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Buena
BOYS BASKETBALL
Buena at Schalick
Camden Tech at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Woodstown
WRESTLING
Paul VI at Pennsville
SWIMMING
Schalick vs. West Deptford at River Winds
Woodstown vs. Lower Cape May

JAN. 7
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman
Schalick at Glassboro
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Schalick
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Pitman at Salem
Salem Tech at Clayton
BOWLING
Salem vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Camden County at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Camden County at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 8
WRESTLING
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Salem at Cumberland
Woodstown at Deptford
SWIMMING
Salem at Lower Cape May
TRACK
Pennsville, Salem, Schalick at Bennett Center, Toms River

JAN. 9
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem Tech
Triton at Pennsville
Wildwood at Woodstown
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Glassboro
Salem Tech at Schalick
Woodstown at Wildwood
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes
SWIMMING
Schalick at Camden County Tech
Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT
TRACK
Penns Grove at Cherokee
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 10
BOYS BASKETBALL
LEAP at Salem
Pennsville at Clayton
WRESTLING
Collingswood at Schalick

JAN. 11
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown at Camden Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
St. Joseph at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
Schalick at Collingswood
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Oakcrest, Overbrook at Millville
Penns Grove at Deptford
Salem at Cherokee
Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena
Woodstown in Cinnaminson Duals
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, noon
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Middlesex, noon

Tough battle

Woodstown girls suffer rare second straight loss, won’t use growing pains in new situation as an excuse, vow to work to improve

By Riverview Sports News

WESTMONT – Woodstown’s girls have two of the most dynamic scorers in South Jersey, but the Wolverines they needed to have more involved in the offense and were upset by Pennsauken 55-44 Tuesday in the consolation game of the Haddon Twp. Holiday Tournament.

Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson led all scorers with 17 points apiece, but the Wolverines (4-2) got only 10 points from three other scorers. Sianni Hill and Kimora Truitt scored 14 points apiece for Pennsauken, but the Lady Indians (3-2) had two players with at least eight.

The Wolverines also had a tough shooting day, going 2-for-25 from 3-point range that dropped their overall proficiency to 26 percent.

“Today was a tough battle for us,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Pennsauken was a physical team who rebounded the basketball very well. They pushed the ball in transition and made some big shots.

“We took some good shots today, but they just didn’t fall. At times we were trying to force things and playing tight. We must remember to play loose and have fun because when we do that, we play our best.”

Donelson and Kyia Leyman had 10 rebounds apiece for Woodstown, but Pennsauken grabbed 43 total rebounds and converted numerous third and fourth opportunities. Hill had 12 boards, while Mayeline Rodriguez and Aliza Allen had nine each.

After Tuesday, Battavio (1313) and Donelson (1280) now are both in the top 10 of Salem County’s all-time leading scorers in girls basketball.

The Wolverines have lost two in a row after opening the season 4-0. They lost two in a row in February last year then bounced back to reach the South Jersey Group I championship game.

They return to action Friday against Glassboro where they look to extend another streak – their winning streak in the TCC Diamond Division. They have won 33 straight against Diamond Division opponents (FYI, it’s 31 straight against Salem County foes).

“The last two games were tests for us that pointed out a lot of things that we need to work on,” Smart said. “People will call this growing pains, that we have a lot of girls who are playing varsity minutes for the first time or that a new system takes some time to get used to. We aren’t going to use that as an excuse.

“We are going to take this time to evaluate things that we are doing well and things that need to be improved. The great part about basketball is the season doesn’t end in December. While the days seem to be flying by, we still have a lot of season left.

“If we are the same team in February that we were at the beginning of the season, we wouldn’t be satisfied. We have said it all season: As a team we need to focus on being the best 2024-25 Woodstown girls basketball team we can be. Predictions, seeding and personal honors aren’t what this team is concerned with. We are concerned with getting better each and every day.”

HADDON TWP. HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
CONSOLATION GAME
PENNSAUKEN 55, WOODSTOWN 44
WOODSTOWN (4-2) – Talia Battavio 7-30 1-2 17, Emma Perry 0-1 1-2 1, Lauren Hengel 1 1-4 3, Megan Donelson 5-17 7-9 17, Kyia Leyman 3-6 0-2 6, Gianna Maiorini 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 16-61 10-16 44.
PENNSAUKEN (3-2) – Kimora Truitt 3 6-12 14, Mayeline Rodriguez 2 2-2 6, Sianni Hill 6 2-4 14, Aliza Allen 2 2-6 8, Hadley Rodriguez 4 0-0 9, Doriana Mateo 2 2-2 4, Kinya Dawson 0 0-0 0.. Totals 19 14-26 55.

Woodstown	8	11	15	10-	44
Pennsauken	9	16	17	13-	55

3-point goals: Woodstown 2-25 (Battavio 2); Pennsauken 3 (Truitt 2, H. Rodriguez). Rebounds: Woodstown 36 (Donelson 10, Leyman 10). Technical fouls: Donelson. Fouled out: Donelson, M. Rodriguez. Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Pennsauken 19.

Watch the Ram car, please

Salem coach Farmer calls key time out in second quarter to keep game from getting away, Rams respond with a run that carries them to Wildwood sweep

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD — The Salem basketball team was on the verge of another second quarter dry spell that had been haunting it all season. Actually, it was the continuation of a first-quarter drought that spilled over, but coach Anthony Farmer had seen enough to know he had seen too much.

He was going to nip this problem before it became a real disaster.

Millville had taken an early 14-point Salem lead all the way down to two with 6:48 left in the second quarter and Farmer called a much-needed 30-second timeout to stall the Thunderbolts’ momentum and talk his Rams back on track.

The tactic worked. The Rams went on a quick 8-2 run out of the break and then tacked on eight straight points later that pushed them to an 11-point halftime lead that was never threatened again. They went on to win 64-48 to sweep their two-game stay in the Boardwalk Classic.

The Rams (5-1) typically have been sharp at the start of games this season, but those quick starts have been followed by clunky second and third quarters that made the games interesting.

Farmer had to give them another reminder early in the third quarter after the Bolts (2-6) pulled within nine and the Rams responded again. The message, the players said was simple: Just wake up.

“It’s become a pattern for us you want to address to make the kids aware; you’re trying to get their attention,“ Farmer said. “That’s what that was about, really just making a timely decision, a timely call, to regroup the kids and get them back under control.

“It’s being young, honestly. You don’t have a guy like Ant (his son, Anthony Farmer) to calm everybody down, calm, cool, collected, get everybody involved. We’re young, we get sped up. We’ve got to be able to get under control, run your offense, know when it looks raggedy and settle down, and right now we’re not there.”

**Xavier McGriff sharpens his focus before taking the floor in the Boardwalk Classic. He had eight points, 13 rebounds and six steals in Salem’s two wins at the showcase. (Photo by Jalen Freeman)**

Tymear Lecator and Neziah Spence got the Rams off to a hot start again, combining for the team’s first 14 points in a 16-2 opening run. Interestingly, the Bolts staged their rally after coach Michael LaTorre called his own 30-second timeout with 3:33 left in the first quarter.

Lecator had another big game in the Wildwood Convention Center, finishing with 27 points, tying his season high, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

He scored 46 points in the Rams’ two games here, hit three 3s in each game, is now averaging 19.7 through the Rams’ first six games of the season.

Antwan Rogers, whose layup kick-started the second-quarter recovery, had nine points and 10 rebounds. Xavier McGriff had eight points, including a 3-pointer that ignited the third-quarter run, six boards and four steals. Spence had 10 points.

“I like this court a lot,” Lecator said. “I like how it’s spacious, there’s a lot of room for me to work, and I like how my shot feels on the court, good grip, soft rims. I just like playing here. That’s the key to my success. It gives off a college-type environment.”

There was a lot fire for the game from Salem’s perspective. Farmer is from Millville. Several of the Salem players, like Lecator, have connections in the Millville/Vineland/Bridgeton community. Rams’ forward Darrelle Johnson, Lecator’s cousin, played at Millville last year.

Johnson would’ve liked to have had a big game with a couple dunks against his former mates, but didn’t get the chance going scoreless in six-plus minutes of action. You knew it was special to him. He never looked Millville’s way during pre-game warmups or introductions but LaTorre embraced him in the post-game handshake line without drawing much reaction.

It all added to the intensity of the day.

“Any time you kind of get somebody from my hometown you always want to go out there and get the best of them,” Lecator said. “I don’t want them to get the best of me because I go back home and everybody I hang around hears about it, so I just knew I had to come out here and play good so I can go back home and I’ve got something to brag about.”

BOARDWALK CLASSIC
SALEM 64, MILLVILLE 48
SALEM (5-1) – Tymear Lecator 9 6-6 27, Antwan Rogers 4 1-1 9, Deshaan Williams 1 4-4 6, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 8, Neziah Spence 4 0-0 10, Joe Tunis 2 0-0 4, Darrelle Johnson 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0, Giovanni Tuvale 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 11-11 64.
MILLVILLE (2-6) – Jaden Days 2 3-5 7, Tahshawn Jones 0 0-0 0, Divonte Smith 2 0-2 5, Caiden Allen 0 0-0 0, Mike Bullock 0 0-0 0, Bryant Nelson 1 6-8 9, Cayden Pierce 3 0-0 8, Alex Doss 1 0-0 2, James Jackson 1 0-0 2, Zhamere Redding 6 0-0 13, Zhymir Tull 0 0-0 0, Noah Thompson 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-15 48.

Salem	16	18	18	12-	64
Millville	6	17	9	16-	48

3-point goals: Salem 7-16 (Lecator 3, McGriff 2, Spence 2); Millville 5 (Smith, Nelson, Pierce 2, Redding). Rebounds: Salem 39 (Rogers 10). Total fouls: Salem 15, Millville 15.

**Salem’s Darrelle Johnson goes in for a steal against his former Millville teammates in Tuesday’s Boardwalk Classic game.**

Hard learning

Red Devils don’t mind ‘playing up’ if it helps them get better in the long run

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – Penns Grove coach Damian Ware could have been all sulky and mad after the kind of loss his Red Devils took from St. Augustine Monday night in the Boardwalk Classic, but he wasn’t.

There’s a reason he brings his teams here to play teams the likes of the Hermits and if it takes absorbing a 62-32 or similar loss from time to time in the name of getting better, he’s willing to do that.

The Hermits had their way in so many aspects of the game in the Wildwood Convention Center, especially in the first half, but Ware took it for what it was worth. You can’t get better in the long run if you don’t see better along the way.

“That’s why we want to matchup against teams like this, so we see teams like this,” Ware said. “We won’t see teams like this is the division or in the conference or in Group 1. We always want to take this trip down here because we always match up with a better team at a different level, so it’s good for us to get that experience.

“I feel like we got what we wanted, we just didn’t make shots and when they got their shots they made them. That’s really our biggest thing, putting the ball in the basket, right now. Our defense is good enough. We give up 62 points to a St. Augustine team, that’s not too bad because they can easily drop 80 or 90 on somebody at any time.

“In the grand scheme of things this was a stepping stone and a teaching tool. We’ll take this film, we’ll break it down, we’ll watch it with the kids and we’ll show them where we need to improve and what we need to do to get better and then we’ll move on from there.”

When the Red Devils (1-3) look at the film again they’ll see St. Augustine controlled the game from the start. The Hermits scored the first 11 points of the game – the first eight by Rory Friel – led 23-3 midway through the second quarter and 29-10 at halftime.

Friel, a 6-5 senior, had 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 18 and eight in the game. Olumide Okebiorun, the Hermits’ other 6-5 starter, had eight points and six boards.

The Red Devils scored only six points in the first 14 and a half minutes of the game and they all came from Roman Gipson. The 6-0 junior got his team on the board with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3:00 left in the first quarter, rolled in a layup with 3:49 left in the first half and added a free throw 30 seconds later.

That was the extent of it until Brandin Robbins hit a layup with 1:28 left in the half and Luis Colon hit two free throws 7.3 seconds before halftime.

“The main thing I’m telling them at halftime is we’re getting what we want, we got the shots we want, but one thing we’ve got to do is a better job of getting organized in our half-court,” Ware said. “That’s where we’re kind of learning and still growing and our youth is still not really there yet.

“In the full court we’re pretty good, but in the half court we’ve got to get better.”

They were much better in the second half. The Red Devils didn’t win the half, but they did score more points and played the Hermits even in the fourth quarter. KaRon Ceaser scored all seven of his points in the second half.

“I was happy with how we started in the third quarter and when we started playing downhill,” Ware said. “That’s what I’m trying to get these guys to do, play downhill, because we play side-to-side too much.

“That’s the main thing, getting these guys to understand how hard you actually have to play to win at a high level.”

ST. AUGUSTINE 62, PENNS GROVE 32
ST. AUGUSTINE (3-3) – Phillip Brunozzi 1 0-0 3, Jaleo Wakefield 1 4 0-0 9, D.J. Mosley 0 0-0 0, Brayson Thurber 1 0-0 2, Jaden Hollingshead 0 0-0 0, Rory Friel 8 2-3 18, Olumide Okebiorun 2 4-5 8, Nic Companaro 0 0-0 0, Luke Maransky 2 0-0 6, Joe Peacock 0 0-0 0, Aaron Jones 1 0-0 2, Jacob Plenn 1 0-0 2, C.J. Melillo 1 1-2 4, Johnny Godfrey 1 0-0 2, Kyle Helphenstine 2 0-0 4, Richie Cruz 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-10 62.
PENNS GROVE (1-3) – KaRon Ceaser 3 0-0 7, Brandin Robbins 1 0-0 2, William Roy 1 0-0 2, Jameel Horace 0 0-0 0, Luis Colon 0 3-4 3, Roman Gipson 3 1-2 8, Geonni Conrad 0 0-0 0, Antoine Robinson 0 0-0 0, Caleb Fowler 1 0-0 2, Davine Banks 0 4-4 4, Haneef Frisbee 2 0-1 4, Mishawn Bradley 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 8-11 32.

St. Augustine	15	14	17	16-	62
Penns Grove	3	7	6	16-	32

3-point goals: St. Augustine 5 (Brunozzi, Wakefield, Maransky 2, Melillo); Penns Grove 2 (Ceaser, Gipson). Rebounds: St. Augustine 28 (Friel 8, Okebiorun 6); Penns Grove 18 (Frisbee 4). Total fouls: St. Augustine 11, Penns Grove 12.