Family affair

Boys roundup: Hall brothers combine for 41 points in first appreciable minutes together, lead Woodstown over Pennsville; Schalick falls at the buzzer

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Woodstown 92, Pennsville 47
Haddon Twp. 45, Schalick 43
GCIT 65, Salem Tech 22

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Brayden Hall has waited all his life to play significant minutes alongside his brother in a high school basketball game. M.J. Hall felt the same way. He saw the disappointment his two older brothers felt not getting to play together and he didn’t want to miss that chance if at all possible.

The moment came Friday night, and little brother Brayden outshined them all. The brothers Hall combined for 41 points, with Brayden going for 28, as Woodstown swamped 92-47 in the warmup act to the girls TCC showdown that followed.

It was the most points the brothers have combined to score in a game. They both had seven in the season opener against Salem, then Brayden, a freshman, scored 16 against Penns Grove two nights later and M.J. didn’t scratch. M.J., a senior, did all the scoring in the family until Wednesday when they both scored six against Schalick.

“It’s really been since we grew up,” Brayden said. “We always wanted to touch the floor of every sport together and I told him I’d touch the floor with him in every sport. We always were excited for it, we always had the thought of it and now it’s here, we gotta do what we gotta do.”

“Having a little brother, you’ve got your ups and downs, but our two oldest brothers never got to touch the floor together, so just being able to touch the floor (with him) going out my senior year is just a blessing,” M.J. said.

Wolverines coach Ramon Roots had designs on putting the brothers together from the moment he got the job, but it just never worked out until now.

“It’s incredible to see them get in at the same time,” Roots said. “They’ve got a lot of chemistry. They gel off each other and they just play well together. They push each. At practice they hold each other accountable and it’s a wonderful thing to see.

“I know if my older brother was on the team or my younger brother was on the team I would want to play out there with him because that’s a great moment, for the family, for everybody.”

Brayden did all his scoring in the second and fourth quarters. He had 15 points in the second quarter to help the Wolverines open a 25-point halftime lead. Once he turned his first steal into a layup, it was game on.

He had his other 15 in the fourth quarter hitting three 3-pointers. The 28 points were the most in a game by a Woodstown player since Zach Wygand went for 29 against Overbrook in February 2021.

“They were trying to push me to 30,” Brayden said. “It started with 18. They told me to get 18 before the game. Then then told me to get 20 during halftime and then they told me after that to go for 30.”

It was a 13-7 game midway through the first quarter when the Wolverine went on an 18-4 run to pull away. They went on an 18-4 run that carried into the second to put it away. Brayden had four buckets and eight of nine Woodstown points at the end of the run – all of turnovers. M.J. had a 3-pointer right before the end of the first quarter.

Pennsville did what it could to keep it interesting. It had Arturus Franzy shadow 6-6 Rocco String and the sophomore held his own. He held String to nine points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

Logan Hitt gave a boost to the offense, which was missing injured leading scorer Mason O’Brien, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 15 points. The senior has scored only 62 points in three years of varsity play, but he has 24 points and six 3-pointers in his last two games.

PENNSVILLE (1-10): Arturus Franzy 4 2-2 10, Jovanni Rios 3 0-0 6, C.J. McDevitt 4 0-0 8, Logan Hitt 5 2-2 15, Cole Johnston 1 0-0 3, Danny Knight 0 0-0 0, Jacob Miller 0 0-0 0, Perry Meranti 2 1-2 5. Totals 19 5-6 42.
WOODSTOWN (7-3): Garrett Leyman 2 2-4 6, Elijah Caesar 0 0-0 0, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Anthony Bokolas 3 0-0 8, Andrew White 1 0-0 2, Sid Leevy 1 0-0 3, Rocco String 4 1-5 9, Josh King 2 0-0 4, Connor Miller 1 0-0 2, Braydon Hall 12 1-1 28, M.J. Hall 5 1-2 13, Alejandro Vazquez 3 3-4 12, Blake Bialecki 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 8-17 92.

Pennsville	7	16	8	16-	47
Woodstown	20	28	20	24-	92

3-point goals: Pennsville 4 (Hitt 3, Johnston); Woodstown 12 (McGinley, Bokolas 2, Leevy, B. Hall 3, M. Hall 2, Vazquez 3). Rebounds: Woodstown 23 (String 11); Pennsville 17 (Franzy 7). Technical fouls: B. Hall. Total fouls: Pennsville 14, Woodstown 9.

HADDON TWP. 45, SCHALICK 43: Alex Mohr finished off a 13-point night with a shot at the buzzer to give the Hawks the victory. Schalick’s Reggie Allen led all scorers with 17 points.

HADDON TWP. (8-4): Axel Mohr 6 1-2 13, Eamonn Sheehan 2 0-0 5, Peter Black 1 0-2 2, Nate Keating 1 2-4 4, Cavan McGovern 0 2-2 2, Collin Feeley 1 2-4 4, Sean Crawford 4 1-1 12, Jaden Haltiwanger 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 8-15 45.
SCHALICK (4-9): Reggie Allen 8 1-4 17, Jase Volovar 3 0-0 9, Nylan Sutton 1 0-0 2, Sherrod Jones 5 0-0 12, Jamari Whitley 0 1-2 1, Zaeshawn Mills 1 0-0 2, Justin Iacona 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 2-6 43.

Haddon Twp.	12	12	8	13-	45
Schalick	9	6	15	13-	43

3-point goals: Haddon Twp. 5 (Sheehan, Crawford 3, Haltiwanger); Schalick 5 (Volovar 3, Jones 2).

GCIT 65, SALEM TECH 22: Michael Stanwood led three scorers in double figures with 17 points and GCIT beat the Chargers for the second time this season. Patrick Monaghan had 14 points and Mark Hallman 10held the Chargers to one point i

Salem Tech (0-12)	1	7	4	10-	22
GCIT (6-6)	16	21	15	10-	65

3-point goals: GCIT 6 (Michael Stanwood, Patrick Monaghan, Mark Hallman 2, Carl Schmidt, Ethan Morris). Rebounds: GCIT 27 (Patrick Monaghan 7, Gavin Shainline 7).

Pennsville’s Arturus Franzy (41) stands his ground against Woodstown’s Rocco String Friday night. Franzy drew the assignment on the Wolverines’ post and held him to nine points. Upper photo: Woodstown freshman Brayden Hall comes to the bench after being subbed for at the end of a career-high 28-point night.

Diamond showdown

The 3-ball was flying as Battavio, Donelson lead Woodstown girls over Pennsville for sole possession of first place in TCC Diamond Division

GIRLS GAMES
Woodstown 65, Pennsville 56
Gloucester City 53, Salem 21
Camden Co. Tech at Salem Tech

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Talia Battavio was fighting through a shooting slump, but she didn’t let it get her down. If there’s one thing she’s learned in all her years playing basketball it’s shooters shoot. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t and when they don’t eventually they will.

They went in for her Friday night against Pennsville. She had made only one 3-pointer in her last three games — and that was a big one in the win over Wildwood. It was her longest drought since her freshman year, but it didn’t deter her in the least.

The first shot she took against the Eagles, she spotted up in the left corner and drained a 3-pointer. Then she hit another. And then another. Three in a row in the first four minutes. Suddenly there was a big exhale even though Pennsville still had the lead.

The sense always was whenever Battavio broke out of the slump it was going to be in a big way. She hit a season-high five 3s against the Eagles in the game, scored 24 points and the Wolverines went on to win 65-56 to gain solo possession of first place in the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division.

“It was a relief, but I know what I can do,” Battavio said. “I felt like I was thinking too much about it, so I kind of just let it fly today and I think it came out in my favor.

“I think it got us all fired up. I think it did set a tone. We came to play. We always do, but I think we were on fire, we were together. Everybody.”

Woodstown coach Matt Smart said seeing those early 3s go down wasn’t a relief to him because he knows what the Goldey-Beacom signee can do. It was seeing the smile return to her face when they did fall that sealed it for him. And hitting those shots opened up a lot of other things for the Wolverines.

And the 3s were flying everywhere. The Wolverines (10-2) made 10. Megan Donelson had three on the way to 28 points that moved her into third on Woodstown’s girls all-time scoring list (behind Tori Smick and Battavio). Lauren Hengel had the other two.

Pennsville (7-3) hit 12 with Nora Ausland making half of them in a 20-point game that moved her within 60 points of 1,000. Marley Wood (17 points) hit three, Addie Johnston two and Taylor Bass one. Each time Battavio hit one of her early 3s, the Eagles answered with one of their own.

“They’re a very talented team who we knew could shoot from all over the place,” Smart said. “Watching film we knew it was going to be tough battle. It’s our first kind of battle since Wildwood, but I think those are the games we play the best. We play unselfish, we’re attacking the basket, we took good shots, we rebound, box out. Our girls showed up.”

It was Woodstown’s 37th win in a row over Diamond Division opponents and 33rd straight against Salem County rivals.

The game was decided by two stretches. The game was tied at 23 with 4:30 left in the second quarter when, at the suggestion of assistant coach Frank Trautz, the Wolverines switched from defenses and pressed a little more to get Pennsville out of its sets and they held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the half while opening a 30-23 halftime lead.

“We haven’t seen that kind of pressure all season long,” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “Kudos to them. That’s a talented group of people. They run up and down the floor, frenetically sometimes, and I tried to tell my kids to prepare for that but it’s difficult.”

It was a five-point game with 3:09 left in the third quarter when Donelson “got in my groove” and scored nine straight points to give the Wolverines some breathing room. It was part of a greater 21-9 run that carried into the fourth quarter and made it a 17-point game before Pennsville battled to bring it back.

“Megan came up to me and was like my shot’s not falling, so we made an adjustment that way,” Smart said. “She was very honest with me. She was like my shot’s not falling right now, Talia’s shot’s falling, let’s try to get her to run the baseline and she’ll be able to shoot 3s and maybe let me control the ball more so I can attack.

“She understands her game so well when her shot’s not falling she understands she can impact the game in other ways. That’s what’s very special about her. She understands her game so well that she’s able to make adjustments off it.”

Even though they were down 18 in the fourth quarter, the Eagles ran towards the fire and made it respectable. Ausland hit her last two 3s and Bass added three points to cut that deficit in half by the horn.

“I’ve been coaching for 21 seasons,” Merritt said. “I’ve had more talented teams, but I didn’t have a team with great heart. They didn’t back down at all. They worked hard to end. We worked our butts off.”

WOODSTOWN 65, PENNSVILLE 56
PENNSVILLE (7-3): Marley Wood 6 2-4 17, Taylor Bass 2 1-2 6, Nora Ausland 6 2-2 20, Addi Johnston 2 1-2 7, Jaida Burns 2 0-0 4, Ashlyn Fredo 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 6-10 56.
WOODSTOWN (10-2): Talia Battavio 9 1-2 24, Megan Donelson 9 7-10 28, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 3 0-0 8, Kyia Leyman 1 3-8 5, Ryann Foote 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 11-20 65.

Pennsville	15	8	18	15-	56
Woodstown	15	15	21	14-	65

3-point goals: Pennsville 12 (Wood 3, Bass, Ausland 6, Johnston 2); Woodstown 10 (Battavio 5, Donelson 3, Hengel 2). Rebounds: Pennsville 27 (Wood 11, Saulin 6); Woodstown 37 (Leyman 11, Maiorini 10, Hengel 10). Total fouls: Pennsville 10, Woodstown 13. Officials: Menz, Penko.

GLOUCESTER CITY 53, SALEM 21
SALEM (0-10): Carlysia Pierce 2 1-2 5, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 4, Lyric Hayes 1 0-0 3, Madison Dixon 3 1-2 9. Totals 8 2-4 21.
GLOUCESTER CITY (9-4): Elizabeth Schultes 0 0-2 3, Logan Thomas 1 3-6 5, Kierstynn O’Donnell 1 2-4 4, Corinne Kelly 6 4-7 19, Ava Moore 5 0-2 10, Addison Chiodi 0 1-2 1, Jianna Torres 3 0-3 6, Haylee Zuccarelli 1 0-2 2, Sophia Dailey 1 0-0 2, Ella Kirschner 1 0-0 2, Emma Groatman 0 0-0 0, Keira Renshaw 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 12-29 53.

Salem	7	2	6	6-	21
Gloucester City	11	14	19	9-	53

3-point goals: Salem 3 (Hayes, Dixon 2); Gloucester 3 (Kelly 3). Rebounds: Gloucester 46 (Moore 14).

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	TODAY	POINTS
Katie Kline, Pennsville (2004)		2110
Amanda Young, St. James (1995)		1762
Sharias Hill, Penns Grove (2009)		1661
Tia Furbush, Schalick (2021)		1574
Tori Smick, Woodstown (2013)		1566
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	24	1410
Crystal Bailey, Schalick (1984)		1406
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	28	1387
Stephanie Owen, Woodstown (1993)		1381
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 480)	20	942
Marley Wood, Pennsville	17	862
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 622)	DNP	873

Through games of Jan. 17

Thursday roundup

Salem bowler Perez has a career day; Schalick takes down Pennsville in wrestling; Penns Grove’s girls fall in basketball

Bowling

BOYS
SALEM 4, SALEM TECH 0: Sophomore Rudy Perez had the best day of his high school career, rolling games of 226, 225 and 244 for a 695 series, to lead the Rams (3-3). His previous high series was 591 last year against Lindenwold and his previous best game was 213 (twice last year).

Troy Carey also rolled a 600 series for the Rams with games of 188, 215 and 197.

Aaron Dean rolled Salem Tech’s high series (522) and Aidan McMackin had the Chargers’ high game (196).

GIRLS
SALEM TECH 4, SALEM 0: Courtney Farnkopf rolled a 397 series with a high game of 162 to lead the Chargers to the sweep and their first win of the season. Destiny Pitts had Salem’s high game (124) and series (315).

Wrestling

CENTERTON – Schalick took the lead in the Tri-County Classic Division with a 63-15 win over Pennsville.

The once-beaten Cougars (10-1) moved to 3-0 in the division, while handing Pennsville (8-4) its first division loss (3-1).

Schalick scored seven pins in the match with Eric Sulik scoring the fastest (0:55) at 165.

SCHALICK 63, PENNSVILLE 15
126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:58
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Nathaniel Mason, 3:02
138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall Colin Bittle, 17-1 (5:28)
144: Ayden Jenkins (S) dec. Travis Hagan, 5-4
150: Koen Martin (S) won by forfeit
157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit
165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Juan Velasquez, 0:55
175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned Joseph Halstead, 4:49
190: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. Evan Elliott, 13-3
215: Gerardo Felipe (S) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Julian Reid, 4:45
106: Emma Cain (S) pinned John Sassi, 3:29
113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Brett Land, 4:27
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Earl Wynn, 3:00

WOODSTOWN 55, TIMBER CREEK 19
120: Carson Bradway (WO) won by forfeit
126: Travis Balback (WO) won by forfeit
132: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Ayden Zarnosky, 5:25
138: Matt Cordova (TC) maj. dec. Ryan Polk, 11-0
144: Sincere Cook-Reese (WO) tech fall Eric Rambaran, 21-6 (4:31)
150: Joey Walker (TC) pinned Thomas Lacy, 2:55
157: Brett Rowand (WO) won by forfeit
165: Laitton Roberts (WO) pinned Mason Dickerson, 1:09
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) maj. dec. Zyeir Green, 17-9
190: Amir Reason-Dallas (TC) dec. Paul Banff, 9-6
215: Walter Carter (WO) maj. dec. Elijah Green, 13-4
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Roland Green, 1:11
106: Chase Blandino (WO) won by forfeit
113: Matthew Steele (TC) pinned Hunter Allen, 1:44

CLAYTON/GLASSBORO 34, PENNS GROVE 29
106: Jose Santiago (PG) pinned Ayden Figueroa, 1:53
113: Dylan Adams (CG) pinned Avery Curriden, 1:51
120: Double forfeit
126: Adan Gonzales (PG) won by forfeit
132: Devine Arce (PG) pinned Antonio Mendez, 0:40
138: Willliam Camp (CG) pinned Abdul Tart, 5:51
144: Steven Benkert (CG) pinned Angel Ocasio, 1:07
150: Julian Lloret (CG) won by forfeit
157: Tre Brown (PG) tech fall Brodie Carey, 19-4
165: Double forfeit
175: Double forfeit
190: Jeffrey Smith (CG) maj. dec. Clinton Bobo, 14-0
215: Antonio Cooper (PG) won by forfeit
285: Kasalon Carr (CG) pinned Maliq Reddick, 0:39

Girls basketball

CAMDEN 48, PENNS GROVE 40: Camden outscored the Red Devils 26-17 in the middle two quarters to take the upper hand. Hadiya Higgs-Salaam scored 27 points, hitting 12 of 23 from the free throw line, for the winners.

Penns Grove (6-4)	9	11	6	14-	40
Camden (5-6)	10	16	10	11-	48

Mighty Oaks double up

Salem CC men beat Atlantic Cape to clinch playoff berth, women rally past Anne Arundel to keep their postseason hopes alive

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MAYS LANDING – The Salem CC basketball team won its fifth game in a row and qualified for the post-season Thursday with an 88-72 win over Atlantic Cape.

The Mighty Oaks improved to 14-4 with 10 regular-season games remaining. Teams that finish .500 or better in the regular season make it into the Region XIX tournament. They have never been 10 games over .500 since the school brought the program back five years ago.

They are 11-2 in Region XIX, third in the Division III standings by percentage points, second in games behind region leader Union.

The Mighty Oaks last made the playoffs 2021-22. They won an opening-round game over Thaddeus Stevens, then lost in the quarterfinals at CC of Philadelphia and finished the year 18-10.

“It’s not really a relief (to know they’ve qualified), to be honest,” coach Mike Green said. “We want to get as high as we can. We want to host a game come playoff time. The job’s not done yet. We’re still trailing, I think, three teams. Those games mean more to me.

“I’m definitely getting a whiff of that. It’s different now. The expectations we have within that locker room are different, maybe different than they’ve ever been for the Salem clubs. We’re wanting to compete for a championship. We said that from the beginning.:

The Mighty Oaks placed four scorers in double figures against the Buccaneers and had a pair of double-doubles. They took the lead in the middle of the first half and never gave it back.

Tamir Powell came out hot and led the scoring with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four 3-pointers. He might have had even more if he hadn’t gotten three early fouls.

Akeem Taylor had 17 points, five assists, four steals and four blocked shots. Jyheim Spencer, who just received a D-I offer from Cal State-Bakersfield, had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots; only one point has kept him from four double-doubles in his first four games. Tyrese Fortune had 14 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season.

“We try to get our guys to wear other guys down,” Green said. “We have a deeper bench than most people. Most people aren’t playing 10 people legit minutes. We play 10 people legit minutes and it’s starting to wear on teams. I looked at them (the Bucs) when we got up and down a couple times and was like they’re tired.”

Women finish strong

ARNOLD, Md. – The start of the stretch that will define the Salem CC women’s season got off to a good start Thursday night.

The Mighty Oaks (7-8) dominated the final 6:30 of the game, putting together a 16-2 run to rally past winless Anne Arundel 63-52. They trailed 50-47 with 6:36 to play, then scored the next 11 points to take the lead and never let it go.

After losing at home to Harcum Tuesday night, Salem coach Brian Marsh said his team’s next four games would give it a “good indication” of where they’d land for the season. They now have nine games left and must win at least five of them to qualify for the playoffs.

“We’re well aware of what we’re playing for,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We knew a loss today would have been really tough to overcome. I don’t think we played particularly well, but I thought we played well enough to win. We got off to a slow start, but we came through when we really needed it.”

Nyaijah Jackson came up big for the Mighty Oaks down the stretch, making several key steals and scoring seven of their last nine points. The freshman guard from Wilmington finished with a game-high 21 points and six steals off the bench.

Her steal and three-point play with 1:13 left in the second quarter drew the Mighty Oaks even after they trailed most of the first half.

“She was fantastic down the stretch,” Marsh said. “She’s such a competitor and she hates to lose and she just wanted to do whatever she could to win that game. I told her just go play your game, which is really tough defense and attacking the basket. I thought she did a really nice job and provided that spark that we really needed down the stretch.”

The Mighty Oaks won despite struggling from the outside. They made only two of 23 shots from 3-point range, but one of them – by Pennsville’s Caroline Zullo with 6:06 to go – gave them the lead for good. Zullo finished with seven points and eight rebounds.

Maggie St. Clair added 14 points. Jakayla Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds.

“I think we were settling for a lot of jump shots,” Marsh said. “We just weren’t making anything outside, so I tried to speed the game up and told them they needed to get to the basket.

“I thought Ny did an excellent job really attacking the basket. Maggie started attack the basket. Trying to get some easier shots and if they don’t go in, they foul us and we get to the line. We were just trying to really get some higher percentage shots.”

Next up in the stretch is another road game Saturday at Essex, the team immediately ahead of them in the standings.

SALEM CC 63, ANNE ARUNDEL 52
SALEM CC (7-8) – Caroline Zullo 3-8 0-0 7, Maggie St. Clair 7-19 0-0 14, Dani Gustin 2-3 1-1 5, Kathryn Laurence 2-15 0-0 5, Jakayla Jenkins 3-7 1-4 7, RayNescia King 0-8 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 9-18 3-6 21, Akira Chambers 1-4 0-2 2, Alexas Hopkins 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 28-86 5-13 63.
ANNE ARUNDEL (0-10) – Chloe Underwood 2-8 0-0 4, Holly Wall 0-3 0-0 0, McKenzie Gilbert 1-5 0-1 2, Reona Robinson 4-6 0-0 10, Ayannah Gorham 7-13 4-4 19, Aichatta Soumaoro 4-13 3-6 11, Lania Nick 3-13 0-0 6, Jasmine Mauldin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 7-11 52.

Salem CC	11	12	22	18-	63
Anne Arundel	15	10	18	9-	52

3-point goals: Salem 2-23 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 0-3, Laurence 1-7, Jenkins 0-1, King 0-4, Jackson 0-3, Hopkins 0-3); Anne Arundel 3-13 (Wall 0-2, Gilbert 0-1, Robinson 2-2, Gorham 1-3, Nick 0-5). Rebounds: Salem 51 (Jenkins 10, Zullo 8); Anne Arundel 53 (Wall 13, Gorham 8). Total fouls: Salem 11, Anne Arundel 15. Officials: Virgil Davis, Ronald Herbison, Ed Krug.

Salem climbing back

Rams win second straight after taking hit from the state, beat Gloucester Catholic to spoil Mustaro’s milestone night; Penns Grove, Woodstown also win

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Salem 72, Gloucester Catholic 47
Penns Grove 81, Pennsville 44
Pitman 95, Salem Tech 32
Woodstown 58, Schalick 44

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Anthony Farmer knew the night would have a celebratory tone for the guys sitting on the bench across the way, but the Salem coach didn’t want the party getting too out of hand.

Jack Mustaro became Gloucester Catholic’s all-time leading scorer with his first basket Wednesday, but Farmer and the Salem Rams muted the celebration by taking the biggest prize of the night – a 72-47 win to continue their climb up the South Jersey Group I power points standings after an administrative setback earlier in the week.

“Jack is a hell of a player, I have the utmost respect for Jack,” Farmer said. “A competitor. Just a hell of an athlete all-around, so kudos to him for breaking the record, but for us, it was about us.

“We really just needed to kind of slow down a really good player, be disciplined and follow the game plan and I thought tonight we were disciplined and followed the game plan. That’s what we’re trying to get to, to play four quarters and really put a good, solid win together, and I thought tonight we did that.”

Mustaro, a senior multi-sport start for GC, needed three points to become his school’s all-time leading scorer – a record that stood for 56 years. It took him five shots to get it, but he finally broke through with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:29 left in the first quarter to break the mark of 1,507 set by Dom Carrera, who graduated in 1969.

“It’s an honor,” Mustaro said. “Obviously, we wanted a better outcome than that, but it’s an honor to be only player to score this many points in Gloucester Catholic history. I’ve been working so hard for this and I’m so glad it came.

“Coming into the game I knew I wanted it early. I might have forced a couple quick ones there, but it finally came to me. Once I settled down and let it come to me, it came and I got it.”

After hitting the milestone basket, he ran to the far side of the court, tossed the record-setting basketball up to his mom for safe keeping and sat for a couple pictures with his brother and cousins before getting back into the flow of the game.

“I had to give the ball to my mom,” he said. “She’s the one who made all that happen out there.”

**Gloucester Catholic’s Jack Mustaro (22) takes the 3-pointer that put him over the top as his school’s all-time leading scorer.**

It was a tight game through the first quarter, but Salem took control in the second with its physicality and athleticism.

Mustaro opened the second quarter with a four-point play to give his team the lead, then Salem ran off the next nine points and never trailed again. The record-setter scored all of GC’s points in the quarter, but the Rams outscored him 21-10 to take a 33-19 halftime lead and they continued to pull away in the second half.

Mustaro wasn’t there for the finish. He fouled out with 1:34 left in the third quarter and spent the rest of the game tied to the bench. He finished with 17 points, giving him 1,522 for his career.

“We knew (the record) was coming for a bit,” GC coach Brandon Dougherty said. “You don’t want it coming in a game like this, but when you step back, it’s just a testament to his whole career and well he’s played.

“It took a minutes for it to happen – he had a couple clean looks; I don’t know if he’s a little tight or adrenaline pumped up – but once he got that monkey off his back I thought we got a chance to kind of compete. That’s a really big physical team and we’re a little inexperienced and I think that’s the difference tonight.”

DeShaan Williams was big for the Rams in the pull-away second quarter. At one point in the quarter he scored seven straight points for them and had 11 of his 13 in the first half.

Sophomore Tymear Lecator once again led Salem’s offense with 23 points; he now has 507 career points in a season and a half. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Williams had seven rebounds to go with his points and Nyziah Spence had 10 points.

“I was laughing with the coaches, teams have been known to play us zone, but we haven’t had a high post presence,” Farmer said. “DeShaan is a legitimate high post presence. He catches it, makes the right read out of there, he can drive it both ways, so he’s a legitimate high post threat with the zone, which is a great pleasure to have.”

The win moved Salem from 13th to 10th in the SJ Group I power points standings. The Rams fell all the way to 17th after the NJSIAA ruled Monday they had used an ineligible player and had to forfeit their four wins in which the player participated.

SALEM 72, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 47
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (5-7): Carlos Mendez 3 2-2 10, Jack Mustaro 6 3-4 17, Jack Pund 2 1-4 7, Danny Zellner 1 0-0 2, Ben Cook 1 1-2 3, Gary Connelly 0 1-2 1, Jordan Mendez 1 0-0 3, Kimani Pyram 0 2-2 2, Andrew Ginipro 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-16 47.
SALEM (5-7): Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 4, Neziah Spence 5 0-0 10, Tymear Lecator 9 1-2 23, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0, Deshaan Williams 5 3-3 13, Antwuan Rogers 3 0-0 6, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Joe Tunis 3 0-0 6, Azhone Burden 2 2-2 6, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2, Giovani Talavera 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 6-7 72.

Gloucester Catholic	9	10	11	17-	47
Salem	12	21	18	21-	72

3-point goals: GC 7 (C. Mendez 2, Mustaro 2, Pund 2, J. Mendez); Salem 7 (Spence 3, Lecator 4). Rebounds: GC 14 (Pund 4); Salem 42 (Lecator 8, McGriff 7, Williams 7, Burden 7). Technical fouls: Mustaro. Fouled out: Mustaro. Total fouls: GC 11, Salem 16.

PENNS GROVE 81, PENNSVILLE 44: Penns Grove coach Damian Ware really feels for the struggles coaching pal and teaching colleague Joe Mecholsky is having at Pennsville this season, but the Red Devils were in need of a win, too.

Pennsville had won only once this year and lost six straight coming into the game. Penns Grove wasn’t ripping it up, either, winning only twice and coming in with a four-game losing streak, albeit against a demanding schedule that has elevated them to ninth in the power points standings.

Something had to give.

“We definitely needed to get a win,” Ware said. “It’s unfortunate it’s at their expense, but at the same time you’ve got to play the game no matter what. No matter who the opponent is, you’ve got to play the same way.”

The Eagles (1-9) came out ready to hunt, hitting three 3s in the first quarter to keep it interesting. But Ware substituted in the second quarter to introduce a quicker tempo to the game and the Red Devils pulled away.

Will Roy was one of the strategic subs and he responded by hitting three 3-pointers in the first half, scoring 10 points in the second quarter and finishing with a career-high 15. Roy, a sophomore, had scored only 23 points and one other 3-pointer his entire career before Wednesday night and never had more than five points in any game.

But he had the hot hand in the second quarter when the Red Devils outscored the Eagles 26-7 to open a 25-point halftime lead.

“He’s been playing back and forth between varsity and JV,” Ware said. “We’re giving him a little more time because in the beginning of the season he wasn’t playing much varsity. He’s coming into his own now. He’s getting more confident and he’s playing a lot better.

“He started a couple games for us. Today he didn’t start, but he was like the first sub off the bench and he came in and gave us a big spark and that’s kind of what led to us pulling away.”

Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser led all scorers with 19 points; he scored a career-high 20 in the first meeting with Pennsville last year. Jovanni Rios led Pennsville with a career-high tying 15.

Interestingly, earlier in the day the two teams rode together to the Al Carino Basketball Club’s Captain’s Day Luncheon in Cherry Hill. The party included Ware, Mecholsky, five players from Penns Grove and two from Pennsville. There was friendly banter all the way up and back.

A few hours later it got serious.

PENNS GROVE 81, PENNSVILLE 44
PENNS GROVE (3-7): Brandin Robbins 2 0-0 4, Roman Gipson 3 0-0 7, Karon Ceaser 8 1-1 19, Antoine Robinson 3 0-0 8, Haneef Frisbee 2 1-2 5, Geonni Conrad 2 1-2 5, Jameel Horace 1 0-1 2, William Roy 6 0-0 15, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, Caleb Fowler 3 0-0 8, Davine Banks 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Costacamps 2 0-0 4. Totals 34 3-6 81.
PENNSVILLE (1-9): Jovanni Rios 6 2-4 15, Cole Johnston 3 0-0 7, Shiloh Jefferson 2 1-4 6, Logan Hitt 3 0-0 9, Charles McDevitt 2 1-2 5, Arthurs Frantzy 1 0-0 2, Danny Knight 0 0-0 0, Perry Meranti 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 4-10 44.

Penns Grove	23	26	18	14-	81
Pennsville	17	7	10	10-	44

3-point goals: 10 (Gipson, Ceaser 2, Robinson 2, Roy 3, Fowler 2); Pennsville 6 (Rios, Johnston, Jefferson, Hitt 3). Rebounds: Pennsville 27 (Jefferson 10, Rios 7). Total fouls: Penns Grove 14, Pennsville 5.

WOODSTOWN 58, SCHALICK 44: Blake Bialecki hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points as Woodstown snapped a two-game losing streak and ended Schalick’s three-game winning streak in the process. Alejandro Vazquez and Rocco String both chipped in 11 for the Wolverines.

Sherrod Jones hit a career-high four 3-pointers and tied his career high with 14 points to lead Schalick. Jase Volovar tied his career high of three 3-pointers in scoring 11 for the Cougars.

WOODSTOWN (6-3): Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 2, Garrett Leyman 2 0-3 4, Blake Bialecki 7 0-2 18, Rocco String 5 1-2 11, M.J. Hall 1 0-4 4, Braydon Hall 2 2-4 6, Alejandro Vazquez 4 2-2 11. Totals 22 9-17 58.
SCHALICK (4-8): Reggie Allen 2 1-1 6, Nylan Sutton 1 0-0 2, Jase Volovar 4 0-0 11, Sherrod Jones 4 2-2 14, Jamari Whitley 2 2-3 6, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Zaeshawn Mills 1 0-0 2, Sean Kelly 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-6 44.

Woodstown	22	15	15	6-	58
Schalick	11	14	11	8-	44

3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 4, Vazquez); Schalick 9 (Allen, Volovar 3, Jones 4, Iacona).

PITMAN 95, SALEM TECH 32: Elijah Crispin filled the box scored with 31 points, 10 assists and nine steals as the Panthers kept the Chargers winless. Michael Fisicaro (16) and Aidan Stranahan (11) also scored in double figures for Pitman. Joseph Hayes led Salem Tech with 10.
PITMAN (8-1): Hudson Rue 2 2-3 7, Elijah Crispin 14 1-1 31, Greg Peterson 3 2-2 8, Michael Fisicaro 6 3-4 16, Aidan Stranahan 5 0-0 11, Dane Collum 2 1-2 5, Oliver Spier 1 0-0 2, Lucas Razze 1 0-0 3, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 1 0-0 2, Wyatt Thompson 1 0-0 3, Ethan Kubat 0 0-0 0, Parker DeChristopher 1 0-0 2, Joey Zubert 2 0-2 5, Jaron Scull 0 0-0 0. Totals 39 9-14 95.
SALEM TECH (0-11): Chase Pompper 2, Joseph Hayes 10, Luke Kroll 3, Larry Pompper 6, Logan Pace 1, Alex Thomas 2, Chase Ayars 8.

Pitman	28	22	33	12-	95
Salem Tech	9	7	9	7-	32

3-point goals: Pitman 8 (Rue, Crispin 2, Fisicaro, Stranahan, Razze, Thompson). Rebounds: Pitman 37 (Rue 10).

**Gloucester Catholic senior Jack Mustaro tosses the ball to his mother after becoming his school’s all-time leading scorer Wednesday at Salem.**

Taylor-made win

Bass gives Pennsville big boost in second half against Penns Grove, win sets up showdown with Woodstown for first place Friday

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Pennsville 58, Penns Grove 51
Pitman 38, Salem Tech 33
Gloucester Catholic 86, Salem 26
Woodstown 57, Schalick 20

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE — Taylor Bass had a big knot rising over her right eye from hitting her head on the floor late in the second quarter. It shook her up briefly and it shook up her game.

Bass came out in the second half ready to score. The Pennsville junior torched Penns Grove for 11 of her season-high 20 points in the third quarter as the Eagles pulled away for a 58-51 victory for their sixth straight win.

“The bump on the head didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would,” Bass said. “I get banged on the floor every single game. It’s just like part of my routine at this point.”

“After that (fall) she shot better,” Eagles coach Steve Merritt said. “i gotta go smack people in the head, maybe that’ll work.”

The game was as close as many in the series between the teams. Penns Grove scored the last eight points of the first quarter to take a 16-9 lead and led by six midway through the second quarter, but Pennsville scored the last seven points to take a one-point halftime lead.

It was during that last flurry that Bass hit her head. It came during a scramble for a loose ball near mid-court. She laid on the floor for a few moments as trainers raced to her side, then walked off under her own power.

She came out for the second half and scored 11 points in the first four and a half minutes. Included in the outburst was a 3-[pointer and a nifty layup in which drove under the basket from right to left and scooped a shot from underneath that dropped through to make it 39-32.

“I just went in (at halftime), regathered my thoughts and came back out and just played the game I know how to play,” Bass said. “Once I got going, the pain went away. We were only up by one, that’s not going to work for me, so I was like we’ve gotta go out there and we’ve got to get more. And that’s what we did.”

“I told my assistant what we need is a big third quarter to stretch it out a bit and that’s what they did.” Merritt said. “They played hard in that second quarter and brought the game to one point for us. In the third quarter we put some points on the board. And at that point all we have to do is protect the ball.”

They at least protected the lead. The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with another 9-0 run and maintained the lead to the finish.

RaNiyah Wilson kept the Red Devils in it. She led all scorers with 30 points to surpass 600 points in her Penns Grove career and move with 146 of 1,000 for her career. She also had 11 rebounds. JaNiyah Cummings had 10 points and 11 boards. They combined Penns Grove’s first 14 points and 25 of their first 29.

The other two players on the floor chasing 1,000, Pennsville’s Marley Wood and Nora Ausland, had 16 and 12, respectively. Ausland is now only 78 points away from the milestone.

The Pennsville win sets up a midseason showdown at Woodstown 7 p.m. Friday for first place in the Tri-County Diamond Division. Both teams are 4-0 in the division.

PENNSVILLE 58, PENNS GROVE 51
PENNSVILLE (7-2) – Taylor Bass 9 0-0 20, Marley Wood 6 1-3 16, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Nora Ausland 4 3-6 12, Jaida Burns 3 2-2 8, Addie Johnston 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 6-11 58.
PENNS GROVE (6-3) – Syanna Robbins 1 0-0 3, Brianna Robbins 3 0-0 7, RaNiyah Wilson 12 2-3 30, Keziah Patterson 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Washington 0 1-4 1, JaNiyah Cummings 5 0-0 10, Ny’asia Numan 0 0-2 0. Totals 21 3-9 51.

Pennsville	9	17	17	15-	58
Penns Grove	16	9	13	13-	51

3-point goals: Pennsville (Bass 2, Wood 3, Ausland); Penns Grove 6 (B. Robbins, Wilson 4
Rebounds: Pennsville 33 (Ausland 15, Burns 9); Penns Grove 42 (Wilson 11, Cummings 11, Washington 9). Total fouls: Pennsville 8, Penns Grove 14.

WOODSTOWN 57, SCHALICK 20: The Wolverines recognized both ends of their development curve – Senior Night and Youth Night – and put on a big show.

Seniors Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio continued to grow their legacy for the future Wolverines to follow, scoring 19 and 15 points, respectively, and the defense posted another shutout quarter as the Wolverines won their fifth in a row. They extended their winning streak over Tri-County Diamond Division opponents to 36 games and Salem County rivals to 32.

It couldn’t have started better with the underclassmen sharing stories about their favorite moments with the seniors while the youth players listened at floor level. And then the game started and the Wolverines held Schalick scoreless in the first quarter. They blanked Delsea in the fourth quarter Saturday and held Salem scoreless in the third quarter of their season opener.

“When the game started our defensive effort was outstanding, playing good smart defense and attacking the glass,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “(Kyia) Leyman had some big offensive rebounds where she stood strong.

“The second quarter we started to attack the basket more often. Donelson was able to get to the foul line off strong takes to the basket. When we attacked the basket, we were able to open up our outside shot with (senior Ryann) Foote draining a huge 3. It is great to see Foote starting to get in the flow of things because it’s only her third game of the season.”

With her 13 points Battavio moved into second place on Woodstown’s all-time girls scoring list, passing Stephanie Owen with 1,386 career points. Tori Smick is No. 1 with 1,566.

Donelson is fourth on the list. She needs 23 to pass Owen.

“It was a great night,” Smart said. :I am so grateful to be able to coach this senior class.”

WOODSTOWN 57, SCHALICK 20
SCHALICK (2-6): Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Robinson 4 0-0 11, Ava Scurry 1 0-0 2, Olivia VanAcker 1 0-0 2, Willow Davis 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 1 0-0 2, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Carly Vicente 1 0-0 3, Vic Basich 0 0-2 0. Totals 8 0-2 20.
WOODSTOWN (9-2): Talia Battavio 5 4-9 15, Megan Donelson 7 4-4 19, Gianna Maiorini 1 0-0 2, Ryann Foote 2 0-0 5, Kyia Leyman 3 0-0 6, Lauren Hengel 0 2-2 2, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 1 1-2 4, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Ava White 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 11-17 57.

Schalick (2-6)	0	5	5	10-	20
Woodstown (9-2)	11	18	17	11-	57

3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Robinson 3, Vicente); Woodstown 4 (Battavio, Donelson, Foote, Young). Total fouls: Schalick 12, Woodstown 5.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 86, SALEM 26
SALEM (0-9) – Carlysia Pierce 3 0-2 6, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 5, Zaniyah Frieson 2 0-0 6, Timmiyah Simmons 1 0-0 2, Marcela Villalpando 0 0-0 0, Lyric Hayes 2 0-0 4, Madison Dixon 1 0-0 3. Totals 11 0-2 26.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (8-1) – Talia Shumate 5 1-2 11, Jahzara Green 8 1-1 17, Jalyn Moore 4 2-4 12, Amanda Eggers 4 0-0 9, Monet High 1 2-2 4, Ashlynn Eggers 1 0-0 3, Maya Hutchinson 3 0-0 9, Elizabeth Burgo 2 0-0 5, Ruth Cutuli 4 0-1 8, Addison Toal 3 2-4 8. Totals 35 8-14 86.

Salem	0	9	11	6-	26
Gloucester Catholic	33	14	27	12-	86

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Hickman, Frieson 2, Dixon); Gloucester Catholic 8 (Moore 2, Am. Eggers, As. Eggers, Hutchinson 3, Burgo).

PITMAN 38, SALEM TECH 33
PITMAN (4-6) – Jocelyn O’Brien 1 0-0 2, Kendall Bennett 1 0-0 2, Audrey Duffield 6 2-4 15, Bella Pramov 1 0-0 2, Jessica Bretz 6 0-2 12, Lauren Streck 2 1-1 5. Totals 17 3-7 38.
SALEM TECH (2-7) – Shelby Drummond 2 0-0 6, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 4, Hannah Dewitt 0 0-2 0, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2, Shelby Liber 5 4-5 15, Evening Amedee 1 0-2 2, Amora Elaine 0 2-4 2, Jaylah Bell 0 0-0 0, Payton Fitzpatrick 0 1-2 1, Maci Fiant 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 7-15 33.

Pitman	8	15	3	12-	38
Salem Tech	3	7	8	15-	33

3-point goals: Pitman 1 (Duffield); Salem 2 (Liber, Drummond). Rebounds: Salem Tech 37 (Beardsley 13, Scott 6).

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	TODAY	POINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	15	1386
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	19	1359
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 460)	12	922
Marley Wood, Pennsville	16	843
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 603)	30	854

Through games of Jan. 15

Salem CC basketball

Mighty Oaks men set scoring record against RCSJ-Cumberland, women closing gap on Harcum

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC men 119, RCSJ-Cumberland 53
Harcum 76, Salem CC women 45

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND — The Salem CC men’s basketball team set a modern-era team scoring record for the second time this season Tuesday night when it routed RCSJ-Cumberland 119-53.

It was the third time this season the Mighty Oaks (13-4) have scored 100 in a game and the second time they’ve done it against the Dukes (0-17). The old single-game scoring record since the school revived the program was the 114 points this team put on the Dukes on Dec. 19.

“I think we guarded pretty well tonight,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We didn’t shoot it extremely well (from the 3 arc), but I think we guarded well.

“They had a hard time with the press,” coach Mike Green said. “Our guys were aggressive and alert, even the guys who came off the bench were super aggressive and alert. Our guys got out and has success in transition. They were very unselfish; we got a lot of layups. I just think we overpowered them.”

When the Mighty Oaks put 114 on the Dukes earlier this year they had four players with double-doubles. Tuesday night, they seven players score in double figures and three with double-doubles.

Jyheim Spencer had 15 points and 15 rebounds, Tajee (Herb) Jordan had 13 points and 11 boards, and Tyrese Fortune had 13 points and 10 boards. Akeem Taylor led the offense with 17 points. Xavier Brewington had 16, Tamir Powell 15 and A.J. Jones 10.

The 119 points would elevate the Mighty Oaks to 11th in JUCO Division III scoring average.

It was the Mighty Oaks’ fourth win in a row, moved them into third place in the Region XIX standings and one win from clinching a playoff spot. The last time they were nine games over .500 was the next to last game of the 2021-22 season (18-9) .

It comes as the Mighty Oaks step into perhaps their most demanding stretch of the season. From here to the end of the month they play at Atlantic Cape, Passaic, Williamson Trades and three of the top five teams in the region – at Union, Northampton and at CC of Philadelphia.

Women’s game

CARNEYS POINT – At least it wasn’t 60. Or 105.

The Salem CC women’s basketball team still hasn’t found a way to solve Harcum, but they’ve managed to narrow the gap. The first two times the Mighty Oaks played them after reviving the program they lost by 85 and 105. When they played earlier this year, the margin was 61.

Tuesday night, they were locked in a 13-point game in the middle of the third quarter before the Bears eventually pulled away 76-45.

“We’re definitely closing the gap,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “We’ve got to get to the point we’re not happy with good loses any more. We’ve got to get them to wins.”

The Mighty Oaks (6-8) appeared on the way to another one of those games when they struggled with their shot early and fell behind 20-5 in the first quarter. Maggie St. Clair’s basket right before halftime kept it under 20 at the break, and they had it within 13 (41-28) on St. Clair’s 3-pointer with 6:34 left in the third quarter.

Then Harcum post Amber Bullard took charge and the 18th-ranked Bears (12-4) pulled away for good. Bullard, a 6-4 sophomore Mount St. Mary’s commit who didn’t play in the first meeting between the teams, scored eight of the next 10 points in an eventual 14-0 run that put the game out of reach.

Bullard had 14 points in the second half and finished with 21 on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Sofia Vitucci was big for the Bears in the first half with all 13 of her points.

St. Clair led the Mighty Oaks with 17 points, tying her season high. She was 7-of-17 from the field with three 3-pointers. Nyaijah Jackson had 11.

“This team had every reason, especially after our game on Saturday, to lay down and they didn’t; they kept playing hard,” Marsh said. “I’m really proud of the way they played tonight. They battled. Sometimes it’s just not good enough when you’re playing a really good team.

“I thought we battled to the very end and that’s something we can build upon.”

And that’s a positive sign heading into this upcoming stretch of four gettable games that would enhance their hopes of a playoff berth. They play Anne Arundel and Delaware Tech, two teams they beat early in the season; Essex, which beat them by 10; and Middlesex, a game they let slip away Saturday.

They have 10 games remaining and must win six to get the .500 record that would get them in.

“I told the girls after Saturday’s loss we dug a hole, but it’s not a grave,” Marsh said. “They’re going to keep fighting. These next four games are really going to be a good indication of where we’re going to land for the season.”

HARCUM 76, SALEM CC 45
HARCUM (12-4) — Jordyn Cooper-Best 3-8 2-2 9, Sofia Vitucci 4-11 2-2 13, Kimanhi Woods 0-2 0-0 0, Piper McGinely 2-7 2-3 7, Amber Bullard 10-12 1-2 21, Jaida Helm 4-10 4-5 12, Bryce Harvey-Carr 4-13 0-0 11, Shaylynn Waiters 0-1 1-2 1, Aubrey Wroten-Thomas 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 28-65 12-18 76.
SALEM (6-8) — Nyaijah Jackson 4-8 3-5 11, Caroline Zullo 1-6 0-0 2, Maggie St. Clair 7-17 0-1 17, Kathryn Laurence 1-9 0-0 3, Jakayla Jenkins 1-8 2-2 4, RayNescia King 0-5 0-0 0, Daniella Gustin 0-2 0-0 0, Akira Chambers 4-10 0-2 8, Alexa Hopkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-65 5-10 45.

Harcum	20	18	21	17-	76
Salem CC	5	14	14	12-	45

3-point goals: Harcum 8-33 (Cooper-Best 1-4, Vitucci 3-7, Woods 0-2, McGinely 1-5, Helm 0-5, Harvey-Carr 3-10); Salem CC 4-26 (Jackson 0-1, Zullo 0-5, St. Clair 3-10, Laurence 1-7, Jenkins 0-2, Chambers 0-1). Rebounds: Harcum 48 (Bullard 12, Hełm 7, Vitucci 7); Salem CC 31 (Zullo 8, Gustin 5). Technical fouls: Gustin. Total fouls: Harcum 13, Salem CC 17.

Rams on the run

Monday basketball: Motivated Salem outruns Clayton in second half to win; includes all 10 games involving Salem County teams

GIRLS GAMES	BOYS GAMES
Clayton 62, Salem 27	Salem 82, Clayton 69
Woodstown 79, Overbrook 28	Overbrook 57, Woodstown 48
Pennsville 63, Schalick 20	Schalick 61, Pennsville 38
Penns Grove 44, Glassboro 39	Glassboro 65, Penns Grove 59
Wildwood 77, Salem Tech 23	Wildwood 77, Salem Tech 32

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CLAYTON — Anthony Farmer called time out with four minutes left in the third quarter. He was looking for some leaders.

His Salem basketball team was clinging to a one-point lead in a game that really was that tight against a team capable of scoring 100 in any game it played – it already had twice against Salem County teams this year – and the coach wanted somebody to step up and take charge.

Azhone Burden answered the call. The 6-5 senior transfer, playing in only his fourth game since regaining his eligibility, had 14 points and nine rebounds in the second half to help the Rams pull away from Clayton 82-69.

“Azhone spoke up and kind of rallied the troops,” Farmer said. “He got the guys together, started getting a little more vocal once he got his head together, and I think that was kind of the turning point for us.”

The Rams led 41-40 at halftime and were up 45-44 when Farmer called his decisive time out, which, incidentally, left him with only one for the rest of the game. They went on a 18-4 run that carried into the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Burden had 10 points in the third quarter, more than the Clippers did as a team, and 12 after the key time out.

“It’s just the fire coming out,” said the senior they call A-Magic. “I’ve been waiting on the bench this whole time, all the fire has been building up. It’s just coming out now.”

In his four game since satisfying his senior transfer requirement, Burden has scored 51 points and grabbed 41 rebounds with two double-doubles.

The Rams, who’d prefer playing at a pace somewhere between Clayton’s break-neck approach and the half-court game they purposely played against LEAP, held their own against the Clippers once they got adjusted to what was coming. As a result, four players enjoyed double-doubles.

Tymear Lecator had a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Burden finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds and came within two assists of joining Lecator with a triple-double. Deshaan Williams was big for the Rams in the first half and finished with 17 points and 12 boards. And Antwaun Rogers had 10 points and 10 boards.

The Rams were playing only hours after learning they had to forfeit four wins due to an ineligible player, a penalty that knocked them all the way to No. 17 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. The win moved them all the way to No. 13.

Lecator wouldn’t speak on the issue preferring just to focus on playing basketball but said he did come into the game with “a real chip on my shoulder.”

“It’s in the back of our head,” Farmer said. “We know what what’s going on. We know what happened to us. It’s just a little motivation, that’s all. We take it game by game anyway, but the worst thing you can do in Group I South is give us a little motivation.”

SALEM 82, CLAYTON 69
SALEM (4-7): Donovan Weathers 1 0-2 2, Xavier McGriff 4 0-0 8, Neziah Spence 3 0-0 8, Tymear Lecator 7 0-1 16, Deshaan Williams 8 1-2 17, Antwan Rogers 5 0-0 10, Joe Tunis 2 1-2 5, Azhone Burden 8 0-0 16, Giovanni Tuvale 0 0-0 0. Totals 38 2-7 82.
CLAYTON (4-5): Jackson Venuto 1 1-2 4, Princeton Sackor 11 1-1 24, Nazir Davis 4 4-5 13, Demetris Williams 3 0-0 6, Anthony Taylor 0 0-0 0, Nasir Carter 4 1-2 11, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0, Rodney Robinson 0 0-0 0, Anthony Archer 0 0-0 0, Trevor Rehm 0 0-0 0, King Mosley 0 0-0 0, James Fritz 4 1-2 11. Totals 27 8-12 69.

Salem	23	18	17	24-	82
Clayton	23	18	9	20-	69

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Spence 2, Lecator 2); Clayton 7 (Venuto, Sackor, Davis, Carter 2, Fritz 2). Rebounds: Salem 67 (Burden 13, Williams 12, Rogers 10, Lecator 10). Total fouls: Salem 14, Clayton 12.

SCHALICK 61, PENNSVILLE 38: Reggie Allen hit four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Cougars to their third win in a row. It’s their longest winning streak since the last three games of the 2019-20 season. Allen’s previous career best was 22 his freshman year against Clayton.
SCHALICK (4-7): Reggie Allen 10 5-6 29, Nylan Sutton 6 5-8 17, Sherrod Jones 2 2-2 6, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whitley 3 2-4 8. Totals 22 14-20 62.
PENNSVILLE (1-8): Jovanni Rios 3-1-7, Cole Johnston 2-0-4, Shiloh Jefferson 3-0-6, Logan Hill 1-0-2, C.J. McDevitt 4-4-12, Daniel Knight 1-1-3, Arturus Franz 1-2-4, Perry Meranti 0-0-0. Totals 15-8-38.

Schalick	15	15	11	21-	61
Pennsville	7	8	14	9-	38

3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Allen 4). Rebounds: Pennsville 21 (Meranti 7, Rios 5).

OVERBROOK 57, WOODSTOWN 48
WOODSTOWN (5-3): Blake Bialecki 2 1-2 5, Alejandro Vazquez 4 0-0 10, Elijah Caesar 2 2-4 6, Garry Leyman 3 1-2 7, Rocco String 4 1-3 9, M.J. Hall 4 2-3 11. Totals 19 7-14 48.
OVERBROOK (10-2): Lamar Little 6 2-2 17, Xavier Wright 5 4-5 14, Zair Green 3 8-10 14, Elvin Santiago 1 0-0 2, Bilal Robinson 3 0-0 8, J.R. Stanley 1 0-0 2, Rashon Jones 0 0-0 0, Jaden St. John 0 0-0 0, Cody Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-17 57.

Woodstown	9	2	24	13-	48
Overbrook	12	11	18	16-	58

3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Vazquez 2, M. Hall); Overbrook 5 (Little 3, Robinson 2).

GLASSBORO 65, PENNS GROVE 59
PENNS GROVE (2-7): Brandin Robbins 5, Roman Gipson 18, Karon Ceaser 15, Antoine Robinson 1, Haneef Frisbee 10, Jameel Horace 6, William Roy 4.
GLASSBORO (4-6): Xavier Sabb 12, Kenny Smith 28, Tashean Thomas 2, Davon Barr 4, Maurice Davis 5, Aiden Harris 14.

Penns Grove	16	13	14	16-	59
Glassboro	17	16	13	19-	65

WILDWOOD 77, SALEM TECH 32
WILDWOOD (3-6): Brian Cunniff 15 5-6 40, Nolan Mawhinney 5 3-5 14, Trevor Troiano 3 0-0 8, Jordan Dozier 0 1-2 1, Jack Fullerton 1 0-0 2, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Gianni Troiano 1 0-0 2, Daniel Benichou 0 0-0 0, Sammy Santiago 1 4-5 6, Jeff Knight 1 0-0 2, Justice Santiago 0 0-2 0. Totals 28 13-20 77.
SALEM TECH (0-10): Ayden Myers 2 0-0 5, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 3, Luke Kroll 3 0-0 8, Larry Pompper 1 0-0 2, Logan Pace 1 2-2 4, Chase Ayars 1 0-0 2, Chase Pompper 1 0-0 2, Aiden Bobo 2 0-0 5, Alex Thomas 0 0-2 0. Totals 12 2-4 29.

Wildwood	14	15	23	25-	77
Salem Tech	5	0	12	12-	32

3-point goals: Wildwood 8 (Cunniff 5, Mawhinney, Troiano 2); Salem Tech 5 (Myers, Hayes, Kroll 2, Bobo).

Girls Games

PENNSVILLE 63, SCHALICK 20: Nora Ausland returned to the lineup after a brief illness and posted a double-double (21 points, 12 rebounds) to lead the Eagles to their fifth straight win. The game moved Ausland over 900 points on her way to the 1,000-point plateau. Marley Wood, who’s also chasing the 1,000-point milestone, had 16 points and Taylor Bass had 15 points and eight steals.

PENNSVILLE (6-2): Marley Wood 6 2-6 16, Taylor Bass 4 4-4 15, Izzy Saulin 0 2-2 2, Nora Ausland 9 0-0 21, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Addison Johnston 2 0-0 6, Calli Ausland 0 1-2 1, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Kylie Weist 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 9-14 63.
SCHALICK (2-5): Abby Willoughby 1 0-0 3, Cali Fisler 1 0-2 2, Naveah Robinson 2 0-0 6, Ava Scurry 1 0-0 2, Willow Davis 2 0-0 5, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 2-2 2, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0, Olivia Vanacker 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 2-4 20.

Pennsville	17	12	14	20-	63
Schalick	0	7	11	2-	20

3-point goals: Pennsville 10 (Wood 2, Bass 3, N. Ausland 3, Johnston 2); Schalick 4 (Willoughby, Robinson 2, Davis). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Schalick 11.

PENNS GROVE 44, GLASSBORO 39: RaNiyah Wilson scored 21 points and the Red Devils won the fourth quarter 16-11 to win the game.

“They played great in the fourth quarter — poised, together on both ends of the floor,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “I saluted them as a team today. The coaches are proud of them.”

PENNS GROVE (6-2): RaNiyah Wilson 9 1-2 21, Brianna Robbins 3 0-0 7, JaNiyah Cummings 4 5-9 13, Mikayla Washington 0 1-4 1, Keziah Patterson 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 7-15 44.
GLASSBORO (4-5): Sanaa Thomas 4 3-4 14, Tamia Smith 3 2-4 10, Kezia Brackett 1 3-4 5, Kimora Miles 1 1-2 3, Sianna Wedderburn 0 2-2 2, Lily Czubas 2 0-0 5. Totals 11 11-16 39.

Penns Grove	5	15	8	16-	44
Glassboro	6	10	12	11-	39

3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Robbins); Glassboro 6 (Thomas 3, Smith 2, Czubas).

WILDWOOD 77, SALEM TECH 23
SALEM TECH (2-6): Shelby Drummond 0 0-0 0, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 5, Shelby Liber 3 0-0 6, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2, Evening Amedee 2 0-0 4, Payton Fitzpatrick 3 0-0 6. Totals 11 0-0 23.
WILDWOOD (7-1): Macie McCracken 8 4-4 26, Angela Wilber 7 0-0 16, Rebecca Benichou 6 0-0 14, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Kiana D’Antuono 1 0-0 3, Addison Troiano 3 0-0 6, Lily Atkinson 1 0-0 3, Talia Fathi 1 0-0 3, Julia Ennis 1 1-2 4, Janet Gonzalez 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 5-6 77.

Salem Tech	5	6	4	8-	23
Wildwood	23	28	20	6-	77

3-point goals: Salem Tech 4 (Beardsley, Fitzpatrick 3); Wildwood 10 (McCracken 2, Wilber 2, Benichou 2, D’Antuono, Atkinson, Fathi, Ennis). Rebounds: Wildwood 35 (Troiano 10, McCracken 7).

WOODSTOWN 79, OVERBROOK 28: Megan Donelson scored 13 points and Kendall Young and Lauren Hengel scored 11 points apiece to lead the Wolverines. For Young, a sophomore, it was a career high and came all in the second half. Hengel, a junior, grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for her first career double-double.

“Kendall has worked her butt off this season,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “She has a high basketball IQ and watches a ton or film. Whenever I have to call on her she seems ready.

“My favorite part of Lauren’s game today wasn’t the scoring, it was the 14 rebounds. She’s a tough kid who will run through a brick wall if you asked her to do so. When she’s confident with the basketball she is dangerous.”

OVERBROOK (1-9): Leslies Rosario 1 0-0 3, Jael Pressley 5 3-7 13, Lelani Knight 1 2-2 4, Ahlani White 1 0-0 2, Kayla Reynolds 1 1-2 3, Lily LaFountain 0 0-0 0, Taija Wiggins 0 0-2 0, Rosetta Loibman 1 0-0 3. Totals 10 6-13 28.
WOODSTOWN (8-2): Megan Donelson 5-9 2-2 13, Talia Battavio 3-10 3-4 9, Gianna Maiorini 3-5 2-2 8, Lauren Hengel 4-7 3-5 11, Kyia Leyman 1-6 1-4 3, Emma Perry 2-2 0-0 4, Ryann Foote 1-4 3-6 5, Kendall Young 5-10 0-0 11, Jala Thomas 4-4 1-2 9, Talia Guardascione 1-2 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0-1 0-0 0, Brynley Ecret 0-1 0-0 0, Mia Waterman 0-0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 1-2 0-0 2, Ava White 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-64 15-25 79.

Overbrook	7	4	5	12-	28
Woodstown	16	28	15	20-	79

3-point goals: Overbrook 2 (Rosario, Loibman); Woodstown 2-18 (Donelson 1-4, Young 1-4, Battavio 0-4, Hengel 0-3, Kennedy 0-1, Foote 0-2). Rebounds: Woodstown 47 (Hengel 14, Donelson 8, Daly 6). Total fouls: Overbrook 16, Woodstown 9. Officials: McGaffeny, Brown.

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST	TODAY	POINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown	9	1371
Megan Donelson, Woodstown	13	1340
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 448)	21	910
Marley Wood, Pennsville	16	827
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/PG 573)	21	824

Through games of Jan. 13

Salem sanctioned

Ineligible player forces Salem to forfeit four victories, record drops to 3-7 but Rams remain eligible for the playoffs

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – The Salem boys basketball program learned earlier today it would have to forfeit four pre-2025 wins because of an ineligible player.

The Rams were informed of the penalty by the NJSIAA after it was ruled junior Darrelle Johnson was in violation of the student transfer rule.

“They said there was inaccurate information on (Johnson) coming from his technical school, so the state gave us the wrong information back and we played him and lost four games,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “It’s a huge shock because it seemed like an error on their end because we only did what the state allowed us to do and they approved him.”

Johnson played for Vineland as a freshman enrolled at Cumberland Tech, which does not offer basketball, and played for Millville last year before transferring to Salem to join his cousin, Rams’ leading scorer Tymear Lecator.

Students who attend tech schools that do not offer a particular sport can play that sport at their home district public school. They cannot play at the public school if their tech school sponsors the sport.

Senior transfers are required to sit out the lesser of 22 days from the first game or 1/3 the maximum number of games to regain their eligibility. Underclassmen transfers don’t have that requirement, but all student-athletes who transfer to a second school must sit out the lesser of 30 days or half the maximum number of games, but Johnson didn’t do that.

The Rams say they were only working with information they were given.

“When I put him in the portal I just put the school of record, which was Cumberland County Tech, not realizing they didn’t have sports and he played at Millville,” Salem athletics director Darryl Roberts said. “I didn’t have any idea Cumberland County Tech didn’t have sport because of my experience most of the tech schools we deal with right now have sports and I didn’t know anything about Cumberland County Tech.

“So I was unaware he played elsewhere, so when I put him in the portal I sent the information to Cumberland County Tech. It’s not really their responsibility to let you know if he played somewhere else.”

Roberts attempted to plead their case further Monday, but was told by state officials there was no further appeal.

The Rams were forced to forfeit their first two wins against Woodbury and Woodstown that opened the season and their two wins at the Boardwalk Classic over Oakcrest and Millville. They now have a record of 3-7 and are No. 17 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.

Johnson, a 6-3 junior guard, had 11 points and five rebounds against Woodbury, six points and 10 rebounds against Woodstown and 12 points, 10 boards and five assists against Oakcrest. He played six minutes against Millville without scoring. He had scored in six of the Rams’ 10 games, averaging 6.5 points and 7.2 rebounds.

The Rams were made aware of an issue after playing Millville.

They remain eligible for the playoffs and Johnson will be eligible to return Feb. 8.

“It’s nothing we tried to do because we had five transfers,” Farmer said. “We played the ones we could play. We followed all the rules with everything, it’s just the technical school didn’t clear him and we ended up getting jammed up.

“Now we’re going to be a nightmare for somebody at an 11 or 12 spot (in the seedings). Wherever we end up at, we’re just going to be a nightmare for Group I.”

The sanction also put a dent in Farmer’s record. With the adjustment, he now needs 12 more victories to reach 100 for his coaching career.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 13-18

JAN. 13
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Schalick
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Pennsville
Wildwood at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Overbrook
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Schalick at Vineland YMCA, 3:15 p.m.
TRACK
Pennsville, Woodstown at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island

JAN. 14
WRESTLING
Cumberland at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Pitman, 6:30 p.m.
Salem at Cedar Creek
Schalick at St. Joe (Hamm.)
BOWLING
Salem vs. Gloucester City at Wood Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Clayton
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland, 5 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Harcum at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 15
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown
BOYS BASKETBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Pitman at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Schalick
BOWLING
Salem vs. West Deptford, Bolero Deptford Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester City at Westbrook Lanes
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights at Camden County Tech
WRESTLING
Woodstown at Middle Twp.

JAN. 16
WRESTLING
Clayton at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 5:45 p.m.
Schalick vs. Pitman at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
Salem vs. Deptford at GCIT, 8:15 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 6 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Anne Arundel CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 17
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Camden County Tech at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester City
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennisville at Woodstown
Haddon Twp. at Schalick
Salem Tech at GCIT
TRACK
NJSIAA Relays, Bennett Center, Toms River

JAN. 18
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem at Lenape, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville Collingswood, Sterling at Vineland
Penns Grove, Salem, Overbrook at Pitman
Deptford, Haddon Twp., Pemberton at Schalick, 9 a.m.
Buena, Haddon Heights, Pennsauken at Woodstown
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Passaic County CC at Salem CC, 2 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Essex County, noon