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.
Category: BASKETBALL
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
Another milestone
Salem CC men eclipse last year’s win total by getting past RCSJ-Gloucester; women fall at Middlesex
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
DEPTFORD – The Salem CC basketball team reached another milestone in what is quickly becoming an historic season.
The Mighty Oaks came from behind Saturday to beat RCSJ-Gloucester 94-75 for its third win in a row. More significantly, it was their 12th win of the season (12-4), eclipsing their win total of the entire 2023-24 season (11-14), and moving them within two wins of qualifying for postseason play.
“I’m not downplaying that, it’s definitely significant, but the job’s not finished,” coach Mike Green said. “That was never our goal to win more games than last year. Our goal is to compete for something at the end of the year, compete for a championship, compete for a trophy, all that stuff. And we’re in a good position to do so, so far.”
Their best season since reviving the program was 18-10 in 2021-22, but that team didn’t get its 12th win that season until Feb. 1.
It took the Mighty Oaks a while to get going in this one. They fell behind by 11 six minutes into the game and trailed by nine with nine minutes left in the half. But that’s where they started to turn it around.
They put together a 22-4 run to take the lead before halftime and then opened the second half with an 18-2 run to put it away.
“We want to wear teams out,” Green said. “Teams that play six and seven people, we want to wear them out. I feel like we wore them down with our first unit, then our second unit came in and wore them down. It worked out well that way.
“And we guarded better. The first half they shot a high percentage – it looked like they barely hardly missed. The second half we did a better job guarding them in the half court and got out and got some runs.”
Everybody contributed. Jaheim Spencer had a game-high 19 points, but six players scored in double figures. Akeem Taylor and Josh Ramos each had 12, Tamir Powell and Tyrese Fortune each had 11, and Tajee Jordan had 10.
Powell had nine straight points in the middle of the first-half flurry, including a 3-pointer with 4:54 left in the half that gave the Mighty Oaks the lead for good
After Saturday’s high-scoring win, the Mighty Oaks are 14th in JUCO Division III in scoring. They’re in the top 10 in 3s made per game and free throw percentage and the top 20 in rebounding.
With a plus-7 turnaround through 16 games over last season, might it be time for the Mighty Oaks to start getting attention in the Division III poll. After all, one of their most recent wins was over one of the teams also receiving votes in the most recent poll.
“How does that work?” Green asked. “I think we’ve done enough to at least get some votes, but that’s on the coaches. Can’t really control that. If somebody thinks we’re a force to be reckoned with, then cool. If not, then we’ll be showing them.”
Top photo: Salem CC’s Jaheim Spencer (32) races to bring the ball up the floor against RCSJ-Gloucester Saturday. (Photo courtesy Gus Ostrum, RCSJ-Gloucester)
SALEM CC 94, RCSJ-GLOUCESTER 75
SALEM CC (12-4) – Jyheim Spencer 9-16 1-3 19, Akeem Taylor 4-7 3-5 12, Josh Ramos 4-8 0-0 12, Tamir Powell 5-9 0-0 11, Tyrese Fortune 5-8 0-1 11, Tajee Jordan 5-7 0-0 10, Xavier Brewington 3-6 0-0 8, A.J. Jones 3-3 0-0 6, Tivon Woolford 2-5 0-0 5, Dontarius Jones 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 40-73 4-9 94.
RCSJ-GLOUCESTER (6-10) – Hajir Davis 5 4-6 16, Titus Bacon 5 2-4 14, Ace Cassiter 3 2-3 9, Aiden Cranmer 2 0-2 5, Fred Orock 7 2-6 16, Kendell McCray 3 1-1 7, Chance Kershaw 0 0-0 0, Daniel Mendez 5 0-3 10, Jon Guzman 0 0-0 0, Amara Sacko 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 11-25 75.
| Salem CC | 45 | 49- | 94 |
| RCSJ-Gloucester | 41 | 34- | 75 |
Women’s game
EDISON – It was a game, comparatively speaking, the Salem CC women should have brought back to Carneys Point as a win.
The Mighty Oaks drilled Delaware Tech by 24 when the teams played earlier this year. Middlesex barely beat them at the buzzer when they played recently.
But that’s the danger of comparing scores. The Mighty Oaks struggled in the second half on the road and Middlesex sent them home with a 63-40 setback.
Salem scored only 14 points in the second half. Middlesex’ Genilah Singleton had nine of her game-high 15 in the third quarter.
“There was no energy, no execution,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “And on the road that’s not a good combination.”
Maggie St. Clair was Salem’s leading scorer with 10 points. The Colts (7-8) had three scorers in double figures.
The Mighty Oaks (6-7) return to action Tuesday at home against Harcum (11-4), No. 19 in the last JUCO Division II poll dated Dec. 16.
MIDDLESEX 63, SALEM CC 40
SALEM CC (6-7) – RayNescia King 0 2-2 2, Nyaijah Jackson 2 1-2 5, Caroline Zullo 2 0-0 5, Maggie St. Clair 4 0-0 10, Dani Gustin 0 0-3 0, Kathryn Laurence 1 0-0 2, Jakayla Jenkins 4 1-1 9, Akira Chambers 3 1-2 7, Alexa Hopkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-10 40.
MIDDLESEX (7-8) – Yasmen Zafar 1 7-10 9, Genilah Singleton 6 2-6 15, Julianne Reyes 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Rice 5 0-0 10, Abria Durham 0 0-2 0, Amya Green 4 0-0 8, Reema Azouzi 0 0-0 0, Jalena Santiago 0 0-0 0, Taijaney McCollum 1 0-0 2, Kezia Feaster 4 2-5 11, Angelia Peralta-Almonte 3 0-2 6. Totals 25 11-25 63.
| Salem CC | 14 | 12 | 6 | 8- | 40 |
| Middlesex | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14- | 63 |
Saturday sports
Here are the results of Saturday’s basketball and wrestling events involving Salem County teams
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown 44, Delsea 19
BOYS BASKETBALL
Camden Catholic 88, Woodstown 42
St. Joseph 50, Penns Grove 43
Schalick at Collingswood
By Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown girls put forth one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding their opponent to one field goal in the second half and scoreless in the fourth quarter, in beating Delsea 44-19 Saturday for their third straight win.
It was the second opponent the Wolverines held to fewer than 20 points and shutout in a quarter they season. They held Salem scoreless in the third quarter of their 61-16 win in the season opener.
“The fourth quarter was phenomenal,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “In the beginning of the game we were allowing too many cuts, not boxing out and not playing good help defense. We were able to talk at halftime and focus on doing the little things right.
“Our team had a very open conversation at halftime about what was working for us and what we needed to improve. That’s the great thing about having a team with a high basketball IQ. They can clearly explain things that they are seeing on the court and we can make adjustments.”
Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio led the Wolverines’ offense with 19 and 18, points, respectively. They combined for all 17 of Woodstown’s points in the first quarter.
Gianna Maiorini had 12 rebounds, while Donelson and Hengel had eight each. As a team, the Wolverines had 12 steals and blocked six shots.
WOODSTOWN 44, DELSEA 19
DELSEA (2-8) – Nicole Morris 1 1-2 3, Angelina Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Kayleigh Barnett 1 0-0 3, Kaiah Braxton 0 0-0 0, Peyton Parker 0 0-0 0, Juliana Baez 2 0-0 5, Ayress Maitland 2 2-5 6, Maura Madden 0 0-0 0, Zoe Shangle 1 0-0 2, Emma Natalie 0 0-0 0, Mel DiBona 0 0-0 0, Britt Horn 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-7 19.
WOODSTOWN (7-2) – Talia Battavio 8-22 2-3 18, Megan Donelson 7-14 2-3 19, Gianna Maiorini 1-5 0-0 2, Kyia Leyman 1-3 0-0 2, Lauren Hengel 0-4 0-0 0, Emma Perry 1-4 0-0 2, Kendall Young 0-1 0-0 0, Foote 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-2 1-2 1, Daly 0-0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-55 5-8 44.
| Delsea | 8 | 7 | 4 | 0- | 19 |
| Woodstown | 17 | 5 | 11 | 11- | 44 |
BOYS GAMES
CAMDEN CATHOLIC 88, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (4-3) – Elijah Caesar 2, Alejandro Vazquez 5, Garrett Leyman 0, Andrew White 1, Rocco String 10, Connor Miller 9, Blake Bialecki 6, M.J. Hall 7, Joshua King 0, John Hood-McGinley 0, Sid Leevy 0.
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (8-1) – Nymir Daily 2, Shane Congleton 7, Seamus Bieg, Charlie Neal 3, Luke Kennevan 23, Sean Welde 2, Chase Langrehr 5, Bryce Clark 10, Azyris Richmond 6, Mel Jones 4, Zach Winkler 4, Nick Tartamosa 2.
| Woodstown | 7 | 14 | 11 | 10- | 42 |
| Camden Catholic | 23 | 22 | 17 | 26- | 88 |
ST. JOSEPH (HAMM.) 50, PENNS GROVE 43
ST. JOSEPH (9-1) – Will Spross 2 6-8 10, Jameer Gordon 8 3-4 19, Edwin Drummond 4 2-4 10, Cayden Banks 1 1-4 3, Donny Spross 3 0-0 8, Chris Hill 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-20 50.
PENNS GROVE (2-6) – Brandin Robbins 3-1-8, Roman Gipson 5-1-11, Karon Ceaser 1-0-2, Antoine Robinson 2-0-4, Haneef Frisbee 2-0-4, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, William Roy 2-1-5, Luis Colon 2-1-5. Totals 19-4-43.
| St. Joseph | 9 | 9 | 12 | 19- | 50 |
| Penns Grove | 10 | 9 | 8 | 19- | 43 |
Active scorers watch
| SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST | TODAY | POINTS |
| Talia Battavio, Woodstown | 18 | 1362 |
| Megan Donelson, Woodstown | 19 | 1327 |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | ||
| Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 427) | DNP | 889 |
| Marley Wood, Pennsville | DNP | 811 |
| RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 552) | DNP | 803 |
Wrestling
Millville Quad
PENNSVILLE 48, OAKCREST 30
113: Erick Davalos (P) won by forfeit
120: Joey Sanchez (O( pinned Jacob Hand, 4:00
126: Vincent Ciccantelli (P) won by forfeit
132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Kevin Longo, 2:00
138: Gave Supernavage (P) pinned Erick Montas-Arias, 2:00
144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned George Swoyer, 2:00
150: Ryan Monroe (O) won by forfeit
157: Aiden Xayaphachan (O) won by forfeit
165: Adienn Aponte (O) pinned Juan Velasquez, 4:00
175: Joseph Halstead (P) pinned Juan Anaya, 2:00
190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Malik Hughes
215: Jose Anaya (O) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Jeremiah Lopez, 2:00
106: Double forfeit
PENNSVILLE 37, OVERBROOK 36
(x-Pennsville wins on criteria)
106: Jacob Sole (O) pinned John Sassi, 1:35
113: Brett Land (P) pinned Kayden Branco, 3:57
120: Michael Mahon (O) pinned Mehki Dicks, 2:53
126: Kevin Reed (O) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 5:34
132: Nathaniel Mason (P) dec. Damiano Redrow, 9-8
138: Alan Marcos (O) dec. Telvin Duk, 8-5
144: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Isaiah Natal, 1:36
150: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Jaevon Mitchell, 2:24
157: Karter Reed (O) won by forfeit
165: Juan Velasquez (P) pinned Randall Ringstaff, 1:04
175: Joseph Halstead (P) dec. Oscar Calderon, 9-3
190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Xyon Marshall, 4:18
215: Cooper Himes (O) won by forfeit
285: Tomas Sanchez (O) dec. Trevor Waddington, 2-0
MILLVILLE 46, PENNSVILLE 33
120: Ruben Cruz (M) maj. dec. Mekhi Dicks, 14-3
126: Joshua Roman (M) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:26
132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Caleb Rhoads, 5:24
138: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Gabe Supernavage, 3:24
144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Alexander Mendez, 2:13
150: Jared Hoffman (M) won by forfeit
157: Ryan Tepper (M) won by forfeit
165: MarQuis Allen (M) pinned Juan Velasquez, 1:35
175: Joseph Halstead (P) pinned Trystan Brooks, 1:59
190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Tyshawn English, 2:32
215: Jayden Jones (M) won by forfeit
285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Keani Speights, 1-0
106: Karter Parker (M) pinned John Sassi, 0:46
113: Brett Land (P) won by forfeit
Deptford Quad
DEPTFORD 66, PENNS GROVE 12
106: Corey Hoffman (D) pinned Jose Santiago
113: Avery Curriden (P) pinned Julian Colon
120: Dylan Smith (D) won by forfeit
126: Amir Barnes (D) maj. dec. Devine Arce, 12-1
132: Ethan Christmas (D) tech fall Adan Gonzales, 16-1
138: Jaylen Huertes (D) pinned AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailmTart
144: Quentin Boyce (D) won by forfeit
150: Odess Myers (D) won by forfeit
157: Devin Trotter (D) won by forfeit
165: Gavyn Henderson (D) won by forfeit
175: Mel Maguire (D) dec. Clinton Bobo, 7-6
190: Shawn McLaughlin (D) pinned Julian Espino
215: John Griffith (D) pinned Antonio Cooper
285: Wayne Scott (P) pinned Daniel Maguire
PENNS GROVE 54, ST. JOSEPH (HAMM.) 24
113: Avery Curriden (P) won by forfeit
120: Double forfeit
126: Devine Arce (P) pinned Naheem Davis, 0:16
132: Adan Gonzales (P) won by forfeit
138: AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailmTart (P) won by forfeit
144: Mason Hollywood (SJ) won by forfeit
150: Paul Lacy (SJ) won by forfeit
157: Tre Brown (P) won by forfeit
165: Colin Steiner (SJ) won by forfeit
175: Clinton Bobo (P) won by forfeit
190: Julian Espino (P) won by forfeit
215: Antonio Cooper (P) won by forfeit
285: Wayne Scott (P) pinned Cayden Banks, 1:27
106: Damien Spera (SJ) pinned Jose Santiago, 1:04
COLLINGSWOOD 64, PENNS GROVE 18
106: James Jiles (C) pinned Jose Santiago, 2:24
113: Kenny Olsen (C) pinned Avery Curriden, 1:12
120: Rufus Burris (C) won by forfeit
126: Devine Arce (P) pinned Sean Byrd, 2:30
132: Oscar Reyes (C) pinned Adam Gonzales, 0:55
138: Avange Santos (C) pinned AbdulMuta’Alie IbnAbdulHailmTart, 2:26
144: Stewart Chang (C) won by forfeit
150: Christopher Sanchez-Chavez (C) won by forfeit
157: Matt Malinowski (C) tech fall Tre Brown, 21-5
165: Caden Luby (C) won by forfeit
175: Clinton Bobo (P) pinned Julian Maxwell, 3:38
190: Josiah Evans (C) pinned Julian Espino, 1:12
215: Nyeim Bennett (C) tech fall Antonio Cooper, 19-4
285: Wayne Scott (P) pinned Derek Fleming, 1:13
Buena Quad
SCHALICK 65, BUENA 12
126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Zach Cohen, 1:10
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Thomas Hann, 5:04
138: Gionni Sharkey (B) pinned Colin Bittle, 4:30
144: Ayden Jenkins (S) won by forfeit
150: Lucas Gellura (B) dec. Koen Martin, 8-4
157: Riley Papiano (S) pinned Donato Vai, 1:20
165: Eric Sulik (S) won by forfeit
175: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit
190: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit
215: Brian Passamante (B) dec. Gerardo Felipe, UTB 3-2
285: Julian Reid (S) won by forfeit
106: Emma Cain (S) tech fall Gianna Edwards, 19-3
113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Aubrey Raum, 0:40
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Jack Mazzoni, 1:10
SCHALICK 52, CUMBERLAND 20
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Killian McGraw, 1:15
138: Chase Williams (CU) dec. Colin Bittle, 8-7
144: Daniel Lloyd (CU) tech fall Ayden Jenkins, 17-2
150: Michael Carastro (CU) dec. Koen Martin, 7-3
157: Riley Papiano (S) dec Gary Albert, SV-1 6:31
165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 3:09
175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall David Seeger, 17-1
190: Evan Elliott (S) tech fall Sebron Hall-Jones, 16-1
215: Gerardo Felipe (S) over Noval Jenkins, DQ
285: Julian Reid (S) pinned Gavin Hayes, 1:22
106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit
113: DeAnthony Harden (CU) dec. Caleb Jenkins, 7-1
120: Kolton Sheppard (CU) pinned E’Shion Underwood, 1:34
126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Logan Smith, 3:39
SCHALICK 49, TIMBER CREEK 27
120: E’Shion Underwood (S) tech fall Dominic Speakman, 19-3 (3:44)
126: Luke Silva (S) tech fall Ayden Zarnosky, 18-2 (2:23)
132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Josh Wolfenden, 3:10
138: Colin Bittle (S) won by forfeit
144: Ayden Jenkins (S) pinned Eric Rambaran, 3:00
150: Joey Walker (TC) pinned Koen Martin, 2:54
157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit
165: Ryan Kuriger (TC) pinned Eric Sulik, 0:27
175: Ricky Watt (S) dec. Zyeir Green, 8-6
190: Amir Reason-Dallas (TC) pinned Evan Elliott, 3:49
215: Elijah Green (TC) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 11-4
285: Roland Green (TC) pinned Julian Reid, 3:53
106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit
113: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit
Cinnaminson Duals
WALL 47, WOODSTOWN 24
113: Omar Carrillo-Solano (WA) tech fall Luke Woronicak, 15-0 (3:59)
120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Charles Mahoney, 0:40
126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Nicholas Traina, 0:17
132: Ben Waitzel (WA) pinned Louie Scholl, 1:39
138: Mason DiStefano (WA) pinned Ryan Polk, 1:31
144: Joseph Matri (WA) won by forfeit
150: Michael Boulard (WA) pinned Thomas Lacy, 3:08
157: Parker Quinn (WA) pinned Brett Rowand, 5:12
165: Joe Donofrio (WA) dec. Laitton Roberts, 4-1
175: Jeremy Marsella (WA) dec. Greyson Hyland, 6-5
190: Paul Banff (WO) dec. Sean Cosme, 3-0
215: Walter Carter (WO) dec. Eric Clauburg, 9-3
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) won by forfeit
106: Bryson Jarosz (WA) pinned Hunter Allen, 2:33
WOODSTOWN 60, HADDON TWP. 24
120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Andrew Marshall, 0:29
126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Owen Ziegler, 1:31
132: Blake Thoder (H) pinned Louie Scholl, 3:43
138: Thomas Andrews (H) pinned Ryan Polk, 1:50
144: Brady Mokoid (H) won by forfeit
150: Justin Capri (H) pinned Thomas Lacy, 2:37
157: Brett Rowand (WO) won by forfeit
165: Laitton Roberts (WO) pinned Ryan Henry, 1:27
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Antonio Reyes, 2:48
190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned Joseph Sum, 0:49
215: Walter Carter (WO) pinned Elijah Borowicz, 2:18
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Sean Weikel, 1:11
106: Hunter Allen (WO) pinned Sok Hoy, 2:23
113: Luke Woronicak (WO) pinned Jon Rodriquez, 1:32
HADDONFIELD 41, WOODSTOWN 28
126: Walker Battavio (WO) dec. Alexander Frey, 9-3
132: Pierce Hoffman (H) dec. Travis Balbeck, 8-5
138: William Dietz (H) won by forfeit
144: Chase Degillo (H) maj. dec. Ryan Polk, 11-1
150: William Barker (H) pinned Thomas Lacy, 4:45
157: Hutch Rhyne (H) pinned Brett Rowand, 3:07
165: Aidan Rhea (H) dec. Laitton Roberts, 9-3
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) tech fall Parker Bawidamann, 20-3 (5:26)
190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned Rafael Lytle, 1:28
215: Walter Carter (WO) won by forfeit
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) won by forfeit
106: Hunter Allen (WO) dec. Harrison Carroll, 7-1
113: Cole Spence (H) maj. dec. Luke Woronicak, 13-1
120: Michael Lamb (H) pinned Carson Bradway, 1:47
Locked in and loaded
‘Locked in’ senior Tunis has career night while leading deliberate Salem to a victory over LEAP; Pennsville crushed by Clayton
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Salem 48, LEAP 28
Clayton 101, Pennsville 45
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Joe Tunis says he’s “locked in” this year and that’s really good news – for Joe Tunis and the Salem basketball team.
Tunis was on the team last season but didn’t see enough action to be productive. He changed his mindset in the offseason and is playing regularly in the rotation. Friday night the senior guard had the best game of his career in leading the Rams to a 48-28 win over LEAP Academy that snapped a two-game losing streak.
He led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I wasn’t really locked in (last year); I’m locked in now,” he said. “I realized it’s my last year, coach told me I had to lock in, so I locked in.
“I want to win. Last year, losing in the playoffs to Pitman, that hurt. I didn’t want to feel like that anymore. We’ve lost two back-to-back tough ones (this week) we should’ve won (Pitman and Glassboro). Wanted it bad. Hate losing, that’s all it is.”
Consistency has always been Tunis’ key. It wasn’t there a lot of the time last year when it came to going to practice and it impacted how much coach Anthony Farmer was going to play him.
While some bits of Allen Iverson remain, he has gotten away from what he called that “childish mindset” and has played in eight of the Rams’ 10 games this year, producing 41 points and 28 rebounds with his most consistent production coming the last two nights.
His best game before going off against the Lions (4-5) was nine points and six rebounds against Woodstown in the second game of the year. He had eight points Thursday night at Glassboro.
“He was tremendous,” Farmer said. “We know what Joe can do, but Joe’s issue has been consistently showing up and being here. We’re better with Joe, when he’s around. We call him ‘The Junkyard Dog,’ he does a little bit of everything. Tonight, it went in for him. That’s great. Hopefully he stays hot for us.”
The Rams (7-3) needed somebody to break out because the game wasn’t played at their typical fast tempo. Farmer deliberately slowed down and it led to just an 18-12 lead at halftime.
Tunis and Donnie Weathers both drew starts because they were the spark in the stretch the Rams were at their best in an otherwise lacking performance against Glassboro. The 48 points were the fewest they’ve scored in a win since beaten Gloucester Catholic with 39 in January 2023.
“I don’t think we’ve been playing pretty good basketball,” Farmer said. “We’ve been able to squeak out seven wins now, but tonight I didn’t let them get up and down. We’ve been in the half-court a lot and we stink in the half-court. We had 18 points at the half, just running half-court offense.
“That was by design. I know in order to win the big game come March we’re going to have to settle down in the half-court and you’re going to have to run something. You can’t just rely on Ty (Lecator) to run around and jack up shots. We’ve got to get better, so that was by design.”
The second half they were a little more efficient, outscoring the Lions 30-16. Lecator (eight) and Xavier McGriff (seven) scored all of their points in the second half. Tunis had 10 in the half – seven in a 9-0 run that opened the third quarter and a 3 in the fourth.
“We thought (Tunis) could be a piece last year, but the consistency hurt him,” Farmer said. “Hopefully this helps him with some confidence and he’s feeling good about his role on the team and how important he is to the team. If he buys in he can be a really big picture for the back stretch.”
DeShaan Williams and Azhone Burden continued their strong play since the start of the new year. Williams had five points, three rebounds and blocked six shots against the Lions. Burden, a 6-4 senior transfer from Bridgeton who just became eligible this week, had seven points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
In the three games he’s played since becoming eligible, Burden has 35 points and 28 rebounds. Williams has 58 points and 30 rebounds in his last four games.
“It’s great to have him back,” Farmer said of Burden. “He can do a multitude of things for us and he’s going to be a big piece to our success down the line. It’s been a tough stretch for him being a senior having to sit and wait, so we’re just happy to have him back and he’s excited.
“I’ve been trying to get (Williams) to come out of his shell. He’s a real quiet kid, a real humble kid, a coach’s dream, but I’ve been urging for more from him and he’s turning it on.”
SALEM 48, LEAP 28
LEAP (4-5) – Jeremiah Rodriguez 3 2-2 10, Angel Mieses 3 0-0 6, Greg Shoultz 0 3-5 3, Lashawn Clay 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Carr 0 0-2 0, Benjamin Noel 2 1-4 5, Others 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 6-13 28.
SALEM (7-3) – Donnie Weathers 1 0-0 2, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 7, Neziah Spence 1 2-2 5, Tymear Lecator 2 4-6 8, DeShaan Williams 2 1-4 5, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Joe Tunis 4 5-5 14, Azhone Burden 3 1-2 7, Giovanni Taluve 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 13-19 48.
| LEAP | 7 | 5 | 10 | 6- | 28 |
| Salem | 11 | 7 | 15 | 15- | 48 |
CLAYTON 101, PENNSVILLE 45: Princeton Sackor scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Clippers handed Pennsville (1-7) its fifth straight loss. Demetris Williams (14), Nazir Davis (12) and James Fritz (10) also scored in double figures for Clayton (4-4).
It’s the third time the Clippers have scored 100 points in a game this season and the fifth time in their last six one of the teams in the game scored 100.
| Pennsville (1-7) | 15 | 11 | 10 | 9- | 45 |
| Clayton (4-4) | 21 | 18 | 33 | 29- | 101 |
Back even
Salem CC women allow fewest points since reviving the program, dump RCSJ-Cumberland to win second game of new year, reach .500 first first time since Dec. 12
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT — Kathryn Laurence scored a season-high 18 points, the bigs dominated the post and the defense was sharp as the Salem CC women crushed RCSJ-Cumberland 53-24 Thursday night.
The win was their second in a row and got them back to .500 (6-6) for the first time since Dec. 12. The 24 points were the fewest the Mighty Oaks have allowed in a game since reviving the program last season. They held the Dukes (5-8) scoreless for the first 6:30 of the game and to just one point over an 11-minute stretch of the second and third quarters.
They held the Dukes to 16.7 percent shooting for the game and forced them into 29 turnovers, off which they scored 22 points.
“We didn’t have a great game offensively (shooting 27 percent and committing 25 turnovers), but we played good defense and got the win,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We’re off to a good start in the new year (2-0), but we have a tough opponent on the road Saturday that beat us twice last season (Middlesex).
“We have really started to play with a chip on our shoulder and much better basketball on both ends of the floor.”
Laurence hit 7 of 18 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers. She hit her first two 3s in the Mighty Oaks’ 12-0 start. The 5-5 sophomore guard from Texas has scored in double figures in four of her last five games, averaging 13 points per game in the stretch.
On the inside, Akira Chambers had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Dani Gustin had 11 rebounds to go with five points.
SALEM CC 53, RCSJ-CUMBERLAND 24
RCSJ-CUMBERLAND (5-8) — Sky Oyola 2-7 0-1 6, Ana Patino 1-7 0-0 2, Janessa Marienski 1-6 0-2 2, Gianna Baldino 1-11 2-4 4, Armani Mejia 2-7 1-2 5, Egypt Owens 1-6 3-6 5, Sophia Ramos-Garcia 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 8-48 6-15 24.
SALEM CC (6-6) — Nyaijah Jackson 1-10 0-0 2, Maggie St. Clair 1-10 2-2 4, Kathryn Laurence 7-18 0-2 18, Jakayla Jenkins 1-6 0-0 2, Akira Chambers 5-10 4-4 14, RayNescia King 2-9 0-0 4, Dani Gustin 1-4 3-3 5, Alexa Hopkins 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 20-73 9-11 53.
| RCSJ-Cumberland | 5 | 5 | 4 | 10- | 24 |
| Salem CC | 14 | 17 | 7 | 15- | 53 |
Smart defense
Donelson mccracks down on McCracken, Leyman big in the post and Woodstown beats Wildwood in OT; includes all of Thursday’s Salem County basketball action
| GIRLS GAMES | BOYS GAMES |
| Woodstown 49, Wildwood 46 (OT) | Woodstown 66, Wildwood 47 |
| Glassboro 64, Salem 20 | Glassboro 76, Salem 62 |
| Penns Grove 47, Pitman 26 | Pitman at Penns Grove, ppd. |
| Schalick 36, Salem Tech 26 | Schalick 79, Salem Tech 22 |
| Pennsville 58, Triton 49 | Gloucester Catholic 61, Pennsville 40 |
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — How many times does it happen? You have a game with some of the most dynamic scorers in South Jersey and of course it’s defense that determines the outcome.
Woodstown’s Megan Donelson cracked down on Macie McCracken and the Wolverines gained a bit of satisfaction for last year’s last-second loss in the sectional final, beating Wildwood in overtime 49-46 Thursday night to give first-year coach Matt Smart an early signature win.
“It always comes down to defense,” Smart said. “It’s about boxing out, rebounding, defense. McCracken’s an incredible player. She’s going to get her points no matter what defense you throw on her. It’s about limiting her opportunities, playing nice good hard defense and then boxing her out and making her only get one shot instead of two or three and Megan was phenomenal. She was up to the challenge.
“That’s kind of what we always preach, play unselfish basketball. And defense, you have to be unselfish. She did a great job. Other girls did a great job switching, hedging, all the little things to try to limit her. She still played amazing. She’s an incredible basketball player and our girls just kind of took it as a personal challenge.”
Donelson was on McCracken from the time the Warriors got off the bus. She held the senior on the verge of 2,000 career points to one field goal and four points in the first half, no points in overtime and 14 points total. Meanwhile, she scored 13 points to go over the 1,300-point career mark.
“My goal was just to shut her down because I know she’s a good shooter; yeah, lock down,” Donelson said. “When coach gives me a player to man up on I just follow what he says and give it my all on that one player.”
But she wasn’t the only one who came up big in a big game. Kyia Leyman, who had been limited the last two seasons because of knee injuries, gave the Wolverines a huge game in the post, scoring 11 points and grabbing 19 rebounds — both career highs — and blocking two shots.
She had four points and eight rebounds in the first half and back-to-back three-point play opportunities in the third quarter to help the Wolverines open a nine-point lead.
“I think my mindset was just to do it for the team,” Leyman said. “It was definitely a team effort and I wanted to be there for them. I didn’t want to let them down, so I think I just tried my best — and I wanted to come back and beat a really good team. I think this was the best I’ve played, the most calm, collected I’ve played (since coming back).”
Donelson’s layup with 42 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 41. Both teams had shots in the closing seconds to win it. Donelson stole an entry pass but lost her footing driving to the basket. Gianna Maiorini collected the loose ball on the baseline but her shot was blocked by Sara Djellal. The Warriors raced back up the floor for the final shot, but McCracken’s 3 from the left side hit off the far iron and Leyman grabbed the rebound as the horn sounded.
Woodstown (6-2) jumped out front in overtime and never lost the lead. Donelson drove around the lane for the first basket and Talia Battavio, who struggled with her shot most of the game, squared up on the left elbow and buried at 3 to give the Wolverines a five-point lead. Battavio had 12 points in the game.
“That was pretty big,” Battavio said of her 3. “I feel like it got us motivated, fired up a little bit, got me fired up.”
Wildwood (6-1) had the ball for a last shot in overtime. The Warriors had it on the sideline near the scorer’s table with 1.1 seconds left and needed what seemed like a miracle 3 to tie. They had trouble pulling the trigger on the inbounds and when they did get it in the pass landed in the hands of Woodstown’s Lauren Hengel as the clock expired.
The Warriors beat Woodstown in last year’s South Jersey Group I final in a controversial finish after the home crowd rushed the floor in reaction to Wildwood’s go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds. While the game was on everyone’s mind, Smart said revenge wasn’t the motivating factor in this regular-season game.
“We’re a different team than the team last year, they’re a different team than they were last year,” Smart said. “Our message to the girls this week was this isn’t professional wrestling. We don’t beat them today and get the belt back. There’s still a lot of work to do. This is just a first step.”
But it was satisfying nonetheless.
“Leading up to this game we talked about three things in the team — being confident, being relaxed and having fun — and I think we did those three things as a program today,” Smart said. “It was a fun game.”
WOODSTOWN 49, WILDWOOD 46 (OT)
WILDWOOD (6-1) — Macie McCracken 4 4-4 14, Angela Wilber 3 3-4 10, Rebecca Benichou 3 0-0 9, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Sarah Djellal 4 1-2 9, Addison Troiano 2 0-0 4, Lily Atkinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 8-10 46.
WOODSTOWN (6-2) — Talia Battavio 5-27 0-2 12, Megan Donelson 5-14 2-3 13, Gianna Maiorini 2-3 2-4 6, Lauren Hengel 2-12 2-4 7, Kyia Leyman 5-14 1-2 11, Kendall Young 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-70 7-15 49.
| Wildwood | 11 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 5- | 46 |
| Woodstown | 12 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 8- | 49 |
PENNSVILLE 58, TRITON 49: The Eagles fought through illness and the absence of leading scorer Nora Ausland to rally for their fourth in a row. They were down 10 at one point in the second quarter, but rallied to get the deficit to one at halftime. Pennsville’s Taylor Bass led all scorers with a season-high 21 points. Addison Johnston had a career-high 19 points and Marley Wood had 12.
TRITON (4-3) — Melannie Noel 7 2-6 17, Kaidan Henry 5 0-0 15, Gianna Loftis 4 1-2 10, Riley Mikiewicz 2 0-0 5, Gianna Endt 1 0-0 2, Kimora Dobson 0 0-0 0, Akeera Reid-Streater 0 0-0 0. 19 3-8 49.
PENNSVILLE (5-2) — Taylor Bass 9 2-4 21, Marley Wood 4 2-4 12, Addison Johnston 6 4-7 19, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 8-15 58.
| Triton | 11 | 16 | 15 | 7- | 49 |
| Pennsville | 14 | 12 | 17 | 17- | 58 |
SCHALICK 36, SALEM TECH 26
SCHALICK (2-4) — Carly Vicente 2 0-0 4, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Willow Davis 1 1-2 3, Olivia Vanacker 2 0-0 4, Ava Scurry 2 1-2 5, Naveah Robinson 2 2-3 6, Cali Fisler 1 1-2 3, Abby Willoughby 4 1-2 11. Totals 14 6-11 36.
SALEM TECH (2-5) — Hannah Dewitt 0 1-2 1, Shelby Drummond 3 0-2 7, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-0 2, Demajae White 4 2-2 10, Shelby Liber 2 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 0 0-0 0, Evening Amedee 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 3-6 26.
| Schalick | 11 | 6 | 8 | 11- | 36 |
| Salem Tech | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6- | 26 |
GLASSBORO 64, SALEM 20
GLASSBORO (4-4) — Sanaa Thomas 1 0-0 2, Tamia Smith 5 4-8 14, Grace Moore 4 1-1 9, NiJha Norzon Clark 1 0-0 3, Brackett 7 1-4 19, Kimora Miles 1 3-6 5, Sianna Wedderburn 3 2-2 8, Lily Czubas 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 11-21 64.
SALEM (0-7) — Carlysia Pierce 1 2-3 4, Nevaeh Hickman 4 2-3 12, Dakirah Gray 1 0-0 2, Amariah Frye 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 4-6 20.
| Glassboro | 14 | 18 | 17 | 15- | 64 |
| Salem | 3 | 2 | 9 | 6- | 20 |
Boys Games
WOODSTOWN 66, WILDWOOD 47: Rocco String came within two blocked shots of his elusive triple-double and led the Wolverines to their fourth straight victory. String had 18 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots in his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season. The Wolverines had three other scorers in double figures — M.J. Hall (season-high 16), Alejandro Vazquez (10) and Blake Bialecki (12) — and Garrett Leyman grabbed 11 rebounds.
WOODSTOWN (4-2) — Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 9, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 6 0-0 12, Alejandro Vazquez 4 0-0 10, M.J. Hall 6 0-0 16, Garrett Leyman 0 0-0 0, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 9 0-0 18. Totals 30 1-2 66.
WILDWOOD (2-6) — Eric Jordan 1 0-0 2, Nolan Mawhinney 2 0-0 5, Trevor Troiano 3 0-0 9, R.J. Blanda 0 0-0 0, Vinny Sweeney 0 2-2 2, Jordan Dozier 0 0-0 0, Brian Cunniff 10 6-7 27, Sammy Santiago 1 0-0 2, Jack Fullertonn 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-9 47.
| Woodstown | 18 | 15 | 14 | 19- | 66 |
| Wildwood | 5 | 12 | 10 | 20- | 47 |
GLASSBORO 76, SALEM 62
SALEM (6-3) — Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Tymear Lecator 7 4-5 15, Deshaan Williams 2 7-13 13, Darrelle Johnson 4 0-0 9, Joe Tunis 2 2-2 8, Ashore Burden 5 1-1 11, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-21 62.
GLASSBORO (3-5) — Xavier Sabb 14, Kenny Smith 28, Davon Barr 6, Maurice Davis 10, Tashean Thomas 3, Alex Adeleye 2, Aiden Harris 11, Marley Crowl 2.
| Salem | 15 | 11 | 20 | 16- | 62 |
| Glassboro | 17 | 22 | 17 | 20- | 76 |
SCHALICK 79, SALEM TECH 22: Reggie Allen scored 18 points, Nylan Sutton added 14 and Sherrod Jones 10 as the Cougars snapped a seven-game losing streak and kept the Chargers winless. Eleven players scored for Schalick.
SALEM TECH (0-9) — Joseph Hayes 2 1-3 6, Larry Pompper 0 1-3 1, Keidyn Robinson 1 0-0 2, Logan Pace 0 2-2 2, Krolle 1 0-0 2, Ayars 2 1-6 5, Ayden Myers 1 1-2 4. Totals 7 6-16 22.
SCHALICK (2-7) — Reggie Allen Jr. 8 1-2 18, Nylan Sutton 7 0-2 14, Jase Volovar 3 1-2 9, Sherrod Jones 5 0-0 10, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Zaeshawn Mills 3 0-0 8, Jamari Whitley 1 2-4 4, Sean Kelly 2 0-0 4, Jacob Schalick 1 4-5 7, Ryan Horner 1 0-0 3, Gauge Craner 0 1-2 1. Totals 32 9-17 79.
| Salem Tech | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6- | 22 |
| Schalick | 19 | 27 | 20 | 13- | 79 |
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 61, PENNSVILLE 40
PENNSVILLE (1-6) — Jovanni Rios 6 1-3 13, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 5, Shiloh Jefferson 1 0-0 2, Logan Hitt 1 0-0 3, Perry Meranti 1 0-0 2, Daniel Knight 1 0-0 2, C.J. McDevitt 3 1-2 8, Jacob Miller 1 0-0 2, Jacob Farina 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 2-5 40.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (4-5) — Carlos Mendez 6 2-5 15, Jack Mustaro 8 2-3 20, Jack Pund 2 0-0 4, Danny Zellner 1 2-2 4, Ben Cook 2 0-0 4, Kybron Ricks 1 0-0 3, Zack Payne 3 0-0 7, Gary Connelly 0 0-0 0, Jordan Mendez 0 0-0 0, Kimani Pyram 1 0-0 2, C.J. Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Anthony Polidoro 0 0-0 0, Andrew Ginipro 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 6-10 61.
| Pennsville | 3 | 13 | 12 | 12- | 40 |
| Gloucester Catholic | 9 | 23 | 14 | 15- | 61 |
Active scorers watch
| SALEM COUNTY SCORING LIST | TODAY | POINTS |
| Talia Battavio, Woodstown | 12 | 1344 |
| Megan Donelson, Woodstown | 13 | 1308 |
| 1000-POINT WATCH | ||
| Nora Ausland, Pennsville (Salem 462/Pennsville 427) | DNP | 889 |
| Marley Wood, Pennsville | 12 | 811 |
| RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove (Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 552) | 16 | 803 |
Salem County schedule
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the rest of this week
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
Cinnaminson Duals
Round 1, 9:30 a.m.
M1: Seneca vs. Haddon Twp.
M2: Paulsboro vs. Cinnaminson
M3: Lower Cape May vs. Haddonfield
M4: Wall vs. Woodstown
Round 2, 11 a.m.
M5: Seneca-Haddon Twp winner vs. Wall-Woodstown winner
M6: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson winner vs. LCM-Haddonfield winner
M7:Seneca-Haddon Twp loser vs. Wall-Woodstown loser
M8: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson loser vs. LCM-Haddonfield loser
Round 3, 12:30 p.m.
M9: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner
M10: Match 5 loser vs. Match 6 loser
M11: Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner
M12: Match 7 loser vs. Match 8 loser
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, noon
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Middlesex, noon
Tough Tuesday
Tuesday boys roundup: Salem, Pitman stage another epic battle; all four Salem County boys teams in action fall
BOYS GAMES
Clayton 102, Salem Tech 39
Glassboro 54, Schalick 31
Overbrook 66, Penns Grove 33
Pitman 83, Salem 77 (OT)
By Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Pitman and Salem have staged some epic battles the last two seasons and Tuesday night continued the trend.
Elijah Crispin scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers over the Rams 83-77 in overtime. Crispin was 16-of-25 from the free throw line.
Salem’s Neziah Spence sent the game into overtime with one of his three 3-pointers, but Pitman outscored the Rams 10-4 in the extra period.
Tymear Lecator and Deshaan Williams led the Rams with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Lecator also had five rebounds and seven assists. Williams also had eight rebounds. Ashore Burden added 15 points.
PITMAN 83, SALEM 77
PITMAN (6-1): Hudson Rue 3 0-0 6, Elijah Crispin 11 16-25 38, Greg Petersen 3 0-0 9, Michael Fisicaro 5 2-2 16, Aidan Stranahan 5 1-2 14. Totals 27 19-29 83.
SALEM (6-2): Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Neziah Spencer 3 0-0 9, Tymear Lecator 8 1-1 21, Deshaan Williams 9 2-2 20, Antwan Rogers 3 0-0 6, Joe Tunis 0 1-2 1, Azhone Burden 7 1-2 15. Totals 32 5-7 77.
| Pitman | 15 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 10- | 83 |
| Salem | 25 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 4- | 77 |
OVERBROOK 66 PENNS GROVE 33
PENNS GROVE (2-5): Brandin Robbins 1 0-0 3, Roman Gipson 0 3-4 3, Karon Ceaser 5 2-2 13, Antoine Robinson 1 1-2 3, Haneef Frisbee 1 1-2 3, Jameel Horace 1 1-2 3, Luis Colon 1 3-5 5. Totals 10 11-17 33.
OVERBROOK (7-2): Lamar Little 5 0-0 13, Xavier Wright 4 0-0 8, Elvin Santiago 0 1-2 1, Zair Green 7 1-2 17, Bilal Robinson 3 0-0 6, JR Stanley 2 0-0 6, Jaden St. John 1 0-0 2, Cody Harris 3 0-0 8, Jason Boyd 1 0-0 3, Shallom Teguia 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 2-4 66.
| Penns Grove | 7 | 10 | 3 | 13- | 33 |
| Overbrook | 18 | 16 | 17 | 15- | 66 |
GLASSBORO 54, SCHALICK 31
GLASSBORO (2-5): Aiden Harris 2 0-0 4, Kenny Smith 7 4-4 18, Marley Crowl 2 0-0 5, Xavier Sabb 7 2-2 17, Alex Adeieye 1 0-0 2, Maurice Davis 3 2-3 8. Totals 22 8-9
SCHALICK (1-7): Reggie Allen 0 4-6 4, Nylan Sutton 5 2-6 12, Jase Volovar 0 1-4 1, Sherrod Jones 2 0-0 4, Zaeshawn Mills 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whatley 4 0-0 8Totals 12 7-16 31.
| Glassboro | 13 | 18 | 9 | 14- | 54 |
| Schalick | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9- | 31 |
CLAYTON 102, SALEM TECH 39
SALEM TECH (0-8): Joseph Hayes 5 0-0 11, Larry Pompper 5 1-5 11, Charlie Brown 2 0-0 4, Alex Thomas 2 0-0 4, Krolle 2 0-0 4, Ayars 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 1-5 39-x
CLAYTON (3-3): Princeton Sackor 6 3-5 15, Nazir Davis 6 1-2 15, Demetris Williams 4 0-3 8, James Fritz 7 1-2 17, Jackson Venuto 5 3-3 13, Anthony Taylor 2 0-0 4, Nasir Carter3 0-0 7, Isaiah Aviles 1 0-0 2, Rodney Robinson 1 0-2 2, Deion Scott 1 0-0 2, Anthony Archer 1 1-2 3, Trevor Rehm 1 0-0 2, King Mosely 4 2-4 12.
| Salem Tech | 9 | 6 | 10 | 14- | 39 |
| Clayton | 22 | 36 | 19 | 25- | 102 |
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 |
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 |
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