Here is this week’s sports schedules for teams in Salem County for the week of Feb. 25-March 2
Sunday
WRESTLING NJSIAA Girls Regionals, Pennsauken
Tuesday
BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Girls No. 8 Pennsville at No. 1 Woodbury, 4:30 p.m. No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 4 Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Audubon at No. 3 Maple Shade, 5:30 p.m. No. 7 Glassboro at No. 2 Wildwood, 4 p.m. Boys No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy, 5:15 p.m. No. 5 Audubon at No. 4 Wildwood, 6 p.m. No. 6 Glassboro at No. 3 Salem, 5 p.m. No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 2 Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Girls Pennsville-Woodbury vs. Penns Grove-Woodstown Audubon-Maple Shade vs. Glassboro-Wildwood Boys Penns Grove-KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy vs. Audubon-Wildwood Glassboro-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Pitman WRESTLING NJSIAA State Championship, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
Friday
COLLEGE BASEBALL Ocean CC at Salem CC (Carneys Point Rec), 3 p.m. WRESTLING NJSIAA State Championship, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
Saturday
BASKETBALL Girls South Jersey Group I championship Boys South Jersey Group I championship WRESTLING NJSIAA State Championship, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Ocean CC (2), noon
Woodstown girls rout Overbrook to complete third straight sweep of Tri-County Diamond Division schedule
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – If it’s going to take winning three straight Super Bowls before they anoint the Kansas City Chiefs as a dynasty, what would you call the Woodstown girls basketball team after three undefeated seasons within their division?
The Wolverines completed their third straight undefeated run through the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division Friday with a 76-18 rout of Overbrook.
They have gone 10-0, 10-0 and 8-0 in the division over the last three seasons, but the actual in-division winning streak is 30 going back to 2021 – 31 if you count a playoff win against division rival Penns Grove during the same stretch. Their last loss in the Diamond came at Glassboro (60-45) on Feb. 25, 2021.
With a win over Penns Grove in Tuesday’s quarterfinals of the South Jersey Group I tournament, they will have 20 wins for the third year in a row and fourth straight in years they had that many games to win.
“It proves it’s not just a year-to-year team, it’s the program,” first-year head coach Kara Straughn said. “It’s a testament to how good our program is, not just like one year we’re really good (and it drops off).
“We’ve been consistently good and it’s because we have girls who have grown up in this program and who are good leaders, so then the young girls are coming in and we’re continuing to win. They work their butts off, so they deserve to be 10-0 in the division.”
The Wolverines (19-6) were heavily favored and took control by scoring the first 10 points of the game and opening a 22-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The most impressive part of the quarter was Woodstown center Shannon Pierman collecting a double-double before it was over. She had eight of the game’s first 10 points and ended the quarter with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She finished with 20 and 14 for her ninth double-double of the season and eighth in her last 12 games.
“I do not think that’s ever happened before,” an astonished Pierman said. “I didn’t realize it, I wasn’t keeping track. I thought it led off to a good start so we could get momentum going and get a win out of it.”
The plan all along was to play the starters for a comfortable amount of time and then give the reserves the floor.
The starters came out for the final 1:15 of the first half and then for good with 2:36 left in the third quarter. In addition to Pierman, Megan Donelson had 16 points – extending her streak in double figures to 38 games – five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots; Talia Battavio had nine points and Lauren Hengel had six points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The backups took advantage of their opportunity. Sophomore post Jala Thomas scored a career-high eight points. Sophomore Lizzy Daly (4/6) and freshman Kendall Young (5/4) both had career highs in points and rebounds, and Ava White scored her first varsity points. The reserves held the Lady Rams (9-17) scoreless the entire time they were on the floor.
“That’s what they’re going to have memories about,” Straughn said. “Oh, yeah, we beat Overbrook, but that Ava’s first points or Jala had her career high. Those girls who cheer for the first five get cheered on by them.
“That’s what builds programs That’s what builds the morale, That’s what builds the relationships. Those games where they’re not so fun statistically, but they’re fun as a team.”
No. 2 Panthers put five scorers in double figures to win South Jersey Group I tournament opener; Wood has 27 for Pennsville, Saulin goes out with double-double
By Nolan Dowell Special to Riverview Sports News
PITMAN – It was the classic 2-v-15 playoff game that brought together 1,000-point scorers on each side.
The underdog gave the favorite all it could handle for three quarters, but in the end second-seeded Pitman prevailed over Pennsville 80-60 in the first round of the South Jersey Group I basketball tournament Thursday and the two 1,000-point scorers – Pitman’s Elijah Crispin and Pennsville’s Luke Wood – put on a show they all came to see.
Crispin went for a triple-double – 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Wood finished with 27 points and six rebounds. Pitman had five scorers in double figures.
The first quarter started off slow with Wood striking first on a quick layup. But the Panthers were quick to strike back and opened a seven-point lead that wound up five by quarter’s end. Crispin started getting hot, making his first three shots.
“I played with his dad (former NBA player Joe Crispin), so I kind of know how he plays,” Pitman coach Ron Myers said. “He does a lot of things that make my life easy. When he’s on and he’s playing, making the right reads, he sees the floor so well, we’re a tough team.”
The Panthers led 39-29 at halftime, but the third quarter was a big one for Pennsville, as the Eagles (10-17) started off strong and cut the Pitman lead to three within two minutes of the new half. Wood started the Eagles’ comeback with a big steal and 3-pointer. He had three 3s in the quarter.
The Panthers called time and cut off Pennsville for the next three minutes while going on a 14-4 run that smothered a lot of the Eagles’ hopes.
“I was more proud of the boys being down three with five minutes to go in the third quarter,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We thought we had a chance to really make things happen, but credit to Pitman, they made the open shots when they had to. They were the better team tonight and we wish them luck going forward.”
The Panthers (20-7) now host the Paulsboro in the second round Tuesday.
The fourth quarter wasn’t much different, with the Panthers answering any score the Eagles got. Pennsville fed senior center Daniel Saulin a couple of times before the final horn and he finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and a blocked shot in his final high school game. It was his seventh double-double of the season. He averaged 21.1 points and 10 rebounds in the month of February.
“I’m just glad we made it to the playoffs, and like coach said, not everybody is gonna win,” Saulin said. “At least we ended on a high note, making the playoffs in back-to-back years to finish my career.”
Dowell is a senior at Pennsville Memorial High School with aspirations of going into sports media. This is his first piece for Riverview Sports News.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT NO. 2 PITMAN 80, NO. 15 PENNSVILLE 60 PENNSVILLE (10-17) – Luke Wood 10-19 1-2 27, Peyton O’Brien 1-4 0-0 2, Daniel Saulin 8-13 3-7 19, Mason O’Brien 2-3 0-0 4, Cohen Petrutz 1-4 0-2 2, Jayden Thomas 2-12 2-2 6. Totals 24-55 6-13 60. PITMAN (20-7) – Elijah Crispin 12-21 0-0 27, Michael Fisicaro 4-12 0-0 11, Sonny Myers 5-9 0-0 13, Stephen Devanney 5-9 0-0 13, Trey Tinges 1-4 0-0 3, Greg Petersen 0-1 0-0 0, Hudson Rue 0-2 0-0 0, Porter Kostiuk 6-8 1-1 13. Totals 33-66 1-1 80.
Penns Grove stands its ground to score mild upset in opening round of South Jersey Group I tournament; Salem pulls away from New Egypt, Wildwood shuts down Woodstown SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT THURSDAY’S GAMES No. 1 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy 61, No. 16 Burlington City 40 No. 9 Penns Grove 54, No. 8 Woodbury 46 No. 5 Audubon 61, No. 12 LEAP Academy 44 No. 4 Wildwood 46, No. 13 Woodstown 25 No. 3 Salem 83, No. 14 New Egypt 52 No. 6 Glassboro 64, No. 11 Riverside 41 No. 10 Paulsboro 52, No. 7 Palmyra 46 No. 2 Pitman 80, No. 15 Pennsville 60 TUESDAY’S GAMES No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy No. 5 Audubon at No. 4 Wildwood No. 6 Glassboro at No. 3 Salem No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 2 Pitman
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODBURY – All season long Penns Grove coach Damian Ware has been asking his players to take some for the team and sacrifice their body for the greater good. He’s gotten the occasional taker, but with the season on the line Thursday night the Red Devils stood and delivered.
The ninth-seeded Red Devils took three charges in the second half that changed the game and propelled them to a 54-46 victory over eighth-seeded Woodbury in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I boys basketball tournament.
The Devils trailed by one at halftime, but Willie Slocum and Camren Thompson took charges in the third quarter and Giomar Conrad took one in the fourth and that, Ware said, set the tone for the rest of the game.
“I told the kids that was really the key to the game, taking charges on these guys, because they are driving team, they like to drive and most of them are going to put their head down and try to get to the basket,” Ware said. “Once you start taking charges teams are going to hesitate on that drive, they’re not going to drive it as aggressively.
“The only guy who has taken charges all season was Willie; he had about 12 of them. The next person had one or two. I’ve been trying to get them to do it all season and finally they stepped up and did it in the second half today when it counted.”
Conrad led the Red Devils (11-14) with 21 points, 11 in the second half. Mekhi Ballard had 13 on three 3-pointers and 4-for-4 second-half free throw shooting. The Devils outscored their hosts 17-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away from a tie game.
It was the third year in a row they’ve won a first-round playoff game and the sixth straight year they’ve won a first-round game when they were in it.
The win keeps them alive and on the road, to play top-seeded KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in the second round Tuesday.
The Thundering Herd (14-14), coached by 2022-23 Penns Grove assistant Mark DiRugeris, had three scorers in double figures, led by Troy Lindsay’s 15 points.
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Conrad 2, Ballard 3); Woodbury 3 (Heigler, Lindsay, Sacko). Technical fouls: Slocum. Fouled out: Slocum, Dunbar. Total fouls: Penns Grove 13, Woodbury 21.
SALEM 82, NEW EGYPT 52: This is the time of the year when a team’s seniors and top players are expected to step up and deliver.
New Egypt rallied in the third quarter to make it a two point game, but the Rams pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter. Anthony Farmer had 11 of his game-high 29, including 5-for-5 from the foul line, in the fourth quarter. Paul Weathers and Jabez DeJesus combined for 11 in the quarter.
Weathers finished with another double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. DeJesus had nine points and seven rebounds. Tymear Lecator had eight points and eight assists.
“Any coach will tell you wins are hard to come by,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said. “You never want to take them for granted; you can’t get complacent. That’s something that’s hard to teach young kids who think that because they look better on paper or the record may be better, but, man if you don’t bring it you can lose. We’re happy to get another win. Survive and advance.”
New Egypt
14
7
29
11 –
52
Salem
16
18
18
31 –
83
WILDWOOD 46, WOODSTOWN 25: The fourth-seeded Warriors held Woodstown scoreless in the second quarter and to only 15 points in the second half.
Jordan Fusik led Wildwood with 12 points. Brian Cunniff and Junior Hans added 11 each. Blake Bialecki led the Wolverines with 11 points.
Pennsville girls turn up defense in fourth quarter to keep their season going and their coach around a while longer
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT THURSDAY’S GAMES No. 1 Woodbury 81, No. 16 Salem 26 No. 8 Pennsville 59, No. 9 Gateway 55 No. 12 Penns Grove 48, No. 5 Palmyra 37 No. 4 Woodstown 67, No. 13 Cape May Tech 28 No. 3 Maple Shade 32, No. 14 Pitman 18 No. 6 Audubon 44, No. 11 Clayton 30 No. 7 Glassboro 74, No. 10 Burlington City 28 No. 2 Wildwood 77, No. 15 Paulsboro 27 TUESDAY’S GAMES No. 8 Pennsville at No. 1 Woodbury No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 4 Woodstown No. 6 Audubon at No. 3 Maple Shade No. 7 Glassboro at No. 2 Wildwood
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Sam Trapp was waiting at the end of the line to give each one of her starters their special handshake like she always does during the pregame introductions. When she got to Bella Farina’s turn to come through, the Pennsville girls basketball coach raised her arms as if to place a crown on her senior center’s head.
Before Farina could get away, she whispered to her coach a comment that brought a tear to Trapp’s eye.
“This isn’t going to be the last time.”
When the game ended, the coach raced out to midcourt to embrace her senior and delivered a message of her own.
“We’re not done yet.”
The Trapp farewell tour extended for at least one more game Thursday night after the eighth-seeded Eagles rallied to beat Gateway 59-55 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I tournament.
The win sends the Eagles (14-13) to top-seeded Woodbury for a quarterfinals matchup Tuesday. It also guarantees Trapp a .500 record in her final season with the Eagles. Late last month she announced she was stepping down at the end of the season to become to new athletics director at Triton Regional.
“I’m ecstatic,” Trapp said. “(Pennsville athletics director) Jamy (Thomas) and I have a little inside joke that he calls me ‘Doc Rivers’ because I didn’t make it out of the first round last year. I had to prove a point.
“But moreso I wanted to prove to these girls just how good they are. I think sometimes they can doubt themselves, get down on themselves, but they’re so much better than they even know they really truly are.
“They showed it. They played so well together tonight and they worked so hard together at the end and they found a way to win it. That’s what we continue to do. We found a way to win it and we continue to work together. I love it.”
The Eagles are 8-4 since Trapp revealed her plans to the players after their Jan. 26 game with Haddon Heights. The remaining time they have with their coach was very much on the players’ minds during the game. And for a while in the second half it looked as if their run together would end in Trapp’s final game on her home floor.
The Eagles trailed the Gators by nine late in the third quarter, but about that time Trapp implored her players to “pick it up on defense” and that suggestion was all it took to flip the switch.
They went to the half-court press at the start of the fourth quarter and it produced a 14-0 run that was part of a larger 18-3 spree that put them up six with 2:40 to play. The 14-0 run started with three straight steals – one by Taylor Bass and two by Farina – that were quickly converted into points.
There were five takeaway altogether in the spree, three missed shots and a held ball that went in Pennsville’s favor. Nora Ausland provided 10 of the points when they converted.
“I know she’s sad about it being her last home game and I just didn’t want it to add the pressure of being her last game ever here,” Ausland said. “That was definitely a factor in trying to win this game.“
“It’s always a good feeling knowing you go from kind of dead to so much energy and you get that comeback and that win,” Bass said. “I definitely think we deserved it.”
“I think we all played really hard today for her and our seniors,” Marley Wood said. “Bella’s a big part of our team and we didn’t want it to be her last game, either.”
The flurry might have gotten them the lead, but the Eagles still had work to do. The Gators got within two on Angie Zagone’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds left and then one on two Zagone free throws with 12.6 seconds left.
Wood hit the first of two free throws with 11.7 left. She missed the second and Pennsville lost the rebound out of bounds at 9.8. Gateway’s Bella Fini drove into traffic trying to get the tying basket and maybe a foul, but Bass knocked the ball away and was fouled when she collected it.
She hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds left to seal it.
“There was definitely a lot of feelings involved (going to the line),” Bass said. “We definitely wanted this win to carry on. We went out first round last year. We wanted to come back, prove that we’re better. We haven’t had the best season statistically because we lost all of our players, but tonight proved we’re better.”
Ausland (21) and Wood combined for 41 points to lead Pennsville’s offense. Bass had 11. Zagone led all scorers with 27 points to finish her career as the Gators’ second all-time leading scorer.
Pennsville’s Taylor Bass is about to corral a ball she knocked away in traffic and sink two free throws to seal her team’s South Jersey Group I tournament win over Gateway. On the cover, outgoing Eagles coach Sam Trapp hugs center Bella Farina after securing the victory to extend their season.
WOODSTOWN 67, CAPE MAY TECH 28: It took the Wolverines a quarter to shake off the rust of not playing for eight days, but once they settled in, they got back to playing in a manner to which they are accustomed. It was a four-point game after one quarter, then the home team steadily pulled away.
Cape May Tech came out in a triangle-and-two against Woodstown’s Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson, but as other teams have discovered throughout the season, the Wolverines have a lot of weapons at their disposal.
Battavio and Donelson once again were their leading scorers with 18 and 16, respectively, but the Wolverines got 13 from post Shannon Pierman and sophomore Lauren Hengel gave them a career-high 10 off the bench.
“We have solid players who step up when our leading scorers get taken out in the offense,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said.
Hengel has scored 16 points in her last two games after scoring 37 in her previous 21 games this season.
“She’s just put in a lot of work; she wants so badly to elevate her game,” Straughn said. “She’s going to be a good player and I think games like the last two are starting to give her a little more confidence. She plays well on both ends of the floor and she wants to be good, which helps a lot.”
The Wolverines (18-6) now host Penns Grove in a second-round game Tuesday, but first they’ll try to complete a third-straight undefeated TCC Diamond Division slate Friday against Overbrook.
PENNS GROVE 48, PALMYRA 37: The 5-12 games in the NCAA Tournament tend to produce the most upsets and it did in the South Jersey Group I girls tournament Thursday.
RaNiyah Wilson scored 30 points for the third time this season and led the 12th-seeded Lady Devils (14-9) to their seventh win in the last eight games and the only opening-round win among the bracket’s road teams.
Earlier this season, her first with the Lady Devils since transferring from Kingsway, Wilson went for 33 against Woodstown and 30 against Salem. She is averaging nearly 17 points a game.
Penns Grove now travels to Woodstown for its third meeting of the season with the Wolverines in Tuesday’s second round.
WOODBURY 81, SALEM 26: The Thundering Herd (17-10) flexed their muscle as the top seed and held Salem scoreless in the first quarter. Maya Braxton-Young led four Herd scorers in double figures with 23 points.
Ava Rodgers led Salem (8-16) with eight points and nine rebounds. Ryann Foote had six points, seven rebounds and six steals. Marjziah Bundy didn’t score, but had six rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Herd, which was 2-7 at one point this season, now hosts eighth-seeded Pennsville in Tuesday’s second round.
Salem CC gives 18-win Camden all it can handle with only six players, but falls in closing seconds
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – Dante Brinkley had a lot of reasons for wanting to play a memorable final game Monday night.
Not only was he playing for the last time in Salem CC’s Dupont Fieldhouse in the final game of his junior college career, it was coming against the Camden County College team he started that career with.
Individually, it was game worth remembering. The sophomore point guard from New Castle scored 19 points, dished seven assists and kept the Oaks together in a game that was tight throughout the second half. The only thing that spoiled it was the Cougars sent them into the offseason with a 72-68 loss.
“It wasn’t really about myself,” Brinkley said. “My teammates were encouraging me, like this is your last game versus your former team, you’ve got to do your thing, but, really, I wanted to go out there and win for them.
“I was the only sophomore who was playing today, but we were a tight-knit group. It wasn’t about me today, it was about the whole team. I just wanted to go out on top.
“It was special to play them out of all teams. The only thing that would have made it better is if we won, but it was still a cool opportunity to play them in my last game.”
Brinkley began his college career as a Cougar, making 10 starts in 25 games last season and averaging 3.5 points a game. He scored 11 points against the Oaks in the final game of the year, then transferred to Salem to be closer to home and cut down on his daily commute.
He averaged 14.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in his only season with the Oaks with 42 steals and a 121-49 assist-to-turnover ratio. In their 6-3 February finish, he averaged 15.7 points (with a career-high 29 against Sussex CC Saturday) with 15 steals, 49 assists and just 14 turnovers.
The Oaks (11-14) were in the game with another 18-win team Monday all the way to the wire despite having only six available players – and two of those had four fouls with five minutes to play. They fell behind by 11 in the first half, but rallied to get back in it and kept the crowd on edge the rest of the game.
Niame Scott’s 3-pointer with 4:50 left in the first half gave Salem its first lead, 26-25. There were three more lead changes before halftime and 14 in the second half. The largest lead either team had in the second half was four points, and that never lasted long.
“We had six today?” Oaks coach Mike Green asked. “You’re making me feel bad. I was just yelling at them about effort, geez that makes me feel bad, we only had six. I get so caught up in it, I forget. I’ve got to go apologize to those boys. The effort was unbelievable. I forgot all about six, but the effort was unbelievable. Sometimes you get lost in it, man; I was definitely lost in it.
“We’re right there with these guys. You kind of forget you’re playing with six players, seven players. You kind of forget your playing with freshmen.”
The last lead change came with 1:31 left when Demere Hollingsworth hit a pair of free throws to put the Cougars up 69-68. Thomas Brown made the first of two free throws with 16.6 seconds left to extend the lead.
He missed the second, Scott rebounded and Salem called time to set up a final play. The Oaks got it to Scott who drove to the basket, but came up short in traffic with three seconds left. Sincere Robinson hit two free throws at the other end to seal it.
“it was tough because of the team that we have,” Brinkley said. “We battled through a lot of adversity this year, but we were always together throughout it all, so just finishing it together would have been awesome.
“Nine times out of 10 he’s finishing that. That may have questionable, there may have been a foul, it may not have been, but regardless I’m living with it. I trust him, I trust Coach Mike, I trust Naime to finish that play, it’s just sometimes you don’t always get what you want.”
The game also was the final one of Green’s first season as the Mighty Oaks’ head coach. Green took the program right before Christmas and went 9-9 over the final two months of the season. He injected a high-energy style that reflected his own style as a player and lived and died with the 3. The Oaks averaged 81 points a game and hit 188 3s in January and February after averaging 68 points a game and hitting 50 3s in the seven games before the change.
The way they finished the season bodes well for the future. The Oaks already have five players signed for next season.
“I just told them I’d talk to them when the emotions go down, but looking at it now it’s been good,” Green said. “They gave me all they could. There were games we played with six. There were games we played with five. I think the most we had was eight. Then you take into account we haven’t played full-court, five-on-five, one day since I’ve been, so when you put everything in perspective, we played a hell of a season.”
CAMDEN CC 72, SALEM CC 68 CAMDEN CC (18-10) – Aamir Terry 1 0-0 2, Tyson Shaw 4 3-4 11, Demere Hollingsworth 5 2-2 12, Christian Barksdale 2 0-2 4, Idris Muhummad 0 0-0 0, Elias Schellenberg 0 0-0 0, Davit Gelashvilli 1 0-2 2, Sincere Robinson 1 5-5 7, Marty Dunn 1 0-0 2, Andre Burrell 8 1-1 17, Ethan Wilkins 4 0-2 8, Thomas Brown 3 1-2 7. Totals 30 12-20 72. SALEM CC (11-14) – Niame Scott 4-9 10-14 21, Dante Brinkley 6-12 5-7 18, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 4-16 0-0 9, Tivon Woolford 2-4 0-0 5, Tajee Jordan 4-7 1-1 9, A.J. Jones 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 22-53 16-22 68.
Camden CC
32
40 –
72
Salem CC
33
35 –
68
3-point goals: Camden CC 0; Salem CC 8-23 (Scott 3-5, Brinkley 1-3, Coley-Lewis 1-10, Woolford 1-2, Jones 2-3). Rebounds: Salem CC 28 (Jones 7, Jordan 6). Assists: Salem CC 15 (Brinkley 7). Fouled out: Jordan. Total fouls: Camden CC 17, Salem CC 14.
Salem CC’s Naime Scott drives into traffic in hopes of scoring the game-tying basket against Camden CC. The shot didn’t fall and the Oaks lost 72-68.
Here is the sports schedule for teams in Salem County for the week of Feb. 19-24
Monday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Camden County College at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Boys Wildwood at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Girls LEAP Academy at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Maple Shade at Gloucester, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Camden Catholic, Westbrook Lanes4 p.m. Doane Academy at Clayton, 4 p.m.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Cinnaminson at Manchester Twp., 3 p.m. Pennsauken Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Medford Tech at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Girls Quarterfinals Salem Tech at Manchester Tech, 3 p.m. Pemberton at Barnegat, 3 p.m.
Wednesday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Maple Shade-Gloucester winner at Donovan Catholic, 3 p.m. Girls semifinals Salem at New Egypt, Thunderbowl Lanes, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Salem at No. 1 Woodbury, 5:30 p.m. No. 9 Gateway at No. 8 Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Palmyra, 4 p.m. No. 13 Cape May Tech at No. 4 Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. No. 14 Pitman at No. 3 Maple Shade, 5:30 p.m. No. 11 Clayton at No. 6 Audubon, 4 p.m. No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Glassboro, 3:30 p.m. No. 15 Paulsboro at No. 2 Wildwood, 4 p.m. Boys SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Burlington City at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Academy, 6 p.m. No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 8 Woodbury, 4 p.m. No. 12 LEAP Academy at No. 5 Audubon, 5:30 p.m. No. 13 Woodstown at No. 4 Wildwood, 6 p.m. No. 14 New Egypt at No. 3 Salem, 5 p.m. No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 Glassboro, 5:15 p.m. No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 7 Palmyra, 5 p.m. No. 15 Pennsville at No. 2 Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Manchester Twp. at Seneca Salem Tech at Overbrook
WRESTLING Region tournaments
Saturday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys championship at Laurel Lanes
Salem CC bounces back from a bad loss that eliminated it from playoff contention to upset one of the best teams in the region
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The numbers weren’t in Salem Community College’s favor at the start of the game – almost half as many wins as their opponent and two fewer players – but the Mighty Oaks have never really paid much attention to that sort of stuff. To them, the only numbers that really mattered were the ones on the scoreboard at the end of the game.
SCOTT
The Oaks rediscovered their long-range shooting stroke Saturday, used a 13-0 run late in the first half to take control of the game and held off a late charge from their playoff-bound visitors to score a 99-94 victory over Sussex County CC in their first game since being eliminated from playoff contention.
It was their sixth victory in eight games of a fabulous February and, with one game remaining in the season, guaranteed them a .500 record in the 18 games since Mike Green took over as head coach right before Christmas. The Skylanders (18-9) were by far the winningest team they have beaten this season.
“We responded,” Green said. “We just lost a game pretty bad to close out our playoff hopes and the guys responded. None of us were happy after that loss. We had nobody play well in that game, so they just wanted to get back out and everybody wanted to play well. They didn’t quit.
“That’s pretty much what it is. Pride. Your pride was on the line. Our pride was on the line as a team and we had to come respond and we did that.”
The Oaks (11-13) made only four of 21 3-pointers in Thursday’s 52-point loss at Northampton that eliminated them from the playoffs, but Naime Scott had that many in the first 13 minutes of the game. The Oaks hit seven 3s in the half and finished with 10 in the game.
Joshua Ramos hit three, Shaquez Coley-Lewis two and A.J. Jones one.
“Law of averages, man,” Green said. “You go 4-for-34, I told them we’d never do that again, and the next day we came in and shot more 3s. We ain’t going away from it. We’re going to live by it, we’re going to die by it. The guys just came back yesterday and worked at it; got a lot of them up. That’s our calling card. We’ve got kids who can shoot it and have confidence in their shots.”
“After the bad loss from the other day we just buckled down,” Scott said. “A lot of people always counted us out, but we don’t look at it like that. We look at it as we’re trying to get better. We always want to win and we just play as a team and the outcome showed tonight.”
Scott, a freshman from Philadelphia, led the Oaks with his junior college career-high 33 points and eight assists. His previous best was 26 in his JUCO debut against Delaware County CC. He had been averaging 15.6 in February.
Backcourt mate Dante Brinkley, a freshman from Delaware, came within a couple late missed free throws of giving the Oaks two 30-point scorers in the same game and finished with a JUCO career-high 29. They combined for 35 points in the second half.
Sussex’ P.J. Ross led all scorers with 39 points.
“I didn’t know that was their numbers; that’s impressive, very impressive,” Green said of his two big scorers. “It just comes from hard work, our guys finding each other in the right position, attacking until we get downhill and we want to go finish. I’m happy for them because I’m on them a lot. I was a guard myself, so I’m always on them, too. They get the most from me, so I’m happy for them.”
The game was tight early with seven ties and six lead changes in the first 15 minutes. The Skylanders cut it to 33-32 with 5:39 left in the first half, then the Oaks went on a 13-0 run over the next three minutes to take control of the game.
The Oaks scored on six of seven possessions, while holding the Skylanders went 0-for-5 shooting and had three turnovers.
“We played the way we wanted to play,” Green said. “We wanted to be aggressive on the ball, we turned them over a couple times, wanted to get steals and get our shooters shots. We got back on defense and rebounded. When we limit teams to one shot, we’re a lot better team. We did that a ton today, which got us the lead. When they got back in it, that’s when we didn’t do it.”
Salem led by 11 at halftime and 14 with 4:34 to play before the Skylanders mounted a comeback. Sussex got it to five with 1:10 to go and four after Ross hit three free throws with 11 seconds left, but between their ballhandling and free throw shooting Scott and Brinkley made sure they didn’t get closer.
The Oaks wrap up their season Monday at home against Camden County College, a game that was rescheduled for earlier this year. They’ll be looking to avenge an earlier four-point loss and go out 10-8 in Green’s first season with the program.
“We want to win,” Green said. “We lost to them already. They went up 15 on us, we had to fight to get back. It’s definitely another test for us. They’re one of the top teams in our league and we want to measure ourselves versus the best.
“It’s just another chance to show what we’re coming to do and put everybody on notice that our freshmen will become sophomores next year.”
SALEM CC 99, SUSSEX COUNTY CC 94 SUSSEX COUNTY CC (18-9) — Jesus Romero 3 3-5 9, Nate Aklilu 4 2-2 11, P.J. Ross 13 8-8 39, Hamadi Martin 0 2-2 2, Christian Archer 8 2-2 18, David Forzani 3 2-2 9, Jalil Golden 3 0-0 6. Totals 34 19-21 94. SALEM CC (11-13) — Naime Scott 9-19 11-13 33, Dante Brinkley 11-16 7-12 29, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 6-9 0-0 14, Joshua Ramos 3-7 0-0 9, A.J. Jones 3-7 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 2-5 2-2 6, Tivon Woolford 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 34-67 21-29 99.
Sussex County CC
39
55 —
94
Salem CC
50
49 —
99
3-point goals: Sussex 7 (Aklilu, Ross 5, Forzani); Salem 10-26 (Scott 4-8, Coley-Lewis 2-5, Ramos 3-7, Jones 1-4, Woolford 0-2). Rebounds: Salem 35 (Jordan 13, Scott 7, Coley-Lewis 6). Assists: Salem 19 (Scott 8). Fouled out: Forzani. Total fouls: Sussex 21, Salem 17. Officials: O’Brien, Rossi, Chase.
Lady Devils fall to Glassboro in Tri-County Conference girls B Flight title game; Gloucester Catholic, Overbrook win other girls titles Friday, Timber Creek takes last boys crown
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FRIDAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 53, Clearview 46 B Flight Glassboro 32, Penns Grove 26 C Flight Overbrook 46, Cumberland 37 BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 62, Delsea 59
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Kezia Brackett had confidence in her shot from the minute she stepped on the floor Friday.
The Glassboro freshman guard hit shot after shot in pre-game warmups, then carried it over to the game with three 3-pointers in the first half when they were the only shots her team was getting against Penns Grove.
Brackett hit four 3-pointers in the game and finished with 24 points as the Bulldogs took down the Lady Devils 32-26 for the girls B Flight title in the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
“I thought it was very important for me to make my shots,” Brackett said. “During warmups I was kind of hot, so once my coach realized I was hot during warmups, they were feeding me the ball instantly.
“They were playing really good defense, but once I came off that screen set by SiSi (Sianna Wedderburn), it was there.”
The second-seeded Bulldogs (16-7) were playing without injured 1,000-point scorer Tamia Smith, so they needed everyone else to pick up the slack. Brackett just took it all on. She hit two 3s in the first quarter, including one at the buzzer, to give her team a lead it never lost. She hit another in the second quarter and then opened the second half with a 3 to give her team its biggest lead of the game.
“We had a very big effort from Kezia today,” Glassboro coach Monte Willis said. “I said prior to the game one of the keys to the game was we had to be efficient. When we had an opportunity to knock down an open shot or hit an open layup, we had to make it count.”
The way both teams played defense made it difficult for either to get a lot of shots. They spent much of their time moving the ball around the arc looking for something to break.
Where the Lady Devils, seeded eighth in the flight, had the best of it in the closing minutes of their semifinal win over Pennsville, they didn’t have such luck Friday.
After RaNiyah Wilson’s layup drew them even at 22 with 7:47 left, the Lady Devils (13-9) only scored four more points in 19 possessions the rest of the game – a 3-pointer by Wilson and a free throw by Brianna Roberts. They hit only one of their last 15 shots and when they missed they rarely got a second chance.
“I just think we got beat on the boards; they beat us on the boards,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “Give credit to them. They were the better team.”
“We believe we’re a very good defensive team, too,” Willis said. “We believe we have the athletes on the outside to be able to man up on anybody. We just came out there and we just wanted it.”
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GIRLS B FLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME GLASSBORO 32, PENNS GROVE 26 PENNS GROVE (13-9) — RaNiyah Wilson 4 1-2 11, Meely Horace 1 0-0 3, Brianna Robbins 1 4-10 6, Zoey Caesar 3 0-2 6, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-14 26. GLASSBORO (16-7) — Sanaa Thomas 0 5-10 5, Kezia Brackett 8 4-4 24, Kimora Miles 0 0-0 0, Anye Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 1 1-4 3, Scarlett Saicic 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 10-23 32.
Penns Grove
5
6
9
6 —
26
Glassboro
10
5
7
10 —
32
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Horace); Glassboro 4 (Brackett 4). Rebounds: Penns Grove 33 (Robbins 8, Caesar 7, Horace 7); Glassboro 31 (Wedderburn 12, Brackett 7). Technical fouls: Thomas. Total fouls: Penns Grove 15, Glassboro 13.
Cover photo: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett (5) launches one of her 3-pointers against the defense of Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson.
Mighty Oaks fall on road to end hopes of tournament berth; women’s team drops final game of the first year back
SALEM CC BASKETBALL Men’s Game Northampton CC 89, Salem CC 37 Women’s Game Montgomery County CC 62, Salem CC 32
By Riverview Sports News
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Salem CC basketball team’s fabulous February had it entertaining hopes of a postseason tournament berth, but the Mighty Oaks knew they had no room for error.
Those hopes came to an end Thursday night when the Oaks lost at Northampton CC 89-37. They had to win each of their last three games to extend the season, but in the first step on the journey the elements that fueled their best month of the season never showed.
They shot 23 percent from the field overall and were only 4-of-34 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 52-31. It was only their second loss in the month of February and snapped a three-game winning streak.
Northampton (17-9) opened the game on a 26-5 run and held a 43-19 halftime lead.
The Oaks (10-13) still have two games left in their season – both at home, Saturday 1 p.m. against Sussex County CC and Monday 6 p.m. against Camden County College.
WOMENS GAME
BLUE BELL, Pa. – The Salem CC women’s basketball team wrapped up its first season back on the floor with a 62-32 loss at Montgomery County CC. The Mighty Oaks revived their program this year after a 10-year hiatus and finished the year 9-13.
MENS BOX SCORE NORTHAMPTON CC 89, SALEM CC 13 SALEM CC (10-13) – Niame Scott 3-11 0-0 7, Dante Brinkley 4-10 2-4 10, A.J. Jones 4-10 1-2 11, Joshua Ramos 1-9 0-0 2, Tajee Jordan 0-7 0-0 0, Shaquez Coley-Lewis 2-10 0-0 5, Tivon Woolford 1-9 0-0 2. Totals 15-66 3-6 37. NORTHAMPTON CC (17-9) – Nate Rivera 5-9 2-2 16, C.J. Miles 1-8 0-0 2, Naeem Purnell 4-6 0-0 9, Elijah Hamilton 8-11 1-2 18, Nile Mosby 8-12 4-5 20, Xavier Goodman 3-5 1-1 7, Eric Porter 1-1 0-0 3, Ethan Sakwa 2-2 0-0 4, Emmanuel Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Keein Ward 4-5 0-0 8, Austyn Lutes 0-3 0-0 0, John Green 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 37-65 8-10 89.
Salem CC
19
18 –
37
Northampton CC
43
46 –
89
3-point goals: Salem 4-34 (Scott 1-5, Brinkley 0-4, Jones 2-8, Ramos 0-7, Coley-Lewis 1-7, Woolford 0-3); Northampton 7-15 (Rivera 4-6, Miles 0-1, Purnell 1-2, Hamilton 1-3, Goodman 0-1, Porter 1-1, Lutes 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 31 (Jordan 8); Northampton 52 (Hamilton 15). Total fouls: Salem 9, Northampton 8.
Riverview Sports News 