Tensions rise

Penns Grove, Pennsville play to an empty house in second half as gym cleared in third quarter; includes all of Thursday’s Salem County girls games

THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Penns Grove 39, Pennsville 32
Clayton 58, Salem 30
Pitman 43, Salem Tech 28
Overbrook 41, Schalick 27

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Games between Pennsville and Penns Grove in every sport are always a spirited affair, but Thursday night added a new layer of intensity to the rivalry, at least on the girls basketball side of things.

Tensions spilled over from the visitors’ bleachers in Salberg Gym midway through the third quarter, precipitating a 30-minute delay and forcing site managers to clear the gym before allowing play to continue. When it did resume, Penns Grove closed out a 39-32 victory that helped it solidify a spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs and win for only the second time in its last 10 games against the Eagles.

The drama developed after a hard collision between the Red Devils’ recently installed 1,000-point scorer Meely Horace and Pennsville’s Taylor Bass on a 50-50 ball in the frontcourt with 3:32 left in the third quarter and Penns Grove leading 34-26.

Fans in the Penns Grove stands took exception to the contact and let the officials know about it. It was so concerning to Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas that he approached the group, directed authorities to remove the most vocal individuals and announced over the public address system the game “will not continue until the bleachers are cleared.”

Both teams left the floor and waited in the bench area before finally retiring to their respective dressing rooms. Three Pennsville police officers appeared on the scene to help restore order while Thomas watched from the center circle. Three more officers arrived later. At one point Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby crossed the floor to engage the crowd.

After about 15 minutes game managers began to clear the stands on both sides of the gym with the Penns Grove group the last to leave. After about a 30-minute delay, which included a brief warmup for the teams, play resumed with no spectators in the gym.

Horace and Bass collided again diving for a loose ball in the fourth quarter without incident between the players.

“I was trying to remove the folks who were instigating the whole thing and getting a little bit too aggressive,” Thomas said. “They asked where’s my warning; your warning’s at the beginning of the game. There’s a sportsmanship message in there and it clearly says this is your first and last warning, we’re not issuing warnings.

“When you’re standing up and approaching the court and screaming at the top of your lungs, that’s over the top, because what’s the next step. It’s trying to almost cut the head off the snake right away and be done with the problem. I think we let some go that got to a point we had to shut it down. It’s unfortunate you’ve got to get rid of everybody.”

There were no arrests and a game management report was being prepared after the game to send to the respective district superintendents, principals, officials assignor, Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden and the Tri-County Conference. Details of the report will not be made public.

It wasn’t the first time tensions in the series red-lined. There was a dust up in this game at Pennsville last year that resulted in fan ejections on both sides.

“Our fans have got our back and we’ve got their back,” Denby said. “They support us, we support them, so that’s what we’ve got to do because we’re tired on 7-on-5.”

Pennsville coach Sam Trapp declined to comment on any aspect of the game.

Right before the incident, the Red Devils (10-8) had rebuilt a 10-point lead after Pennsville (10-12) closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run to get back within three at halftime. Marley Wood had five of her team-high 12 points in the rally.

But Penns Grove opened the third quarter with runs of 6-2 and 7-2 to gain some breathing room. Brianna Robbins had a spinning layup to start the first run and a three-point play to cap the second. She had 13 points in the game. RaNiyah Wilson led the Red Devils with 16.

“What we try to teach the girls is we’re always like 7-to-5, so you’ve got to continue to play,” Denby said. “I’m happy they came out and continued to play regardless of the calls that were made and things like that. I think the girls played through the situation and that speaks volumes about them.”

The win moved Penns Grove to 12th in the South Jersey Group I power points standings with a game against Schalick left before Saturday’s state cutoff. Pennsville remained tied for ninth with Burlington City, 18 points behind the final spot for a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

“Every game is important at this point,” Denby said.

PENNS GROVE 39, PENNSVILLE 32
PENNS GROVE (10-8) – RaNiyah Wilson 6 2-2 16, Meely Horace 2 2-2 6, Brianna Robbins 5 3-8 13, Zoey Caesar 1 0-0 2, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cummings 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Arianna Down 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 7-12 39.
PENNSVILLE (10-12) – Celli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Nora Ausland 2 1-2 5, Taylor Bass 2 4-6 9, Sofia Belitas 0 0-0 0, Bella Farina 1 0-2 2, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Marley Wood 4 4-8 12. Totals 11 9-18 32.

Penns Grove	17	4	13	5 –	39
Pennsville	8	10	10	4 –	32

3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Wilson 2); Pennsville 1 (Bass). Fouled out: Bass. Total fouls: Penns Grove 14, Pennsville 19. Officials: Lahm, Moskovitz, Ryan.

**Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas (L) talks with a Pennsville police office as fans file out of the gym before play is resumed in the Penns Grove-Pennsville girls basketball game.**

CLAYTON 58, SALEM 30: NaeNae Logan led Salem with eight points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots. She now has 83 blocks for the season and 100 for her career. Carlysia Pierce had seven points, five rebounds and four steals. Ava Rodgers grabbed nine rebounds and Marjziah Bundy had eight.

SALEM (7-14) – Carlysia Pierce 3 1-3 7, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, Marjziah Bundy 1 0-0 2, Ava Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 5, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 2, Dakirah Gray 1 0-0 2, NaeNae Logan 4 0-0 8, Zaniyah Freison 0 0-0 0, Marissa Bower 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 1-3 30.
CLAYTON (11-9) – Jordyn Jones 3 3-8 9, Rainelle Blocker 6 1-2 13, Rosalina Pereira 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 6 0-0 14, Ava Delaney 6 0-0 12, India Williams 2 0-0 4, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, Kaya Gunther 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 4-10 58.

Salem	2	3	15	10 –	30
Clayton	22	19	11	6 –	58

3-point goals: Salem 1 (Hickman); Clayton 2 (Simon 2).

PITMAN 43, SALEM TECH 28
SALEM TECH (1-17) – Hanna DeWitt 0 1-2 1, Demajae White 1 0-0 2, TiRonna McGaha 1 0-0 2, Kaylin Beardsley 4 0-0 9, Morgan VanDover 3 0-0 6, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2, Rylee Doerr 2 1-2 5, Drummond 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 3-6 28.
PITMAN (10-10) – Anna Fisicaro 7 0-0 15, Miya Villari 4 4-6 14, Jessica Bretz 1 0-0 2, Evelyn Wisely 3 0-0 7, Audrey Duffield 2 0-0 5. Totals 17 4-6 43.

Salem Tech	4	11	5	8 –	28
Pitman	14	11	9	9 –	43

3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Beardsley); Pitman 5 (Fisicaro, Villari 2, Wisely, Duffield).

OVERBROOK 41, SCHALICK 27: Zahaisha Nevius and Gianna Simon led Overbrook with 19 and 11 points, respectively.

Schalick (5-14)	8	4	10	5 –	27
Overbrook (5-14)	8	13	9	11 –	41

Cover photo: Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson tosses a pass to Meely Horace in an empty gym during the second half of their game with Pennsville Thursday night.

The way home

Penns Grove closing in on goal of home playoff game, Pennsville hoping to secure a spot; includes all Salem County games

THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Penns Grove 60, Pennsville 51
Salem 89, Clayton 63
Overbrook 75, Schalick 38
Washington Twp. 50, Woodstown 46
Pitman 76, Salem Tech 42

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The goal for the Penns Grove basketball team this week was pretty straight forward.

Play four games, win four games. Do that and there’s a good chance they can collect a nice reward at the end of the week.

Ever since the second half of the season began the push for the Red Devils has been to fight their way back for a first-round home game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

They moved a step closer to locking that up Thursday with a 60-51 win over Pennsville for their third win of the week. It’s their longest winning streak since late in the 2021-22 season.

“It keeps it rolling,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “It’s three in a row; we want to keep winning.

“Our goal for this week was to go 4-0 and move into the Tri-County Conference (on a roll). Right now we’ve got three of them so we look to finish off the week tomorrow.”

The Red Devils (9-12), 5-11 on Jan. 29, entered the day in ninth place in the SJ Group I power points standings, 24 points behind of Palmyra that holds the eighth and final home game slot. They cut the gap to eight points with their win over the Eagles with a winnable game Friday at Schalick before Saturday’s state cutoff. Palmyra plays LEAP Academy (13-8) Friday.

If they win Friday and get the same 25 power points they did for beating Schalick on Tuesday, the Red Devils would net gain 16 power points in their best 16-game ledger. If Palmyra loses, it would net gain six points and the Red Devils would jump them with a win.

“As long as we win tomorrow we should be locked into it, but we’ve got to finish the job,” Ware said. “We’ve had a really good week. If we finish tomorrow, we’ll have a great week. I’ve told these guys all year it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re trying to finish strong.”

Pennsville, meanwhile, has been living on the bubble. The Eagles (9-14) are 15th after Thursday’s game, but feel good about their position despite the loss because they’re 27 points ahead of the final qualifying spot and the two teams above them and the three teams directly below them all lost.

They can nail it down with a win Friday at Paulsboro, but they’ll have to do it without junior guard Luke Wood. The 1,000-point scorer turned his ankle in the first two and a half minutes of the game, hurridly hobbled off the floor to the training room and didn’t play the rest of the game.

He is not expected to play Friday. Of even greater concern is how the injury might affect him for the upcoming baseball season. A promising left-handed pitcher, the ankle he hurt is in his push-off leg on the mound.

With Wood out of the game, the Eagles turned their eyes to post Danny Saulin to either score down low or draw the defense in to get the ball to his teammates. The 6-7 senior took advantage of the mismatch and responded with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double this year and 10th over the last two seasons. He also blocked two shots.

“I had to take control to help us get back in the game, to help find my teammates and my teammates found me,” Saulin said. “We had them on the ropes. It was just that first quarter not getting used to that press without Luke, then we figured it out and we were moving the ball from there and we almost won the game.”

Saulin scored the first 11 points in a 14-6 run that got the Eagles to within two with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

But that’s where the game turned. Penns Grove’s Giomar Conrad made a driving layup and was fouled, but Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky protested too loud and long that it was a foul on the floor and was rung up with a technical. Conrad made his and-one to complete the three-point play and then hit both two technical foul shots to put the Red Devils up by seven.

“That pretty much changed the game,” Ware said.

Conrad led Penns Grove with 19 points. He was 7-for-7 from the free throw line, 6-for-6 in the second half. Mekhi Ballard had 16 with three 3-pointers.

The Eagles made one more push. They got back within three on four more Saulin points, but then KaRon Ceaser hit two buckets to make it a seven-point game with 4:40 left and Penns Grove never led by fewer than five the rest of the game.

PENNS GROVE 60, PENNSVILLE 51
PENNS GROVE (9-12) – Mr Peterson 1 0-0 2, Brandon Robbins 1 0-0 2, Roman Gipson 1 0-0 2, Giomar Conrad 6 7-7 19, KaRon Ceaser 2 1-3 5, Willie Slocum 4 1-4 9, Mehki Ballard 5 3-4 16, Camren Thompson 2 1-2 5. Totals 22 13-20 60.
PENNSVILLE (9-14) – Luke Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Peyton O’Brien 4-6 1-3 10, Daniel Saulin 12-19 4-8 28, Mason O’Brien 3-6 0-3 6, Cohen Petrutz 2-5 3-6 7, Connor Starn 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Johnston 0-3 0-0 0, Logan Hitt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-40 8-17 51.

Penns Grove	17	10	15	18 –	60
Pennsville	11	10	14	16 –	51

3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Ballard 3); Pennsville 1-7 (P. O’Brien 1-1, Petrutz 0-3, Johnson 0-2, Hitt 0-1). Technical fouls: Mecholsky. Fouled out: Thompson, M. O’Brien Total fouls: Penns Grove 14, Pennsville 16.

WASHINGTON TWP. 50, WOODSTOWN 46
WOODSTOWN (10-9) – Blake Bialecki 20, M.J. Hall 9, Garrett Leyman 2, Max Webb 4, Rocco String 11.
WASHINGTON TWP. (13-9) – Gevon Conrad 2 7-8 13, Justin Pagano 0 0-0 0, Ethan Hyman 3 2-2 9, Luke McKenty 5 2-3 14, Kade Pekarick 1 0-0 2, Keegan Smith 3 4-4 12, A’Quil Taylor 0 0-0 0, Matt Rodia 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 15-17 50.

Woodstown	6	16	13	13 –	46
Washington Twp.	5	19	7	19 –	50

3-point goals: Woodstown N/A; Washington Twp. 7 (Conrad 2, Hyman, McKenty 2, Smith 2).

OVERBROOK 75, SCHALICK 38
OVERBROOK (18-5) – Shaun Mills 5 3-4 14, Chris Grier 3 0-0 6, Nic Johnson 5 3-4 15, Lamar Little 2 1-2 6, Zair Green 2 4-5 8, Amare Kee 3 0-0 8, Maki Ortiz 2 0-0 4, Xavier Wright 2 1-2 5, Kevin Satchell 0 2-2 2, Tory Scott 1 0-0 2, Davian Santiago 1 0-0 2, Samir Muhammand 1 0-0 3. Totals 27 14-19 75.
SCHALICK (7-12) – Reggie Allen 1 1-4 4, Daniel Lis 5 0-0 11, Nylan Sutton 6 1-2 15, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Jordan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Justin Iacona 0 0-0 0, Dylan Sheehan 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 2-6 38.

Overbrook	23	13	22	17 –	75
Schalick	10	9	12	7 –	38

3-point goals: Overbrook 7 (Mills, Johnson 2, Little, Kee 2, Muhammand); Schalick 6 (Allen, Lis, Ny. Sutton 2, Siedlecki, Volovar).

SALEM 89, CLAYTON 63: Jabez DeJesus led four Salem scorers in double figures with 24 points, 15 in the second quarter. Ramaji Bundy had his best game of the year with 13 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers. Paul Weathers had 13 points and Anthony Farmer added 10. The Rams (14-7) have won seven of their last eight and are currently a solid third in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.

CLAYTON (3-18) – Dillon Jones 7 2-4 16, Nazir Davis 4 3-6 11, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Demetris Williams 2 0-0 4, Jon Cox 3 0-0 6, Cristan Scott 2 0-0 5, Ashaud Hines-Pope 1 0-0 2, Nasir Carter 5 0-0 13, Fareed Mamah 0 0-0 0, Earl Townsend 0 0-0 0, Brian Marshall 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0, Rodney Robinson 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 5-10 63.
SALEM (14-7) – Anthony Farmer 3 4-4 10, Ramaji Bundy 5 0-0 13, Jabez DeJesus 10 2-2 24, Paul Weathers 6 1-2 13, Davonte Jackson 3 0-0 8, Tymear Lecator 3 0-0 8, Marshall Stephens 2 0-0 4, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Joe Tunis 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 7-8 89.

Clayton	12	15	15	21 –	63
Salem	20	25	19	25 –	89

3-point goals: Clayton 6 (J. Carter, Scott, N. Carter 3, Robinson); Salem 10 (Bundy 3, DeJesus 2, Jackson 2, Lecator 2, McGriff). Total fouls: Clayton 6, Salem 12.

PITMAN 76, SALEM TECH 42
SALEM TECH (2-17) – Haneef Frisby 3 0-0 6, Joseph Hayes 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 2-2 5 Tyler Zampino 2 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 8 3-6 20, Gio Holmes 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-14 42
PITMAN (17-6) – Porter Kostiuk 2 3-5 7, Stephen Devanney 5 0-0 14, Colin Ambrosius 0 0-0 0, Chris Wyllie 3 0-1 6, Michael Fisicaro 2 0-0 6, Sonny Myers 3 4-6 11, Hudson Rue 1 1-2 4, Jake Epting 2 1-4 6, Elijah Crispin 7 3-3 19, Sean Powell 0 0-0 0, Trey Tinges 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 12-21 76.

Salem Tech	9	5	17	11 –	42
Pitman	17	30	19	10 –	76

3-point goals: Salem Tech 4 (Muntz, Zampino 2, Robinson); Pitman 12 (Devanney 4, Fisicaro 2, Myers, Rue, Epting, Crispin 2, Tinges).

Power Points
South Jersey Group I

TEAM	RECORD	POINTS
KIPP Cooper	19-6	493
Pitman	16-6	434
Salem	14-7	393
Wildwood	13-9	388
Audubon	14-8	357
Glassboro	11-11	345
Woodbury	13-10	331
Palmyra	11-8	315
Penns Grove	9-12	307
Paulsboro	9-12	299
Riverside	10-12	288
LEAP Academy	13-8	279
Woodstown	10-9	262
New Egypt	7-12	249
Pennsville	9-14	235
(16) Burlington City	4-18	208
Maple Shade	8-15	203
Schalick	7-12	182
Clayton	3-18	169
Cape May Tech	2-18	138
Gateway	1-22	131
Buena	0-21	126
Camden Prep	1-6	56

Through games of Feb. 8

Numbers spell success

Woodstown girls putting together big streaks, big individual numbers; recognize three milestones, plus visiting 1,000-point scorer

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – They came to the Joseph P. Irvin Gym Wednesday to recognize some big numbers by some of the home team’s big players, but they aren’t the only numbers worthy of celebrating within the program.

For starters, the Woodstown girls basketball team added an exclamation point to the third straight Tri-County Diamond Division title they clinched the night before with a 60-33 rout of Glassboro.

It was the Wolverines’ 29th straight division win. Now, only Overbrook a week from Saturday stands between them an a third straight undefeated division season. They’ve also won 28 straight games against Salem County competition, although Glassboro doesn’t figure into this category.

Of course, those are all numbers record-keepers keep. On a more public stage, the program recognized juniors Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson for joining the 1,000-Point Club and senior Shannon Pierman for surpassing 500 career rebounds. All three reached their milestones last week, but Wednesday was the Wolverines’ first home game for them to be able to recognize them.

“It’s crazy to think it’s that many,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said of all the streaks and milestones working within the program. “A lot of the kids don’t think about the numbers, but the numbers are what leaves the lasting impression for the younger girls and it makes a name for the program and our school. They don’t realize they’re creating this legacy for Woodstown High School girls basketball with all of those little numbers and the numbers they don’t always think about.

“It just goes to show you when you put in all that work in the offseason and in-season it pays off.”

Battavio led the Wolverines Wednesday with 22 points and moved ahead of Donelson on the program’s active scoring list with 1,050 points. Donelson had 18 points and stands at 1,047. Pierman had 14 points and 15 rebounds for her sixth double-double in the last seven games, leaving her 20 points shy of joining the 500-500 Club (480-560).

Both 1,000-point scorers had their commemorative banners displayed on the padding on the wall leading out of the gym.

After the game, the recognized the milestones with a brief video, then presented the players with flowers and balloons that spelled out “1-0-0-0” and “5-0-0” for their particular milestones.

“I thought it was really thoughtful of everybody to do that,” Donelson said. “It’s cool people are going to look back that 2022 and 2023 they were really good. It makes a huge impact on the girls basketball program here.”

“I think we’ve come a long way,” Battavio said. “Having two 1,000-point scorers is amazing and I’m grateful we got to do it together. It helps that we’re best friends. I’m very proud of her.”

“It means a lot,” added Pierman. “We work hard, we play hard and I’m just really proud of all of us.”

Actually, there were three 1,000-point scorers on the floor in the game. Glassboro junior Tamia Smith reached the milestone on a layup with 1:37 left in the third quarter. When the historic moment game, they stopped the game and family and friends poured onto the floor to celebrate the feat.

Smith was fouled on the historic layup and after the celebration subsided she returned to the free throw line to promptly deposited point No. 1,002

“It’s nice to see it from a different perspective,” said Straughn, who presented Smith a bouquet and a ball after the game. “It’s just cool to see somebody else who we play every year and she’s only a junior. It’s nice to see there are up and coming and successful programs nearby and players who are successful nearby.”

WOODSTOWN 60, GLASSBORO 33
GLASSBORO (12-7) – Sanaa Thomas 0 1-2 1, Tamia Smith 8 3-3 19, Kezia Brackett 3 0-2 6, Kimora Miles 3 0-0 6, Anye Davis 0 1-2 1, Nevaeh Cox-Clement 0 0-0 0, Ni Jha Norzan-Clark 0 0-0 0, Grace Moore 0 0-0 0, Briana Fernandez 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-9 33.
WOODSTOWN (16-4) – Talia Battavio 10 1-1 22, Megan Donelson 7 2-2 18, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Baber 1 0-1 2, Shannon Pierman 7 0-0 14, Lauren Hengel 1 0-0 2, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 3-4 60.

Glassboro	4	9	12	8 –	33
Woodstown	14	20	12	14 –	60

3-point goals: Glassboro 0; Woodstown 3 (Battavio, Donelson 2). Rebounds: Woodstown 38 (Pierman 15, Baber 7). Assists: Woodstown 20 (Donelson 6, Baber 6). Total fouls: Glassboro 8, Woodstown 13. Officials: Killian, Kahbaum.

**Woodstown 1,000-point scorers Talia Battavio (L) and Megan Donelson (R) flank the newest member of the club, Glassboro’s Tamia Smith. There are 3,101 career points in this group of juniors.**

Rising above the noise

Penns Grove distances itself from the distractions, beats Schalick as only Salem County winner of the night

TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Glassboro 68, Pennsville 56
Gloucester Catholic 64, Salem 41
Overbrook 52, Woodstown 35
Penns Grove 53, Schalick 45
Wildwood 84, Salem Tech 38

By Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – There was a lot going on inside the Hyper-Baric Chamber that is Penns Grove’s gym Tuesday night, but the Red Devils rose above the din and put away Schalick 53-45 to remain in the hunt for a first-round home playoff game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.

The win left the Red Devils (8-12) in ninth place in SJ-I power points standings, 18 points behind eighth with only two games against Diamond Division county rivals fighting for a playoff spot before Saturday’s cutoff left. The top eight teams draw first-round home games.

“I don’t know if we can get up to having a home game, we’ll see what happens,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “We want to try to get at least one home game. I won’t say that’s a goal, but the goal is to get home games in the playoffs. Since we had a slow start, if we can finish strong and get at least one home game then it’ll be great.”

There was a lot to distract the Red Devils from the task at hand. There were activities involving the cheerleaders, at halftime senior girls player Meely Horace was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point at earlier in the day, and it was Senior Night, meaning a senior-heavy starting lineup that isn’t necessarily their SOP.

The Red Devils were slow out of the gate with the honor lineup and fell behind 10-5, but eventually the senior regulars emerged and they pulled away.

Giomar Conrad and Mehki Ballard led Penns Grove with 23 and 19 points, respectively. Conrad hit three straight 3s in the second quarter and it sparked a 23-8 run that gave the Red Devils the lead.

“That was two seniors who stepped up on Senior Night,” Ware said. “Back in the day they always played big on Senior Night.”

Daniel Lis led Schalick with 16 points. Jake Siedlecki hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12.

PENNS GROVE 53, SCHALICK 45
SCHALICK (7-11) – Daniel Lis 6-4-16, Reggie Allen 0-4-4, Nasir Sutton 3-0-6, Nylan Sutton 2-1-5, Jake Siedlecki 5-0-12, Jordan Johnson 1-0-2. Totals 17-9-45.
PENNS GROVE (8-12) – Brandon Robbins 0-2-2, Roman Gipson 0-1-1, Giomar Conrad 9-2-23, KaRon Ceaser 0-1-1, Willie Slocum 1-0-2, Mehki Ballard 6-4-19, Camren Thompson 0-0-0, Khiry Higgs 0-1-1, Mr Peterson 2-0-4. Totals 18-11-53.

Schalick	10	8	18	9 –	45
Penns Grove	5	23	15	10 –	53

3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Siedlecki 2); Penns Grove 6 (Conrad 3, Ballard 3).

OVERBROOK 52, WOODSTOWN 35: The Rams used an 8-0 run to pull away from an early tie and then held Woodstown without a field goal 10 and a half minutes in the second half to secure their sixth straight win and clinch their sixth straight divisional title.

The teams slugged it out early with Woodstown rallying to earn a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter before the Rams took control with an 8-0 run. The Wolverines got back to within four on Rocco String’s put back with 10 seconds left in the first half, but they didn’t hit another field goal until String’s bucket in the paint with 5:38 left in the game.

The Wolverines were 0-for-7 with five turnovers in the stretch. Their only points came on five free throws.

“At halftime we challenged them defensively to (give) a little bit more effort and energy in winning those 50-50 balls and keeping them off the glass,” Overbrook coach Donny Lang said. “I know we went a pretty long time with maybe letting them only score maybe three points to close to a quarter. It was more of their energy and effort that stepped up in the second half.”

During their current run of division titles, the Rams have won four straight Tri-County Diamond Division titles and two Colonial Conference Patriot Division crowns before that.

“That was one of our goals, to put up another banner,” Lang said. “I like to look up at that banner, make sure our number’s there.”

OVERBROOK 52, WOODSTOWN 35
OVERBROOK (17-5) – Shaun Mills 5 2-2 13, Chris Grier 0 1-2 1, Nic Johnson 4 0-1 9, Lamar Little 3 0-0 7, Zair Green 4 2-3 11, Amare Kee 1 0-0 3, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Xavier Wright 0 0-0 0, Kevin Satchell 3 0-0 6, Jaden St. John 0 0-0 0, Tory Scott 0 0-0 0, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-8 52.
WOODSTOWN (10-8) – Manny Ortega 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 0 2-2 2, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Sanderson 0 0-0 0, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 3, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 4 0-3 10, Rocco String 3 2-2 8, Elijah Caesar 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 9-15 35.

Overbrook	12	12	16	12 –	52
Woodstown	6	12	3	14 –	35

3-point goals: Overbrook 5 (Mills, Johnson, Little, Green, Kee); Woodstown 2 (Webb 2). Total fouls: Overbrook 15, Woodstown 12.

GLASSBORO 68, PENNSVILLE 56
GLASSBORO (10-11) – Xavier Sabb 7 0-3 15, Charles Graves 9 3-3 24, Clinton Suggs 5 1-4 14, Michael Dougherty 2 0-0 5, Josh Buff 1 0-2 3, Tashean Thomas 0 0-0 0, Marley Crout 1 0-0 2, Jayce Grays2 1-1 5.
PENNSVILLE (9-13) – Luke Wood 8-21 0-0 17, Peyton O’Brien 1-6 1-2 3, Daniel Saulin 7-9 4-4 18, Cohen Petrutz 3-6 1-2 9, Mason O’Brien 3-6 2-2 6, Connor Starn 0-2 1-2 1, Cole Johnston 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-53 9-12 56.

Glassboro	16	18	20	14 –	68
Pennsville	12	7	18	17 –	56

3-point goals: Glassboro 9 (Sabb, Groves 3, Suggs 3, Daugherty, Buff); Pennsville 3-21 (Johnston 0-3, Starn 0-2 M. O’Brien 0-1, Petrutz 2-3, P. O’Brien 0-1, Wood 1-11). Fouled out: M. O’Brien, Saulin. Total fouls: Glassboro 13, Pennsville 16

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 64, SALEM 41
SALEM (13-7) – Anthony Farmer 3 9-10 16, Ramaji Bundy 3 0-0 5, Tymear Lecator 2 0-0 4, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 5, Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8. Totals 14 9-10 41.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (13-8) – Carlos Mendez 3 7-8 13, Jack Mustaro 4 0-0 12, Trey Battle 2 10-12 14, Kyle Guldin 6 3-6 15, Billy Ginipro 1 0-0 3, JonCarlo Coia 1 0-0 2, Nick Calzonetti 1 0-0 2, Ethan Dugue 1 1-2 3, Brody Gates 0 0-0 0, Jack Pund 0 0-0 0, Kybron Ricks 0 0-0 0, Danny Zellner 0 0-0 0, Jordan Mendez 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 21-28 64.

Salem	8	11	14	8 –	41
Gloucester Catholic	9	16	19	20 –	64

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Farmer, Bundy 2, DeJesus); Gloucester Catholic 5 (Mustaro 4, Ginipro).

WILDWOOD 84, SALEM TECH 38
SALEM TECH (2-16) – Chase Wills 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 4 1-1 9, Joseph Hayes 1 0-2 2, Daviontae Russell 2 0-0 4, Tyler Zampino 2 2-3 6, Antoine Robinson 3 4-4 11, Gio Holmes 1 0-0 2, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-10 38.
WILDWOOD (12-9) – Junior Hans 6 1-1 13, Ryan Troiano 2 0-0 6, Jordan Dozier 0 2-2 2, Jordan Fusik 3 0-0 9, Brian Cunniff 2 1-2 5, Josh Pintella 1 1-4 3, Haney Buscham 3 0-0 8, Lukas Basile 3 0-0 8, James Wyers 6 1-2 15, Keynan Alston 1 2-2 4, Nolan Mawhinney 1 0-0 2, Trevor Troiano 1 0-0 3, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Burke Fitzsimmons 0 0-0 0, Lance Lillo 2 0-0 4. Totals 32 8-13 84.

Salem Tech	7	4	12	15 –	38
Wildwood	25	17	26	16 –	84

3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Robinson); Wildwood 12 (R. Troiano 2, Jordan Fusik 3, Buscham 2, Basile 2, Ayers 2, T. Troiano). Rebounds: Salem Tech 23 (Robinson 8); Wildwood 28 (Wears 4). Total fouls: Salem Tech 9, Wildwood 7.

Welcome to the club

Penns Grove’s Horace becomes fifth player in Salem County to reach 1,000-point milestone this season, roundup includes all Salem County girls games

TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Penns Grove 51, Schalick 30
Pennsville 40, Glassboro 38
Gloucester Catholic 61, Salem 12
Wildwood 62, Salem Tech 27
Woodstown 76, Overbrook 42

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Every day since the start of her senior season Meely Horace has walked into the Penns Grove gym and looked at the big red banner on the wall of 1,000-point scorers in the girls program.

**Penns Grove senior Meely Horace looks up at her name after it was revealed on the banner of 1,000-point scorers in the school’s girls basketball program.**

And every time there has been this big strip of tape underneath the last name on the list, presumably covering the line that carried her name in anticipation of her joining the club just daring her to pull it down. She couldn’t wait to pull that piece of tape down.

Well, she doesn’t have to look at it or wait any more.

Horace became the latest member of the Penns Grove 1,000-Point Club Tuesday when she hit a short jumper from the right side with 6:18 left in the second quarter of the Red Devils’ 51-30 win over Schalick.

“It meant a lot,” she said of the milestone. “It’s been a minute since somebody hit 1K, so I feel like I achieved a goal. My cousin, Tamara Walker, is on that banner, too. I wanted to be up there with her.

“Every day at school when I was in PE and all that I would go in there and look at it and be like, ‘I can’t wait to pull this down.’”

The moment of truth came at halftime of the boys game once her team returned to campus from its road win. She stood on the baseline with the congratulatory banner they presented at her game, then turned and looked upwards as the tape was removed to reveal her name. The space for points remains blank as she still has games to play.

Horace is the 19th player in Penns Grove history to score 1,000 points and the seventh girl. She’s the fifth player in Salem County to reach the milestone this season, joining Woodstown’s Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson, Salem’s Anthony Farmer and Pennsville’s Luke Wood. Both Farmer and Wood hit their marks in games against Penns Grove. Farmer is the only one to have done it at home.

The last Penns Grove player to clear the hurdle was Jamar Johnson in 2020. The last girl was Natrice Reed in 2018.

Horace has been sitting on 998 since Thursday night when she put 38 on Overbrook and she admitted the suspense was killing her.

It was expected she would reach the milestone early in Tuesday’s game, maybe even on the first play of the game, but it took a while. She was turned away the first three times the Red Devils came down the floor – traveling in the right corner, getting double teamed at the top of the key without getting a shot and missing a fast break layup.

She hit 999 with the first of two free throws with 5:38 left in the first quarter. She missed the second shot, but got the rebound and had the ball stripped as she drove to the basket.

Acting coach Taylor Smith took her out with 4:57 left in the quarter. It wasn’t because anyone thought she was pressing to score the milestone points, but rather to give more family members a chance to get to the gym to witness the historic occasion when it came.

“I was frustrated at first, but then I was like it’s going to come to me,” she said. “I feel like (she rushed things) a little bit, then I realized I’ve got to slow it down; there are four quarters. After I missed a couple I didn’t force anything, I let it come to me. I knew I was going to get it regardless. My teammates and my coaches were going to make sure.”

She reentered the game with 12 seconds left in the quarter and missed a layup at the buzzer. She missed two more free throws and then lost a ball in the lane.

The milestone finally came on a short jumper from the right side. They stopped the game, family poured onto the floor from the stands and she was presented with a game ball, a congratulatory 1,000-point banner and balloons that spelled out ‘1K.’

“Congrats to Meely because that’s a great accomplishment,” Smith said. “That’s not an easy thing to do in your high school career. We would like to salute her and congratulate her a million times for it because it is a great accomplishment.

“I was excited for her. Everybody was excited for her. We were all waiting on the moment for her.”

When the milestone finally arrived it was like a weight was lifted off everyone on the Penns Grove side. Her basket gave the Red Devils a 12-7 lead and touched off a run that stretched the lead to 28-7 before the Cougars scored again.

Horace finished with 12 points and now has 1,010 for her career.

PENNS GROVE 51, SCHALICK 30
PENNS GROVE (9-8) – RaNiyah Wilson 4 4-4 13, Meely Horace 5 2-7 12, Brianna Robbins 5 1-3 12, Amani Taylor 1 2-4 4, Zoey Caesar 2 2-6 6, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 1 0-0 2, Arianna Down 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-24 51.
SCHALICK (5-13) – Cianna Gaines 1 3-4 5, Taylor Sparks 1 1-2 4, Ava Scurry 4 2-2 10, Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 0 2-4 2, Carly Vicente 3 0-0 8, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 1-4 1. Totals 9 9-16 30.

Penns Grove	8	24	12	7 –	51
Schalick	7	7	6	10 –	30

3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, B. Robbins); Schalick 3 (Sparks, Vicente 2). Technical fouls: Robbins. Fouled out: Willoughby. Total fouls: Penns Grove 17, Schalick 17.

PENNSVILLE 40, GLASSBORO 38: Taylor Bass’ only basket of the game, a put back with a minute left, broke a 38-38 tie and the Eagles made it stand for their third straight win. Marley Wood led three Pennsville scorers in double figures with 16 points, 10 in the second half. Nora Ausland had 12 points, 10 in the first quarter, and Bella Farina had 10.

PENNSVILLE 40, GLASSBORO 38
PENNSVILLE (10-11) – Nora Ausland 5 0-0 12, Taylor Bass 1 0-1 2, Bella Farina 5 0-0 10, Marley Wood 7 1-2 16, Celli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 1-3 40.
GLASSBORO (12-6) – Sanaa Thomas 3 2-2 8, Tamia Smith 5 3-4 13, Kezia Brackett 7 0-2 17, Ante Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 0 0-0 0, Kimora Miles 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-8 38.

Pennsville	19	7	4	10 –	40
Glassboro	8	6	18	6 –	38

3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (N. Ausland 2, Wood); Glassboro 3 (Brackett 3). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Glassboro 8.

WILDWOOD 62, SALEM TECH 27: In the return game of two-day home-and-home, the Warriors jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and then held the Chargers scoreless in the second. Wildwood’s Macie McCracken led all scorers with 23 points.

WILDWOOD 62, SALEM TECH 27
SALEM TECH (1-16) – Hanna DeWitt 2 3-4 7, Demajae White 2 0-0 4, TiRonna McGaha 0 2-2 2, Morgan VanDover 3 2-2 8, Lavae Scott 0 0-2 0, Rylee Doerr 2 2-2 8. Totals 9 9-12 27.
WILDWOOD (16-5) – Sophia Wilber 3 0-0 7, Angela Wilber 2 0-0 5, Macie McCracken 9 2-3 23, Kaliah Sumlin 4 0-0 8, Rebecca Benichou 4 0-0 10, Ashley Nagle 3 0-0 8, Janet Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Mia Chips 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 2-3 63.

Salem Tech	4	0	11	12 –	27
Wildwood	19	16	23	5 –	62

3-point goals: Wildwood 9 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber, McCracken 3, Benichou 2, Nagle 2).

WOODSTOWN 76, OVERBROOK 42: The Wolverines opened a comfortable 10-point lead, then pulled away with a 33-3 second quarter.

Talia Battavio had eight points in the quarter, while Megan Donelson and Shannon Pierman had six apiece. The only basket they allowed in the quarter was a 3-pointer by Zahaisha Nevius.

“We hammered it inside to Shannon in their zone defense and moved the ball really well,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “We have also been focusing a lot on our drives and kicks and the girls did a much better job executing that tonight.”

Battavio led the Wolverines with 19 points. Donelson and Pierman had 14 each. Ten players scored.

Donelson now had 1,029 career points and Battavio 1,028.

WOODSTOWN 76, OVERBROOK 42
WOODSTOWN (15-4) – Talia Battavio 7 2-2 19, Megan Donelson 5 2-2 14, Alyssa Baber 3 0-0 7, Gianna Maiorini 2 0-0 4, Shannon Pierman 7 0-0 14, Emma Perry 2 0-0 4, Brae DiGregorio 1 0-0 2, Jala Thomas 2 0-0 4, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 2 0-0 4, Kendall Young 2 0-0 4, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0. Totals 33 4-4 76.
OVERBROOK (4-14) – Gianna Simon 1 0-0 2, Joel Presley 4 2-6 11, Kaylee Burckhardt 2 0-0 4, Zahaisha Nevius 6 4-7 19, Sarah Evans 1 0-0 3, Leiani Knight 0 0-0 0, Alahni White 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Nahia Smith 0 0-0 0, Talia Wiggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-13 42.

Woodstown	20	33	9	14 –	76
Overbrook	10	3	15	14 –	42

3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Battavio 3, Donelson 2, Baber); Overbrook 6 (Presley, Burckhardt, Nevius 3, Evans). Total fouls: Woodstown 10, Overbrook 8.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 61, SALEM 12
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (16-6) – Jahzara Green 6 1-2 13, Julianna DeFebbo 5 0-0 10, Talia Shumate 5 0-0 10, Yazaniah Shumate 2 0-0 4, Jalyn Moore 2 0-0 4, Ashlynn Eggers 4 0-0 10, Kendall Scott 0 2-4 2, Anna Gerardi 1 0-0 2, Maya Hutchinson 2 2-2 6, Julia Calzonetti 0 0-2 0. Totals 27 5-10 61.
SALEM (7-13) – Marjziah Bundy 0 0-4 0, Ameriyona Hunter 3 1-4 7, Carlysia Pierce 1 3-4 5, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, Ava Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Zaniyah Freison 0 0-0 0. Totals 4 4-12 12.

Score by quarters not available.
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 2 (Eggers 2).

On the rise

Woodstown scores big win on the road, Schalick may have gotten its signature win, includes box scores from all of Monday night’s Salem County basketball action

MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
Boys
Gloucester City 76, Pennsville 62
Penns Grove 63, Williamstown 22
Schalick 66, Maple Shade 37
Woodstown 55, Glassboro 49
Girls
Kingsway 64, Salem 29
Maple Shade 43, Schalick 15
Pennsville 53, Gloucester City 20
Wildwood 70, Salem Tech 29

By Riverview Sports News

GLASSBORO – Just about a week ago the Woodstown basketball team was teetering precariously on the edge of the South Jersey Group I playoff bubble. Two wins later they’ve come off the edge and now have a little breathing room in the final days of the regular season.

The Wolverines earned their largest power point haul of the season Monday night with a 55-49 road victory over Glassboro. Put that with a blowout win over nine-win Pennsville and an overtime loss to 12-win Gloucester Catholic, over the last five days they have gone from 15 to 13 in the power points standings, 46 points ahead of the 16th and final qualifying spot from the section.

They have three games between now and Saturday’s state cutoff date to pick up more points.

Blake Bialecki (21) and Max Webb (19) combined for 40 points to lead the Wolverines (10-7) in this one, outscoring Glassboro’s two leading scorers, Xavier Sabb and Charles Graves, who had 13 points apiece.

Webb was involved in one of the headiest plays in the game. With about 30 seconds left, the Wolverines were trying to get the ball inbounds. With no timeouts and nobody getting open, Webb smartly threw the ball off a defender in front of him and got it back to save the possession.

Bialecki then made a pair of free throws with five seconds left to ice it.

Another crucial factor to getting the win was the play of Rocco String. The 6-foot-7 junior played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls and never picked up his fifth. And he managed to pick up a couple blocked shots and key rebounds.

WOODSTOWN 55, GLASSBORO 49
WOODSTOWN (10-7) – Blake Bialecki 6-4-19, M.J. Hall 2-0-4, Garrett Leyman 1-0-2, Max Webb 6-4-19, Rocco String 3-1-7, Elijah Caesar 2-0-4. Totals 20-9-55.
GLASSBORO (9-11) – Xavier Sabb 5-3-13, Charles Graves 5-2-13, Clinton Suggs 2-2-8, Michael Dougherty 2-0-6, Josh Buff 1-0-3, Crowly Marley 2-0-4, Jayce Grays 1-0-2. Totals 18-7-49.

Woodstown	20	8	11	15 –	55
Glassboro	10	21	10	8 –	49

3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 3, Webb 3); Glassboro 6 (Graves, Suggs 2, Dougherty 2, Buff).

SCHALICK 66, MAPLE SHADE 37: The Cougars have been looking for that signature win in their winningest season in five years and may have gotten it here.

The teams they had beaten prior to Monday had a combined 12 wins and they picked up a season-high 28 power points for this one. It puts them at No. 18 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, technically No. 17 since they beat Maple Shade who sits one spot above them.

Nasir and Nylan Sutton led the Cougars with 15 and 13 points, respectively. It was the second time this year and fourth time in their careers they both scored in double figures in the same game. Dan Lis had 14 with three 3-pointers.

The Cougars, now with more wins than the last three seasons combined, have won back-to-back games for the first time since winning the last three games of the 2019-20 season.

MAPLE SHADE (8-13) – Nicholas Gowen 2 0-0 4, Amir Hall 2 0-0 5, Elijah Ashe 3 2-2 8, Antjuan Johnson 2 0-0 6, Hezekiah Delvalle 0 1-2 1, Corey Volcy 6 1-2 13. Totals 15 4-6 37.
SCHALICK (7-10) – Dan Lis 5 1-2 14, Jake Siedlecki 2 0-2 6, Reggie Allen 3 0-2 7, Nylan Sutton 6 1-2 13, Nasir Sutton 6 3-3 15, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Nyzier Wynder 1 0-0 2, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 5-11 66.

Maple Shade	6	9	11	11 –	37
Schalick	16	10	17	23 –	66

3-point goals: Maple Shade 3 (Hall, Johnson 2); Schalick 9 (Lis 3, Siedlecki 2, Allen, Volovar, Iacona, Sheehan).

PENNS GROVE 63, WILLIAMSTOWN 22
PENNS GROVE (7-12) – Brandon Robbins 1 0-0 3, Roman Gipson 3 6-6 12, Giomar Conrad 5 3-4 14, KaRon Ceaser 3 1-1 7, Willie Slocum 1 0-0 2, Mehki Ballard 6 0-0 13, Camren Thompson 2 2-2 6, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, Mr Peterson 2 0-0 4, Will Roy 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 12-13 63.
WILLIAMSTOWN (1-20) – Drew Schnapp 1 0-0 3, Tyrone Price 3 0-0 6, Basill Mateen 3 3-4 10, Josh Roberts 1 0-0 2, Jordan Foley 0 1-5 1. Totals 8 4-9 22.

Penns Grove	9	24	13	17 –	63
Williamstown	5	8	7	2 –	22

3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Robbins, Conrad, Ballard); Williamstown 2 (Schnapp, Mateen).

GLOUCESTER 76, PENNSVILLE 62: Ryan James was 6-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to help Gloucester pull away from a close game.

Danny Saulin returned to the Pennsville lineup after a four-game absence and had 23 points and six rebounds. Peyton O’Brien had 10 rebounds and six assists, and Luke Wood had q8 points and nine boards.

GLOUCESTER (11-10) – Ryan James 4 6-8 15, Marcus Flagg 2 0-0 4, Keegan Cohan 6 2-3 19, Jake Smith 8 1-2 17, Kadon Harris 3 5-6 11, Mike Light 4 0-0 10, Kevin Wall 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 14-19 76.
PENNSVILLE (9-12) – Luke Wood 7-18 0-0 18, Peyton O’Brien 3-9 0-4 6, Daniel Saulin 10-15 3-9 23, Cohen Petrutz 3-9 0-4 8, Mason O’Brien 2-8 0-0 4, Connor Starn 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 26-60 3-13 62.

Gloucester	15	14	24	23 –	76
Pennsville	11	23	16	12 –	62

3-point goals: Gloucester 8 (James, Cohan 5, Light 2); Pennsville 7-20 (Starn 1-1, M. O’Brien 0-3, Petrutz 2-6, P. O’Brien 0-1, Wood 4-9). Technical fouls: Saulin. Total fouls: Gloucester 15, Pennsville 16. Officials: McCormick, Brown, Lundy.

Girls Games

PENNSVILLE 53, GLOUCESTER 20
PENNSVILLE (9-11) – Nora Ausland 4 4-5 14, Taylor Bass 4 3-5 12, Bella Farina 2 2-4 6, Marley Wood 8 3-6 21, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-20 53.
GLOUCESTER (5-14) – Logan Thomson 1 1-4 3, Kierstynn O’Donnell 0 3-8 3, Elizabeth Schultes 1 0-0 2, Bailey Schoenfeldt 2 0-1 5, Victoria Serrano 2 0-0 5, Alexis Ulman 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 4-13 20.

Pennsville	15	11	12	15 –	53
Gloucester	2	7	5	6 –	20

3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (N. Ausland 2, Bass, Wood 2); Gloucester 2 (Schoenfeldt, Serrano).

WILDWOOD 70, SALEM TECH 29
WILDWOOD (15-5) – Sophia Wilber 1 2-2 5, Angela Wilber 7 0-0 19, Macie McCracken 11 3-4 27, Kaliah Sumlin 1 2-3 4, Rebecca Benichou 4 0-0 10, Cydnee Kilian 1 0-2 2, Ashley Nagle 1 0-0 3, Mia Cripps 0 0-0 0, Janet Gonzalez 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 7-11 70.
SALEM TECH (1-15) – Morgan VanDover 3 0-0 6, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 4, Lavae Scott 2 0-0 4, Demajae White 6 0-0 12, Rylee Doerr 0 1-2 1, TiRonna McGaha 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 1-2 29.

Wildwood	28	18	21	3 –	70
Salem Tech	4	4	9	12 –	29

3-point goals: Wildwood 11 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber 5, McCracken 2, Benichou 2, Nagle); Salem Tech 0. Notes: Wildwood’s McCracken had 10 steals and Sophia Wilber had nine assists.

MAPLE SHADE 43, SCHALICK 15
SCHALICK (5-12) – Abby Willoughby 2-0-4, Cianna Gaines 1-0-2, Carly Vicente 2-1-7, Olivia Lunemann 1-0-2, Ava Scully 0-0-0, Taylor Sparks 0-0-0, Cali Fisler 0-0-0. Totals 6-1-15.
MAPLE SHADE (15-5) – Billie Ormsby 1-1-3, Addison Yackel 7-6-22, Alexis Andrada 3-0-7, Maddy Vessels 3-1-8, Mel Bimmer 1-0-2, Molly Mitchell 0-1-1. Totals 15-9-43.

Schalick	2	3	3	7 –	15
Maple Shade	10	8	20	5 –	43

3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Vicente 2); Maple Shade 4 (Yackel 2, Andrada, Vessels).

KINGSWAY 64, SALEM 29
SALEM (7-12) – Ava Rodgers 1 1-1 3, Ameriyona Hunter 3 1-4 8, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0, Ryann Foote 0 2-6 2, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, Dakirah Gray 0 0-0 0, Carlysia Pierce 2 2-3 7, Nevaeh Hickman 3 1-3 9, Zaniyah Freison 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 7-17 29.
KINGSWAY (9-11) – Erin Lail 2 0-0 5, Kellis Greer 2 0-0 4, Vienna Gantz 4 0-0 10, Emily Barber 2 0-2 4, Olivia Myers 4 2-2 12, Ava Valente 1 2-2 4, Jaylynn Curtis 3 3-4 10, Paige Horton 2 2-2 6, Bella Archer 1 0-0 3, Chloe McNeill 2 0-0 4, Ojanile Gabriel 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 9-12 64.

Salem	9	6	9	5 –	29
Kingsway	25	5	15	19 –	64

3-point goals: Salem 4 (Hickman 2, Hunter, Pierce); Kingsway 7 (Lail, Gantz 2, Myers 2, Curtis, Archer). Notes: Salem’s Bundy had 10 points and seven blocked shots.

Tri-County pairings

Here are the pairings for the Tri-County Conference Tournament; only one Salem County team has a first-round home game

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

Timber Creek’s Liberty Division-leading boys and Williamstown’s Royal Division-leading girls have pulled down the overall No. 1 seeds for next week’s Tri-County Basketball Tournament.

The tournament begins next Monday with 22 games at the higher seeds. The brackets were finalized Sunday and became official at noon today.

Timber Creek is currently 13-3, 8-0 in the Liberty Division, riding a 10-game on-the-floor winning streak and fourth in the South Jersey Group III power points standings. Williamstown is 14-5 overall, 6-0 in the Royal Division and leads the South Jersey Group IV power points standings.

As far as Salem County’s teams are concerned, no county boys team has a first-round home game and Schalick’s girls are the only county team playing at home in the opening round.

Pennsville’s boys and Salem’s girls have No. 1 seeds in their respective seven-team C Flight brackets, have first-round byes and will play home games in Round 2 Feb. 14. Pennsville is 5-0 against the other teams in its bracket, Salem 3-1.

“It’s bittersweet,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said of his team’s seeding. “It’s not our goal to be the best of the bottom. However, we will get two solid days of practice in as we prepare for the playoffs.

“Hopefully, two home games and the good vibes that come with winning a C bracket will help build momentum into the first round of the playoffs.”

On the girls side, Woodstown is No. 5 in the A Flight and will open the tournament at current Classic Division No. 2 Gloucester Catholic, a team the Wolverines opened the season against and are presently scheduled to play in Saturday’s consolation bracket of the SJIBT. Pennsville is No. 5 and Penns Grove 8 in the B Flight, and Salem is 1, Schalick 3 and Salem Tech 7 in the C Flight.

On the boys side, Salem is No. 6 in the A Flight and will open at Diamond Division leader Overbrook, a solid No. 7 in the South Jersey Group II power points standings. Penns Grove is No. 7 and Woodstown 8 in the B Flight, while Pennsville is No. 1 in C, followed by Schalick (6) and Salem Tech (7).

Day 1 winners are guaranteed two more games. Day 1 losers (except in Flight C) will play one consolation game.

The pairings for all six flights are listed below:

TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
BOYS BRACKETS
A FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 8 Gloucester Catholic (12-8) at No. 1 Timber Creek (13-3)
No. 5 Triton (11-8) at No. 4 Pitman (15-6)
No. 6 Salem (13-6) at No. 3 Overbrook (15-5)
No. 7 Wildwood (11-9) at No. 2 Delsea (13-7)
Feb. 14
Gloucester Catholic-Timber Creek winner vs. Triton-Pitman winner
Salem-Overbrook winner vs. Wildwood-Delsea winner
Consolation games
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

B FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 8 Woodstown (9-7) at No. 1 Kingsway (11-10)
No. 5 Glassboro (9-10) at No. 4 Deptford Twp. (10-9)
No. 6 Washington Twp. (11-9) at No. 3 Highland (9-9)
No. 7 Penns Grove (6-12) at No. 2 Clearview (11-8)
Feb. 14
Woodstown-Kingsway winner vs. Glassboro-Deptford Twp. winner
Washington Twp.-Highland winner vs. Penns Grove-Clearview winner
Consolation games
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

C FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 1 Pennsville (9-11) bye
No. 5 Clayton (3-16) at No. 4 Cumberland (2-18)
No. 6 Schalick (6-10) at No. 3 Williamstown (1-19)
No. 7 Salem Tech (2-15) at No. 2 GCIT (7-14)
Feb. 14
Clayton-Cumberland winner at Pennsville
Schalick-Williamstown winner vs. Salem Tech-GCIT winner
Schalick-Williamstown loser vs. Salem Tech-GCIT loser
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

GIRLS BRACKETS
A FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 8 Highland (10-9) at No. 1 Williamstown (14-4)
No. 5 Woodstown (14-4) at No. 4 Gloucester Catholic (15-5)
No. 6 Washington Twp. (10-8) at No. 3 Wildwood (14-5)
No. 7 Timber Creek (13-8) at No. 2 Clearview (14-3)
Feb. 14
Highland-Williamstown winner vs. Woodstown-Gloucester Catholic winner
Washington Twp.-Wildwood winner vs. Timber Creek-Clearview winner
Consolation games
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

B FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 8 Penns Grove (7-8) at No. 1 GCIT (12-7)
No. 5 Pennsville (8-11) at No. 4 Delsea (8-10)
No. 6 Pitman (9-8) at No. 3 Kingsway (8-11)
No. 7 Clayton (8-9) at No. 2 Glassboro (12-5)
Feb. 14
Penns Grove-GCIT winner vs. Pennsville-Delsea winner
Pitman-Kingsway winner vs. Clayton-Glassboro winner
Consolation games
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

C FLIGHT
Feb. 12
No. 1 Salem (7-11) bye
No. 5 Overbrook (3-12) at No. 4 Triton (6-11)
No. 6 Deptford (3-15) at No. 3 Schalick (5-11)
No. 7 Salem Tech (1-14) at No. 2 Cumberland (4-13)
Feb. 14
Overbrook-Triton winner at Salem
Deptford-Schalick winner vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland winner
Deptford-Schalick loser vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland loser
Feb. 16
Third-place game
Championship

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 5-11

Monday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Wildwood at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Kingsway, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Maple Shade, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Maple Shade at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Williamstown, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
South Jersey Group I Tournament
At Woodstown
Audubon vs. Palmyra, 6 p.m.
Haddon Twp. at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
Audubon-Palmyra winner vs. Haddon Twp.-Woodstown winner, 7 p.m.
At Paulsboro
Pitman at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville vs. Gloucester, 5:30 p.m.
Pitman-Paulsboro winner vs. Pennsville-Gloucester winner, 7 p.m.

Penns Grove, Camden, Riverside at Lindenwold, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Northern Burlington, 6 p.m.

SWIMMING
NJSIAA Playoffs
Schalick vs. Barnegat at St. Francis Community Center, 4:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Cape May Co. Tech at GCIT, 6:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Salem at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island, N.Y., 5 p.m.

Tuesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 5 p.m.
Glassboro at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Salem CC at Bucks County CC, 5 p.m.
Men
Montgomery County CC at Salem CC, 7 p.m.

BOWLING
TCC Showcase at 30 Strikes, 4 p.m.

SWIMMING
Schalick at West Deptford, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

WRESTLING
Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5 p.m.
Pitman at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m.

SWIMMING
Schalick at Camden Academy Charter, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Overbrook at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Washington Twp., 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Pitman, 7 p.m.

SWIMMING
South Jersey Group C Tournament
Schalick at Middle Twp.
Woodstown at Oakcrest

Friday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pleasantville at Salem, 5 p.m.
Cape May Co. Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Millville at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Lower Cape May, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Buena at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Cape May Co. Tech, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Woodstown at Delran, 6 p.m.

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
South Jersey Invitational Tournament
at Eastern Regional HS
Woodstown vs. Williamstown, 8 p.m.
Boys
Bridgeton at Salem, 12:30 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Salem CC at Lackawanna College, 1 p.m.
Men
Harrisburg Area CC at Salem CC, noon

WRESTLING
Schalick, Burlington Twp., Cherry Hill-West at Maple Shade, 8 a.m.
Pennsville, Cedar Creek, Delran at Hightstown, 10 a.m.
Salem, Mainland, Timber Creek at Pennsauken, 10 a.m.

BOWLING
Girls
NJSIAA Sectionals

Bittersweet moment

Battavio passes 1,000 points for her career, but Woodstown falls to Cherokee in close game in SJIBT Elite 8, will be updated; includes other county games of the day

SJIBT ELITE EIGHT
Saturday’s Games
Paul VI 77, Timber Creek 33
Cherokee 55, Woodstown 49
Sunday’s Games
Moorestown vs. Gloucester Catholic, 4:45 p.m.
Cinnaminson vs. Williamstown, 6 p.m.

OTHER GAMES
Girls
Pennsville 47, West Deptford 41
Boys
Gloucester Catholic 59, Woodstown 57
Salem 61, Paulsboro 60

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VOORHEES – She really wasn’t feeling it right after the game, but in a day or so, once the sting of a hard-fought loss melts into the preparation of the next game, Talia Battavio will feel the rush accomplishment wash over her like it never has before in her career.

Battavio became the second Woodstown player to score her 1,000th career point this week when she reached the milestone in the third quarter of Saturday night’s Elite 8 game of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament at Eastern Regional High School.

The only thing that kept it from being a perfect night was her Wolverines lost to second-seeded Cherokee 55-49.

“It’s a good accomplishment, but it’s not the biggest thing to me,” the junior guard said. “I’m more proud of the South Jersey championship banner that we have and being undefeated in the division, and I think that’s more important than any individual accomplishment.

“It really does not mean anything; we didn’t get the win as a team.”

**Woodstown’s Talia Battavio stands with the banner commemorating her membership in the 1,000-Point Club.**

Battavio became the 11th player in the Woodstown girls program to score 1,000 points. She pumped in 28 in the game – matching her career high set earlier this year against Bridgeton – and now has 1,009 for her career, with the rest of this year and all next season to go. Teammate Megan Donelson, also a junior, reached the milestone Thursday night at Pennsville.

Woodstown plans a special ceremony to recognize the feats Wednesday night.

“I think they’re both relieved,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “I feel like I’ve lost 10 pounds (during the pursuit) because two girls in a week with 1,000 points. Two juniors.

“She honestly had no clue how many more she needed, which I was worried coming into the game that she was going to get in her head because she’s the queen of doing too much, but she was just enough. She was perfect. She was great.”

Battavio is the fourth Salem County player to notch their 1,000th point this season, joining Donelson and boys players Luke Wood (Pennsville) and Anthony Farmer (Salem). Penns Grove’s Meely Horace (998) can join the club as early as Tuesday.

She needed 19 entering the game and set her sights on it after collecting 11 in the first half. She added nine more in the fourth quarter, including a rare four-point play with 20 seconds left that got her team to 52-48.

“I came in here and I said I’m going to get it,” Battavio said. “I do the best against good teams like this. I come in clutch when it comes to things like this and I love that.”

A free throw by Donelson after the four-point play made it 52-49, but the Wolverines had to foul to give themselves a chance and the Chiefs made three free throws in the final 15 seconds to close it out.

Battavio had envisioned reaching the milestone on one of her signature high-arching 3-pointers in a game the Wolverines would win. Instead, it came on a free throw with 5.5 seconds left in the third quarter.

In a sense, the free throw was an even better scenario because everyone in the gym knew what it was worth and it gave the player a chance to settle and savor the moment without the worry of having to immediately get back on defense. She actually made two free throws in the situation to draw the Wolverines within 36-30 at the end of the quarter.

There weren’t many who gave Woodstown much of a chance. The Chiefs (15-5) have won the tournament five of the last six years and are now in the Final Four for the eighth year in a row, but the Wolverines (14-4) were never out of the game, even when Donelson went out in foul trouble and post Shannon Pierman fouled out.

Three times they had fallen behind by 10 in the second half – as late as with 4:59 to play – and each time they climbed back into the game.

“I think a lot of people take us for granted because we’re a small school, but we wanted that more,” Battavio said. “We have a lot of more heart and it felt like it, too. We all work together, we all want it, it’s a great team.”

“For us to come in and lose by a handful, I can’t ask them for anything else,” Straughn said. “If we play like that against anybody in Group I, we’re beating them by 20 or 30. If we play like that against Wildwood, there’s no way it’s going to be the same outcome (as their 27-point loss 10 days ago). They played their butts off.”

Woodstown returns to the tournament Saturday at 8 p.m. against the loser of Sunday’s Moorestown-Gloucester Catholic game. If that happens to be Gloucester Catholic there already has been discussion of a shifting loser bracket opponents to avoid a Tri-County Conference matchup.

SJIBT ELITE EIGHT
CHEROKEE 55, WOODSTOWN 49
WOODSTOWN (14-4) – Talia Battavio 10 4-5 28, Megan Donelson 4 6-10 15, Gianna Mairoini 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Baber 0 1-2 1, Shannon Pierman 1 3-6 5, Lauren Hengle 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 14-23 49.
CHEROKEE (15-5) – Brielle Alaba 4 6-8 16, Olivia Salverian 2 1-2 7, Sofia Recinto 2 0-0 4, Leila McNair 2 0-0 6, Jada Branford 6 4-6 16, Abby Ball 1 2-2 4, Jordan Arnold 1 0-2 2. Totals 18 13-20 55.

Woodstown	5	14	11	19 –	49
Cherokee	11	13	12	19 –	55

3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Battavio 4, Donelson); Cherokee 6 (Alaba 2, Salverian 2, McNair 2). Fouled out: Pierman, Alaba, Recinto. Total fouls: Woodstown 22, Cherokee 20.

PENNSVILLE 47, WEST DEPTFORD 41: The Eagles trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter, but Nora Ausland and Taylor Bass combined for 13 points to fuel their comeback. Ausland finished with 18 points and Bass had 10.

PENNSVILLE (8-11) – Calli Ausland 1 0-0 2, Nora Ausland 7 3-3 18, Taylor Bass 5 0-1 10, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Bella Farina 3 0-2 6, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 1 0-2 2, Marley Wood 4 1-1 9. Totals 21 4-9 47.
WEST DEPTFORD (8-11) – Janie Cross 2 1-2 7, Alivia Arrera 2 0-0 4, Jescenia Diaz 1 0-0 2, DaeOnna Lawrence 3 2-3 8, Reyanna Jamison 4 2-2 10, Alyssa Taylor 0 0-0 0, Olivia Smith 0 0-0 0, Carleen Connelly 2 0-0 4, Addison Fronza 1 0-0 3, Jumanna Abdelhamid 1 1-2 3, Micahya Devose 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 6-9 41.

Pennsville	12	6	9	20 –	47
West Deptford	5	16	14	6 –	41

3-point goals: Pennsville 1 (N. Ausland); West Deptford 3 (Cross 2, Fronza). Total fouls: Pennsville 13, West Deptford 11.

Boys Games

BATTLE BY THE BAY
SALEM 61, PAULSBORO 60
PAULSBORO (8-10) – Malakhai McKenzie 6 1-2 14, Ty Hodges 5 3-7 13, Antonio Pandolfo 2 5-6 11, Ryann Briscoe 2 3-5 7, Aiden Milligan 2 0-0 6, Eric Scott 1 3-4 5, Jamal Robinson 2 0-0 4, Stephen Lane 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-28 60.
SALEM (13-6) – Paul Weathers 8 0-0 16, Ramaji Bundy 2 0-0 5, Jabez DeJesus 2 102 7, Tymear Lecator 5 5-6 18, Anthony Farmer 2 11-13 15. Totals 19 17-21 61.

Paulsboro	17	10	12	21 –	60
Salem	15	16	17	13 –	61

3-point goals: Paulsboro 5 (McKenzie, Pandolfo 2, Milligan 2); Salem 6 (Bundy, DeJesus 2, Lecator 3).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 59, WOODSTOWN 57 (OT)
WOODSTOWN (9-7) – Blake Bialecki 6 0-0 16, M.J. Hall 2 0-2 4, Garrett Leyman 2 0-0 4, Max Webb 7 0-0 18, Rocco String 4 0-0 8, Elijah Caesar 2 0-0 5. Totals 23 0-2 57.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (12-7) – Carlos Mendez 4 3-4 13, Jack Mustaro 8 3-5 22, Trey Battle 4 0-0 9, Billy Ginipro 1 0-0 3, Kyle Guldin 5 0-3 10, Ehthan Dugue 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 6-12 59.

Woodstown	12	13	17	10	5 –	57
Gloucester Cath.	14	17	11	10	7 –	55

3-point goals: Woodstown 11 (Bialecki 3, Hall 2, Webb 4, Caesar); Gloucester Catholic 7 (Mendez 2, Mustaro 3, Battle, Ginipro).

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Talia Battavio focuses on the rim as she prepares to score the 1,000th point of her high school career in the SJIBT Elite Eight against Cherokee Saturday night.

Learning curve

Couple of rough patches conspire to send Salem CC women to defeat in final home game of season

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Whether you’re a new team in the game or been playing since Naismith hung his first peach basket, three principles remain true about the game. If you don’t protect the ball, rebound and finish at the rim, you don’t win.

The revived Salem Community College women’s basketball team went through three such stretches Saturday and in a 71-41 loss to Raritan Valley CC in the Dupont Field House.

**Salem CC’s Carly Santimaw (1) takes a defensive stance against Raritan Valley’s Jakayia Jenkins in Saturday’s game.**

There was a 10-0 run over the final 4:30 of the first quarter that gave the Lions control of the game. Then there was a 15-4 spree over about the same stretch in the third quarter and finally a forgettable 12-2 fourth quarter in which it didn’t score a field goal.

Take away those stretches and the Mighty Oaks (8-11) hung with a sophomore-laden team of internationals that until recently had been ranked in the JUCO Division II Top 20.

“It’s one of the things we’ve been fighting through, honestly,” Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “Our energy was there, but our execution wasn’t there.”

That kind of thing can happen when you bring in nine players from nine different schools who played the game nine different ways and try to blend them into one system that wasn’t necessarily the one they signed up for. With a year together under Marsh’s Way next season should go a lot smoother.

“I think if we work on those things for next year they will definitely be great next year,” added Carly Santimaw, a freshman with sophomore credits from Pennsville. “It’s just kind of a learning progress, we just learn as we go and it’s the first year, so …”

The loss was Salem’s fourth in a row and forces the Oaks to win their final three games on the road to make the playoffs.

The game was Salem’s final home game of its first season since bringing the program back after a 10-year break. The school shuttered the program after the 2013-14 season.

Since revitalizing the program Marsh has been trying to spread the word that there is a program here and beating the bushes to find players. He originally was hired as an assistant coach to find players for the upstart program, then was elevated to head coach when the former coach left abruptly for the Midwest.

Both of the players who played their final home games for the Oaks Saturday joined the program after originally coming to campus to do something else. Kyla Buerger came in from Houston to play softball, but she played basketball in high school and became intrigued about helping start a program from the ground floor. Santimaw was coming to Salem just to study, but also liked what she hearing when the Oaks coaches came to her Senior Night at Salem Tech.

“I was really excited,” Buerger said. “I love being a part of stuff like this. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a tough year. We’re not the tallest (team), but it’s mainly the heart that our team has (that helps it persevere).”

“It’s a cool thing to be a part of, because we’re making history,” Santimaw said. “It’s great to be a part of that.”

The Mighty Oaks recognized one of the stars of that last team. After an exhaustive search through the archives over the summer, the school discovered Shaqui Coppage was the all-time leading scorer in program history and recognized the accomplishment at halftime.

Coppage scored 1,236 points in her two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) with the Oaks and is second on the school’s all-time scoring list regardless of gender. She scored 1,262 points at Salem High School before that.

She honestly didn’t know where she stood on the all-time list. When the school shut down the program, all the banners and records went into storage – until a summer intern went through them to bring the records up to date.

“It was amazing because I didn’t know any of it until now,” Coppage said. “To know all this now, with the numbers and being the all-time leading scorer, it’s overwhelming. I’m overwhelmed with different emotions. Like I want to cry, but I’m smiling real hard.”

Coppage averaged 22.9 in her sophomore year, which turned out to the program’s final season for a long time. The players learned during the year the program would be discontinued at the end of the season, but they were determined to finish strong and got the team into the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.

She was disappointed they shut it down, but was over the moon when she learned they were bringing it back.

“I was very proud of the school to do so,” she said. “Basketball was the thing that kept me going. It pushed me and for another little girl it could be the same for them, too. It was good to know they brought it back. I have a daughter as well now, so that’s something she can look forward to.”

RARITAN VALLEY 71, SALEM CC 41
RARITAN VALLEY (19-5) – Kerine Thomas 3 0-0 7, Judith Vila 7 0-0 16, Freya Rauschenfels 1 1-2 3, Lucia Noin 11 2-2 24, Quanajah Felder 3 0-0 8, JaNya Mills 2 0-1 4, Vega Gil 2 1-2 5, Julia Fontanillo 2 0-0 4, Alexis Junker 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 4-7 71.
SALEM CC (8-11) – Caroline Zullo 0-6 1-4 1, Maggie St. Clair 2-8 0-0 5, Jakayla Jenkins 1-9 5-6 7, Kyla Buerger 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Santimaw 2-12 0-0 5, Alexa Hopkins 4-8 0-0 11, Callie Rozak 0-0 0-0 0, Kathryn Laurence 4-9 2-4 12. Totals 13-52 8-14 41.

Raritan Valley	21	15	23	12 –	71
Salem CC	9	14	16	2 –	41

3-point goals: Raritan Valley 5 (Thomas, Vila 2, Felder 2); Salem CC 7-18 (St. Clair 1-2, Santimaw 1-4, Hopkins 3-4, Laurence 2-5). Total fouls: Raritan Valley 9, Salem CC 5.