Category: BASKETBALL

Milestone victory

Schalick knocks off winless Gateway to guarantee winningest season in four years; Camden Catholic denies Woodstown, Deptford dumps Penns Grove

FRIDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Camden Catholic 60, Woodstown 41
Deptford 70, Penns Grove 51
Schalick 61, Gateway 47
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Cherokee, 12:30 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Getting to and staying at .500 is one of Schalick basketball’s biggest focuses this season, because there is so much that goes with it, but there was something even more special about getting back there – for the fourth time this season – Friday night.

When the Cougars put away winless Gateway 61-47, it allowed them to eclipse last season’s win total and guaranteed them their winningest season since the 2019-20 season. The four wins match their combined total of the last two years and has them thinking about something they haven’t dare consider since 2018-19 – a berth in the state tournament.

“Going into the game our goal is to always fight to be a .500 team and coming into today we had a chance to go back to that,” Schalick coach James Turner said. “I know that’s important to the kids as well because they know if we can stick to staying being a .500 team we have a good chance of getting into the playoffs. They really wanted that win today.”

The Cougars (4-4) had to work for it. They trailed the Gators (0-12) by two after the first quarter, but they made a defensive adjustment during the break and it produced turnovers and quick transition points that allowed them to pull away. 

While all that was going on, Reggie Allen, Nylan Sutton and Dan Lis hit the Cougars’ three 3-pointers and they took a seven-point lead into halftime. The same defensive approach let them to stretch the lead to 13 going into the fourth quarter.

The Cougars know they have to keep winning. The 2019-20 team didn’t make the playoffs with nine wins, but the 2018-19 team did with seven. The last time the program had a winning season was 2015-16 when they were 22-8 and played in the South Jersey Group I final.

“They know that if we want to make the playoffs we have to get wins, so the .500 thing isn’t always the most important thing ,” Turner said. “We had certain things in front of us in the beginning of the season that we knew we had a great chance to be competitive in and the kids know that as well. When we’re playing those games we put more emphasis on winning the ones we’re supposed to be competitive in.”

They’re still looking for that signature win. The four teams they have beaten this season – Salem Tech, Cape May Tech, Pennsauken Tech, Gateway — have a combined record of 4-38. They are currently No. 20 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, 35 points behind current No. 16 Pennsville.

Sutton led the Cougars with a career-high 20 points. Allen had 19, including nine in the second quarter, and Lis had 11.

SCHALICK 61, GATEWAY 47
GATEWAY (0-12) – Sean Simmons 10 1-2 22, Justin Dugan 4 2-4 13, Benji Contarino 1 0-1 2, Akey Talley 0 1-2 1, Steven Marlachatta 2 3-5 7, Sean Cawley 0 0-0 0, Cody Shaw 0 0-0 0, Jahmeire Rowe 1 0-0 2, Peter Franbach 0 0-0 0, Cole Tice 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bink 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-14 47.
SCHALICK (4-4) – Reggie Allen 7 4-7 19, Nylan Sutton 9 1-3 20, Dan Lis 4 2-3 11, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 2, Jordan Johnson 1 3-6 5, Levi Mason 1 2-2 4, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Lincoln Murphy 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-21 61.

Gateway10111115 –47
Schalick8201716 – 61
3-point goals: Gateway 4 (Simmons, Dugan 3); Schalick 3 (Allen, Sutton, Lis). Fouled out: Contarino, Siedlecki. Total fouls: Gateway 19, Schalick 15.

Camden Catholic 60, Woodstown 41

WOODSTOWN – Luke Kennevan and Bryce Clark combined for five 3-pointers and 35 points and the Irish put forth a defensive effort that shut down Woodstown’s hottest player while snapping the Wolverines’ two game winning streak.

Kennevan scored 20 with three 3-pointers and Clark had 15 with a pair of treys. The teams played to a 13-13 tie in the first quarter before the Irish pulled away.

Blake Bialecki had scored 23 and (4) and 29 (8) in the Wolverines’ previous two wins, but he was held scoreless for only the second time in his career. M.J. Hall, who hit the big 3-pointer in their win over Pennsville, led the Wolverines with 15 points. Max Webb had 13.

CAMDEN CATHOLIC 60, WOODSTOWN 41
CAMDEN CATHOLIC (5-4) – Luke Kennevan 8 1-2 20, Seamus Bieg 2 1-2 6, Sean Welde 1 1-2 4, Bryce Hillman 1 0-0 2, Bryce Clark 7 2-3 15, Mel Jones 1 0-2 2, Zach Winkler 1 0-0 2, Azyris Richmond 1 0-1 2, Charlie Neal 0 2-2 2, Andrew Granroth 0 2-2 2. Totals 22 9-16 60.
WOODSTOWN (6-3) – Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 0 0-0 0, Alejandro Vazquez 1 1-1 3, M.J. Hall 5 2-4 15, Garrett Leyman 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Max Webb 4 4-6 13, Rocco String 2 3-4 7, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 13 10-15 41.

Camden Catholic13131620 –60
Woodstown138911 –41
3-point goals: Camden Catholic 7 (Kennevan 3, Bieg, Welde, Clark 2); Woodstown 5 (Hall 3, Webb, Caesar).

Deptford 70, Penns Grove 51

PENNS GROVE – The Red Devils went through one of the nights where nothing would fall for them and Deptford hit everything.

The Red Devils had numerous shots in and around the basket, but watched in frustration as shot after shot either went in and out or came up short. Deptford, meanwhile, made 27 buckets, including seven 3-pointers, four in the first quarter as it opened a 22-15 lead.

Aydan Copestick hit four of the 3s and led three Spartans in double figures with 18 points. Cairee Cooper had 15 and Deyon Rowland had 14.

“They shot the lights out and we couldn’t buy a bucket,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said.

Mekhi Ballard led Penns Grove with 16 points. He hit three of the Red Devils’ four 3-pointers and has drained seven in the last four games. 

DEPTFORD 70, PENNS GROVE 51
DEPTFORD (6-5) – Bryce Dunn 1 0-1 2, Cairee Cooper 6 3-4 15, Deyon Rowland 5 2-4 14, Aydan Copestick 6 2-2 18, Brian Orio 4 1-2 9, Luke Vilary 1 1-2 3, Jordan Williams 3 0-0 7, Alanzo Hernandez 0 0-0 0, Braheem Korleh 1 0-0 2, Joe Crowley 0 0-0 0, Shakeem Green 0 0-0 0, Kenny Cockerill 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 9-15 70.
PENNS GROVE (4-6) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Roman Gipson 2 0-0 5, Giomar Conrad 4 4-7, Karon Ceaser 3 2-9 8, Mehki Ballard 5 3-5 16, Camron Thompson 1 0-0 2, Khiry Higgs 1 0-2 2, Mr Peterson 1 0-0 2, Dameon Wilson 2 0-0 4, Neziah Spence 0 0-0 0, Will Roy 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 9-23 51.

Deptford22131817 –70
Penns Grove1512168 – 51
3-point goals: Deptford 7 (Rowland 2, Copestick 4, Williams); Penns Grove 4 (Gipson, Ballard 3). Total fouls: Deptford 18, Penns Grove 19.

Salem shot-blocker

What’s in a name: NaeNae means no, no to shooters who dare come into the paint against the Rams; updated with reports and boxscores from Friday’s games

FRIDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Salem 75, Camden Academy 14
Penns Grove at Deptford Twp.
Paulsboro 32, Schalick 21
Pennsville 60, Bridgeton 30
SATURDAY’S GAMES
SJIBT Tournament
Eastern at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – NaeNae Logan may be the most appropriately named basketball player in Salem County for what she does best on the court.

Tall and long, she has become a machine when it comes to blocking shots.

LOGAN

Think of NBA great Dikembe Mutombo knocking back boxes of Cheerios in the cereal aisle of the grocery store or swatting away paper wads before they make it to the classroom trash can and then wagging a disapproving finger and saying, “NaeNae, nay, not in my house.”

Through the first eight games of the season, NaeNae has returned a whopping 53 shots to sender. That includes a jaw-dropping 15 rejections in her first career triple-double against Oakcrest (10/11/15) in the Boardwalk Classic and five other games of five or more. She had 17 blocks in 11 games last year.

(UPDATE: Logan had six points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in the Rams’ 75-14 rout of Camden Academy Charter Friday night.)

“I’ve always had a passion for basketball, but, I don’t know, once I see that ball in my face I just go for it,” the 5-11 senior said. “It’s just a reflex for me.”

Rams coach Tiasia Tatem can’t remember a player with so many blocks and the body control not to foul.

The next closest player in the county to Logan’s numbers is Schalick’s Ava Scurry with 38 in seven games. Within the Tri-County Conference Classic and Diamond Divisions, the two divisions that house the Salem County teams, no one else comes close among those keeping that statistic.

“It’s like a gift,” Tatem said. “She’s one of those players you never really have to worry about being in foul trouble because she’s so clean on defense. I tell the girls all the time don’t worry about the shot block, keep your hands straight up, but with her it’s like her natural ability. It’s just amazing to watch. Her timing is there. It’s perfect to watch sometimes.”

It really is all natural. Logan hasn’t been to any camps or worked with any special coaches to perfect the skill and, frankly, if she was a little better on her feet she may even have more. Most of her blocks have come without her feet leaving the floor.

It probably would help her offensively as well. She’s scored only 43 points this season, but only one in the last three games and that was Thursday night against Schalick. But if one projects points to her blocks, she saved the Rams 30 points in those three games. 

“Everybody’s been saying how I’m doing so good, but I’m feeling like I could do more,” she said. “When I’m in that (shot blocking) mode, I try to get as many as I can.”

She certainly was in the zone that night in Wildwood against Oakcrest. The Falcons kept trying to attack the basket and she kept turning them away. The more she denied them, the more they tried. When the coaches told her the final tally on her blocks she got “pretty excited.”

“I’ll be amazed at myself sometimes,” she said. “Sometimes in that moment I don’t think I can do it until it happens and afterwards I’ll be like, all right, the numbers are rolling in.”

Admittedly, there have been times when Logan’s confidence has been what she called “rocky,” and really was on the verge of taking off when she left the team last season for reasons unrelated to basketball. She credits Tatem with reigniting the fire and getting her excited about playing again and her support system is now really quite strong.

“It’s more than just basketball with her and I never heard that from my other coach, so when she said that, it made me focus more and gain my confidence back,” Logan said. “Having her as my coach has been really, really good for me.”

It was easy for Tatem to gravitate to Logan. The second-year coach was an “average defender” who could guard the post during her 1,000-point career at Salem, but she wasn’t nearly the shot blocker her best defender has become, but she recognized how special the developing post player could be.

“Nae had it,” Tatem said. “It was always there, it was just waiting for somebody to come pull it out of her.

“When I got here, she was one of the players I grappled to early on and I pushed her. Early on she kind of fought back with me because she didn’t understand why I cared so much or was on her so much and I think this year it finally clicked that my coach actually cares about me, she sees the potential and she wants me to reach it.”

The light bulb moment came early on. During the Rams’ last preseason scrimmage the team wasn’t playing together and Logan stepped up in the huddle and spoke up like a coach to get her teammates going. 

And now she carries herself on and off with court with a quiet confidence that has the potential to bring big returns.

“I don’t think she’s reached her peak yet,” Tatem said. “There’s better to come from her.”

The Logan File

GAMEPTSRBSBKS
Glassboro (44-29 L)766
Pitman (45-36 L)984
Millville (42-27 L)785
Oakcrest (52-25 W)101115
Salem Tech (45-19 W)9128
Gateway (48-34 L)086
Wildwood (84-33 L)0136
Schalick (27-26 L)1143
Camden Acad. (75-14 W)673
TOTALS498756

Friday’s Games

Salem 75, Camden Acad. Charter 14

SALEM – After being held to 26 points in a loss the night before, the Rams’ focus turned to offense and they enjoyed their highest-scoring game since before 2010-11, the last year records are available.

It was almost six years to the day they last scored 70 in a game – 72 against Camden Academy Charter in January 2018. All three times the Rams have put up 70 in the last 14 years it has come at the expense of the Cougars.

“It was one of those nights where all the girls had to prove that they could be involved and they all scored,” Rams coach Tiasia Tatem said. “This was a big game that we needed just to come back from a game where we only scored 26 points and then you come into a game like tonight where you score 27 in the second quarter.

“It was something we needed, the fire they needed.”

Eight players scored for the Rams, with four in double figures. Kaela Nichols is beginning to find her footing after academics and illness delayed her start and she led the offense with a career-high 17 points, three 3-pointers and eight assists. Ava Rodgers had a career-high 16 points (with 10 rebounds and five blocks), Ryann Foote had 14 and Ameriyona Hunter a career-tying 11.

“She is that kind of scorer,” Tatem said of Nichols. “She has some issues early on … but we’re hitting that point where things are starting to turn around and I feel like we should see a lot more of her.”

It also was their best defensive effort since holding Cherry Hill West to 14 points in December 2014. They held the Cougars (1-8) to one field goal in the second half, while coming up with 31 steals and 11 blocked shots.

SALEM 75, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 14 
CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER (1-8) – Angel Waysome 0 0-0 0, Nashalie Lugo 0 0-0 0, Yomeidy DeLaRosa 1 2-5 4, Angelise Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Diomeiry DeLaRosa 2 0-0 5, Skylar Goods 0 0-0 0, Mariana Garriga 0 0-0 0, Malani Taplin 0 0-0 0, Mary Reyes 0 3-4 3, JoNiya Devine 0 0-2 0, Terrenona Hill 0 0-0 0, Leslie Ramirez 0 0-0 0. Totals 4 5-11 14.
SALEM (3-6) – Ryann Foote 5 3-4 14, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, Marissa Bower 0 0-2 0, Kaela Nichols 6 2-3 17, Ava Rodgers 7 2-4 16, Carlysia Pierce 3 0-0 6, Ameriyona Hunter 5 0-2 11, Nevaeh Hickman 0 0-0 0, Zaniyah Fresion 0 0-0 0, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Dankirah Grey 0 1-2 1, NaeNae Logan 3 0-0 6, Marjziah Bundy 2 0-0 4. Totals 31 8-17 75.

Camden Academy5432 –14
Salem19271811 –75
3-point goals: Camden Academy Charter 1 (D. DeLaRosa); Salem 5 (Foote, Nichols 3, Hunter). Technical fouls: Waysome 2. Fouled out: Waysome (eject.), Y. DeLaRosa. Total fouls: Camden Academy Charter 14, Salem 11.

Pennsville 60, Bridgeton 30

BRIDGETON – Pennsville coach Sam Trapp is convinced when Nora Ausland and Marley Wood get going in the same game they can be as impactful as the best two-man tandem in the county that currently resides in Woodstown.

Ausland and Wood had one of the nights Friday, going for 21 and 25, respectively, as the Eagles (5-6) doubled up the Bulldogs to snap a three-game losing streak. They do the bulk of the Eagles’ scoring as it is, but when they do it together, much like Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson do for Woodstown, they make Pennsville even harder to handle.

“They just played really well, they just fed off each well tonight, just really looked for one another and were doing a great job just moving the ball around,” Trapp said. “Honestly, today was one of the better nights that they played really well off of each other.”

Wood got going right out of the gate, scoring seven points in the Eagles’ eight points in the first quarter. Ausland got going in the second quarter with seven as the Eagles pulled away. They were both on fire in the third quarter, evenly dividing Pennsville’s 18 points in the quarter.

Ausland also had eight rebounds and six assists. Wood had five rebounds.

It was the second time this year they both went for 20 in the same game and the Eagles won both games. They won another game when Wood went for 20 and Ausland 18. In fact, they’re 3-1 this year when Wood goes for 20 and 2-1 when Ausland does it.

In Ausland’s two years at Salem before joining the Eagles, the Rams were 3-0 when she went for 20, 6-1 when she scored at least 18.

“If they consistently play together, feeding off one another, working off one another’s strengths and weaknesses, those two could be just as powerful as a dynamic duo as Talia and Megan,” Trapp said. “I need them to consistently play off one another, continuously encourage one another and continuously support one another when one’s having a good game or vice versa.

“I felt like tonight was very unselfish in the shooting department and moving the ball well and that’s another thing I really need consistently coming out of the girls – an unselfish scoring effort and really just playing hard as a team as a whole.”

The Eagles are slowly getting back to full strength. Post Bella Farina returned from concussion protocol and played the entire game. Taylor Bass is the next one they’ll get back. She has her cast removed next Friday.

PENNSVILLE 60, BRIDGETON 30
PENNSVILLE (5-6) – Calli Ausland 3 1-2 7, Nora Ausland 8 4-5 21, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Lilly Edwards 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Avery Watson 0 0-2 0, Marley Wood 10 4-7 25, Bella Farina 0 0-2 0. Total 24 10-18 60.
BRIDGETON (1-10) – Adelina Wilks 3 2-3 9, Aiyanna Ridgeway 1 0-0 2, Diara McGriff 0 2-2 2, Sharena Parker 1 2-4 5, Jayla Bowman 0 1-4 1, Imara James 4 1-2 9, Kahmya Johnson 0 0-0 0, Ciani Money 0 0-0 0, Karina Perez 0 0-0 0, Kimora Notice 0 0-0 0, TaMiyah Russell 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 8-15 30.

Pennsville8161818 –60
Bridgeton8868 –30
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (N. Ausland, Wood); Bridgeton 2 (Wilks, Parker). Fouled out: Parker. Total fouls: Pennsville 15, Bridgeton 17.

Paulsboro 32, Schalick 21

PAULSBORO – The Cougars scored one point in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row, but this time it wasn’t helpful at all. Paulsboro outscored them 21-5 in the second half to pull out the victory.

The Cougars scored one point in the fourth quarter Thursday against Salem and it was the difference in their 27-26 win.

Brookelyn Graham led Paulsboro with 18 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and had five of the Red Raiders’ 20 steals. Dasoni Scott (10) and Ianna Veney (13) both had double figures in rebounds.

PAULSBORO 32, SCHALICK 21
SCHALICK (2-6) – Ava Scurry 3 0-2 6, Cali Fisler 2 0-0 4, Abby Willoughby 1 1-2 3, Carly Vicente 4 0-0 8, Cianna Gaines 0 0-2 0. Totals 10 1-6 21.
PAULSBORO (4-5) – Londyn Graham 2 0-2 4, Brookelyn Graham 8 0-0 18, Dasoni Scott 2 0-0 4, Ianna Veney 3 0-0 6, Kriasya Johns 0 0-2 0, Deamya Bagby 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 0-4 32.

Schalick10641 –21
Paulsboro74129 –32
3-point goals: Schalick 0; Paulsboro 2 (B. Graham 2).

It’s how you finish

Pennsville gets off to solid start, but bad fourth quarter sends it to third straight loss, Lecator lighting it up for Salem

THURSDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Clearview 56, Pennsville 39
Salem 77, LEAP 64

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – There were so many games within the game between Pennsville and Clearview Thursday night, you needed a Broadway-like Playbill program instead of a scorecard to keep them all straight.

Were the Pioneers going to be emotionally drained after the night before playing their first game back on the floor after losing their best player to a broken collarbone on a dirty play over the weekend?

How would the Eagles hold up in the post with Danny Saulin out of the lineup after undergoing previously scheduled oral surgery earlier in the day?

Would Peyton and Mason O’Brien hold their own against the Pioneers two best remaining players while the rest of the starters held each of their assignments to six points or less?

And how much closer would Eagles guard Luke Wood get to the 1,000-point mark or would he bust out with a big game to reach the milestone?

The Eagles checked all the boxes in the first quarter and led by 10 early in the second, but a disastrous fourth quarter doomed them to their third straight loss, 56-39.

“I just think we got tired; I think the grapes went to raisins tonight,” Eagles coach Joe Mecholsky said. “With the guys we had on the floor tonight I think we got gassed in the fourth quarter. Clearview picked it up and they dominated the game in the second half.

“Once they took the lead we could not get it back. They played a nice game, they ran nice plays and they deserved to win tonight.”

The Eagles (4-6) had everything going their way in the first quarter and opened a 10-2 lead before the Pioneers (5-5) scored their first field goal. They led 17-7 early in the second quarter, but in a preview of what would come later, they got careless with the ball against an increasingly aggressive Clearview defense and stopped making shots.

They were outscored 17-2 in the final seven minutes of the quarter and trailed by five at halftime.

They picked it back up in the third quarter and regained the lead. Then it all collapsed.

From the time Wood gave them a 36-35 lead with 1:45 left in the third to the time Mason O’Brien hit a 3 from in front of the Pennsville bench with 57 seconds left in the game, the Eagles went 0-for-10 from the field with five turnovers and two missed free throws.

The Pioneers scored 21 straight points during Pennsville’s second-half drought to decide the game.

After hitting seven of their first 14 shots to open their 17-7 lead, the Eagles finished 15-of-43 from the field, 4-of-17 from 3-point range

“”We were fresh and we then we dropped off,” Mecholsky said. “Whether I should have rotated more off of my bench, trusted the guys on the back of the bench more, that’s on me.

“I definitely think the starting five tonight played too much and I should have had a little bit more trust in the back end of the bench.”

The plan was to have Peyton O’Brien clamp down on 6-4 Clearview sophomore Daulton Phalines and Mason O’Brien shadow Kaprice Stewart, and it worked early. Phalines had five points in the first quarter and Stewart was scoreless, but they finished with 18 and 16, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Eagles wanted to hold the other Clearview starters to six points or less. They did that with two, but Jonah Turner wound up with 10.

Wood, meanwhile, led Pennsville with 15 points. It brought him within 26 points of becoming the second player in his household to reach the 1,000-point mark.

His first chance to get it comes Monday in a late-scheduled game at Haddon Twp. If it doesn’t happen there, the Eagles play at Glassboro on Tuesday.

“I’m definitely excited to get it,” the junior said. “It’s definitely at the top of the bucket list, score 1,000 points. It’s a really cool thing to do in high school. But I think the most important thing for me is coming out and helping my team win, just trying to make sure I do everything I can on the court.”

CLEARVIEW 56, PENNSVILLE 39
CLEARVIEW (5-5) – Kaprice Stewart 6 3-4 16, Daulton Phalines 7 3-3 18, Jake Slotter 1 0-0 2, Russ Manel 1 2-2 5, Jonah Turner 4 2-2 10, Michael Guy 2 0-0 5. Totals 21 10-11 56.
PENNSVILLE (4-6) – Luke Wood 7-16 0-0 15, Peyton O’Brien 3-7 3-4 10, Jayden Thomas 1-6 0-0 2, Malik Rehmer 0-5 0-0 0, Cohen Petrutz 2-5 1-1 5, Mason O’Brien 2-4 1-4 6. Totals 15-43 5-9 39. 

Clearview7171616 –56
Pennsville154173 –39
3-point goals: Clearview 4 (Stewart, Phalines, Manel, Guy); Pennsville 4-17 (Wood 1-6, P. O’Brien 1-1, Thomas 0-4, Rehmer 0-2, Petrutz 0-2, M. O’Brien 2-2). Total fouls: Clearview 7, Pennsville 13.

Salem 77, LEAP 64

CAMDEN – Every time Tymear Lecator steps on the court he gets more and more comfortable with his varsity surroundings.

The freshman transfer from Winslow scored a career-high 25 points for his fifth straight game in double figures, which coincides with the Rams’ five-game winning streak. It was the second time in three games he’s gone for 20 points or more and he’s averaging 16.8 in his last five games.

“Tymear in my eyes is the best freshman in South Jersey and plays well beyond his years,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said.

Anthony Farmer scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half as the Rams (6-3) opened a 16-point halftime lead. Lecator scored 17 points in the second half. Jabez DeJesus also scored in double figures for Salem, going for 14 points.

SALEM 77, LEAP 64
SALEM (6-3) – Anthony Farmer 7 6-8 21, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 5 3-4 14, Tymear Lecator 8 6-7 25, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Xavier McGriff 1 2-2 4, Antwone Rogers 3 3-4 9, Davonte Johnson 0 0-0 0, Joseph Tunis 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 20-25 77.
LEAP (6-6) – Xavion Ayala 8 1-2 18, Gregory Shoultz 5 6-12 17, Angel Mieses 5 0-0 10, Benjamin Noel 3 4-6 10, Terrell Hurst 2 2-2 7, RaeJon Anderson 0 0-0 0, Jalen Thomas 1 0-0 2, Dwayne Perez 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 13-22 64.

Salem18231620 –77
LEAP14112019 –64
3-point goals: Salem 5 (Farmer, DeJesus, Lecator 3); LEAP 3 (Ayala, Shoultz, Hurst). Fouled out: Mieses, Noel. Total fouls: Salem 14, LEAP 17.



Cougars close it out

Willoughby’s FT breaks tie, then Schalick’s defense holds firm in win over Salem; McCracken’s fourth straight double-double leads Wildwood over Penns Grove

THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Wildwood 64, Penns Grove 53
Schalick 27, Salem 26

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Mother Nature knocked out the lights on the Schalick-Salem girls basketball game Wednesday night and the 24 hours later Schalick’s Abby Willoughby turned the lights out on the Rams.

Willoughby broke a tie with a free throw with about 90 seconds left and the Schalick defense made it stand to produce a 27-26 win Thursday that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Willoughby’s free throw was the only point the Cougars (2-5) scored in the fourth quarter, but it made all the difference in the game.

“We went into halftime with a small lead (17-16),” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “We talked about they’re an aggressive team that wants to create chaos so it’s all about controlling tempo of the game and keeping our composure. If we can do that offensively and rebound defensively, that was our second half goal, and I’d say we did that.

“After the game we talked about how difficult it is to close out a basketball game. As young as we are, that’s something you have to learn how to do. I’m very proud of the fact they were able to do that.”

Willoughby was playing in her second game back from an injury. The game was tied at 26 when she was fouled on the floor and since Salem was over the limit she went to the line for two shots.

The sophomore missed the first shot, but hit the second and Schalick had the lead – for good, as it turned out.

“She as always did a great job,” Whelan said. “She’s tough handling the ball and brings a lot of energy defensively, but if you want to say an ultimate team win, this was it. Everybody did their part. We had five girls score and they were all pretty even. Defensively everybody got hands on passes, were playing aggressive.”

The Rams had the ball with four seconds left for a last shot, but the Cougars got a hand on it to tip it away.

“We had plenty of opportunities to win the game, we couldn’t finish around the basket; shots weren’t falling for us,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said. “It was a back-and-forth low-scoring game and the odds fell in their favor.”

Defense was the key to the game. After Salem took a 10-5 lead, Whelan asked the players if they wanted to continue in the defense they were playing, go man-to-man or their 3-2 matchup. The Cougars went with a variation of their 3-2 and went that way the rest of the game.

“There was a timeout with about 52 seconds left and we just talked about at this point it’s a one-point game, 52 seconds (left), it’s who wants it more,” Whelan said. “Both teams battled, but we did what we had to do to make stops on defense and came out where we wanted.”

The game was a matchup between two of the best shot-blockers in Salem County. Schalick’s Ava Scurry had 14 blocks to lead the Cougars’ defense effort. Salem’s NaeNae Logan came into the game with 50 blocks, but was bothered by a nagging hip throughout the game and had only three.

SCHALICK 27, SALEM 26
SALEM (2-6) – Ameriyana Hunter 1 0-0 2, Ryann Foote 2 0-3 4, Kaela Nichols 1 1-2 4, Carlysia Pierce 2 0-0 4, Ava Rodgers 4 1-3 9, NaeNae Logan 0 1-4 1, Marissa Bower 0 0-0 0, Lyric Hayes 1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Hickman 0 0-0 0, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 3-12 26.
SCHALICK (2-5) – Ava Scurry 1 0-0 2, Cali Fisler 2 1-2 5, Abby Willoughby 2 1-2 5, Carly Vicente 3 1-4 8, Cianna Gaines 1 5-6 7, Katie Little 0 0-2 0. Totals 9 8-14 27.

Salem10664 –26
Schalick51291 –27
3-point goals: Salem 1 (Nichols), Schalick 1 (Vicente). Total fouls: Salem 16, Schalick 14.

Wildwood 64, Penns Grove 53

WILDWOOD – Meely Horace moved a step closer to becoming Penns Grove’s next 1,000-point scorer with 24 points, but Wildwood junior Macie McCracken continued her dominance and the Warriors turned back the visiting Red Devils’ threat.

McCracken led the Warriors with a career-high 36 points and 13 rebounds. It was her fourth straight double-double and eighth in 10 games this season. She’s averaging 31.8 points and 12 rebounds in the double-double streak.

The Red Devils got within eight late in the third quarter, but were denied a chance to get closer when they missed a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final three seconds of the quarter.

WILDWOOD 64, PENNS GROVE 53
PENNS GROVE (5-4) – RaNiyah Wilson 2 0-0 4, Meely Horace 9 4-6 24, Brianna Robbins 4 1-2 9, Amani Taylor 2 2-2 6, Arianna Dowe 1 0-0 2, JaNiyah Cummings 3 0-2 6, Syanna Robbins 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 7-12 53.
WILDWOOD (7-3) – Macie McCracken 12 9-11 36, Sophia Wilber 4 3-3 11, Angela Wilber 1 2-2 5, Kaliah Sumlin 0 0-0 0, Rebecca Benichou 4 1-1 12. Totals 21 15-17 64.

Penns Grove2429 –53
Wildwood3727 –64
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Horace 2); Wildwood 7 (McCracken 3, A. Wilber, Benichou 3).

Marching towards milestones

Girls roundup: Wolverines roll over Clayton behind Donelson, Battavio; Pennsville, Salem Tech fall

WEDNESDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Glassboro 61, Salem Tech 23
Gloucester Catholic 68, Pennsville 18
Salem at Schalick, ppd.
Woodstown 72, Clayton 42

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Talia Battavio helped teammate Megan Donelson hit her 100th career 3-pointer in a game the other day, and now she’s not that far behind.

Battavio hit five 3-pointers on the way to a 23-point game in Woodstown’s 72-42 rout of Clayton, and now she needs just one more from behind the arc to reach 100 for her career. She’s also just two steals short of 100 in that category.

Donelson led the Wolverines with 27 points and went over 250 rebounds and 125 assists in the game.

The Wolverines are now 12-1 over the last two seasons when either Donelson or Battavio score 20 in the same game, 7-0 when they both go for 20.

Both players are going for an even more prestigious milestone. Donelson now needs 151 points for 1,000 and Battavio needs 170.

WOODSTOWN 72, CLAYTON 42
CLAYTON (4-6) — Jordyn Jones 4 2-2 10, Rainelle Blocker 7 4-8 18, Rosalina Pereira 1 1-2 4, Deondria Simons 4 0-2 8, Ava Delaney 0 0-0 0, India Williams 1 0-0 3, Sophia Petsch 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-14 43.
WOODSTOWN (7-2) — Talia Battavio 9 0-2 23, Megan Donelson 13 0-1 27, Gianna Maiorini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 2 3-4 7, Shannon Pieman 4 1-2 9, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0Jala Thomas 2 0-0 4, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 4-9 72.

Clayton1016125 —43
Woodstown19192113 —72
3-point goals: Clayton 2 (Pereira, Williams); Woodstown 7 (Battavio 5, Donelson, Baber).

Gloucester Catholic 68, Pennsville 18

GLOUCESTER CITY — The Eagles can’t wait to start getting some their injured players back. They were held scoreless in the first quarter and only got scoring from three players in their third straight loss.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 68, PENNSVILLE 18
PENNSVILLE (4-6) — Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Nora Ausland 4 0-0 8, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 0 0-0 0, Izzie Saulin 1 0-0 2, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0, Marley Wood 2 0-4 4. Totals 7 4-4 18.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (8-2) — Jahzara Green 13 1-1 27, Julianna DiFebbo 2 0-0 5, Talia Shumate 6 0-0 12, Jalyn Moore 5 1-1 13, Alyssa Elliott 0 0-0 0, Yazaniah Shumate 1 0-0 2, Maya Hutchinson 2 0-0 6, Ashlynn Eggers 1 0-0 3, Anna Gerardi 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 2-2 68.

Pennsville0666 —18
Gloucester Catholic2441723 —68
3-point goals: Pennsville 0; Gloucester Catholic 6 (DiFebbo, Moore 2, Hutchinson 2, Eggers).

Glassboro 61, Salem Tech 23

GLASSBORO — Tamia Smith scored 26 points, Kezia Bracket scored 25 and Gianna Wedderburn grabbed 13 rebounds as Glassboro won its third straight and kept the Chargers winless.

GLASSBORO 61, SALEM TECH 23
SALEM TECH (0-8) — Hanna DeWitt 2-3-7, Kaylin Beardsley 1-3-5, Rylee Doerr 1-0-2, Morgan VanDover 3-0-7, Shelby Drummond 1-0-2. Totals 8-6-23.
GLASSBORO (6-3) — Tamia Smith 12 0-3 26, Kezia Brackett 10 2-3 25, Ante Davis 1 0-0 2, Sianna Wedderburn 1 0-0 2, Scarlett Saicic 1 0-0 3, NiJah Norton Clark 1 0-0 3, Grave Moore 0 0-0 0, Sanaa Thomas 0 0-0 0, Kimora Miles 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 2-8 61.

Salem Tech32108 —23
Glassboro17121517 —61
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (VanDover); Glassboro 7 (Smith 2, Brackett 3, Saicic, Norton Clark).

Wild Wednesday

Salem wins a frenzied game with Pennsville, Bialecki has a big game for Woodstown

WEDNESDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Salem 77, Pennsville 66
Woodstown 74, Salem Tech 40

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Jabez DeJesus has thrown down many loud dunks during his Salem basketball career, but there haven’t been many as satisfying as the one he slammed in the final minute of Wednesday night’s 77-66 win over Pennsville.

It was one of those dunks that screamed enough-is-enough in a bizzare game that had devolved into ugliness.

It was a game that certainly kept the officials busy. They whistled 55 fouls, four technicals and issued several bench warnings. Four players fouled out (two on each side) and every call in the second half seemed to draw a reaction from the coaches and the crowd.

Maybe you should’ve seen it coming. The game started with a technical foul when the Rams were caught dunking in warm-ups.

DeJesus brought an end to the foolishness when he drove the length of the floor with a deep rebound and dunked with 41 seconds left that was more an exclamation point on the Rams’ fourth straight win and 10th straight against county competition than an incitement for more chaos.

“I was really thinking about it moments before,” the 6-foot-1 senior said. “I was like, ‘Man, what can I do to solidify myself into this game,’ and I was surprised I was that open. This is my opportunity, I’ve got to take it, make a statement, so I ran down the court and hit it with authority.

“(Taking the game off the edge) was definitely part of the reason, but I just wanted to get myself into the game, help my team out and I saw the opportunity to help us extend the lead. I really wanted to add an exclamation point to the last seconds of the game, (so) I put it all out there for my team and made my statement.”

Pennsville looked dead midway through the third quarter when Luke Wood caught his fourth foul on the floor and then got T’d walking away for his disqualifying fifth foul, followed immediately by a T on Eagles coach Joe Mecholsky. DeJesus made all four free throws and the Rams led by 18. It was a 20-point game moments later.

But the Eagles put on another rally similar to the comeback they staged against Woodstown two nights earlier. They turned up the defense and exploited a mismatch with Daniel Saulin inside and brought it all the way to four, 65-61 with 2:17 to play.

“I think that our defense brought us back into the game,” Mecholsky said. “I think when they got into foul trouble they had to put in some inexperienced players and we were able to turn them over and get what we wanted to do.

“It was a battle of wills tonight. They imposed their will for three quarters, we imposed ours in the fourth, but that’s still not enough time to overcome the hole we were in.

“I just told them in the locker room when our best player went out we didn’t shrink, we got tougher. We had grapes, we didn’t have raisins. We stayed tough, we stayed to it, we came back. Tonight Salem was just a better team than us.”

The Rams pushed their lead back to seven and then it got ugly again. Malik Rehmer dropped a hard foul against guard Anthony Farmer that sent Salem coach Anthony Farmer into a rage and several steps out on the floor.

After a officials’ huddled (and Farmer made the first free throw), Rehmer’s foul was ruled intentional and Farmer Sr. was hit with tech.

Farmer the younger collected himself to make his two free throws. Rehmer offset them by making the two technical foul shots on the other end and it was a 70-63 game with 1:21 to play. Pennsville called time and Rehmer launched a deep 3 coming out of it that missed the mark.

The teams traded free throws on the next three possessions to make it an eight-point game and the atmosphere was still frenzied. Jayden Thomas fired up a deep 3 hoping to get the Eagles closer. DeJesus grabbed the rebound, drove the length of the floor and slammed it home for a 10-point lead to end any residual discussion.

“I liked it,” Farmer the guard said. “I was definitely a fan. I loved that he went up for that dunk and I was happy he got the opportunity and threw it down. An exclamation point. He closed the door.”

“It was one of those players a senior makes,” Farmer the coach said. “Bez being a senior had an opportunity to change the momentum and shift things and really seal the game. That was a senior type play.

“Honestly, in any other situation I probably would have told him to pull it out and run clock, but because of how ugly it was and the flow of the way the game was going we encouraged him to go make that play. And obviously it sealed the deal.”

DeJesus scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. Farmer, who Mecholsky called “the difference in the game tonight,” had 22 points, 18 in the first half. Farmer took on a lot with Ramaji Bundy out with a sore knee, but he made a lot of shots and distributed the ball when he wasn’t.

Saulin led Pennsville with 20 points, 12 in the second half, and 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. Peyton O’Brien had 13 points and six rebounds. Wood was held to eight points and now needs 41 to become the Eagles’ 17th 1,000-point scorer.

SALEM 77, PENNSVILLE 66
PENNSVILLE (4-5) – Luke Wood 2-6 3-5 8, Peyton O’Brien 3-8 6-6 13, Daniel Saulin 8-13 4-6 20, Jayden Thomas 3-11 1-7 8, Malik Rehmer 1-6 2-2 4, Cohen Petrutz 2-7 1-4 5, Mason O’Brien 2-7 4-4 8, Carlo Merindino 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 21-34 66.
SALEM (5-3) – Anthony Farmer 5 9-11 22, Jabez DeJesus 4 10-14 20, Paul Weathers 0 1-2 1, Xavier McGriff 3 0-2 8, Tymear Lecator 4 7-10 16, Donavon Weathers 1 0-0 2, Antwone Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Joseph Tunis 1 0-0 2, Davonte Jackson 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 27-39 77.

Pennsville161312 25 –66
Salem17221721 —77
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Wood, P. O’Brien, Thomas); Salem 8 (Farmer 3, DeJesus 2, McGriff 2, Lecator). Technical fouls: Wood, Pennsville coach Mecholsky, Salem (dunking in warmups), Salem coach Farmer. Fouled out: Wood, Thomas, Rodgers, D. Weathers. Total fouls: Pennsville 28, Salem 27. Officials: Harbin, Wright, Torres.

Woodstown 74, Salem Tech 40

WOODSTOWN – There’s something about playing Salem Tech that does something for Blake Bialecki.

The Woodstown sophomore hit a career-high 3-pointers and scored 29 points as the Wolverines won their second game of the week.

Bialecki, coming off a 23-point against Pennsville last time out, hit three 3s in the first quarter against the Chargers and four in the first half as the Wolverines opened a 32-20 halftime lead. He had hit 10 3s this season coming into the game. His previous high for 3s in a game was five last January against Salem Tech.

“The second we gave him an inch he was making his shots,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said.

WOODSTOWN 74, SALEM TECH 40
WOODSTOWN (6-2) – Manny Ortega 0 0-2 0, Blake Bialecki 10 1-2 29, Alejandro Vazquez 2 3-4 7, M.J. Hall 2 0-0 4, Garrett Leyman 3 2-3 8, Lucas Fulmer 1 2-2 4, Max Webb 4 2-2 10, Rocco String 2 0-0 4,
Elijah Caesar 4 0-4 8. Totals 28 10-19 74.
SALEM TECH (0-9) – Chase Wills 4 1-1 10, Haneef Frisby 3 0-0 6, Josh Muntz 4 0-0 8, Tyler Zampino 1 0-0 3, Antoine Robinson 5 0-4 11, Joseph Hayes 1 0-2 2, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 1-7 40.

Woodstown18142319 –74
Salem Tech 119614 –40
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Bialecki 8); Salem Tech 3 (Wills, Zampino, Robinson). Total fouls: Woodstown 10, Salem Tech 17.


Back on track

MONDAY’S GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES
Clayton 64, Salem Tech 17
Glassboro 70, Schalick 18
Penns Grove 79, Overbrook 22
Wildwood 84, Salem 33
Woodstown 58, Pennsville 43

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Talia Battavio bounced back from a cold shooting Saturday to score 22 points Monday night and lead Woodstown back into the win column, 59-43 over Pennsville in the Wolverines’ Coaches vs. Cancer game.

Battavio was held to a season-low nine points by OLMA and didn’t hit a shot in the second half, but bounced back for her fourth 20-point game of the season. The Wolverines are 11-1 the last two seasons when either Battavio or Megan Donelson score 20 points in a game. She also had five assists and six blocked shots.

The junior guard was one of three Wolverines to score in double figures in the game. Donelson had 17 points, including her 100th career 3-pointer, with five assists, three blocks and four steals. And Shannon Pieman had 12 points and eight rebounds. Alyssa Baber grabbed 12 boards.

“I feel like we’re still not playing our best basketball, individually or as a whole, but it was a good division win with multiple girls scoring,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “There’s nothing we can’t iron out in practice tomorrow (and) the rest of the week.

“We needed some momentum with tonight’s win because I think we have the potential to go on a winning streak for a few weeks now through the month.”

Pennsville’s Marley Wood led all scorers with 27 points. She hit a career-high seven 3-pointers, matching teammate Nora Ausland for the team’s single-game high this season (Overbrook).

WOODSTOWN 59, PENNSVILLE 43
PENNSVILLE (4-5) — Nora Ausland 4 0-0 9, Celli Ausland 1 0-0 3, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Izzie Säulen 1 0-0 2, Marley Wood 10 0-1 27. Totals 17 0-1 43.
WOODSTOWN (6-2) — Talia Battavio 9 2-2 22, Megan Donelson 7 0-0 17, Gianna Maiorini 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Baber 1 0-0 2, Shannon Pieman 6 0-2 12, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 2-4 59.

Pennsville781018 —43
Woodstown19121117 —59
3-point goals: Pennsville 9 (N. Ausland, C. Ausland, Wood 7); Woodstown 5 (Batavia 2, Donelson 3).


WILDWOOD 84, SALEM 33
SALEM (2-5) — Ryann Foote 4 6-8 14, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 2, Carlysia Pierce 1 0-0 2, Ava Rodgers 0 1-2 1, Kaela Nichols 3 0-0 6, Marissa Bower 3 0-0 6, Zaniyah Frieson 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 7-10 33.
WILDWOOD 84 (6-3) — Sophia Wilber 1 3-4 6, Angela Wilber 6 5-7 18, Macie McCracken 12 1-1 30, Kaliah Sumlin 3 3-6 9, Rebecca Benichou 9 1-1 21, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 13-19 84.

Salem69117 —33
Wildwood 3224226 —84
3-point goals: Salem 0, Wildwood 9 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber, McCracken 5, Benichou 2).

CLAYTON 64, SALEM TECH 17
CLAYTON (4-5) — Jordyn Jones 5 0-0 10, Rainelle Blocker 7 0-0 14, Rosalina Pereira 4 0-0 11, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 9 0-0 19, Janice Blair 0 1-2 1, Sophia Petsch 3 0-0 7. Totals 29 1-2 64.
SALEM TECH (0-7) — Shelby Drummond 1 0-0 2, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 6, Demajae White 1 0-0 2, Hanna DeWitt 1 0-0 2, TiRonna McGaha 1 0-0 0, Morgan VanDover 1 1-2 3. Totals 7 1-2 17.
Clayton21211210 —64
Salem Tech10223 —17
3-point goals: Clayton 5 (Pereira 3, Delaney, Petsch); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2).

Familiar finish

Hall again hits the big shot as Woodstown gets back on track with a tight win over Pennsville; Ballard makes four late FTs to lift Penns Grove, Salem stages big fourth-quarter rally

MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY BOYS SCORES
Penns Grove 51, Overbrook 48
Clayton 83, Salem Tech 57
Glassboro 68, Schalick 42
Salem 64, Wildwood 57
Woodstown 60, Pennsville 57

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The Woodstown basketball team needed a win in the worst of ways. That it came against a heated rival only made it better.

M.J. Hall hit a game-tying free throw with 38 seconds to play and then nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to lift Woodstown over Pennsville 60-57 to get back on track after two crushing losses.

The Wolverines started the season 4-0, but their fortunes changed when the calendar did. They started the new year by letting a double-digit lead against Penns Grove get away under a hail of turnovers and then losing a low-scoring three-point game to Delsea 24 hours later.

But they were determined to get back on track and Hall, a junior guard with a history of picking the Eagles apart, made it happen.

“It’s a brotherhood and for us to be down in a situation like this after coming off an 0-2 week is just a blessing to have,” Hall said. “Going through the shot with the ball in your hand on the last possession is always a nervous wreck, but to come through and get us back on a winning streak hopefully is a blessing.

“We all play a part. Rocco (String) getting fouled out had us nervous, but we just found a way to come through and pull off the win and send a statement to anybody else.”

The end of the game was eerily similar to the one the Wolverines won here last year when Hall hit the game-winning shot from in front of the Woodstown bench with time running out.

The Wolverines opened a 20-5 lead early in the second quarter and the way things were going felt they had a real opportunity to push the lead to 25 or 30 before halftime. But Pennsville, showing shades of Penns Grove’s rally Thursday night, chipped away on the front end to get within eight and then got back in the game altogether with the final nine points of the half.

The Eagles did take the lead early in the third quarter when Daniel Saulin converted a long pass from Jayden Thomas into a layup to make it 33-32. The game stayed tight the rest of the night and was tied at 45 going into the fourth quarter.

“We talk about the hope that we keep for ourselves and the hope we shouldn’t give the other teams,” Woodstown coach Phil Campbell said. “We gave them some hope there before halftime and they made a game of it.”

Malik Rehmer hit two free throws with 1:13 left off the play that fouled String out to put Pennsville up for the last time 57-56. Woodstown, now without its big man in the game, called time with 1:08 left to set up a play. The Wolverines worked it around and Hall was fouled by Saulin.

Hall hit the first of the two free throws to tie the game. He missed the second shot and Saulin rebounded, but Hall snuck around to steal it back and the Wolverines immediately called time again with 33.8 left.

The plan was to work it around to about 15 seconds and get it to Garrett Leyman. They did, but the Eagles sealed off his drive to the basket. Instead of forcing something, Leyman smartly kicked it out to Hall, who drained the go-ahead 3 from the far left side of the floor.

Last year Hall hit the winning 3 from the right corner after the Eagles missed a potential game-winning layup just seconds earlier.

“We talk a lot about inside-out 3-pointers are the best shot you can take,” Campbell said. “They’re the highest percentage 3 in the country, inside-out, and that was exactly what he got. He’s a good shooter, especially in that kind of position.”

It just had to be Hall. In two career games in Pennsville, he has scored 23 points and hit two game-winning shots.

“To hit a shot like that, big, it’s fun,” he said.

“He just seems to flip the switch here in Pennsville,” sophomore guard Blake Bialecki said. “He always seems to play good here.”

Hall finished with 11 points. Bialecki led the Wolverines with 26 points, including five 3-pointers.

Hall’s big shot may have given the Wolverines the lead, but it still wasn’t over. Pennsville called time with 4.4 seconds left to set up the tying shot. They set the play in motion, but Luke Wood stepped on the sideline trying to rush up the floor for a 3.

Wood led Pennsville with 19 points and moved inside 50 points of 1,000. He had 12 points during the Eagles’ second-quarter comeback, but fell ill during halftime and missed the first four minutes of the third quarter. Saulin had 14 points and six rebounds. Rehmer had 13 points and nine boards.

“We played good team ball tonight, it was just unfortunate that we got nearly home and we just … two plays either way and we win that game,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “I’m not discouraged whatsoever. The kids decided the game and tonight the Woodstown team was a play better than us.”

WOODSTOWN 60, PENNSVILLE 57
WOODSTOWN (5-2) — Manny Ortega 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 10 1-2 26, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0, M.J. Hall 4 1-2 11, Garrett Leyman 1 2-2 4, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 4 0-0 10, Rocco String 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 4-6 60.
PENNSVILLE (4-4) — Mason O’Brien 1 0-0 2, Luke Wood 7 2-4 19, Cohen Petrutz 2 0-0 4, Peyton O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Jayden Thomas 0 0-0 0, Malik Rehmer 3 6-7 14, Daniel Saulin 6 2-3 14. Totals 21 10-14 57.

Woodstown16161315 —60
Pennsville5231712 —57
3-point goals: Woodstown 10 (Ortega, Bialecki 5, Hall 2, Webb 2); Pennsville 5 (Wood 3, Rehmer 2).
Technical fouls: Thomas. Fouled out: String. Total fouls: Woodstown 12, Pennsville 8. Officials: Panko, Popper, Johnson.

PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48: Mekhi Ballard seems to be back in the groove and that’s a good thing for the Red Devils.

Ballard hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory and send the Red Devils into a four-way tie for first in the Tri-County Diamond Division.

“He’s our most experienced player who was off to a slow start, but has come up big the last two games,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “He had seven fourth-quarter points against Woodstown and then four big free throws today in the fourth. He’s starting to find his rhythm.”

Both pairs of free throws came after Overbrook scored to cut into the Red Devils’ lead. The first set pushed the lead to four. The Rams hit a 3 on the next trip down the floor and then he made two more to make it a three-point game. Overbrook had a shot at the buzzer for the tie but missed.

Ballard finished with 13 points to lead three Red Devils scorers in double figures. Giomar Conrad had 12 and Mr Peterson 10. Yes, the name is Mr, as in Mister.

“My dad told me a long time ago it was because when anybody talks to me he wants them to respect my name,” Peterson explained.

It’s the same reason Mr. T explained his name is Mr. T.

PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48
OVERBROOK (5-3) — Shaun Mills 1 4 6, Chris Grier 6 9 24, Amare Kee 1 0 3, Lamar Little 1 0 2, Kevin Satchell 1 0 3, Xavier Wright 2 1 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0 2, Jaden St. John 0 3 3. Totals 13 17 48.
PENNS GROVE (4-5) — Brandon Robbins 0 0 0, Roman Gipson 2 3 7, Giomar Conrad 5 1 12, KaRon Ceaser 0 1 1, Willie Slocum 1 2 4, Mehki Ballard 3 6 13, Camren Thompson 1 0 2, Khiry Higgs 1 0 2, Mr Peterson 5 0 10. Totals 18 13 51.
Overbrook971715 —48
Penns Grove13111116 —51
3-point goals: Overbrook 1 (Grier 3, Kee, Satchell); Penns Grove 2 (Conrad, Ballard).

SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57: Freshman Tymear Lecator had the best game of his career, leading three Salem scorers in double figures, and the Rams went an amazing 18-for-18 from the free throw line.

The Rams trailed by 12 in the third quarter and staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to win their third game in a row.

“I don’t know how we did it, but we pulled it off,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said.

Lecator, a transfer from Winslow, scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Anthony Farmer had 19 points and was 11-for-11 from the line. Paul Weathers posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57
WILDWOOD (6-4) — Junior Hans 4 7-8 16, Ryan Troiano 3 0-1 7, Jordan Fusi 3 1-1 12, Brian Cunniff 7 3-3 17, Josh Pintella 0 0-0 0, Harley Buscham 0 0-0 0, Lukas Basile 0 1-2 1, James Wyers 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 12-15 57.
SALEM (4-2) — Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Anthony Farmer 4 11-11 19, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 4, Paul Weathers 6 3-3 16, Tymear Lecator 7 4-4 21, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 18-18 64.
Wildwood1421139 —57
Salem11151820 —64
3-point goals: Wildwood 5 (Hans, Troiano, Fusik 3); Salem 4 (P. Weathers, Lecator 3).

GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42: Charles Graves scored 21 of his career-high 45 points in the first quarter and helped the Bulldogs (4-4) pull away from a one-point game in the final 2:30 of the quarter to take control.

The Bulldogs hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter; Graves had four of them. He’s gone for 20 or more in six of his last seven games, averaging 26.0 a game in that stretch. He’s averaging 23.7 for the season.

GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42
SCHALICK (3-4) — Nylan Sutton 2 0-2 4, Jordan Johnson 1 2-2 5, Reggie Allen 9 2-6 21, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Daniel Lis 4 1-2 10, Jake Siedlecki 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 6-14 42.
GLASSBORO (4-4) — Charles Graves 18 5-8 45, Clinton Suggs 2 3-3 7, Michael Dougherty 3 1-2 10, Josh Buff 1 0-0 2, William Goggans 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 9-13 68.

Schalick1291011 —42
Glassboro2915159 —68
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Johnson, Allen, Lis); Glassboro 7 (Graves 4, Dougherty 3). Total fouls: Schalick 11, Glassboro 10.

CLAYTON 83, SALEM TECH 57
SALEM TECH (0-8) — Antoine Robinson 1 2-4 4, Chase Wills 5 2-2 12, Tyler Zampino 2 1-2 5, Josh Muntz 0 0-0 0, Haneef Frisby 5 1-2 11, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 4, Gio Holmes 4 0-0 10, Daviontae Russell 2 4-6 9. Totals 21 10-14 55.
CLAYTON (2-7) — Dillon Jones 3 0-2 6, Princeton Sackor 6 4-6 20, Nazir Davis 9 2-5 23, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Michael Akosah 0 1-2 1, Demetris Williams 5 3-8 13, Jon Cox 1 1-1 3, Ashaud Hines 4 0-2 8, Chimali Mitchell 1 0-0 3, Mason Gable 1 0-0 3. Totals 31 11-26 83.
Salem Tech5112714 —57
Clayton22161728 —83
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (Holmes 2, Russell); Clayton 10 (Sackor 4, Davis 3, Carter, Mitchell, Gable).

Tri-County Conference

DIAMONDALLDIVCLASSICALLDIV
Woodstown5-22-1Pitman8-23-0
Overbrook5-32-1Gloucester Cath.6-32-1
Glassboro4-42-1Salem4-32-1
Penns Grove4-52-1Wildwood6-42-2
Pennsville4-41-2Clayton2-71-3
Schalick3-40-3Salem Tech0-80-3


This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Jan. 8-13

Monday

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

INDOOR TRACK
Salem vs. TBA, Toms River, 5 p.m.

Tuesday

WRESTLING
Oakcrest at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Penns Grove, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp.

BOWLING
Salem Tech at Hammonton, 4 p.m.

Wednesday

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

Thursday

BASKETBALL
Boys
Clearview at Pennsvile, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at LEAP, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 6 p.m.

SWIMMING
Schalick vs. Triton Regional at GCIT, 6 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT, 7 p.m.

BOWLING
Clayton vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem vs. Gloucester City, Westbrook Lanes, 6 p.m.

Friday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Camden Academy at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Schalick at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
Boys
Camden Catholic at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Deptford Twp. at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Woodstown at Clearview, 5 p.m.
Buena at Pennsville, 6 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Schalick at NJSIAA Relays, Toms River, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
South Jersey Invitational Tournament
South Region
Eastern at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
Camden Catholic 42, Rancocas Valley 39
Gloucester Catholic 41, Haddon Heights 39
Lenape 62, West Deptford 13
North Region
Moorestown Friends at Cherokee
Haddon Twp. at Highland 
Paul IV 81, Delran 12
Shawnee 41, Westampton Tech 36
West Region
Williamstown 53, Pennsauken 40
Cherry Hill West 49, Woodbury 37
Moorestown 72, Kingsway 27
Holy Cross 50, Bishop Eustace 45
East Region
Gateway at Cinnaminson
Clearview at Haddonfield
Medford Tech at Sterling
Timber Creek 46, Winslow 34

Boys
Salem at Cherokee, 12:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Deptford Twp., St. Joseph Academy at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Woodstown, Hillsborough, Watchung Hills at Park Ridge, 11 a.m.
Pennsville vs. Oakcrest, Overbrook, Millville
Schalick, Buena, N. Burlington, Timber Creek at Cumberland

.500 and motivated

Schalick plays one of its most solid games of the year, beats Pennsauken Tech to reach .500 for the third time this season

SATURDAY BOYS BASKETBALL
Schalick 39, Pennsauken Tech 26

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – There’s a different vibe buzzing around the Schalick boys basketball team these days.

Call it a carryover from a very successful football season, one in which many of the players on the basketball team participated in, but there’s regular talk within a program that struggled to win games in the past of .500 records and winning seasons.

“We talk about it all the time in practice,” sophomore guard Jase Volovar said. “This year just felt a lot different. I felt like we were going to do way better.”

The Cougars were better Saturday. They played one of their most solid games of the year on both ends of the floor and beat Pennsauken Tech 39-26.

It was their third win of the season, matching their win total for all of last season (3-20), and more importantly got them back to .500 for the third time this year. The 3-3 record is their best this early in the season since 2015-16 when they were 4-2 on Jan. 5 and 6-2 on Jan. 6 on the way to a 22-8 campaign.

And maybe it’s too early to think about, but they are now No. 18 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.

“It just keeps them more motivated,” Cougars coach James Turner said. “Not winning or you win one game and you lose eight then get one and (lose) another five, it’s hard to keep the kids motivated, hard to keep them locked in.

“I don’t think it’s so much as we already won three games, I think it’s also the idea that we’re a .500 team. They just want to constantly keep that. You want to get that next one. We lost to Pennsville, it was all right, we’ve got to get that back.”

The Cougars didn’t win their third game last year until the 20th game of the year. It took them two years to get that many before that. The last time they won more than three games was 2019-20 when they were 9-17 and that third win didn’t come until Game 12.

“I think this is really good for us,” Volovar said. “It’s going to get us moving a lot and we’re going to want to chase for more.”

Reggie Allen bounced back from a tough game against Pennsville and led the Cougars with a game-high 15 points, including a clutch three-point play in the fourth quarter that ramped up the bench and got the crowd into it. It was his best game since the season opener. 

Dan Lis added 12 points and Volovar hit three 3-pointers at key junctures in the game to keep the momentum on the Cougars’ side. One of the treys gave the Cougars a four-point lead and kept the energy up, one beat the buzzer to give them a nine-point halftime lead and the last one sealed the deal.

Nylan Sutton scored only three points after back-to-back games in double figures, but he led the defensive effort with quick hands and deflections.

“Usually we’re our own worst enemy, but overall they played a great offensive and defensive game,” Turner said. “It was a good offensive game because we didn’t force any shots or any passes, we controlled the ball and took care of the ball. Going into today we really wanted to emphasize being patient on offense and not rush passes and wait for the right shot to come.

“And defensively we were able to put pressure on them and get turnovers, which slowed their team down.”

They’re all the things teams that put together winning seasons do.

SCHALICK 39, PENNSAUKEN TECH 26
PENNSAUKEN TECH (3-6) – Naeem Dale 1 0-0 2, Tyrone Baker 2 0-1 6, Omari Spencer 4 2-3 10, Carlos Cruz 0 2-3 2, Xavier Melendez 1 3-5 6, Jahseem Branch 0 0-0 0, Chris Graham 0 0-0 0, James Stout 0 0-2 0. Totals 8 7-14 26.
SCHALICK (3-3) – Reggie Allen 5 3-7 15, Nylan Sutton 1 1-2 3, Dan Lis 3 4-7 12, Jordan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 3 0-0 9. Totals 12 8-16 39.

Pennsauken Tech7874 –26
Schalick101478 –39
3-point goals: Tech 3 (Baker 2, Melendez); Schalick 7 (Allen 2, Lis 2, Volovar 3). Fouled out: Baker. Total fouls: Tech 16, Schalick 13.