Category: BASKETBALL

One that got away

Salem loses a 16-point early third-quarter lead, falls to Group 4 Williamstown in TCC Championship Bracket quarterfinals; no county teams left in main draw of either boys bracket; includes the South Jersey Group I boys tournament pairings

BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Kingsway 66, Timber Creek 57
Overbrook 66, Deptford 55
Cumberland 52, Delsea 47
Williamstown 50, Salem 40
Consolation game
Penns Grove 67, Woodstown 55
Postseason Bracket
GCIT 85, Clayton 76
Pitman 56, Wildwood 52
Washington Twp. 63, Highland 44

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Anthony Farmer has seen this movie before. He didn’t want to see it – or have to see it – again on this particular night.

There have been times when Farmer’s Salem basketball team have been sharp start to finish. There also have been times they’ve built a seemingly safe lead against a strong opponent early in the game only to have it ripped out from under it at the final horn.

It happened again Tuesday when the Rams lost a 16-point third-quarter lead and wound up losing to Group 4 Williamstown 50-40 in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket.

The Rams (19-5), the No. 2 seed, led 30-14 a minute into the third quarter and 32-21 with 3:50 left in the quarter when it all went south. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers. 

“They played 16 minutes of basketball, you know you’ve got to play a full 32,” Farmer said. “We played a half of basketball and now that’s the result.

“We played a really good 16 the first half and scored 11 points I think in the second half with 10 turnovers, so you almost had as many turnovers as you had points in the second half. Obviously, that’s an issue.

“We just have to have a feel for the game. Slow down, move the basketball, get reversals, make plays and play a good brand of basketball, which we just didn’t do. It was just a horrible second half.”

While all the misses hurt, especially with the Braves connecting on the other end, the most gut-wrenching may have been Marshall Stephens’ in-and-out after a nice spin move in the lane that Jameer Gordon turned into a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Braves (16-9) the lead for good.

While the Rams were having their troubles, the Braves were picking up the tempo and coming back. From the time they were down 16 in the third quarter to the end of the game the Braves were 8-of-19 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. They had only seven field goals in the first 17 minutes.

Gordon, a transfer from St. Joe (Hammonton), hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Braves finally got Clinton Suggs into the flow. The Rams held Suggs scoreless in the first half, but the Paul VI transfer scored 14 points in the second 10 in the third quarter. The Braves are 14-2 since Gordon and Suggs became eligible.

Suggs scored five straight points as the Braves trimmed the 16-point deficit to nine with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It was 10 with 3:15 left and the Rams scored only six more free throws the rest of the way. The Braves, meanwhile, scored nine free throws in the last 2:10 of the game alone to slam the door.

“These kids, since I’ve taken over, two years, have just shown fight and grit and fight and grit, so for us there was no panic on our end — at all,” Williamstown coach Adam Dandrea said as his players celebrated loudly in the locker room behind him. “I knew the kids would respond. That was all them right there. That was all them.”

The Braves now travel to Cumberland for Thursday’s semifinals. The Rams can play Delsea in a consolation game if they’re so inclined.

WILLIAMSTOWN 50, SALEM 40
WILLIAMSTOWN (16-9): Jameer Gordon 3 6-8 13, Clinton Suggs 4 5-6 14, Tyson Forman 4 3-3 13, Kaysen Matthews 1 4-4 6, Dametri Walker 1 2-2 4, Brayden Covington 0 0-0 0, Elijah Batts 0 0-0 0, Amir Washington 0 0-0 0, Ian Basillo 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 20-23 50.
SALEM (19-5): Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 1 0-0 3, Neziah Spence 2 2-2 7, Tymear Lecator 4 7-10 16, Fatah Paige 1 0-0 2, Deshaan Williams 3 2-2 8, BJ Robbins 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parson 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 0 0-0 0, Derrelle Johnson 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 11-14 40

Williamstown682016-50
Salem1313104-40
3-point goals: Williamstown 4 (Gordon, Suggs, Forman 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Williams 6, Marshall 5). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Williamstown 14, Salem 23.

PENNS GROVE 67, WOODSTOWN 55: The Red Devils ran out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and held onto it to win the rubber game between rivals created by a TCC Championship Bracket consolation game.

Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad led Penns Grove with 18 points apiece. Four other players scored at least six.

“Just a total team effort like always,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said of the start. “Guys made shots and the defense was stellar.”

The Wolverines put four scorers in double figures, with Elijah Caesar, Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez scored 12 points apiece. Andrew White added 10. Bialecki hit three 3-pointers, giving him 202 for his career.

They took advantage of Penns Grove’s second-quarter foul trouble to climb back into it, but the Red Devils stemmed the tide.

WOODSTOWN (15-11): Elijah Caesar 5-2-12, Blake Bialecki 4-1-12, Alejandro Vazquez 5-0-12, Josh King 2-3-7, Andrew White 4-2-10, Frank Hoerst 0-2-2. Totals 20-10-55.
PENNS GROVE (16-10): Roman Gipson 6-5-18, Geonni Conrad 8-0-18, Haneef Frisby 3-1-7, Will Roy 2-0-6, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Luis Colon 2-3-7, Carson Pearsall 3-0-7, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-67.

Woodstown11171413-55
Penns Grove22101718-67
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2); Penns Grove 6 (Gipson, Gonrad 2, Roy 2, Pearsall).

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Feb. 25 Games
Riverside at Salem
Paulsboro at Woodstown
Glassboro at Burlington City
Wildwood at KIPP
New Egypt at Haddon Twp.
Pitman at Penns Grove
Audubon at Woodbury
Gateway at Palmyra
Feb. 27 Games
(Games at higher seed)
Riverside-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Woodstown
Glassboro-Burlington City vs. Wildwood-KIPP
New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Penns Grove
Audubon-Woodbury vs. Gateway-Palmyra

Marsh steps down

Salem CC women’s basketball program looking for new coach after Marsh resigns after three seasons, tumultuous 2025-26

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Brian Marsh has resigned as Salem Community College’s women’s basketball coach after three seasons and a tumultuous 2025-26 campaign. He will remain as the assistant director of financial aid for the college.

MARSH

Marsh came into the program as an assistant coach and recruiter when the school brought the program back for the 2023-24 season and was handed the team that August when the original coach left before the Mighty Oaks played their first game.

He had a 23-43 record, with a high-water mark of 11 wins last season.

“It was a very difficult decision,” he said. “I’ve been very committed to this program to get thing up and running … it just became two full-time jobs. My coaching’s supposed to be a part-time job and I was doing 60-70 hours a week for the past couple years.

“With recruiting and getting this program started and everything that’s going on it just became very difficult. Obviously, with it being a very frustrating year this year … I just figured it was time to kind of move on and enjoy life. Everything that happened in my life this year (including the loss of his mother and brother) I just thought maybe it was a good time to kind of move this thing on … There’s a quote I saw that sort of goes here: Even lions get tired.”

The athletics department will begin a national search immediately for Marsh’s successor, but there is no timetable on naming his replacement. The job should have some appeal. The college recently added football and volleyball to increase its visibility. Marsh said he had 22 applicants in his most recent search for an assistant coach.

“We’re very grateful for the time and the commitment that Coach Marsh gave to the Salem Community College’s women’s basketball program,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “His passion and commitment to the young women here was truly remarkable.”

This year’s team went 3-17 and suspended the season with three games left following the arrest of four players that left it without enough player to field a competitive team. They only had eight available players as it was.

The season also was impacted by the postponement of three midseason games when injuries cut into the roster and other off-court issues.

“We strive to create a great student-athlete experience for every student-athlete in every program here at SCC,” Hughes said. “Clearly we fell short of that having to end the season early and we’ll work to make sure the team is given every opportunity to complete the seasons moving forward.”

Even as the turmoil churned, Marsh, 54, always expressed hope he would be coaching the team next season and was actively recruiting locally for it.

“It was a frustrating season,” Marsh said. “Coach Kia (trainer Kiarrah Johnson) did an excellent job of keeping our girls healthy, but when you have eight girls and we just couldn’t keep them healthy it was a balancing act.

“I give my team a lot of credit. My players fought hard and they wanted to finish this thing like I did, and I gave them a lot of credit for that. We easily could have packed it in, there were teams that packed it in in January, but we kept fighting and kept fighting. Obviously at the end we just didn’t have enough players and it was very disappointing.

“It was just a very frustrating year on that end. You try to keep fighting and fighting, eventually it gets to a point where you don’t want to put your players in danger or get them out there playing 40 minutes so they even get more injured. It was one of the those things that unfortunately was out of my hands, the circumstances. The players played hard every game. We could have had a much different season had we been healthy.”

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 15-22

SUNDAY, FEB. 15
INDOOR TRACK
South Jersey Group I Sectionals at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 16
WRESTLING
Cedar Creek at Salem, 10 a.m.
NJSIAA Team Tournament
At Paulsboro
Buena vs. Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville vs. Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Winners to follow
At Audubon
Haddon Twp. vs. Woodstown, 5 p.m.
Maple Shade vs. Audubon, 5 p.m.
Winners to follow
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Bryant & Stratton (Va.)

TUESDAY, FEB. 17
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Timber Creek at Kingsway
Deptford at Overbrook
Cumberland at Delsea
Williamstown at Salem, 5 p.m.
Consolation game
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Postseason Bracket
Clayton at GCIT
Glassboro at Triton
Wildwood at Pitman
Highland at Washington Twp.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Delsea at Gloucester Catholic
Clearview at Timber Creek
Kingsway at Glassboro
Washington Twp. at Wildwood
Consolation game
Woodstown at Triton, 5:30 p.m.
Postseason Bracket
Pitman at Schalick
Salem at Williamstown
Clayton at GCIT
Penns Grove at Deptford

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.
Team Sectional Finals
BOYS BOWLING
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Salem vs. Doane Academy, Wood Lanes, 3 p.m.
Asbury Park at Camden Catholic

THURSDAY, FEB. 19
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Timber Creek-Kingsway vs. Deptford-Overbrook
Cumberland-Delsea vs. Williamstown-Salem
Postseason Bracket
Clayton-GCIT vs. Glassboro-Triton
Wildwood-Pitman vs. Highland/Washington Twp.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Delsea-Gloucester Catholic vs. Clearview-Timber Creek
Kingsway-Glassboro vs. Washington Twp.-Wildwood
Postseason Bracket
Pitman-Schalick vs. Salem-Williamstown
Clayton-GCIT vs. Penns Grove-Deptford
Consolation game
Cumberland at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
WRESTLING
Salem at New Egypt, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20
BOYS BASKETBALL
Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Medford Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
WRESTLING
St. Joseph (Hamm.) at Salem, 5 p.m.
Penns Grove at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m.
State Team Semifinals

SATURDAY, FEB. 21
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 11 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 1 p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
South Jersey Group I Championship
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Ewing at Pt. Pleasant Beach, 10 a.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 22
TRACK
NJSIAA Group Championships, Bennett Center, 9 a.m.

Projecting No. 1

Scores, details and projected playoff pairings highlight the Saturday Salem County sports report; Salem projected to pull down No. 1 boys seed in South Jersey Group 1; will be updated with more

SATURDAY, FEB. 14
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem 66, Salem Tech 44
Steinert 55, Schalick 30
Haddonfield 49, Woodstown 44
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Middle Twp. 55, Schalick 26
TCC Tournament
Delsea 47, Pennsville 30
WRESTLING
Highland, Mainland at Pennsville
Woodstown at Delran Quad

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM — All year long the carrot Salem’s boys basketball team had been chasing was the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament. It appears the Rams have claimed their prize.

After dispatching Salem Tech 66-64 on Saturday’s final day of power points qualifying, the Rams (19-4) appear to have secured the No. 1 seed by nearly two full points over No. 2 Palmyra. If the tournament were seeded as of 5 p.m. Saturday night, they would host No. 16 Riverside in the opening round of the playoffs.

It’s the first time an Anthony Farmer-coached Salem team is No. 1 in South Jersey. The Rams went to the South Jersey finals in his first season as the No. 2 seed.

“We’ve been taking care of business all season long, we’ve been finding ways to win, so this is the result,” Farmer said. “We’re excited about being the 1 seed and having everything come through Salem and having home court advantage. Now we’ve just got to get to work and see how far we can go with this thing.”

Here are the top 16 South Jersey Group I boys qualifers (and projected matchups) based on the power points standings at press time:

1. Salem (19-4), 2. Palmyra (17-6), 3. Haddon Twp. (20-5), 4. KIPP (15-6), 5. Burlington City (12-11), 6. Penns Grove (15-10), 7. Woodbury (11-14), 8. Woodstown (15-10), 9. Paulsboro (11-11), 10. x-Audubon (12-12), 11. Pitman (10-14), 12. Glassboro (7-15), 13. Wildwood (12-11), 14. New Egypt (11-13), 15. Gateway (13-11), No. 16 Riverside (9-14). x-LEAP, No. 10 in the power points standings, is ineligible for the playoffs.

Projected pairings based off those seeds: Riverside at Salem, Paulsboro at Woodstown, Glassboro at Burlington City, Wildwood at KIPP, New Egypt at Haddon Twp., Pitman at Penns Grove, Audubon at Woodbury, Gateway at Palmyra.

On the girls side, the projected seeds are:

1. Haddon Twp. (19-5), 2. Wildwood (17-6), 3. Audubon (17-6), 4. Glassboro (18-6), 5. Palmyra (18-4), 6. Pennsville (15-7), 7. Gateway (14-9), 8. Woodbury (11-13), 9. Burlington City (15-7), 10. Schalick (15-6), 11. Woodstown (10-14), 12. New Egypt (10-12), 13. Riverside (9-11), 14. Cape May Tech (7-14), 15. Salem (8-9), 16. Clayton (8-13).

Projected pairings based off those seeds: Clayton at Haddon Twp., Burlington City at Woodbury, New Egypt at Palmyra, Riverside at Glassboro, Cape May Tech at Audubon, Woodstown at Pennsville, Schalick at Gateway, Salem at Wildwood.

In Farmer’s mind, having the home court is the biggest advantage to being the No. 1 seed.

“That is the big deal,” he said. “Kids have a tendency to get behind the home crowd and play with more energy and play better at home. Salem has a lot of support, our fans come out, so it’s great for us to be at home.”

The Rams were home Saturday and sent their seniors off in style. Farmer played the seniors on Senior Day and they made it happen.

Donnie Weathers led them with 13 points. Xavier McGriff had 12, and Kaden Robinson and Marshall Stephens had 10 apiece. All the players will be available for their next start, Tuesday against Williamstown in the Tri-County Tournament quarterfinals..

“We’ve been playing good basketball the last few weeks, I’m excited where we are,” Farmer said. “You want to be playing your best basketball around this time and I feel like we’re more disciplined, we have a better understanding of who we are as a group, so I’m excited about the run we’re going to make.”

HADDONFIELD 49, WOODSTOWN 44: The Wolverines cut a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with five seconds left, but couldn’t come all the way. Haddonfield missed a free throw with 4.7 seconds left and the Wolverines had the ball, but couldn’t get the tying shot to fall and the Bulldogs escaped with their 11th straight win.

Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points, but was held without a 3-pointer for the first time in 21 games and the first time at home since last year’s opening-round win in the South Jersey Group I tournament. He remains at 199 for his career. He had a good look at one with about 30 seconds left and the Wolverines down five, but rattled the rim three times before falling out. Elijah Caesar and Alejandro both hit two 3s and both finished with 10 points.

Chris Beane led Haddonfield (21-3) with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chase Stadler hit three 3s and finished with 10. The Bulldogs are the projected No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group 2.

HADDONFIELD (21-3): Mike Douglas 2 1-6 6, John Scipione 1 2-4 5, Chris Beane 4 4-8 12, Jack McKeever 1 0-0 2, Mike Mooney 3 1-4 7, Ryan Guyeiyian 1 5-9 7, Chase Stadler 3 1-4 10. Totals 15 14-35 49.
WOODSTOWN (15-10): Elijah Caesar 4 0-0 10, Andrew White 3 0-3 6, Blake Bialecki 6 6-7 12, Alejandro Vazquez 3 2-3 10, Josh King 1 4-4 6. Totals 17 12-17 44.

Haddonfield3111619-49
Woodstown821123-44
3-point goals: Haddonfield 5 (Douglas, Scipione, Stadler 3); Woodstown 4 (Caesar 2, Vazquez 2).

STEINERT 55, SCHALICK 30: The Spartans from Mercer County dominated the first and third quarters to take control of the game. Steinert’s Michael Shaklin hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points. Christian Guagliardo went 6-of-9 from the line and added 10. Julian Dickerson led Schalick with 14 points.

Steinert1618156-55
Schalick 91335-30

Girls games

DELSEA 47, PENNSVILLE 30: Peyton Parker scored 22 points and the Crusaders held Pennsville’s top two scorers to a combined 13 points to win in the final game of the opening round of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket. The loss snapped Pennsville’s seven-game winning streak and was the Eagles’ first in the six games since changing coaches Feb. 2.

Taylor Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 10 points. Marley Wood was held to three. She tried to play through illness in the first half, but sat out the second.

“Delsea came out to play,” Eagles coach Robin Efelis said. “They were aggressive and played well. We had a few days of good practices, but it wasn’t enough.”

PENNSVILLE (15-7): Taylor Bass 3 4-7 10, Marley Wood 1 1-2 3, Addie Johnston 3 0-0 7, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Jaiden Wilson 0 1-2 1, Jaida Burns 3 1-2 7. Totals 11 7-13 30.
DELSEA (16-9): Ayress Maitland 4 0-2 8, Madi Barndt 1 0-0 2, Kaiah Braxton 2 5-6 9, Peyton Parker 10 2-5 22, Melania DiBona 2 0-0 6. Totals 19 7-13 47.

Pennsville10479-30
Delsea1314146-47
3-point goals: Pennsville 1 (Johnston); Delsea 2 (DiBona 2).

MIDDLE TWP. 55, SCHALICK 26: The Panthers went looking for a last-minute game addition to enhance its power points position and the Cougars answered the call to test themselves against the projected No. 1 team in South Jersey Group 2.

Middle (21-4) jumped out quickly and held the Cougars (15-6) to two points in each of the first two quarters. Interestingly, the Panthers didn’t put a scorer in double figures, but had 11 players scored. Vicky Basich led Schalick with eight points. Nevaeh Robinson had seven points and 10 rebounds.

Schalick benefitted from the game as well. The Cougars earned enough power points to project to No. 10 in the South Jersey Group 1 standings, the second-highest team from Salem County.

Middle Twp.2013166-55
Schalick22319-26

Wrestling

DELRAN QUAD
WOODSTOWN 37, ALLENTOWN 36
106: Dominic Baldino (A) pinned TJ Conto, 0:30
113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) pinned Ares Ahuja, 5:01
120: Vincenzo Baldino (A) def. Carson Bradway, 2-1
126: Walker Battavio (WO) maj. dec. Aiden Deal, 10-1
132: Dustin Wilson (A) dec. Barry Coverly, 10-8
138: Anderson DuBrul (A) pinned Chase Icona, 1:50
144: Nehemiah Carter (WO) dec. Tamas Hilbert, 9-8
150: Mikah Gallagher (A) pinned Mathyias Ellis, 5:39
157: Stephen Moore (A) pinned Tyrell West, 1:35
165: Ricky Watts (WO) pinned Michael Malfettano, 1:40
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Christopher Doyle, 1:15
190: Nathaniel Geddis (A) pinned Asher Fitzpatrick, 4:59
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Chase Toporek, 0:16
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Nicholas Laquara, 1:19

WOODSTOWN 43, HADDON HEIGHTS 28
106: Aniello Napolitano (H) pinned TJ Conto, 2:00
113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) pinned Andrew Hanchey, 1:24
120: Cole Denning (H) maj. dec. Carson Bradway, 13-1
126: Walker Battavio (WO) dec. Michael Ferraro, 16-9
132: Brennan Albright (H) dec. Barry Coverly, 5-4
138: Leo Falco (H) pinned Chase Icona, 2:24
144: Nehemiah Carter (WO) maj. dec. Matthew Boone, 17-5
150: Ryan Bailey (H) tech fall over Mathyias Ellis, 15-0 (2:43)
157: Tyrell West (WO) pinned Michael Fitter, 5:05
165: Andrew Gutkin (H) maj. dec. over Ricky Watts, 18-8
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) won by forfeit
190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) pinned Shawn Thompson, 0:28
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) won by forfeit
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) won by forfeit

DELRAN 42, WOODSTOWN 33
120: Carson Bradway (WO) dec. Bryce Kenney, 6-3
126: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Blake Wood, 3:19
132: Christian Pereira (D) dec. Barry Coverly, 7-0
138: Eamon McStravick (D) pinned Chase Icona, 1:30
144: Shane Palena (D) pinned Nehemiah Carter, 1:14
150: Jackson Weller (D) pinned Mathyias Ellis, 0:29
157: Nathan Marter (D) tech fall over Tyrell West, 18-3 (4:09)
165: Benjamin Hoffman (D) tech fall over Ricky Watts, 16-1 (2:28)
175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Alexander Conard, 0:39
190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) pinned Finnian English, 5:25
215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Bryce Danson, 1:45
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Daniel Lewis, 0:18
106: Jeremy George (D) pinned TJ Conto, 0:20
113: Chase Dubuque (D) tech fall over Jadon Middlemiss, 17-0 (5:12)

PENNSVILLE TRI
PENNSVILLE 60, MAINLAND 15
113: Greyson Robbins (P) won by forfeit
120: Jaxon Serra (M) pinned Erick Davalos, 3:38
126: Mekhi Dicks (P) won by forfeit
132: Justin Mazur (M) dec. Chase Baker, 9-4
138: Vincent Grether (P) pinned Anthony McCourt, 1:17
144: Nathaniel Mason (P) dec. Daniel MacKinnon, 14-7
150: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Mykta Lutsemko, 1:51
157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Michael Borini, 3:09
165: Robbie McDade (P) def. Trevor Dill, inj.
175: Vincent Hoag (M) won by forfeit
190: Stephen Pangle (P) won by forfeit
215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) dec. Eban Kuhns, 5-4
285: Jacob Hand (P) won by forfeit
106: Brett Land (P) pinned Jacob Silvern, 1:22

PENNSVILLE 44, HIGHLAND/TRITON 32
120: Caden Corsi (H) pinned Erick Davalos, 4:42
126: Erek Schwinge (H) pinned Mekhi Dicks, 3:47
132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Ramon Bates, 0:56
138: Vincent Grether (P) tech fall over Mike Williams, 19-4 (5:32)
144: Nick DiCamillo (H) tech fall over Nathaniel Mason, 20-4 (4:53)
150: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Gavin Simonelli, 2:42
157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Jake Hurlburt, 1:56
165: Robbie McDade (P) won by forfeit
175: Ben Chando (H) won by forfeit
190: Joe Torres (H) def. Stephen Pangle, TB1 3-2
215: Taj Detreville-Odums (H) pinned Hunter Coulbourn, 2:47
285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Yasin Byers, 5-0
106: Rocco Ciccantelli (P) won by forfeit
113: Brett Land (P) pinned Orrin Griffiths, 0:24

Sophomores shine

Sophomores rule the day as No. 3 Mighty Oaks wrap up regular season with 104-69 win over Sussex, await Region 19 tournament seedings, but should get Ocean-Philadelphia winner

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — There’s never been a game Stef Phillips wanted to make it back for more in his entire career than Saturday’s regular-season finale.

The Salem CC forward has been out with a sore knee the last three games and tried all the rehab humanly possible to make sure he was back for Sophomore Day.

Not only did he return for the festivities, he came back in a big way, posting his second career double-double to help the Mighty Oaks crush Sussex 104-69 to complete an historic regular season that saw them ranked No. 1 for six weeks and claim the overall No. 1 seed in Region 19.

He scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. It was his first double-double since the second game of last season.

“After I hurt my knee it was like in the air if I would play or I wouldn’t,” Phillips said. “I made sure I came to rehab every day with the mindset of me getting back, not for this game particular but any game, playoffs or anything.

“Yesterday at practice I felt great. I felt like myself. I woke up this morning happy. I knew for sure I was playing and I played my heart out, too.”

It was a good day for three sophomores, who are guaranteed one more game in Dupont Fieldhouse as a semifinal host in their region tournament bracket. Crowd favorite Mike Goodwin, a Penns Grove native who coach Mike Green called “the ultimate team guy,” earned the first start of his college career and had career highs in points (five) and rebounds (10). Nayeem Johnson scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench.

“The sophomores played really well; they combined for some heavy power,” Green said. “It’s good the sophomores go out with a bang.”

Phillips was active from the start. He scored the first basket of the game on an aggressive putback of a Goodwin miss and had another putback a few minutes later. He scored six of the Mighty Oaks’ first 13 points and had 11 points and nine rebounds at halftime.

“We challenged him to go out there and rebound,” Green said. “He can score the ball . We tried to get him to go out and rebound and he had nine in the first half. He was supposed to be on minutes restriction, but he was playing so well I kind of forgot about it. He gave us what we need.”

Goodwin’s start wasn’t just a token gesture, a tradition to reward time served and out at the first dead ball. He played the first five minutes before giving way to leading scorer Jarrell Little, but that wasn’t the end of his day.

He played a career-high 15 minutes, much to the delight of the student section that began calling him back with eight minutes left in the game. His teammates were working to get him in the scoring column and everyone in the building let out a roar when he finally got one to fall with 4:08 left. It was such an exhilarating experience he followed it with a layup-and-one on the next possession.

He might have even gotten a double-double if he were a little sharper around the basket.

“I never thought I’d start,” he said. “I just thought to be ready whenever my name is called and just perform when it is. But it definitely felt good. You hustle, you work, it felt like all the work, it paid off to finally start.

“I was definitely in my head the first couple shots. I wasn’t finishing through contact and I was a little discouraged, but I tried to pick myself up at halftime. I’ve just got to learn to keep working through it.”

He wasn’t in the game to lead the Mighty Oaks in scoring. His greatest asset is as a rebounder.

“I may not be the best scorer, but I know to hustle and try to get ball off the rim,” he said. “That’s one of my strong suits. I’m going to keep on grabbing the boards.”

Every player who got in the game for the Mighty Oaks scored and seven finished in double figures. All but one grabbed at least one rebound.

They wrapped up the regular season 29-1 and will be one of the No. 1 seeds when Region 19 seeds the two region/district tournament next week. They are projected to face the winner of the play-in game between Ocean and Philadelphia) in their home tournament opener, which will be the sophomores’ final home game.

The Skylanders (8-21) made it hard on Salem early. It was 26-24 when Qua Smith, Nasseem Wright and Phillips returned to the game after a Sussex timeout with 7:37 left in the half. Over the next five minutes the Mighty Oaks outscored the visitors 19-5 to take control of the game.

Phillips had a 3-pointer and another putback in the run.

“Just wearing guys down … and the results show,” Green said. “Sometimes it takes a whole half and it has been lately.”

SCATTERED ACORNS: It was the 13th time this year the Mighty Oaks have hit 100 and the fourth time they have had seven scorers in double figures … They are 14-0 at home this year and have a 21-game home winning streak … They rank first in JUCO Division III in total points, third in scoring average. They’re also first in field goal percentage and assists per game.

SALEM CC 104, SUSSEX 69
SUSSEX (8-21): Nico Sosa 9-22 1-1 20, Isaiah Bivens 3-7 4-4 12, DJ Baker 2-6 2-3 6, Elijah Geary 3-5 1-2 7, Ryan Geene 5-10 4-4 16, Liam DeLorenzi 0-5 0-0 0, Liam Dunn 3-9 0-0 8. Totals 25-64 12-14 69.
SALEM CC: Saaid Lee 5-9 2-2 13, Zyaire Gibson 4-9 0-0 10, Nasseem Wright 7-8 0-0 15, Stefan Phillips 7-11 0-0 15, Mike Goodwin 2-8 1-1 5, Jahseir Sayles 2-8 0-0 4, Jarrell Little 1-7 1-2 3, Qua Smith 4-5 2-2 10, Nayeem Johnson 7-8 2-2 18, Idris Rines 5-10 0-0 11. Totals 44-83 8-9 104.

Sussex 3237-69
Salem CC4757-104

3-point goals: Sussex 7-20 (Sosa 1-3, Bivens 2-4, Geene 2-4, DeLorenzi 0-3, Dunn 2-6); Salem CC 8-26 (Lee 1-2, Gibson 2-6, Wright 1-1, Phillips 1-3, Sayles 0-5, Little 0-4, Johnson 2-2, Rines 1-3). Rebounds: Sussex 26 (Bivens 7, DeLorenzi 5); Salem CC 49 (Phillips 10, Goodwin 10, Smith 7). Total fouls: Sussex 8, Salem CC 13.

Salem CC’s three sophomores (L-R) Mike Goodwin, Stefan Phillips and Nayeem Johnson combined for 48 points and 23 rebounds on Sophomore Day.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION IIIR19ALLGSAC
x-SALEM CC (3)16-129-121-1
x-Northampton (8)15-223-4
x-Montgomery (9)14-319-4
x-Brookdale (RV)14-319-913-6
x-Union (13)12-521-813-4
x-Camden12-517-1112-9
x-Bergen10-715-1215-11
x-Ocean10-715-1210-10
Atlantic Cape8-912-159-9
Thaddeus Stevens7-1012-14
RCSJ-Cumberland7-1010-178-12
RCSJ-Gloucester6-1110-204-16
Harrisburg Area6-117-17
x-Philadelphia5-1113-12
Delaware County3-145-21
Passaic3-145-234-16
Sussex2-148-224-14
Luzerne2-155-22

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking; games left in italic are region counters; x-clinched playoff berth

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 104, Sussex 69
Union 69, Brookdale 45
Harrisburg Area 78, Atlantic Cape 75
Northampton 77, Camden 62
Montgomery 89, RCSJ-Gloucester 76
Ocean 111, Luzerne 95
Morris 68, Raritan Valley 66
Lackawanna 79, Delaware Tech 61
Passaic 76, Philadelphia 65
Harcum 64, Mercer 62
Thaddeus Stevens 85, RCSJ-Cumberland 78
Middlesex 90, Ulster 56

PROJECTED REGION 19 SEEDS
1. Salem CC, 2. Northampton, 3. Brookdale, 4. Montgomery, 5. Camden, 6. Union, 7. Bergen, 8. Ocean, 9. Philadelphia

PROJECTED MATCHUPS
North Atlantic A
Ocean-Philadelphia winner vs. Salem
Camden at Montgomery
North Atlantic B
Union at Brookdale
Bergen at Northampton
Winners advance to finals at Northampton

Red Devils rise up

Penns Grove beats Overbrook for third time this season in Tri-County Post-Season Bracket opener; Woodstown, Salem Tech fall

TCC GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Championship Bracket
Clearview 59, Cumberland 36
Kingsway 39, Woodstown 24
Washington Twp. 54, Triton 33
Pennsville at Delsea (Sat.)
Postseason Bracket
Pitman at Highland
Clayton 62, Salem Tech 15
Penns Grove 44, Overbrook 37
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Championship Bracket
Pennsville-Delsea at Gloucester Catholic
Clearview at Timber Creek
Kingsway at Glassboro
Washington Twp. at Wildwood
Postseason Bracket
Pitman-Highland at Schalick
Salem at Williamstown
Clayton at GCIT
Penns Grove at Deptford

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PINE HILL – Deja Cook had to be feeling pretty confident going into the opening round of this year’s Tri-County Conference Post-Season Bracket.

Her Penns Grove girls basketball team hadn’t enjoyed a lot of success during her first season as the head coach, but the success it did have came against the team it was playing in the first round.

The Red Devils made it three in a row over Overbrook Friday night, 44-37, advancing to the semifinals of their bracket. They visit second-seeded Deptford Tuesday at 4 p.m.

“We beat adversity and we showed that our will was stronger than the opposing team,” Cook said. “It’s hard to beat a team three times and we did.”

All three of the wins over the Rams pulled the Red Devils (3-18) out of the doldrums. The first one snapped a six-game losing streak and gave Cook her first win as a head coach. The second snapped a nine-game slide. Friday’s ended a three-game streak. They held the Rams to less than 40 points in every game.

They won this one with a good finish, outscoring the seventh-seeded Rams 14-6 in the fourth quarter to take the lead and win by seven.

Keziah Patterson and Janiyah Cummings led Penns Grove’s offense with 14 points each. Cummings completed the double-double with 18 rebounds and also had six blocked shots. Patterson had seven rebounds and six steals. Mikayla Washington had eight points and 17 rebounds.

“We were down numerous times during the game but the girls remained uplifted, kept fighting and were able to work together to get the win,” Cook said. “I’m proud of how far they came as a team and individuals. Looking forward to our next game.”

Gianna Simon led Overbrook (5-18) with 23 points. She hit six 3-pointers.

Penns Grove1281014-44
Overbrook1011106-37

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
KINGSWAY 39, WOODSTOWN 24:The Wolverines remembered how the last meeting with Kingsway went and didn’t want to repeat that again. They tightened up the things that got away from them in that 54-17 loss and gave the Lady Dragons a much better battle, but they just couldn’t get shots to fall.

They did score the first basket of the game, then Kingsway held them scoreless the rest of the quarter while opening an 11-2 lead. It was 28-8 in the third quarter, but they fought to stay in it.

“It was working on the things that we talk about working on all the time,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “We had an emphasis of doing things in practice this week and to see the girls implement it, that was positive for us.

“Shots didn’t fall. We missed a couple layups in the beginning that could have maybe changed the game, but we were taking those layups, we were being aggressive, so I was proud of that all day today.”

Lauren Hengel was Woodstown’s leading scorer with nine points, all of them coming in the second half. She also grabbed eight rebounds, five in the fourth quarter. Kyia Leyman had 12 rebounds, eight in the first half.

WOODSTOWN (10-14): Lauren Hengel 3 3-4 9, Emma Perry 1 2-2 4, Kyia Leyman 2 0-0 4, Kendall Young 3 0-0 7, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0, Autumn Paleschic 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-6 24.
KINGSWAY (17-8): Alessia Lentini 4 3-3 13, Annika Dohlen 4 1-1 10, Chloe McNeill 3 2-4 9, Liv Myers 0 0-0 0, Ojonile Gabriel 1 2-3 4, Bella Archer 0 0-0 0, Gia Baus 1 0-0 2, Ellie Farro 0 0-0 0, Lila Storms 0 1-2 1, Jayah Love 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 9-13 39.

Woodstown2697-24
Kingsway119163-39
3-point goals: Woodstown 1 (Young); Kingsway 4 (Lentini 2, Dohlen, McNeill). Rebounds: Woodstown 28 (Leyman 10, Hengel 8). Kingsway 30 (McNeill 7). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Kingsway 11.

Salem County Thursday

Penns Grove takes down Willingboro, Salem Tech falls in TCC bracket; Salem bowling reaches sectional semis

BOYS BASKETBALL

PENNS GROVE – The reason teams try to schedule games late in the cutoff week is to make a last-minute move up the power points standings.

Penns Grove gained a lot of power points in its hope to move into the South Jersey Group 1 top four and potentially two home playoff games Thursday with its 69-58 win over Willingboro.

The Red Devils (15-9) jumped out front early and stayed in control. Geonni Conrad and Roman Gipson led their usually balanced scoring attack with 16 and 14, respectively. 

The Chimeras had three scorers in double figures, led by Yasin Hogue’s 25 points, but Penns Grove had eight players hit the scoring column, with half of them scoring at least seven points.

Wildwood 68, Salem Tech 31: Trevor Troiano hit three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Warriors in the first round of the Tri- County Postseason Bracket. Raphael Busch led the Chargers with 11. Wildwood now plays at Pitman in the quarterfinals.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wildwood 59, Salem 27: The Warriors (17-6) roared to a 23-4 first-quarter lead and cruised to a third straight victory. Wildwood’s Rebecca Benichou led all scorers with 23 points. Angela Wilber dished 10 assists. Dyaira Anderson led the Rams (8-9) with 16 points.

BOYS BOWLING
SJ GROUP 1 QF
Salem 2, Maple Shade 0: Troy Carey rolled two games of 266 for the day’s high series (532) and Jacob Puni rolled games of 242 and 228 to lead the second-seeded Rams (10-3) into the sectional semifinals. They’ll face sixth-seeded Doane Academy (8-10) Wednesday at Wood Lanes. The winner gets Camden Catholic or Asbury Park in the Feb. 21 finals.

SJ GROUP 2 QF
Lindenwold 2, Salem Tech 1: Second-seeded Lindenwold (14-1-1) won the rubber game 842-789 to reach the sectional semifinals. Cooper Rappa bowled the high game (216) and high series (550) for the Chargers (6-8). 

GIRLS BOWLING
SJ GROUP 1 QF
Camden Catholic 2, Salem Tech 1: The fourth-seeded Irish (14-1) won the rubber game 686-614 to reach the semifinals. Naomi Hess rolled a high-game 181 in Game 3 for the Chargers (9-2-1), but the Irish had four games 145 or better. Hess also had the high series for the match (512).

Another box checked

No. 3 Mighty Oaks beat Camden to clinch best record in Region 19, basically clinching top seed in region/district Division III tournament, seeding Feb. 19

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC basketball team reached another major milestone in an already historic season Thursday night when it put together another big second half and pulled away from Camden 76-48.

The official line is the third-ranked Mighty Oaks (28-1) simply clinched the best record in Region 19 Division III with their sixth straight win. Yeah, try selling that to them.

In their mind, they clinched the No. 1 seed in the league, one of two No. 1s in the upcoming Region 19/North Atlantic District Tournament.

“It’s a representation of all the work we’ve been putting in to this point,” freshman Nasseem Wright said. “We’re a new group of guys, we all trust in playing together. It’s just cool to see all the hard work that we’re putting in is paying off. Still more to gp though.”

It’s hard to argue the logic. The Mighty Oaks are 15-1 in Region 19 with one game remaining. In the unlikely event they lose Saturday’s regular-season finale against Sussex (8-21) and Northampton beats Camden to create a 15-2 tie at the top of the standings, the Mighty Oaks beat Northampton head-to-head, which should give them the advantage in any tiebreaker.

Region 19 basketball chairman Jack Sullivan, the athletics director at Morris, said Thursday the tournament field will be seeded based on the standings. It will be seeded Feb. 19. 

Before Thursday’s games there were 10 teams in the mix that would be split into two separate five-team brackets (North Atlantic A & B) for the region’s two automatic berths in the national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y. Teams must be .500 or better either overall or in region play to qualify.

That’s what makes grabbing the No. 1 so appealing.

“We aren’t the only ones having a good year, so it’s good to clinch it,” Green said. “Matchups matter. Those 8-9-10 teams, Bergen, Atlantic Cape, they’re nothing to play with. We know this league is dangerous.”

There’s a strong belief that even if the Mighty Oaks stumble on the way out they’ll still get an at-large bid to the nationals.

What have they done so far? Won the GSAC. Check. Surpassed last year’s win total. Check. Clinched the top seed. Check.

“I want to go 3 for 3,” leading scorer Jarrell Little said. “Conference, Region 19 and national championship.”

They started out Thursday as if they were going to have an easy time with the Cougars (17-10), who traditionally have been anything but easy for them. They jumped out 14-0 in the first four minutes and later 19-7 on a 3-pointer by Saaid Lee, but then went flat and didn’t hit another field goal until another Lee 3-pointer with 4:57 left in the half and had to hold on for a 28-25 halftime lead. 

“There’s no way you score 14 points in four minutes and then 14 points in 16 minutes; that’s just not us, man,” Green said. “We guarded. They only had 25 (at halftime). We just didn’t do the right things offensively.”

“I think we just got too selfish and complacent,” Lee said. “We just had to get back to what we do, playing our brand of basketball, sharing the ball, playing hard, playing fast.”

After Green “kind of straightened them out” at halftime with what Lee called “a conversation,” they got with the program.

The scored nearly twice as many points than they did in the first half and shot 53 percent from the floor. After not scoring at all in the first half, they bench gave them 13 points in the second. And they continued to play solid defense, holding the Cougars to 28 percent shooting and 23 points.

They went back up by eight at the start of the second half, but the Cougars cut it back to 37-34 with 16:23 to play. At that point the Mighty Oaks came back to life and returned to the form that had gotten them where they are today.

Wright, held to five points in the first half, scored 13 of their first 18 points of the second half, including a thunderous run-out dunk off a Little blocked shot that made it 46-34 with 11:38 to play. Six minutes later they were up 19.

Lee hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the right corner to make it 60-41 with 5:30 left. Wright and Lee scored 20 points apiece. Little had 16. Idris Rines grabbed 12 rebounds.

“First half I was gassed, I’m not gonna lie,” Lee said. “A lot of teams in the league don’t really work as hard as us and do as much as we do, so when we’re tired we always tell each other if we’re tired they gotta be dead, so just keep pushing through, keep fighting through the adversity.” 

NOTES: The 48 points by Camden were the fewest allowed by the Mighty Oaks in Green’s 81 games as head coach … With his 16 points, Little surpassed 500 for the season and is now 26th on SCC’s all-time scoring list. Wright moved to within eight of the milestone … Saturday’s regular-season finale is Sophomore Day. “Maybe we’ll let the sophomores coach since they’ve got all the answers,” Green said . “Let Mike (Goodwin) coach. Let Nayeem (Johnson). Let Stef (Phillips) coach. It’s a celebration for them, hopefully we do something nice for them and send those guys out the right way” … Phillips expects to be back in uniform Saturday after missing the last three games with a sore knee … Never let it be said that Green doesn’t give the people what they want. With 2:38 to go the student section called for Green to put Goodwin in the game. The coach sent him in 1:43 left and the sophomore stayed in until the end. “Kid works hard every day in practice, he’s improved a ton, so he deserved the opportunity. Every chance we get ,we’re going to put him out there.”

SALEM CC 76, CAMDEN 48
CAMDEN (17-10): Kai Gatson 3-12 0-0 7, Ben McGonigle 0-3 0-0 0, ZhaMere Crawford 2-11 0-0 4, Christian Durham 3-6 0-1 8, Istavan Norwood 6-12 4-5 16, Stephen Robinson 2-3 0-0 4, Anthony Edwardi 1-3 0-0 2, Kevin Satchell 1-8 1-2 3, Sami Singletary 1-4 1-4 4. Totals 19-62 6-12 48.
SALEM CC (28-1): Jarrell Little 4-6 5-6 16, Saaid Lee 8-15 0-0 20, Zyaire Gibson 2-8 0-0 5, Nasseem Wright 8-12 4-5 20, Idris Rines 1-6 0-1 2, Jahseir Sayles 1-5 0-0 2, Qua Smith 2-2 0-0 2, Nayeem Johnson 3-9 1-2 7, Mike Goodwin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 10-14 76.

Camden2523-48
Salem CC2848-76
3-point goals: Camden 4-16 (Gatson 1-6, McGonigle 0-1, Crawford 0-1, Durham 2-3, Robinson 0-1, Edwardi 0-1, Satchell 0-2, Singletary 1-1); Salem CC 8-22 (Little 3-3, Lee 4-5, Gibson 1-7, Rines 0-3, Sayles 0-3, Johnson 0-1). Rebounds: Camden 37 (Norwood 9, Crawford 8). Salem CC 42 (Rines 12, Smith 8). Fouled out: Rines. Total fouls: Camden 12, Salem CC 13.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION IIIR19ALLGSACGAMES LEFT
x-SALEM CC (3)15-128-120-1Sus, Sat
x-Northampton (8)14-222-4Cam, Sat; TS, Tu
x-Brookdale (RV)14-319-813-5Union, Sat; Sus, Tu
x-Montgomery (9)13-318-4RC-G, Sat
x-Camden12-417-1012-9NH, Sat; Mercer, Tu
x-Union (13)12-520-811-4Brk, Sat; RC-C, Tu
x-Bergen10-715-1215-11
x-Ocean9-714-1210-10Luz, Sat
Atlantic Cape8-812-149-9HACC, Sat; Pas, Tu
RCSJ-Cumberland7-910-168-12
x-Philadelphia6-1013-11Pas, Sat; Sus, Wed
RCSJ-Gloucester6-1010-194-16
Thaddeus Stevens5-1010-14
Harrisburg Area5-106-16
Delaware County3-145-20
Sussex2-138-214-13
Passaic2-144-233-15
Luzerne1-144-21

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking; games left in italic are region counters; x-clinched playoff berth

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 76, Camden 48
Misericordia at Harcum
Montgomery 81, Northampton 61
Frederick 92, Delaware Tech 85
Manhattan CC at Bergen
Brookdale 87, Ocean 69
Union 83, Passaic 79
Philadelphia 81, Delaware County 58
Lackawanna 82, Raritan Valley 68
Bergen 80, Atlantic Cape 66
Harrisburg Area at Thaddeus Stevens
RCSJ-Cumberland 84, RCSJ-Gloucester 79
FRIDAY’S GAME
Delaware County at Luzerne
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Sussex at Salem CC
Passaic vs. Finger Lakes
Union at Brookdale
Atlantic Cape at Harrisburg Area
RCSJ-Cumberland at Thaddeus Stevens
Northampton at Camden
RCSJ-Gloucester at Montgomery
Ocean at Luzerne
Raritan Valley at Morris
Passaic at Roxbury
Lackawanna at Delaware Tech
Ulster at Middlesex
Philadelphia at Passaic
Harcum at Mercer

Updated: Season suspended

Salem CC women end their basketball season following the arrest of four players in Pennsville over the weekend

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News


CARNEYS POINT — The Salem Community College women’s basketball program has suspended the remainder of its 2025-26 season following the weekend arrest of four players that athletics department officials say will prevent it from fielding a competitive team.

The players – Raynesecia Q. King, 19; Paula E. Wilson, 19; Tanijya M. Shaw, 18; and Jayda L. Hunter, 19 – were arrested at the Pennsville Walmart Feb. 6 and all charged with concealing merchandise from the store without intent to pay. All listed a Pennsville address as their place of residence although all have out-of-state hometowns on the team roster.

All four had a bail hearing in the Carneys Point/Pennsville Joint Municipal Court and were released on summons.

School officials confirmed the decision to suspend the season after informing all the remaining teams on the schedule. The Mighty Oaks had three games remaining after postponing Tuesday’s game with Morris Club.

Initially, SCC athletics director Bob Hughes confirmed Saturday’s postponement with Middlesex, the first game after the incident, citing only “a personnel issue” that was “player related,” but declined to give details, and Tuesday’s game was removed from the team’s athletic department website. 

“I can tell you officially that Salem has decided to discontinue the rest of our women’s basketball season,” Hughes said Monday. “We do not have enough players to field a competitive team at this time.”

Hughes continued to decline comment on the particulars of the weekend issue, citing student privacy concerns. Pennsville police provided the arrest records in response to an Open Public Records request by Riverview Sports News.

Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said Saturday the program was working to reschedule the game, but Hughes said any decision to continue the season wouldn’t be entertained until Monday at the earliest. A despondent sounding Marsh Monday deferred any comment on the season suspension to Hughes.

The Salem women are 3-17 in a season filled with drama and had three games left at the time of the suspension. They had eight healthy players available and are rostered for nine.

”We could not have fielded a competitive team,” Hughes said.

All four players were starters. Shaw, a freshman guard from Arlington, Texas, was their best player statistically, averaging a team-leading 17.6 ppg, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 steals. Hunter, a freshman post who lists Allentown, Pa., as her hometown on the team webpage, was their second-leading rebounder (7.7) while averaging 3.6 ppg. Wilson, a freshman forward from El Paso, averaged 5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and had a team-leading 17 blocked shots. King, a sophomore guard from Dallas who also played softball last spring, averaged 5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.2 steals.

It wasn’t immediately known if the Mighty Oaks would absorb forfeit for the three remaining games or simply end the year 3-17.

The team has had problems this year. Injuries forced them to reschedule three games earlier this season and sources have said there have been other incidents off the floor.As much a team officials have maintained during the adversity they were committed to playing out the season, this situation was one that was too severe to survive.

”I feel sorry for taking away opportunity for competition from any student-athlete,” Hughes said. 

Wednesday sports report

Here are the scores and highlights from Wednesday night’s Salem County sports schedule

BOYS BASKETBALL
Pitman 53, Pennsville 16
Woodstown 64, Salem Tech 15
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Schalick 37, Oakcrest 24
Pennsville 49, Pitman 21
Woodstown 67, Salem Tech 16
WRESTLING
Willingboro 33, Salem 30
Pennsville 63, Haddon Heights 10

By Riverview Sports News

GIRLS BASKETBALL
WOODSTOWN 67, SALEM TECH 16: Emma Perry just missed her career-high on her Senior Night, 12 players scored and the Wolverines rolled in their final regular-season game. Perry scored 17 points, one shy of tying her career high she set two weeks ago. Lauren Hengel, another senior, added 12 points and 10 other Wolverines scored.

The Wolverines celebrated their Senior Night, then shutout the Chargers in the first quarter 26-0.

“It was a very good night,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “We have had a tough season this year and the girls continued to work hard every practice and every game.

“There have never been any complaints all year from the girls. They enjoy the game of basketball and they enjoy being around each other. There are countless conversations and jokes happening all the time with this group.

“The best part of the game for me as a coach was seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces. They were out there having fun. Yes, we care about wins and losses, but you play a sport because you have fun doing it. We often forget that and the girls did not forget about that tonight.”

The team’s four seniors — Perry, Hengel, Kyia Leyman and Kailyn Kennedy — all scored in the game. They combined for 39 points, 22 rebounds and 12 assists. In addition to her points, Perry had five rebounds and five assists. Hengel had eight rebounds and seven assists, Leyman had five rebounds and Kennedy had four rebounds.

“This senior class is a very special class,” Smart said of the group that has been a part of 70 wins in four years and played for three head coaches. “(They) all work extremely hard all of the time. They are a tight-knit group, but a very selfless group; you could see that tonight. We gave up good shots for better shots and moved the ball well. Seeing that on over half the shots we made tonight there was an assist is a very special thing.

“I’m going to miss this group so much. They are very special and you can tell how much they mean to the rest of the team based off of tonight’s Senior Night festivities. Luckily, our journey isn’t over yet.”

SALEM TECH (2-14): Rachel Reed 0 0-0 0, Shelby Liber 4 0-0 11, Amora Delaine 0 0-2 0, Carmen Mott 0 0-0 0, Shelby Drummond 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lydon 0 0-0 0, Tiara Bazemore 1 0-0 3, Evening Amedee 0 0-0 0, Maci Fiant 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 0-2 16.
WOODSTOWN (10-13): Lauren Hengel 5 0-0 12, Kyia Leyman 3 0-0 6, Emma Perry 8 0-1 17, Kendall Young 2 1-2 6, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 2 0-0 4, Maddie Roback 1 0-0 2, Ava White 3 0-0 6, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 3 0-0 6, Autumn Paleschic 1 0-0 2, Kamiya Brunson 1 0-0 2, Cecelia Nachbar 1 0-0 2, Gabriella Maldonado 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 1-3 67.

Salem Tech0682-16
Woodstown2619913-67
3-point goals: Salem Tech 4 (Liber 3, Bazemore); Woodstown 4 (Hengel 2, Perry, Young). Rebounds: Woodstown 52 (Maldonado 8, Hengel 8, Young 6). Total fouls: Salem Tech 4, Woodstown 4.

SCHALICK 37, OAKCREST 24: Nevaeh Robinson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Cougars (15-5) to their third straight win. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. The sophomore hit a 3-pointer in each quarter. Ava Scurry added six rebounds to run her career total to 612 and blocked five shots (226). Liv Vanacker had seven rebounds and seven assists.

OAKCREST (5:13): A Tirah Mitchell 2 3-6 7, Rashonda Brown 6 3-9 16, Mia Silipena 0 0-0 0, Riley Sanders 0 0-0 0,, C. Russ 0 1-2 1, Paula Pahang 0 0-0 0, Hailey Perkins 0 0-0 0, Briella Johnson 0 0-0 0, Catina Lark 0 0-0 0, Avery Aponte 0 0-0 0, Palmero 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 7-17 24.
SCHALICK (15-5): Cali Fisler 2 1-7 6, Ava Scurry 2 1-2 5, Willow Davis 1 2-4 4, Nevaeh Robinson 6 1-1 17, Olivia Vanacker 2 1-2 5, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Bailey Wentz 0 0-0 0, Eve Berger 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 6-16 37.

Oakcrest7566-24
Schalick911116-37
3-point goals: Oakcrest 1 (Brown); Schalick 5 (Fisler, Robinson 4). Rebounds: Schalick 36 (Robinson 11, Vanacker 7, Scurry 6). Technical fouls: O’Neill. Fouled out: Sanders. Total fouls: Oakcrest 14, Schalick 16.

Top photo: Schalick’s Ava Scurry is joined by her teammates to commemorate her 600th career rebound. (Submitted photo).

PENNSVILLE 49, PITMAN 21: Taylor Bass pumped in 23 points to surpass 1200 for her career, Marley Wood scored 16 (to go over 1,300) and the Eagles held Pitman scoreless in the third quarter to win their seventh straight. It’s their longest winning streak since they won seven straight in the 2019-20 season. It was their fifth straight win since the coaching change.

PITMAN (4-14): Colette Rollins 1 0-2 3, Jocelyn O’Brien 0 0-0 0, Marlee Adams 1 0-3 2, Kendall Bennett 2 0-0 4, Emery Sharpnack 1 2-2 4, Audrey Duffield 3 0-2 7, Bella Pramov 0 1-4 1. Totals 8 3-13 21.
PENNSVILLE (15-6): Taylor Bass 10 0-2 23, Marley Wood 7 1-2 16, Addie Johnston 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 2 1-2 6, Jaiden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 2-6 49.

Pitman9804-21
Pennsville1181119-49
3-point goals: Pitman 2 (Rollins, Duffield); Pennsville 5 (Bass 3, Wood, Saulin).

BOYS BASKETBALL
WOODSTOWN 64, SALEM TECH 15: The Wolverines spread the wealth, getting scoring from 12 players, and held the Chargers to three points in the second half to win its third in a row — all over Salem County competition. Andrew White led the way with 13 points. Connor Miller had eight and Frank Hoerst had seven. Blake Bialecki hit two more 3-pointers and is now four away from extending his school record to 200 for his career. He has hit at least one trey in each of his last 19 games.

WOODSTOWN (15-8): Elijah Caesar 2 0-2 4, Jalen Markward 2 0-0 4, Blake Bialecki 2 0-0 6, Alejandro Vazquez 1 1-2 3, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Josh King 3 0-2 6, Andrew White 6 0-0 13, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 2 0-0 6, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 3 0-0 7, Connor Miller 3 0-0 8, Brian Booker 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 1-6 64.
SALEM TECH (2-17): Chase Pompper 3 0-0 6, Brody Kroll 0 0-0 0, Ayden Myers 0 0-0 0, Aiden Bobo 1 1-2 3, Avery Reed 0 0-0 0, Keidyn Robinson 0 0-0 0, Luke Kroll 0 0-0 0, Raphael Busch 3 0-0 6, Micah Cavanaugh 0 0-0 0, Sterling Lewis 0 0-2 0. Totals 7 1-4 15.

Woodstown12281410-64
Salem Tech 4812-15
3-point goals: Woodstown 9 (Bialecki 2, Hood-McGinley, White, Fulmer 2, Hoerst, Miller 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 8.

PITMAN 53, PENNSVILLE 16: Jay Craig had his third double-double in his last six games and the Panthers hit eight 3-pointers as a team to roll past the Eagles. Craig had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jake Bowen-Ashwin also scored 11 points and Parker DeChristopher had 12. Lucas Razze had eight of the Panthers’ 21 steals.

PENNSVILLE (3-19); Jake Layfield 4 0-0 9, Shamir Watkins 1 0-0 3, Gavin Spears 1 1-2 3, Colin Keevan 0 1-3 1, Danny Knight 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 2-5 16.
PITMAN (10-13): Lucas Razze 3 0-0 8, Parker DeChristopher 4 1-1 12, Joey Zubert 1 0-0 2, Jay Craig 5 1-4 11, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 3 4-6 11, Micah Frost 0 0-0 0, Nolan Russell 0 0-0 0, Keaton Libby 0 0-0 0, Michael Aubrey 0 0-0 0, Carter Snyder 0 0-0 0, Brayden Geary 0 0-0 0, Oliver Spier 3 1-1 9. Totals 19 7-12 53.

Pennsville (3-19)5263-16
Pitman (10-13)162485-53
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Layfield, Watkins); Pitman 8 (Razze 2, DeChristopher 3, Bowen-Ashwin, Spier 2). Rebounds: Pitman 34 (Craig 11).

Wrestling

WILLINGBORO 33, SALEM 30
106: Double forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Fahad Irshad (WI) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:47
126: Zachary Tortella (S) pinned Demarco Edwards, 4:47
132: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Michael Barker, 0:51
138: Yiornniel Cordero (WI) dec. Brodie Parker, 9-6
144: Joseph Goetaski (S) won by forfeit
150: Roatan Alleyne (WI) won by forfeit
157: Ziyon Moore (S) dec. Deryck Montoya, 9-3
165: Precious Bankole (WI) won by forfeit
175: Dovonte Ruiz (WI) won by forfeit
190: Toren Schoners (WI) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:53
215: Abdur Jenkins (S) def. Lebron Martin, SV-1 4-1
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) won by forfeit

PENNSVILLE 63, HADDON HEIGHTS 10
106: Aniello Napolitano (H) pinned Brett Land, 5:53
113: Erick Davalos (P) pinned Andrew Hanchey, 1:22
120: Maximos Efelis (P) won by forfeit
126: Michael Ferraro (H) maj. dec. Mehki Dicks, 13-3
132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Brennan Albright, 2:15
138: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Gavin Gilliss, 4:58
144: Vincent Grether (P) pinned Leo Falco, 3:57
150: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over Ryan Bailey, 18-3 (5:03)
157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ian Bomgardner, 1:30
165: Robbie McDade (P) maj. dec. Andrew Gutkin, 10-2
175: Cristian Blyler (P) dec. Shawn Thompson, 10-3
190: Stephen Pangle (P) won by forfeit
215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) pinned Cameron Mayo, 1:51
285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Nathan Lelionis, 7-2