Category: BASKETBALL

Roll with it

Schalick’s Jones rolls in a couple big baskets in second half, while defense denies West Deptford; Salem, Woodstown win showcase games

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 56, West Deptford 47
Gateway 55, Pennsville 40
Brook Ball Winter Classic
Woodstown 52, Collingswood 45
Marty Derer Classic
Salem 71, Rancocas Valley 45
Westhampton Tech 59, Penns Grove 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Schalick basketball coach James Turner used to give the ol’ eye roll when he watched Sherrod Jones get to the basket and try to finish it off with a finger roll at the rim. He just wasn’t sure if the shot was going to have enough steam to get in the hole.

It’s not like that anymore.

Jones has gotten quite proficient at getting the shot to drop this season and it played a pivotal role in the Cougars’ 56-47 win over West Deptford Tuesday afternoon.

The senior used the move he learned from his father on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to convert turnovers into layups to give the Cougars their first lead since early in the game. He made a outback about 30 seconds later that with the defense they would play gave them the lead for good.

“Comparing this year from last year he’s much better at finishing at the rim,” Turner said. “In years past he’d get there and get a clean shot off but you just didn’t know if they’re gonna go in. This year, just today alone, he finished very, very well.

“This year he just made it look so smooth, so effortless, and that’s a big improvement for him from last year. He’s always been able to get to the rim and now he’s able to finish.”

As much as Jones likes to dunk, the finger roll is typically his first option.

“I just feel like the finger roll is the easiest shot for me to get to,” he said. “I feel like anytime I get to the paint and there’s somebody right there I just wrap around and get that finger roll up.”

Schalick’s Sherrod Jones (3) flashes to the basket during Tuesday’s game with West Deptford. Top photo, Jones goes in for a layup.

Jones was really big in the second half. He scored 11 of his 13 points in the half and had four rebounds and two blocked shots. He had nine points in the third quarter.

“I told myself coming into the second half I was going to get a bucket,” he said. “My whole goal coming into the game was just bringing intensity to the team, hype everybody up. I started off by playing defense, getting blocks, and then the finger roll came into play.”

The Cougars (2-3) took a big step in their development in the second half and particularly the third quarter. They learned a lot about playing together.

They went into halftime trailing by one. They took the lead in the third quarter and stayed out front by holding the Eagles (1-5) without a field goal over the final 11 minutes of the game.

“That showed me how much they wanted it,” Jones said. “The first half we would play defense like we did today and it’d be great, (but) the second half people would get tired and it’d fall off. This time we played defense all the way through and we just kept going.”

The last bucket West Deptford scored came on a putback with three minutes left in the quarter. From there to the final horn the Eagles went 0-for-11 from the field with 13 turnovers. The Cougars, meanwhile, outscored them 20-8.

Freshman Orion Baldwin scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and Justin Iacona had five.

“The one thing we do have is we have really good young players who really love the game and play the game well, and those guys allow the other guys to play together,” Turner said. “When you have young kids on the team that are energetic, that play the game very well, other teammates around them will also kind of (elevate their game).

“We haven’t all played together long enough to learn from each other, so the growth that happened today was those guys learning how to play together.”

SCHALICK 56, WEST DEPTFORD 47
WEST DEPTFORD (1-5): Zamir Davis 1 2-4 4, Dylan Gloeckner 0 0-0 0, Michael Joseph 0 1-2 1, Cole Stanish 3 0-0 6, Talib Bogar 2 2-3 6, Kyle Eason 6 0-5 12, Anthony Martello 4 2-2 10, Curtis Pearson 1 2-2 5, Yassien Abdel-Hamid 1 1-1 3. Totals 18 10-19 47.
SCHALICK (2-3): Sherrod Jones 6 0-0 13, Dylan Sheehan 5 2-2 12, Justin Iacona 1 2-4 5, Orion Baldwin 5 4-6 16, Kenny Bartee 0 1-4 1, Kade Macom 1 0-0 2, Julian Dickerson 3 0-2 7. Totals 21 9-18 56.

West Deptford1116146-47
Schalick8181614-56
3-point goals: West Deptford 1 (Pearson); Schalick 5 (Jones, Iacona, Baldwin 2, Dickerson). Rebounds: West Deptford 31 (Martello 6, Bogar 8, Stanish 7); Schalick 25 (Jones 5, Sheehan 6, Dickerson 7). Fouled out: Joseph, Sheehan. Total fouls: West Deptford 21, Schalick 21.
Schalick’s Kade Macom (24) forces West Deptford’s Cole Stanish into a five-second violation in the first half.

GATEWAY 55, PENNSVILLE 40
PENNSVILLE (1-5): Daniel Knight 5 0-0 13, Mason O’Brien 4 4-4 12, Jake Layfield 4 2-2 12, Jacob Farina 1 0-0 3, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-6 40.
GATEWAY (3-2): Eddie Coryell 5 1-2 15, Ben Runner 6 2-4 14, Evan Haase 4 0-0 11, Ben Cook 3 1-4 7, Matt Cawley 1 0-0 2, Devin Forman 1 0-0 2, Darnell Pretlow 1 0-0 3, Jake Finger 0 1-2 1, DJ Bink 0 0-0 0, Max Hohl 0 0-0 0, Pierce Kaeferie 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-12 55.

Pennsville126148-40
Gateway1014227-55
3-point goals: Pennsville 6 (Knight 3, Layfield 2, Farina); Gateway 8 (Coryell 4, Haase 3, Pretlow). Rebounds: Pennsville 12 (O’Brien 3, Spears 3); Gateway 38 (Runner 10, Cook 10).

BROOK BALL WINTER CLASSIC
WOODSTOWN 52, COLLINGSWOOD 45
WOODSTOWN (5-2): Eli Caesar 2 1-1 5, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 9, Alejandro Vazquez 6 1-1 16, Josh King 3 0-0 6, Andrew White 2 1-2 5, Frank Hoerst 4 3-6 11, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-12 52.
COLLINGSWOOD (0-6): Courtney Bunch 4 0-2 8, Croix Kelly 1 0-0 3, Mekhi Tingle 0 0-0 0, Zack Washington 1 0-0 3, Aaron Young 5 0-0 14, Amandi Ekezie 1 0-1 2, Gavin Wife 0 0-0 0, Jayden Diaz 4 0-0 10, Isiaha Clement 2 1-2 5. Totals 18 1-5 45.

Woodstown16141210-52
Collingswood1211148-45
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez 3); Collingswood 8 (Kelly, Washington, Young 4, Diaz 2). Notes: The win was Woodstown’s fifth straight. Vazquez has hit 10 3-pointers during the winning streak. Hoerst’s 11 points were a career high. He also had five rebounds and three steals.

MARTY DERER CLASSIC
SALEM 71, RANCOCAS VALLEY 45
RANCOCAS VALLEY (4-2): Griffin Fair 2 0-0 4, Christian Phinisee 4 4-5 13, Jaylen Washington 2 3-4 8, Colin Seal 1 2-2 5, Chris Lee 3 1-2 7, Andre Birdsong 2 0-2 6, Amare Shelton 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-15 45.
SALEM (4-1): Tymear Lecator 4-0-9, Deshaan Williams 8-3-19, Marshall Stevens 2-0-4, Neziah Spence 3-4-12, Xavier McGriff 6-0-13, BJ Robbins 4-1-10, Cole Sayers 1-2-4, Kyvion Parsons 1-0-2. Totals 29-10-73

Rancocas Valley1410136-45
Salem18142217-71
3-point goals: RV 5 (Phinisee, Washington, Seal, Byrdsong 2); Salem 5 (Lecator, Spence 2, McGriff, Robbins). Rebounds: Salem 35 (Williams 12, Stevens 8). Notes: The double-double was Williams’ third of the season.

WESTHAMPTON TECH 59, PENNS GROVE 41
WESTHAMPTON TECH (5-2): Tristen Dickerson 1 0-0 3, Damien Moragne 1 0-0 3, Henry Njoga 5 0-0 10, Alexander Jeanty 7 2-2 17, Jason Livingstone 4 1-2 9, Dewill Andre 2 2-2 6, Javon Ford 3 0-0 7, Christian Price 0 0-0 0, Todd Young 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-6 59.
PENNS GROVE (4-2): Roman Gipson 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 2 0-0 4, Mishawn Brantley 5 0-0 12, Luis Colon 2 2-2 6, Geonni Conrad 3 0-0 7, Eli Pearsall 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Costacamps 1 0-0 2, Ahkeen Edwards 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 2-2 41.

Westhampton Tech1814207-59
Penns Grove8101112-41
3-point goals: West Tech 4 (Dickerson, Moragne, Jeanty, Ford); Penns Grove 3 (Brantley 2, Conrad). Rebounds: West Tech 35 (Njoga 7, Andre 6). Notes: Dickerson had nine assists and Jeanty had six steals. It was West Tech’s third win in a row and snapped Penns Grove’s two-game winning streak.

1000-POINT WATCH

PLAYERTODAYTOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown9 vs. Collingswood812
Tymear Lecator, Salem9 vs. Rancocas Valley694


Matinee magic

Salem County basketball teams go 3-for-3 in Monday holiday tournament matinees; Woodstown boys win their own tournament

BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech 67, Camden Prep 53
Woodstown 52, Haddon Heights 38
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Haddons Invitational Round Robin
Woodstown 46, Moorestown Friends 31
New Egypt Holiday Tournament
Salem 36, New Egypt 24
Steinert 54, Clayton 42

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – All the Woodstown basketball team needed was to see a couple shots go down to change its whole outlook on things. Or maybe it was the adjustments that led to making more shots.

The Wolverines weren’t really playing poorly early against Haddon Heights, but they trailed at halftime of their holiday tournament championship game Monday. 

They made some adjustments and finally got some shots to fall sparking a second-half surge that carried them to their fourth straight win, 52-38.

“We played very good, we did a lot of great things throughout the game,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “The first half we were playing great defense, the shots just weren’t falling. I think they were doing a good job keeping us off the glass. We made some adjustments and we started making shots.”

Eli Caesar and Andrew White both missed the tournament opener Saturday, but were back in action Monday and played key roles in the turnaround. White scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half and Caesar scored six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.

Alejandro Vazquez also came up big, scoring eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Tournament MVP Blake Bialecki scored only six points, but made “a lot” of what Roots called “winning plays” to build momentum. Josh King joined Bialecki on the all-tournament team.

“People are taking advantage of their opportunity,” Roots said. “I feel we have a good group; it can be anybody’s night. I have confidence in all of them.”

Camden Tech handled winless Camden Prep in the consolation game, 67-53. Amari Richardson led Tech (2-2) with 15 points and nine rebounds. Keysean Spencer scored a team-high 16 points.

Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Championship Game
WOODSTOWN 52, HADDON HEIGHTS 38
HADDON HEIGHTS (4-2): Max Silvestri 4 2-3 12, TJ Murphy 1 2-2 5, John Bordi 6 1-2 14, Charlie Merz 0 0-0 0, James Gray 1 0-0 2, Kieran Knecht 0 0-0 0, Nysir Morris 0 0-0 0, Troy Eiter 2 1-3 5. Totals 14 6-10 38.
WOODSTOWN (4-2): Blake Bialecki 2 1-1 6, Alejandro Vazquez 4 1-1 11, Josh King 2 5-6 9, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Trey Markward 0 0-0 0, Elijah Caesar 4 2-3 11, Frank Hoerst 0 0-0 0, White 4 3-6 12. Totals 17 12-17 52.

Haddon Heights912512-38
Woodstown1181320-52
3-point goals: Haddon Heights 4 (Silvestri 2, Murphy, Bordi); Woodstown 6 (Bialecki, Vazquez 2, Fulmer, Caesar, White). Fouled out: King. Total fouls: Haddon Heights 15, Woodstown 12.

Girls games
Big second quarter lifts Woodstown

HADDONFIELD – Maybe it took a little while to shake off the early start, but the Woodstown girls came to life in the second quarter and carried it to a 48-31 victory over Moorestown Friends in the Haddons Invitational Round-Robin.

Getting to school at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. game at coach Matt Smart’s old stomping grounds, the Wolverines fell behind 8-4 in the opening eight minutes before stifling the Foxes 17-2 in the second quarter to take control of the game.

“Our defensive intensity definitely changed in the second quarter,” Wolverines coach Matt Smart said. “We played better on-the-ball defense as well as help defense, then we were more patient with the basketball. We let the game come to us and would run our sets and play. We wouldn’t settle for a good shot, but a great shot.”

Mia Waterman hit two of her three 3-pointers and Kendall Young scored five of her team-high 15 points in the second quarter. Waterman finished with nine points in the game. Kyia Leyman had 12 and five other Wolverines hit the scoring column.

“You can see in the second quarter we didn’t rely on one girl to score all of the points,” Smart said. “The points were spread out that quarter, which is what we want. When we’re sharing the load offensively we become a much tougher team to guard.”

Haddons Invitational
Second round
WOODSTOWN 48, MOORESTOWN FRIENDS 31
WOODSTOWN (4-2): Lauren Hengel 2 0-4 5, Kyia Leyman 5 2-3 12, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 6 2-3 15, Mia Waterman 3 0-0 9, Kailyn Kennedy 0 1-2 1, Talia Guardascione 0 2-2 2, Maddie Roback 0 0-0 0, Ava White 0 0-0 0, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 1 0-0 2, Gabriella Maldonado 0 0-0 0, Kamiya Brunson 0 0-0 0, Cecelia Nachbar 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-14 48.
MOORESTOWN FRIENDS (4-3): Khadijah Banks 0 0-0 0, Ida Ramos 3 0-0 6, Mariana Wilson 3 4-9 10, Jenaya Santiago 0 0-0 0, Wynne Ay 1 0-3 2, Maymouma Banks 3 0-3 6, Payton Zauber 1 0-0 2, Resse Glickson 2 0-0 5. Totals 13 4-15 31.

Woodstown (4-2)4171116-48
Moorestown Friends (4-3)82912-31
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Hengel, Young, Waterman 3); Friends 1 (Glickson). Rebounds: Friends 36 (Ramos 11, Wilson 10). Total fouls: Woodstown 14, Friends 10.

Things changing at Salem

NEW EGYPT – After seemingly taking control of the game with a big first quarter, the Salem girls fell back to earth and found themselves in a real dogfight by the time the fourth quarter came around.

Unfazed, they collected themselves and outscored their hosts 12-4 in the final eight minutes to beat New Egypt 36-24 in the opening round of the New Egypt Holiday Tournament.

Freshman Jaryn Weathers scored five of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Nevaeh Hickman had four of her five in the quarter and Maddie Dixon had three of her team-high 12 there. Dixon also had six rebounds and four assists in the game, while Weathers also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

“I don’t think we ever cracked when they got it to two,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “I think we actually turned up. We didn’t play a few of our starters today, so to see us do this without our guns being completely loaded was admiration for the younger players.”

The win keeps the Rams’ early-season turnaround going. They have won won two in a row for the first time since last February, it’s the earliest they’ve won two games in a season since 2021-22 when they started 3-0, and it’s the first time they’ve been above .500 since being 4-3 in January 2023.

They won three games all of last season.

“Absolutely it’s mentality,” Carr said. “They know they have to work hard. I think in the past they’ve been able to get away with certain things. We want everybody when they come out of their house in the morning to be confident. That means when you go on the floor you have to be confident.

“I ask them you put clothes on every day? Yes. You eat every day? Yes. I said I need something to go with that every day and that’s confidence. I don’t care what it is, if it’s today’s task, if you’re going to take a test, if you’re going to play a basketball game, you have to bring a level of confidence.”

The Rams now play Steinert in Tuesday’s championship game. The Spartans (2-3) beat Clayton 54-42 behind Katie Corby’s 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. Bella Rosa had 18 points (four 3-pointers), 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

New Egypt Holiday Tournament
First round
SALEM 36, NEW EGYPT 24

Salem161612-36
New Egypt41073-24
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Dixon 3, Hickman); New Egypt 3 (Stillwell 3). Rebounds: Salem 29 (Weathers 8, Pierce 7, Dixon 6).


This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3

SUNDAY, DEC. 28
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove vs. Vineland at Audubon, 11 a.m.
WRESTLING
Salem in Middletown South Tournament
Pennsville, Schalick in Overbrook Girls Tournament

MONDAY, DEC. 29
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech vs. Camden Prep, 10 a.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Moorestown Friends, Haddonfield, 10 a.m.
Salem at New Egypt (tournament), 1 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 30
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Collingswood at Overbrook Classic, 10 a.m.
Salem vs. Rancocas Valley at Delsea, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Gateway, 11:30 a.m.
West Deptford at Schalick, noon
Penns Grove vs. Westhampton Tech at Delsea, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Maple Shade at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Salem at New Egypt Tournament
WRESTLING
Audubon, Long Branch, Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cherokee at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
Salem Tech at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.
St. Joe at Salem, 4 p.m.
Maple Shade at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cinnaminson at Woodstown, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Woodstown at Collingswood Duals, 9 a.m.
Northern Burlington, Manasquan, Holy Spirit at Salem, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Hammonton Duals, 10 a.m.
Schalick, Haddon Heights, Mainland at Overbrook, 10 a.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

Holiday hoops

Bass’ entry into Pennsville’s 1000-Point Club delayed by Haddon Twp., Roy breaks out for Penns Grove boys, and more

SATURDAY BASKETBALL
GIRLS
Haddon Twp. 53, Pennsville 31
Haddons Invitational
Holy Spirit 58, Woodstown 37
Audubon Holiday Tournament
Deptford 47, Penns Grove 12
BOYS
GCIT 68, Pennsville 55
Boardwalk Classic, Wildwood
Penns Grove 41, Millville 39
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Haddon Heights 64, Camden Tech 51
Woodstown 66, Camden Prep 25

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Taylor Bass would have liked to have 1,000 points for a belated Christmas present, but Haddon Twp. played Scrooge.

The Pennsville senior needed just 14 points to become the newest member of the Eagles’ 1000-Point Club Saturday, but the Hawks weren’t having it on their watch, especially after seeing one of those celebrations the last time out. They held Bass to a season-low six points and ended the Eagles’ three-game winning streak 53-31.

Her next chance for the milestone comes Jan. 5 against Clayton, a team she’s scored 15 and 20 against the last two times they’ve played. It’s scheduled as a road game, but the Eagles are hoping the Clippers will do them a solid and change venues to facilitate celebrating the milestone at home, just as teammates Nora Ausland and Marley Wood did last season.

“I haven’t really thought about it that much until someone came up to me and was like ‘Wow you’re 14 away,’ and that’s when it really hit me this game I could possibly get it,” Bass said. “But before that I just kind of went out there and played.

“Today what I ended up doing after I realized I was going to be face-guarded the whole game was just go play basketball, It’ll come when it comes. I know it’s coming soon. It’s eight points. I know I can get eight points.”

The Hawks made it hard for her to get any points Saturday. The six were her fewest in 22 games. She didn’t get her first shot off until the first minute of the second quarter when she made a layup for her first points of the game. She had another basket in the third quarter and two free throws.

“I touched the ball maybe 10 times the whole game,” she said. “That was the main thing, just trying to touch the ball. Whether it got in the basket, whether I got to the basket, whether I passed to a teammate, I really just wanted to get my hands on the ball.”

It’s not like the Eagles didn’t have plans to get her the ball.

“It was a tall task (to get the 1,000 today),” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “They came out and face-guarded her throughout the entire game.

“As much as I encouraged my girls to go and screen for her, I need to encourage them more strongly I guess or work on it because we just couldn’t get her free. And there certainly weren’t any long distance transitions. We got her the ball a couple times and they got back and knocked the ball away.”

Bass said she hadn’t had been guarded like that since last year’s Haddon Twp. game when the Hawks stayed up on her and Marley Wood all game, holding them to 9 and 6 points, respectively. It was the last time Bass was held out of double figures.

She had averaged 20 points in the 16 games in between, 23.0 this year going into Saturday.

“We knew she was one of their best players and we just wanted to shut her down just to win the game,” Hawks coach Mark Petito said. “I don’t even know what her career total points are, I don’t even know what she got. We knew the last game she had like 30 and we knew we had to shut her down. We just wanted to take her touches away and really defend the back door cut.”

Hawks guard Julianna Martin, who drew the heaviest duty on Bass, had extra incentive to shut down the Eagles’ senior.

“We played Haddon Heights the last game and Emma Harris scored 1,000 points,” she said. “My whole mindset going into the game was I don’t want to feel like that again so I tried my best to shut her down.” 

In addition to their tight defense, the Hawks also shot it well. They hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter to open 14-point lead they maintained the rest of the game.

Top photo: Haddon Twp.’s Julianna Martin (3) keeps a close eye on Pennsville senior Taylor Bass during Saturday’s game.

HADDON TWP. 53, PENNSVILLE 31
HADDON TWP. (3-2): Kiersten Callahan 4 1-2 13, Julianna Martin 1 4-4 6, Maeve Sheehan 0 0-0 0, Reagan Mahrer 0 0-0 0, Riley Kennedy 4 4-6 12, Abby Wiedeman 3 0-0 9, Kaitlyn Martin 4 2-3 10, Aubrey Carson 1 1-2 3. Total 17 12-17 53.
PENNSVILLE (3-2): Taylor Bass 2 2-3 6, Marley Wood 2 4-6 8, Izzy Saulin 2 1-2 5, Jaida Burns 2 2-2 6, Addi Johnston 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Jaiden Wilson 2 0-0 6. Totals 10 9-13 31.

Haddon Twp.2441213-53
Pennsville10876-31
3-point goals: Haddon Twp. 7 (Callahan 4, Wiedeman 3); Pennsville 2 (Wilson 2). Rebounds: Haddon Twp. 28 (Callahan 8, K. Martin 6); Pennsville 22 (Wilson 5, Wood 7). Technical fouls: Johnston. Fouled out: Callahan. Total fouls: Haddon Twp. 15, Pennsville 15.

HADDONS INVITATIONAL
HOLY SPIRIT 58, WOODSTOWN 37: Reilly Byrnes scored 16 points with four 3-pointers — all in the first half — and Lauren Cella and Kennedy Ward had 14 apiece for the winners. Megan Kane had seven points and eight rebounds. Kendall Young led Woodstown with 11 points.

HOLY SPIRIT 58, WOODSTOWN 37
HOLY SPIRIT (2-3): Kennedy Ward 6 0-0 14, Julie Fussner 0 0-0 0, Reilly Burns 5 2-2 16, Megan Kane 3 1-4 7, Lauren Celia 7 0-0 14, Emma Grimley 1 0-0 2, Kinsey Hagan 1 0-0 3, Lilly Bertino 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 3-6 58.
WOODSTOWN (3-2): Lauren Hengel 2 0-0 4, Kyia Leyman 4 0-3 8, Emma Perry 2 0-0 4, Kendall Young 5 0-0 11, Mia Waterman 2 0-0 6, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Ava White 1 0-0 2, Jaelyn McDonald 1 0-0 2, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0, Autumn Paleschic 0 0-0 0, Kamiya Brunson 0 0-0 0, Cecelia Nachbar 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 0-3 37.
Holy Spirit11141518-58
Woodstown415810-37
3-point goals: Holy Spirit 7 (Ward 2, Brynes 4, Hagan); Woodstown 3 (Young, Waterman 2). Total fouls: Holy Spirit 7, Woodstown 7. Officials: Mickle, Lewis.

AUDUBON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
DEPTFORD 47, PENNS GROVE 12: Kendall Evans led the Spartans with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Penns Grove (0-4)2253-12
Deptford (3-2)1791110-47

Boys

WILDWOOD – Will Roy is taking on an expanded role in the Penns Grove lineup this season and he took a big step forward Saturday, breaking out for a career-high 22 points to lead the Red Devils past Millville 41-39 in the Boardwalk Classic at the Wildwood Convention Center.

Roy came up from the JVs and made a couple spot starts last season, but this year’s he’s been handed the keys as the Red Devils’ point guard.

“He had what I call a breakout game for himself because I think it’s the first time he scored over 20 in his career,” head coach Damian Ware said. “This year he’s taken over the starting point guard role and I feel like he’s finally embracing it and starting to get comfortable in that role and taking a lead role.

“The last couple years he’s been a background guy. He started a few games last year, but mostly he’s been coming off the bench. He’s taken that point guard role and starting to establish himself.”

Roy’s previous career high was 16 earlier this year against St. Joe. His breakout game was anchored by a career-high four 3-pointers. He hit three in the first half.

“I always say if you make your first 3-point shot it gives you a good feeling,” Ware said. “He made his first 3-pointer and that got him going. Once you see one go in the basket the rest of them look easy.

“He’s still learning how to be a point guard, he’s not all the way there yet, but today was a big game for him.”

The Red Devils (4-1) fell behind at the start and fought through some early foul trouble. They trailed by five going into the fourth quarter, but won the final eight minutes 14-7 with Roman Gipson delivering a couple big baskets to pull out the game.

PENNS GROVE 41, MILLVILLE 39
PENNS GROVE (4-1): Haneef Frisby 1 1-2 3, Luis Colon 2 1-2 5, Roman Gipson 2 2-2 6, Geonni Conrad 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 9 0-0 22, Mishawn Brantley 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 4-6 41.
MILLVILLE (2-3): Rosaun Rhett 3 0-0 6, Caiden Allen 4 4-4 12, Divonte Smith 3 0-0 6, Kaseem Carter 0 2-4 2, Cayden Pierce 1 0-0 2, Alex Doss 1 4-8 6, Xavier Hart 1 2-2 5, Kris Harrell 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 12-18 39.

Penns Grove713714-41
Millville131097-39
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Roy 4, Brantley); Millville 1 (Hart).

WOODSTOWN HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT

WOODSTOWN – The host team was down two starters, but the rest of the lineup pulled the extra weight and lifted Woodstown to a 66-25 victory over Camden Prep in the opening round of its holiday tournament.

“We had a shorthanded lineup today … but we still handled business pretty well,” senior Blake Bialecki said.

The Wolverines (3-2) got scoring from all 10 players who got in the game. Bialecki led the way with 22 points. John Hood-McGinley had 10 and Josh King added nine.

“It didn’t surprise me,” coach Ramon Roots added. “I have full confidence in all of our players to step up in those situations.”

The Wolverines jumped out front 20-2 and steadily stretched the lead. Bialecki had two of his three 3-pointers and eight points in the first quarter.

They now play Haddon Heights in Monday’s 11:30 a.m. championship game. The Garnets (4-1) used a big second half to dump Camden Tech, 64-51. Tech and Prep will play in the 10 a.m. consolation game.

WOODSTOWN 66, CAMDEN PREP 25
CAMDEN PREP (0-4): Markece Baker 0 0-0 0, Shaquan Merlin 5 1-2 11, Jasool Clark 0 0-0 0, Sherron Logan 0 0-2 0, Kayden Miller 1 0-0 2, Luis Cordero 2 0-1 4, Henry Castelan 0 0-0 0, Noel Moore 0 0-0 0, Manny Bonilla 2 0-1 2, Ahnige Ewing 2 0-0 4, Justyn Ferreira-Paredes 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 1-6 26.
WOODSTOWN (3-2): Blake Bialecki 7 5-5 22, Alejandro Vazquez 2 1-2 6, Josh King 4 1-1 9, Lucas Fulmer 1 3-4 5, Conner Miller 1 0-0 2, Johni Hood-McGinley 4 1-2 10, Trey Markward 1 1-2 3, Frank Hoerst 1 1-4 3, Bryce Ayars 1 0-0 2, Brayden Hall 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 13-19 66

Camden Prep29104-25
Woodstown20171811-66
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez, Hood-McGinley). Total fouls: Camden Prep 13, Woodstown 9.

REGULAR SEASON
GCIT 68, PENNSVILLE 55: Milan Suarez, a 6-6 sophomore, went for 36 points, 12 rebounds and six steals to lead GCIT (4-2). Ian Malgapo had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. No Pennsville details were reported.
GCIT (4-2)18181220-68
Pennsville (1-4)15111712-55

Salem County 1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTODAYTOTALNEXT
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
6 vs. Haddon Twp.
992
Jan. 5 vs. Clayton
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
22 vs. Camden Prep
797
Dec. 29 vs. Haddon Heights
Tymear Lecator, Salem
DNP
685
Dec. 30 vs. Rancocas Valley

Bass closing in

Pennsville senior moves within 14 points of 1,000 for her career after 30-point night against Overbrook; includes 1,000-Point watch list

MONDAY BASKETBALL
BOYS
Woodstown 90, Glassboro 65: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Eli Caesar hit four and went for 20 and the Wolverines won their second straight after opening the season with two nail-biting losses. “We’re back on track,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said.

The trouble in the early losses was falling behind early and having to play catch-up. Against the Bulldogs jumped out 17-10 in the first quarter and 48-they hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and 48-24 at halftime. They hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and scored 31 points in the second quarter.

Salem 100, Great Oaks Charter (Del.) 71: Neziah Spence led four Rams in double figures with 20 points (and six steals). Xavier McGriff had 16, Deshaan Williams 12 (with eight rebounds) and Tymear Lecator 10 (with six assists). Marshall Stevens grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Penns Grove 67, Schalick 47: Roman Gipson led a balanced Red Devils’ scoring attack with 12 points. Geonni Conrad had 11 points and William Roy and Zane Thomas 10 each. Schalick’s Julian Dickerson hit five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 21 points.
Overbrook 61, Pennsville 15: Bilal Robinson led the Rams with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Lamar Little led all scorers with 24 points. Mason O’Brien led three Pennsville scorers with nine points.

GIRLS
Pennsville 61, Overbrook 21: The Eagles jumped out 20-0 in the first quarter, hit 11 3-pointers in the game and Taylor Bass scored a career-high 30 points to produce a third straight win.

Bass’ previous career high was 29 against Schalick last February. The senior now needs 14 points to become Pennsville’s newest 1,000-point scorer and the program’s third in two seasons. She’s averaging 23.0 in four games this season. The Eagles (3-1) host Haddon Twp. Saturday.

Marley Wood scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished 13 assists, one shy of her career high. Jaiden Wilson scored nine – all on 3-pointers.

If the Eagles ran a reverse Silent Night promotion, remaining quiet in the stands until the opposition scored, they would have been silent for more than nine minutes. The Rams finally broke their drought on a free throw with 6:59 left in the second quarter.

Glassboro 40, Woodstown 34: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett filled the box score with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Sanaa Thomas picked the Wolverines’ pocket for 10 steals. Kyia Leyman led Woodstown with 12 points.

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTONIGHTTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville30 vs. Overbrook986
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown25 vs. Glassboro775
Tymear Lecator, Salem10 vs. Great Oaks685

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 21-27

SUNDAY, DEC. 21
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Girls Beast of the East, New Castle, Del.
Woodstown at Beast of the East, Newark, Del.

MONDAY, DEC. 22
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville at Ocean Breeze, 4:30 p.m.
Salem at Bennett Center, 4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 23
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Bridgeton, 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 26
WRESTLING
Schalick at Clayton Tournament
Salem girls at Clayton Tournament

SATURDAY, DEC. 27
BOYS BASKETBALL
St. Joseph at Salem, 12:30 p.m.
GCIT at Pennsville, 1:30 p.m.
Boardwalk Classic, Wildwood
Penns Grove vs. Millville, 2:30 p.m.
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech vs. Haddon Heights, 10 a.m.
Camden Prep vs. Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Holy Spirit, Haddonfield, 10 a.m.
Haddon Twp. at Pennsville, 10:30 a.m.
Audubon Holiday Tournament
Penns Grove vs. TBA, 11 a.m.
Vineland vs. Audubon, 2 p.m.
WRESTLING
Penns Grove, Schalick at Clayton Classic, 8 a.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook Tournament
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

High school Saturday

Here are the results from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar

BOYS BASKETBALL
PLEASANTVILLE 61, SALEM 54: Deshaan Williams had 22 points and eight rebounds, but the Rams played much of the game without their floor leader and suffered their first loss of the season in the Ocean City PBA Tipoff Weekend.

Darrelle Johnson had nine points and eight rebounds, Marshall Stephens had six points, eight rebounds and two steals, and BJ Robbins had seven points, six assists and three steals. Standout guard Tymear Lecator left the game with an ankle injury and was held to one point.

The Rams (2-1) return to action Monday with a girls-boys home doubleheader against Greater Oaks Charter of Wilmington. The Gladiators’ boys are 4-1 with a one-point loss in their opener. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL
HIGHLAND 48, SALEM TECH 39: The Tartans used a 13-3 second quarter to take control and snapped a two-game losing streak. Highland put two scorers in double figures to offset Salem Tech junior Shelby Drummond’s game- and career-high 22 points. 
Winslow 53, Penns Grove 12

WRESTLING
HOWDY DUNCAN INVITATIONAL

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Gabe Supernavage placed second in 157 and four of his teammates placed in the top five helping Pennsville to an eighth-place finish in the Howdy Duncan Invitational at William Penn.

Supernavage made his way through the bracket with three straight tech falls in the shortest elapsed time (7:26), but was pinned by Davonne Dallas of Milford in the 157 final, after posting three straight tech falls on the road to get there.

Chase Baker, a 19-seed, needed a tournament-best one minute to score a 16-1 tech fall over Aidan Ulichney of Wilmington Charter in the 132 third-place match. Jacob Hand, the 23rd seed in his weight division, was fourth at 285 and Brett Land (113) and Travis Hagan (150) both placed fifth in their weight divisions.

BEAST OF THE EAST
NEWARK, Del. – Woodstown’s Mateo Vinciguerra, the second-seeded heavyweight, won two championship bracket matches to reach the Sunday quarterfinals in the Beast of the East.

Vinciguerra scored a 12-3 major decision in the Round of 32 and a 30-second pin in the Round of 16. He faces seventh-seeded Chris Funches of Grassfield in his first match Sunday.

Greyson Hyland went 2-2 at 175 and Carson Bradway 1-2 at 120.

Among other Salem County wrestlers at the meet, Schalick’s Aiden Jenkins (157) went 1-2 with a pin in the preliminary round, Salem’s James James lost his opening match, then scored three pins after a bye and teammates Sayge Herndon (106) and Derek Bush (120) both won a match

SALEM QUAD
Burlington Twp. 51, Salem 24
Salem 48, Camden/Eastside 24
Manchester Twp. 65, Salem 18

SALEM – Guylherme Quintaniha (132) went 3-0 with two pins and a forfeit win and Christian VonTonder (150) scored a pair of pins for the Rams. Quintaniha scored his pins against Burlington Twp. and Manchester Twp., while VonTonder pinned against Camden/Eastside and Manchester Twp.

CUMBERLAND DUALS
Brick Twp. 73, Penns Grove 6
Cherry Hill East 64, Penns Grove 12

BRIDGETON – Abdul Tart (144), Zaviyon Veney (215) and Antonio Cooper (285) scored the Red Devils’ points. Tart pinned against Brick to get the Red Devils on the board, while Veney and Cooper pinned against CHE.

INDOOR TRACK
PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown’s Josh Crawford and Penns Grove’s Arianna Dowe won events in Saturday’s fourth SJTCA meet of the season at the Ott Center.

Crawford won the boys 400 in 49.85, running a best-in-field 26.304 final lap. Dowe won the girls triple jump with a 32-7.75 on her first attempt.

Woodstown’s Kami Casiano (girls high jump) and Penns Grove’s Bryan Garlic (boys triple jump) posted third-place finishes.

No L, Noel

Mighty Oaks should remain No. 1 in country into new year after rout of Sussex in final game of 2025

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News


NEWTON — When you haven’t lost all season and don’t play again until after the first of the year, of course it’s going to be a joyous noel.

The top-ranked Salem CC basketball team wrapped up the 2025 portion of its season 16-0 after routing Sussex 91-51 Saturday. With no game now until early January – when they have a chance to get even stronger with a new player in the mix – the Mighty Oaks should remain the No. 1 team in JUCO Division III into the next calendar year.

“The record is better than I thought, the team is exactly what I thought,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We’re playing great basketball. I think we’re four in the nation in scoring (second in total points). I’ve got a point guard (Saaid Lee) who’s No. 2 in assists in the nation. I’ve got the No. 1 team in nation. I think I’ve got three of the best players in the nation (in Lee, Nasseem Wright and Jarrell Little), one coming in who’s going to be really hard to deny as well.

“(People thought) there’s only one basketball, there’s no way they’re going to work out, and 16 games later we shut that down.”

The Mighty Oaks’ last game of the calendar year can best be described as a trap game. Salem was undefeated, it was playing a team that was 5-10, in another road game, and some players had to be early risers just to meet the bus for the noon tip.

“It was a dangerous game, man,” Green said. “If one kid missed the bus, you’ve got a whole different game going on.”

But through it all the coach thought his team played “pretty solid.” They scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed. Four players scored in double figures, one just missed, and every player scored.

“That’s important for longevity,” Green said. “We want to win the league. We want to go to the nationals again and have another crack at it. At the nationals you play every day so it’s very important (to have everybody involved).”

One of the biggest qualities of this year’s Salem team is an uncanny knack for knowing when to turn it up a notch. The Skylanders got within three with five minutes left in the half, then Salem went on an 18-3 run to the horn, not allowing a field goal, to take control of the game. 

Little led the Mighty Oaks with 23 points, four steals and four assists. Lee had 17 points, four assists and three steals. Idris Rines continues to shine off the bench, going for 15 points and eight rebounds. Wright had 12 points with seven rebounds, three steals, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Qua Smith grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. 

“I think that’s just our style,” Green said. “We try to wear on you. We try to wear you down and we try to send more bodies after it so we can keep it going. We just try to wear people down with numbers. Although we only have nine right now, we have nine who are really capable of producing. I think it’s just a testament to the type of guys we recruit.”

The Mighty Oaks figure to get even stronger when Nayeem Johnson becomes eligible in the second semester. Green describes him as “kind of like Saaid and Jarrell rolled into one.” Johnson played a big role in handing the Mighty Oaks one of their few losses in 2025 when he played for Montco.

ACORNS: In case you’re wondering, they went 32-4 in the 2025 calendar year … The Mighty Oaks are off until Jan. 6 when they return to host current No. 7 Union, a team they lost to in the regular season last year, but beat in the national tournament.

SALEM CC 91, SUSSEX 51
SALEM CC (16-0): Jarrell Little 9-19 2-2 23, Saaid Lee 6-10 5-6 17, Idris Rines 4-8 6-6 15, Nasseem Wright 6-13 0-2 12, Jahseir Sayles 3-5 2-2 9, Zyaire Gibson 2-6 0-0 5, Qua Smith 2-4 0-0 5, Stefan Phillips 0-1 3-4 3; Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-67 18-22 91.
SUSSEX (5-10): Not reported.

Salem CC4546-91
Sussex2724-51

3-point goals: Salem CC 7-19 (Little 3-7, Rines 1-3, N. Wright 0-1, Sayles 1-3, Gibson 1-3, Smith 1-1 , Phillips 0-1); Sussex NA; Rebounds: Salem CC 43 (Smith 11, Rines 8, N. Wright 7); Sussex NA.
Total fouls: Salem CC 13; Sussex NA.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION IIIR19ALLGSAC
SALEM CC (1)10-016-010-0
Northampton (2)8-013-1
Union (7)8-110-27-1
Ocean (RV)8-28-45-3
Montgomery (10)4-17-2
Brookdale11-311-57-3
Camden6-39-46-3
RCSJ-Cumberland6-46-75-5
Atlantic Cape4-55-63-6
Bergen6-87-92-6
Thaddeus Stevens2-45-7
RCSJ-Gloucester4-105-111-6
Sussex3-95-113-8
Passaic3-103-113-8
Delaware County2-83-11
Harrisburg Area1-52-10
Philadelphia1-86-8
Luzerne0-63-10

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 91, Sussex 51
Passaic 63, RCSJ-Gloucester 58
Union 68, Bergen 65
Delaware Tech 89, Essex 78
Cecil 79, Delaware County 64
Middlesex at Montgomery County (Md.)

Getting the bounce

Mighty Oaks go smiling into the holidays after big fourth quarter carries them to road win in final game of 2025

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NORTH EAST, Md. — Cecil leading scorer Bri Shelton was having a rough day in the field, but launched a shot late in the fourth quarter trying to put her team back on top after the visitors had fought all game to wrestle away the lead. The ball bounced up and down off the rim several times then rolled around a few more and Salem CC coach Brian Marsh’s heart jumped every time.

When it finally slid off the cylinder and onto the floor the Mighty Oaks felt like they finally got a piece of good luck in an otherwise tough start to the season. Justine Cardona then buried three late free throws and Salem came away with a 69-64 win that sent them into the holidays with a smile.

“It’s been a tough November and December and we’re finally getting healthy,” Marsh said. “We definitely wanted to leave on a good note. I told them let’s go home with a smile on their face, Come out here and do what we need to do and take care of business and that’s what they did.”

The Mighty Oaks (2-8) had been playing catch-up all game, but they finally put it together with a 23-10 fourth quarter. They went to a full-court press hoping to speed up the Seahawks and attacked the basket when they got a turnover. The Seahawks didn’t make a field goal in final 5:11.

Niecey King and Justine Cardone kept the pressure on Shelton all game. Their effort limited the freshman, who had been averaging 17 a game, to just two points on 1-for-11 shooting and 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

“We played well down the stretch,” Marsh said. “We saw some things on tape we thought we could speed the game up and get them into some turnovers and that’s what we did.”

The Mighty Oaks trailed by two when King hit their shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the corner to put them up for good, 64-63 with 1:36 to play. It was her third 3-pointer of the season, matching her total of a year ago.

“That was a really big shot by our sophomore point guard, who is really coming into her own,” Marsh said.

The Seahawks tied it on a free throw with 1:05 to play, A layup by Shaw put Salem back up by two and Cardona hit three throws in the final 34 seconds to close it out.

Tanijya Shaw led the Mighty Oaks with a career-high 27 points, hitting 11 of 20 shots from the floor. It was her fourth straight 20-point game. She’s averaging 23.3 ppy during the run.

Cardona scored 16 points off the bench, grabbing seven rebounds and coming up with four steals. She was 10-of-16 from the free throw line, Kasey Oliver had 11 points and seven rebounds. Dani Gustin grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

“It’s a really nice win on the road and right before Christmas break,” Marsh said. “It gives us something to look forward to in 2026.

“I just want this team to play well and play together and see how this thing ends. That’s really what we’re looking for.”

SALEM CC 69, CECIL 64
SALEM CC (2-8) – RayNescia King 2-10 2-3 7, Tanijya Shaw 11-20 4-8 27, Kasey Oliver 4-11 3-3 11, Dani Gustin 1-5 4-6 6, Jayda Hunter 1-6 0-0 2, Justine Cardona 3-10 10-16 16, Ameriyona Hunter 0-1 0-0 0, Paula Wilson 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-67 23-36 69.
CECIL (4-7) – Nydia Mack 3-15 7-10 15, JaMya Muhammad 2-8 4-7 8, Bri Shelton 1-11 0-0 2, Mia Thompson 0-5 0-0 0, Sara-Zionna Benson 3-7 6-6 12, DeeDee Williams 2-4 2-4 6, Zuri Matthews 1-2 0-0 2, Kendra Watters 5-11 3-8 13, Ramiya Malik 1-4 0-0 2, Madi Cleary 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 20-72 22-35 64.

Salem CC14181423-69
Cecil14231710-64

3-point goals: Salem 1-12 (King 1-4, Shaw 1-4, Cardona 0-2, Wilson 0-2); Cecil 2-18 (Mack 2-5, Muhammad 0-2, Shelton 0-8, Matthews 0-1, Watters 0-2). Rebounds: Salem 45 (Gustin 13, Oliver 7, Cardona 7); Cecil 47 (Watters 12, Mack 8, Muhammad 7). Fouled out: Hunter, Benson, Malik. Total fouls: Salem 25, Cecil 26.

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION IIR19ALLGSAC
Harcum (6)6-014-1
Union (8)8-114-16-0
Mercer (19)6-210-33-1
Essex6-39-44-2
Delaware Tech3-44-10
Raritan Valley3-56-83-3
Lackawanna2-62-9
SALEM CC1-52-80-3
Middlesex1-65-110-4
Morris0-40-40-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 69, Cecil 64
Essex 73, Delaware Tech 58
Passaic 53, RCSJ-Gloucester 50
Westchester 73, Bergen 28
Montgomery County 70, Middlesex 62

Friday sports report

Salem County action in boys, girls basketball and more

FRIDAY’S GAMES
BOYS BASKETBALL
Schalick 67, Maple Shade 46
Pennsville at Salem Tech
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown 37, GCIT 27
Pennsville 51, West Deptford 40
Salem 45, Salem Tech 13
WRESTLING
Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Tournament

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERFRIDAYTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville20 vs. GCIT956
Blake Bialecki, WoodstownDNP750
Tymear Lecator, SalemDNP674

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Woodstown is a different kind of team this season than it’s been in the past and as such is having to learn to make its own way. Everyone is watching to see how the Wolverines handle things with their two dynamic scorers gone to the next level and Friday night they took a big step in that direction.

Facing adversity for the first time this season, the Wolverines played their way back into the game in the second quarter and went on to defeat GCIT 37-27.

“It was a tough game,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “It’s the first game all year we started down, but I’m super proud of how the girls responded to adversity.”

The Wolverines (3-0) didn’t have a double-figure scorer, but they let defense be their guide. They held GCIT to seven field goals and 17 points over the final three quarters.

“The first quarter didn’t go our way, but we were taking good shots that just weren’t falling,” Smart said. “The girls never lost confidence in their game and each other.

“At the end of the first quarter I challenged the girls to match GCIT’s physicality, to be honest, with the basketball and to continue to play as a cohesive unit. They did that and more.”

Mia Waterman led the Wolverines with nine points – all on 3-pointers. Lauren Hengel had eight points, while drawing the defensive assignment on GCIT’s Averie Clement. Miya Leyman also scored eight points. Talia Guardascione only scored three points, but it was a three-point play in the third quarter that got everyone on the Woodstown side excited.

“We have a group of girls who are willing to work and learn together,” Smart said. “I’m grateful to be able to coach a tight knit group of girls that are willing to learn and develop as a team.”

GCIT (1-3): Maggie Duer 4 0-0 9, Averie Clement 3 0-2 7, Nathalie Pagan 4 2-5 11, Ingrid Giannone 0 0-0 0, Addison Tinges 0 0-0 0, Reilly McShane 0 0-0 0, Naomi Woods 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 2-7 27.
WOODSTOWN (3-0): Lauren Hengel 3 1-2 8, Miya Leyman 3 2-4 8, Emma Perry 1 0-2 2, Kendall Young 2 2-2 6, Mia Waterman 3 0-0 9, Talia Guardascione 1 1-1 3. Totals 13 6-11 37.

GCIT10557-27
Woodstown61696-37

3-point goals: GCIT 3 (Duer, Clement, Pagan); Woodstown 5 (Hengel 2, Waterman 3). Total fouls: GCIT 12, Woodstown 11.

PENNSVILLE 51, WEST DEPTFORD 40: Taylor Bass moved another 20 points closer to 1,000 and Marley Wood added 13 to her list already in the 1000-Point Club for Pennsville.

Bass and Wood combined for 11 in the second quarter as the Eagles (2-1) pulled away from a 10-10 tie to take a 287-17 halftime lead. Bass tweaked her ankle during the game and coach Steve Merritt lifted her with a little more than a minute to play for her protection or she likes would have 21 for the third game in a row. She currently sits on 956 career points.

WEST DEPTFORD (1-2): Addison Fronza 2 2-6 7, Carleen Connelly 2 0-0 4, Reyanna Jamison 1 0-2 3, Deanna Lawrence 5 0-1 11, Paige Clipper 0 0-0 0, Julia Barger 0 0-0 0, Mia Morrell 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Taylor 3 0-0 9, Rayanna Mujahid 3 0-1 6, Kara Christy 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-10 40
PENNSVILLE (2-1): Taylor Bass 9 1-1 20, Marley Wood 4 5-10 13, Isabella Saulin 1 0-0 2, Jaida Burns 2 1-2 5, Addison Johnston 3 0-0 8, Jaiden Wilson 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 7-13 51.

West Deptford107710-40
Pennsville10171113-51

3-point goals: West Deptford 6 (Fronza, Jamison, Lawrence, Taylor 3); Pennsville 4 (Bass. Johnston 2, Wilson). Fouled out: Jamison. Total fouls: West Deptford 16, Pennsville 14.

SALEM 45, SALEM TECH 13: Kemp Carr got the Salem football team back on a winning track and now as the seasons changed he’s looking to do the same with the Rams’ girls basketball team.

Dyalra Anderson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Carlysia Pierce filled the box score with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, leading the Rams over Salem Tech 45-13 for their first win of the season and first under new coach Carr.

“I’m happy how hard our girls play,” Carr said.

The Wolverines showed improvement from their season-opening loss to Woodstown, reducing their missed layups and turnovers. Their in-your-face defense held the Chargers scoreless in the second quarter.

Thirteen players played and eight scored. In addition to the double-figure scorers, Timmiyah Simmons added eight points and four rebounds, and Shyla Parsons grabbed six boards.

Salem Tech3037-13
Salem171495-45


BOYS BASKETBALL
PITTSGROVE — Orion Baldwin and Julian Dickerson scored 18 points apiece to lead Schalick to its first win of the season, 67-47 over Maple Shade.

After a tight first half, the Cougars pulled away in the third quarter and then put it away with a 20-7 fourth. Kade Macom gave them three double-figure scorers when he popped for 11.

MAPLE SHADE (0-3): Jaden Hawkins 7 0-0 17, James Waibel 1 0-0 2, Jaylen Robinson 5 1-3 11, Donovan Overby-Washington 2 0-0 4, Feranmi Odu 5 2-3 11, Hezekiah Delvalle 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 3-8 47.
SCHALICK (1-2): Orion Baldwin 5 5-9 18, Julian Dickerson 6 4-5 18, Dylan Sheehan 3 0-0 6, Justin Iacona 3 0-0 7, Kade Macom 4 1-1 11, Cooper Willoughby 2 0-0 4, Kenny Bartee 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 10-15 67.

Maple Shade1512137-46
Schalick15141820-67

3-point goals: Maple Shade 3 (Hawkins 3); Schalick 9 (Baldwin 3, Dickerson 2, Iacona, Macom 2, Bartee).

WRESTLING

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Schalick’s Emma Cain won two matches and scored seven team points in the consolation round of the Girls Beast of the East Tournament at William Penn High School. The 115-pounder scored both her wins with pins before being pinned in the fifth consolation round.went 3-2 in the Girls Beast of the East