Here is the sports schedule for teams in Salem County for the week of Feb. 19-24
Monday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Camden County College at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Boys Wildwood at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Girls LEAP Academy at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Maple Shade at Gloucester, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Camden Catholic, Westbrook Lanes4 p.m. Doane Academy at Clayton, 4 p.m.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys Quarterfinals Cinnaminson at Manchester Twp., 3 p.m. Pennsauken Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Medford Tech at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Girls Quarterfinals Salem Tech at Manchester Tech, 3 p.m. Pemberton at Barnegat, 3 p.m.
Wednesday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Maple Shade-Gloucester winner at Donovan Catholic, 3 p.m. Girls semifinals Salem at New Egypt, Thunderbowl Lanes, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Salem at No. 1 Woodbury, 5:30 p.m. No. 9 Gateway at No. 8 Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Palmyra, 4 p.m. No. 13 Cape May Tech at No. 4 Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. No. 14 Pitman at No. 3 Maple Shade, 5:30 p.m. No. 11 Clayton at No. 6 Audubon, 4 p.m. No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Glassboro, 3:30 p.m. No. 15 Paulsboro at No. 2 Wildwood, 4 p.m. Boys SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT No. 16 Burlington City at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Academy, 6 p.m. No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 8 Woodbury, 4 p.m. No. 12 LEAP Academy at No. 5 Audubon, 5:30 p.m. No. 13 Woodstown at No. 4 Wildwood, 6 p.m. No. 14 New Egypt at No. 3 Salem, 5 p.m. No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 Glassboro, 5:15 p.m. No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 7 Palmyra, 5 p.m. No. 15 Pennsville at No. 2 Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys semifinals Manchester Twp. at Seneca Salem Tech at Overbrook
WRESTLING Region tournaments
Saturday
BOWLING SOUTH JERSEY GROUP II TOURNAMENT Boys championship at Laurel Lanes
Woodstown district champion Hyland among 15 Salem County wrestlers advancing to region tournaments
By Riverview Sports News
Woodstown sophomore Greyson Hyland won a district championship Saturday to lead a group of 15 Salem County wrestlers from two districts advancing to region wrestling championships.
Hyland scored a 6-1 decision over Gateway/Woodbury’s Brandon Bourdon to win the 175 division in District 31. Hyland won his first two matches by major decision and decision. Bourdon pinned his first two opponents.
Woodstown advanced seven wrestlers to the regionals. Travis Balback (120), Alex Torres (132), Zach Bevis (165) and Mateo Vinciguerra (215) were district runnerups.
Schalick/Cumberland advanced five wrestlers. Daniel Lloyd (138) and Ayden Jenkins (144) were district runnerups.
Pennsville advanced two wrestlers with Sky Eppes (150) finishing second at 150.
Penns Grove’s Clinton Bobo advanced out of District 29 as runnerup in 175.
DISTRICT 31 TEAM SCORES: Delsea 287, Gateway/Woodbury 153, Schalick/Cumberland 125, Woodstown 121.5, Vineland 89, Pennsville 62, Millville 50, Buena 27, Cedar Creek 26, Gloucester Catholic 18.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Greyson Pettit, Delsea; Josh Kinchen, Vineland; Caleb Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland. 113: Amari Vann, Delsea; Christian Snyder, Gateway/Woodbury; DeAnthony Harden, Schalick/Cumberland 120: Gage Summers, Delsea; Travis Balback, Woodstown; Aidan Barbato, Gateway/Cumberland. 126: Blaise Verdino, Delsea; Dante Gismondi, Gateway/Woodbury; Patrick Tull, Millville. 132: Zavier Stokes, Delsea; Alex Torres, Woodstown; Jayden Cinkowski, Vineland. 138: Chase Rossi, Gateway/Woodbury; Daniel Lloyd, Schalick/Cumberland; Matt Montalto-Summers, Delsea. 144: Michael Stokes, Delsea; Ayden Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland; Brett Rowand, Woodstown. 150: Jamar Dixon, Delsea; Sky Eppes, Pennsville; Noah Ubil, Gateway. 157: Andres Cortes, Gateway/Woodbury; Charlie Muzzarelli, Buena; Lionel Powell, Vineland. 165: Riley Boos, Delsea; Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Donte Nocito, Gateway/Woodbury. 175: Greyson Hyland, Woodstown; Brandon Bourdon, Gateway/Woodbury; Noah Cruz, Vineland. 190: Salvatore Marchese, Delsea; Aamir Dunbar, Cedar Creek; Elias Lussi, Pennsville. 215: Alex Grippo, Delsea; Mateo Vinciguerra, Woodstown; Jayden Jones, Millville. 285: Jose Berrios, Delsea; Marcus Offer, Millville; Frank Leon-Keenan, Gloucester Catholic.
DISTRICT 29 TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 246, Kingsway 216, Clearview 144.5, Pennsauken 114.5, Deptford 64, Pitman 58, Clayton/Glassboro 48.5, Penns Grove 40, Lindenwold 10.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Jason Meola, Kingsway; Dylan Hetzel, Washington Twp.; Carter Greco, Clearview. 113: Colton Hagerty, Washington Twp.; Ryan Preziosi, Kingsway; Eoin Curran, Deptford. 120: Christian Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Lucas Silvestre, Pennsauken; Brady McCollough, Clearview. 126: Ramon Alfonso Arroyo, Kingsway; Adriano Platt, Pitman; Anthony Morales, Clearview. 132: Conrad Raynor, Clayton/Glassboro; Aiden Hardy, Washington Twp.; Andrew Jamieson, Pennsauken. 138: Michael Horn, Washington Twp.; Elijah Beatty, Clearview; Jaylen Huertas, Deptford. 144: Tommy DiPietro, Kingsway; Stephen Borrelli, Clearview; Chaz Melton, Washington Twp. 150: Chase Helder, Kingsway; Jackson Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Kole Reiss, Clearview. 157: Benjamin Dryden, Kingsway; Raymond McFall, Washington Twp.; Tyler Trovato, Clearview. 165: Cole DeNick, Kingsway; Chase Rollins, Pitman; Adrian Alqutawna, Clearview. 175: Piotr Bochenski, Washington Twp.; Clinton Bobo, Penns Grove; Joseph Leone, Kingsway. 190: Luke Van Schenk Brill, Kingsway; Christopher Lamonthe, Pennsauken; Aaron Veytsman, Clearview. 215: Andrew Osborn, Washington Twp.; Kameron Hoskins, Pennsauken; Ryland Angel, Kingsway. 285: Luciana Mazzeo, Clayton/Glassboro; Mitchell Lando, Washington Twp.; Shane Davilla, Pennsauken.
Lady Devils fall to Glassboro in Tri-County Conference girls B Flight title game; Gloucester Catholic, Overbrook win other girls titles Friday, Timber Creek takes last boys crown
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FRIDAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 53, Clearview 46 B Flight Glassboro 32, Penns Grove 26 C Flight Overbrook 46, Cumberland 37 BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 62, Delsea 59
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO – Kezia Brackett had confidence in her shot from the minute she stepped on the floor Friday.
The Glassboro freshman guard hit shot after shot in pre-game warmups, then carried it over to the game with three 3-pointers in the first half when they were the only shots her team was getting against Penns Grove.
Brackett hit four 3-pointers in the game and finished with 24 points as the Bulldogs took down the Lady Devils 32-26 for the girls B Flight title in the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
“I thought it was very important for me to make my shots,” Brackett said. “During warmups I was kind of hot, so once my coach realized I was hot during warmups, they were feeding me the ball instantly.
“They were playing really good defense, but once I came off that screen set by SiSi (Sianna Wedderburn), it was there.”
The second-seeded Bulldogs (16-7) were playing without injured 1,000-point scorer Tamia Smith, so they needed everyone else to pick up the slack. Brackett just took it all on. She hit two 3s in the first quarter, including one at the buzzer, to give her team a lead it never lost. She hit another in the second quarter and then opened the second half with a 3 to give her team its biggest lead of the game.
“We had a very big effort from Kezia today,” Glassboro coach Monte Willis said. “I said prior to the game one of the keys to the game was we had to be efficient. When we had an opportunity to knock down an open shot or hit an open layup, we had to make it count.”
The way both teams played defense made it difficult for either to get a lot of shots. They spent much of their time moving the ball around the arc looking for something to break.
Where the Lady Devils, seeded eighth in the flight, had the best of it in the closing minutes of their semifinal win over Pennsville, they didn’t have such luck Friday.
After RaNiyah Wilson’s layup drew them even at 22 with 7:47 left, the Lady Devils (13-9) only scored four more points in 19 possessions the rest of the game – a 3-pointer by Wilson and a free throw by Brianna Roberts. They hit only one of their last 15 shots and when they missed they rarely got a second chance.
“I just think we got beat on the boards; they beat us on the boards,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “Give credit to them. They were the better team.”
“We believe we’re a very good defensive team, too,” Willis said. “We believe we have the athletes on the outside to be able to man up on anybody. We just came out there and we just wanted it.”
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GIRLS B FLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME GLASSBORO 32, PENNS GROVE 26 PENNS GROVE (13-9) — RaNiyah Wilson 4 1-2 11, Meely Horace 1 0-0 3, Brianna Robbins 1 4-10 6, Zoey Caesar 3 0-2 6, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 5-14 26. GLASSBORO (16-7) — Sanaa Thomas 0 5-10 5, Kezia Brackett 8 4-4 24, Kimora Miles 0 0-0 0, Anye Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 1 1-4 3, Scarlett Saicic 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 10-23 32.
Penns Grove
5
6
9
6 —
26
Glassboro
10
5
7
10 —
32
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Horace); Glassboro 4 (Brackett 4). Rebounds: Penns Grove 33 (Robbins 8, Caesar 7, Horace 7); Glassboro 31 (Wedderburn 12, Brackett 7). Technical fouls: Thomas. Total fouls: Penns Grove 15, Glassboro 13.
Cover photo: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett (5) launches one of her 3-pointers against the defense of Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson.
Penns Grove holds up best down the stretch, edges Pennsville for a shot at the Tri-County B Flight championship
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – As the games increase in importance and intensity the deeper teams go in the season, it’s more important than ever they learn to handle their end-game business.
The Penns Grove girls did that the best Wednesday, winning the final two minutes of the game, and it earned them a 41-38 victory over Pennsville in the Tri-County Tournament B Flight semifinals.
The eighth-seeded Red Devils (13-8) now travel to second-seeded Glassboro for the B Flight championship presumably Friday, while Pennsville (12-13) will host Pitman in the third-place game Thursday at 4 p.m.
The game was tight throughout with neither team leading by more than five points in the second half or by more than two for most of the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands on four straight possessions in the fourth until the Red Devils pulled away at the end.
Nora Ausland’s 3-pointer with 2:03 to play gave Pennsville a 36-35 lead, but it would be the last time the Eagles would lead in the game. Penns Grove scored the next six points – four from the free throw line – to seize the win.
“They did come through on that part,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “That last minute or so, clutch time, is showing them they can play. It should be giving them confidence at this time for the playoffs.”
The game was played under a heavy security presence in an effort to deter a repeat of last week’s game between the teams when the gym was cleared in the third quarter due to the unruliness of some fans. There were at least five Pennsville police officers in the gym, Penns Grove security personnel stationed at each end of the Red Devils’ bench and the athletics directors from both schools on hand. Five individuals reportedly were barred from attending the rematch.
The game went off without incident, even when things were at their most intense on the floor.
Brianna Robbins’ layup with 1:36 left put Penns Grove up for good 37-36. Pennsville traveled on the next possession and moments later had their calming influence Marley Wood foul out. RaNiyah Wilson missed a layup that would have extended the Red Devils’ lead, but the Eagles’ clearing pass went right to Zoey Caesar standing alone at the opposite free throw line for another turnover.
Penns Grove’s Meely Horace hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to make it 39-36. A scramble for a loose ball at the other end of the floor produced a held ball that went to Penns Grove and Wilson hit two more free throws with 13 seconds left to make it a five-point game.
Ausland made two free throws with one second left, but all they did was create the final margin.
“It was the difference today,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said of the end-game situation. “We went over these things yesterday. We talked about how to inbound, about changing, putting the pressure on them so they couldn’t just hold the basketball this time.
“It is unfortunate that there were some costly mistakes, It’s high-pressure, it’s high-intensity, they’re going to make mistakes. Our biggest thing there was we didn’t foul quick enough to stop the clock enough to get the ball back. It’s a young team, they’re learning these situations, we’re teaching them in practice, and (today) will just help us learn them even better for the future and the playoffs starting next week.”
Penns Grove never trailed in the first half and led by as many as seven before Pennsville rallied. The Eagles took their first lead 22-20 on Ausland’s layup with 4:35 left in the third quarter, but the Red Devils retied it at 25 and it stayed tight the rest of the game.
Wilson (19) and Horace combined for 32 points for Penns Grove. Ausland led Pennsville with 12.
Penns Grove has won six in a row since February began and seven of its last eight. The Red Devils won seven in a row in January last season.
Here is Wednesday’s schedule and scores for the Tri-County Basketball Tournament; look for separate stories on Pennsville-Clayton boys, Penns Grove-Pennsville girls elsewhere on the website
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 63, Pitman 61 Delsea 56, Salem 54 Overbrook 59, Wildwood 43 Triton 59, Gloucester Catholic 52 B Flight Kingsway 64, Deptford Twp. 41 Clearview 54, Highland 52 Washington Twp. 63, Penns Grove 40 Glassboro 73, Woodstown 45 C Flight Pennsville 90, Clayton 62 GCIT 62, Williamstown 46 Salem Tech 52, Schalick 49 GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 62, Williamstown 46 Clearview 54, Wildwood 42 Woodstown 71, Highland 67 Timber Creek 55, Washington Twp. 34 B Flight Penns Grove 41, Pennsville 38 Glassboro 48, Pitman 34 GCIT 34, Delsea 24 Kingsway 56, Clayton 48 C Flight Overbrook 52, Salem 48 Cumberland 60, Schalick 28 Deptford 51, Salem Tech 23
Boys Games
DELSEA 56, SALEM 54: A wise coach once said sometimes you’re the bull and sometimes you get the horns. Salem caught the horns Wednesday night.
Chase Ambrosius hit the last of his seven 3-pointers with 13 seconds left to give Delsea the lead and the Rams couldn’t get a a final shot to tie or win the A Flight semifinal.
The Rams led 23-3 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime and couldn’t hold it.
The loss came two days after they beat Overbrook 51-50 in the opening round.
Ambrosius led Delsea with 21 points. Luke Van Auken had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Max Van Auken had 13 points and eight boards.
Salem’s Anthony Farmer led all scorers with 23 points. Jabez DeJesus had 20.
The loss sends Salem to a consolation game matchup with Pitman.
SALEM (16-8) – Anthony Farmer 7 6-8 23, RaMaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 6 5-5 20, Paul Weathers 0 0-2 0, Tymear Lecator 3 1-2 9. Totals 17 12-17 54. DELSEA (17-8) – Luke VanAuken 7 3-5 17, Max VanAuken 4 4-5 13, Mike McGinley 2 1-1 5, Chase Ambrosius 7 0-0 21, Frank Master 0 0-0 0, Shane Madden 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Reardon 0 0-0 0, Jelani Poles 0 0-0 0, Dahmir Hart 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-11 56.
SALEM TECH 52, SCHALICK 49: The Chargers steadily built their lead over the first three quarter and it was big enough to withstand a fourth-quarter charge by the Cougars.
WASHINGTON TWP. 63, PENNS GROVE 40: The Minutemen got out to a quick start and carried it to a victory in a B Flight consolation game. Washington Twp.’s Gevon Conrad led all scorers with 23 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Giomar Conrad was Penns Grove’s only scorer in double figures (20).
3-point goals: Penns Grove N/A; Washington Twp. 6 (Conrad 3, McKenty, Rodia 2).
GLASSBORO 73, WOODSTOWN 45: Clinton Suggs hit five 3-pointers on the way to 23 points, Charles Graves had 20, Xavier Sabb had 17 and Glassboro pulled away with a big fourth quarter. Max Webb and Blake Bialecki had 13 points each for Woodstown.
WOODSTOWN 71, HIGHLAND 67 (OT): Highland’s Big Three outscored Woodstown’s Big Three, but the Wolverines complementary players were just a little stronger and it proved to be the difference.
Megan Donelson scored 23 points and Talia Battavio had 19 and both made big plays down the stretch in regulation and in overtime as the Wolverines (17-8) rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat the Tartans (14-11) for the second time this season. Shannon Pierman added 14 points despite fouling out in the fourth quarter to join the 500-500 Club in career points and rebounds.
Highland’s Dacia Mack led all scorers with 24 points. Breelynn Learn had 21 and Alonsa Thomas had 16.
OVERBROOK 52, SALEM 48: Salem senior NaeNae Logan reached a significant individual milestone in the game, but all things considered, she’d rather have been celebrating a victory.
Logan surpassed 100 blocked shots for the season in the first half of the C Flight semifinals. She had eight altogether and now has 104 for the year.
“She’s a kid who’s real heavy on herself, so for her to come back and get to have a moment like that and her teammates counting it down for her, she deserved it,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said.
The Rams, the No. 1 seed in the flight, celebrated Logan and her feat in the locker room at halftime with a 28-17 lead. They should have ridden that wave into the second half, but somebody forgot to tell Overbook. The visitors stormed through the third quarter on a 23-3 blitz to take the lead.
CUMBERLAND 60, SCHALICK 28: The Cougars were held scoreless in the first quarter and never recovered. Addison Weist scored 16 points and Isabella Albert had 13 to lead the Colts into the C Flight championship game. Taylor Sparks hit three 3-pointers and led Schalick with nine points.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Pitman at Timber Creek Salem at Delsea Wildwood at Overbrook Gloucester Catholic at Triton B Flight Deptford Twp. at Kingsway Highland at Clearview Penns Grove at Washington Twp. Woodstown at Glassboro C Flight Clayton at No. 1 Pennsville Williamstown at GCIT Salem Tech at Schalick GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic at Williamstown Wildwood at Clearview Highland at Woodstown Timber Creek at Washington Twp. B Flight Penns Grove at. Pennsville Pitman at Glassboro Delsea at GCIT Clayton at Kingsway C Flight Overbrook at No. 1 Salem Schalick at Cumberland Salem Tech at Deptford
Boys Games
SALEM 51, OVERBROOK 50: Anthony Farmer scored 19 points and the Rams rallied from 10 down with four minutes left to upset the No. 3 seed in the A Flight. Marshall Stephens blocked four shots, including two in a row down the stretch to keep the Rams in front.
The win was Salem’s third in a row and ninth in its last 10 games and sent Overbrook to its second straight one-point loss.
SALEM (16-7) – Anthony Farmer 19, Ramaji Bundy 3, Jabez DeJesus 10, Paul Weathers 2, Tymear Lecator 10, Marshall Stephens 5, Antwone Rogers 2. Totals 17-40 12-16 51. OVERBROOK (18-7) – Shaun Mills 2 2-4 8, Chris Grier 0 2-4 2, Nic Johnson 3 3-7 9, Lamar Little 4 0-1 10, Zair Green 2 2-2 6, Maki Ortiz 2 1-1 5, Xavier Wright 4 0-0 8, Kevin Satchell 1 0-0 2, Amare Kee 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-19 50.
Salem
7
13
11
20 –
51
Overbrook
15
16
6
13 –
50
3-point goals: Salem 5-16; Overbrook 2 (Little 2). Rebounds: Salem 23 (DeJesus 6, P. Weathers 6, Stephens 7).
WILLIAMSTOWN 48, SCHALICK 46: The Braves had won only one game all season and lost 10 in a row, but they were the third seed and beat the Cougars on a couple late free throws. Daniel Lis hit four 3-pointers and led Schalick with 19 points.
GLOUCESTER TECH 75, SALEM TECH 55: Trent Phillips led four scorers in double figures with 16 points and Michael Stanwood had a double-double (12/13) to lead GCIT’s victory. Haneef Frisby had a double-double for Salem Tech (13/14).
SALEM TECH (4-18) – Josh Muntz 3 1-2 7, Tyler Zampino 6 0-1 13, Antoine Robinson 5 3-3 14, Haneef Frisby 3 6-8 13, Chase Wills 3 1-2 7, Joseph Hayes 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 12-18 55. GLOUCESTER TECH (10-14) – Trent Phillips 8 0-0 16, Mark Hallman 5 4-4 15, Michael Stanwood 5 2-2 12, Carl Schmidt 5 0-0 12, Ian Malgapo 2 0-0 5, Patrick Monaghan 2 0-0 4, Gavin Shainline 1 1-2 3, Charles Donaldson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Morris 1 0-0 2, Brady Johnson 1 0-0 2, Amad Traore-Koffi 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 7-8 75.
CLEARVIEW 51, PENNS GROVE 50: The Red Devils missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and could only get a layup at the buzzer for the final margin. Kaprice Stewart scored 24 points to lead Clearview.
PENNS GROVE 54, GLOUCESTER TECH 44: Brianna Robbins is returning to the scoring form she displayed early in the season, going for a career-high 26 points as the Red Devils upset top-seeded GCIT in their B Flight opener. Robbins has been on a tear of late, scoring 63 points in her last three games. RaNiyah Wilson added 17 points. The Red Devils have won a season-best five in a row and six of their last seven.
The Red Devils will play at Pennsville in the Flight semifinals Wednesday.
Pennsville beat Delsea 43-35 behind Marley Wood’s 16 points. The win got the Eagles (12-12) back to .500 for the first time since mid-January.
SCHALICK 43, DEPTFORD 37: Cianna Gaines scored in double figures for the second time in her career and Abby Willoughby had 11 points and 10 steals as the Cougars won a first-round game in the tournament for the first time since 2021.
The Cougars got off to a slow start, falling behind 12-5 in the first quarter, but held the Spartans to just 13 points over the next two quarters to take control of the game. They outscored Deptford 16-5 in the second quarter behind eight points from Willoughby to grab the lead by halftime.
“We game planned to be a little more aggressive than normal and we were just that – aggressive and created turnovers,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “Offensively, we showed a lot of growth in our confidence as we didn’t second-guess decision and that confidence showed with good ball movement and the highest amount of assists in a game this season. All the girls deserve a shoutout as the hustle and effort was there from everyone, but Abby played a great game today.
“The team wanted to get our seniors a win in their final home game and played for one another tonight. It was fun to see as a coach.”
The Tri-County Conference Tournament highlights the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 12-17
Monday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight No. 8 Gloucester Catholic at No. 1 Timber Creek No. 5 Triton at No. 4 Pitman No. 6 Salem at No. 3 Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. No. 7 Wildwood at No. 2 Delsea B Flight No. 8 Woodstown at No. 1 Kingsway, 6 p.m. No. 5 Glassboro at No. 4 Deptford Twp. No. 6 Washington Twp at No. 3 Highland No. 7 Penns Grove at No. 2 Clearview, 6 p.m. C Flight No. 5 Clayton at No. 4 Cumberland No. 6 Schalick at No. 3 Williamstown, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 GCIT GIRLS A Flight No. 8 Highland at No. 1 Williamstown No. 5 Woodstown at No. 4 Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Washington Twp. at No. 3 Wildwood No. 7 Timber Creek at No. 2 Clearview B Flight No. 8 Penns Grove at No. 1 GCIT, 4 p.m. No. 5 Pennsville at No. 4 Delsea, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Pitman at No. 3 Kingsway No. 7 Clayton at No. 2 Glassboro C Flight No. 5 Overbrook at No. 4 Triton No. 6 Deptford at No. 3 Schalick, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 Cumberland
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Williamson College of Trades at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight Gloucester Catholic-Timber Creek winner vs. Triton-Pitman winner Salem-Overbrook winner vs. Wildwood-Delsea winner Consolation games B Flight Woodstown-Kingsway winner vs. Glassboro-Deptford Twp. winner Washington Twp.-Highland winner vs. Penns Grove-Clearview winner Consolation games C Flight Clayton-Cumberland winner at No. 1 Pennsville Schalick-Williamstown winner vs. Salem Tech-GCIT winner Schalick-Williamstown loser vs. Salem Tech-GCIT loser GIRLS A Flight Highland-Williamstown winner vs. Woodstown-Gloucester Catholic winner Washington Twp.-Wildwood winner vs. Timber Creek-Clearview winner Consolation games B Flight Penns Grove-GCIT winner vs. Pennsville-Delsea winner Pitman-Kingsway winner vs. Clayton-Glassboro winner Consolation games C Flight Overbrook-Triton winner at No. 1 Salem Deptford-Schalick winner vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland winner Deptford-Schalick loser vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland loser
Thursday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Salem CC at Northampton CC, 7 p.m. Women Salem CC at Montgomery County CC, 5 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS/GIRLS All Flights Third-place games Championship games
Saturday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Sussex County CC at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
Penns Grove did everything it could Friday to give it a chance to get a home playoff game, didn’t get outside help it needed and likely will be on the road; Pennsville thinks it’s in, but position hinges on Saturday’s results’ Woodstown, Same Tech also win
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 59, Schalick 36 Woodstown 77, Buena 22 Paulsboro 63, Pennsville 55 Salem Tech 64, Cape May Tech 53
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Damian Ware left the Schalick gym Friday evening comfortable in the knowledge his Penns Grove basketball team did everything it in its power to put itself in position to get a first-round playoff game. Now it was up to other games around the region to cooperate.
The Red Devils scored their fourth win in a row with their second win over the Cougars in four days, 59-36. It’s a result they figured they needed to move into the top eight of the South Jersey Group I power points standings to secure a first-round home game in the playoffs.
Their job done, all they needed now was a LEAP Academy victory over Palmyra and they could start printing home playoff tickets. But about a half hour after they left the building, the Red Devils learned Palmyra had won, leaving them once again on the outside looking for some mathematical help.
“Our goal was to win four games this week and we accomplished that goal,” Ware said immediately after the game and before the LEAP-Palmyra result was posted. “Right now we did what we had to do, everything else it out of our hands, so you just got to let the chips fall where they may.
“But I’m proud of the way my guys played today. A four-game week is a tough week and we stepped up and played hard. We played great defensively today; held them down. We did what we had to do, we did our part, now hopefully LEAP does their part.”
The win in Burlington County sent Palmyra soaring up the standings, all the way into a tie for sixth with Glassboro, leaving the Red Devils still ninth, eight points behind Woodbury.
The state cutoff is Saturday, then the final cross checks and calculations are made before the standings become official. Woodbury has a game against a 15-win Paul VI team in the opening round of the Camden County Tournament and the chance to pick up more power points before the deadline. Penns Grove is done until next week’s Tri-County Conference Tournament.
Once the results of Friday’s games started to hit, Ware resigned himself to the idea the Red Devils would be going on the road for the playoffs.
“We’ve got to be road warriors,” he said. “I was thinking the whole time we’re going to be on the road. I actually already kind of collected all of our home uniforms from most of the players. The whole time I was thinking we were going to be on the road, but hopeful we could get a home game. I was already kind of pre-planning to be on the road.
“We did all we could do. Now if we’d have won a couple games early in the season it would have been a no-brainer, but we kind of put ourselves in a position to where we had to hope for some other team’s help and if we didn’t get help, then we’d just have to do what we’ve got to do.”
Knowing they had to win to enhacing their position, the Red Devils controlled Friday’s game from the start. They opened with a Giomar Conrad 3, scored the first seven points of the game and led 20-7 early in the second quarter. They scored the last eight points of the second quarter for a 17-point halftime lead and led by 20 most of the second half.
“I think we’re doing great; the team chemistry is getting better,” post Willie Slocum said. “People have been doubting us, so it felt great to come together and be on this winning streak.”
The Red Devils haven’t won four in a row since starting the 2020-21 season 8-0.
Conrad led the Red Devils with 13 points – all in the first half. KaRon Ceaser had 11. Slocum and Camren Thompson also played big roles. Slocum had eight rebounds and Thompson, drawing his third start of the season in place of absent Mr Peterson, had four points in the first half, seven rebounds and several steals.
“I was just waiting my time, honestly,” Thompson said. “My time would come.” PENNS GROVE (10-12) – Brandon Robbins 2 0-0 5, Roman Gipson 1 2-3 4, Giomar Conrad 6 0-0 13, Karon Ceaser 5 0-2 11, Willie Slocum 1 0-0 2, Mekhi Ballard 2 1-2 6, Camron Thompson 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 3 0-1 6, Neziah Spence 2 0-0 5, Jameel Horace 1 1-4 3, Gionni Conrad C 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 4-12 59. SCHALICK (7-13) – Reggie Allen 3 0-0 7, Daniel Lis 5 1-2 11, Nylan Sutton 3 0-4 6, Nasir Sutton 1 0-1 2, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Jordan Johnson 0 0-2 0, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2, Nyzie Wonder 0 0-0 0, Sherrod Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-9 36.
Penns Grove
13
15
16
15 –
59
Schalick
5
6
11
14 –
36
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Robbins, Conrad, Ceaser, Ballard, Spence); Schalick 3 (Allen, Siedlecki, Volovar). Rebounds: Penns Grove 39 (Slocum 8, Thompson 7); Schalick 30 (Ny. Sutton 8, Lis 6). Total fouls: Penns Grove 11, Schalick 14.
PAULSBORO 63, PENNSVILLE 55: Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has done some quick calculations and believes his Eagles are in the 16-team South Jersey Group I playoff field, but where they fall won’t be decided until after Saturday’s cutoff.
The Eagles are currently 15th in standings, but likely will be 15 or 16 depending on the outcome of current No. 16 Burlington City’s game with Riverside. In any event, they’ll be on the road against one of the top seeds in the tournament. But at least they’re in.
“We had a chance to handle our business, we didn’t ,so now we let it fall as it may,” Mecholsky said. “We had three home games and one away game. We couldn’t close any of them out (going 0-4), so we deserve our fate.”
The Eagles made it a game despite missing 1,000-point scorer Luke Wood and Jayden Thomas with ankle injuries.
Throughout this recent spate of injuries, the Eagles have been playing through center Danny Saulin and the 6-8 senior delivered another solid game (19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds). Cohen Petrutz has his best game of the season, 18 points with three 3-pointers. They combined for 20 points in a 25-point third quarter that got them back in the game.
The Eagles led by one in the fourth quarter, then Paulsboro closed it out with an 8-0 run. Aiden Milligin hit a 3-pointer to get it started. Milligan scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. PENNSVILLE (9-15) – Peyton O’Brien 3-10 0-0 6, Daniel Saulin 9-15 1-4 19, Mason O’Brien 1-9 2-2 4, Cohen Petrutz 7-13 1-1 18, Cole Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, Connor Starn 2-3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 4-7 55. PAULSBORO (10-12) – Ty Hodges 2 3-4 7, Ryann Briscoe 4 0-1 9, Aiden Milligan 6 2-2 16, Antonio Pandolfo 7 0-0 17, Yan Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Eric Scott 4 2-2 10, Stephan Lane 0 0-0 0, Aaron Scott 0 0-0 0, Jamar Robinson 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-9 63.
WOODSTOWN 77, BUENA 22: Connor Sanderson and Elijah Caesar both enjoyed career scoring nights and 11 players hit the scoring column as the Wolverines swamped winless Buena to solidify their spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
Sanderson hit four 3-pointers and led the Wolverines with 14 points. He had scored only two points previously this season. Caesar scored 11 points, his first game in double figures.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 47-8 at halftime. Buena has lost 25 in a row over the last two seasons.
SALEM TECH 64, CAPE MAY TECH 53: The Chargers opened a 19-point halftime lead and held on through a barrage of Benjamin Lynch 3-pointers in the second half for their third win, one more than they had all last season.
Tyler Zampino hit five 3-pointers and matched his career-high (set Feb. 1 against Clayton) with 26 points. Antoine Robinson had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Haneef Frisby had nine points and 10 boards.
The Chargers led 36-17 at halftime, but Lynch got hot in the second half and hit six of his seven 3-pointers. he hit four of them in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers had enough of a cushion to close it out. They were 2-23 last year and are guaranteed to have won more and lost fewer this year.
“It’s big for me,” coach Bryan Riley said. “It’s exactly how we envisioned it going.
“Last year we had two guys returning with varsity experience .I knew that getting into the Tri-County (Conference) was going to be difficult (and) playing in the Classic Division, in my eyes, was even harder … It was a big task, but every day my boys come, strap up the boots and get to work.
“This year, the underclassmen are stepping up and the seniors are leading with their energy. Antoine (Robinson), Tyler (Zampino) and Haneef (Frisby) are all returning and putting up big numbers the back end of the season. There were a few close games this year that we were missing starters that I would have liked to have won (but) you live and learn.
“We have three games left. We are hoping to end the season strong.”
SALEM TECH (3-17) – Chase Wills 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 3 3-3 9, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 3, Josh Muntz 0 2-7 2, Daviontae Russell 0 1-2 1, Tyler Zampino 8 5-10 26, Antoine Robinson 3 8-9 16, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 1 0-0 3, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 19-31 64. CAPE MAY TECH (2-19) – Tyler Dille 1 1-2 3, Colin Gery 1 4-4 6, Ronnie Neenhold 2 4-4 8, Lucas Woolcock 0 0-0 0, Benjamin Lynch 8 1-1 24, Austin Bigelow 0 0-0 0, Chance Ginyard 2 0-0 5, Trevor Frey 1 0-0 2, Alec Dooley 1 2-2 4, Paul Simmerman 0 1-2 1, Jimmy Richie 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 13-15 53.
Salem Tech
19
17
15
13 –
64
Cape May Tech
10
7
15
22 –
53
3-point goals: Salem Tech 9 (Hayes, Zampino 5, Robinson 2, Brown); Cape May Tech 8 (Lynch 7, Ginyard). Rebounds: Salem Tech 40 (Frisby 10, Robinson 9, Zampino 6). Fouled out: Wills, Holmes, Dille, Gery, Lynch. Total fouls: Salem Tech 24, Cape May Tech 29.
Salem’s Logan goes for triple-double in Senior Night victory that clinches a playoff spot; Penns Grove wins its fourth in a row, Pennsville pushing for a home game in playoffs
FRIDAY’S GIRLS SCORES Penns Grove 52, Schalick 14 Salem 58, Pleasantville 12 Cape May Tech 35, Salem Tech 24 Pennsville 52, Millville 36
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – NaeNae Logan let everything go and turned it loose Friday night. The result was a game for the ages.
LOGAN
The Salem senior enjoyed her second triple-double of the season, going for 19 points, 25 rebounds and 13 blocked shots to lead the Rams to a 58-12 Senior Night victory over winless Pleasantville that snapped five-game losing streak and locked up a spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
The Rams (8-14) came into the game holding the 16th and final SJ-I power points position and a 30-point cushion on No. 17 Schalick, which lost at Penns Grove. They gained a point overnight and are solidly at No. 16, projected to play at No. 1 Woodbury in the opening round.
“I’m just happy that my seniors get a fighting chance at doing something in their last year,” Rams coach Tiasia Tatem said. “Last year we didn’t have any seniors, so we always knew all the girls would be coming back where this year they’re actually going to fight for it.”
The spotlight Friday shined on all the Salem seniors in this game, but Logan projected the brightest light.
She had her first triple-double against Oakcrest on Dec. 27 (10 points, 11 rebounds, 15 blocked shots). She now has 96 blocked shots on the season.
“I feel like today was one of those days where you could see she had her confidence up,” Tatem said. “All season we’ve been on her to push her to her full potential. I told her before the game forget everything else, this night is for y’all, so just go out there and have fun and just play basketball.
“I think that took the pressure off of her and she was just relaxed and playing.”
All three sets of numbers were impressive, but the one that jumped out to Tatem were her points. She’d scored in double figures only one other time in her career – the triple-double game once this year – but had 10 or more rebounds in seven of her last eight games and had at least five blocked shots 10 times this season.
Over her last eight games she has 108 rebounds, 46 blocked shots and 45 points.
“Her rebounding and her blocking skills come natural,” Tatem said. “As her coach watching her throughout the season I know how hard she gets on herself. I tell her all the time your defense is phenomenal, it’s OK if you don’t always make all these points. So for her to have those 19 points today, I feel like she needed that.”
3-point goals: Pleasantville 1 (Reyes); Salem 1 (Hunter).
PENNS GROVE 52, SCHALICK 14: Arianna Dowe matched her career-high with 14 points and Meely Horace had 12 to lead the Red Devils to its second win over the Cougars in three days. Horace scored her 1,000th career point in the first meeting Tuesday.
Dowe scored all her points in the second half. Horace and RaNiyah Wilson scored nine points each in the first half as the Red Devils opened a 32-8 halftime lead.
3-point goals: Schalick 0; Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Horace, Down 2). Total fouls: Schalick 9, Penns Grove 10.
PENNSVILLE 52, MILLVILLE 36: The Eagles hit four of their five 3-pointers and five of their six free throws in the second half to pull away from a close game and pick up enough point to go into the cutoff day in a position to host a first-round playoff game.
It didn’t look good after their lost to Penns Grove the night before, but the Eagles moved into eighth place in the South Jersey Group I power point standings by the end of the day. The top eight seeds host first-round games.
“We know we are in the playoffs,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “We will play wherever we need to play.”
The Eagles spread the wealth in the second half. Taylor Bass hit both of her 3-pointers in the third quarter and scored all 10 of her points in the second half. Nora Ausland hit both of her 3s in the second half and finished with 11 points. Bella Farina scored nine of her 13 in the second half and Marley Woods had seven of her 12 in the half.
Riverview Sports News 