Category: PENNS GROVE

Sectional wrestling

Woodstown goes down to the wire, but falls in South Jersey Group I semifinals; Pennsville falls in sectional quarters

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
At Woodstown
Audubon 44, Palmyra 25
Woodstown 52, Haddon Twp. 18
Audubon 37, Woodstown 32
At Paulsboro
Paulsboro 70, Pitman 4
Gloucester 60, Pennsville 16
Paulsboro 48, Gloucester 28
Championship match
Wednesday
Audubon at Paulsboro

OTHER MATCHES
Penns Grove 42, Camden 22
Penns Grove 54, Lindenwold 18
Penns Grove 36, Riverside 21

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — In any match, no matter the time of the season ,it’s the little things that can make all the difference between in moving on to the next round of a tournament or going home disappointed. Woodstown didn’t do enough of the little things Monday night.

The Wolverines got to the semifinals of the South Jersey Group I team tournament, but failing to pick up a point here and there in key matches meant the difference in Audubon taking a 37-32 victory to derail their second-half express.

The Wolverines were 2-9 at one point in the season, but rallied in the second half of the year to become the second seed in the sectional team tournament. Five of those early matches came down to the final bout (1-4). Once they turned it around, they had won 10 of their previous 11 entering the tournament.

The Wolverines grabbed a 26-6 lead at the midpoint in the match, winning six of their first seven bouts, but even then they left points on the table. Their fortunes changed when they turned to the lighter weights, opening with back-to-back forfeits and winning only one of the last seven bouts.

The match was decided in the final bout when Audubon junior Tyler Perrozi scored a 10-2 major decision over Laitton Roberts at 144.

“We needed to pin in some areas, where at ’65 and ’75 we had them flat, close to flat, they were almost pinned, we didn’t get it,” Wolverines coach Adam Hyland said. “We get those two pins, we win by one, and we lost by five.

“Those little things are the big differences. We just didn’t come through on those pins tonight. It’s probably happened to us 10 times this year where it came down to the last match. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes you get the bull, sometimes you get the horns.” 

The back-to-back forfeits were intended to keep Audubon from building any momentum, but it led the Green Wave to change its strategy and just go best-on-best the rest of the way to chase the points it missed on earlier in the match. The free points became the front end of four straight wins that gave Audubon its first lead of the match, 27-26.

Alex Torres put the Wolverines back on top when pinned Brayden Ervin in the second period at 132.

Torres got in a pickle early in his match, but he quickly turned his fortunes with the help of a headlock he’d been practicing since middle school and got his opponent on his back. It wasn’t long thereafter the Wolverines were back on top 32-27 with two matches remaining.

“When I was about to run out on the mat I was like, ‘This is going to be an important match,’ and it was,” Torres said. “So I ran out there, just giving it my best. It’s about the team at this point and I’ve got to do whatever it takes to help us.

“I had a little trouble when the kid put me to my back but all I was thinking about was I’m not going to give up and that’s when I turned the kid.”

The Green Wave retook the lead with Rocco Noce’s pin at 138, setting up the winner-take-all match at 144.

Angel Hernandez wrestled the 144 match for Woodstown in the quarterfinals, but the Wolverines have been alternating there all season and Hyland sent out Roberts against Audubon because “he does a little bit better job of not getting in danger.” Perrozi was wrestling up from his usual 138, but he was aggressive from the start and scored a dominating 10-2 decision to clinch it.

“I love it,” Perrozi said. “It’s so nervous, but it’s always the best having the last match, just coming down to it. I love the thrill of it and everything. As soon as I got the first takedown it relieved me so much.”

Audubon’s Tyler Perrozi has control over Woodstown’s Laitton Roberts in the match that decided their South Jersey Group I wrestling semifinal.

The Green Wave dedicated the victory to heavyweight Jacob Dutill, who spent Monday in the hospital after taking ill Sunday night. His teammates face-timed with him after the match to deliver the news of their victory.

“I was talking to our guys and just said our bullets have to make a bigger bang because we’re shorthanded and we went for it,” Audubon coach John Walsh said. 

The Green Wave now faces top-seeded Paulsboro for the South Jersey Group I championship Wednesday.

Woodstown reached the semifinals with a dominating 52-18 win over Haddon Twp. The Wolverines established control with seven straight wins after losing the opening bout and Travis Balback clinched the victory with a decision at 120.

SJ GROUP I QUARTERFINALS
WOODSTOWN 52, HADDON TWP. 18
144: Damian Shepherd (H) pinned Angel Hernandez, 5:22
150: Jayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Jaden Chanthavanh, 5:07
157: Brett Roland (Wo) pinned Antonio Reyes, 0:53
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) maj. dec. over Richard Poblano Benito, 14-5
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Joseph Sum, 0:59
190: Bradley Snitcher (Wo) pinned Elijah Borowicz, 1:36
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit
285: Andre Sinou (Wo) dec. Sean Weikel, 4-3
106: Andrew Marshall (H) pinned Chase Blandino, 1:35
113: Owen Ziegler (H) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) dec. Thomas Andrews, 5-3
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Blake Thoder, 9-2
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Brady Monoid, 2:00
138: Willem Groom (Wo) dec. Jake Andrews, 4-2

GLOUCESTER 60, PENNSVILLE 16
285: Jeremy Smith (G) pinned Trevor Waddington, 2:54
106: Kloi Tighe (G) pinned Gina Shinn, 0:47
113: Josh Quinones (G) pinned Lucas Thomas, 1:08
120: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Edgar Morales, 2:44
126: Mason Johnson (G) pinned Kameron Drummond, 5:09
132: John Pfeffer (G) dec. Ayden Perez, 6-1
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Greg Harris, 2:21
144: Harry Ulmer (G) pinned Joseph Maurer, 3:20
150: Ashton Wall (G) dec. Sky Eppes, 1-0
157: Robbie McDade (P) maj. dec. over Collin Morrell, 9-1
165: Jacob Zearfoss (G) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:50
175: Jason Chiodi (G) pinned Connor Ayers, 2:48
190: Kaleb Wright (G) pinned Elias Lussi, 2:55
215: Jaden Thompson (G) pinned Daniel Emmons, 4:33

SJ GROUP I SEMIFINALS
AUDUBON 37, WOODSTOWN 32
150: Jayden Donahue (Wo) dec. Giovanni Patti, 7-4
157: Brett Rowand (Wo) won by forfeit
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) maj. dec. over David Borodziuk, 13-1
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) maj. dec. over Gabriel McCracken, 9-1
190: Christian Burton (A) pinned Bradley Snitcher, 0:32
215: Andre Sinou (Wo) pinned Syncere Faulk, 0:59
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) dec. Sam Myers, 6-1
106: Rocco Monteferrante (A) won by forfeit
113: Nicholas Sassany (A) won by forfeit
120: Lucas Stinger (A) dec. Travis Balback, 11-5
126: Blaise LaFrance (A) pinned Carson Bradway, 2:40
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Brayden Ervin, 2:54
138: Rocco Noce (A) pinned Willem Groom, 1:53
144: Tyler Perrozi (A) maj. dec. over Laitton Roberts, 10-2

Woodstown 120 Travis Balback gets Haddon Twp.’s Thomas Andrews on his head in the bout that clinched the Wolverines’ victory in the South Jersey Group I wrestling quarterfinals.

On the rise

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

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

By Riverview Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Woodstown2081115 –55
Glassboro1021108 – 49
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 3, Webb 3); Glassboro 6 (Graves, Suggs 2, Dougherty 2, Buff).

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

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

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

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

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

Maple Shade691111 –37
Schalick16101723 –66
3-point goals: Maple Shade 3 (Hall, Johnson 2); Schalick 9 (Lis 3, Siedlecki 2, Allen, Volovar, Iacona, Sheehan).

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

Penns Grove9241317 –63
Williamstown5872 –22
3-point goals: Penns Grove 3 (Robbins, Conrad, Ballard); Williamstown 2 (Schnapp, Mateen).

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

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

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

Gloucester15142423 –76
Pennsville11231612 –62
3-point goals: Gloucester 8 (James, Cohan 5, Light 2); Pennsville 7-20 (Starn 1-1, M. O’Brien 0-3, Petrutz 2-6, P. O’Brien 0-1, Wood 4-9). Technical fouls: Saulin. Total fouls: Gloucester 15, Pennsville 16. Officials: McCormick, Brown, Lundy.  

Girls Games

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

Pennsville15111215 –53
Gloucester2756 –20
3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (N. Ausland 2, Bass, Wood 2); Gloucester 2 (Schoenfeldt, Serrano).

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

Wildwood2818213 –70
Salem Tech44912 –29
3-point goals: Wildwood 11 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber 5, McCracken 2, Benichou 2, Nagle); Salem Tech 0. Notes: Wildwood’s McCracken had 10 steals and Sophia Wilber had nine assists.

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

Schalick2337 –15
Maple Shade108205 –43
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Vicente 2); Maple Shade 4 (Yackel 2, Andrada, Vessels).

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

Salem9695 –29
Kingsway25515 19 –64
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Hickman 2, Hunter, Pierce); Kingsway 7 (Lail, Gantz 2, Myers 2, Curtis, Archer). Notes: Salem’s Bundy had 10 points and seven blocked shots.


Tri-County pairings

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

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The pairings for all six flights are listed below:

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week’s schedule

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

Monday

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday

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

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

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

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

Wednesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Glassboro at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

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

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

Thursday

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

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

Friday

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

WRESTLING
Woodstown at Delran, 6 p.m.

Saturday

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

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

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

BOWLING
Girls
NJSIAA Sectionals

Division champs

Friday roundup: Balback’s pin lifts Woodstown to Diamond Division wrestling crown; also, indoor track sectionals

By Riverview Sports News

SICKLERVILLE – The Woodstown wrestling team went hunting a division title Friday night and it went down to the wire.

Travis Balback’s first-period pin at 120 gave the streaking Wolverines a 42-34 win over Timber Creek for the Tri-County Diamond Division title. Balback pinned Matthew Steele in 1:52.

The Wolverines, who host half the bracket in the South Jersey Group I tournament Monday, are now 11-10. They were 2-9 at one point this season.

Both teams were 3-0 in the Diamond Division going into the match.

The teams traded bouts early in the match. Three straight pins by Brett Rowand (157), Zach Bevis (165) and Greyson Hyland (175) gave the Wolverines a 30-10 lead. A pin by Mateo Vinciguerra at 215 pushed the lead to 36-16, then Timber Creek won three straight bouts (285-106-113) to set the stage for the winner-take-all bout at 120.

All Balback had to do was not lose and the Wolverines would wear the crown, and he took care of business.

WOODSTOWN 42, TIMBER CREEK 34
126: Devin Karge (T) dec. Carson Bradway, 5-2
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Josh Wolfenden, 1:22
138: Joey Walker (T) dec. Willem Groom, SV 4-2
144: Laitton Roberts (Wo) pinned Eric Rambaran, 2:00
150: Ryan Kuriger (T) maj. dec. over Zayden Donahue, 13-4
157: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Gavin Bates, 3:13
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Zyeir Green, 1:02
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo( pinned Elijah Green, 5:49
190: Amir Reason-Dallas (T) pinned Karsten Hantho, 1:42
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Josh Bartell, 1:38
285: Jayson Ross (T) pinned Andre Sinou, 0:27
106: Ryan Pancoast (T) pinned Chase Blandino, 3:58
113: Dominic Speakman (T) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Matthew Steele, 1:52.
Records: Woodstown 11-10, Timber Creek 10-8.

OTHER MATCHES
SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 44, ABSEGAMI 33
106: Liam Kisby (A) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 4:19
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned Rafael Estrada-Perez, 2:40
120: Luke Silva (SC) dec. Tristan Brown, 4-0
126: Chase Williams (SC) pinned Michael Famelio, 3:25
132: Aiden Torres (A) pinned Colin Bittle, 4:22
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Brendan Ross, 0:19
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) won by forfeit
150: Christopher Eaton (A) pinned Michael Carastro, 0:31
157: Ibn Russell (A) dec. Riley Papiano, 1-0
165: Sebron Hall-Jones (SC) won by forfeit
175: Julian Rivera (A) pinned Jake Magonagle, 0:40
190: Brayden Wright (A) won by forfeit
215: Evan Elliott (SC) pinned Mason Tharp, 1:42
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Brandon Miller, 0:43
Schalick had 1 team point deduction (taunting 285).

BURLINGTON TWP. 37, PENNSVILLE 34
215: Messiah Malik (B) pinned Daniel Emmons, 0:12
285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit
106: Gina Shinn (P) won by forfeit
113: Xavier Moy (B) pinned Lucas Thomas, 3:58
120: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Jacob Palentchar, 1:15
126: Kaiem Uthman (B) maj. dec. over Kameron Drummond, 20-9
132: Gabriel Supernavage (P) pinned Lucas Rush, 0:29
138: Anthony Cook (B) pinned Maddox Efelis, 0:51
144: Travis Hagan (P) dec. Nicholas Davis, SV 7-5
150: Logan Kahrs (B) dec. Sky Eppes, 9-3
157: Robbie McDade (P) maj. dec. over Dominick Saulle, 12-4
165: Eric Salazar-Hernandez (B) pinned Cole Campbell, 4:45
175: Connor Ayars (P) dec. Dylan Zerillo, 5-1
190: Jacob Davis (B) pinned Justin Oldaker, 1:48

PITMAN 42, PENNS GROVE 26
113: Skylar Nicola (P) won by forfeit
120: Double forfeit
126: Adriano Platt (P) pinned Devine Arce, 4:18
132: Adam Gonzales (PG) pinned Justin Evans, 3:18
138: Jacob Lawrence (P) pinned Raeed Clark, 0:56
144: Chris McIntyre (P) won by forfeit
150: Jonathan Bruno (P) pinned Jayden Owens, 1:55
157: Tre Brown (PG) maj. dec. over Robert Graves, 11-0
165: Chase Rollins (P) pinned Antonio Garris, 0:55
175: Dwayne Guzman (PG) won by forfeit
190: Clinton Bobo (PG) maj. dec. over Dominic Saffioti, 18-5
215: Isaiah Upshur (PG) won by forfeit
285: Aiden Milward (P) pinned Antonio Cooper, 3:49
106: Double forfeit

PENNS GROVE 54, SALEM 6
150: Jayden Owens (PG) pinned Gabrielle Johnson, 0:55
165: Antonio Garris (PG) pinned Jajuan Anderson, 3:09
Penns Grove won by forfeit at 126, 132, 138, 157, 175, 190, 215. Salem won by forfeit at 285.

PITMAN 60, SALEM 6
150: Jonathan Bruno (P) pinned Gabrielle Johnson, 0:36
157: Robert Graves (P) pinned Jahquan Gooden, 0:51
285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Nicholas Horner, 0:31
Pitman won by forfeit at 106, 126, 132, 138, 144, 165, 190, 215.

Indoor Track

TOMS RIVER – Salem County produced four sectional champions, two runner-ups and qualified 18 individuals and four relays to state across 10 events at Friday’s South Jersey Group I indoor track championship at The Bubble.

All four champions came from the girls side. Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield swept the 1600 and 3200 meter races. Salem’s Anna Buzby won the 800 and Karima Davenport-White won the 55 hurdles.

Salem’s Dominique Lewis placed second in the girls shot put and Woodstown’s Cole Lucas was runner-up in the boys 800.

Salem finished third in the girls standings with 49 points. Schalick was fifth, Woodstown eighth, Penns Grove T-10 and Pennsville T-12. On the boys side, Schalick was sixth, Salem seventh, Woodstown tenth and Penns Grove T-11.

The complete list of Salem County qualifiers to state are posted below:

GROUP I GIRLS
TEAM SCORES: Audubon 72, Clayton 59, Salem 49, Haddon Twp. 43, Schalick 22, Glassboro 15, Woodbury 15, Woodstown 12, KIPP Norcross 8, Bordentown 4, Penns Grove 2, Pennsville 2, Gateway 2, Linewold 2, Buena 1.

SALEM
Anna Buzby: 3. 400 (1:01.84); 1. 800 (2:22.30); 4. Pole vault (8-0)
Karima Davenport-White: 1. 55 hurdles (8.98); 6. 55 dash (7.76)
Sairis Jiminez: 5. 55 hurdles (10.04)
Dominique Lewis: 2. Shot put (34-10)
2. 4×400 Relay (4:22.25)

WOODSTOWN
Jaime Deal: 6. 400 (1:03.51)
Lisa Covely: 4. 55 hurdles (9.96)
Kayla Ayars: 6. 800 (2:35.05)
3. 4×400 Relay (4:23.90)

SCHALICK
Sophia Longo: 5. 800 (2:35.04)
Jordan Hadfield: 1. 3200 (11:16.06); 1. 1600 (5:12.36)

PENNSVILLE
Megan Morris: 5. Pole vault (7-6)

PENNS GROVE
Kayla Smith: 4. Shot put (32-4)

GROUP I BOYS
TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 90, Woodbury 72, Audubon 39, Haddon Twp. 24, Palmyra 15, Schalick 13, Salem 12, Burlington City 10, Clayton 10, Woodstown 9, Gateway 4, Bordentown 4, Penns Grove 4, Buena 3, Florence 1.

SALEM
Anthony Parker: 6. 400 (53.52); 3. 55 hurdles (8.04)
Kaden Robinson: 6. High jump (5-6)
Gradin Buzby: T-4. Pole vault (9-0)
6. 4×400 Relay (3:39.84)

SCHALICK
Charles Fuerneisen: 3. 1600 (4:40.28); 4. 3200 (10:26.84)
Salvatore Longo: T-4. Pole vault (9-0)

WOODSTOWN
Cole Lucas: 2. 800 (2:00.44)
Jacob Marino: 6. 3200 (10:53.60)

PENNS GROVE
4. 4×400 Relay (3:39.49)

Ain’t life grand

Donelson reaches 1,000-point milestone as Woodstown overcomes slow start to beat Pennsville; includes other Salem County games and box scores

THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Woodstown 66, Pennsville 57
Penns Grove 81, Overbrook 24
Glassboro 67, Schalick 14
Wildwood 67, Salem 22
Clayton 51, Salem Tech 30

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — Megan Donelson might have had prettier baskets in her career, but not many were more memorable than the one she dropped in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

The Woodstown junior became the 10th player in her school’s girls basketball history to score 1,000 career points — and the third player in Salem County to reach the milestone this season – in the Wolverines’ 66-57 win over Pennsville.

She needed 29 points to reach the milestone entering the game and hit it on the number. She hit the milestone on a layup with 1:57 left in the game.

“I was really determined to get my thousandth point and it put me to drive to get that goal,” she said. “I set that goal for myself as soon as I walked in my freshman year and I just wanted to complete my goal.”

Donelson was four points short of the milestone entering the fourth quarter, but given the weight of the situation they were as hard to get as the final three outs of a no-hitter and made harder by picking up her fourth foul with five minutes left in the game. She didn’t peel away the first two points until 2:41 remained – and they were on free throws. The milestone came about a minute later.

It wasn’t artistic, but it was effective. She took the outlet pass from one of Shannon Pierman’s defensive rebounds, drove the length of the floor and tossed an off-balanced shot towards the basket in traffic from the right side of the lane. It went through just as she was falling out of bounds.

“I thought it was a really good way to score the thousandth,” she said. “I had the defender on me and I got the thousandth point off the defender.”

She is the first Woodstown girls player to reach the milestone since Riley Fulmer in 2022. Junior teammate Talia Battavio could join her in the club as early as Saturday when the Wolverines play Cherokee in the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament at Eastern. The girls school record for points is 1,566 by Tori Smick (2013).

Boys players Luke Wood (Pennsville) and Anthony Farmer (Salem) joined the club earlier this year and Penns Grove girls guard Meely Horace, who needs just two points after putting 38 on Overbrook Thursday, is a lock to get it in her next game against Schalick.

“There was anxiousness all day of is she going to get it, when is she going to get it, how is she going to get it, is she going to have to get Saturday,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “Once she got it, it was just like this overwhelming sense of relief, like, all the hard work she put in came to fruition.

“She’ll say she wasn’t counting, but I know inside she probably was.”

Woodstown’s Megan Donelson (24) drives on Pennsville’s Marley Wood (4) in the fourth quarter on the way to the basket for her 1,000th career point.

The final score may have looked like another routine win for the Wolverines (14-3), but it was anything but that. Pennsville (7-11), playing the best it has all season, jumped out to leads of 13-0, 15-2 and 26-15 before Donelson and Pierman brought their team back.

Donelson scored the last nine points in an 11-0 run that drew the Wolverines even at 26 with 1:27 left in the half. She made two free throws with 10 seconds left to give them a 32-30 halftime lead.

They never trailed again. They scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and by the end of it led by 15.

“I’m really proud of the way we didn’t give up,” Pierman said. “We obviously did not give up. We pushed back, we fought harder and it showed. We knew we could play better. We knew we were better than that. Eventually something has to change, especially when we know how we can win.”
Pennsville built its early lead by making layups inside Woodstown’s 2-3 zone and caught the Wolverines on a cold start.

Taylor Bass got it started with a 3 and two free throws. Marley Wood made three buckets and Bella Farina hit two free throws. Suddenly it was 13-0 and the Wolverines called time looking for energy. It was 17-8 at quarter’s end.

“We talked about what the best way to open up the court to get open looks, we talked about where the cuts need to be,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said. “As long as that kept happening we kept scoring.”

The quick start wasn’t without a hitch, however. Post Bella Farina picked up three fouls in the first six and a half minutes and sat the rest of the half.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines were just stuck in the mud. They missed their first 11 shots and had five turnovers before Donelson finally broke the ice off an inbounds play with 2:34 left in the first quarter. They shot 2-for-14 from the floor in the quarter.

The Eagles’ inspired play continued through the first half of the second quarter, extending the lead to 26-15. The Wolverines were 7-of-25 from the field before Donelson and Co. started the charge to get back in the game.

“Their two leading scorers were creeping into their 1,000, that always makes a kid nervous, that kind of got in their head a little bit and this is the first time they’ve seen us at full strength and now they’re being able to see what the girls Pennsville basketball team can really bring,” Trapp said. “I think that was what executed that great 13-0 stretch at the beginning.

“I’ve been putting a big emphasis on playing together, looking ahead, focusing on using each other’s strength and I think that’s a big component. I keep telling the girls when we play together, when we’re sharing the ball, distributing the ball, making everybody work to help us get to a good place we play our best basketball.”

Nora Ausland led the Eagles with 21 points. Wood had 15.

Donelson’s 29 points matched her season-high. Pierman had 12 points and 15 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double. Battavio had 21 points and needs 19 to become the next member of Woodstown’s 1,000-Point Club.

WOODSTOWN 66, PENNSVILLE 57
WOODSTOWN (14-3) — Talia Battavio 7 4-4 21, Megan Donelson 9 7-8 29, Gianna Mairoini 1 0-2 2, Alyssa Baber 0 1-2 1, Shannon Pierman 4 4-4 12, Lauren Hengel 0 1-2 1, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 17-22 66.
PENNSVILLE (7-11) — Celli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Nora Ausland 9 1-1 21, Taylor Bass 3 2-2 9, Karsen Cooksey 0 2-2 2, Bella Farina 1 2-2 4, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 2 2-2 6, Marley Wood 7 0-2 15. Totals 22 9-11 57.

Woodstown8242311 —66
Pennsville17131017 —57
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Battavio 3, Donelson 4); Pennsville 4 (N. Ausland 2, Bass, Wood). Fouled out: Farina. Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Pennsville 18.

WILDWOOD 67, SALEM 22
WILDWOOD (14-4) — Sophia Wilber 4 3-4 12, Angela Wilber 2 0-0 5, Macie McCracken 9 0-0 25, Saliah Sumlin 2 0-0 4, Rebecca Benichou 8 1-2 20, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Mia Cripps 0 1-4 1, Ashley Nagle 0 0-0 0, Janet Gonzalez 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-10 67.
SALEM (7-10) — Ryann Foote 1 1-6 3, Ava Rodgers 3 1-2 7, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 3, Kaela Nichols 1 0-0 3, Carlysia Pierce 1 0-0 2, NaeNae Logan 1 0-0 2, Marjziah Bundy 1 0-0 2, Zaniyah Freison 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Hickman 0 0-0 0, Marissa Bower 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 2-8 22.

Wildwood19191613 —67
Salem7645 —22
3-point goals: Wildwood 12 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber, McCracken 7, Benichou 3); Salem 2 (Hunter, Nichols). Rebounds: Wildwood 29 (McCracken 9, Sumlin 9); Salem 57 (Rodgers 13, Logan 10).

CLAYTON 51, SALEM TECH 30
SALEM TECH (1-13) — Morgan VanDover 5 3-4 15, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 5, Hanna DeWitt 1 0-2 2, Rylee Doerr 2 0-0 4, Shelby Drummond 2 0-0 4. Totals 12 3-6 30.
CLAYTON (8-9) — Jordyn Jones 9 6-8 24, Deondria Simon 4 1-2 9, Ava Delaney 4 0-0 8, India Williams 1 0-0 3, Janice Blair 0 2-4 2, Kaya Gunther 1 1-4 3, Sophia Petsch 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 10-18 51.
Salem Tech65127 —30
Clayton9121516 —51
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (VanDover 2, Beardsley); Clayton 1 (Williams).

GLASSBORO 67, SCHALICK 14
SCHALICK (5-10) — Ava Scurry 1 0-2 2, Gianna Gaines 0 3-4 3, Taylor Sparks 1 0-0 3, Abby Willoughby 0 0-2 0, Cali Fisler 3 0-0 6, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-2 0, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0. Totals 5 3-10 14.
GLASSBORO (11-5) — Sanaa Thomas 5 0-0 13, Tamia Smith 8 3-8 21, Kezia Bracektt 9 6-8 28, Sianna Wedderburn 2 0-2 4, Kimora Miles 0 1-2 1, Ante Davis 0 0-0 0, Jayde Darling 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Cox-Clement 0 0-0 0, Samyra Lane 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 10-20 67.
Schalick2354 —14
Glassboro 1592518 —67
3-point goals: Schalick 1 (Sparks); Glassboro 9 (Thomas 3, Smith 2, Brackett 4). Fouled out: Davis. Total fouls: Schalick 16, Glassboro 13.

Practice makes perfect

Salem Tech scores its first Tri-County Conference divisional win in shootout with Clayton; includes Salem County games and box scores

THURSDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Glassboro 44, Schalick 41
Overbrook 53, Penns Grove 37
Salem 62, Wildwood 52
Salem Tech 86, Clayton 76
Woodstown 81, Pennsville 51

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The two things Salem Tech worked on all week in preparation for Thursday night’s basketball game were the two things that helped the Chargers score an historic victory.

The Chargers outran Clayton for an 86-76 victory that was their first in Tri-County Classic Division play in school history.

They had lost 16 straight division games since officially joining the conference last academic year and were 0-6 this season.

“The first thing I did was congratulate the boys, they did exactly what I told them do,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said. “And then I told them this was our first win in the Tri-County Classic. They were pretty excited.”

The 86 points were the most the Chargers have scored in a game in Riley’s two seasons as the coach and the most they’ve scored in any game since putting 88 on Clayton in a win in January 2022. The school record is 92, in a pre-Christmas loss to the Clippers in 2019.

Five players scored in double figures for the Chargers (2-14), led by junior Tyler Zampino’s career-high 25 points. Joseph Hayes had a career-high 17 points with four 3-pointers. Haneef Frisby had 14, Chase Wills 13 and Antoine Robinson 11.

Clayton’s Demetris Williams led all scorers with 28 points.

“There was no set offense, it was just run and gun; we had to keep up with them,” Riley said. “I knew it was going to be a high scoring game. I told the boys it’s a track meet, bring your running shoes.

“We finished at the rim. It was fast breaks, beat the press, finish at the rim. We’re 49 percent from the (foul) line this season and were 63 percent today. It was those little things. That’s what I had them doing all week, shooting foul shots and full-speed sprints to the basket, and that’s exactly what they did.”

The Chargers got a good jump out of the blocks. Zampino had nine points in the first quarter as the Chargers jumped out to 22-13 lead.

“He finished at the rim,” Riley repeated. “He was the deep guy. They moved the ball around beating that press and he was the guy down at the other end. We found him and he connected on most of his drives.”

SALEM TECH 86, CLAYTON 76
CLAYTON (3-15) – Dillon Jones 3 0-0 6, Nazir Davis 5 2-7 15, John Carter 1 2-2 5, Demetris Williams 10 7-11 28, Jon Cox 2 0-0 4, Cristan Scott 0 0-2 0, Ashaud Hine-Pope 4 1-2 9, Nasir Carter 2 0-0 5, Mason Gable 0 0-0 0, Chimali Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Earl Townsend 1 0-0 2, Michael Akosah 0 1-4 1, Brian Marshall 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 13-28 76.
SALEM TECH (2-14) – Chase Wills 6 0-0 13, Haneef Frisby 7 0-3 14, Joseph Hayes 6 1-2 17, Daviontae Russell 0 0-0 0, Tyler Zampino 8 9-11 25, Gio Holmes 3 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 3 5-8 11. Totals 33 15-24 86.

Clayton132224 17 –76
Salem Tech22172819 –86
3-point goals: Clayton 6 (Davis 3, Carter, Williams. N. Carter); Salem Tech 5 (Wills, Hayes 4). Fouled out: Willis. Total fouls: Clayton 18, Salem Tech 19.

WOODSTOWN 81, PENNSVILLE 51
PENNSVILLE (8-11) – Luke Wood 4 3-4 12, Peyton O’Brien 6 4-6 16, Mason O’Brien 5 0-0 10, Cohen Petrutz 1 0-0 2, Connor Starn 0 1-2 1, Cole Johnston 3 0-0 7, Logan Hitt 0 1-2 1, S. Jefferson 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 9-14 51.
WOODSTOWN (9-6) – Manny Ortega 2 0-2 5, Blake Bialecki 4 0-0 10, Alejandro Vazquez 5 0-0 14, M.J. Hall 7 1-2 17, Connor Sanderson 0 0-2 0, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 2 0-0 4, Max Webb 3 5-6 12, Rocco String 6 3-3 15, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 9-15 81.

Pennsville10131414 – 51
Woodstown19232514 –81
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Johnston, Wood); Woodstown 10 (Ortega, Bialecki 2, Vazquez 4, Hall 2, Webb).

OVERBROOK 53, PENNS GROVE 37
PENNS GROVE (6-12) – Brandon Robbins 6, Roman Gipson 2, Giomar Conrad 16, Willie Slocum 4, Mehki Ballard 7, Luis Colon 2.
OVERBROOK (14-5) – Lamar Little 1 0-0 2, Xavier Wright 0 2-4 2, Chris Grier 2 1-2 5, Amare Kee 3 0-0 9, Maki Ortiz 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 5 0-0 10, Tory Scott 2 0-0 4, Zair Green 3 3-4 9, Kevin Satchell 1 0-0 2, Nic Johnson 4 1-5 10. Totals 21 7-15 53.

Penns Grove810109 –37
Overbrook6171713 –53
3-point goals: Penns Grove NA; Overbrook 4 (Kee 3, Johnson)

GLASSBORO 44, SCHALICK 41
GLASSBORO (9-10) – Xavier Sabb 3 4-8 10, Charles Graves 4 8-12 16, Michael Dougherty 3 1-2 10, Tashean Thomas 1 1-2 3, Crowly Marley 2 1-3 5. Totals 13 15-25 44.
SCHALICK (5-10) – Reggie Allen 3 3-6 11, Danny Lis 6 2-2 16, Jordan Johnson 2 5-7 9, Ryan Johnson 2 0-0 4, Nasir Sutton 0 1-4 1, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Dylan Sheehan 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 11-19 41.

Glassboro1218122 –44
Schalick131297 –41
3-point goals: Glassboro 3 (Dougherty 3); Schalick 4 (Allen 2, Lis 2).

SALEM 62, WILDWOOD 52

Salem (12-6)16181117 –62
Wildwood (11-8)9131515 –52


County football schedules

Here are the 2024 football schedules for the Salem County high school teams. Unless noted, the games run through the weekend of Sept. 6-7 through Oct. 25-26 without a break

WOODSTOWN
(Diamond Division)
Wolverines open the season with three straight home games
Sept. 6: Delsea, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Schalick, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20: Woodbury, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27: at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: Pleasantville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12: at Haddon Heights, 11 a.m.
Oct. 19: at Salem, noon
Oct. 25: at Glassboro, 6 p.m.

SALEM
(Diamond Division)
New Rams coach will open his tenure at home, not as much travel as last year
Cinnaminson
at Woodbury
at Glassboro
Schalick
Middle Twp.
at West Deptford
Woodstown
at Penns Grove

PENNS GROVE
(Diamond Division)
Red Devils alternate road, home every weekend; play all 4 other county teams
Week 0: TBA
at Deptford
Glassboro
at Schalick
Woodstown
Oct. 4: at Pennsville
Delran
at Woodbury
Salem

SCHALICK
(Diamond Division)
Cougars open season in Battle at the Beach, have three straight road games late in season
Aug. 30: Cedar Grove (Battle at the Beach)
Sept. 6: Cumberland
Sept. 13: at Woodstown
Sept. 20: Penns Grove
Sept. 28: at Salem
Oct. 5: at Paulsboro
Oct. 11: at Gloucester
Oct. 18: Glassboro
Oct. 25: Woodbury

PENNSVILLE
(Patriot Division)
Eagles move to new division that better reflects their program’s improvement
at Gloucester City
West Deptford
at Overbrook
Audubon
at Camden Catholic
Oct. 4: Penns Grove
at Paulsboro
at Lawrence
Oct. 25: Collingswood

Feels good to finish

Penns Grove finally pulls out close game, edges Woodstown to snap five-game losing streak; Salem slams Salem Tech, shorthanded Pennsville beats Schalick in OT

TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 42, Schalick 37
Penns Grove 47, Woodstown 42
Salem 83, Salem Tech 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – That Penns Grove won a basketball game for the first time in two weeks was cause enough for celebration in the locker room after it was over, but the way it won the game might have been the most welcoming news of all.

The Red Devils snapped a five-game losing streak – their longest slide in seven years – Tuesday night with a 47-42 win over Tri-County Diamond Division rival Woodstown. They did it by outscoring the Wolverines 7-2 over the final minute and hitting five of six free throws down the stretch.

Exactly a week ago they lost a game they were leading by three with less than a minute to go.

“We needed it bad,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “The five-game losing streak was really rough. To get this win today against a good Woodstown team is very important for us. It gives us confidence.

“The guys work so hard and it hurts when you have those close losses because you want the kids to have success. I want them to have the success and feel the success because they work for it.”

Now, teams win games with late runs all the day, but if you knew anything about the Red Devils’ recent history, you knew endgame scenarios haven’t been kind to them.

The losses on the front and back ends of the five-game losing streak were hopeless blowouts, but in each of the three in the middle – in a span of four days – they had legitimate chances to win and couldn’t finish.

They lost at Clearview on a steal and layup with 12 seconds left and missed two shots to win or tie it. They got beat at home by Glassboro on a buzzer-beater 3 in a game they were leading by three with a minute left. And then they lost at home to Wildwood in overtime when they just ran out of gas.

“I think the fact of winning a close game that came down to when it was winning time (was the big thing),” Ware said. “I tell the kids all the time the thing with winning and losing is it’s one possession here or there. Everything has to be solid. 

“You can’t try to be fancy because that one possession could be the one that we needed at the end of the game. I try to make them value every single possession and we’re starting to get to that point.”

Penns Grove’s Mr Peterson (10) comes out to challenge a shot by Woodstown’s Alejandro Vazquez in the game’s closing seconds.

Neither team would let the other get too far ahead. The way they were going after it defensively, a six-point lead felt like it was a lot bigger than it actually was.

Early in the game Rocco String gave the Wolverines an edge with his commanding inside presence. But soon both he and Max Webb would be in foul trouble and sat most of the second quarter. Penns Grove’s Mr Peterson was there to take advantage of the opening and command the respect his name demands.

Peterson had six points and two rebounds in an 11-2 run that gave the Red Devils the lead early in the quarter. The Wolverines followed with their own rally to cut Penns Grove’s halftime lead to 20-19. It stayed close like that the rest of the game.

“Tonight was all about playing harder than I did last night,” Peterson said, referring to the Red Devils’ 40-point to Salem. “So, I came out and did it. To be honest, it felt good.”

With the game tied at 40, Penns Grove guard KaRon Ceaser made a basket around String and then stole the inbounds pass like a defensive back. He got it to Mekhi Ballard who was fouled and hit the first two of his four free throws with 41 seconds left to give the Red Devils a four-point lead.

“Coach called the press and I got the middle,” Ceaser said. “It’s like playing safety in football, so I just reacted when the ball was in the air. I had to go get it and make a play.”

“The last couple days at practice we’ve been doing situationals,” Ware said. “I think we’re starting to understand what it takes at the end of games to win, especially when we’re in these close games. I’m glad we got one today.”

“It feels like we just broke the spell, so we’re just going to keep winning from here on,” Mekhi Ballard said.

Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman converted a crisp pass from Alejandro Vazquez into a layup to make it 44-42 with 25 seconds left. The Wolverines called time to set up their end game, then came out of the break and fouled Ballard in the backcourt. The Red Devils’ guard, the player Ware wants at the line down the stretch of a close game, made those two to make it 46-42. 

The Wolverines missed three shots to get closer – 3-pointers by Blake Bialecki and Webb and a wild turnaround jumper in the lane by Connor Sanderson – then fouled Willie Slocum on the defensive rebound. Slocum made one of two for the final margin.

The Red Devils were 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. They were 6-for-10 in the first three, usually making the first and missing the second.

“I remember going to the line thinking I’ve got to make these free throws if we want to win this game,” Ballard said. “I think in the clutch we come through as a team and we end up making our free throws.

“Sometimes in the beginning of the game we start off real shaky. In the beginning of the game I don’t think we really try as hard to make our free throws as at the end of the game. When it’s time to win the game I think we come through as a team and make our free throws.”

While it may be debatable just how good a win it was for the Red Devils, there’s no denying it was a bad loss to for the Wolverines. 

Woodstown is currently one of the bubble teams in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. The Wolverines went into the game as the only team between No. 10 and the bottom (No. 23) with a winning overall record, but they were No. 15 in the standings.

PENNS GROVE 47, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (8-6) – Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 8, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 4 0-0 8, Connor Sanderson 0 0-0 0, Garrett Leyman 3 0-0 6, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 1 1-2 3, Rocco String 5 0-0 10, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 2-4 42.
PENNS GROVE (6-11) – Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 7 0-0 16, KaRon Ceaser 1 4-10 6, Willie Slocum 1 3-4 5, Mekhi Ballard 3 4-4 12, Camron Thompson 0 0-0 0, Khiry Higgs 0 2-2 2, Mr Peterson 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 13-20 47.

Woodstown9101013 –42
Penns Grove6141314 –47
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Bialecki, Caesar); Penns Grove 4 (Conrad 2, Ballard 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Penns Grove 10.

SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41: One night after senior Anthony Farmer became the latest member of the school’s 1,000-point club and they nearly turned over the scoreboard, the Rams poured it on again. They opened a a 60-15 halftime lead and cruised to their fourth straight win and 13th in a row over Salem County competition.

Freshman Tymear Lecator led three Salem scorers in double figures with 19 points. Jabez DeJesus had 11 and Davonte Jackson doubled his season output with a career-high 10, and four other Rams had at least eight points. Farmer saw limited action after scoring 36 points in each of his previous two games.

Salem has won four in a row.

SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41
SALEM TECH (1-14) – Chase Wills 3 0-0 7, Haneef Frisby 3 2-6 8, Joseph Hayes 4 1-2 9, Daviontae Russell 1 0-0 2, Tyler Zampino 3 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 3 3-5 9, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-13 41.
SALEM (11-6) – Anthony Farmer 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Ramaji Bundy 3 0-0 6, Jabez DeJesus 4 0-1 11, Paul Weathers 2 3-4 8, Tymear Lecator 8 0-0 19, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 8, Antwone Rogers 4 1-2 9, Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8, Joseph Tunis 1 0-0 2, Davante Jackson 4 0-0 10. Totals 34 4-6 83.
Salem Tech1141511 –41
Salem32281211 –83
3-point goals: Salem Tech (Wills); Salem 11 (DeJesus 3, P. Weathers, Lecator 3, McGriff 2, Jackson 2). Total fouls: Salem Tech 8.

PENNSVILLE 42, SCHALICK 37 (OT): The Eagles were down three starters and had only eight varsity players available, but found enough within themselves to win for the second night in a row, this time in overtime.

Jayden Thomas, Danny Saulin and Malik Rehmer all missed the game for various reasons and probably won’t be available when the Eagles go to Woodstown Thursday. Coach Joe Mecholsky pulled up two junior varsity players to make sure he had two full units

The Eagles led most of the game, but fell behind 30-29 with 1:47 left before Cohen Petrutz put them back on top with a 3-pointer.

Schalick’s Danny Lis’ tip-in off a missed 3 with 4.8 seconds left tied the game at 33. The Eagles had a shot to win it in regulation and got what they wanted with Petrutz driving the lane. There was contact, but no foul and the game went to overtime.

Petrutz and Mason O’Brien gave the Eagles the lead in overtime and their defense did the rest.

“When you give up 36 points you’ve done something right,” Mecholsky said.

Peyton O’Brien led the Eagles with 13 points. Petrutz had 12. Luke Wood had all nine of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Reggie Allen led Schalick with 13 points – all in the second half – and Lis had 12.

“To be shorthanded and to pull through the adversity will make us tougher for the stretch run,” Mecholsky said.

PENNSVILLE 41, SCHALICK 37 (OT)
SCHALICK (5-9) – Reggie Allen 5 0-4 13, Levi Feeney-Childers 1 1-2 3, Dan Lis 6 0-0 12, Nylan Sutton 3 0-2 7, Nasir Sutton 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-2 2, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-10 37.
PENNSVILLE (8-10) – Luke Wood 2 5-5 9, Peyton O’Brien 6 1-4 13, Cohen Petrutz 5 1-2 12, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Connor Starn 1 0-0 3, Cole Johnston 0 0-0 0, Carlos Merendino 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-11 41.
Schalick 668144 –37
Pennsville867118 –41
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Allen 3, Ny. Sutton); Pennsville 2 (Petrutz, Starn). Total fouls: Schalick 14, Pennsville 7.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman14-46-0Overbrook13-56-1
Gloucester Cath.10-75-3Glassboro8-105-2
Salem11-64-3Penns Grove6-114-2
Wildwood11-74-3Woodstown8-63-4
Clayton3-141-5Pennsville8-102-5
Salem Tech1-140-6Schalick5-90-6