Salem learns foe

Mighty Oaks draw Cinderella Joliet in national tournament opener after 12th seed beats No. 5 DC Eastfield; Montco game suspended with 6:33 left in second half due to power outage

JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
At Herkimer (N.Y.) CC
No. 9 Genesee (N.Y.) 68, No. 8 Northampton (Pa.) 62
No. 12 Joliet (Ill.) 84, No. 5 DC Eastfield (Texas) 83
No. 10 DC Richland (Texas) 63, No. 7 Dutchess (N.Y.) 58
No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) 64, No. 6 Montgomery County (Pa.) 61, 2nd half, susp.
Thursday’s games
Resumption of Montco-Ridgewater game, 9 a.m.
No. 8 Northampton vs. No. 5 DC Eastfield, 10 a.m.
No. 7 Dutchess (N.Y.) vs. No. 6 Montco (Pa.)-No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) loser, noon
No. 1 Northern Essex (Mass.) vs. No. 9 Genesee (N.Y.), 2 p.m.
No. 4 Salem CC vs. No. 12 Joliet (Ill.), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Riverland (Minn.) vs. No. 10 DC Richland (Texas), 6 p.m.
No. 3 DC North Lake (Texas) vs. No. 6 Montgomery County (Pa.)-No. 11 Ridgewater (Minn.) winner, 8 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

HERKIMER, N.Y. — It’s funny how things have a way of turning out sometimes.

A couple hours before the selection show for the JUCO Division III national tournament came on the air, the Salem CC coaches had a replay of a Joliet Junior College game playing in the office. The Wolves were in as a district champion and if the Mighty Oaks were getting an at-large bid, the Mid-Atlantic champions might be a team they’d have to play.

Not that the Mighty Oaks had any idea who they were going to play or how the seedings were going to fall, but guess who they play in their tournament opener Thursday?

Joliet, the No. 12 seed with the weakest overall record in the field, put down fifth-seeded Dallas College Eastfield 84-83 Wednesday on a layup with 3.5 seconds left after missing an open layup moments earlier that could have put it away.

“We’re a team of destiny,” Wolves guard Ricky Hill said. “We play a lot of good teams, we played a lot of close games. I don’t really feel our record (16-11) reflects who we are as a team.”

Indeed, as the only Division III JUCO in Illinois, the Wolves played a schedule largely of Division I and Division II teams. They’ve even knocked off some of the bigger names on that level this year.

The Salem coaches watched the game from the jump, setting up shop seven rows behind the Eastfield bench. The players joined them after halftime. They’d seen all the teams on film. Seeing them live confirmed what they suspected.

“Good team, really good team,” Green said. “They’ve got a really good front six or seven that look like they’ve been playing together for years. Very well put together. Play well for each other.”

“We’re going to have to play hard,” guard Zyaire Gibson said after watching the game.

By the same token, Joliet coach Danny Turner has been impressed with the Mighty Oaks’ guard play. Their top five scorers – all averaging double figures – are all guards. The top three – Jarrell Little, Nasseem Wright and Saaid Lee – all have more than 130 assists apiece. Gibson (87) and Little (80) lead the team in 3-pointers.

“Their guards are extremely good, high IQ, so we’re going to have to do something to contain their guards and keeping them from executing, and that’s either in transition or in their half-court set,” Joliet coach Danny Turner said.

Last year here the Mighty Oaks won their first-round game, but expended an awful lot of energy to do and didn’t have anything left to face second-seeded Mohawk Valley in the quarterfinals. Green can’t count on that happening to the Wolves this year.

“I don’t know; it’s a different team,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of conditioning they’re in. But they’ve been playing like that all year, been playing six or seven guys. They might be fine. That’s how they play. It’s tough on their legs, but it’s championship time, it’s win or go home, so I’m sure it’s mind over matter and they’re a champion so I’m sure they’re thinking mind over matter.”

The Wolves did use a lot of energy. They held a 12-point lead with 8:42 to play, but found themselves in a dogfight after Reggie McDonald got the Harvester Bees (20-10) to within one on a 3-pointer with 2:04 to play.

Joliet had a chance to extend their lead with less than 25 seconds left, but Hill missed a wide open layup down the lane. Eastfield’s Aiden White grabbed the rebound and brought it all the way back, finishing the play with a layup to put the Bees up 83-82 with 19.5 seconds to go.

“It was one of those things that was like, ‘I wish I could have that back,’ but you’ve got to keep playing and make the right play the next play,” Hill said. “Shout out to Kareem (Parker) and Levi (Goad) for getting that and making it up for me because we’re a team and we’re just going to ride out with each other.”

The Wolves did get another chance. They worked the clock down, Hill missed a 3-pointer, but Parker grabbed the rebound and laid it back up to give Joliet an 84-83 lead with 3.5 seconds to go. Eastfield’s Braydon Campbell fired off a shot from midcourt at the buzzer that missed and the Wolves had the first real upset of the tournament.

“I think the jitters are out now,” Turner said. “The guys were a little nervous coming in. We did some uncharacteristic things on both sides of the ball, but now we’re settled down. Definitely after a win like this, against a very, very well-coached team.”

JOLIET 84, DC EASTFIELD 83
JOLIET (16-11): Ricky Hill 8-14 10-11 27, Jyaveion Green 4-11 2-2 13, Levi Goad 4-7 4-4 15, Jeff Fleming 4-8 0-1 8, Victor Yatou 1-8 5-8 7, Kareem Parker 4-5 2-2 10, Josh Dillon 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Faber 1-1 0-0 2, Gabe Patterson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 27-56 23-28 84.
DALLAS COLLEGE EASTFIELD (20-9): Braydon Campbell 5-15 5-5 15, Aiden White 5-13 0-1 12, Ricky Wilson 7-11 1-315, David Uwalaka 6-12 1-2 16, Martez James 5-9 4-5 14, Reggie McDonald 2-3 0-0 6, Montreal Chalmers 0-1 0-0 0, Martin Nicholas 2-5 0-0 4, Vuk Vukadinovic 0-0 1-2 1, Nash Beard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-69 12-18 83.

Joliet	45	39-	84
DC Eastfield	40	43-	83

3-point goals: Joliet 7-17 (Hill 1-4, Green 3-8, Goad 3-4, Patterson 0-1); Eastfield 7-20 (Campbell 0-3, White 2-6, Uwalaka 3-6, James 0-1, McDonald 2-3, Nicholas 0-1). Rebounds: Joliet 35 (Fleming 7, Yatou 6, Parker 6); DC Eastfield 37 (James 12, Wilson 6). Total fouls: Joliet 17, DC Eastfield 20.

**Joliet guard Ricky Hill (L) tries to get around DC Eastfield’s Aiden White during the first half of their game Wednesday. (NJCAA photo)**

Top photo: Salem CC coaches Mike Green (R) and Marvin Kilgore take in the action from Wednesday’s Joliet-DC Eastfield game in the Division III JUCO national tournament. The Mighty Oaks will play Joliet in their first tournament game Thursday.

Voice of experience

Salem CC’s Phillips brings national championship tournament experience to a roster full of new players who’ve never been here before

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

UTICA, N.Y. – Stef Phillips took one step into the gym for Salem CC’s first practice at the national tournament venue Tuesday and it all came rushing back to him. The sights, the sounds, the smells of last year’s national tournament flooded his senses.

He even saw things in his mind’s eye that weren’t there yet – specifically, the big bracket board on the other side of the floor where the Mighty Oaks planted their logo after winning their first-round game.

On a team of virtually all new players, Phillips holds a unique position. He’s the only player on the roster who has ever faced what the Mighty Oaks are about to experience this week in the JUCO Division III national tournament in nearby Herkimer, N.Y.

“All of it’s familiar,” the sophomore post said before stepping into the banquet that recognized the 12 teams participating in the event. “You always remember your first experience coming to the national tournament. The only thing I don’t remember is the food, so hopefully I’ll remember that today.”

A year ago they were all new, as the Mighty Oaks made their first national tournament appearance in school history. When most of the players left for greater pursuits or just didn’t come back, Phillips found himself as the team’s only returnee. He didn’t feel left behind – he was planning to stay two years all along – but thought he’d have “somebody else” back with him.

Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green agreed “it’s important,” on a team with so many new players, to have a player who has been there done that, and he’s glad Phillips is in that role. Because Phillips is the only one who’s been here, it’s only natural the players have picked his brain about the experience. Interestingly, a lot of the questions had to do with the banquet. They’re just eager to play.

“This is a different group of kids,” Phillips said. “These kids are ultra confident. They’re not afraid to be themselves. I try to tell them to take it all in, enjoy the moment because you don’t know when you’re going to get an opportunity in here. You don’t want to take it for granted.”

The game will come soon enough. As the No. 4 seed, the Mighty Oaks (30-2) have a first-round bye and won’t play until 4 p.m. Thursday. They’ll meet the winner of Wednesday’s 2 p.m. game between No. 5 Dallas College Eastfield and No. 12 Joliet.

All the players were curious, but freshman Idris Rines was the most inquisitive.

“I look at Stef as a big brother; my first practice at Salem, Stef took me (as his drill partner),” Rines said. “I didn’t want to come in here blind. It’s not nerves or anything like that. I just want to know the layout, what I’m going into, how it is and what to expect. It was everything that Stef explained.”

The players followed their captain’s lead all the way to the national tournament.

“He was the first player off the bus, walked away, knew where to go,” Rines said. “So we all just followed him.”

NOTES: The Mighty Oaks will work out at Utica University Wednesday before heading to Herkimer to watch Eastfield-Joliet game … Green has no preference of the opponent. “It’s a tournament of champions; they’re all champions,” Green said. “I worry about my team, making sure we’re locked in and ready to go” … Banquet organizers drew door prizes for a lucky player on each team. Qua Smith had his number drawn for Salem. He won a Gatorade sports bottle.

Salem CC diamond drama

Mighty Oaks softball swept at home by Harford, baseball splits on first day of Myrtle Beach trip

SOFTBALL
Harford CC 12-4, Salem CC 2-3
BASEBALL
PSU-Hazleton 12, Salem CC 8
Salem CC 8, Illinois Valley 7

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – There was a lot to digest in Salem CC’s softball doubleheader Monday. There was some good. There was some bad. There was even some it could’ve been worse.

The bad was the Mighty Oaks were swept by Harford CC 12-2 and 4-3 to snap their four-game run-rule winning streak. In the it could’ve been worse department, at least it wasn’t a Region 19 counter like their season-opening sweep by Lackawanna. As for the good, they’ve got two more days of expected good weather to get themselves right before heading out on its spring break trip in Virginia, not that that’s any consolation.

“Being swept is never good whether it’s a region (doubleheader) or not,” Salem coach Angel Rodriguez said. “That’s just something we don’t want to deal with and we have to be able to play and win these kind of games.

“We’re right there, there’s some little things we have to keep working on to get better, but this one is going to hurt because we had every right to stay in this game. We did. We showed a little bit of our stuff, but we just didn’t show it consistently. We had a good opportunity to stick with and beat a really good team (and) we did not do that. We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to be able to pull stuff like this out.”

The Mighty Oaks (4-4) didn’t have much luck in the opener, falling behind 4-1 and then giving up six runs in the third inning. Noelle Beavers had three hits and seven RBIs for Harford (4-2), including a game-breaking three-run triple in the third.

The nightcap went much better for the home side. The Mighty Oaks were putting together a potential game-winning rally in the bottom of the seventh of the nightcap, getting the tying run to second with none out, before a bizarre infield out and a game-ending bang-bang 4-6-3 double play that left both teams wondering if it was the right call.

Salem trailed 4-2 going into their last bats, but had the top of the order due. Jalyn Rambally and Lilly Peverelle opened the inning with back-to-back doubles to make it 4-3. J.J. Aguirre, the Mighty Oaks’ most productive hitter, draw a walk and was replaced by Kasen Ervin on the bases.

Savannah Palverento hit a ball towards second that hit Ervin on the basepaths, killing the play and sending Peverelle back to second base. Chantelle Haskie pinch-hit for Sawyer Simmons, who had been hitless in the doubleheader, and grounded to second that keystone combo Audrey Coker and Katelyn McCullough turned into their third twin killing of the twinbill, with Haskie called out on a close play at first.

Haskie said “I feel like I was there already; kind of shocking a bit.” Rodriguez was convinced she was. Harford coach Dan Ashby said he wouldn’t have argued if they called the runner safe; “it was that close,” he said. Video replay showed the sophomore beat the throw.

“She 100 percent beat it out, but what are you going to do,” Rodriguez said. “We just have to put ourselves in a better position and hopefully not get into something like that to where it’s a close call, but … It’s a call that should’ve been maybe gotten help on, but they said we’re not going to judge on a judgement call, which was tough, especially on a close play like that. I thought it was close. At the end of the day it’s 50-50 and it just didn’t go our way that time.”

The Mighty Oaks took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, playing small ball to put runners in scoring position before Peverelle delivered a two-run single. The Fighting Owls robbed them of another run in the inning on a diving catch in the outfield, then retook the lead with three in the sixth.

“It showed us what we could’ve done, but we waited too long to do it,” Rodriguez said. “We had to adjust sooner and we just weren’t. We were playing into the pitcher’s pitches. We had a lot of hitter’s counts we were not capitalizing on and that hurt today. We just have to reflect on that and learn from that and get better. We were in a lot of positions to help ourselves out and we just played it to her ball and they made a couple really good plays on defense.”

GAME ONE	HARFORD 12	SALEM CC 2	R	H	E
Harford (3-2)	226	02-	12	12	1
Salem CC (4-3)	011	00-	2	6	2

WP: Ashley Merson. LP: Raegan Wilson. 2B: Audrey Coker (H), Ashley Merson (H), Jalyn Rambally (S), J.J. Aguirre (S), Emme Witter (S). 3B: Noelle Beavers (H).

GAME TWO	HARFORD 4	SALEM CC 3	R	H	E
Harford (4-2)	001	003 0-	4	5	0
Salem CC (4-4)	000	020 1-	3	11	3

WP: Kaylee Pruett. LP: Jordyn Busch. 2B: Jalyn Rambally (S), Lilly Peverelle (S).

Baseball splits

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Trevor Hernandez hit his second homer of the season and Chase Hortiz and Tyler Hacker each drove in a pair of runs as the Salem CC baseball team edged Illinois Valley 8-7 to earn a split on the first day of its spring break trip.

The Mighty Oaks lost their first game to Penn State-Hazleton 12-8.

Salem scored three runs in the first inning of their second game and held a 5-1 lead after two. Illinois Valley tied it in the fourth, but the Mighty Oaks scored single runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth and never lost the lead. Joe Pallante pitched the first four innings for the win and Tyler Hacker worked the seventh for the save.

The trip got off to a balky start. First-game starter Joe D’Amato walked five of the seven batters he faced in the first inning and Penn State-Hazleton scored five in the first on the way to an 8-0 lead. The Mighty Oaks got within 9-5 after a four-run fourth inning, but could never get the lead.

Hacker homered and doubled and drove in three runs. Roman Hernandez went 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

The trip continues Tuesday with a pair of night games against Lakeland CC and the CC of Rhode Island.

GAME ONE	PSU-HAZLETON 12	SALEM CC 8	R	H
Salem CC	001	401 2-	8	9
PSU-Hazleton	531	021 x-	12	14

LP: Joe A’Amato (0-1). 2B: Roman Hernandez (S), Tyler Hacker (S). HR: Tyler Hacker (S).

GAME TWO	SALEM CC 8	ILLINOIS VALLEY 7	R	H
Illinois Valley (0-3)	012	201 1-	7	8
Salem CC (3-3)	320	111 x-	8	8

WP: Joe Pallante (1-1). S: Tyler Hacker (2). HR: Trevor Hernandez (S)

Different fortunes

Salem CC softball enjoys second straight run-rule sweep, while baseball is swept at Brookdale before trip to Myrtle Beach

SOFTBALL
Salem CC 17-16, Monroe-Bronx 2-0
BASEBALL
Brookdale 17-7, Salem CC 10-3

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Jordyn Busch and Savannah Palverento combined on a five-inning no-hitter and got a lot of help from their fielders to preserve it as the Salem CC softball team crushed Monroe-Bronx 16-0 to complete its second run-rule sweep in as many days Saturday.

The Mighty Oaks (4-2) got the day started with a 17-2 win in the opener.

Busch, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Friday’s nightcap against Sussex, worked the first three innings Saturday before giving way to Palverento. Busch walked one, hit two and struck out five. Palverento walked one, struck out two and faced one batter over the minimum for her stint.

The defense made several nice plays behind their pitchers to get the gem alive. J.J. Aguirre made a diving catch on a bunt in the first inning, Emme Witter caught a ball going over the rightfield foul fence in the fourth and Pahola Chavez ended the game with an over-the-shoulder catch in deep right field.

The hitters made it a comfortable day for the pitchers. They scored 11 runs in the first inning. Aguirre hit another homer and drove in five runs in the game. Jalyn Ramball had two hits and two RBIs and Witter drove in two.

Raegan Wilson pitched a complete game for the Mighty Oaks in the opener. She gave up five hits, two unearned runs in the fifth inning, and struck out two.

Her hitters gave her a nice cushion early, scoring nine runs in the first inning. Aguirre had another big game with two hits and four RBIs. Lilly Peverelle and Bella Rappa both had had two hits and three RBIs, and Witter and Megan Koski both drove in a pair of runs.

GAME ONE

Monroe-Bronx	000	02-	2	5	1
Salem CC	950	3x-	17	9	2

WP: Raegan Wilson. 2B: J.J. Aguirre (S). 3B: Savannah Palverento (S).

GAME TWO

Monroe-Bronx	000	00-	0	0	2
Salem CC	(11)41	0x-	16	7	0

WP: Jordyn Busch. HR: Aguirre (S)

Bouncing back

Palverento, Mighty Oaks put Opening Day setback behind them, score run-rule sweep of Sussex; homegrown talent shines

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE —Despite all the softball she has played over the years, and even with a taste of the college game in the low-intensity fall, Savannah Palverento was as anxious as she’s ever been for a game during Salem CC’s opening-day doubleheader earlier in the week. And it showed.

She was a lot more comfortable with her surroundings the second time out Friday. And it showed.

The freshman from Pennsville collected her first two college hits, including her first college home run, and closed the game in the circle as the Mighty Oaks powered past Sussex 11-2 on the way to a run-rule doubleheader sweep. The Mighty Oaks won the second game 19-5 behind two big innings at the start and four no-hit innings from freshman pitcher Jordyn Busch.

It was a whole lot better for the Mighty Oaks (2-2) in general and Palverento in particular than getting swept by Lackawanna on Opening Day.

Palverento went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts from the leadoff spot in the two games and gave up seven runs in two innings in the circle in the opener. On Friday, hitting out of the 5-hole, she started a six-run second inning with a leadoff single and led off the four-run fourth with a homer. She pitched the fifth inning, giving up an unearned run and striking out the side.

“I was definitely nervous (Opening Day),” she said. “It wasn’t so much nerves — I feel like I got that part out — it was kind of getting in my head because I expected myself to do better than what I did.

“i definitely was a lot more comfortable today. I kind of just gave myself a mental reset and thanks to my coaches for giving us all a pep talk. We have so many more games to look forward to and we can’t just keep our head down on the past, we just have to move on.”

Palverento hit one home run in her four-year high school career (167 at-bats), her junior year against Salem. She called the one she hit Friday, in just her seventh college at-bat, “special” and not just because it was her first in college. Palverento lost her mother, Tina, in 2020 and Friday would have been her birthday.

“I told myself I was going to play hard for her today and I definitely did; I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “I definitely had a moment of clarity, like, oh my God, I just hit a home run and I was like, you know what, it was for her. Everything was for her.”

The Mighty Oaks got a big collective game from their Salem County players. The four local position players in the opener — Palverento, Lilly Peverelle (Pennsville), Ava Ortiz (Salem) and Sawyer Simmons (Pennsville) — were a combined 5-for-8 with five runs and four RBIs. Raegan Wilson (Salem) pitched the first four innings, allowing two hits and an unearned run.

Palverento didn’t play in the nightcap, but the Mighty Oaks’ contingent from Salem County showed out again. Bella Rappa (Pennsville) hit two doubles and together with Peverelle and Ortiz the homegrown players went 4-for-8 with four runs and three RBIs.

“Our goal when we first came in here was to not only try and recruit and let county student-athletes know that we’re here, but also anyone can do it,” Mighty Oaks coach Angel Rodriguez said. “For them, they grew up playing on this field, it’s very exciting to see their hard work pay off and they’re getting better. I know it takes a while to kind of reflect on it, but they’re starting to notice too how advances they’re starting to get at this game.

“I think it’s very cool. I think it opens up a lot of hopeful eyes for the county to say, hey, Salem Community College is here. It’s a good place to be and it’s a great place to be right now. Hopefully that opens up some other people seeing how good they’re doing to want to get behind them and want to do the same thing.”

The Mighty Oaks wasted little time taking control of the nightcap. They sent 13 batters to the plate in each of the first two innings, erupting for 17 runs. Their first eight hitters of the game all reached base and scored. J.J. Aguirre hit a three-run homer in the second inning, her third in the last two games.

Busch took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. She faced only three batters over the minimum to that point, struck out seven and had only five balls put in play. She lost the gem on a bunt single that loaded the bases after a pair of walks, then gave up a hard single off first baseman Rappa’s leg and a bases-clearing triple by Rachel Teague that ended her day. Emme Witter put out the fire with a strikeout, sacrifice fly and game-ending roller back to the circle.

“Knowing I was three outs away I was excited to get there, but I just was happy the way I did after Tuesday because I personally thought I didn’t give it my best on Tuesday,” Busch said. “Coming in and just having a great day on a day like this was nice. I was so close. I need three more outs, so it just makes you want to work harder.”

Top photo: Freshman Jordyn Busch carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Salem CC’s second-game run-rule win over Sussex Friday. (Photo by Nolan Dowell)

GAME ONE

Sussex (0-1)	001	01-	2	3	3
Salem CC (1-2)	064	1x-	11	8	2

WP: Raegan Wilson (1-0). LP: Sarah Lafferty (0-1). 2B: J.J. Aguirre (SCC). 3B: Lilly Peverelle (SCC). HR: Savannah Palverento (SCC).

GAME TWO

Sussex (0-2)	000	05-	5	3	4
Salem CC (2-2)	890	2x-	19	16	0

WP: Jordyn Busch (1-1). LP: Sarah Lafferty (0-2). 2B: Bella Rappa 2 (SCC). 3B: Rachel Teague (S). HR: J.J. Aguirre (SCC).

Mighty Oaks get in

No doubt, really: Salem CC draws fourth seed, first-round bye in the JUCO Division III national tournament

JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
March 11-14, Herkimer, N.Y.
March 11
No. 8 Northampton (27-4) vs. No. 9 Genesee (23-7), noon
No. 5 Dallas Eastfield (20-9) vs. No. 12 Joliet (15-11), 2 p.m.
No. 7 Dutchess (26-4) vs. No. 10 Dallas-Richland (20-9), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Montgomery County (21-4) vs. No. 11 Ridgewater, (22-6) 6 p.m.
March 12
Northampton-Genesee winner vs. No. 1 Northern Essex (30-3), 2 p.m.
Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner vs. No. 4 Salem (30-2), 4 p.m.
Dutchess-Dallas Richland winner vs. No. 2 Riverland (29-2), 6 p.m.
Montco-Ridgewater winner vs. No. 3 Dallas North Lake (22-10), 8 p.m.
At-large berths in italics

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — Some anxious few days turned into cheers of joy (relief, maybe) Wednesday when the Salem CC basketball team landed one of four at-large bids to the NJCAA Division III national tournament next week in Herkimer, N.Y.

The Mighty Oaks (30-2), No. 1 in the country at the end of the regular season but upset in their district championship game to leave their inclusion to the selection committee, were installed as the No. 4 seed. They will play the Dallas Eastfield-Joliet winner at 4 p.m. March 12 after drawing a first-round bye. Ironically, Mighty Oaks assistant coach Scooter Wilkerson had Joliet playing on the office TV before practice.

“I wasn’t really tripping.” freshman Nasseem Wright said. “I knew we were going to go to the tournament. We lost the (district) championship and it was a disappointment but it doesn’t overshadow all the work we put in to this point. I’m excited.

“I told you right after the game I knew were going to get in. That’s how God works. It was in God’s hands and I trusted it.”

The Mighty Oaks had heard rumors earlier in the day they were getting in, which made for a business-like practice Wednesday afternoon, but their spot didn’t become public until the selection show aired later that evening. The team watched the show in the gym after practice.

Three-point threat Zyaire Gibson was the first player to set up a seat in front of the monitor to watch the show. He didn’t have any doubts about the Mighty Oaks getting in, either.

“We worked for this,” he said. “We’re 30-2. We had a heartbreaking loss, but … now that we know we made it, keep our head down, not harp on the last loss, play hard and hopefully win this.”

“I kind of knew we were going to get in,” point guard Saaid Lee said. “I think it’s just another chance at life, basically. Just another run we need to go on to get this one.”

The host of the selection show made a special mention of Gibson’s specialty when he talked about the Mighty Oaks’ spot in the tournament, but the guard said he only got the half of it.

“They talked about my (3-point) shot attempts, they’ve got to talk about the makes,” he said. “I’m No. 1 in the (field) in makes, too.”

The other top four seeds are No. 1 Northern Essex, No. 2 Riverland (Salem’s opening-round opponent last year) and No. 3 Dallas North Lake. The other at-large bids went to Dallas Eastfield (20-9), Dallas Richland (20-9) and Ridgewater (22-6).

Salem’s Region 19 and Dallas’ Region 5 both got three teams in the field. Both sets were separated into different pods so region rivals wouldn’t meet until the semifinals.

“I told you those guys usually get it right,” head coach Mike Green said. “We’re fortunate to get a fourth seed, fortunate to get a bye. When you don’t take care of business the way you’re supposed, you leave it up in somebody else’s hands and we did that, but I think the committee did a good job.”

The Mighty Oaks had a lot going for them. They were ranked No. 1 in the country for six weeks during the season, had the best record in Region XIX and the best record in the country at the end of the regular season.

A year ago the Mighty Oaks went into the tournament as a 10thseeded automatic qualifier and won three games in four days. This year they have a first-round bye and a more focused mindset.

“Last year we were just happy to be there,” Green said. “This year it’s a real business trip, and we’re going to treat it as such.

“Last year’s team fought that first game against Riverland and we didn’t anything that second game (against Mohawk Valley). We got a bye (this year). We get a chance to watch, we get an extra day to scout, so these guys ought to come in with guns blazing.”

JUCO Division III Tournament

AUTO (District)	W-L	STR	L10	OFF	DEF
No. 1 Northern Essex (East)	30-3	16	10-0	89.3	71.0
No. 2 Riverland (North Plains)	29-2	3	9-1	85.6	66.5
No. 8 Northampton (North Atlantic)	27-4	4	8-2	80.2	67.0
No. 7 Dutchess (Northeast)	26-4	4	9-1	85.4	65.5
No. 9 Genesee (North)	23-7	14	10-0	85.7	75.6
No. 3 Dallas-North Lake (South Central)	22-10	5	8-2	85.5	75.4
No. 6 Montgomery Co. (North Atlantic)	21-4	7	9-1	83.2	71.0
No. 12 Joliet (Mid-Atlantic)	15-11	5	8-2	84.8	81.2

AT-LARGE	W-L	L10	OFF	DEF
No. 4 Salem CC	30-2	8-2	93.0	71.9
No. 10 Dallas Richland	20-9	7-3	76.7	68.2
No. 5 Dallas Eastfield	20-9	7-3	83.9	71.9
No. 11 Ridgewater	22-6)	8-2	96.6	82.9

Soggy start

Salem CC softball swept by Lackawanna in its season-opening doubleheader, bounced back from rainy rout to play a one-run game in the nightcap

SALEM CC SOFTBALL
Lackawanna 21-7, Salem CC 0-6

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — The word of the week through all of Salem CC’s softball practices this week was adversity and the Mighty Oaks had plenty of it in their season opener.

How they learn to overcome it going forward will say a lot about the season they hope to enjoy.

The Mighty Oaks opened their season Tuesday getting swept by Region XIX rival Lackawanna 21-0 and 7-6 at Watson Field. Between playing in the first-game rain that kept their freshman pitcher from gripping the ball in her first college start to having to regroup from a blowout, losing a lead in the nightcap, tying it, falling behind again and trying to rally in the seventh, there was plenty of adversity to go around.

“We were hit with some adversity and that’s kind of been our word of the past week,” coach Angel Rodriguez said. “Just understand we’ve got to be able to battle through some changes and when we’re down it’s never over. You’ve got to look forward to the next best thing that you’re going to do and that’s been our motto.

“You don’t know when adversity is going to hit you in life and how long it’s going to last around, but it’s not something you can wake up and hope it’s gone. I felt they did a really good job of bouncing back after that first game and battling in the second game together. That’s something that didn’t leave them the whole time, which is good, so we can take that away.

“You’ve got to be able to play through it. You’re as good as your next at bat or fielding play. I think they did a good job of that and there’s a lot of stuff there that I think we’re going to take as we keep going forward.”

Not much could’ve been more adverse than the opener. The game started in a cold mist that grew progressively harder as the game went on. At the weather’s worst, in the third inning, Mighty Oaks starting pitcher Jordyn Busch had trouble gripping the ball and her cleats clogged with mud. She walked six and hit a batter in the inning and was charged with 11 of the 12 runs the Falcons scored in it although Reagan Wilson gave up a grand slam to Haleigh Mazol on her first pitch of the season immediately after replacing Busch.

Mazol had a two-run single earlier in the inning and eight RBIs in the game. She drove in what proved to be the winning run in the nightcap on a soft pop in the sixth that landed a couple feet up the third base line and plopped into the soft dirt, coming to rest just inches from rolling foul. It allowed Laniah Tasker to race home from third for a 7-4 lead.

The umpires suspended play after the Might Oaks batted in the fourth inning down 20-0 — before reaching the five-inning run-rule threshold — and the game was delayed 30 minutes while Salem coaches and administrators worked in six bags of drying agent to fix the infield. There was a thought if the game had been suspended earlier, before the rain got heavier, they might not have brought it back at all. Rodriguez called it “a tough call for everyone.”

“I think they did the right call,” he said. “We took the little intermission and got the field prepped what we needed to do and the weather held out for the most part after that. It’s a tough call. We wanted to play. We were ready to still go, but it did surprise us there. That wasn’t on the radar at first, but that’s the weather. We said it earlier. If we’re going to wait for a perfect day in March on the East Coast we’re never going to play. Some of these things you’ve got to be able to battle through.”

Busch went back in the circle after the rain, started the second game. She kept the Falcons off the board in the first two innings and pitched into the fourth before being lifted following Ayahna Fleisher’s two-run homer that put the Falcons in front 4-3.

“It was definitely a way better adjustment (without the rain); I feel like I was actually able to get into a groove and find the strike zone,” she said. “In the first game finding the strike zone was hard. I couldn’t see because my glasses were covered in rain and my towel was soaked so I couldn’t dry my hand off and then my glove, the ball was getting soaked through it so I couldn’t grip it at all.

“It did definitely affect me. Not only I couldn’t grip the ball, but on the mental side because it was my first college game. The rain was just something added to struggle with. I definitely didn’t mind it at first, it was definitely not that bad, but when it started picking up it was very unpleasant.”

The day wasn’t all bad for the Mighty Oaks (0-2). J.J. Aguirre hit two homers in the nightcap. Her three-run blast in the first gave them a 3-0 lead and her two-run shot in the seventh gave them hope. The freshman from Midland, Texas, also had their only hit in the opener against Fleisher, a two-out double in the second.

“The first home run I was just trying to keep it simple and let mechanics take over,” she said. “The second home run I was a little nervous because it was bottom (of the seventh) but I didn’t let it get to me. I just kept it simple: See the ball, hit the ball. I think I was just ready to get another chance with no rain and I was excited and ready to go and just play.”

The Falcons (3-2) broke a 4-4 tie in the nightcap with three runs in the sixth. Aguirre’s second homer made it 7-6. Bella Rappa kept the rally alive with a single and was moved into scoring position by Megan Koski. Sawyer Simmons then lofted a ball into the fog in right field that was caught for the final out.

GAME ONE

Lackawanna	03(12)	51-	21	13	0
Salem CC	000	00-	0	1	3

WP: Ayahna Fleisher (1-1). LP: Jordyn Busch (0-1). 2B: Ayahna Fleisher (L), Mia Scalese (L), Mackenzie Adolfson (L), Kyleah Edwards (L); J.J. Aguirre (S). HR: Haleigh Mazol (L)

GAME TWO

Lackawanna	002	203	0-	7	9	2
Salem CC	300	010	2-	6	10	3

WP: Mia Scalese (2-0). LP: Emme Witter (0-1). 2B: Laniah Tasker (L); Jalyn Rambally (S). HR: Ayahna Fleisher (L); J.J. Aguirre 2 (S)

Salem CC adds 4

Mighty Oaks bring in new, familiar faces to join their coaching staffs as assistants

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Salem CC cross country coach Ashley Johnson remembers sharing a bus with Tom Mason when their Pennsville and Penns Grove high school teams competed in the same faraway championship meets. Now, they’re back on the bus together as coaching colleagues.

Mason, longtime Salem County track and cross country coach, has been approved as Johnson’s assistant coach for the coming season.

Call it a double full-circle moment because Mason started the Salem CC cross country program when “I had hair” during the college’s first run sponsoring athletics.

“It is full circle,” he said. “It’s bringing me back, the circle’s complete, but the main I took the job was Ashley, because what a fantastic person she is and what a great experience I had coaching against her. It’s going to be fun to get back to it.”

Mason’s 44-year high school coaching career (126 seasons) includes nearly 400 wins, four state team titles, six South Jersey sectional titles, 15 Salem County crowns and nearly 70 individual and relay state champions. He was inducted into the Salem County Sports (2011) and New Jersey Scholastic Coaches (2016) hall of fames. He also once served on the Salem CC board of trustees and is currently a member of the Pennsville School Board.

On Wednesday, he confirmed his acceptance of the Woodstown High School spring track coaching job, which won’t conflict with the Salem CC post. It’ll give him a chance to impart his wisdom on the Wolverines’ dominant middle distance runners and resume the run for 400 wins (he needs four).

“Coaching in Salem County was one of the best coaching memories I’ve had and the coaching world in Salem County seemed like family,” Johnson said. “Working with the best — Geoff Shute, John Maniglia and Justin Simmons — at Pennsville turned into becoming friendly with Tom … All the coaches I’ve coached with and against became family.

“The best part is when I left I remained in touch with those coaches and seeing them months or even years later we picked up where we left off. Before I took over Salem CC the first person that came to mind was Tom Mason. He started this program, he’s a Salem County and New Jersey legend, and I had to reach out. I am beyond excited to be work with him. We click, he’s got a ton of energy and a very impressive resume.”

And he’s always been there at her biggest moments.

“Tom came to Pennsville when one of our runners was signing to run for him at SCC (in 2019),” Johnson recalled. “I’ll never forget that day because immediately after the signing Geoff Shute and athletic director Adam Slusher drove me home because a few hours later I gave birth to my daughter, Scarlett.”

Mason was one of four new assistants the Salem CC board of trustees approved at its Feb. 19 meeting.

Courtney Gallo and Mike Kerns will join Andrea Bartlett’s volleyball staff. Gallo is a former Chestnut Hill player and Kerns is the swim coach at Camden Academy Charter.

Angel Velez is back with the baseball team after two seasons as a player. The catcher-DH was the Mighty Oaks’ hottest hitter in the second half of last season.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 2-7

MONDAY MARCH 2
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodstown at Salem, 5 p.m.
Glassboro at KIPP, 6 p.m.
New Egypt at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Audubon at Palmyra, 6 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Woodbury at Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m.
Palmyra at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 4 p.m.
Gateway at Wildwood, 5 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 3
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Delaware Tech, 3 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Lackawanna at Salem CC, 1 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Woodstown-Salem vs. Glassboro-KIPP
New Egypt at Penns Grove vs. Audubon-Palmyra
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Woodbury-Haddon Twp. vs. Palmyra-Glassboro
Woodstown-Audubon vs. Gateway-Wildwood
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NJCAA Division III Selection Show, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester (2), 3 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6
WRESTLING
Region Tournament
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Sussex at Salem CC (2), 1 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
WRESTLING
Region Tournament
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Brookdale at Salem CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC (2), noon

SUNDAY, MARCH 8
INDOOR TRACK
Meet of Championship, Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
WRESTLING
Girls Region Tournament

District downer

Top-ranked Salem CC upset in North Atlantic District finals, still confident of at-large bid; selection show Wednesday

JUCO D-III DISTRICT FINALS
Saturday’s Games for AQ berths
North Atlantic A
Montgomery (21-4) 58, Salem CC 55
North Atlantic B
Northampton (27-4) 96, Brookdale 86
South Central
Dallas North Lake (22-10) 101, Dallas Brookhaven 79

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was supposed to be the crowning moment of a dominant Region XIX basketball season. It turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments.

Just how big of one is a matter for a bunch of basketball guys zoomed together from some far-flung places deciding who gets the four coveted at-large bids to the national tournament.

Top-ranked Salem CC came to Northampton as the favorite in the Region XIX/North Atlantic District A finals Saturday, but overlooked a Montgomery County team playing with a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove.

The Mighty Oaks played their poorest game of the season, maybe the poorest in Mike Green’s 2 1/2-year tenure as head coach, and were stunned by the Mustangs 58-55.

The win sends the eighth-ranked Mustangs (21-4) to the JUCO Division III national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y., March 11-14 as an automatic qualifier.

The Mighty Oaks (30-2) were hoping to be going back to better their fifth-place showing of a year ago but now must wait for the selection show Wednesday at 6 p.m. to see if a return trip becomes a reality.

“I got a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a tough L,” leading scorer Jarrell Little said. “I feel like we didn’t come to play our Salem basketball today. We had a lot of turnovers. I hope we can get in the national tournament and play them again, but I just got a bad taste in my mouth. A bad loss.”

**ONE ON ONE: Salem CC’s Jarrell Little moves in to defend against Montgomery’s Matthew Williams (1).**

It wasn’t one of the Mighty Oaks’ best or even average games. They seemed out of it from the start, although they did wake up from it midway through the second half to get back in it and even take a couple small leads.

But it was all a fight for survival. They couldn’t get it inside and they couldn’t hit from the outside against the Mustangs’ zone.

They shot 7-for-27 from the field in each half, ended up with 18 turnovers, just six assists and were outrebounded by 14. They had just 13 offensive boards and nine second-chance points. Where they normally put four or more scorers in double figures, Little was the only one (17 points). The bench, one of the keys to their success all year, was outscored 18-9.

“They out-toughed us,” Green said. “They were the tougher team … We didn’t execute. We were terrible executing. We practiced. We do things certain things and then we went out and did what we wanted to do and we lost.”

Montco had something different for them than first time they played and both Little and Nasseem Wright suggested the Mighty Oaks may have overlooked them because of it despite Green’s warnings to the contrary.

The Mustangs were being coached by assistant Jerome Monroe because their head coach and point guard were suspended for the game after being ejected from their semifinal win over Camden. Ironically, Monroe accepted Koran Prince’s Region XIX Coach of the Year award along with the rest of the winners’ hardware after the game.

Monroe was on Green’s Salem staff last year. He said he didn’t use any of the secrets he picked up with the way the Mighty Oaks did things on their way to the national tournament last year because that would be too easy and he knew Green would be ready for that.

“I did not try to do that because Mike, as a ballplayer — we played back in the day when we were kids — he was always a crafty player and I knew he would be a crafty coach, so I didn’t even try to plan for it,” he said. “I just tried to plan to get my guys ready to take this home.

“I was going to switch the defneses up a lot and get up on them and make them work like they make teams work all season. I watched a bunch of film and I felt like we’ve got to make them work and it worked out.”

Salem point guard Saaid Lee said the Mustangs looked different than when the teams played the first time. They knew to be ready for it, but it still caught them off guard.

“I did expect it to be different but I didn’t expect it to be like that,” Lee said. “They had a better coach coaching them so they threw a lot of stuff at us; we just weren’t as prepared.”

For all the shortcomings, the Mighty Oaks did rally from 11 down with 12:12 to play and took a 41-40 lead on Little’s 3 from the left corner with 9:13 to go. Saaid Lee put two free throws behind it to make it a three-point lead.

Zyaire Gibson hit a 3 to put Salem up 51-50 with 3:08 left, and later hit three free throws to give them a 55-52 lead with 1:38 to go.

Montco led 56-55 with 20 seconds left. The Mighty Oaks were working to retake the lead, but Lee had the ball knocked away by Qudire Bennett in lane traffic with nine seconds to go. Idris Rines fouled Bennett immediately and he hit two free throws to bring the final margin.

“I was trying to corner kick it but I ended up turning it over,” Lee said. “I was just trying to make whatever the right play was, but they all collapsed on me and I wasn’t strong with it.”

It was a tough day for the usually steady point guard. He was 0-for-8 from the field, scoring all nine of his points from the free throw line, and was charged with six turnovers. It was that kind of day for the Mighty Oaks.

**GAME OVER: Montgomery County CC comes up with the steal that seals No. 1 Salem CC’s loss in district championship game.**

MONTGOMERY 58, SALEM CC 55
MONTGOMERY (21-4): Brandon Bush 1-4 2-3 4, Qudire Bennett 5-9 2-2 13, Tariq Jennings 3-7 6-7 13, Issac Cole 4-14 2-5 10, Julius Marshall 0-1 0-0 0, Matthew Williams 1-5 0-2 2, Steven Hill 4-7 0-0 9, Kevin Addison 3-11 1-2 7, Ryan Holmburg 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 13-21 58.
SALEM CC (30-2): Jarrell Little 6-17 2-3 17, Saaid Lee 0-8 9-10 9, Zyaire Gibson 2-7 3-3 9, Nasseem Wright 1-9 2-2 4, Stefan Phillips 2-4 3-5 2, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0, Qua Smith 0-1 1-2 1, Nayeem Johnson 1-3 1-3 3, Idris Rines 2-4 1-3 5. Totals 14-54 22-31 55.

Montgomery	26	32-	58
Salem CC	22	33-	55

3-point goals: Montgomery 3-14 (Bush 0-2, Bennett 1-1, Jennings 1-2, Cole 0-3, Marshall 0-1, Hill 1-2, Addison 0-2, Homburg 0-1); Salem CC 5-30 (Little 3-10, Lee 0-3, Gibson 2-7, Wright 0-6, Phillips 0-1, Sayles 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Rines 0-1). Rebounds: Montgomery 50 (Cole 9, Jennings 8); Salem CC 36 (Phillips 8). Fouled out: Williams. Total fouls: Montgomery 23, Salem CC 23.