Category: SALEM CC

On their ‘Six’

Spencer stars as Salem CC moves within a Saturday win of a trip to the national tournament after beating CC of Philadelphia on the road

REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
DIVISION III MEN
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 83, Philadelphia 70
Montgomery 83, Brookdale 64
Union 87, Atlantic Cape 84
Northampton 83, Camden 66
SATURDAY’S GAMES
(At Northampton)
Northampton (23-5) vs. Union (22-4), noon
Salem CC (22-7) vs. Montgomery (21-5), 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA – Jyheim Spencer wasn’t in a seat when the Salem CC basketball team pulled out of the Dupont Fieldhouse parking lot for its Region XIX playoff opener Wednesday night, but by the middle of the second half he was driving the bus.

The 6-foot-8 freshman post they call “Six,” whose story of redemption has been well-documented and admired by many of the college recruiters who have seen it, was as beastly as he’s been all season. “Dominant” is how coach Mike Green described him.

Spencer had another double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds – his ninth in 15 games – plus six blocked shots and four steals, as the Mighty Oaks bounced third-seeded CC of Philadelphia 83-70 to reach the JUCO Division III North Atlantic District B finals Saturday at Northampton.

The sixth-seeded Mighty Oaks (22-7) will play second-seeded No. 13 Montgomery County CC at 3 p.m. with a trip to the Division III national tournament in Herkimer, N.Y., March 12-15 in the balance. With the region receiving two automatic bids to the nationals, the region tournament was split into two districts crowning two champions. 

“I just had to play like today was my last game,” Spencer said. “Just play every play hard, don’t take any off; just play like it’s the last game.

“For me, this is very big because I got another chance. Not only do I get another chance, I’m in the playoffs now. I never even thought I was going to be able to play again, now I’m in the playoffs. It just felt like the first game all over again. First playoff game, got to set the tone.”

Spencer, who was already in Philly and met the team upon its arrival at the CCP gym, made his presence felt all game, but he was especially impactful in the second half and particularly the final 12 minutes.

Akeem Taylor hit two free throws to give Salem a seven-point lead, then Spencer went on a tear. He converted a sharp entry pass from Taylor into a dunk and then after hurting his left ankle fouling a guy made a put back and another basket to push the lead to 14.

Later in the quarter he picked a CCP player’s pocket coming out of the backcourt and finished that off with a dunk to make it 68-54 with 6:17 to play. The Lions (20-8) got within six with 1:30 to go before looking for someone to foul and Fortune closed them out at the line.

“That’s the way he’s supposed be for us all year long,” Green said of Spencer. “When he’s not that, we struggled, so when he is that, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

“He was a dog. He was a beast. That’s what we needed. That’s what he needs to be for us to go where we need to go.”

All three of the Mighty Oaks’ Jan. 7 newcomers played major roles in the program’s first playoff victory in three years. In addition to Spencer, Taylor had 18 points and six assists, and Tamir Powell had 14 points. Tyrese Fortune, who has been there from the beginning but only recently started spreading his wings, also scored 18 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 40 seconds to close it out.

The Mighty Oaks are 12-3 since adding those players to their roster in the second semester.

“He played great,” Taylor said of Spencer. “He grabbed all the rebounds we needed. He did everything we needed. I feel like everybody played well today. We could have gotten 50-50 balls more, but besides that everything was good.”

The Mighty Oaks lost to CCP earlier this season in a game they readily admit they didn’t play well. They had more turnovers than made shots in that one – a season-high 22 turnovers to 21 field goals – but on this night they were more focused and had only seven. They also made more shots.

“We came in this expecting to win,” Taylor said. “Last game we didn’t really play so well. I think we had more turnovers than made shots. We came into this one confident.”

And they left victorious.

ACORNS: The Mighty Oaks are 8-5 away from Dupont this season. One of those losses was to Montco, 74-72 on Feb. 4, in which they had a shot at the end but messed up their spacing and got the shot blocked … Several of the Mighty Oaks continue to get four-year offers, but only one has made a pledge. Rodney Shelton has committed to Harris-Stowe, an NAIA HBCU in St. Louis, Green said … Taylor is weighing several options – he recently return from visits to Harris-Stowe and Northwestern Ohio – and hinted a commitment could be coming in March.

SALEM CC 83, PHILADELPHIA 70
SALEM CC (22-7) – Akeem Taylor 6-12 6-10 18, Tyrese Fortune 4-10 9-13 18, Jyheim Spencer 9-12 0-1 18, Tamir Powell 4-8 5-8 14, Xavier Brewington 2-5 2-5 7, Josh Ramos 1-2 0-0 3, A.J. Jones 1-1 0-0 2, Tivon Woolford 1-1 0-0 2, Dontarius Jones 0-1 1-2 1, Rodney Shelton 0-1 0-2 0, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-53 23-41
PHILADELPHIA (20-8) – Regjon Knight 11-29 5-7 29, Malachi Montgomery 1-16 2-6 4, Maki Pettigrew 4-19 0-0 9, Brince Shelton 4-16 3-7 12, Tahjir Davis 5-10 0-0 10, Saleem Henderson 1-1 0-0 2, Devon Stanley 2-3 0-1 4, Dontae Bacon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-95 10-21 70.

Salem CC4241-83
Philadelphia3436-70
3-point goals: Salem 4-15 (Taylor 0-1, Fortune 1-7, Powell 1-3, Brewington 1-1, Ramos 1-2, D. Jones 0-1); CCP 4-19 (Knight 2-5, Montgomery 0-4, Pettigrew 1-6, Shelton 1-3, Davis 0-1). Rebounds: Salem 38 (Spencer 19, Fortune 6); CCP 35 (Knight 7, Davis 10). Fouled out: Stanley, Davis. Total fouls: Salem 17, CCP 26.
Salem CC’s Jyheim Spencer (L) cuts across the lane in hopes of giving teammate Akeem Taylor a big target.

Tale of the Tape

Here’s a statistical comparison for Wednesday’s Region XIX playoff game between Salem CC and CC of Philadelphia

SALEM CC at PHILADELPHIA, 6 P.M. SCC (RK)CCP (RK)
RECORD (SEED)21-7 (6)20-7 (3)
FIRST MEETING (Jan. 28)5962
POINTS PER GAME 87.2 (7)84.1 (19)
POINTS ALLOWED72.7 (26)72.6 (24)
FG MADE31.6 (19)32.0 (15)
FG ATTEMPTS73.3 (3)73.0 (4)
SHOOTING PCT.43.1 (50)43.9 (39)
3-PT MADE8.8 (3)6.8 (37)
3-PT ATTEMPTS31.7 (36)19.9 (46)
FT PCT.69.9 (12)66.9 (33)
REBOUNDS43.8 (13)46.2 (8)
OPPONENT REBOUNDING38.3 (52)26.6 (2)
RK: National rank in JUCO Division III

Top Scorers

SALEM CC PPGPHILADELPHIAPPG
Akeem Taylor21.0Regjon Knight21.8
Jyheim Spencer12.9Brince Shelton15.0
Tyrese Fortune11.4Malachi Montgomery14.8
Xavier Brewington10.9Kristion Tiller11.4
Tamir Powell10.0Maki Pettigrew10.6

Top Rebounders

SALEM CC RPG PHILADELPHIAPPG
Jyheim Spencer14.0Tahjir Davis10.3
Rodney Shelton6.9Aymere Thomas 9.8
Tyrese Fortune6.8Brince Shelton6.5
Xavier Brewington5.1Regjon Knight5.7
Akeem Taylor4.8Malachi Montgomery5.3

FREE THROWS — Salem: Stefan Phillips, 45-51, .882; Tivon Woolford, 13-17, .765; Akeem Taylor, 44-50, .759; Xavier Brewington, 60-80, .750; Tamir Powell, 20-27, .741; Tyrese Fortune, 61-87, .701. CCP: Kristion Tiller, 32-40, .800; Regjon Knight, 55-69, .797; Donte Bacon, 11-14, .786; Brince Shelton, 79-111, .712.

3-POINTERS — Salem: Josh Ramos, 71-194, .366; Tamir Powell, 20-60, .333; Tivon Woolford, 20-64, .313; Akeem Taylor, 10-32, .313; Xavier Brewington, 39-126, .310; Tyrese Fortune, 22-97, .227. CCP: Regjon Knight, 49-144, .340; Malachi Montgomery, 41-117, .350; Kristion Tiller, 40-109, .367; Maki Pettigrew, 30-99, .303.

Opening Daze

Salem CC swept in season-opening doubleheader; Holt: ‘We’ve got some things to tighten up’

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CHICHESTER, Pa. – Opening Day is supposed to be a time when everything is fresh and excitement is high. But at the end of this day the Salem CC baseball team would just as soon have a do-over.

The Mighty Oaks picked up a doubleheader late in the week to serve as their 2025 Season Opener after their first three series were pushed back or canceled by the winter weather, but it wasn’t a good day. They were swept by Sussex CC 14-4 and 17-3 at the MSI Sports Complex that at one time was going to be the Mighty Oaks’ home.

“We’ve struggled to get outside, we’ve struggled to be out on the field, and I think it kind of showed today,” Salem coach John Holt said. “We’ve got some things to tighten up and once we do that we’ll get the ship righted.”

With all the arms the Mighty Oaks had to replace from last year’s Region XIX playoff team, pitching was going to be an issue that had to be settled. It proved to remain a work in progress Sunday.

The six pitchers Salem used in the doubleheader threw hard, they just had trouble with their control. They walked 16 and hit 13 batters in the doubleheader. Sussex first baseman Mitchell Doucette took one for the team twice in each game and center fielder Cole Bolton did it four times in the nightcap.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a struggle so much,” Holt said of the pitching. “I think guys have to get their innings.

“I think we’ve done an adequate job in regards to replacing some of the arms we lost. I think we’ve got a lot of quality guys. Some of them, we’ve got to get healthy; some of them, we’ve got to get innings and get their reps under their belt. I think we’ll be fine. I think it’s just a matter of working out the kinks and getting the attitudes right.”

Jon Gambone was making his first college start since March 18, 2023 as the Mighty Oaks’ Opening Day Game 1 starter. His last appearance in a college game was April 8 of that year before Tommy John surgery put him on the shelf until Sunday.

The sophomore right-hander was hoping to throw around 70 pitches, go four or five innings and “feel overall comfortable” in his return. He may have met his pitch count, but he went only three innings against the Skylanders, throwing about 40 pitches in the first inning.

He hit the first batter he faced, walked the next and gave up an RBI single before recording an out. Later in the inning he surrendered a single, walk and two-run single – all with the bases loaded – to the bottom three hitters in the order. The Skylanders sent 11 men to the plate in their first inning of the season and scored five runs to wipe out Salem’s 1-0 lead.

“It was definitely hard to keep my heart rate down, for sure; I was definitely very nervous,” Gambone said. “I think it was more nerves and excitement. I think I was so over-excited, so over-amped up, it was so hard to control it.”

A similar thing happened to him, he said, in his Mighty Oaks’ debut coming back from a hip injury in 2023. He gave up six hits and five runs in four-plus innings on that Opening Day. 

The Gateway product was much better in his next two innings Sunday, facing eight batters, giving up two hits and striking out two without allowing a run.

“I felt confident and was able to bounce back that second and third inning,” he said. “I figure I’ll be able to keep going, too, a little later in the season.”

J.D. Wilson started in the nightcap. He threw it as hard as ever, but had some trouble reeling it in. He did strike out seven in his three innings, but he also walked two and hit four. The Mighty Oaks need him and Gambone to give them at least five innings to be effective.

In a game Holt conceded didn’t have many positives – “we didn’t do much well today,” he said –the Mighty Oaks did mount a threat in the fourth inning of the nightcap.

They trailed 6-0 entering the inning, but scored three and had the go-ahead run at the plate with bases loaded and two outs, but the Skylanders got out of it. Angel Velez drove in the first run with an RBI-double, Yen Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk and a third run scored when Sussex misplayed Hunter Cohen’s sharp grounder to second.

“I think our approach at the plate’s got to be better and I think that’s where we struggled today, mostly,” Holt said. “If our approach is better I think we put together some better at bats. The whole pass-the-stick philosophy that we kind of believe in here wasn’t there today.”

Matt Murphy drove in Salem’s first two runs of the season with an RBI double in the first inning of the opener and a RBI single in the third. Velez and Cole Dawson each had two hits in the nightcap.

The Mighty Oaks will get their do-over of sorts Monday in their home against Genesee. The 7-inning doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. Genesee (2-2) split doubleheaders with Camden CC and RCSJ-Cumberland over this weekend.

Salem’s projected starting pitchers for the doubleheader are sophomore right-hander Jared Vandersteur and freshman left-hander Pat Seitzinger. Both will be making their first collegiate starts. Vandersteur made five relief appearances last season.

“I think once we get our reps under our belt … I think tomorrow will be better than today because we got it out of our system a little bit,” Holt said.

SUSSEX 14-17, SALEM 4-3

Game One
Salem (0-1)101 011 0-481
Sussex (1-0)500 315 x-14131
JON GAMBONE (L, 0-1), L. Rodriguez (4), Stewart (5) and Velez. AIDEN MAAS (W, 1-0), Mizener (3), St.-Pierre (6), Watson (6) and Klein. 2B: LeBold (Sa), Murphy (Sa), Kelly (Sa), Freda (Su), Klein (Su), Weatherwax (Su), Peterson (Su).
Game Two
Sussex (2-0)111 355 1-17123
Salem (0-2)000 300 0-363
J.D. WILSON (L, 0-1), McCormick (4), Jones (6) and Velez. RYAN MILLER (W 1-0), Klein (4), Steer (5), Yunkunis (6), Apa (7) and Sheruda. 2B: Lotruglio (Su), Klein (Su), Velez (Sa).
Salem CC coach John Holt (L) talks with starting pitcher J.D. Wilson between innings of Sunday’s nightcap.

This week’s schedule

Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 23-March 1

SUNDAY, FEB. 23
TRACK
NJSIAA Group I Championship, Bennett Center, Toms River
WRESTLING
NJSIAA Girls South Regionals, Absegami
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Sussex CC vs. Salem CC (2), MSI Chichester, noon

MONDAY, FEB. 24
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Genesee CC at Salem CC, 2 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 25
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
(16) Wildwood at (1) Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
(9) Burlington City at (8) Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
(12) Glassboro at (5) Woodbury, 5 p.m.
(13) Paulsboro at (4) Audubon, 4 p.m.
(14) Clayton at (3) Haddon Twp., 7:30 p.m.
(11) Salem at (6) Palmyra, 6 p.m.
(10) New Egypt at (7) Woodstown, 7 p.m.
(15) Maple Shade at (2) KIPP Cooper Norcross, 5 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
(16) Schalick at (1) Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m.
(9) Glassboro at (8) Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
(12) Cape May Tech at (5) Audubon
(13) Gateway at (4) Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
(14) Riverside at (3) Wildwood
(11) Woodbury at (6) Pennsville, 5 p.m.
(10) Burlington City at (7) Clayton, 5 p.m.
(15) New Egypt at (2) Palmyra
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Region XIX Division III Tournament
Salem CC at CC of Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Brookdale at Montgomery
Atlantic Cape at Union
Camden at Northampton

FRIDAY, FEB. 28
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Brookdale at Salem CC, 1:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Wildwood-Pitman vs. Burlington City-Penns Grove
Glassboro-Woodbury vs. Paulsboro-Audubon
Clayton-Haddon Twp. vs. Salem-Palmyra
New Egypt-Woodstown vs. Maple Shade-KIPP Cooper Norcross
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Schalick-Haddon Twp. vs. Glassboro-Penns Grove
Cape May Tech-Audubon vs. Gateway-Woodstown
Riverside-Wildwood vs. Woodbury-Pennsville
Burlington City-Clayton vs. New Egypt-Palmyra
WRESTLING
Region 8 Championships, Egg Harbor Twp., 9 a.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
North Atlantic Championship
At Northampton
(Two winners advance to national tournament)
A: Camden-Northampton winner vs. Atlantic Cape-Union winner, noon
B: Salem-Philadelphia winner vs. Brookdale-Montgomery winner, 3 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Brookdale CC (2), noon
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC (2), noon

Hey, 19

Sixth-seeded Salem CC opens Region XIX Division III men’s tournament at CC of Philadelphia, winner plays for a bid to national tournament

REGION XIX TOURNAMENT
DIVISION III MEN
Saturday’s Games
No. 10 RCSJ-Gloucester (11-16, 9-9) at No. 7 Brookdale (18-7, 12-6)
No. 9 Ocean (16-8, 11-7) at No. 8 Atlantic Cape (14-13, 11-7)
Feb. 26 Games
RCSJ-Gloucester/Brookdale at No. 2 Montgomery (20-5, 15-3)
No. 6 Salem (21-7, 13-5) at No. 3 Philadelphia (20-7, 15-3), 6 p.m.
Atlantic Cape/Ocean at No. 1 Union (21-4, 17-1)
No. 5 Camden (17-10, 14-4) at No. 4 Northampton (22-5, 14-4)
March 1 Games
At Northampton CC
(Winners to NJCAA Tournament)
North Atlantic A Championship
Atlantic Cape/Ocean/Union vs. Camden/Northampton, noon
North Atlantic B Championship
RCSJ-Gloucester/Brookdale/Montgomery vs. Salem/Philadelphia, 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Just how deep is the Division III men’s basketball configuration in Region XIX? After putting together its first 20-win season in 20 years and making the biggest turnaround in the league, Salem CC pulled down a No. 6 seed for the region tournament that starts this weekend.

The Mighty Oaks will play at third-seeded CC of Philadelphia in the second round of the Region XIX Tournament Wednesday at 6 p.m.

“It feels good, it’s been a while for this school, but the job ain’t through,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “It’d feel great to play in that national tournament. I keep telling my guys that’s where you want to be.”

It’s been a nice ride so far. The Mighty Oaks had their winningest season since reviving the program in 2019, enjoyed their first 20-win season in 20 years and beat a ranked opponent for the first time ever. They’re ranked eighth in the country (JUCO Division III) in scoring (87.2 ppg) and third in 3-pointers per game (8.8)

“We’re really proud of what coach Green and the team have been able to accomplish,” athletics director Bob Hughes said. “We’re looking forward to cheering them on and supporting them up in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.”

The team got a huge boost in January when they got four players back from injury and eligibility issues. They’ve gone 11-3 since their arrival.

If they had played enough games to qualify for the national stats (60 percent of team’s games), Jyheim Spencer would rank a solid second in Division III rebounding (14.0 rpg) and Akeem Taylor would be T-4 in the region in scoring (21.0 ppg). And because they hadn’t played in 80 percent of their team’s games, neither are eligible for all-region consideration.

“It’s OK,” Green said. “I hope they have a chip on their shoulder.”

The Mighty Oaks’ 21-7 record represents a 10-win, 8.5-game improvement over last season. When Green took the team after Christmas last year it was 2-5 and he went 9-9 trying to lay the foundation for his program.

“I think we’ve got enough guys who care,” he said of the difference. “It’s not just go out there and see what happens any more. I think these guys go out there and expect to win. Last year it was moreso go out there and give whatever you’ve got.

“I’m sure those guys wanted to win, too, but we had a built-in excuse last year, seven guys, eight guys. We don’t have that built-in excuse.”

It figures to be a competitive tournament. Five of the top six teams all posted 20 wins. Three are in the Top 15 and two others – CCP and Salem – received votes for consideration.

“On our side’s matchup I feel like anybody can beat anybody,” Green said. “It means your league’s good top to bottom. I don’t think it was that last year.”

The Mighty Oaks played CCP once this season and lost 62-59 at the end of the most demanding stretch of the season, a six-game run that included the top four teams in the league. They had a “good look” to send the game into overtime, but Taylor’s shot from the left side of the arc missed the mark.

It also was the game officials erroneously allowed the Lions to insert one of their best free throw shooters off the bench to replace the injured player who was fouled instead of allowing the Mighty Oaks to make the choice as per the rule for a common foul.

Ironically, CCP knocked the Mighty Oaks out of the playoffs the last time they made it (second round 2022).

“I think we played terrible that game, so I definitely feel good about the matchup,” Green said.

If the Mighty Oaks get through their tournament opener, they’ll advance to the bracket final at Northampton where they’ll play for a berth in the national tournament.

Because the region receives two direct bids to the JUCO national tournament, it will incorporate two separate brackets to produce two champions. One bracket is headed by No. 1 seed Union and the other that includes Salem is headed by No. 2 seed Montgomery County. 

This story will be updated.

Region XIX standings

Here are the Region XIX basketball standings; games through Feb. 18; teams .500 or better make the tournament, seeding meeting Wednesday

MEN’S DIVISION IIIREGIONALL
x-Union17-1 21-4
x-Montgomery15-320-5
x-Philadelphia15-320-7
x-Northampton14-422-5
x-Camden14-417-10
x-Salem13-521-7
x-Brookdale12-618-7
x-Ocean11-716-8
x-Atlantic Cape11-714-13
x-RCSJ-Gloucester9-911-16
Passaic7-1111-15
Lehigh Carbon6-127-17
Sussex5-128-20
Luzerne5-137-16
Delaware County5-139-17
Harrisburg Area4-135-19
Thaddeus Stevens4-145-17
Bergen3-154-19
RCSJ-Cumberland0-180-26
x-Clinched playoff spot

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Harcum 89, Hagerstown CC 68
Brookdale 82, Sussex 59
Mercer 100, Raritan Valley 98
Montgomery 67, Middlesex 66
Essex 92, Atlantic Cape 81
Union 84, RCSJ-Cumberland 38
Morris 104, Prestige Prep 49
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Penn St.-Lehigh Valley at Lehigh Carbon
THURSDAY’S GAME
Morris at Mercer

PROJECTED PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
SATURDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Brookdale
Atlantic Cape at Ocean
FEB. 26 GAMES
Gloucester-Brookdale winner at Montgomery
Salem at Philadelphia
Atlantic Cape-Ocean winner at Union
Camden at Northampton

DIVISION II WOMENREGIONALL
x-Union15-124-2
x-Harcum12-321-5
x-Lackawanna12-417-6
x-Raritan Valley11-518-10
x-Mercer9-716-7
Middlesex5-1012-14
Salem CC4-1211-13
Essex2-135-14
Morris0-00-0
Delaware Tech0-150-21
x-Clinched playoff spot

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Montgomery 55, Salem 43
Raritan Valley 74, Mercer 69
Harcum 86, Hagerstown CC 33
Brookdale 52, Sussex 32
Atlantic Cape 65, Lehigh Carbon 51
Lackawanna 83, Middlesex 67
Northampton 58, Passaic 47
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Middlesex at Harcum
Lackawanna at Monroe Univ.
Lehigh Carbon at Manor
Anne Arundel at Delaware Tech
FEB. 22
Essex at Delaware Tech
Harcum at Allegany (Md.)

So close, so far

Salem CC women fall in final bid to make region playoffs, take No. 14 Montgomery County deep into the fourth quarter but run out of gas

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — Brian Marsh had never seen his Salem CC women’s basketball team in a do-or-die situation before and frankly he was a little nervous about how it would handle it.

The Mighty Oaks had to beat nationally ranked Montgomery County in Tuesday’s Sophomore Night season finale to qualify for the Region XIX Division II playoffs. There was no two ways around it: Win and you’re in with a .500 record, lose and the season’s over. There was no tomorrow.

Would the moment be too big for a program in only its second year back on the floor or would the team that already exceeded last year’s production cast the pressure aside and deliver in a big moment.

It didn’t start off so well, but the moment wasn’t too big for the Mighty Oaks. They gave themselves a chance in the second half — some might even say had the Mustangs on the run – but they just didn’t have enough at the end and suffered a 55-43 defeat that brought their season to a close.

“We had a lot of things work against us, but I thought we played really well in the second half energy wise, we just didn’t make shots,” Marsh said. “I was worried it was going to be too big a moment, but I don’t really think that happened. I just thought we didn’t make shots, and that happens.”

Actually, the Mighty Oaks came within three minutes and eight seconds of making the region playoffs for the first time in 20 years. They trailed by only four with 3:08 to play and five with 2:36 left, but didn’t score the rest of the game.

They were hurt on the boards in the first half and didn’t shoot well the whole game. They were outrebounded badly by the 14th-ranked Mustangs (22-2) in the first half, but thanks to a halftime adjustment held their own on the boards in the second half.

What really hurt them was going 2-for-22 from 3-point range, 0-for-14 in the second half.

It was their worst night from behind the arc at home since bringing the program back last year and third overall, behind only a 2-for-23 in a mid-January win at Anne Arundel this year and a 2-for-26 last Feb. in a dreadful loss at RCSJ-Gloucester.

“I’ve got to give them credit,” Marsh said. “They did some things, they did just enough to win or found the right people and were making free throws at the end. I thought we played our hearts out. At some point you’ve gotta make shots and we didn’t.”

The Mighty Oaks wanted to jump out quickly to control the pace but fell behind by 11 in the first quarter. They kept the deficit from getting any larger in the half by holding the Mustangs to just nine points in the second quarter. 

It was a five-point game with 3:42 left in the third quarter, but five straight empty possessions led to seven Montco points and the deficit was back up to 12. The Mighty Oaks cut it to four for the first time with 7:08 to go on a pair of Alexa Hopkins free throws and twice more later after layups by Nyaijah Jackson and Maggie St. Clair, but they never could get closer.

In addition to the better rebounding, the Mighty Oaks had 12 steals in the second half and forced the Mustangs into 19 turnovers. 

“I realized after the first half we needed to step it up,” sophomore Caroline Zullo said. “In the second half I think we all kind of realized, especially the sophomores, that this might be our last game so we had to step it up. We tried our best, we just came up short.”

Zullo hit a free throw with 2:36 to play to make it 48-43, but that would be the Mighty Oaks’ final point of the season as they didn’t score again and the Mustangs pulled away with seven free throws over the final two minutes.

Jackson led the Mighty Oaks with 16 points and was their only scorer in double figures. St. Clair had nine points, six rebounds and five steals in her final JUCO game. The Mustangs had two scorers in double figures and three players with 10 or more rebounds. 

GATHERING ACORNS: The Mighty Oaks started their five sophomores on Sophomore Night. For Hopkins, it was her first start since Jan. 7 against Camden … With Salem failing to qualify, the Region XIX Division II women’s playoffs are expected to be a six-team affair … The win was Monaco’s 18th in a row … Salem guard Kathryn Laurence scored her 500th career point in the first half. St. Clair scored her 500th point in the Lackawanna game.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY CC 55, SALEM CC 43
MONTCO (22-2) — Azjiona Golston 7-15 3-6 19, Tieisha Walker 2-10 3-6 7, Rachel Dunn 4-14 0-1 8, Alana Decker 1-3 0-0 2, Molly Butler 5-7 2-2 12, Kyla Taylor 0-2 0-2 0, Koumba Samassa 3-9 0-0 6, Sanaa Gulled 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 22-61 9-19 55.
SALEM CC (11-13) — Caroline Zullo 1-6 1-4 3, Maggie St. Clair 4-19 0-2 9, Kathryn Laurence 2-13 1-2 5, Jakayla Jenkins 0-5 0-0 0, Alexa Hopkins 2-4 2-2 7, RayNescia King 0-2 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 8-16 0-2 16, Dani Gustin 1-1 0-1 2, Akira Chambers 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 18-67 5-15 43.

Montgomery2291113-55
Salem CC1191211-43
3-point goals: Montco 2-9 (Golston 2-6, Dunn 0-1, Decker 0-1, Taylor 0-1); Salem 2-22 (Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 1-6, Laurence 0-9, Hopkins 1-3, King 0-2, Jackson 0-1). Rebounds: Montco 56 (Butler 16, Dunn 12, Samassa 11); Salem 32 (Zullo 8, Jenkins 8). Technical fouls: Salem (admin). Fouled out: Samassa, Zullo. Total fouls: Montco 16, Salem 17.

21 and counting

Mighty Oaks open second half in big way, pull away from Sussex to close regular season with a victory; finish sixth in region standings, await playoffs

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEWTON – There was still six minutes left in halftime and the Salem CC basketball team was out there on the floor getting up shots. Usually, the Mighty Oaks would still be in the dressing room making plans for the second half, but this time coach Mike Green had said his peace and there was nothing more to do there.

The Mighty Oaks rolled out the ball rack and spent the rest of the break in the layup line. They were a different team in the second half because of it.

If the first five minutes of a half set the tone for the way a team will play, the Mighty Oaks couldn’t have started better. They opened the second half on an 18-2 tear to pull away from a tie game and went on to beat Sussex CC 89-64 Monday to complete the winningest regular season since the revival of the program.

“I needed to say some things and when you’re not playing up to your level nobody has much to say so it was quick,” Green explained. “You’re gonna hear what I’ve got to say, now get your butts out there and warm up.

“They were a lot tougher in the second half. The first half I think we kind of got pushed around. We just challenged them. We’re not the same team on the road that we are at home. Our next game will be on the road so if you come out like this against any of the teams in the playoffs you’re going to have a hard time getting back in the game and your season is gonna be cut short.”

With Camden’s win over Ocean Monday, the Mighty Oaks (21-7, 13-5) will finish sixth in the Region XIX Division III standings and likely be the sixth seed to face projected No. 3 CC of Philadelphia in the region tournament. They will learn their official seed, first-round opponent and the site of their opening-round game following Wednesday’s region seeding meeting.

Because the region receives two direct bids to the JUCO national tournament, the region will incorporate two separate brackets to produce two champions. Three Region XIX teams were included in the most recent Division III Top 15 and two others, including the Mighty Oaks, received votes for consideration.

“I don’t know who we’ll play, but we’ll be ready,” Green said. “I don’t know what we look like to other people. I feel like we should be a tough draw for anybody. I don’t know if the league feels that way, but it really doesn’t matter now, the games are here.

“We’ll be ready regardless who it is. I already started that. Weeks ago. All three teams we could possibly play, I’ve got them down. And for the next round. I’ve already started.”

Akeem Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 25 points and nine rebounds. Xavier Brewington (16), Tyrese Fortune (14) and Tamir Powell (10) also scored in double figures. Jyheim Spencer grabbed 11 rebounds and A.J. Jones had six assists.

The teams played to a 33-33 tie in the first half with Taylor hitting a layup to beat the buzzer. Four minutes into the second half the Mighty Oaks had a 16-point lead.

Brewington and Taylor opened the second-half run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Fortune closed it out with eight straight points. Spencer had the other four points.

“We’re going to find somebody who’s going to play how I want them to play,” Green said. “I gave the guys who started the game another opportunity and they showed up.”

Moments after the Skylanders hit a pair of free throws to make it 51-37, Taylor answered with a putback, but limped towards the sideline with an apparent ankle injury and collapsed behind the Salem bench. He made his way to the training room, then returned to the floor about five minutes later and immediately hit a putback and one to give the Mighty Oaks a 65-48 lead.

The Salem CC women play for their Region XIX Division II playoff lives in their regular-season finale at home Tuesday night.

Salem CC3356-89
Sussex3331-64

PROJECTED REGION XIX SEEDS
1-Union, 2-Montgomery, 3-Philadelphia, 4-Northampton, 5-Camden, 6-Salem, 7-Brookdale, 8-Ocean, 9-Atlantic Cape, 10-RCSJ Gloucester

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 17-23

FEB. 17
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Sussex CC, 5 p.m.

FEB. 18
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Tri-County Conference Tournament
Flight A
(8) Timber Creek at (1) Gloucester Catholic
(5) GCIT at (4) Wildwood, 4 p.m.
(6) Clearview at (3) Woodstown
(7) Pennsville at (2) Washington Twp.
Flight B
(8) Cumberland at (1) Williamstown
(5) Glassboro at (4) Triton, 4 p.m.
(6) Kingsway at (3) Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
(7) Delsea at (2) Clayton, 5 p.m.
Flight C
(5) Salem at (4) Schalick, 4 p.m.
(6) Salem Tech at (3) Overbrook, 4:30 p.m.
(7) Highland at (2) Pitman
BOYS BASKETBALL
Tri-County Conference Tournament
Flight A
(8) Deptford Twp. at (1) Overbrook, 6 p.m.
(5) Delsea at (4) Pitman
(6) Woodstown at (3) Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
(7) Penns Grove at (2) Kingsway, 5 p.m.
Flight B
(8) Salem at (1) Clearview
(5) Gloucester Catholic at (4) Triton, 6 p.m.
(6) Glassboro at (3) Williamstown, 4 p.m.
(7) Highland at (2) Washington Twp.
Flight C
(5) Cumberland at (4) Schalick
(6) Pennsville at (3) Wildwood 
(7) Salem Tech at (2) GCIT, 4 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Montgomery County  (Pa.) CC at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

FEB. 19
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
BOYS BOWLING
South Jersey Group I Semifinals
Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Bowl
Maple Shade at Camden Catholic

FEB. 20
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Flight A
Timber Creek-Gloucester Catholic vs. GCIT-Wildwood
Clearview-Woodstown vs. Pennsville-Washington Twp.
Flight B
Cumberland-Williamstown vs. Glassboro-Triton
Kingsway-Penns Grove vs. Delsea-Clayton
Flight C
Salem-Schalick at Deptford Twp.
Salem Tech-Overbrook vs. Highland-Pitman

BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Flight A
Deptford Twp.-Overbrook vs. Delsea-Pitman
Woodstown-Timber Creek vs. Penns Grove-Kingsway
Flight B
Salem-Clearview vs. Gloucester Catholic-Triton
Glassboro-Williamstown vs. Highland-Washington Twp.
Flight C
Cumberland-Schalick at Clayton
Pennsville-Wildwood vs. Salem Tech-GCIT

FEB. 21
WRESTLING
District Tournaments
Penns Grove, Salem in District 32, RCSJ-Gloucester
Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown in District 30, Delsea
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Genesee CC at Salem CC (2), 2 p.m.

FEB. 22
GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament A, B, C Championships
BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament A, B, C Championships

FEB. 23
TRACK
NJSIAA Group Championships, Bennett Center, Toms River

Down to the wire

Salem CC women give maximum effort in an overtime loss to Mercer that leaves their playoff hopes with little room for error

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — The Salem CC women’s basketball team is cutting it close.

The Mighty Oaks played Tuesday night with an energy like their playoffs lives depended on it — and it did — but in the end fell to Mercer County CC 85-75 in overtime.

The Mighty Oaks are 11-11 now and must finish .500 or better to qualify for the Region XIX Division II playoffs. With Tuesday night’s loss, they now must win one of their final two games against two of the better teams in the region to make the cut.

Those two games are Saturday at Lackawanna, the current No. 3 team in Region XIX Division II and at home Feb. 18 against 15th-ranked Region XIX Division III leader Montgomery County CC on what’s sure to be an emotional Sophomore Night.

“It’s not going to get any easier,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “That’s why the RCSJ-Gloucester was so huge because that’s a game you had to have to give yourself a chance.

“We still have a chance. I’ve been saying this the whole year: Everything we want is still in front of us. We just have to go get one. This would have been really nice to get. If we continue to play this hard and with this much intensity we’re going to get one of those last two.”

The teams played to a 67-all tie through regulation. The Vikings had the last shot. Jhava Wilson drove the baseline in the closing seconds, but a layup from underneath and clock ran out.

Mercer scored the first 10 points in overtime to take control. Xana Garcia made a layup off the opening tip and Lia Sekhniashvili buried back-to-back 3s at the end of the run to make it 77-67 with 2:14 left. Kathryn Laurence’s 98th career 3-pointer finally got Salem on the board, but then the Vikings closed it out by going 8-for-10 from the free throw line over the final two minutes.

The Mighty Oaks were 3-for-11 from the field in overtime after shooting 52 percent in regulation. Mercer was 3-for-3.

“They were just making shots,” Marsh said. “I don’t think it was anything we didn’t do. I just think it’s something Mercer did. They started making shots they weren’t typically making.”

The Vikings (16-6) used a similar run at the end of the second quarter to take an eight-point halftime lead. The Mighty Oaks were up 27-23 with three minutes left in the quarter, then Mercer’s Zaakirah Edwards went on a personal 12-2 tear with a pair of 3-pointers to give her team the lead.

The Mighty Oaks climbed back in it by outscoring their hosts 16-6 in the third quarter. Maggie St. Clair had eight of her career-high 27 points in the third quarter and 23 in the second half and overtime.

Nyaijah Jackson (12), Laurence (13) and Akira Chambers (11) also scored in double figures for the Mighty Oaks. St. Clair (492) and Laurence (489) are both closing in on 500 career points at Salem.

“I thought the effort and intensity were fantastic,” Marsh said. “I thought our energy was excellent and I thought our big-time players really came to play.

“I think Maggie had a fantastic game. Ny had a great game. Kathryn was hitting her 3s. JaKayla (Jenkins) played really well, Caroline’s sick and she played so much minutes. I just thought it was a really incredible effort. We gave them everything they could handle.”

MERCER COUNTY CC 85, SALEM CC 75 (OT)
SALEM CC (16-6) – RaNescia King 0-1 2-2 2, Ny Jackson 4-7 4-4 12, Caroline Zullo 1-7 1-2 3, Maggie St. Clair 12-18 1-2 27, Dani Gustin 1-1 0-0 2, Kathryn Laurence 5-12 0-0 13, JaKayla Jenkins 2-8 0-0 5, Akira Chambers 4-7 3-3 11, Alexa Hopkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-61 11-13 75
MERCER (11-11) – Jhava Wilson 5-17 8-12 18, Zaakirah Edwards 6-19 2-4 16, Valerie Rivas 2-6 0-0 5, Carla Cencerrero 4-7 0-0 8, Jayla Jones 2-10 6-6 10, Lia Sekhniashvili 4-11 0-0 11, Xana Garcia 5-12 6-6 17. Totals 28-82 22-28 85.

Salem CC161516208-75
Mercer County CC142562218-85
3-point goals: Salem 9-19 (Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 2-4, Laurence 3-9, Jenkins 1-5); Mercer 7-24 (Wilson 0-1, Edwards 2-6, Rivas 1-4, Jones 0-1, Sekhniashvili 3-7, Garcia 1-5). Rebounds: Salem 52 (Jackson 10, Laurence 8, Zullo 8); Mercer 38 (Wilson 8). Fouled out: Jackson, St. Clair, Edwards. Total fouls: Salem 24, Mercer 15. Officials: Hope, Crawford, Coleman.

Region XIX standings

DIVISION II WOMENREGALL
Union15-024-0
Harcum11-319-5
Lackawanna10-415-6
Raritan Valley8-514-10
Mercer8-616-6
Middlesex4-811-12
Salem CC4-1011-11
Essex2-125-13
Morris0-00-0
Delaware Tech0-140-20

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Mercer 85, Salem 75 (OT)
Northampton 91, Lehigh Carbon 49
Union 101, Raritan Valley 37
Philadelphia at RCSJ-Cumberland, canceled
RCSJ-Gloucester 74, Atlantic Cape 49
Middlesex 73, Bronx CC 34

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Atlantic Cape at Passaic
Delaware Tech at Middlesex
Montgomery at RCSJ-Gloucester
Lehigh Carbon at Bergen
Bucks at Camden
Ocean at Brookdale
Raritan Valley at Essex
Monroe Univ. at Union

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Lackawanna
Ocean at Camden
Passaic at Philadelphia
Union at Harcum
RCSJ-Cumberland at Sussex
Lehigh Carbon at RCSJ-Gloucester
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Chesapeake at Middlesex
Bryant & Stratton (NY) at Raritan Valley