Mighty Oaks set modern-era program record for most wins in a season after thrashing RCSJ-Gloucester for No. 19

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC basketball team checked off another box in their historic first full season under coach Mike Green Thursday night when it throttled RCSJ-Gloucester 94-65 for its 19th win of the season.

The win total eclipsed the 18-win benchmark established by the 2021-22 team for most wins since the school brought back the program in 2019.

The playoff-bound Mighty Oaks (19-7) will go after win No. 20 at Harrisburg Area, a team they beaten each of the last two years and put 110 on last season.

“I think we should have been at 19 a couple weeks ago; we gave a couple away,” Green said. “We’ve got more work to do, man. I think we’ve got three more games guaranteed, trying to pick up another game. 

“That’s where we’re supposed to be, around that 20, 23, 24, 25. The league is tough this year, man. The region is tough this year. We’re right there with the top guys.”

As their last scheduled regular-season home game, it was Sophomore Night and the seven sophs who played combined for 60 points, 24 rebounds, 11 assists and five blocked shots.

“I’m going to have to get out on the recruiting trail,” Green said. “I didn’t realize we were losing eight people. there were eight of them. I’ve got to go out and get some players. I’ve got to get on it.”

Sophomores Akeem Taylor and Tyrese Fortune, both first-year SCC players, led the charge against the Roadrunners with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Fortune, who has been on a tear of late, also had nine rebounds. Taylor had five rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Eleven of 12 Mighty Oaks who got in the game scored.

Freshman Xavier Brewington had nine assists and freshman Jyheim Spencer had another double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds).

The Mighty Oaks scored the last eight points of the first half to take control, then buried the Roadrunners in the second half 56-33. Their bench outscored the Roadrunners 52-18, 30-4 in the second half. 

“We just tried to give everybody a chance in the first half,” Green said. “To see what you got because somedays you got it and somedays you don’t. We feel our way out in the first half and see what’s going then we do the second half and give the guys another chance.

“Our bench played better (in the second half). We had five bench points against Montco, so our bench was a lot better. That was good.”

Something else that’s good has been the way Fortune has turned it up. He’s in the midst of his best run of the season, a response to Green telling him to “let it fly.” Over the last three games the Wilmington University transfer is averaging 22 points. He was averaging 9.5 in the 20 previous games.

“I’m telling you, coach just has so much confidence, I just had to get it out of me,” Fortune said. “I struggled in the first half of the season, but it’s coming to an end. It’s all about how you finish.”

“He’s who I thought he was going to be,” Green said. “He’s come along from where I thought he was supposed to be at the beginning of the year and I’m happy for him. He’s putting it together now.”

SALEM CC 94, RCSJ-GLOUCESTER 65
GLOUCESTER (11-14) – Kassius Willis 7-17 4-6 19, Hajir Davis 1-7 2-4 4, Fred Orock 5-7 2-7 12, Chris Racobaldo 2-8 4-6 8, Denial Mendez 1-7 1-2 4, Ace Lassiter 5-12 0-0 13, Aiden Cranmer 1-4 0-0 3, Amara Sacko 1-2 0-0 2, Alan Corporan 0-0 0-0 0, Jonathan Guzman 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 23-64 13-27 65.
SALEM CC (19-7) – A.J. Jones 3-7 2-4 8, Tyrese Fortune 6-13 3-3 17, Tivon Woolford 1-7 0-0 3, Josh Ramos 4-8 0-0 11, Tajee Jordan 1-2 1-2 3, Dontarius Jones 1-1 1-1 3, Tamir Powell 6-10 0-1 14, Xavier Brewington 2-8 0-0 4, Rodney Shelton 0-0 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 7-15 3-3 18, Stefan Phillips 1-2 0-0 2, Jyheim Spencer 5-8 1-1 11. Totals 37-81 11-15 94.

RCSJ-Gloucester	32	33-	65
Salem CC	38	56-	94

Region XIX standings

Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Feb. 6

MEN’S DIVISION III (x-based on percentage)	REGION	ALL
Union	14-0 (1.000)	18-3
Montgomery	14-1 (.933)	18-3
Philadelphia	14-3 (.824)	18-6
Camden	13-3 (.813)	16-9
Northampton	11-4 (.733)	19-4
Salem	11-5 (.688)	19-7
Brookdale	11-6 (.647)	16-7
Atlantic Cape	10-6 (.625)	13-11
Ocean	8-6 (.571)	13-7
RCSJ-Gloucester	8-8 (.500)	10-15
Passaic	7-8 (.467)	11-12
Lehigh Carbon	6-11 (.353)	6-16
Sussex	5-10 (.333)	7-17
Luzerne	4-11 (.267)	6-13
Harrisburg Area	4-11 (.267)	5-17
Delaware County	4-12 (.250)	6-16
Thaddeus Stevens	3-14 (.176)	4-17
Bergen	2-15 (.118)	3-19
RCSJ-Cumberland	0-15 (.000)	0-23

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem 94, RCSJ-Gloucester 65
Sussex at Union, ppd.
Frederick 90, Delaware Tech 78
Harrisburg Area at Luzerne, ppd.
Passaic 84, Thaddeus Stevens 79
Harcum 114, Baltimore City CC 66
Lehigh Carbon at Manor College
Raritan Valley at Essex
Northampton 69, Montgomery 54
Ocean 99, Atlantic Cape 88
Prestige Prep at Morris
Camden 91, RCSJ-Cumberland 49

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Harrisburg Area
Camden at Union
Harcum at CCBC Dundalk
Lackawanna at Rockland CC
Passaic at RCSJ-Gloucester
Sussex at Delaware County
Orange County CC at Essex
Philadelphia at Lehigh Carbon
Ocean at RCSJ-Cumberland
Atlantic Cape at Northampton
Luzerne at Brookdale
Delaware Tech at Howard CC

Salem CC falls to No. 5 Montco as potential game-winning 3 is blocked in closing seconds

By Riverview Sports News

BLUE BELL, Pa. – The Salem CC basketball team came within a whisker of upsetting a nationally ranked region team for the second time this season, but in the end had its potential game-winning shot batted away.

The Mighty Oaks lost to No. 5 Montgomery County CC 74-72 Tuesday night and had the potential game-winning shot in their hands. The Mustangs (18-2) blocked Tyrese Fortune’s potential game-winner with 1.4 seconds left to deny Salem’s upset bid and extend their own winning streak to 12 games.

“We fought,” Salem coach Mike Green said. “The Montco coach celebrated as if they won the championship; that doesn’t sit right with me. I guess he forgot they’re the defending champs and ranked No. 5. We will see them again.”

The Mighty Oaks (18-7) played catch-up most of the game. They were down seven with 1:51 to play, but Akeem Taylor dropped in three straight layups between a couple Montco free throws to bring them within 73-70 with 31.9 seconds to left.

Xavier Brewington’s layup of a Taylor pass with 8.8 seconds left made it a one-point game. Salem fouled on the inbounds play and Montco’s Baasil Saunders hit the second of two free throws to set up the final play.

Taylor brought the ball up the floor for the Mighty Oaks and got it to Fortune on the right side of the arc with time running out. Emfinger slipped between Taylor and Saunders to block Fortune’s shot.

With a little better spacing, it might have been different.

Fortune raised his hands after falling to the floor seeking a foul, but there was no call and the clock ran out.

The Mighty Oaks, who received votes in the national JUCO Division III poll for the second time in three weeks, played the top four D-3 teams in Region 19 over their last six games. Green was hoping to gain a split of the gauntlet, but instead went 1-3 while winning the two easier games in between.

Region XIX standings

Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Feb. 4

MEN’S DIVISION III (x-based on percentage)	REGION	ALL
Union	13-0 (1.000)	17-3
Montgomery	14-1 (.933)	18-2
Philadelphia	14-2 (.875)	18-5
Camden	13-3 (.813)	15-9
Northampton	11-4 (.733)	18-4
Salem	11-5 (.688)	18-7
Brookdale	11-6 (.647)	16-7
Atlantic Cape	10-6 (.625)	13-10
Ocean	8-6 (.571)	12-7
RCSJ-Gloucester	8-8 (.500)	10-14
Passaic	6-8 (.429)	10-12
Lehigh Carbon	6-11 (.353)	6-16
Sussex	5-10 (.333)	7-17
Delaware County	5-11 (.313)	7-15
Harrisburg Area	4-11 (.267)	5-17
Luzerne	3-12 (.200)	5-14
Thaddeus Stevens	3-13 (.188)	4-16
Bergen	2-15 (.118)	3-19
RCSJ-Cumberland	0-15 (.000)	0-22

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Montgomery 74, Salem 72
Union at Philadelphia
Brooksdale 75, Passaic 64
Ocean 95, Bergen 89
Camden 81, Luzerne 63
Northampton 80, RCSJ-Gloucester 68
Lehigh Carbon 71, Thaddeus Stevens 70 
Raritan Valley 87, Middlesex 70
Atlantic Cape 71, Delaware County 70
Lackawanna 102, Mercer 97

THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem
Sussex at Union
Frederick at Delaware Tech
Harrisburg Area at Luzerne
Thaddeus Stevens at Passaic
Baltimore City CC at Harcum
Lehigh Carbon at Manor College
Raritan Valley at Essex
Montgomery at Northampton
Atlantic Cape at Ocean
Prestige Prep at Morris
Camden at RCSJ-Cumberland

DIVISION II WOMEN	REG	ALL
Union	13-0	22-0
Harcum	11-3	18-5
Lackawanna	10-4	15-6
Raritan Valley	8-4	14-9
Mercer	7-6	14-6
Middlesex	4-8	9-12
Salem CC	4-10	10-10
Essex	2-11	4-13
Morris	0-0	0-0
Delaware Tech	0-13	0-19

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley at Middlesex, ppd.
Montgomery 65, Camden 47
Ocean 62, Bergen 50
Sussex 76, Lehigh Carbon 66
Harcum 84, Essex 56
Brookdale 75, Passaic 51
RCSJ-Gloucester 88, Northampton 49
Bucks 60, RCSJ-Cumberland 25
Lackawanna 73, Mercer 66
Delaware Tech at Union

THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem
Northampton at Passaic
Baltimore City CC at Harcum
Lehigh Carbon at Manor
Sussex at Montgomery
Raritan Valley at Essex
Camden at RCSJ-Cumberland
Bucks at Mercer
Atlantic Cape at Ocean
Philadelphia at Brookdale
Montgomery (Md.) at Middlesex

Mighty Oaks respond to coach’s time out to run away from Luzerne, match 2020-21 team for most wins in a season since program return; third quarter dooms Salem CC women on the road

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green had seen enough to know he had seen too much. Luzerne had just taken the early lead, the Salem CC basketball team had just committed back-to-back turnovers and Green knew if something didn’t change soon his Mighty Oaks would fall into a trap they might not be able to escape from.

He did what any coach seeing his team on the edge would do. He called a time out to propagate a change.

Message received. The Mighty Oaks scored the next 10 straight points as part of a bigger 24-4 run that sent them off and running to a 112-67 win.

“It looked like weren’t ready to play, man,” Green said. “It was like they stayed up all night and I just let them know they (Luzerne) traveled about two and half, three hours; we’re at home. You guys act like you don’t want to play.

“This is an opportunity. Some guys aren’t going to have that opportunity on Tuesday. Take advantage of all the opportunities you get. I just let them know this ain’t no sleep game. You’ve got to come out and play, they’re basketball players. The guys picked up on that and we got rolling.”

The Mighty Oaks (18-6) broke 100 for the fourth time this season despite missing three starters to illness and injury, including leading scorer Akeem Taylor (ankle), whose status is uncertain for Tuesday’s important region game at Montgomery CC. With the win, they now have matched the 2020-21 team (18-10) for the winningest season since bringing back the program.

The Mighty Oaks got points from everywhere, with five players scoring in double figures. Josh Ramos and Tyrese Fortune led the way with 24 points apiece. A.J. Jones had 20, Jyheim Spencer had 18 and another double-double, and Stefan Phillips, pressed into his second career start in Taylor’s absence, had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

“Everybody getting involved is always good,” Phillips said. “That’s what you want. You don’t want one person to shine. You want the whole team to shine.”

It didn’t start easy. Luzerne’s Sedrick Beasley picked Fortune’s pocket and turned it into a layup with 12:55 left in the first half to give the Trailblazers (5-13) a 10-9 lead. Jones got called for an offensive foul on the next possession and that was enough for Green to call his fateful pause.

When the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor they ripped off the next 10 points to take the lead for good. The Trailblazers tried to stop the surge with a time out, but it only delayed the inevitable. Salem returned to the floor and ran off another eight in a row. They scored on eight straight possessions in the three-minute spree.

“Coach said get it together, they shouldn’t be in the game with us,” said Fortune, who hit a 2 and 3 in the middle of the first flurry. “I started off talking on defense and we started getting turnovers and advancing the ball up and scoring the ball every time we got downcourt.”

The points flowed so freely even Spencer hit a 3-pointer. It was his first in a scholastic or collegiate game since his senior year in high school – in 2020. He did hit one, he said, in the Philly Brotherly Love Pro-Am Summer League this past summer, but he was 0-for-3 from behind the arc in non-scrimmages for the Mighty Oaks before hitting early in the second half..

“All season I said I was going to take one, but I hadn’t hit one yet,” he said. “We were warming up and I was making the shot, so they basically told me if you’re making the shot you might as well shoot it in the game. I shot it in the game and I made it.”

“I don’t think it’s like a Bigfoot sighting,” Green said. “The kid has skills. He’s just unlocking a lot of different things. That’s one of the things we work on, getting him to unlock it and getting more confident. He’s got that shot and he’s gonna take it. He’s encouraged to take it.”

No one has to encourage Ramos to take the 3, but it’s encouraging when he hits them. He hit six 3s against the Trailblazers, three in each half. It was the most he’s had in a game since pumping in nine against RCSJ-Cumberland in mid-January and had hit only 16 in the nine games since before Saturday.

“It’s just getting back in my rhythm,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing, just being confident in my shot. I feel like I wasn’t too confident in my shot but I feel like now, today, I was beginning to get my shot up and get a feel for it.”

Everybody who had a big game was breaking out of something.

Jones had four 20-point games last year, but had scored only 25 points in his previous six games since his last double-figure outing. He was 7-for-9 from the field against the Trailblazers and 6-of-9 from the line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“We’re trying to get a championship, so I’m just here to give what the team needs,” he said. “Whether it’s defense, scoring, rebounding or assists, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the coach asks, that’s what you do. We’ve got plenty of guys who can do scoring and other things. I just do what the team needs.”

Phillips didn’t learn he was starting until right before the team came out for the opening tip. His only other start came in the second game with Williamson Trades Jan. 23, but he’s played in 19 games. He hardly missed a shot around the basket early in the season and he didn’t miss Saturday, going 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line.

“I was excited,” he said. “It took me back to how it felt back in high school. I just wanted to get back in the win column, that’s what charged me up. Coming back from a loss to be able to dominate the way we did was enough for me to be charged up.”

“He’s gonna be a rally good player next year,” Green predicted. “He’s good now, he’s going to be really good next year when he’s featured.”

Fortune had his career high. He had an eight-game stretch in the middle of the season in which he was averaging 12.8 a game, but he had only 37 points in the five games before Saturday.

“It all started off with practice, coach said just let it fly,” Fortune said. “He’s been telling me this all season, but I just had to get it out because the first part of the season I was in a struggle. I think it was just me rushing lot. Today I was patient, I got my team involved and everything just came to me, so I took advantage of it.”

SALEM CC 112, LUZERNE COUNTY 67
LUZERNE COUNTY CC (5-13) – Vagiba Donzo 0-1 1-2 1, Sedrick Beasley 6-11 2-4 15, Mackeenan Morgan 2-9 0-2 6, Vincent Garrett 3-20 2-4 8, Kaprie Cottle 2-6 2-2 8, Melvin Egbeto 2-4 2-3 7, William Preston 0-2 0-0 0, Al-Quron Michel 1-5 0-0 2, Tyler Collins 4-8 5-5 14, Ryan Probeyahn 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 23-70 14-22 67.
SALEM CC (18-6) – Dontarius Jones 0-9 2-2 2, Tyrese Fortune 7-13 6-6 24, Josh Ramos 9-19 0-0 24, Stefan Phillips 4-4 3-3 11, Jyheim Spencer 7-11 3-5 18, A.J. Jones 7-9 6-9 20, Rodney Shelton 3-7 0-0 6, Tajee Jordan 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 39-75 23-29 112.

Luzerne	30	37-	67
Salem CC	49	63-	112

Women’s game

BRANCHBURG – The Salem CC women held their own with Raritan Valley in the first half, but danger signs were looming.

Sophia Larsen made a steal and layup right before the buzzer to give the Lions a seven-point halftime lead, then they pulled away in the third quarter to hand the Mighty Oaks a 75-54 setback that increases the pressure on Salem’s hopes for a Region XIX playoff berth.

The Mighty Oaks fell to 10-10 and must win two of their remaining four games to extend their season.

The Lions (14-9) outscored Salem 23-8 in the third quarter. Ona Riopedre led four Raritan Valley scorers in double figures with 27 points. Larsen finished with 11.

Salem CC (10-10)	17	14	6	17-	54
Raritan Valley (14-9)	19	19	23	14-	75

Region XIX standings

Here are the men’s and women’s Region XIX basketball standings; games through Jan. 23

MEN’S DIVISION III (x-based on percentage)	REGION	ALL
Union	13-0 (1.000)	17-3
Montgomery	12-1 (.923)	16-2
Philadelphia	14-2 (.875)	18-5
Camden	12-3 (.800)	14-9
Salem CC	11-4 (.733)	18-6
Northampton	10-4 (.714)	17-4
Brookdale	11-6 (.647)	15-7
Atlantic Cape	9-6 (.600)	12-10
Ocean	7-6 (.538)	11-7
RCSJ-Gloucester	8-7 (.533)	10-13
Passaic	6-8 (.429)	10-11
Delaware County	6-10 (.375)	7-14
Sussex	5-10 (.333)	7-17
Lehigh Carbon	5-11 (.313)	5-16
Harrisburg Area	4-11 (.267)	5-17
Thaddeus Stevens	3-11 (.214)	4-14
Luzerne	3-12 (.200)	5-13
Bergen	2-14 (.125)	3-18
RCSJ-Cumberland	0-15 (.000)	0-22

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem 112, Luzerne 67
Harrisburg Area 83, Passaic 71
Camden 89, Bergen 56
Ocean 93, Sussex 83
Essex 102, Mercer 92
Thaddeus Stevens at Montgomery
Delaware Tech at Harcum
Delaware County 85, Lehigh Carbon 80
Philadelphia 102, RCSJ-Cumberland 52
Chesapeake 83, Morris 73
Winchester 104, Raritan Valley 93
Lackawanna 88, Middlesex 65
Atlantic Cape 66, RCSJ-Gloucester 62

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Montgomery
Union at Philadelphia
Brooksdale at Passaic
Bergen at Ocean
Camden at Luzerne
Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester
Lehigh Carbon at Thaddeus Stevens
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Atlantic Cape at Delaware County
Mercer at Lackawanna

DIVISION II WOMEN	REG	ALL
Union	13-0	22-0
Harcum	9-3	16-5
Lackawanna	9-4	14-6
Raritan Valley	8-4	14-9
Mercer	7-5	14-5
Middlesex	4-8	9-12
Salem CC	4-10	10-10
Essex	2-10	4-12
Morris	0-0	0-0
Delaware Tech	0-12	0-18

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley 75, Salem CC 54
Sussex 70, Ocean 44
Montgomery 74, Northampton 67
Camden 61, Bergen 40
Lehigh Carbon at Delaware County, canceled
Delaware Tech at Harcum
Montgomery 76, RCSJ-Cumberland 37
Mercer 79, Essex 65
RCSJ-Cumberland at Philadelphia
Middlesex at Lackawanna, ppd
Union 89, CCBC Essex 70
RCSJ-Gloucester 66, Atlantic Cape 45

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Raritan Valley at Middlesex
Camden at Montgomery
Bergen at Ocean
Essex at Harcum
Brookdale at Passaic
Northampton at RCSJ-Gloucester
RCSJ-Cumberland at Bucks
Mercer at Lackawanna
Delaware Tech at Union

Confusing call in final minute impacts Salem CC’s loss at Philadelphia; women get left behind by Union; includes region standings

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PHILADELPHIA – For the second Tuesday in a row the Salem CC basketball team went on the road to face a team it was chasing in the Region XIX standings and had trouble handling the ball.

That was frustrating enough given the tightness of the standings, but there was something that didn’t sit right with coach Mike Green’s even more in the 62-59 loss to CC of Philadelphia.

The Mighty Oaks were trailing by two with a minute to play when CCP’s Tahjir Davis was fouled under the basket. The contact was hard enough that Davis was forced to leave the game.

The Mighty Oaks believed they would be able to choose Davis’ replacement shooter from the players remaining on the floor. Instead, the Lions sent Kristion Tiller into the game off the bench to take the shots.

Tiller, a 76-percent free throw shooter, hit both shots and the Lions (17-5) stayed ahead the rest of the game. The freshman made three more free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the Mighty Oaks (17-6) at bay and was 8-for-9 from the line for the game.

“If you watched the live stream you see me arguing with the referees,” Green said. “The kid got hurt and we were supposed to pick a kid who was already in the game. Instead, they let them bring an 80-percent free throw shooter off the bench.

“He wasn’t in the game. We were supposed to be allowed to pick a guy who was already in the game. Of course, if they get to pick they’re going to bring the best shooter they’ve got in to the game.

“I don’t think they understand the rule. I was trying to go back and forth with them about that. They just didn’t understand the rules clearly. It’s a big deal to me. I know the rules. I played for a long time.”

Salem CC athletics director Bob Hughes, who was in attendance at the game, said he would seek clarification from the region office Wednesday.

“I was there and confused as to what happened,” said Hughes, a former college basketball coach. “I will be following up tomorrow.

“I want to get clarity because the rule has changed at least twice in the last 20 years, but my understanding is that as long as the foul is ruled a common foul the opposing coach can select between the four remaining players.”

The Mighty Oaks trailed by nine early in the second half, but rallied to tie it at 46 and held a 51-50 lead with 5:04 to go. But the Lions buried back-to-back 3s and Salem never led again.

Akeem Taylor’s bucket with 5.5 left got Salem to 62-59. Josh Ramos gave the Mighty Oaks a chance to force overtime when he stole the inbounds pass and got it to Taylor for what Green called a “good look” from the left side of the arc, but his 3 missed the mark.

Jyheim Spencer ran down the rebound in the right corner, but he could only redirect an off-balanced 3 towards the basket as time expired.

The Mighty Oaks were only 4-of-29 from 3-point range in the game. Green also lamented their number of turnovers, which he correctly surmised were more than their field goals (22-21).

Taylor led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Spencer cleared a career-high 20 rebounds, extending his season average to 15.8 per game. CCP’s Malachi Montgomery led all scorers with 19 points.

PHILADELPHIA 62, SALEM CC 59
SALEM CC (17-6): Dontarius Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tamir Powell 1-12 2-2 4, A.J. Jones 3-6 0-2 7, Tyrese Fortune 1-7 1-2 3, Josh Ramos 2-7 0-0 6, Xavier Brewington 3-12 1-2 8, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 6-17 2-3 14, Jyheim Spencer 3-9 3-4 9, Stefan Phillips 2-6 3-4 7. Totals 21 13-22 59.
PHILADELPHIA (17-5): Regjon Knight 5-18 3-6 15, Malachi Montgomery 8-17 0-3 19, Kristion Tiller 1-2 8-9 11, Maki Pettigrew 0-7 0-1 0, Brince Shelton 2-7 0-0 4, Tahjir Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Jaques Aurel Silue 0-0 0-0 0, Kaleem Henderson 0-0 2-2 2, Devon Stanley 0-2 5-6 5, Dontae Bacon 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 19-59 18-27 62.

Salem CC	28	31-	59
Philadelphia	30	32-	62

Women’s game

PHILADELPHIA – The Salem CC women gave one of the best teams in the country a battle for two quarters, but Union showed in the second half why it is the undefeated fourth-ranked team in the country.

The Owls outscored the Mighty Oaks 56-27 in the second half on the strength of 10 3-pointers and pulled away to a 95-54 victory.

The Mighty Oaks had it to 19-15 early in the second quarter, then Union started pulling away. The Owls (21-0) led 39-27 at halftime, then put 34 on Salem in the third quarter. They hit seven of their 12 3-pointers in the quarter with Destiny Bynum Johnson hitting four.

Maggie St. Clair led Salem with 18 points. Union had four scorers in double figures.

The loss didn’t really impact Salem’s road to the playoffs. The Mighty Oaks still need to find two wins among their final five games to earn a post-season berth.

UNION (21-0): Ore Ogunmolere 5-9 0-0 11, Yasmeen Brightwell 3-10 0-0 7, Destiny Bynum Johnson 9-18 2-4 26, Jalaiyah Smith 0-4 2-2 2, Hillary DeLosSantos 6-9 2-2 15, Nyla Williams 2-3 2-2 7, Amiyah Fulton 0-1 0-0 0, Saran Camara 0-1 1-2 1, Cynic Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Sumaya Judd 1-3 0-0 2, Maria Paula Urena Rojas 0-0 0-0 0, Isabellą Edwards 0-2 0-0 0, Ayva Tillmon 1-7 0-0 2, Jaslin Walker 5-7 0-0 14, Gianna Meclis 0-0 0-0 0, Aniya Brown 1-2 1-2 3, Harita Mehmedovic 2-8 1-2 5. Totals 35-86 11-16 95.
SALEM CC (10-9): Nyaijah Jackson 3-9 3-6 9, Caroline Zullo 3-8 0-0 7, Maggie St. Clair 6-14 4-5 18, Kathryn Laurence 2-11 1-2 5, Jakayla Jenkins 0-7 0-0 0, RayNescia King 0-6 1-2 1, Dani Gustin 2-4 0-0 4, Akira Chambers 2-5 0-0 4, Alexa Hopkins 2-2 0-0 6. Totals 20-66 9-15 54.

Union	19	20	34	22-	95
Salem CC	13	14	12	15-	54

Region XIX standings

MEN DIVISION III	REGION	ALL
Union	13-0	17-3
Montgomery	12-1	15-2
Philadelphia	12-2	17-5
Camden	11-3	13-9
Salem	10-4	17-6
Northampton	10-4	17-4
Brookdale	11-5	15-6
Atlantic Cape	8-6	11-9
RCSJ-Gloucester	8-6	10-12
Passaic	6-7	10-10
Ocean	5-6	9-7
Sussex	5-9	6-16
Lehigh Carbon	5-9	5-14
Delaware County	5-10	6-14
Harrisburg Area	3-11	4-17
Luzerne	3-11	4-12
Thaddeus Stevens	3-11	4-14
Bergen	2-13	3-17
RCSJ-Cumberland	0-14	0-20

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Philadelphia 62, Salem 59
Union 110, Lehigh Carbon 65
Brookdale 79, Northampton 73
Montgomery 74, Delaware County 73
Thaddeus Stevens 78, Harrisburg Area 65
RCSJ-Gloucester 94, RCSJ-Cumberland 44
Middlesex 76, Essex 74
Delaware Tech at Mercer
Raritan Valley 95, Lackawanna 90
Orange County 97, Sussex 38

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Brookdale at Ocean
Cecil at Delaware Tech
Essex at RCSJ-Cumberland
Williamson Trades at Harrisburg Area
Raritan Valley at Rockland
Luzerne at Miseracordia JV
Atlantic Cape at Mercer
Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon
Morris at Westchester CC

WOMEN’S DIVISION II	REGION	ALL
Union	13-0	21-0
Harcum	8-3	15-5
Lackawanna	9-4	14-6
Raritan Valley	7-4	13-8
Mercer	6-5	12-5
Middlesex	4-7	9-11
Salem	4-9	10-9
Essex	2-10	4-11
Delaware Tech	0-11	0-17

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Union 95, Salem 54
Middlesex 73, Essex 69 (OT)
Lackawanna 80, Raritan Valley 70
Delaware Tech at Mercer
RCSJ-Gloucester 67, RCSJ-Cumberland 27
Sussex 57, Orange County 46
Atlantic Cape 69, Bergen 50
Brookdale 65, Northampton 58
Philadelphia at Passaic

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Harcum at Middlesex
Brookdale at Ocean
Montgomery at Lehigh Carbon
Philadelphia at Bergen
Cecil at Delaware Tech
Raritan Valley at Monroe
Atlantic Cape at Mercer
RCSJ-Cumberland at Northampton
Sussex at Dutchess
RCSJ-Gloucester at Passaic