Avoiding the trap

Mighty Oaks get back on track after loss to Union, avoid the pitfall of a game stuck between two nationally ranked region opponents

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The game had all the earmarks of a trap, but the Salem CC basketball team refused to fall into it.

Sandwiched between games against two nationally ranked Region XIX rivals, the Mighty Oaks faced a non-region opponent Thursday they had already beaten once this season. It was the kind of matchup that, if they weren’t focused or still wallowing in their loss at No. 12 Union on Tuesday, could have been a disaster.

No worries here. The Mighty Oaks were as focused and dominant as they’d been in a game all season. They nearly broke the scoreboard and they did break Williamson School of Trades 99-59.

It was a good cleanse going into Saturday’s Black-Out home game with No. 14 Northampton (17-2), the team directly ahead of the fourth-place Mighty Oaks in the Region XIX standings.

“They (Williamson) gave us a hell of a game at their home, so we knew not to take them lightly,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “You have to respect your opponent, but also you have to respect yourselves, so you want to be at your best playing against anybody.

“It’s about having your guys prepared mentally. There ain’t no light games. You only have 56 games guaranteed here, you don’t have time to be taking any games off. And now we’re getting coaches in the stands, recruiters in the stands, so you want to be at your best at all times.”

They have another potential trap game next week when they play Luzerne (currently 4-11) between CC of Philadelphia, currently fifth in the Region XIX standings, and current region No. 2 Montgomery County CC.

Thursday’s game against the Mechanics (12-8) started with Jyheim Spencer throwing down an alley-oop pass from Xavier Brewington and the Mighty Oaks (16-5) were off and running.

**Salem CC guard Tivon Woolford pulls up for a shot in Thursday’s game against Williamson School of Trades. (Photo by John Holt)**

They put four scorers in double figures, got everybody appreciable minutes and everybody who played scored. They scored from everywhere, hitting 10 3-pointers as a team and getting 48 points in the paint. They are currently tenth in the nation (JUCO Division III) in scoring and fourth in made 3-pointers per game.

“This is how we want to play, man,” Green said. “The numbers are exactly how we want to play.”

Tivon Woolford led the 3-point parade. He tied his career-high with three in the first half and finished going 4-for-6 from behind the arc in a 14-point game. His first 3 gave Salem its first 10-point lead, his second made it 31-18 and his third put them up 38-22 shortly before halftime.

His shooting percentage behind the arc is better this year than it was as a freshman, but he was only 1-for-8 in his previous four games and hadn’t hit more than one in the previous 10 (5-for-23).

“My time was to come,” Woolford said. “Lately my shot hasn’t been falling. I guess today was a lucky day for me to knock the shot down.

“Every day before a game I wake up thinking I’ll have a good game and thinking I’ll do great every shot I can. In warmups it wasn’t falling, but in the game it was falling, so I guess it worked out. I can’t wait for the next one to show I can keep shooting. I want to show everybody I can really shoot, for real.”

When the Mighty Oaks weren’t hitting from the outside, they were attacking the basket. Bigs Spencer, leading scorer Akeem Taylor (16), Stefan Phillips and Taje’e Jordan combined for 39 points and were 18-of-35 from the field.

“We’re much bigger than everybody else and we can all play inside-out so everybody just goes inside,” Spencer said. “Coach is like ‘Go inside.’ Every time we play team smaller than us we just go straight inside. That’s really the game plan – everything inside. Make them foul us, hit foul shots.”

SALEM CC 99, WILLIAMSON TRADES 59
WILLIAMSON TRADES (12-8): A’Jaad White 0-1 0-0 0, Robert Wiley 7-19 6-6 23, Ronald Johnson 6-11 3-4 15, Jordan Draine 4-6 0-0 9, Semaj Cherry 4-10 2-4 10, Amir McIntosh 0-1 0-0 0, Dakiah Barlow 0-2 0-0 0, Ahmad Garvin 0-0 0-0 0, Nadir Ali 1-4 0-1 2. Totals 22-54 11-15 59.
SALEM CC (16-5): Tyrese Fortune 2-6 2-4 7, Xavier Brewington 4-8 3-3 12, Akeem Taylor 8-15 0-0 16, Stefan Phillips 4-7 0-0 8, Jaheim Spencer 4-7 1-3 9, Dontarius Jones 4-7 1-2 10, Tamir Powell 0-5 0-0 0, A.J. Jones 3-4 2-3 9, Tivon Woolford 4-7 2-2 14, Josh Ramos 3-7 0-0 8, Taje’e Jordan 2-6 2-2 8. Totals 38-80 13-19 99.

Williamson Trades	25	34-	59
Salem CC	40	59-	99

3-point goals: Williamson Trades 4-10 (Wiley 3-5, Draine 1-2, Cherry 0-1, McIntosh 0-1, Barlow 0-1); Salem 10-24 (Fortune 1-2, Brewington 1-4, Taylor 0-1, Spencer 0-1, D. Jones 1-2, Powell 0-2, A. Jones 1-1, Woolford 4-6 Ramos 2-5). Rebounds: Williamson Trades 31 (White 9, Ali 6); Salem 45 (Spencer 15, Brewington 6). Fouled out: Powell. Total fouls: Williamson Trades 15, Salem 20.

Cover photo of Taje’e Jordan battling down low by John Holt

Mixed test results

Salem CC men have chance to make a statement, but come up short at region-leading Union; women fought out a win over Delaware Tech

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CRANFORD – The Salem CC basketball team had a chance to make a real statement in Region XIX and beyond Tuesday night, but just dug too big a hole to escape.

Just hours after receiving some national notoriety, the Mighty Oaks faced the top team in the region. They fell behind by more than 25 points in the second half and although they rallied to close the gap they fell to No. 12 Union College 87-77.

“It was a test and we failed it – D-plus,” Salem coach Mike Green said as the team made its way back to Carneys Point. “I’m (not happy) because that, I believe, was our chance at the GSAC title. It’s pretty much out of reach now.”

The loss, which snapped a six-game winning streak, dropped the Mighty Oaks (15-5 overall, 12-3 in Region XIX and 9-3 in GSAC) two games behind the Owls (15-3/14-1/10-1) in the GSAC. It also dropped them into fourth place in the Region XIX Division III standings.

The Mighty Oaks already have clinched a spot in the region playoffs, and now are playing for the highest seed possible. They still have to play the two other teams directly ahead of them.

Earlier in the day, the Mighty Oaks were included in the JUCO Division III poll for the first time since they brought back the program. While they didn’t break into the top 15, they were listed among the other teams receiving votes.

Using the way those teams were listed as a guide, the Mighty Oaks would have been No. 18.

“Good to see someone notice the work we have been putting in,” Green said shortly after the poll was released. “We just have to keep our heads down and continue to work. We have big goals.”

The Mighty Oaks were on the way to justifying that consideration, leading their nationally ranked hosts by five eight minutes into the game. But over the next four and a half minutes the Owls went on a 17-1 run to take control of the game. Jeremiah Saint Jean and Kanye Brown combined for 11 of the first 13 points in the run.

Saint James finished with 14 points (all in the first half) and 15 rebounds. Brown had 12 points. Joseph Gargiulo was the Owls’ leading scorer with 20 points, all in the second half.

All five Union starters scored in double figures and were a combined 28-for-41 shooting from the floor. The Owls shot 63 percent from the field as a team in their close-quarters gym.

“Our ballhandlers were really shaky tonight, which destroyed our offense and put too much pressure on our defense” Green said.

The Owls led by 16 at halftime and stretched the margin to 27 midway through the second half. But then it was Salem’s turn to make a run. The Mighty Oaks put together a 26-9 charge to get within 10, 78-68, with 2:07 to play.

But they could never get it closer.

“I had to coach as if it was PlayStation – burn timeouts, draw up counters and rotate players,” Green said. “Our ballhandlers didn’t show up.”

The Mighty Oaks’ offense was led Akeem Taylor (27 points) and Tamir Powell (20), but no one else scored in double figures. They combined for 31 points in the second half. Jyheim Spencer was held to eight points, but grabbed 17 rebounds.

UNION 87, SALEM CC 77
SALEM CC (15-5) – Akeem Taylor 11-21 3-5 27, Tamir Powell 6-15 5-6 20, Tyrese Fortune 4-6 0-1 9, Jyheim Spencer 3-12 2-5 8, A.J. Jones 3-8 1-3 7, Josh Ramos 2-5 0-0 6, Tajee Jordan 0-1 0-0 0, Tivon Woolford 0-4 0-0 0, Dontarius Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Xavier Brewington 0-2 0-0 0, Stefan Phillips 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-76 11-20 77.
UNION (15-3) – Jayden Bates 4-9 5-7 16, Nicolas Acosta 5-8 4-8 14, Joseph Gargiulo 8-10 2-2 20, Kanye Brown 4-5 2-2 12, Jeremiah Saint Jean 7-9 0-0 14, David McKnight 4-9 1-2 11, Craig West 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-51 14-21.

Salem CC	29	48-	77
Union	45	42-	87

3-point goals: Salem CC 8-24 (Taylor 2-4, Powell 3-8, Fortune 1-1, A. Jones 0-2, Ramos 2-5, Woolford 0-2, D. Jones 0-1, Brewington 0-1); Union 9-20 (Bates 3-5, Gargiulo 2-5, Brown 2-5, McKnight 2-5). Rebounds: Salem CC 38 (Spencer 17); Union 47 (Acosta 13, Saint Jean 15). Fouled out: Brown. Total fouls: Salem CC 19, Union 21.

JUCO DIVISION III RANKINGS
(Week 8, Jan. 21)
1. Riverland CC (20-0) 105 (9 first-place votes); 2. Mohawk Valley (14-0) 98; 3. Duchess CC (14-0) 91; 4. Joliet JC (15-4) 84; 5. Montgomery County (Pa.) CC (10-2) 77; 6. Herkimer (11-3) 70; 7. Sandhills CC (13-6) 63; 8. Northern Essex CC (16-2) 56; 9. Quincy (13-2) 49; 10. Dallas-Richland (13-7) 42; 11. Minnesota State C&TC (16-2) 35; 12. Union (14-3) 28; 13. Minnesota West C&TC (16-4) 15; 14. Northampton CC (16-2) 14; 15. Hostos CC (16-4) 4.
Receiving votes: Dallas-North Lake, Genesee CC, Salem CC, CC of Philadelphia, SUNY Adirondack, Patrick & Henry CC, Virginia Peninsula CC.

Salem CC women ‘win ugly’

NEWARK, Del. – Salem CC women’s basketball coach Brian Marsh reached back to the wisdom of one his all-time favorite college coaches to describe his team’s 79-71 win at Delaware Tech.

“(Former Temple coach) John Chaney has a quote that says ‘I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty,’ so that’s how I take it,” Marsh said. “It was a game that tested us, for sure.”

No matter how it looked it was a win nonetheless and a mighty important one. It extended the Mighty Oaks’ winning streak to three as they continue their march to a Region XIX playoff berth, it put them over .500 for the season and it allowed them to match their win total of last year’s revival season with games remaining to play.

Teams .500 or better either in region or overall play make the region tournament. The Mighty Oaks (9-8) have seven games left, meaning they only have to win three of them to make the playoff field. Two of those remaining games are against the top two teams in the region, including the No. 4 team in the country.

“I think they’re starting to understand the magnitude of the games that we’re playing,” Marsh said. “I told them the expectations are higher, so I’m going to expect more out of you, and I think they’re starting to understand what they need to do every day at practice and in games.”

Del Tech didn’t play like a first-year team still looking for its first win. The Spirit were scoring and hitting shots at an unexpected clip in the first half and led the Mighty Oaks 45-40 at the break.

“I just talked to the team and said this is a game we have to win on the road,” Marsh said. “It was more an energy and effort thing again.

“They gave us a run for our money. It was a gut check or a pride check. How are we going to handle this one on the road? Are we going to step up? I thought we toughed it out in the second half and came out with the win.”

Nyaijah Jackson led the Mighty Oaks with 21 points and five assists. Maggie St. Clair had 14 points, Pennsville’s Caroline Zullo 12 and Kathryn Laurence 10.

SALEM CC 79, DELAWARE TECH 71

Salem CC (9-8)	26	14	21	18-	79
Delaware Tech (0-17)	21	24	19	7-	71

Time on their side

St. Clair’s layup gives Salem CC women the lead, then they hold on as Essex had two chances to win but couldn’t beat the clock for the game-winner.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEWARK – The Salem CC women’s basketball team kept its drive for a playoff berth on track Saturday thanks in part to one of the basic rules of the game. Good thing for the Mighty Oaks college games are 40 minutes long, not 40 minutes and one second.

The Mighty Oaks got back to .500 for the fourth time this season Saturday with a 76-75 win over Essex CC. The Wolverines played beat the clock and the Mighty Oaks won.

Sophomore guard Maggie St. Clair got a steal and layup with 30 seconds left to give Salem the lead and the Mighty Oaks held their collective breath as the Wolverines had an open look for the win but couldn’t get it off before the horn.

“Another second we would’ve lost,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “We’ve had some of those games where they went the other way, so it’s really nice to be on this end of it.”

The Mighty Oaks could never shake their hosts. They led by four at halftime and would go up eight to 10 points and the 3-9 Wolverines would keep coming back.

There was relatively speaking a lot of time left after St. Clair put the Mighty Oaks ahead. Essex brought it back down and missed a shot. The Mighty Oaks rebounded with five seconds left and called time to get the ball to midcourt. It looked like it was over there.

But Caroline Zullo got into the backcourt on the inbounds play giving Essex the ball at midcourt with one last chance. The Mighty Oaks trapped the shooter in the corner and forced her to take an off-balance 3-pointer that went long.

The Wolverines caught the rebound wide open on the other side, but horn went off before they could get off the putback.

St. Clair finished with 20 points. Kathryn Laurence erupted for a career-high 26 on the strength of dix 3-pointers, tying her career high a career-high. She had been 1-for-7 behind the arc in each of her previous two games.

“Kathryn was lights out,” Marsh said. “The last couple games she’s really struggled shooting. I told her before, you’re a shooter, you’re going to make it; you’re going to get hot.

“It’s just a confidence thing with her. We’ve been working with her. She hit the first one and it kind of got her going. She was just really looking for her shot. And the couple 2s she hit I think her foot was on the line. She was really going.”

The win brought the Mighty Oaks to 8-8 with eight games to play so they’ll have to go at least 4-4 down the stretch to make the playoffs. Teams either .500 overall or .500 in Region XIX make it to the postseason.

“We know what’s at stake here, but I am trying to take it one game at a time,” Marsh said. “You can’t make the playoffs all in one game. We’re just trying to take it one game at a time and this isa huge one on the road.

“As I told them, they came to our place and got a win, so now it’s our turn to go to their place and get a win, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Just in the nick of time.

SALEM CC 76, ESSEX CC 75
SALEM CC (8-8) – Kathryn Laurence 10 0-0 26, Jakayla Jenkins 1 5-7 7, Maggie St. Clair 9 0-0 20, Caroline Zullo 3 0-0 7, Nyaijah Jackson 4 1-2 9, Dani Gustin 1 0-0 2, Akira Chambers 2 1-4 5, RayNescia King 0 0-0 0, Alexa Hopkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 7-13 76.
ESSEX CC (3-9) – Natalie Fonseca 0 3-3 3, Kaheema McDonald 0 2-2 2, MiaMarie Thomas 1 0-0 2, Jakira Coar 11 0-0 26, Katherinne Avecillas 4 0-0 10, Basirat Animashaun 3 1-1 7, Michelle Hernandez 4 0-0 8, Mya Jackson 0 0-0 0, Kayley Lynch 4 9-9 17. Totals 27 15-15 75.

Salem CC	27	17	15	17-	76
Essex CC	23	18	18	19-	75

3-point goals: Salem CC 9 (Laurence 6, St. Clair 2, Zullo); Essex CC 6 (Coar 4, Avecillas 2). Fouled out: Chambers, Lynch. Total fouls: Salem CC 18, Essex CC 15.

Winning the end game

Mighty Oaks pull away from tight game in final two minutes, working through a needed challenge for the gauntlet that lies ahead

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The game was a lot closer than anybody wearing green and grey would have liked, but considering what the Salem CC basketball team is about to run into it was probably the best thing that could happen to it.

The Mighty Oaks head into the most demanding stretch of the season, one that will determine their starting point in the Region XIX playoffs, when they play the other four top five teams in their next six games, starting with region-leading Union Tuesday night.

Some might say that stretch started Saturday with an 88-81 win over Passaic, which played said Union to a two-point game its last time out.

After Saturday’s games around the league, they remain third in the Region XIX standings by winning percentage, but second behind Union based on games behind the leader. (See the updated standings elsewhere on the website)

Over the next 17 days the Mighty Oaks (15-4) play at Union (1), Northampton (4), at CC of Philadelphia (5) and at Montgomery (2) with a couple trap games with Williamson Trades (12-7) and Luzerne (4-9) in between. They won the first five games of their current season-best six-game winning streak by an average of 33.4 points with a couple 60-point blowouts and might have started getting comfortable with their position so a game like Saturday provided a reminder of what it’s like to be challenged.

“We’ve never been in a position like that,” freshman double-double machine Jyheim Spencer said. “It’s always we’re blowing teams out, we’re blowing teams out. We needed that type of challenge to where the game is close so we could see how we reacted. I feel we reacted well.”

“We needed this,” added sophomore Akeem Taylor. “The best teams always put on the toughest game. Some games aren’t going to be that pretty. A lot of games are ugly that you win, but the good teams always pull them out.”

The Panthers (9-9) matched Salem’s athleticism and gave the Mighty Oaks all they could handle. Before the start of the second half, Panthers coach Anthony Virgil reminded his team of the importance of the first five minutes, but they lost it in the final two minutes.

Salem CC’s Akeem Taylor (24) drives to the basket during his big second half Saturday against Passaic County CC. Taylor had his first double-double with the Mighty Oaks and second 30-point game. (Photo by John Holt)

It was tight throughout the second half with neither team holding what would be a comfortable lead. The Mighty Oaks took the lead for good 76-75 on a Tyrese Fortune free throw with 2:31 to play, then outscored the Panthers 12-6 over the final 1:51 to nail it down.

“They challenged us big time, maybe moreso than anybody in a long while,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We responded. In those last two minutes our guys buckled down and they executed.”

The separation started with a three-point play by Taylor and included a thunderous dunk by the sophomore with 24 seconds left that provided a watershed moment for the player. After the three-point play, he blocked a shot on the other end that sent Tamir Powell off on a breakaway layup. Taylor hit another free throw to make it 82-75, the delivered the death blow.

“I hadn’t dunked in a long time because of my ankle, so when I saw I was open I was like this is the one,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to dunk like that next game but I needed that one. I was like this is the one. My eyes lit up.”

Taylor and Spencer both had double-doubles. It was Taylor’s first and Spencer’s fourth. They both joined the team off the injured list Jan. 7, five games ago.

Taylor had 32 points – 22 in the second half – and 11 rebounds. He hit 13 of 22 shots from the floor (8-of-10 in the second half) and also had six assists and three blocked shots.

Spencer grabbed almost every rebound in the first five minutes of the game and despite playing on a balky ankle that had him noticeably limping by the end of the game finished with 10 points without missing a shot, 18 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He’s had three straight double-doubles.

“That’s my role on the team, to run the floor, block shots and get the rebounds for my teammates; that’s really my role on the court,” Spencer said. “My ankle was so messed up so I’m trying to focus on something other than trying to score the ball, something that’s going to help my team out.”

Photo of Salem CC’s Akeem Taylor (24) and Jyheim Spencer (32) at the basket Saturday by John Holt.

SALEM CC 88, PASSAIC 81
PASSAIC COUNTY CC (9-9) – Keymani Nevers 5-12 1-2 11, Ladorien Ladson 4-8 1-4 9, Shindon Thompson 5-12 1-1 12, Jayquan Briggs 7-19 5-6 19, Steven Rodriguez 5-13 2-4 14, Anthony Valdez 1-3 0-0 2, Josh Renta 0-1 0-0 0, A’Juwan Tiggs 4-8 1-2 9, Leonardo Torres 0-1 0-0 0, Josiah Etienne 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 33-81 11-19 81.
SALEM CC (15-4) – Tamir Powell 5-12 1-2 12, Tyrese Fortune 2-5 3-7 7, Xavier Brewington 1-10 2-4 4, Akeen Taylor 13-22 6-8 32, Jyheim Spencer 4-4 2-2 10, Dontavius Jones 3-4 2-2 9, A.J. Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tivon Woolford 2-2 0-0 4, Josh Ramos 2-5 0-0 5, Taje’e Jordan 1-2 0-0 2, Stefan Phillips 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 34-68 17-27 88.

Passaic	32	49-	81
Salem CC	38	50-	88

3-point goals: Passaic 4-10 (Thompson 1-3, Rodriguez 2-5, Valdez 0-1, Etienne 1-1); Salem 3-13 (Powell 1-3, Fortune 0-2, Brewington 0-3, Taylor 0-1, D. Jones 1-1, Ramos 1-3) Rebounds: Passaic 37 (Briggs 12, Nevers 8, Rodriguez 8); Salem 48 (Taylor 11, Spencer 18). Total fouls: Passaic 22, Salem 20.

Winning the end game

Both Salem CC teams earn important victories Saturday, each pulling them out late in the game

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The game was a lot closer than anybody wearing green and grey would have liked, but considering what the Salem CC basketball team is about to run into it was probably the best thing that could happen to it.

The Mighty Oaks head into the most demanding stretch of the season, a stretch that will determine their starting point in the Region XIX playoffs, when they play four of the other top five teams in their next six games, including region-leading Union Tuesday night. Some might say that stretch started Saturday with an 88-81 win over Passaic, which played said Union to a two-point game its last time out.

The Panthers matched Salem’s athleticism and gave the Mighty Oaks all they could handle. Before the start of the second half, Panthers coach Anthony Virgil reminded his team of the importance of the first five minutes of the half, but they lost it in the final two minutes.

The Mighty Oaks (15-4) took a 76-75 lead on a Tyrese Fortune free throw with 2:31 to play, then outscored the Panthers 12-6 over the final 1:51 to snag the victory extend their longest winning streak of the season to six games.

The separation started with a three-point play by Taylor and included a thunderous dunk by the sophomore with 24 seconds left that put it away and provided a watershed moment for the player.

Taylor and Jyheim Spencer both had double-doubles. Taylor had 32 points – 22 in the second half – and 11 rebounds. He hit 13 of 22 shots from the floor and also had six assists and three blocked shots. Spencer grabbed almost every rebound in the first five minutes of the game and despite playing on a balky ankle finished with 10 points, 18 rebounds five assists and three blocks.

This story will be updated.

Photo of Salem CC’s Akeem Taylor (24) and Jyheim Spencer (32) at the basket Saturday by John Holt.

PASSAIC COUNTY CC (9-9) – Keymani Nevers 5-12 1-2 11, Ladorien Ladson 4-8 1-4 9, Shindon Thompson 5-12 1-1 12, Jayquan Briggs 7-19 5-6 19, Steven Rodriguez 5-13 2-4 14, Anthony Valdez 1-3 0-0 2, Josh Renta 0-1 0-0 0, A’Juwan Tiggs 4-8 1-2 9, Leonardo Torres 0-1 0-0 0, Josiah Etienne 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 33-81 11-19 81.
SALEM CC (15-4) – Tamir Powell 5-12 1-2 12, Tyrese Fortune 2-5 3-7 7, Xavier Brewington 1-10 2-4 4, Akeen Taylor 13-22 6-8 32, Jyheim Spencer 4-4 2-2 10, Dontavius Jones 3-4 2-2 9, A.J. Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Tivon Woolford 2-2 0-0 4, Josh Ramos 2-5 0-0 5, Taje’e Jordan 1-2 0-0 2, Stefan Phillips 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 34-68 17-27 88.

Passaic	32	49-	81
Salem CC	38	50-	88

St. Clair hits game-winner

NEWARK – Maggie St. Clair hit a layup with 30 seconds left and the Salem CC women played tight defense to force Essex into a bad shot at the end to pull out a 76-75 win and keep their region playoff hopes alive.

St. Clair finished with 20 points. Kathryn Laurence erupted for a career-high 26 on the strength of a career-high tying six 3-pointers

The win brought the Mighty Oaks to 8-8 on the season with eight games to play. Teams either .500 overall or .500 in Region XIX make it to the postseason.

This story will be updated.

SALEM CC 76, ESSEX CC 75
SALEM CC (8-8) – Kathryn Laurence 10 0-0 26, Jakayla Jenkins 1 5-7 7, Maggie St. Clair 9 0-0 20, Caroline Zullo 3 0-0 7, Nyaijah Jackson 4 1-2 9, Dani Gustin 1 0-0 2, Akira Chambers 2 1-4 5, RayNescia King 0 0-0 0, Alexa Hopkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 7-13 76.
ESSEX CC (3-9) – Natalie Fonseca 0 3-3 3, Kaheema McDonald 0 2-2 2, MiaMarie Thomas 1 0-0 2, Jakira Coar 11 0-0 26, Katherinne Avecillas 4 0-0 10, Basirat Animashaun 3 1-1 7, Michelle Hernandez 4 0-0 8, Mya Jackson 0 0-0 0, Kayley Lynch 4 9-9 17. Totals 27 15-15 75.

Salem CC	27	17	15	17-	76
Essex CC	23	18	18	19-	75

3-point goals: Salem CC 9 (Laurence 6, St. Clair 2, Zullo); Essex CC 6 (Coar 4, Avecillas 2). Fouled out: Chambers, Lynch. Total fouls: Salem CC 18, Essex CC 15.

Mighty Oaks double up

Salem CC men beat Atlantic Cape to clinch playoff berth, women rally past Anne Arundel to keep their postseason hopes alive

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

MAYS LANDING – The Salem CC basketball team won its fifth game in a row and qualified for the post-season Thursday with an 88-72 win over Atlantic Cape.

The Mighty Oaks improved to 14-4 with 10 regular-season games remaining. Teams that finish .500 or better in the regular season make it into the Region XIX tournament. They have never been 10 games over .500 since the school brought the program back five years ago.

They are 11-2 in Region XIX, third in the Division III standings by percentage points, second in games behind region leader Union.

The Mighty Oaks last made the playoffs 2021-22. They won an opening-round game over Thaddeus Stevens, then lost in the quarterfinals at CC of Philadelphia and finished the year 18-10.

“It’s not really a relief (to know they’ve qualified), to be honest,” coach Mike Green said. “We want to get as high as we can. We want to host a game come playoff time. The job’s not done yet. We’re still trailing, I think, three teams. Those games mean more to me.

“I’m definitely getting a whiff of that. It’s different now. The expectations we have within that locker room are different, maybe different than they’ve ever been for the Salem clubs. We’re wanting to compete for a championship. We said that from the beginning.:

The Mighty Oaks placed four scorers in double figures against the Buccaneers and had a pair of double-doubles. They took the lead in the middle of the first half and never gave it back.

Tamir Powell came out hot and led the scoring with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four 3-pointers. He might have had even more if he hadn’t gotten three early fouls.

Akeem Taylor had 17 points, five assists, four steals and four blocked shots. Jyheim Spencer, who just received a D-I offer from Cal State-Bakersfield, had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots; only one point has kept him from four double-doubles in his first four games. Tyrese Fortune had 14 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season.

“We try to get our guys to wear other guys down,” Green said. “We have a deeper bench than most people. Most people aren’t playing 10 people legit minutes. We play 10 people legit minutes and it’s starting to wear on teams. I looked at them (the Bucs) when we got up and down a couple times and was like they’re tired.”

Women finish strong

ARNOLD, Md. – The start of the stretch that will define the Salem CC women’s season got off to a good start Thursday night.

The Mighty Oaks (7-8) dominated the final 6:30 of the game, putting together a 16-2 run to rally past winless Anne Arundel 63-52. They trailed 50-47 with 6:36 to play, then scored the next 11 points to take the lead and never let it go.

After losing at home to Harcum Tuesday night, Salem coach Brian Marsh said his team’s next four games would give it a “good indication” of where they’d land for the season. They now have nine games left and must win at least five of them to qualify for the playoffs.

“We’re well aware of what we’re playing for,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We knew a loss today would have been really tough to overcome. I don’t think we played particularly well, but I thought we played well enough to win. We got off to a slow start, but we came through when we really needed it.”

Nyaijah Jackson came up big for the Mighty Oaks down the stretch, making several key steals and scoring seven of their last nine points. The freshman guard from Wilmington finished with a game-high 21 points and six steals off the bench.

Her steal and three-point play with 1:13 left in the second quarter drew the Mighty Oaks even after they trailed most of the first half.

“She was fantastic down the stretch,” Marsh said. “She’s such a competitor and she hates to lose and she just wanted to do whatever she could to win that game. I told her just go play your game, which is really tough defense and attacking the basket. I thought she did a really nice job and provided that spark that we really needed down the stretch.”

The Mighty Oaks won despite struggling from the outside. They made only two of 23 shots from 3-point range, but one of them – by Pennsville’s Caroline Zullo with 6:06 to go – gave them the lead for good. Zullo finished with seven points and eight rebounds.

Maggie St. Clair added 14 points. Jakayla Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds.

“I think we were settling for a lot of jump shots,” Marsh said. “We just weren’t making anything outside, so I tried to speed the game up and told them they needed to get to the basket.

“I thought Ny did an excellent job really attacking the basket. Maggie started attack the basket. Trying to get some easier shots and if they don’t go in, they foul us and we get to the line. We were just trying to really get some higher percentage shots.”

Next up in the stretch is another road game Saturday at Essex, the team immediately ahead of them in the standings.

SALEM CC 63, ANNE ARUNDEL 52
SALEM CC (7-8) – Caroline Zullo 3-8 0-0 7, Maggie St. Clair 7-19 0-0 14, Dani Gustin 2-3 1-1 5, Kathryn Laurence 2-15 0-0 5, Jakayla Jenkins 3-7 1-4 7, RayNescia King 0-8 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 9-18 3-6 21, Akira Chambers 1-4 0-2 2, Alexas Hopkins 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 28-86 5-13 63.
ANNE ARUNDEL (0-10) – Chloe Underwood 2-8 0-0 4, Holly Wall 0-3 0-0 0, McKenzie Gilbert 1-5 0-1 2, Reona Robinson 4-6 0-0 10, Ayannah Gorham 7-13 4-4 19, Aichatta Soumaoro 4-13 3-6 11, Lania Nick 3-13 0-0 6, Jasmine Mauldin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-61 7-11 52.

Salem CC	11	12	22	18-	63
Anne Arundel	15	10	18	9-	52

3-point goals: Salem 2-23 (Zullo 1-2, St. Clair 0-3, Laurence 1-7, Jenkins 0-1, King 0-4, Jackson 0-3, Hopkins 0-3); Anne Arundel 3-13 (Wall 0-2, Gilbert 0-1, Robinson 2-2, Gorham 1-3, Nick 0-5). Rebounds: Salem 51 (Jenkins 10, Zullo 8); Anne Arundel 53 (Wall 13, Gorham 8). Total fouls: Salem 11, Anne Arundel 15. Officials: Virgil Davis, Ronald Herbison, Ed Krug.

Salem CC basketball

Mighty Oaks men set scoring record against RCSJ-Cumberland, women closing gap on Harcum

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC men 119, RCSJ-Cumberland 53
Harcum 76, Salem CC women 45

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

VINELAND — The Salem CC men’s basketball team set a modern-era team scoring record for the second time this season Tuesday night when it routed RCSJ-Cumberland 119-53.

It was the third time this season the Mighty Oaks (13-4) have scored 100 in a game and the second time they’ve done it against the Dukes (0-17). The old single-game scoring record since the school revived the program was the 114 points this team put on the Dukes on Dec. 19.

“I think we guarded pretty well tonight,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We didn’t shoot it extremely well (from the 3 arc), but I think we guarded well.

“They had a hard time with the press,” coach Mike Green said. “Our guys were aggressive and alert, even the guys who came off the bench were super aggressive and alert. Our guys got out and has success in transition. They were very unselfish; we got a lot of layups. I just think we overpowered them.”

When the Mighty Oaks put 114 on the Dukes earlier this year they had four players with double-doubles. Tuesday night, they seven players score in double figures and three with double-doubles.

Jyheim Spencer had 15 points and 15 rebounds, Tajee (Herb) Jordan had 13 points and 11 boards, and Tyrese Fortune had 13 points and 10 boards. Akeem Taylor led the offense with 17 points. Xavier Brewington had 16, Tamir Powell 15 and A.J. Jones 10.

The 119 points would elevate the Mighty Oaks to 11th in JUCO Division III scoring average.

It was the Mighty Oaks’ fourth win in a row, moved them into third place in the Region XIX standings and one win from clinching a playoff spot. The last time they were nine games over .500 was the next to last game of the 2021-22 season (18-9) .

It comes as the Mighty Oaks step into perhaps their most demanding stretch of the season. From here to the end of the month they play at Atlantic Cape, Passaic, Williamson Trades and three of the top five teams in the region – at Union, Northampton and at CC of Philadelphia.

Women’s game

CARNEYS POINT – At least it wasn’t 60. Or 105.

The Salem CC women’s basketball team still hasn’t found a way to solve Harcum, but they’ve managed to narrow the gap. The first two times the Mighty Oaks played them after reviving the program they lost by 85 and 105. When they played earlier this year, the margin was 61.

Tuesday night, they were locked in a 13-point game in the middle of the third quarter before the Bears eventually pulled away 76-45.

“We’re definitely closing the gap,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “We’ve got to get to the point we’re not happy with good loses any more. We’ve got to get them to wins.”

The Mighty Oaks (6-8) appeared on the way to another one of those games when they struggled with their shot early and fell behind 20-5 in the first quarter. Maggie St. Clair’s basket right before halftime kept it under 20 at the break, and they had it within 13 (41-28) on St. Clair’s 3-pointer with 6:34 left in the third quarter.

Then Harcum post Amber Bullard took charge and the 18th-ranked Bears (12-4) pulled away for good. Bullard, a 6-4 sophomore Mount St. Mary’s commit who didn’t play in the first meeting between the teams, scored eight of the next 10 points in an eventual 14-0 run that put the game out of reach.

Bullard had 14 points in the second half and finished with 21 on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Sofia Vitucci was big for the Bears in the first half with all 13 of her points.

St. Clair led the Mighty Oaks with 17 points, tying her season high. She was 7-of-17 from the field with three 3-pointers. Nyaijah Jackson had 11.

“This team had every reason, especially after our game on Saturday, to lay down and they didn’t; they kept playing hard,” Marsh said. “I’m really proud of the way they played tonight. They battled. Sometimes it’s just not good enough when you’re playing a really good team.

“I thought we battled to the very end and that’s something we can build upon.”

And that’s a positive sign heading into this upcoming stretch of four gettable games that would enhance their hopes of a playoff berth. They play Anne Arundel and Delaware Tech, two teams they beat early in the season; Essex, which beat them by 10; and Middlesex, a game they let slip away Saturday.

They have 10 games remaining and must win six to get the .500 record that would get them in.

“I told the girls after Saturday’s loss we dug a hole, but it’s not a grave,” Marsh said. “They’re going to keep fighting. These next four games are really going to be a good indication of where we’re going to land for the season.”

HARCUM 76, SALEM CC 45
HARCUM (12-4) — Jordyn Cooper-Best 3-8 2-2 9, Sofia Vitucci 4-11 2-2 13, Kimanhi Woods 0-2 0-0 0, Piper McGinely 2-7 2-3 7, Amber Bullard 10-12 1-2 21, Jaida Helm 4-10 4-5 12, Bryce Harvey-Carr 4-13 0-0 11, Shaylynn Waiters 0-1 1-2 1, Aubrey Wroten-Thomas 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 28-65 12-18 76.
SALEM (6-8) — Nyaijah Jackson 4-8 3-5 11, Caroline Zullo 1-6 0-0 2, Maggie St. Clair 7-17 0-1 17, Kathryn Laurence 1-9 0-0 3, Jakayla Jenkins 1-8 2-2 4, RayNescia King 0-5 0-0 0, Daniella Gustin 0-2 0-0 0, Akira Chambers 4-10 0-2 8, Alexa Hopkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-65 5-10 45.

Harcum	20	18	21	17-	76
Salem CC	5	14	14	12-	45

3-point goals: Harcum 8-33 (Cooper-Best 1-4, Vitucci 3-7, Woods 0-2, McGinely 1-5, Helm 0-5, Harvey-Carr 3-10); Salem CC 4-26 (Jackson 0-1, Zullo 0-5, St. Clair 3-10, Laurence 1-7, Jenkins 0-2, Chambers 0-1). Rebounds: Harcum 48 (Bullard 12, Hełm 7, Vitucci 7); Salem CC 31 (Zullo 8, Gustin 5). Technical fouls: Gustin. Total fouls: Harcum 13, Salem CC 17.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 13-18

JAN. 13
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem
Overbrook at Woodstown
Pennsville at Schalick
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Wildwood
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Glassboro
Salem at Clayton
Schalick at Pennsville
Wildwood at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Overbrook
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Schalick at Vineland YMCA, 3:15 p.m.
TRACK
Pennsville, Woodstown at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island

JAN. 14
WRESTLING
Cumberland at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Pitman, 6:30 p.m.
Salem at Cedar Creek
Schalick at St. Joe (Hamm.)
BOWLING
Salem vs. Gloucester City at Wood Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Clayton
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Cumberland, 5 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Harcum at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 15
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown
BOYS BASKETBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville
Pitman at Salem Tech
Woodstown at Schalick
BOWLING
Salem vs. West Deptford, Bolero Deptford Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester City at Westbrook Lanes
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights at Camden County Tech
WRESTLING
Woodstown at Middle Twp.

JAN. 16
WRESTLING
Clayton at Penns Grove
Pennsville at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 5:45 p.m.
Schalick vs. Pitman at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
Salem vs. Deptford at GCIT, 8:15 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Atlantic Cape, 6 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Anne Arundel CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 17
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Camden County Tech at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester City
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennisville at Woodstown
Haddon Twp. at Schalick
Salem Tech at GCIT
TRACK
NJSIAA Relays, Bennett Center, Toms River

JAN. 18
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem at Lenape, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville Collingswood, Sterling at Vineland
Penns Grove, Salem, Overbrook at Pitman
Deptford, Haddon Twp., Pemberton at Schalick, 9 a.m.
Buena, Haddon Heights, Pennsauken at Woodstown
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Passaic County CC at Salem CC, 2 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Essex County, noon

Another milestone

Salem CC men eclipse last year’s win total by getting past RCSJ-Gloucester; women fall at Middlesex

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

DEPTFORD – The Salem CC basketball team reached another milestone in what is quickly becoming an historic season.

The Mighty Oaks came from behind Saturday to beat RCSJ-Gloucester 94-75 for its third win in a row. More significantly, it was their 12th win of the season (12-4), eclipsing their win total of the entire 2023-24 season (11-14), and moving them within two wins of qualifying for postseason play.

“I’m not downplaying that, it’s definitely significant, but the job’s not finished,” coach Mike Green said. “That was never our goal to win more games than last year. Our goal is to compete for something at the end of the year, compete for a championship, compete for a trophy, all that stuff. And we’re in a good position to do so, so far.”

Their best season since reviving the program was 18-10 in 2021-22, but that team didn’t get its 12th win that season until Feb. 1.

It took the Mighty Oaks a while to get going in this one. They fell behind by 11 six minutes into the game and trailed by nine with nine minutes left in the half. But that’s where they started to turn it around.

They put together a 22-4 run to take the lead before halftime and then opened the second half with an 18-2 run to put it away.

“We want to wear teams out,” Green said. “Teams that play six and seven people, we want to wear them out. I feel like we wore them down with our first unit, then our second unit came in and wore them down. It worked out well that way.

“And we guarded better. The first half they shot a high percentage – it looked like they barely hardly missed. The second half we did a better job guarding them in the half court and got out and got some runs.”

Everybody contributed. Jaheim Spencer had a game-high 19 points, but six players scored in double figures. Akeem Taylor and Josh Ramos each had 12, Tamir Powell and Tyrese Fortune each had 11, and Tajee Jordan had 10.

Powell had nine straight points in the middle of the first-half flurry, including a 3-pointer with 4:54 left in the half that gave the Mighty Oaks the lead for good

After Saturday’s high-scoring win, the Mighty Oaks are 14th in JUCO Division III in scoring. They’re in the top 10 in 3s made per game and free throw percentage and the top 20 in rebounding.

With a plus-7 turnaround through 16 games over last season, might it be time for the Mighty Oaks to start getting attention in the Division III poll. After all, one of their most recent wins was over one of the teams also receiving votes in the most recent poll.

“How does that work?” Green asked. “I think we’ve done enough to at least get some votes, but that’s on the coaches. Can’t really control that. If somebody thinks we’re a force to be reckoned with, then cool. If not, then we’ll be showing them.”

Top photo: Salem CC’s Jaheim Spencer (32) races to bring the ball up the floor against RCSJ-Gloucester Saturday. (Photo courtesy Gus Ostrum, RCSJ-Gloucester)

SALEM CC 94, RCSJ-GLOUCESTER 75
SALEM CC (12-4) – Jyheim Spencer 9-16 1-3 19, Akeem Taylor 4-7 3-5 12, Josh Ramos 4-8 0-0 12, Tamir Powell 5-9 0-0 11, Tyrese Fortune 5-8 0-1 11, Tajee Jordan 5-7 0-0 10, Xavier Brewington 3-6 0-0 8, A.J. Jones 3-3 0-0 6, Tivon Woolford 2-5 0-0 5, Dontarius Jones 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 40-73 4-9 94.
RCSJ-GLOUCESTER (6-10) – Hajir Davis 5 4-6 16, Titus Bacon 5 2-4 14, Ace Cassiter 3 2-3 9, Aiden Cranmer 2 0-2 5, Fred Orock 7 2-6 16, Kendell McCray 3 1-1 7, Chance Kershaw 0 0-0 0, Daniel Mendez 5 0-3 10, Jon Guzman 0 0-0 0, Amara Sacko 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 11-25 75.

Salem CC	45	49-	94
RCSJ-Gloucester	41	34-	75

3-point goals: Salem CC 10-26 (Taylor 1-2, Ramos 4-7, Powell 1-3, Fortune 1-3, Brewington 2-3, Woolford 1-4, D. Jones 0-4); RCSJ-Gloucester 4 (Davis 2, Cassiter, Cranmer). Rebounds: Salem CC 32 (Spencer 9, Jordan 6, Brewington 5). Total fouls: Salem 23, RCSJ-Gloucester 13.

Women’s game

EDISON – It was a game, comparatively speaking, the Salem CC women should have brought back to Carneys Point as a win.

The Mighty Oaks drilled Delaware Tech by 24 when the teams played earlier this year. Middlesex barely beat them at the buzzer when they played recently.

But that’s the danger of comparing scores. The Mighty Oaks struggled in the second half on the road and Middlesex sent them home with a 63-40 setback.

Salem scored only 14 points in the second half. Middlesex’ Genilah Singleton had nine of her game-high 15 in the third quarter.

“There was no energy, no execution,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “And on the road that’s not a good combination.”

Maggie St. Clair was Salem’s leading scorer with 10 points. The Colts (7-8) had three scorers in double figures.

The Mighty Oaks (6-7) return to action Tuesday at home against Harcum (11-4), No. 19 in the last JUCO Division II poll dated Dec. 16.

MIDDLESEX 63, SALEM CC 40
SALEM CC (6-7) – RayNescia King 0 2-2 2, Nyaijah Jackson 2 1-2 5, Caroline Zullo 2 0-0 5, Maggie St. Clair 4 0-0 10, Dani Gustin 0 0-3 0, Kathryn Laurence 1 0-0 2, Jakayla Jenkins 4 1-1 9, Akira Chambers 3 1-2 7, Alexa Hopkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-10 40.
MIDDLESEX (7-8) – Yasmen Zafar 1 7-10 9, Genilah Singleton 6 2-6 15, Julianne Reyes 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Rice 5 0-0 10, Abria Durham 0 0-2 0, Amya Green 4 0-0 8, Reema Azouzi 0 0-0 0, Jalena Santiago 0 0-0 0, Taijaney McCollum 1 0-0 2, Kezia Feaster 4 2-5 11, Angelia Peralta-Almonte 3 0-2 6. Totals 25 11-25 63.

Salem CC	14	12	6	8-	40
Middlesex	17	17	15	14-	63

3-point goals: Salem CC 3 (Zullo, St. Clair 2); Middlesex 2 (Singleton, Feaster). Total fouls: Salem CC 20, Middlesex 13.

Back even

Salem CC women allow fewest points since reviving the program, dump RCSJ-Cumberland to win second game of new year, reach .500 first first time since Dec. 12

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — Kathryn Laurence scored a season-high 18 points, the bigs dominated the post and the defense was sharp as the Salem CC women crushed RCSJ-Cumberland 53-24 Thursday night.

The win was their second in a row and got them back to .500 (6-6) for the first time since Dec. 12. The 24 points were the fewest the Mighty Oaks have allowed in a game since reviving the program last season. They held the Dukes (5-8) scoreless for the first 6:30 of the game and to just one point over an 11-minute stretch of the second and third quarters.

They held the Dukes to 16.7 percent shooting for the game and forced them into 29 turnovers, off which they scored 22 points.

“We didn’t have a great game offensively (shooting 27 percent and committing 25 turnovers), but we played good defense and got the win,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We’re off to a good start in the new year (2-0), but we have a tough opponent on the road Saturday that beat us twice last season (Middlesex).

“We have really started to play with a chip on our shoulder and much better basketball on both ends of the floor.”

Laurence hit 7 of 18 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers. She hit her first two 3s in the Mighty Oaks’ 12-0 start. The 5-5 sophomore guard from Texas has scored in double figures in four of her last five games, averaging 13 points per game in the stretch.

On the inside, Akira Chambers had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Dani Gustin had 11 rebounds to go with five points.

SALEM CC 53, RCSJ-CUMBERLAND 24
RCSJ-CUMBERLAND (5-8) — Sky Oyola 2-7 0-1 6, Ana Patino 1-7 0-0 2, Janessa Marienski 1-6 0-2 2, Gianna Baldino 1-11 2-4 4, Armani Mejia 2-7 1-2 5, Egypt Owens 1-6 3-6 5, Sophia Ramos-Garcia 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 8-48 6-15 24.
SALEM CC (6-6) — Nyaijah Jackson 1-10 0-0 2, Maggie St. Clair 1-10 2-2 4, Kathryn Laurence 7-18 0-2 18, Jakayla Jenkins 1-6 0-0 2, Akira Chambers 5-10 4-4 14, RayNescia King 2-9 0-0 4, Dani Gustin 1-4 3-3 5, Alexa Hopkins 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 20-73 9-11 53.

RCSJ-Cumberland	5	5	4	10-	24
Salem CC	14	17	7	15-	53

3-point goals: RCSJ-Cumb 2-7 (Oyola 2-2, Baldino 0-2, Mejia 0-2, Owens 0-1); Salem CC 4-17 (St. Clair 0-1, Laurence 4-12, Chambers 0-1, King 0-1, Hopkins 0-2). Rebounds: RCSJ-Cumb 32 (Mejia 9); Salem CC 53 (Gustin 11, Chambers 10). Fouled out: Baldino. Total fouls: RCSJ-Cumb 17, Salem CC 14.