Salem CC returns to action after three-week break, sweep Camden CC; Taylor, Spencer have smashing debuts

MEN’S GAME
Salem CC 84, Camden CC 79
WOMEN’S GAME
Salem CC 61, Camden CC 55

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Mike Green had been saying for weeks his Salem Community College basketball team would be different and better when the four players who had been sitting on the sidelines in street clothes got on the court in January. He wasn’t wrong.

Akeem Taylor, Jyheim Spencer, Tamir Powell and Taje’e Jordan — all out the first semester for ankle injuries or academics — all made their season debuts Tuesday night and the Mighty Oaks indeed were different than they had been.

Taylor and Spencer had smashing debuts that literally were three years in the making, but all four played big roles as the Mighty Oaks opened the new year with an entertaining 84-79 win over long-time thorn Camden CC. They had beaten the Cougars only once in their previous eight games since reviving the program in 2019 (Dec. 21, 2021).

Taylor, who missed the first half of the season with an ankle injury and spent the first semester doing the book at the scorer’s table, had 33 points, five rebounds and two assists, prompting inquiring minds to wonder if it was the most points in a Salem CC debut at least since the revival of the program. Spencer, who also had an ankle injury, had 22 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in his first college game since December 2020.

Powell, another of the first-semester boot brigade, had six points and four assists. And Jordan, who played on the team last year but was academically ineligible in the first semester, had two points and six rebounds.

“I like to pride myself on telling you the truth,” Green said. “They’re just different players, man. I wish we would’ve had them earlier, but they’re at the top of the league when it comes to top players and they showed it from Day One. I didn’t expect them to show it like that so early, but they showed it.

“I knew they were good. I knew they’d be good, thinking maybe 16 for one, 18 the other, but 30 and 20, that’s next level. We knew we had that firepower coming in. The coaching staff did a good job of saying we’ll be all right, let’s just get through it, because once we get the full team we’ll be tough to deal with.”

And they weren’t even as full of strength as they could be even with the additions. Niame Scott and Julien Jones are out for a considerable period with first-semester injuries. They lost two other contributors as academic casualties and a third is stepping back to focus on his coursework. Dontarius Jones and Tyrese Fortune missed the game still stuck in Delaware after the weekend snowstorm. And A.J. Jones hasn’t registered for second semester classes yet. 

Taylor, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Chester, started his college career at Kutztown in 2021 and then took a gap year before landing at Salem. He wasn’t sure he was even going to play Tuesday. He tore all three ligaments in his left ankle in a preseason practice and had only been cleared to play hours before tip.

He wasted no time getting involved. He took Salem’s first shot of the game, a left-handed layup that rolled off the rim. He got it again on the next possession and this time rolled it in right-handed for the game’s first points.

He had 16 points at halftime on 7-of-9 shooting, including back-to-back three-point plays – one off a sharp pass from Spencer – during the Mighty Oaks’ early comeback. He and Spencer combined for 15 of Salem’s first 17 points of the game.

“First game against a real good team that we lost to the first time, there was a lot of hype, so I was excited to get back,” he said. “I was looking forward to this game – a lot – because they’re one of the top teams in our conference.

“I thought it was just going to be a game to get me in the rhythm, but the first couple shots went in and I was like it’s go time. That was the best debut ever, the best one I ever had my whole life.”

Spencer had an even longer and harder road to get here. He started out at Caldwell University in 2020, but ran into academic difficulties, left school and fell into trouble that got him incarcerated for 18 months. Green found him, gave him a shot “not knowing me from a can of paint,” for which is he greatly appreciative, and now the 6-8 post from Dover is a freshman here with two years of eligibility. 

“I was kind of nervous a little bit but my teammates told me it’s just another game,” Spencer said. “They were encouraging me that I’m really him, that I’m really a dog out there on the court. It doesn’t matter who’s guarding me, just go out there and do what you’re supposed to do.

“I didn’t think I was going to do what I did, but my teammates encouraged me to go harder than what I usually do. I really fed off them.”

No more than three of the newcomers were on the floor at any one time in the game and most of the time there were two, but they all got significant minutes. Among other things, they allow the Mighty Oaks to play more above the rim and free up some of their other shooters.

New and old players alike didn’t get the new year off to a good start. Perhaps it was the combination of the two big newcomers having three years off of competition and the team not playing since Dec. 19, but the Mighty Oaks (11-4) fell behind 15-4 at the outset.

They finally started getting things together when Spencer entered for the first time five minutes into the game. They got back within one on Taylor’s crashing putback with 7:40 left in the half and took the lead for the first time since 2-0 on two free throws by Powell with 5:55 to go. They trailed 41-39 at the break, but it stayed tight the rest of the game.

The Mighty Oaks pulled away late. They opened a seven-point lead on Spencer’s slam with 1:51 to go, then sealed it with three free throws by Taylor and Powell in the final 11 seconds.

SALEM CC 84, CAMDEN CC 79
CAMDEN CC (9-6): Tyson Shaw 4-8 1-2 9, Demere Hollingsworth 5-11 5-6 16, Mikey Campbell 3-7 1-2 7, Elijah Hightower 14-18 2-7 30, Jacquez Williams 3-9 0-0 6, Noah Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Charlie LaBarre 0-0 0-0 0, Glenmore King 2-4 0-0 5, Davit Gelashvilli 1-2 0-0 3, Cam Rambert 0-3 0-1 0, Titus Blalock 1-3 1-2 4. Totals 33-66 10-20 79.
SALEM CC (11-4): Tamir Powell 1-11 3-3 6, Joshua Ramos 1-9 0-0 3, Xavier Brewington 3-13 4-6 11, Rodney Shelton 0-3 0-0 0, Akeem Taylor 11-19 10-12 33, Tivon Woolford 1-3 4-6 7, Taja’e Jordan 1-3 0-0 2, Jyheim Spencer 9-12 4-4 22. Totals 27-73 25-31 84.

Camden CC	41	38-	79
Salem CC	49	45-	84

Women’s Game

CARNEYS POINT — The Salem CC women knew well before Christmas what they needed to do when they returned from the holidays in order to make the Region XIX playoffs.

They had to go three games over .500 in their remaining 15 games and were probably going to lose one of the winnable games off the schedule because Morris paused its season. It seemed a tall task for a team that won its first three games of the season, but that was the bed they made for themselves.

That made Tuesday night’s first game of 2025 imperative to get. It almost got away from them, but the Mighty Oaks got it nonetheless, holding off Camden CC 61-55 to start the new year right.

“It was a huge first step for us, especially in the new year, trying to get that win,” Mighty Oaks coach Brian Marsh said. “We’ve got a game on Thursday and a game on Saturday, trying to go 3-0 this week and obviously it starts with this game.

“I don’t like to look ahead, but this is a game we had to have for our playoff aspirations, for sure.”

The Mighty Oaks (5-6) didn’t look like a team that hadn’t played since Dec. 17 at the outset. They jumped out to an eight-point halftime lead and led by 17 late in the third quarter, then they had to hold on for dear life.

They shot only 19 percent from the floor in the quarter and the Cougars took advantage of it, bringing the margin all the way back to three before Nyaijah Jackson sealed it with three free throws in the final 11 seconds.

Jackson, a 55-percent free throw shooter this season, went 5-of-10 from the line for the game and finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Marsh called her a “tough basketball player who wants to do whatever it takes to win.”

“I just had to take my time,” the freshman guard from Wilmington said. “We needed those free throws. I tried to make them count. The crowd was talking a lot of stuff.”

Akira Chambers also had a double-double for Salem with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Maggie St. Clair (13) and Kathryn Laurence (10) also scored in double figures. Julie Maldonado (11/12) and Katelyn Burns (10/10) had double-doubles for the Cougars (12-4).

After the win, the Mighty Oaks (5-6) now must go 8-6 the rest of the way to snag a spot in the Region XIX playoffs. It may be 7-6 if they lose a second game off the schedule with Morris, a team that seems to have abandoned the season.

Marsh said it’s doable.

“I think so,” he said. “I honestly said to my team I think we’re going to make a run. It’s starting to come together. Our energy and our execution is starting to come together. I just think we’re going to be a team don’t want to play right now.

“I think we ended the year (2024) very strong and we’re starting very strong, so I think it’s going to be a team if we put everything together for January we’re going to be a tough out in February.”

SALEM CC WOMEN 61, CAMDEN CC 55
CAMDEN CC (12-4): Erica Paranzino 3-12 6-6 12, Brianna Kemble 5-22 1-4 11, Katelyn Burns 5-8 0-0 10, Clara Pons de vall Ruiz 3-7 0-1 7, Julia Maldonado 3-12 4-4 11, Isabella Boyle 2-12 0-0 4. Totals 21-73 11-15 55.
SALEM CC (5-6): RayNescia King 1-5 0-2 2, Kathryn Laurence 4-8 0-0 10, Jakayla Jenkins 4-10 1-2 9, Akira Chambers 7-12 0-2 14, Alexa Hopkins 0-7 0-0 0, Nyaijah Jackson 4-13 5-10 13, Maggie St. Clair 5-13 3-4 13, Daniella Gustin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-70 9-20 61.

Camden CC	12	12	11	20-	55
Salem CC	16	16	18	11-	61

Here is where the Salem CC basketball teams rank in the national JUCO stats through Dec. 29; both Mighty Oaks teams return to action Jan. 7 at home against Camden County College

MEN (D3)	VAL	RK	WOMEN (D2)	VAL	RK
Record	10-4		Record	4-6
Scoring	84.4	16	Scoring	68.8	53
FG Pct.	41.9	53	FG Pct.	.398	43
3PT Pct.	33.3	24	3PT Pct.	27.8	54
FT Pct.	69.9	14	FT Pct.	56.6	112
Rebounds	42.9	18	Rebounds	38.4	82
Assists	16.3	29	Assists	17.5	17
Turnovers	12.4	19	Turnovers	15.3	18
Opp. Scoring	74.1	35	Opp. Scoring	70.4	110
Opp. FG Pct.	39.8	16	Opp. FG Pct.	.371	86
Opp. 3P	74-260	41	Opp. 3P	45-187	69
Opp. Rebounds	39.1	49	Opp. Rebounds	41.3	106
Opp. Turnovers	12.4	68	Opp. Turnovers	20.2	52

Pictured players: Josh Ramos (11) is third in 3-pointers (43); Rodney Shelton is sixth in blocked shots (31). Additionally, Stefan Phillips is fourth in FT percentage (.900, 36-40).

Salem CC men’s basketball team sets modern-era single-game record for points, wins before Christmas in rout of RCSJ-Cumberland; score four double-doubles 

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Salem Community College had its annual Christmas party in the lobby of the Dupont Fieldhouse Wednesday. The Mighty Oaks basketball team had its own party in the gym Thursday night.

Call it a Festival of Heights.

The coaches were decked out in colorful Christmas sweaters. There was hip-hop holiday music playing over the sound system. And by the end of the night the players were flying around the gym like Santa’s reindeer.

What better way to go into the holiday break than with an historic 114-56 rout of winless RCSJ-Cumberland in their final game of the first semester.

“It makes the holidays really good,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “You’re not going anywhere with 99 concerns. You’re going in there building off what you just had.”

“It gives me a really positive attitude going into the holidays,” post Rodney Shelton said.

The game was historic on so many fronts. The Mighty Oaks (10-4) set a modern-era record for points in a game and became the first team since the school revived the program in 2019 to win 10 games before the break. They had six players score in double figures and an incredible four double-doubles, which Green said was “pretty cool.”

They had only six double-doubles all season prior to Thursday night and never more than two in any game. They had had only 11 in the previous 31 Green-coached games.

Their previous single-game high was 113 points against Atlantic Cape on Feb. 4, 2020. They had scored 110 under Green last season and 106 earlier this year (Lancaster Bible JV). The 10 wins are one more than Green won last year after being hired on Dec. 23. Ironically, RCSJ-Cumberland was his first game and first victory.

The 2021-22 team won nine games before its holiday break.

“That’s big time; that’s good,” Green said. “Take your hat off to the guys and our coaching staff. It shows we’re going in the right direction. It’s always great being the first. We want to be the first one with however many wins; is it 25? 30? We want to be the first with everything. That’s how you build programs. We’ve got 10, so we’re better than we were last year already.”

“I kind of knew (they’d do this well), if I’m being honest,” guard Josh Ramos said. “Coming into the season I felt with the group of guys we had, especially after last year with the low number we had, I had so much confidence that we would be one of the best teams in the region and (have) double-digit wins before the break.”

Ramos hit a career-high eight 3-pointers in the game, six in the second half, and led the Mighty Oaks in scoring with 28 points. The double-doubles in points and rebounds went to Shelton (17/13), A.J. Jones (17/10), Tyrese Fortune (14/10) and Xavier Brewington (13/14). Ramos also had five assists and Shelton had five blocked shots. It was the fourth time they went over 100 in Green’s tenure.

“Just everybody chipping in,” Green said. “That’s how we want the team to look. It showed tonight. We just played the right way and shared the ball. It was a good look for us.”

“It really shows how deep we are, how good we actually are,” Ramos said. “I feel like when we all play as a team, everyone’s playing hard, look at the box score, there are four double-doubles, everyone’s in double digits, that’s how we should play every night.”

“When we all share the ball it’s like we’re out there playing outside,” Shelton said. “That’s exactly what it felt like. It felt like an outside game playing with the bros.”

It wasn’t as if the Mighty Oaks were intentionally running it up. They called off the press with 12 minutes left. They only have nine players available, so it’s not like they could empty the bench with deep reserves. And the shot clock keeps them from holding onto the ball.

The Mighty Oaks hit eight 3-pointers in the second half as a team. Ramos, who said his range is all the way to “the parking lot,” was 6-for-9 from a variety of distances behind the arc in the half. He hit three in a row early in the half and had four in the 25-5 run it became. He goes into the break ranked third in JUCO Division III 3-pointers (43-107) while the team is third in 3s made per game (9.6) and attempts per game (29.0).

“My biggest thing is I know if I come out slow I just stay sane,” he said. “I keep myself composed just knowing that there’s a whole ‘nother half to shoot and help win the game. I don’t really dwell too much on the first half and I just come out in the second half.”

Jason Brice led the Dukes (0-14) with 24 points, three 3s and six rebounds. Schalick product Nasir Sutton had a JUCO career high eight points and five rebounds.

SALEM CC 114, RCSJ-CUMBERLAND 56
RCSJ-CUMBERLAND (0-14) – Kyelle Ruiz 0-2 0-0 0, Lemann Johnson 5-17 1-4 13, Ryan Due 3-16 4-9 11, Jason Brice 8-13 5-9 24, Rodrigo Gonzales 0-7 0-0 0, Mike Dougherty 0-4 0-0 0, Nasir Sutton 2-3 4-4 8, Aidan Hobson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-62 14-26 56.
SALEM CC (10-4) – Dontarius Jones 4-5 1-2 11, Tyrese Fortune 4-11 6-6 14, Tivon Woolford 0-4 0-0 0, Xavier Brewington 5-11 2-2 13, Rodney Shelton 8-16 1-1 17, A.J. Jones 6-14 4-4 17, Josh Ramos 9-16 0-0 26, Shyheed Taylor 2-6 3-5 7, Stefan Phillips 4-7 0-0 9. Totals 42-90 17-20 114.

RCSJ-Cumberland	27	29-	56
Salem CC	51	63-	114

3-point goals: RCSJ-Cumb 6-22 (Johnson 2-7, Due 1-3, Brice 3-7, Gonzales 0-2, Dougherty 0-3); Salem 13-31 (D. Jones 2-2, Fortune 0-1, Woolford 0-2, Brewington 1-5, A. Jones 1-4, Ramos 8-15, Taylor 0-1, Phillips 1-1). Rebounds: RCSJ-Cumb 26 (Brice 6); Salem 67 (Fortune 10, Brewington 14, Shelton 13, A. Jones 10). Technical fouls: RCSJ coach Stalling. Fouled out: Woolford, Phillips. Total fouls: RCSJ-Cumb 17, Salem 22.

Salem CC women and Mercer deadlocked early in the fourth quarter, then the visiting Vikings pulled away

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – Maggie St. Clair has a simple wish for her Salem CC women’s basketball team for the holiday and into the new year. All the Mighty Oaks want for Christmas is to play 40 minutes.

They had designs on going into their holiday break .500 for the season. They were playing Mercer County CC even into the fourth quarter, then things suddenly got tough.

The Vikings went on an 18-2 run over a four and a half minute stretch to pull away from a tie game and send Salem to a 65-53 setback in the Mighty Oaks’ final game of the first semester.

“Just play through four quarters,” St. Clair, a sophomore from Eastampton, said responding to the holiday wish question. “We just lose focus in stretches. I thought we played good for three quarters. We were hanging with them, everything was good … I just think our mindset kind of just went down after we got down a couple points.”

Two free throws by St. Clair with 9:04 to play tied the game at 42, but things unraveled in a hurry. Over the next 31 seconds the Mighty Oaks missed a shot and lost the rebound out of bounds and then made two turnovers. The Vikings (9-3) scored six straight points in the exchange and were on their way to taking control.

Akira Chambers made a power move to stop the slide, but then Mercer went on a 12-2 run to make it 60-46 with 4:44 to play.

The Mighty Oaks (4-6) outscored their visitors 7-5 the rest of the game, but by then the damage was done.

It was a tough quarter. After getting the game tied, the Mighty Oaks were 3-of-10 from the field and were charged with nine turnovers. They scored on seven of their last 20 possessions, but didn’t have a field goal after St. Clair’s putback with 2:50 play made it 60-50.

“We’re getting to the point where our program is now playing with these teams and the girls are doing a great job,” Marsh said. “I’m not coaching energy right now, but our execution isn’t there. Too many turnovers that one four-minute stretch. 

“It’s the little things. I always say focus for 40 minutes. It’s been 32, now it’s maybe 36, but we’re still missing it.”

St. Clair led the Mighty Oaks with 14 points. Chambers had 10 points and Kathryn Laurence had nine on all three of their 3-pointers. Dani Gustin was their leading rebounder with nine. Caroline Zullo had a full boxscore with seven points, six rebounds and four steals.

Mercer’s Gabriella Ross led all scorers with 21 points. She had 16 in the second half after going 1-for-11 from the field in the first half. Alexandra Garcia Galen had 18, eight in the fourth-quarter eruption that gave the Vikings control of the game.

The Vikings led 30-27 at halftime after going 12 of 14 from the free throw line. They hit their first 11 in a row. The Mighty Oaks had only one free throw in the first half (they missed it).

Despite sitting at 4-6 at the break after starting the season 3-0, the Mighty Oaks still have a lot to play for when they return Jan. 7 against Camden County College. They’ll need to go 9-6 in their remaining games to make the Region XIX tournament. 

“Every goal we have is still in front of us, but they have to decide,” Marsh said. “I keep saying what kind of team do you want to be? Do you want to be the ‘but’ team or the ‘what if’ team?

“We’re finally getting to where we’re playing with these teams. Now we’ve got to get to the point where we can beat those teams and we’re just not there yet.”

ACORNS: Marsh is giving his players off until Jan. 3 so they can be home for the holidays … Freshman guard Geovanna Tjaden is scheduled to see an orthopedist Friday to get a better evaluation on the ankle she sprained Saturday against Lackawanna … Mercer is back on the floor this season after a three-year hiatus.

MERCER COUNTY CC (9-3) – Zaakirah Edwards 2-3 0-0 4, Gabriella Ross 7-24 8-10 21, Jayla Jones 1-6 2-2 4, Lia Sakhniashvili 2-11 0-2 4, Alexandra Garcia Galen 6-11 4-4 18, Valerie Rivas 0-1 0-0 0, Jada Queen 3-8 1-2 7, Carla Cencerrero Gallego 2-5 3-4 7. Totals 23-69 16-24 65.
SALEM CC (4-6) – Nyaijah Jackson 2-6 1-2 5, Caroline Zullo 3-8 1-2 7, Maggie St. Clair 6-18 2-2 14, Kathryn Laurence 3-9 0-0 9, Jakayla Jenkins 1-5 2-2 4, RayNescia King 0-1 0-0 0, Dani Gustin 1-1 0-3 2, Akira Chambers 4-6 2-3 10, Alexa Hopkins 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-56 8-14 53.

Mercer	18	12	12	23-	65
Salem	13	14	13	13-	53

3-point goals: Mercer 3-15 (Ross 1-6, Sekhniashvili 0-4, Garcia Galen 2-3, Cencerrero Gallego 0-2); Salem 3-14 (Jackson 0-1, Zullo 0-1, St. Clair 0-6, Laurence 3-6). Rebounds: Mercer 38 (Sekhniashvili 8, Queen 8); Salem 36 (Gustin 9, Jackson 7, Zullo 6). Technical fouls: Chambers. Fouled out: Garcia Gallen, Queen, Jenkins. Total fouls: Mercer 14, Salem 19.

Cover photo: Salem CC sophomore Maggie St. Clair (3) pulls up for a jumper against Mercer County CC Tuesday night. (Photo by John Holt)