Wake up call

Top-ranked Mighty Oaks overcome slow start to stay undefeated; women fall under a barrage of 3s

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SEWELL – For the better part of the first half Saturday it looked like this was going to be it, the day somebody finally gets the Salem CC basketball team and hands the Mighty Oaks their first loss of the season.

RCSJ-Gloucester came out hitting shots and the Mighty Oaks came out, well, not. The top-ranked team in the land was down 13 eight minutes into the game and again at the 10-minute mark of the first half.

At that point Salem coach Mike Green had seen enough to know he had seen too much. He called a 30-second timeout to tell his team to get on the stick, and they responded.

They clawed back into it and actually built a six-point lead before going into the break up by one. They never lost the lead in the second half and eventually pulled away from the Roadrunners 96-84 to hold onto all the good things they have built to this point in the season.

“I think this was the first time this year we took somebody a little lightly,” Green said. “I told them their coaches were really good, they’re players we really good. They ain’t got nothing to lose. They’re coming to play against the No. 1 team, so you’ve got to be locked in. I don’t think we were locked in to start the game.

“It gets like that when you’re complacent. You’re 17-0, you’re No. 1 in the country, sometimes you ain’t fired up. But we woke up pretty quick. They got fired up some really quickly after that.”

It was easy to see how that could have happened. The Mighty Oaks (18-0) were coming off a win over No. 7 Union that was the biggest threat to their undefeated record to date, they were winning games by an average of 20 points a game, and they beat Saturday’s hosts by 28 in their first meeting in December.

But the Roadrunners (6-13) had different ideas. They ran out to leads of 22-9 and 28-15 in the first 10 minutes by using tenacious defense that forced Salem at one point into eight straight empty possessions and sharp 3-point shooting.

They were 7-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first half. They hit their first three 3s in a 15-2 run that produced the 22-9 lead. Two more 3s – one by former Salem High standout Jabez DeJesus – pushed it 28-15 with about 10 minutes left in the half. That’s when Green called time to reset the mindset.

“We definitely came out a little slow; we definitely looked over them a little bit,” gunner Zyaire Gibson said. “It’s hard to win, win, win and keep the same mentality all the time, but our coach does a great job of keeping us together and playing hard. After he called the time out, he talked to us and made sure everybody knew what they were supposed to do and we went out and figured it out.”

The Mighty Oaks (18-0) got back in it by doing what the Roadrunners were doing to them early in the game. They came out of the timeout, turned up the defensive intensity and promptly went on a 15-0 run to take the lead.

“Since we beat them by 30 the first time we came here thinking as a team they were going to lay down, but they didn’t,” Jerrell Little said. “It’s probably the first or second time we’ve taken a team lightly; maybe the first game of the season too we took them lightly.

“Our coach always says we’re the No. 1 team in the nation so we’re gonna get everybody’s best game and especially being at home we’re going to get double people’s best game. We came in (complacent) a little bit, but at least we picked it up, got the win. But now we know, like people are hunting. We just have to be the hunters next time.”

Gibson played one of the biggest roles in keeping the Mighty Oaks out front. He hit five of his career-high six 3-pointers in a 21-point second half and finished the game with a career-high 26. He opened the second half with a 3 and a layup to extend the lead, then drained four 3s in a row from both corners in a personal 16-point run over the final five minutes to ice the game.

He was 9-of-18 from the floor overall, 6-of-15 from 3-point range. His previous high for 3s was five against Bergen in the home opener and at Ocean.

“They got a real soft rim; it makes it a little easier to shoot,” he said. “At the home gym we’re shooting every day, it’s kind of routine. Here it took me a little while to get in the groove, but I figured it out.”

ACORNS: Gibson (top photo) was one of four Mighty Oaks scoring in double figures. Saaid Lee had 17 points, nine assists and four steals. Nasseem Wright had 16 points and Little 15 …. Wright and Idris Rines combined for five blocked shots that all seemed to come at crucial points in the game … Ace Lassiter led RCSJ with 24 points, but the Mighty Oaks held him to six in the second half.

SALEM CC 96, RCSJ-GLOUCESTER 84
SALEM CC (18-0): Zyaire Gibson 9-18 2-2 26, Saaid Lee 7-11 2-3 17, Nasseem Wright 6-9 4-6 16, Jarrell Little 6-14 0-0 15, Stefan Phillips 2-3 1-2 5, Idris Rines 2-4 1-1 5, Nayeem Johnson 1-5 2-2 4, Qua Smith 2-2 0-0 4, Jaiayre Wright 2-3 0-2 4, Jahseir Sayles 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 37-71 12-18 96.
RCSJ-GLOUCESTER (6-13): Nasir Williamsbey 5 2-2 13, Ace Lassiter 7 7-9 24, Julian Johnson 2 0-0 6, Amara Secho 1 0-0 2, Hajir Davis 8 6-7 23, Aiden Cramner 3 1-2 7, Jabez DeJesus 3 2-2 9. Totals 29 18-22 84.

Salem CC	44	52–	96
RCSJ-Gloucester	43	41–	84

3-point goals: Salem CC 10-32 (Gibson 6-15, Lee 1-3, N. Wright 0-1, Little 3-10, Rines 0-1, Sayles 0-2); RCSJ 8 (Williamsbey, Lassiter 3, Johnson 2, Davis, DeJesus). Rebounds: Salem CC 36 (Phillips 7, Gibson 6); RCSJ 25 (Lassiter 7, Davis 5). Total fouls: Salem CC 11, RCSJ 12. Officials: Davis, Popper, Quick.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
SALEM CC (1)	12-0	18-0	11-0
Northampton (5)	9-0	14-1
Union (7)	10-2	13-3	10-2
Montgomery (9)	5-1	8-2
Ocean	9-2	10-4	6-3
Brookdale	11-3	11-5	7-3
Camden	6-3	9-6	6-5
RCSJ-Cumberland	6-5	7-8	6-6
Bergen	7-8	8-10	3-7
Atlantic Cape	5-7	6-8	4-7
Thaddeus Stevens	3-5	6-9
RCSJ-Gloucester	4-11	6-13	1-7
Sussex	3-11	5-13	3-9
Delaware County	2-8	3-12
Passaic	3-12	3-13	3-9
Luzerne	1-6	4-11
Harrisburg Area	1-6	2-12
Philadelphia	1-8	6-8

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 96, RCSJ-Gloucester 84
Montgomery 95, Harrisburg Area 86
Ocean 95, Thaddeus Stevens 86
Chesapeake 91, Raritan Valley 67
Delaware County at Luzerne
Union 67, Atlantic Cape 53
Mercer 71, Montgomery (Md.) 69
Bergen 77, RCSJ-Cumberland 68
Northampton 90, Sussex 70
Morris 76, Delaware Tech 72
Essex 72, Camden 63
Middlesex 142, Kingsborough 66

Women’s game

SEWELL – Story posting soon.

SEWELL – Salem CC women’s coach Brian Marsh knew how good a player RCSJ-Gloucester’s Shannon Pierman was from the way he recruited her out of Woodstown High School and one of the focuses for his team Saturday was to limit her effectiveness inside as much as possible.

But the Roadrunners found a way around those plans. They killed it from the outside.

They hit 12 3-pointers and shot down the Mighty Oaks 71-54.

The Roadrunners, No. 15 in JUCO Division III, hit 10 3-pointers in the first half to open a 45-23 lead. Anna DiPiero hit six of her seven 3s in the first half — five in the second quarter. Alaina LaMonica hit three in half and Hadley Rodriguez had the other.

DiPiero and LaMonica both finished with 21 points. Pierman, the team’s overall leading scorer and rebounder, had 13.

“Our goal was to stop Shannon, and then No. 22 (DiPiero) went, what, 7-for-8 from 3-point land in the first half,” Marsh said. “They shot 80 percent as a team from 3-point land in the first half and that’s really hard to come back from. We tried, it’s just I think our defense wasn’t there today.

“I tell the girls Salem basketball is defense and rebounding and we’re going to get our offense out of that. It’s just one of the things we’ve got to keep working.”

The Mighty Oaks (2-10) did get it back to 14 with two and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, but got no closer.

RayNescia King led Salem with 14 points. Tanijya Shaw had 12. King had 10 of her points in the second half and Shaw had eight.

“I thought they played hard, but I just don’t think were consistent enough and I think that’s showing in our record,” Marsh said. “Minute by minute, quarter by quarter, there’s just some inconsistencies.

“I thought we played really well the last four games even though there are a couple losses there. Against Monroe I thought we played really well and just today it kind of seems we regressed a little bit.”

RCSJ-GLOUCESTER 71, SALEM CC 54
SALEM CC (2-10) – RayNescia King 5 1-6 14, Tanijya Shaw 6 0-0 12, Kasey Oliver 2 2-3 6, Paula Wilson 2 0-0 5, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 3, Dani Gustin 1 3-4 6, Justine Cardona 4 0-0 9, Jayda Hunter 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 6-13 54.
RCSJ-GLOUCESTER (11-3) – Anna DiPiero 7 0-1 21, Alaina LaMonica 7 3-3 21, Emma Buttocovia 3 1-2 7, Vienna Gantz 0 0-0 0, Brenna Ivey 0 0-0 0, Hadley Rodriguez 1 0-0 3, Shannon Pierman 5 3-6 13, Tinu Bamgbose 1 1-2 3, Savannah Shute 1 1-2 3. Totals 25 9-16 71.

Salem CC	7	16	15	16-	54
RCSJ-Gloucester	17	28	10	16-	71

3-point goals: Salem CC 6 (King 3, Wilson, Cardona, J. Hunter); RCSJ 12 (DiPiero 7, LaMonica 4, Rodriguez). Total fouls: Salem CC 16, RCSJ 17. Officials: Beliz, Forlidassi, Kearney.

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Harcum (5)	6-0	14-1
Union (7)	8-1	14-3	6-0
Mercer (18)	6-2	10-3	3-1
Essex	6-3	10-4	5-2
Delaware Tech	4-4	5-11
Raritan Valley	3-5	6-8	3-3
Lackawanna	2-6	2-9
SALEM CC	1-5	2-10	0-3
Middlesex	1-6	6-13	0-4
Morris	0-5	0-5	0-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Gloucester 71, Salem CC 54
Bergen at RCSJ-Cumberland
Delaware Tech 94, Morris 46
Northampton 72, Sussex 43
Essex 86, Camden 55
Mercer 102, Montgomery (Md.) 44
Cecil 77, Middlesex 55

Threat averted

Salem CC returns to the court; No. 1 men put away No. 7 Union in biggest challenge to their top billing to date; cold fourth-quarter shooting ruins women’s upset bid of No. 5 Monroe-Bronx

MENS BASKETBALL
Salem CC 74, Union 68
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Monroe-Bronx 51, Salem 46

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – It’s been 18 days since the Salem CC men’s basketball team last played a game and when the Mighty Oaks returned to the floor Tuesday it had to come against the biggest threat to their undefeated record and No. 1 ranking this season.

It’s a new calendar year and the schedule will get infinitely harder from here on out, but the Mighty Oaks got through the first one all right, putting down No. 7 Union College of New Jersey, 74-68.

It’s been so long since this team of mostly first-year college players have played it literally felt like the first time. They had to get used to being back on the floor together and the flow and rhythm of the game again, but they eventually did — just like they’ve always done this season.

“We just had to adjust to the game,” guard Saaid Lee said. “Throughout the game I was just thinking back to our first game of the season. This is exactly like that. You just had to adjust and just get the jitters out. First game of the semester.

“It took a while (to get adjusted), I’m not gonna lie. But once it clicked, it clicked. We were cool.”

Just like in the opener at Atlantic Cape the Mighty Oaks (17-0) fell behind at the outset, and just like in the opener they came to life in the second half to win.

They trailed the team they beat in the third round of last year’s national tournament by 13 in the first half and battled back to within four at halftime. They fell back by nine at the start of the second half, then found their game and did what they’ve always done this season to get a lead.

The game turned for them during a crazy 22-second stretch midway through the half. It started with Zyaire Gibson blocking a shot and Nasseem Wright converting it into a three-point play at the other end to give them the lead for the first time since 5-1 with 8:52 to play. They never lost it.

The next trip Lee picked Kanye Brown’s pocket at midcourt and was fouled driving to the basket. He hit both free throws to make it 52-48.

The Mighty Oaks nearly forced a turnover on the next possession. On the ensuing inbounds play, Idris Rines knocked a ball that appeared to be kicked free and was fouled in the scramble. It was Union guard Tareak Williams’ fifth foul, which set off Owls coach Devon Stansbury and earned him a technical.

Lee made one of the two tech shots and Rines hit both of his free throws. The Mighty Oaks who had trailed by one with nine minutes left were now up seven with 8:30 left.

“I just remember before it I huddled my team and told them we get three stops in a row and the game was ours,” Lee said. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

“We knew we were going to go on a run soon,” Wright said. “Going into the half their two best players didn’t come out of the game so we knew they were tired. Once we put a little more pressure on their guards and made them get out and made the other people score I felt like that’s when the dominoes would start falling.”

They still had some work to do, however. The Owls made it 59-57 with 5:26 to play, then Jarrell Little and Rines wrapped 3-pointers around a UCNJ free throw and the Mighty Oaks were back up seven with 3:27 to go.

“It’s been that way all year for us,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “A couple games we were down and had to fight back. This wasn’t any different. This is one of the better teams. We knew it was going to be a war coming in.

“That’s what we do. If we’re behind ,we do what we do, we get back to where we need to be and we’re really good with the lead, really good with the lead. But we showed them this year we can play from behind and grind the game out.”

One of the things the Mighty Oaks did do to maintain the lead was make their free throws. In the six minutes after Wright’s go-ahead three-point play, they were 12-of-13 from the line. They were 19-of-21 in the half and 21-of-29 in the game.

“That’s one thing we’re keying on, even in practice we shoot a lot of free throws,” Wright said. “And at game speed as well. We’ll be running up and down at practice and then we’ll shoot free throws and if we miss we’ve got to run again. So we condition for those late-game moments. Two, three minutes left in the game, we need the free throws, we’re all tired, but we’re able to go to the line and knock them down.”

The Mighty Oaks placed five scorers in double figures. Wright bounced back from a tough first half to score a team-high 16 points. Rines had 13 (11 in the second half), Little 12, and Lee and Gibson 11 apiece. Union’s Jake Zawacki led all scorers with 24 points.

Just like his team, it took Wright a little while to get back in the swing of things. He had four points and four turnovers in the first half, but after the break he hit 3-of-4 shots, got to the foul line more, scored 12 points and had only one turnover.

“Once I realized how physical it was, going into the second half I knew what I had to do coming out,” Wright said. “Going into the half my coaches were telling me not to bail them out, not to get caught up in all that other stuff, just play my own game and coming out the second half that’s what I did.”

SALEM CC 74, UNION 68
SALEM CC (17-0): Jarrell Little 3-6 5-9 12, Saaid Lee 3-7 5-6 11, Zyaire Gibson 4-10 0-0 11, Nasseem Wright 5-11 6-9 16, Stefan Phillips 1-2 1-1 3, Jahseir Sayles 0-1 0-0 0, Qua Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Nayeem Johnson 3-10 0-0 6, Idris Rines 4-10 4-4 13. Totals 24-59 21-29 74.
UNION (11-3): Tareak Williams 1-6 1-2 3, Craig West 1-3 0-0 2, Nicolas Acosta 8-22 3-5 19, Kanye Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Jeremiah Saint Jean 2-10 1-2 5, Anthony Hicks 1-7 2-5 4, Aljanai Best 2-4 0-0 4, Nasir Calloway 3-6 0-0 7, Jake Zawacki 9-18 2-2 24. Totals 27-77 9-16 68.

Salem CC	29	45–	74
Union	33	35–	68

3-point goals: Salem CC 5-18 (Little 1-2, Lee 0-1, Gibson 3-7, Wright 0-2, Johnson 0-1, Rines 1-5); UCNJ 5-15 (Williams 0-1, West 0-1, Hicks 0-2, Best 0-1, Calloway 1-1, Zawacki 4-9). Rebounds: Salem CC 40 (Lee 7, Little 6, Wright 6); UCNJ 45 (Acosta 14, Saint Jean 12). Technical fouls: Saint Jean, Union coach Stansbury, Rines, Salem CC coach Green. Fouled out: Williams, Saint Jean. Total fouls: Salem CC 24, UCNJ 17.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
SALEM CC (1)	11-0	17-0	11-0
Northampton (5)	8-0	13-1
Union (7)	8-2	11-3	8-2
Ocean	8-2	8-4	5-3
Montgomery (9)	4-1	7-2
Brookdale	11-3	11-5	7-3
Camden	6-3	9-5	6-4
RCSJ-Cumberland	6-4	6-7	5-5
Thaddeus Stevens	3-4	6-7
Bergen	6-8	7-9	2-6
Atlantic Cape	4-6	5-7	3-6
RCSJ-Gloucester	4-10	5-11	1-6
Sussex	3-9	5-11	3-8
Passaic	3-11	3-12	3-8
Delaware County	2-8	3-12
Harrisburg Area	1-5	2-10
Luzerne	1-6	4-11
Philadelphia	1-8	6-8

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 74, Union 68
Miseracordia JV 83, Luzerne 76
Raritan Valley 74, Manhattan CC 69
Orange CC at Middlesex
Howard CC 82, Delaware Tech 59
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Harrisburg Area at Chesapeake
THURSDAY’S GAME
Union at Sussex
Harcum at CCBC Dundalk
Thaddeus Stevens at Miseracordia JV
Bergen at Ocean
Passaic at Atlantic Cape
FRIDAY’S GAME
Penn State DuBois at Lackawanna
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester
Harrisburg Area at Montgomery
Ocean at Thaddeus Stevens
Raritan Valley at Chesapeake
Delaware at Luzerne
Union at Atlantic Cape
Montgomery (Md.) at Mercer
Bergen at RCSJ-Cumberland
Northampton at Sussex
Morris at Delaware Tech
Camden at Essex
Kingsborough at Middlesex

Women ‘played well, but …’

CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC women gave the fifth-ranked team in Division III all it could handle, but they went cold from the floor in the fourth quarter and fell to Monroe-Bronx 51-46.

The Mighty Oaks (2-9) made just one of 19 shots in the fourth quarter. They led 46-45 with 6:45 to play, then didn’t score again. The Express (14-1) didn’t shoot it great either in the fourth quarter, but found the bucket enough to earn their seventh straight victory.

“I thought we did what we were supposed to do on defense, but when we needed a basket we just didn’t get it,” Salem coach Brian Marsh said. “The players played hard.”

The cold fourth quarter dropped the Mighty Oaks to 32 percent shooting for the game (19-for-60). They also were just 5-of-15 from the free throw line. The Express shot an even worse percentage (18-for-66), but made six 3-pointers and nine free throws.

Monroe led early on by 10, but the game was close throughout. There were six lead changes and nine ties.

The teams fought to a 13-13 tie in the first quarter with Salem’s Justine Cardona beating the buzzer with a layup to get it even. It was a two-point game at halftime and a one-point game going into the fourth quarter.

It was Cardona’s two free throws that gave the Mighty Oaks the lead in the fourth quarter.

Cardona led the Mighty Oaks with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Tanijya Shaw had 10 points and Dani Gustin had eight points and eight rebounds.

“I told the players I’m getting tired of ‘we played well but…’ games,” Marsh said. “We’ve got to finish games and we’ve got to win games. We’ve shown people, especially our last four games, what we’re doing. I think this is the team that we are and they’re starting to come together.”

MONROE-BRONX 51, SALEM CC 46
MONROE-BRONX (14-1) – Jaeda Kelly 0-0 0-0 0, Beverly Williams 4-20 3-8 13, Aniyah McLamb 6-12 2-4 14, Salimah Williams 5-19 2-4 15, D Stephenson 0-2 0-0 0, Jhency Pabon 0-0 0-0 0, Lea Tavarez 1-7 0-0 3, Tyra Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Jazmyne Rios 2-5 2-4 6, Aviah Richards 0-0 0-0 0, Sade Gibbs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-66 9-20 51.
SALEM CC (2-9) – RayNescia King 1-9 0-2 2, Tanijya Shaw 5-17 0-0 10, Dani Gustin 4-6 0-4 8, Paula Wilson 2-4 0-0 6, Jayda Hunter 0-6 1-2 1, Justine Cardona 6-15 4-7 17, Kasey Oliver 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 19-60 5-15 46.

Monroe-Bronx	13	20	10	8-	51
Salem CC	13	18	11	4-	46

3-point goals: Monroe 6-36 (B. Williams 2-11, S. Williams 3-14, Tavarez 1-7, T. Williams 0-1, Rios 0-3); Salem CC 3-12 (King 0-3, Shaw 0-1, Wilson 2-4, Hunter 0-1, Cardona 1-3). Rebounds: Monroe 42 (T. Williams 8, Rios 8); Salem CC 43 (Cardona 10, King 9, Gustin 8). Technical fouls: Monroe coach Ling, Salem CC bench. Total fouls: Monroe 15, Salem CC 18.

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Harcum (5)	6-0	14-1
Union (7)	8-1	14-1	6-0
Mercer (18)	6-2	10-3	3-1
Essex	6-3	9-4	4-2
Delaware Tech	3-4	4-11
Raritan Valley	3-5	6-8	3-3
Lackawanna	2-6	2-9
SALEM CC	1-5	2-9	0-3
Middlesex	1-6	6-12	0-4
Morris	0-4	0-4	0-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Monroe-Bronx 51, Salem CC 46
Howard CC 72, Delaware Tech 67
Sussex 77, RCSJ-Cumberland 50
Montgomery at Bergen
Middlesex 92, Orange CC 43
Union at Monroe
THURSDAY’S GAMES
RCSJ-Cumberland at RCSJ-Gloucester
Passaic at Atlantic Cape
Bergen at Ocean
Sussex at Delaware County
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at RCSJ-Gloucester
Bergen at RCSJ-Cumberland
Morris at Delaware Tech
Northampton at Sussex
Camden at Essex
Montgomery (Md.) at Mercer
Cecil at Middlesex

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 5-10, highlighted by Penns Grove’s basketball doubleheader at Wells Fargo Center and Pennsville’s Taylor Bass’ bid for 1000 (both Monday), and No. 1 Salem CC’s return vs. No. 7 Union

MONDAY, JAN. 5
BOYS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove vs. Salem Tech at Wells Fargo Center, 2:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove vs. Salem at Wells Fargo Center, 1 p.m.
Hammonton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Clayton at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Overbrook at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
SWIMMING
Schalick vs. West Deptford at River Winds, 3:45 p.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 6
BOYS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 7 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic at Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m.
Salem vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Schalick at Cherokee Throwdown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7
WRESTLING
Deptford at Woodstown, 5 p.m.
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 5 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, JAN. 8
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Paulsboro, 6:30 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT, 7 p.m.
Schalick vs. Cumberland at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville, Schalick at Bennett Complex, 5 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 9
BOYS BASKETBALL
Buena at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at LEAP, 5:30 p.m.
Triton at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Kingsway, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Buena, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Salem at TCC Girls Jamboree, Kingsway, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea at Pennsville, 11:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Deptford at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Woodstown at Cinnaminson, 9:30 a.m.
Salem, Gloucester at Washington Twp., 10 a.m.
Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena, 10 a.m.
Pennsville, Millville, Oakcrest at Overbrook, 10 a.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Woodstown at Bennett Center, Toms River
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 2 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 5 p.m.

No L, Noel

Mighty Oaks should remain No. 1 in country into new year after rout of Sussex in final game of 2025

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEWTON — When you haven’t lost all season and don’t play again until after the first of the year, of course it’s going to be a joyous noel.

The top-ranked Salem CC basketball team wrapped up the 2025 portion of its season 16-0 after routing Sussex 91-51 Saturday. With no game now until early January – when they have a chance to get even stronger with a new player in the mix – the Mighty Oaks should remain the No. 1 team in JUCO Division III into the next calendar year.

“The record is better than I thought, the team is exactly what I thought,” Mighty Oaks coach Mike Green said. “We’re playing great basketball. I think we’re four in the nation in scoring (second in total points). I’ve got a point guard (Saaid Lee) who’s No. 2 in assists in the nation. I’ve got the No. 1 team in nation. I think I’ve got three of the best players in the nation (in Lee, Nasseem Wright and Jarrell Little), one coming in who’s going to be really hard to deny as well.

“(People thought) there’s only one basketball, there’s no way they’re going to work out, and 16 games later we shut that down.”

The Mighty Oaks’ last game of the calendar year can best be described as a trap game. Salem was undefeated, it was playing a team that was 5-10, in another road game, and some players had to be early risers just to meet the bus for the noon tip.

“It was a dangerous game, man,” Green said. “If one kid missed the bus, you’ve got a whole different game going on.”

But through it all the coach thought his team played “pretty solid.” They scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed. Four players scored in double figures, one just missed, and every player scored.

“That’s important for longevity,” Green said. “We want to win the league. We want to go to the nationals again and have another crack at it. At the nationals you play every day so it’s very important (to have everybody involved).”

One of the biggest qualities of this year’s Salem team is an uncanny knack for knowing when to turn it up a notch. The Skylanders got within three with five minutes left in the half, then Salem went on an 18-3 run to the horn, not allowing a field goal, to take control of the game.

Little led the Mighty Oaks with 23 points, four steals and four assists. Lee had 17 points, four assists and three steals. Idris Rines continues to shine off the bench, going for 15 points and eight rebounds. Wright had 12 points with seven rebounds, three steals, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Qua Smith grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.

“I think that’s just our style,” Green said. “We try to wear on you. We try to wear you down and we try to send more bodies after it so we can keep it going. We just try to wear people down with numbers. Although we only have nine right now, we have nine who are really capable of producing. I think it’s just a testament to the type of guys we recruit.”

The Mighty Oaks figure to get even stronger when Nayeem Johnson becomes eligible in the second semester. Green describes him as “kind of like Saaid and Jarrell rolled into one.” Johnson played a big role in handing the Mighty Oaks one of their few losses in 2025 when he played for Montco.

ACORNS: In case you’re wondering, they went 32-4 in the 2025 calendar year … The Mighty Oaks are off until Jan. 6 when they return to host current No. 7 Union, a team they lost to in the regular season last year, but beat in the national tournament.

SALEM CC 91, SUSSEX 51
SALEM CC (16-0): Jarrell Little 9-19 2-2 23, Saaid Lee 6-10 5-6 17, Idris Rines 4-8 6-6 15, Nasseem Wright 6-13 0-2 12, Jahseir Sayles 3-5 2-2 9, Zyaire Gibson 2-6 0-0 5, Qua Smith 2-4 0-0 5, Stefan Phillips 0-1 3-4 3; Michael Goodwin 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-67 18-22 91.
SUSSEX (5-10): Not reported.

Salem CC	45	46-	91
Sussex	27	24-	51

3-point goals: Salem CC 7-19 (Little 3-7, Rines 1-3, N. Wright 0-1, Sayles 1-3, Gibson 1-3, Smith 1-1 , Phillips 0-1); Sussex NA; Rebounds: Salem CC 43 (Smith 11, Rines 8, N. Wright 7); Sussex NA.
Total fouls: Salem CC 13; Sussex NA.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
SALEM CC (1)	10-0	16-0	10-0
Northampton (2)	8-0	13-1
Union (7)	8-1	10-2	7-1
Ocean (RV)	8-2	8-4	5-3
Montgomery (10)	4-1	7-2
Brookdale	11-3	11-5	7-3
Camden	6-3	9-4	6-3
RCSJ-Cumberland	6-4	6-7	5-5
Atlantic Cape	4-5	5-6	3-6
Bergen	6-8	7-9	2-6
Thaddeus Stevens	2-4	5-7
RCSJ-Gloucester	4-10	5-11	1-6
Sussex	3-9	5-11	3-8
Passaic	3-10	3-11	3-8
Delaware County	2-8	3-11
Harrisburg Area	1-5	2-10
Philadelphia	1-8	6-8
Luzerne	0-6	3-10

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 91, Sussex 51
Passaic 63, RCSJ-Gloucester 58
Union 68, Bergen 65
Delaware Tech 89, Essex 78
Cecil 79, Delaware County 64
Middlesex at Montgomery County (Md.)

Getting the bounce

Mighty Oaks go smiling into the holidays after big fourth quarter carries them to road win in final game of 2025

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NORTH EAST, Md. — Cecil leading scorer Bri Shelton was having a rough day in the field, but launched a shot late in the fourth quarter trying to put her team back on top after the visitors had fought all game to wrestle away the lead. The ball bounced up and down off the rim several times then rolled around a few more and Salem CC coach Brian Marsh’s heart jumped every time.

When it finally slid off the cylinder and onto the floor the Mighty Oaks felt like they finally got a piece of good luck in an otherwise tough start to the season. Justine Cardona then buried three late free throws and Salem came away with a 69-64 win that sent them into the holidays with a smile.

“It’s been a tough November and December and we’re finally getting healthy,” Marsh said. “We definitely wanted to leave on a good note. I told them let’s go home with a smile on their face, Come out here and do what we need to do and take care of business and that’s what they did.”

The Mighty Oaks (2-8) had been playing catch-up all game, but they finally put it together with a 23-10 fourth quarter. They went to a full-court press hoping to speed up the Seahawks and attacked the basket when they got a turnover. The Seahawks didn’t make a field goal in final 5:11.

Niecey King and Justine Cardone kept the pressure on Shelton all game. Their effort limited the freshman, who had been averaging 17 a game, to just two points on 1-for-11 shooting and 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

“We played well down the stretch,” Marsh said. “We saw some things on tape we thought we could speed the game up and get them into some turnovers and that’s what we did.”

The Mighty Oaks trailed by two when King hit their shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the corner to put them up for good, 64-63 with 1:36 to play. It was her third 3-pointer of the season, matching her total of a year ago.

“That was a really big shot by our sophomore point guard, who is really coming into her own,” Marsh said.

The Seahawks tied it on a free throw with 1:05 to play, A layup by Shaw put Salem back up by two and Cardona hit three throws in the final 34 seconds to close it out.

Tanijya Shaw led the Mighty Oaks with a career-high 27 points, hitting 11 of 20 shots from the floor. It was her fourth straight 20-point game. She’s averaging 23.3 ppy during the run.

Cardona scored 16 points off the bench, grabbing seven rebounds and coming up with four steals. She was 10-of-16 from the free throw line, Kasey Oliver had 11 points and seven rebounds. Dani Gustin grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

“It’s a really nice win on the road and right before Christmas break,” Marsh said. “It gives us something to look forward to in 2026.

“I just want this team to play well and play together and see how this thing ends. That’s really what we’re looking for.”

SALEM CC 69, CECIL 64
SALEM CC (2-8) – RayNescia King 2-10 2-3 7, Tanijya Shaw 11-20 4-8 27, Kasey Oliver 4-11 3-3 11, Dani Gustin 1-5 4-6 6, Jayda Hunter 1-6 0-0 2, Justine Cardona 3-10 10-16 16, Ameriyona Hunter 0-1 0-0 0, Paula Wilson 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-67 23-36 69.
CECIL (4-7) – Nydia Mack 3-15 7-10 15, JaMya Muhammad 2-8 4-7 8, Bri Shelton 1-11 0-0 2, Mia Thompson 0-5 0-0 0, Sara-Zionna Benson 3-7 6-6 12, DeeDee Williams 2-4 2-4 6, Zuri Matthews 1-2 0-0 2, Kendra Watters 5-11 3-8 13, Ramiya Malik 1-4 0-0 2, Madi Cleary 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 20-72 22-35 64.

Salem CC	14	18	14	23-	69
Cecil	14	23	17	10-	64

3-point goals: Salem 1-12 (King 1-4, Shaw 1-4, Cardona 0-2, Wilson 0-2); Cecil 2-18 (Mack 2-5, Muhammad 0-2, Shelton 0-8, Matthews 0-1, Watters 0-2). Rebounds: Salem 45 (Gustin 13, Oliver 7, Cardona 7); Cecil 47 (Watters 12, Mack 8, Muhammad 7). Fouled out: Hunter, Benson, Malik. Total fouls: Salem 25, Cecil 26.

Region XIX Women’s Standings

DIVISION II	R19	ALL	GSAC
Harcum (6)	6-0	14-1
Union (8)	8-1	14-1	6-0
Mercer (19)	6-2	10-3	3-1
Essex	6-3	9-4	4-2
Delaware Tech	3-4	4-10
Raritan Valley	3-5	6-8	3-3
Lackawanna	2-6	2-9
SALEM CC	1-5	2-8	0-3
Middlesex	1-6	5-11	0-4
Morris	0-4	0-4	0-3

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division II national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 69, Cecil 64
Essex 73, Delaware Tech 58
Passaic 53, RCSJ-Gloucester 50
Westchester 73, Bergen 28
Montgomery County 70, Middlesex 62

Playing like No. 1

Salem CC wins first game as nation’s No. 1 team, puts up 100 again to give Green his 50th win

By Riverview Sports News

TOMS RIVER – Some teams might have a hard time handling a No. 1 ranking for the first time. Salem CC embraced it.

The Mighty Oaks played their first game as the No. 1 team in JUCO Division III Thursday and never missed a beat, sailing past Ocean CC 100-78 for their 15th straight win.

“The guys did an excellent job against a really good Ocean team,” Salem coach Mike Green said after posting his 50th career coaching victory (50-17).

The Mighty Oaks (15-0), who supplanted season-long No. 1 Mohawk Valley in the top spot earlier this week, built a 47-38 halftime lead, then started the second half with a 16-2 run to take complete control.

The Vikings (8-4) scored the next five points, then Salem scored the next eight points to go up by 26. A few minutes later they went on another 12-4 run to open a 30-point lead.

The Mighty Oaks had three 20-point scorers in the game. Saaid Lee had 25 points, 10 rebounds and came within two assists of a triple-double. Zyaire Gibson hit five 3-pointers on the way to 20 points. Jarrell Little had 24 points and four assists.

Idris Rines came off the bench to give them eight points and eight rebounds, Stefan Phillips had nine points and eight boards, and newly named GSAC Player of the Week Nasseem Wright had six points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

SALEM CC 100, OCEAN CC 78
SALEM CC (15-0): Saaid Lee 9-13 7-8 25, Jarrell Little 10-14 1-1 24, Zyaire Gibson 6-8 3-7 20, Stefan Phillips 4-7 0-0 9, Idris Rines 4-10 0-0 8, Nasseem Wright 2-9 2-2 6, Jahseir Sayles 1-7 1-2 4, Qua Smith 1-3 2-4 4, Michael Goodwin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-71 16-24 100.
OCEAN CC (8-4): Myles Marabuto 4-6 3-4 14, Jamari Smith 2-10 0-3 4, Kai Barckley 1-4 0-0 2, Aiden Sosinov 9-15 5-5 24, James Gibbons 3-8 0-0 6, AJ Lemons 6-13 1-5 14, Jack Malek 0-2 0-0 0, Omar Hadid 1-3 0-0 3, Aiden Falduto 1-1 0-0 3, Jeremy Grospe 0-0 0-2 0, Matton Watson 0-2 0-0 0, Tristan Ulrich 0-1 0-0 0, Mason Trey 2-10 1-4 6, Liam Yefet 1-1 0-0 2, Joe Witter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-78 16-23 78.

Salem CC	47	53-	100
Ocean CC	38	40-	78

3-point goals: Salem CC 10-23 (Lee 0-1, Little 3-5, Gibson 5-6, Phillips 1-2, Rines 0-3 Sayles 1-6); Ocean CC 8-29 (Marabuto 3-5, Backley 0-1, Sosinov 1-3, Gibbons 0-2, Lemons 1-7, Malek 0-1, Hadid 1-1, Falduto 1-1, Watson 0-2 Ulrich 0-1, Krey 1-5). Rebounds: Salem CC 52 (Lee 10, Phillips 7, Rines 8, N. Wright 10, Smith 7); Ocean CC 40 (Smith 10, Susinov 8). Technical fouls: Smith. Total fouls: Ocean CC 13.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
SALEM CC (1)	9-0	15-0	9-0
Northampton (2)	8-0	13-1
Union (7)	8-1	9-2	6-1
Ocean (RV)	8-2	8-4	5-3
Montgomery (10)	4-1	7-2
Brookdale	11-3	11-5	7-3
Camden	6-3	9-4	6-3
RCSJ-Cumberland	6-4	6-7	5-5
Atlantic Cape	4-5	5-6	3-6
Bergen	5-8	6-8	2-5
Thaddeus Stevens	2-4	5-7
RCSJ-Gloucester	4-8	5-9	1-5
Sussex	2-8	5-10	2-7
Delaware County	2-8	3-10
Passaic	2-9	2-11	2-7
Harrisburg Area	1-5	2-10
Philadelphia	1-8	6-8
Luzerne	0-6	3-10

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 100, Ocean 78
Union at Atlantic Cape
Camden 76, RCSJ-Cumberland 55
Northampton 80, Luzerne 70
Morris at Georgian Court JV
Bergen 85, RCSJ-Gloucester 71
Raritan Valley 80, Orange County 79
Sussex 73, Passaic 64
Mercer 101, Essex 97
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Delaware County at CCBC Dundalk
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem at Sussex
Passaic at RCSJ-Gloucester
Union at Bergen
Essex at Delaware Tech
Delaware County at Cecil
Middlesex at Howard CC
Middlesex at Montgomery County (Md.)

The search is on

Accorsi finds the response overwhelmingly positive as he recruits the region for players for Salem CC’s upstart football program

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – On the chance you see ever-moving Jay Accorsi walking across campus these days you might mistake him for one of the college’s professors the way that bursting three-ring binder is tucked under his arms.

It’s not one of the three playbooks he has built for the football teams he’s coached in the past, but it is something just as important for the Salem Community College football program he’s trying to build from the ground up.

The binders these days aren’t full of blocking schemes, running plays and coverage plans, they’re loaded with info on players who have shown an interest in joining the Mighty Oaks in the fall — and there are a lot of them.

“This is the second one,” Accorsi said as he flipped through one of the books during one of his recent rare days in the office. “The littler one filled up so fast, I went and bought this myself.

“And this is just (from) the internet and the ones who reached me. Every day I’m putting 15, 20, 30 kids’ names in there. I can’t keep up with all the interest on the internet. I haven’t even put in the ones of the kids I’ve met — and I’ve met at least 2, 3, 4 at every school.

“I knew it would be popular, I knew there would be a lot of players, I just never envisioned it would be this many.”

**Interim head coach Jay Accorsi holds one of the binders filled with the data on players interested in joining Salem CC’s upstart football program.**

From the moment the board of trustees gave the OK to bring football to the school for the first time, Accorsi, the team’s interim (and presumptive permanent) head coach, has been scouring South Jersey pitching the program to high school players who ultimately will be its lifeblood.

He started with the Salem County schools first, then worked his way through Cumberland, Atlantic and Cape May counties and is just finishing up Gloucester County. Camden County will be next and the hope is to get into Burlington County before the holidays.

And that’s just locally. There’s sure to be interest in the nearby states and perhaps a trickle down from current junior colleges about the make the move into the NCAA landscape.

Every place Accorsi has stopped, the reaction has been the same. Coaches and administrators who initially weren’t aware Salem was starting football beamed with excitement at the news. They quickly made him aware of players that fall into circumstances that fuels Accorsi’s belief JUCO football could flourish in New Jersey in general and at Salem in particular.

“It was how I thought it would be, but it’s even more refreshing,” he said. “Everybody’s just been, ‘Hey, coach, it’s about time.’ They’ve had to send their players off to so many different places. Now they don’t need to. They have a place right in their backyard.

“The response has been exactly what I thought it would be and so much more. Every coach has said that and I think that’s awesome.”

And some of the players he finds on those visits aren’t even current players.

At one school, the former head coach Accorsi remembers playing against at Rowan stopped him in the hall on his way out of a meeting with the current head coach to reminisce. When he learned the Mighty Oaks were starting football and the type player they expected to attract, the former coach told Accorsi to wait right there.

The school’s security guard played for the former coach and went to a Division II program where things didn’t work out. The old coach called the guard down from the front office and they all talked. Within minutes, the new recruit, who had been playing in a local semi-pro league to stay in shape and had some pretty good film, filled out a questionnaire, applied to the college and completed his paperwork.

“There are so many of those,” Accorsi said. “I just happened to be there that day. It’s just an awesome story. This is a perfect opportunity for a person like that.”

The Mighty Oaks plan to officially launch the program on Jan. 28, at which time they’ll introduce the permanent head coach and other details related to their inaugural season in the fall.

With all the interest so far, Accorsi suspects they will have a “pretty good number” of players for spring practice. They’re in the binder.

Mighty Oaks No. 1

Salem CC men grab top spot in JUCO Division III basketball poll

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT — 66 games. One week short of two years since getting the job.

That’s all it took for Mike Green to take the Salem CC men’s basketball team from one that was three games below .500 on Christmas Day 2023 to the No. 1 team in the land.

Monday afternoon the undefeated Mighty Oaks (14-0) were installed as the No. 1 team in JUCO Division III supplanting defending national champion Mohawk Valley, which had been No. 1 all season and lost to Division II No. 14 Orange County by 30 Saturday.

The Mighty Oaks, who had been No. 2 each of the previous five weeks, received all nine first-place votes from the pollsters and collected 105 points, seven ahead of No. 2 fellow Region XIX member Northampton (12-0). Mohawk fell to No. 3.

It’s their first No. 1 ranking in school history.

“It’s good to see, letting the kids decide on the basketball court,” Green said. “You never know when these type of things happen so fast how the community feels about you. I’m glad we were rewarded with being No. 1.”

Green gave his players off Monday, but they were all in the gym working when the news of the poll’s release broke at 2 p.m.

“Being No. 1 in the country is a dream,” leading scorer Jarrell Little said. “A lot of players on our team, we weren’t a No. 1 team in nothing or never the best team in our area. Now we’re in college (and No. 1), that’s a real accomplishment. That means you’re really a winner.”

And it happened quickly. Green was was hired on Dec. 23, 2023, and his team went 9-9 the rest of the season. It went 26-8 last year, finishing fifth in the national tournament (losing to Mohawk in the second round), and is undefeated this year with virtually an entirely new squad.

“It’s a testament to everybody who has been around and helping out,” Green said. “It’s a big deal and should be a big deal for the Salem community … I’m just glad these kids get to see their name as No. 1.”

The Mighty Oaks have put it together with a balanced scoring attack that’s among the best in the country driven by sharp ball movement that averages more than 19 assists a game. They have four players averaging in double figures — Little (19.9 ppg), Nasseem Wright (19.6), Saaid Lee (14.4) and Zyaire Gibson (10.3) — and three of the four have more than 45 assists. Lee is second in the country (D3) with 75.

“(The key is) us playing together and us being more unselfish than other teams,” Little said. “When we put this team together people thought we wouldn’t get together. There were a lot of ball-dominant players and most people thought this team was not going to really work because they’re all going to need the ball. We put it together pretty well. We’re totally opposite (of that thinking).”

The Mighty Oaks already were playing with a target on their backs from their high tournament finish a year ago and were getting every team’s best shot this year. The No. 1 ranking just intensifies that, but their approach doesn’t change.

The Region XIX leaders put their newly minted ranking on the line for the first time Thursday at Ocean (7-3), a team they beat with 113 points at home last month and received votes in this week’s poll. They travel to Sussex (3-10) on Saturday.

Getting through those two games would give the Mighty Oaks a joyous noel (no Ls) at Christmas and should allow them to maintain the top billing into the new calendar year.

“Nothing changes,” Green said. “We’re still hunting. We like to say we’re still hunting. We don’t want to be the one getting hunted; we’re still hunters. We’ve still got to go out there and hunt like none of this ever happened.”

“We’re not done yet,” Little said. “We’re coming for everything.”

JUCO Division III poll

TEAM (1st place)	RECORD	POINTS
SALEM CC (9)	14-0	105
Northampton	12-0	98
Mohawk Valley	7-1	91
Dallas College Richland	9-6	84
Riverland	11-1	77
Herkimer	7-1	70
Union (NJ)	9-1	63
Northern Essex	14-3	56
Sandhills	9-4	49
Montgomery County (Pa.)	6-2	42
Dallas College Eastfield	8-5	26
Dutchess	10-3	24
Anoka-Ramsey	11-1	23
Massasoit	13-2	11
North Country	10-1	7

Also receiving votes: Queensborough, Ridgewater, CC of Allegheny County, Dallas-North Lake, Ocean.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 15-21

MONDAY, DEC. 15
BOYS BASKETBALL
x-Pennsville at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at St. Joseph, 7 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
x-Palmyra at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Cape May Tech, 4 p.m.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. West Deptford, RiverWinds, 3:30 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at CCBC-Catonsville, 5 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 16
BOYS BASKETBALL
Schalick at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.
Clayton at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
TRACK
Salem at Bennett Center

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Buena at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 5 p.m.
Schalick at Penns Grove, 5 p.m.
SWIMMING
Schalick vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 4:45 p.m.
Salem vs. Glassboro at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
BOWLING
Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Lanes, 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 18
BOYS BASKETBALL
Overbrook at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Ocean, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 19
BOYS BASKETBALL
Maple Shade at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
GCIT at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
West Deptford at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
SWIMMING
Schalick vs. Glassboro at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Tournament, 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 20
BOYS BASKETBALL
Salem vs. Pleasantville in Ocean City, 3:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Winslow, 11 a.m.
Salem Tech at Highland, 11:30 a.m.
WRESTLING
Penns Grove at Clearview Tournament, 9 a.m.
Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Tournament, 9:30 a.m.
Burlington Twp., Camden at Salem, 10 a.m.
Pennsville girls at Jackson Memorial, 2 p.m.
Woodstown at University of Delaware
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia
BOWLING
Salem girls vs. Burlington Twp., Bowlero Bristol, 12:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Sussex, noon
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Cecil, 11 a.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 21
WRESTLING
Woodstown at University of Delaware

New No. 1?

Salem CC uses late run to pull away from Brookdale, potentially lay claim to No. 1 after defending national champs lose by 30

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – The Salem CC men used a late run to pull away from a close game and take down Brookdale 83-67 Saturday to remain undefeated and possibly lay claim to the No. 1 ranking in the country.

The Mighty Oaks went into the weekend ranked second in JUCO Division III and won while No. 1 Mohawk Valley lost by 30 to Orange County CC (Division II No. 14). If the Hawks remained in the top spot just because they were the defending D-III national champions and hadn’t yet lost, the setback should open the door for a change.

The new rankings come out Monday. Mohawk Valley had received all nine first-place votes in every one of the six weekly polls this season.

“I don’t know what level Orange is, but I heard they beat them pretty good,” Green said. “In the normal way of thinking things, No. 2 becomes No. 1. I don’t know if we did anything wrong to anybody. I think they’ll get a vote, but that’s how it normally goes, so we’ll see. It’s out of our hands. We just have to keep winning basketball games.”

If the Mighty Oaks (14-0) do become the new No. 1, it would have taken Green just 66 games to take the program from three games under .500 when he took over to the top of the division.

“That’s super cool,” Green said. “When I got here we were in the basement. That’s a testament to everybody who’s been a part of it.

“I’ll tell you one thing, if we’re deserving of it, they’d better give it to us because you’re going to turn these kids into something. They’re already playing with a chip on their shoulder, you’re really going to see some monsters. They’d better get it right because you don’t want to upset these kids.”

The Mighty Oaks had their hands full reeling in the Jersey Blues for most of their final home game of the calendar year. A 3-pointer by Kyle Fulcher cut their lead to 30-28 with 4:09 to play, then the Mighty Oaks closed out the half on a 13-4 run to take a 43-32 lead at the break.

Saaid Lee got it started with a layup and 3-pointer and had eight points in the run. Nasseem Wright had a pair of layups around a Brookdale free throw and Qua Smith had a free throw.

But they couldn’t shake the Blues. Brookdale got within four twice in the second half, the last time with 8:58 to play, but Salem went on a 22-6 run over the next seven minutes to put the game away.

It started with a pair of three-point plays by Idris Rines and Lee – both on assists from Jarrell Little – and just continued to grow. Rines had seven points in the run, Wright and Lee five each, Little two and Zyaire Gibson had a 3.

“We had a couple chances of blowing the game away, but they have championship DNA so they didn’t just fall that easily,” Green said. “Idris played really well, We played through Idris a little bit when the game slowed down and he delivered. He’s almost there, he’s almost showing everything we envisioned. Once he puts it all together we’re going to be a completely different team.”

Wright led the Mighty Oaks with 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Lee had 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Rines had 10 points and four rebounds. Gibson had nine points and 10 boards. The Blues took Little away, but he still finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Mighty Oaks and Northampton (12-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in all of Region XIX. They meet for the only time in the regular season Jan. 15 in Bethlehem.

SALEM CC 83, BROOKDALE 67
BROOKDALE (10-5): Ariel Perez 1-2 0-1 2, Emmanuel Miller 0-4 5-6 5, Keith Allen 8-15 0-0 18, Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk 6-12 2-4 16, Leonardo Lopez 1-2 2-4 4, Shaun Valentine 0-0 0-1 0, Kyle Fulcher 5-14 2-4 15, Zayd Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Donovan Summey 0-1 0-0 0, Drean Aikins 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew Slaby 0-2 1-2 1, Ashwan Johnson 1-3 0-0 2, Peter Barkauskas 0-0 2-2 2, Kevin Hemans 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-60 14-24 67.
SALEM CC (14-0): Jerrell Little 5-13 0-0 11, Saaid Lee 7-11 6-6 22, Zyaire Gibson 3-6 0-0 9, Nasseem Wright 10-18 6-10 26, Stefan Phillips 2-4 0-0 4, Jahseir Sayles 0 0-0 0, Qua Smith 0-0 1-2 1, Idris Rines 3-6 4-7 10. Totals 30-58 17-25 83.

Brookdale	32	35-	67
Salem CC	43	40-	83

3-point goals: Brookdale 7-18 (Allen 2-5, Hamlin Woolfolk 2-4, Fulcher 3-7 Summer 0-1, Johnson 0-1); Salem CC 6-17 (Little 1-3, Lee 2-3, Gibson 3-5, Wright 0-3, Phillips 0-2, Rines 0-1). Rebounds: Brookdale 27 (Perez 6, Fulcher 5); Salem CC 38 (Gibson 10, Wright 8, Little 7). Total fouls: Brookdale 19, Salem CC 20.

Region XIX Standings

DIVISION III	R19	ALL	GSAC
SALEM CC (2)	9-0	14-0	7-0
Northampton (5)	8-0	12-0
Union (4)	8-1	9-1	6-1
Montgomery (10)	4-1	6-2
Brookdale (RV)	10-3	10-5	6-3
Camden	8-3	8-3	5-2
Ocean	7-3	7-3	4-2
RCSJ-Cumberland	4-3	5-5	4-3
Bergen	5-8	6-8	2-5
Thaddeus Stevens	2-4	5-7
Atlantic Cape	3-6	4-6	2-6
RCSJ-Gloucester	3-7	4-8	1-4
Sussex	2-7	3-9	1-6
Passaic	2-7	2-9	2-6
Delaware County	2-8	3-10
Harrisburg Area	1-5	2-10
Philadelphia	1-7	4-7
Luzerne	0-6	3-8

Number in parenthesis is JUCO Division III national ranking

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Salem CC 83, Brookdale 67
RCSJ-Gloucester at Philadelphia
Bergen 90, Luzerne 78
Mercer 81, Morris 72
Camden 81, Harrisburg Area 74
Rockland 97, Lackawanna 69
Montgomery 112, Southern Maryland 102
Atlantic Cape 78, Thaddeus Stevens 66
Delaware County 66, Passaic 61
Essex 101, Raritan Valley 81
RCSJ-Cumberland 80, Sussex 78
Harcum at Brunswick
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Montgomery at Luzerne
Brookdale at RCSJ-Cumberland
Delaware Tech at Raritan Valley
Passaic at Ocean
Northampton at Philadelphia
Middlesex at Morris
Union at Mercer
RCSJ-Gloucester at Atlantic Cape
Camden at Sussex
Essex at Lackawanna