Category: SALEM TECH

Smart defense

Donelson mccracks down on McCracken, Leyman big in the post and Woodstown beats Wildwood in OT; includes all of Thursday’s Salem County basketball action

GIRLS GAMESBOYS GAMES
Woodstown 49, Wildwood 46 (OT)Woodstown 66, Wildwood 47
Glassboro 64, Salem 20Glassboro 76, Salem 62
Penns Grove 47, Pitman 26Pitman at Penns Grove, ppd.
Schalick 36, Salem Tech 26Schalick 79, Salem Tech 22
Pennsville 58, Triton 49Gloucester Catholic 61, Pennsville 40

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — How many times does it happen? You have a game with some of the most dynamic scorers in South Jersey and of course it’s defense that determines the outcome.

Woodstown’s Megan Donelson cracked down on Macie McCracken and the Wolverines gained a bit of satisfaction for last year’s last-second loss in the sectional final, beating Wildwood in overtime 49-46 Thursday night to give first-year coach Matt Smart an early signature win.

“It always comes down to defense,” Smart said. “It’s about boxing out, rebounding, defense. McCracken’s an incredible player. She’s going to get her points no matter what defense you throw on her. It’s about limiting her opportunities, playing nice good hard defense and then boxing her out and making her only get one shot instead of two or three and Megan was phenomenal. She was up to the challenge.

“That’s kind of what we always preach, play unselfish basketball. And defense, you have to be unselfish. She did a great job. Other girls did a great job switching, hedging, all the little things to try to limit her. She still played amazing. She’s an incredible basketball player and our girls just kind of took it as a personal challenge.”

Donelson was on McCracken from the time the Warriors got off the bus. She held the senior on the verge of 2,000 career points to one field goal and four points in the first half, no points in overtime and 14 points total. Meanwhile, she scored 13 points to go over the 1,300-point career mark.

“My goal was just to shut her down because I know she’s a good shooter; yeah, lock down,” Donelson said. “When coach gives me a player to man up on I just follow what he says and give it my all on that one player.”

But she wasn’t the only one who came up big in a big game. Kyia Leyman, who had been limited the last two seasons because of knee injuries, gave the Wolverines a huge game in the post, scoring 11 points and grabbing 19 rebounds — both career highs — and blocking two shots.

She had four points and eight rebounds in the first half and back-to-back three-point play opportunities in the third quarter to help the Wolverines open a nine-point lead.

“I think my mindset was just to do it for the team,” Leyman said. “It was definitely a team effort and I wanted to be there for them. I didn’t want to let them down, so I think I just tried my best — and I wanted to come back and beat a really good team. I think this was the best I’ve played, the most calm, collected I’ve played (since coming back).”

Donelson’s layup with 42 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 41. Both teams had shots in the closing seconds to win it. Donelson stole an entry pass but lost her footing driving to the basket. Gianna Maiorini collected the loose ball on the baseline but her shot was blocked by Sara Djellal. The Warriors raced back up the floor for the final shot, but McCracken’s 3 from the left side hit off the far iron and Leyman grabbed the rebound as the horn sounded.

Woodstown (6-2) jumped out front in overtime and never lost the lead. Donelson drove around the lane for the first basket and Talia Battavio, who struggled with her shot most of the game, squared up on the left elbow and buried at 3 to give the Wolverines a five-point lead. Battavio had 12 points in the game.

“That was pretty big,” Battavio said of her 3. “I feel like it got us motivated, fired up a little bit, got me fired up.”

Wildwood (6-1) had the ball for a last shot in overtime. The Warriors had it on the sideline near the scorer’s table with 1.1 seconds left and needed what seemed like a miracle 3 to tie. They had trouble pulling the trigger on the inbounds and when they did get it in the pass landed in the hands of Woodstown’s Lauren Hengel as the clock expired.

The Warriors beat Woodstown in last year’s South Jersey Group I final in a controversial finish after the home crowd rushed the floor in reaction to Wildwood’s go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds. While the game was on everyone’s mind, Smart said revenge wasn’t the motivating factor in this regular-season game.

“We’re a different team than the team last year, they’re a different team than they were last year,” Smart said. “Our message to the girls this week was this isn’t professional wrestling. We don’t beat them today and get the belt back. There’s still a lot of work to do. This is just a first step.”

But it was satisfying nonetheless.

“Leading up to this game we talked about three things in the team — being confident, being relaxed and having fun — and I think we did those three things as a program today,” Smart said. “It was a fun game.”

WOODSTOWN 49, WILDWOOD 46 (OT)
WILDWOOD (6-1) — Macie McCracken 4 4-4 14, Angela Wilber 3 3-4 10, Rebecca Benichou 3 0-0 9, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Sarah Djellal 4 1-2 9, Addison Troiano 2 0-0 4, Lily Atkinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 8-10 46.
WOODSTOWN (6-2) — Talia Battavio 5-27 0-2 12, Megan Donelson 5-14 2-3 13, Gianna Maiorini 2-3 2-4 6, Lauren Hengel 2-12 2-4 7, Kyia Leyman 5-14 1-2 11, Kendall Young 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-70 7-15 49.

Wildwood11613115-46
Woodstown12611128-49
3-point goals: Wildwood 6 (McCracken 2, Wilber, Benichou 3); Woodstown 4-21 (Battavio 2-9, Donelson 1-6, Hengel 1-6). Rebounds: Wildwood 32 (McCracken 10); Woodstown 54 (Leyman 19, Hengel 12). Total fouls: Wildwood 15, Woodstown 14.
Woodstown’s Kyia Leyman (33) leaves her feet in hopes of disrupting Wildwood’s inbounds play Thursday night. On the cover, Megan Donelson forces Macie McCracken (3) to take a deep 3 in the first half.


PENNSVILLE 58, TRITON 49: The Eagles fought through illness and the absence of leading scorer Nora Ausland to rally for their fourth in a row. They were down 10 at one point in the second quarter, but rallied to get the deficit to one at halftime. Pennsville’s Taylor Bass led all scorers with a season-high 21 points. Addison Johnston had a career-high 19 points and Marley Wood had 12.

TRITON (4-3) — Melannie Noel 7 2-6 17, Kaidan Henry 5 0-0 15, Gianna Loftis 4 1-2 10, Riley Mikiewicz 2 0-0 5, Gianna Endt 1 0-0 2, Kimora Dobson 0 0-0 0, Akeera Reid-Streater 0 0-0 0. 19 3-8 49.
PENNSVILLE (5-2) — Taylor Bass 9 2-4 21, Marley Wood 4 2-4 12, Addison Johnston 6 4-7 19, Jaida Burns 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 2 0-0 4, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 8-15 58.

Triton1116157-49
Pennsville14121717-58
3-point goals: Triton 8 (Noel, Henry 5, Loftis, Mikiewicz); Pennsville 6 (Bass, Wood 2, Johnston 3).

SCHALICK 36, SALEM TECH 26
SCHALICK (2-4) — Carly Vicente 2 0-0 4, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Willow Davis 1 1-2 3, Olivia Vanacker 2 0-0 4, Ava Scurry 2 1-2 5, Naveah Robinson 2 2-3 6, Cali Fisler 1 1-2 3, Abby Willoughby 4 1-2 11. Totals 14 6-11 36.
SALEM TECH (2-5) — Hannah Dewitt 0 1-2 1, Shelby Drummond 3 0-2 7, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-0 2, Demajae White 4 2-2 10, Shelby Liber 2 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 0 0-0 0, Evening Amedee 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 3-6 26.

Schalick116811-36
Salem Tech7676-26
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Willoughby 2); Salem Tech 3 (Drummond, Liber 2). Rebounds: Salem Tech 43 (White 14, Doerr 9).

GLASSBORO 64, SALEM 20
GLASSBORO (4-4) — Sanaa Thomas 1 0-0 2, Tamia Smith 5 4-8 14, Grace Moore 4 1-1 9, NiJha Norzon Clark 1 0-0 3, Brackett 7 1-4 19, Kimora Miles 1 3-6 5, Sianna Wedderburn 3 2-2 8, Lily Czubas 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 11-21 64.
SALEM (0-7) — Carlysia Pierce 1 2-3 4, Nevaeh Hickman 4 2-3 12, Dakirah Gray 1 0-0 2, Amariah Frye 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 4-6 20.

Glassboro14181715-64
Salem3296-20
3-point goals: Glassboro 5 (Clark, Brackett 4); Salem 2 (Hickman 2). Rebounds: Glassboro 41 (Wedderburn 12, Miles 11). Only four Salem players reported.

Boys Games

WOODSTOWN 66, WILDWOOD 47: Rocco String came within two blocked shots of his elusive triple-double and led the Wolverines to their fourth straight victory. String had 18 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots in his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season. The Wolverines had three other scorers in double figures — M.J. Hall (season-high 16), Alejandro Vazquez (10) and Blake Bialecki (12) — and Garrett Leyman grabbed 11 rebounds.

WOODSTOWN (4-2) — Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 9, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 6 0-0 12, Alejandro Vazquez 4 0-0 10, M.J. Hall 6 0-0 16, Garrett Leyman 0 0-0 0, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 9 0-0 18. Totals 30 1-2 66.
WILDWOOD (2-6) — Eric Jordan 1 0-0 2, Nolan Mawhinney 2 0-0 5, Trevor Troiano 3 0-0 9, R.J. Blanda 0 0-0 0, Vinny Sweeney 0 2-2 2, Jordan Dozier 0 0-0 0, Brian Cunniff 10 6-7 27, Sammy Santiago 1 0-0 2, Jack Fullertonn 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-9 47.

Woodstown18151419-66
Wildwood5121020-47
3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Hood-McGinley, Vazquez 2); Wildwood 5 (Mawhinney, Troiano 3, Cunniff). Rebounds: Woodstown 47 (String 16, Leyman 11); Wildwood 21 (Dozier 5, Blands 5).

GLASSBORO 76, SALEM 62
SALEM (6-3) — Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Tymear Lecator 7 4-5 15, Deshaan Williams 2 7-13 13, Darrelle Johnson 4 0-0 9, Joe Tunis 2 2-2 8, Ashore Burden 5 1-1 11, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-21 62.
GLASSBORO (3-5) — Xavier Sabb 14, Kenny Smith 28, Davon Barr 6, Maurice Davis 10, Tashean Thomas 3, Alex Adeleye 2, Aiden Harris 11, Marley Crowl 2.

Salem15112016-62
Glassboro17221720-76
3-point goals: Salem 4 (McGriff, Lecator 3); Glassboro NA. Note: The Rams have lost two in a row.

SCHALICK 79, SALEM TECH 22: Reggie Allen scored 18 points, Nylan Sutton added 14 and Sherrod Jones 10 as the Cougars snapped a seven-game losing streak and kept the Chargers winless. Eleven players scored for Schalick.

SALEM TECH (0-9) — Joseph Hayes 2 1-3 6, Larry Pompper 0 1-3 1, Keidyn Robinson 1 0-0 2, Logan Pace 0 2-2 2, Krolle 1 0-0 2, Ayars 2 1-6 5, Ayden Myers 1 1-2 4. Totals 7 6-16 22.
SCHALICK (2-7) — Reggie Allen Jr. 8 1-2 18, Nylan Sutton 7 0-2 14, Jase Volovar 3 1-2 9, Sherrod Jones 5 0-0 10, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Zaeshawn Mills 3 0-0 8, Jamari Whitley 1 2-4 4, Sean Kelly 2 0-0 4, Jacob Schalick 1 4-5 7, Ryan Horner 1 0-0 3, Gauge Craner 0 1-2 1. Totals 32 9-17 79.

Salem Tech5746-22
Schalick19272013-79
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Hayes, Myers); Schalick 6 (Allen, Volovar 2, Iacona, Schalick, Horner).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 61, PENNSVILLE 40
PENNSVILLE (1-6) — Jovanni Rios 6 1-3 13, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 5, Shiloh Jefferson 1 0-0 2, Logan Hitt 1 0-0 3, Perry Meranti 1 0-0 2, Daniel Knight 1 0-0 2, C.J. McDevitt 3 1-2 8, Jacob Miller 1 0-0 2, Jacob Farina 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 2-5 40.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (4-5) — Carlos Mendez 6 2-5 15, Jack Mustaro 8 2-3 20, Jack Pund 2 0-0 4, Danny Zellner 1 2-2 4, Ben Cook 2 0-0 4, Kybron Ricks 1 0-0 3, Zack Payne 3 0-0 7, Gary Connelly 0 0-0 0, Jordan Mendez 0 0-0 0, Kimani Pyram 1 0-0 2, C.J. Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Anthony Polidoro 0 0-0 0, Andrew Ginipro 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 6-10 61.

Pennsville3131212-40
Gloucester Catholic9231415-61
3-point goals: Pennsville 4 (O’Brien, Hitt, McDevitt, Farina); GC 5 (C. Mendez, Mustaro 2, Ricks, Payne).


Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LISTTODAYPOINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown121344
Megan Donelson, Woodstown131308
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville
(Salem 462/Pennsville 427)		DNP889
Marley Wood, Pennsville12811
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove
(Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 552)		16803
Through games of Jan. 9

Salem County schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the rest of this week

JAN. 8
WRESTLING
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Salem at Cumberland
Woodstown at Deptford
SWIMMING
Salem at Lower Cape May
TRACK
Pennsville, Salem, Schalick at Bennett Center, Toms River

JAN. 9
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem Tech
Triton at Pennsville
Wildwood at Woodstown
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Glassboro
Salem Tech at Schalick
Woodstown at Wildwood
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes
SWIMMING
Schalick at Camden County Tech
Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT
TRACK
Penns Grove at Cherokee
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 10
BOYS BASKETBALL
LEAP at Salem
Pennsville at Clayton
WRESTLING
Collingswood at Schalick

JAN. 11
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown at Camden Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
St. Joseph at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
Schalick at Collingswood
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Oakcrest, Overbrook at Millville
Penns Grove at Deptford
Salem at Cherokee
Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena

Cinnaminson Duals
Round 1, 9:30 a.m.
M1: Seneca vs. Haddon Twp.
M2: Paulsboro vs. Cinnaminson
M3: Lower Cape May vs. Haddonfield
M4: Wall vs. Woodstown
Round 2, 11 a.m.
M5: Seneca-Haddon Twp winner vs. Wall-Woodstown winner
M6: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson winner vs. LCM-Haddonfield winner
M7:Seneca-Haddon Twp loser vs. Wall-Woodstown loser
M8: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson loser vs. LCM-Haddonfield loser
Round 3, 12:30 p.m.
M9: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner
M10: Match 5 loser vs. Match 6 loser
M11: Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner
M12: Match 7 loser vs. Match 8 loser
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, noon
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Middlesex, noon

Tough Tuesday

Tuesday boys roundup: Salem, Pitman stage another epic battle; all four Salem County boys teams in action fall

BOYS GAMES
Clayton 102, Salem Tech 39
Glassboro 54, Schalick 31
Overbrook 66, Penns Grove 33
Pitman 83, Salem 77 (OT)

By Riverview Sports News

SALEM — Pitman and Salem have staged some epic battles the last two seasons and Tuesday night continued the trend.

Elijah Crispin scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers over the Rams 83-77 in overtime. Crispin was 16-of-25 from the free throw line.

Salem’s Neziah Spence sent the game into overtime with one of his three 3-pointers, but Pitman outscored the Rams 10-4 in the extra period.

Tymear Lecator and Deshaan Williams led the Rams with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Lecator also had five rebounds and seven assists. Williams also had eight rebounds. Ashore Burden added 15 points.

PITMAN 83, SALEM 77
PITMAN (6-1): Hudson Rue 3 0-0 6, Elijah Crispin 11 16-25 38, Greg Petersen 3 0-0 9, Michael Fisicaro 5 2-2 16, Aidan Stranahan 5 1-2 14. Totals 27 19-29 83.
SALEM (6-2): Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Neziah Spencer 3 0-0 9, Tymear Lecator 8 1-1 21, Deshaan Williams 9 2-2 20, Antwan Rogers 3 0-0 6, Joe Tunis 0 1-2 1, Azhone Burden 7 1-2 15. Totals 32 5-7 77.

Pitman1523181810-83
Salem251518154-77
3-point goals: Pitman; Salem 8 (McGriff, Spencer 3, Lecator 4). Rebounds: Pitman 31 (Rue 11, Crispin 10)

OVERBROOK 66 PENNS GROVE 33
PENNS GROVE (2-5): Brandin Robbins 1 0-0 3, Roman Gipson 0 3-4 3, Karon Ceaser 5 2-2 13, Antoine Robinson 1 1-2 3, Haneef Frisbee 1 1-2 3, Jameel Horace 1 1-2 3, Luis Colon 1 3-5 5. Totals 10 11-17 33.
OVERBROOK (7-2): Lamar Little 5 0-0 13, Xavier Wright 4 0-0 8, Elvin Santiago 0 1-2 1, Zair Green 7 1-2 17, Bilal Robinson 3 0-0 6, JR Stanley 2 0-0 6, Jaden St. John 1 0-0 2, Cody Harris 3 0-0 8, Jason Boyd 1 0-0 3, Shallom Teguia 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 2-4 66.

Penns Grove710313-33
Overbrook18161715-66
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Robbins, Ceaser); Overbrook.10 (Little 3, Green 2, Stanley 2, Harris 2).

GLASSBORO 54, SCHALICK 31
GLASSBORO (2-5): Aiden Harris 2 0-0 4, Kenny Smith 7 4-4 18, Marley Crowl 2 0-0 5, Xavier Sabb 7 2-2 17, Alex Adeieye 1 0-0 2, Maurice Davis 3 2-3 8. Totals 22 8-9
SCHALICK (1-7): Reggie Allen 0 4-6 4, Nylan Sutton 5 2-6 12, Jase Volovar 0 1-4 1, Sherrod Jones 2 0-0 4, Zaeshawn Mills 1 0-0 2, Jamari Whatley 4 0-0 8Totals 12 7-16 31.

Glassboro1318914-54
Schalick6799-31
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Crowl, Sabb).

CLAYTON 102, SALEM TECH 39
SALEM TECH (0-8): Joseph Hayes 5 0-0 11, Larry Pompper 5 1-5 11, Charlie Brown 2 0-0 4, Alex Thomas 2 0-0 4, Krolle 2 0-0 4, Ayars 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 1-5 39-x
CLAYTON (3-3): Princeton Sackor 6 3-5 15, Nazir Davis 6 1-2 15, Demetris Williams 4 0-3 8, James Fritz 7 1-2 17, Jackson Venuto 5 3-3 13, Anthony Taylor 2 0-0 4, Nasir Carter3 0-0 7, Isaiah Aviles 1 0-0 2, Rodney Robinson 1 0-2 2, Deion Scott 1 0-0 2, Anthony Archer 1 1-2 3, Trevor Rehm 1 0-0 2, King Mosely 4 2-4 12.

Salem Tech961014-39
Clayton22361925-102
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Hayes, Ayars); Clayton 7 (Davis 2, Fritz 2, Carter, Mosely 2). x-Box score doesn’t tabulate.

Less is more

Tuesday girls roundup: Penns Grove doing more with less, focusing on quality over quantity; Cummings has a career double-double

GIRLS GAMES
Clayton 72, Salem Tech 45
Glassboro 65, Schalick 15
Penns Grove 58, Overbrook 19
Pitman 48, Salem 33

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Look across the court to any bench at a high school basketball game. You’ll see a long row of chairs stretching from the scorer’s table to the end line. You won’t find an empty seat and both sides of the pre-game layup line stretches all the way to the mid-stripe.

And then you’ve got a team like the Penns Grove girls. The Red Devils have taken a minimalist approach to their game, where less is more. They played six players Tuesday and that was more than plenty to take down Overbrook 58-19.

“It tells me my kids have heart, fight and determination,” coach Jennifer Denby said. “It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality, and we have girls who can play the game.”

It’s a team that reminds many of the Penns Grove squad two years ago that went all the way to the South Jersey Group I semifinals with a seven-man roster, a Magnificent Seven.

“We have a handful (of players), but like I keep telling them we have the quality,” Denby continued. “We have 100 percent genuine, authentic players on our team. And that’s all we need, and we’re good with that. I just want them to compete on a higher level.”

“The numbers don’t matter,” sophomore center JaNiyah Cummings said. “You can have like 30 people and still be losing. If you have a good team, a good team where you have connection, and you can move the ball then you can do anything, honestly.”

One thing about a small roster, there’s a lot of opportunity for big games individually and the Red Devils had a lot of quality performances against the Lady Rams.

RaNiyah Wilson continued her march towards 1,000 points with a game-high 24. The senior guard now has 787 career points and is on pace to hit the milestone Feb. 8 against Glassboro. Perhaps sooner if she picks up one certain aspect of her game.

“She is a big scorer and I keep telling her play defense,” Denby said. “If you play defense, you get easy buckets. The teams we play who are not as fortunate like we are, she should get 30 and 40 points if she plays defense. Defense is the key for getting her 1,000 points.”

That was very much in evidence during one brief stretch in the second half. Wilson scored the last basket of the third quarter and the first basket of the fourth both after stealing inbounds passes and turning them into driving layups.

But the big games didn’t just stop with her.

Brianna Robbins had nine points and 10 rebounds. Mikayla Washington had four points and grabbed 13 boards.

But the biggest game belonged to Cummings. She had a career day, scoring 18 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Her previous career high was 13 points last year against Pennsville. Her best game this year was 12 in a double-double against Pleasantville.

“I don’t know what it was, I got this spark of energy and I just wanted to play,” she said. “I just wanted to play and I wanted to win.”

“Cummings is a true student-athlete; she is my AP girl,” Denby said. “Regardless if she’s going through a lot of negative things, Cummings still comes to perform and she stands on her own. It takes a lot for an individual to stand on their own. Cummings does that day in and day out, and I take my hat off to her.”

Cover photo: RaNiyah Wilson (5) and JaNiyah Cummings (24) had two of Penns Grove’s biggest games against Overbrook Tuesday.

PENNS GROVE 58, OVERBROOK 19
OVERBROOK (1-7): Leslie Rosario 0 0-0 0, Gia Simon 6 0-1 13, Jayel Presley 0 2-4 2, Leiani Knight 1 1-2 5, Ahlani White 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Bella Sepuleda 0 0-0 0, Lily Lafountain 0 0-0 0, Talia Wiggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-7 29.
PENNS GROVE (4-2): Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 4 0-0 9, RaNiyah Wilson 9 3-6 24, Keziah Patterson 1 0-0 3, Mikayla Washington 2 0-2 4, JaNiyah Cummings 9 0-0 18. Totals 25 3-8 58.

Overbrook2449-19
Penns Grove13121419-58
3-point goals: Overbrook 2 (Simon, Knight); Penns Grove 5 (B. Robbins, Wilson 3, Patterson). Total fouls: Overbrook 7, Penns Grove 5.

PITMAN 48, SALEM 33
SALEM (0-6): Carlysia Pierce 3 0-2 6, Dakirah Gray 2 3-4 8, Marcela Vilalpando 1 1-2 3, Navaho Hickman 4 1-4 13. Only four players reported. Totals 10 5-15 30-x.
PITMAN (2-4): Colette Rollins 1 0-0 2, Jocelyn O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Audrey Duffield 10 3-4 24, Jess Bretz 8 2-8 18. Only four players reported. Totals 21 5-12 48.

Salem91356-33
Pitman11101215-48
3-point goals: Salem 5 (Gray, Hickman 4); Pitman 1 (Duffield). x-Box score doesn’t tabulate.

GLASSBORO 65, SCHALICK 15
SCHALICK (1-4): Cali Fisler 0 1-3 1, Naveah Robinson 1 2-4 5, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Willow Davis 1 0-0 3, Olivia Lunemann 1 0-0 2. Totals 5 3-7 15.
GLASSBORO (3-4): Sanaa Thomas 3 0-3 7, Tamia Smith 8 0-0 19, Grace Moore 3 0-0 6, NiJha Norzon Clark 1 0-0 2, Kezia Brackett 10 0-1 21, Kimora Miles 2 0-1 4, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Lily Cubas 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 0-5 65.

Schalick7008-15
Glassboro14241710-65
3-point goals: Schalick 2(Robinson, Davis); Glassboro 5 (Thomas, Smith 3, Brackett). Rebounds: Glassboro 31 (Wedderburn 11). Note: Glassboro’s Thomas had 10 assists.

CLAYTON 72, SALEM TECH 49
CLAYTON (5-1): Rainelle Blocker 5 0-2 10, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, India Bryant 4 0-0 9, Ava Delaney 10 0-3 23, Napria Loatman 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 11 0-2 24, Isabella Wiseburn 1 0-0 2. Totals 33 0-7 72.
SALEM TECH (2-4): Hannah Dewitt 3 0-0 6, Shelby Drummond 2 0-0 4, Kaylin Beardsley 1 1-4 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2, Demajae White 3 0-0 2, Shelby Liber 7 2-3 20, Evening Amedee 1 0-0 2, Rylee Doerr 3 0-1 6. Totals 23 3-8 49.

Clayton20231217-72
Salem Tech7151116-49
3-point goals: Clayton 6 (Bryant, Delaney 3, Simon 2); Salem Tech 4 (Liber 4). Rebounds: Salem Tech 63 (White 22, Doerr 11).

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LISTTODAYPOINTS
Talia Battavio, WoodstownDNP1332
Megan Donelson, WoodstownDNP1295
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville
(Salem 462/Pennsville 427)		DNP889
Marley Wood, PennsvilleDNP799
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove
(Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 536)		24787
Through games of Jan. 7

Happy Hengel

Friday’s girls roundup: Woodstown junior comes to game in good mood, has career night as Wolverines get back on track

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pennsville 57, Overbrook 20
Penns Grove 50, Schalick 14
Salem Tech 36, Camden Academy Charter 32
Wildwood 77, Salem 27
Woodstown 62, Glassboro 39

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Lauren Hengel came to the gym Friday in a good mood. That was a good sign for the Woodstown girls basketball team looking to get back on the winning track.

Hengel came into the game with confidence and it translated to a big game as she helped the Wolverines beat Glassboro 62-39 to snap a two-game losing streak.

The 5-8 junior scored a career-high 14 points on the strength of 5-for-7 shooting from the floor and a pair of 3-pointers. She also had two rebounds and two steals. She scored 10 points in the third quarter.

Hengel gave the Wolverines a trio of double-figure scorers for the first time this season, joining Talia Battavio (19) and Megan Donelson (15). Battavio and Donelson combined for seven of Woodstown’s 11 3-pointers in the game. Hengel had two. Donelson scored all of her points in the first half.

“Lauren was amazing today,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “She came in today with a big smile on her face. She’s a big Notre Dame fan, so I think she just had a positive mindset (after watching the Irish beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to reach the CFP semifinals).

“We’ve always known that Lauren is a phenomenal basketball player. This whole season our big thing (with everyone except Battavio and Donelson) is confidence. They are phenomenal basketball players and a lot of times they’re open for great shots and they’re not confident to take it. Lauren today was confident with every single shot she took. She stepped into it. She made some big plays for us. She was fearless and smart at the same time, which really helped us.”

The Wolverines (5-2) came into the game having been swept in their appearance in the Haddon Twp. Holiday Tournament. They started out on a road towards three in a row Friday, falling behind the Bulldogs 9-2 in the first two minutes, but then Smart called the time out that turned their game around.

“We challenged the girls at practice this week to box out,” Smart said. “We were going for rebounds, but we weren’t finding a girl, being physical and boxing out. Glassboro at the beginning of the game kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit, we called time out and responded very well.

“Instead of just turning around looking for the ball off the back end of a shot, we were finding a girl, we were physical, we were letting the ball hit the ground one or two times and then attacking it. Basketball is a contact sport, a physical sport, so let’s find a girl, let’s box her out and then go attack that rebound. I think that set the tone for the whole game for us.”

With that mindset they climbed back in the game and eventually led 17-14 at quarter’s end. They stretched the lead to 14 at halftime and 23 after three quarters.

During the run, Battavio and Donelson hit a couple 3s, Kyia Leyman had a strong putback and Hengel had a bucket.

Somewhere in there was Smart’s favorite play of the game that summed up the approach to the day. Gianna Maiorini was battling under the boards and although she didn’t get this particular rebound she boxed out her man for a good five or six seconds which allowed a teammates to swoop in and secure the rebound.

The Wolverines grabbed 32 rebounds as a team. Eleven players had at least one, which was more than the number of players who scored points for them. Leyman and Donelson each had six boards. Maiorini had five.

The win extended Woodstown’s winning streak over TCC Diamond Division rivals to 34 in a row.

WOODSTOWN 62, GLASSBORO 39
GLASSBORO (2-4) – Sanaa Thomas 2 0-0 5, Tamia Smith 4 3-11 11, Kezia Brackett 5 4-10 15, Kimora Miles 0 1-2 1, Sianna Wedderburn 2 1-2 5, Grace Moore 1 0-0 2, NiJha Norzon Clark 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-25 39.
WOODSTOWN (5-2) – Talia Battavio 5-18 6-7 19, Megan Donelson 4-11 3-4 15, Gianna Maiorini 1-4 0-0 2, Kyia Leyman 1-1 0-0 2, Lauren Hengel 5-7 2-3 14, Emma Perry 1-3 0-0 2, Kendall Young 1-1 0-0 3, Jaia Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Mia Waterman 0-2 0-0 0, Brynley Ecret 2-2 0-0 5, Kailyn Kennedy 0-0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0-0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 11-14 62.

Glassboro 147612-39
Woodstown17181511-62
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Thomas, Brackett); Woodstown 11-28 (Battavio 3-11, Donelson 4-8, Hengel 2-4, Perry 0-1, Young 1-1, Waterman 0-2, Ecret 1-1). Rebounds: Woodstown 32 (Donelson 6, Leyman 6). Total fouls: Glassboro 12, Woodstown 18.

SALEM TECH 36, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 32: Shelby Drummond and Demajae White scored 11 points apiece and the Chargers (2-3) dominated the backboards to snap a three-game losing streak and double their win total of a year ago. 

According to the game’s statistical report, the Chargers cleared 76 rebounds. White had 24, Kaylin Beardsley 14 and Rylee Doerr had 12. Drummond had nine. The Chargers are now 2-3 for the season. They won once all last season.

SALEM TECH (2-3) – Shelby Liber 1 0-0 2, Hannah Dewitt 1 0-2 2, Lavae Scott 0 0-0 0, Demajae White 4 3-3 11, Shelby Drummond 4 0-0 11, Rylee Doerr 1 0-2 2, Kaylin Beardsley 2 2-2 8. Totals 13 5-9 36.
CAMDEN ACAD. (3-2) – Yomeidy DeLaRosa 3 2-8 8, Leslie Ramirez 1 0-0 2, Aishaara Davis Bonilla 2 0-3 4, Skylar Goods 1 0-0 2, Nyeema Torres 5 2-5 16. Totals 12 4-12 32.

Salem Tech107811-36
Camden Academy71294-32
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Drummond 3, Beardsley 2); Camden Acad. 4 (Torres 4).

PENNSVILLE 57, OVERBROOK 20: Taylor Bass led three double-figure scorers with 19 points and Marley Wood had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists as the Eagles (3-2) went over .500 for the first time in coach Steve Merritt’s tenure. Nora Ausland had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Eagles.

PENNSVILLE (3-2) – Taylor Bass 8 0-0 19, Marley Wood 5 0-0 12, Nora Ausland 5 0-0 10, Jaida Burns 3 1-2 7, Addison Johnston 0 1-1 1, Izzy Saulin 1 0-0 2, Sofia Belitas 0 0-0 0, Ashlyn Fredo 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 2-3 57.
OVERBROOK (1-6) – Gianna Simon 6 2-2 16, Rosetta Loebman 0 0-0 0, Lelani Knight 0 0-0 0, Ahlani Knight 0 0-0 0, Kayla Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Lily LaFountain 0 0-0 0, Talia Wiggins 1 1-2 4, Kiya Townsend 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-4 20.

Pennsville192486-57
Overbrook32411-20
3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Bass 3, Wood 2); Overbrook 3 (Simon 2, Wiggins).

WILDWOOD 77, SALEM 27
WILDWOOD (6-0) – Macie McCracken 12 4-4 33, Angela Wilber 2 2-2 6, Rebecca Benichou 6 4-8 18, Cydnee Killian 1 0-0 2, Kiana D’Antuono 0 0-0 0, Addison Troiano 2 3-6 7, Sarah Djellal 0 1-2 1, Laila Fathi 1 2-2 5, Julia Ennis 1 0-0 2, Emma Contreras 0 0-0 0, Ellasyn Morey 0 0-0 0, Antoinette Cooper 1 0-0 2, Lily Atkinson 0 0-0 0, Mollie Farrell 0 1-2 1. Totals 26 17-26 77.
SALEM (0-5) – Carlysia Pierce 3 1-1 8, Nevaeh Hickman 2 0-0 4, Lyric Hayes 0 1-3 1, Zaniyah Frieson 2 0-0 4, Shyla Parsons 1 0-2 2, Timmiyah Simmons 2 0-0 6, Triscia Wilson 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 2-4 27. 

Wildwood26161619-77
Salem7929-27
3-point goals: Wildwood 8 (McCracken 5, Benichou 2, Fathi); Salem 3 (Pierce, Simmons 2). 

PENNS GROVE 50, SCHALICK 14
PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson 9 6-7 28, Brianna Robbins 2 2-4 6, Ialliyah Cummings 3 3-7 9, Keziah Patterson 3 0-0 6, Sianna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Washington 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 12-20 50.
SCHALICK (1-3) – Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Robinson 2 0-2 5, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Willow Davis 0 0-0 0, Emily Miller 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 1 0-0 2, Carl Vicente 0 0-0 0, Olivia VanAcker 0 0-2 0, Vic Basich 0 1-2 1, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 1-6 14.

Penns Grove10121018-50
Schalick3704-14
3-point goals: Penns Grove (Wilson 4); Schalick 1 (Robinson). Total fouls: Penns Grove 10, Schalick 16.

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LISTPOINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown1332
Megan Donelson, Woodstown1295
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville
(Salem 462/Pennsville 413)		875
Marley Wood, Pennsville782
x-RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove
(Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 492)		743
Through games of Jan. 3; x-Does not include 12/27 game vs. Deptford

Total package

Friday boys roundup: Frisbee, Robinson getting comfortable in their new surroundings back home in Penns Grove; story will be updated

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Gloucester Catholic 85, Salem Tech 42
Overbrook 72, Pennsville 26
Penns Grove 69, Schalick 37
Salem 65, Wildwood 48
Woodstown 57, Glassboro 39

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Haneef Frisbee and Antoine Robinson looked into the future last year and knew they were going to play somewhere different this basketball season. They didn’t know quite where at the time, but they did know they were going to go there together.

Where one decided to go, the other one would, too. That’s just the way they roll. Ultimately, the two Salem Tech teammates decided there was no place like home. They came back to their roots in Penns Grove to give the Red Devils the benefit of their size and length.

It’s taken some time getting used to a new school, a new team, a new floor, but Friday night they were the most comfortable they’ve been in their new surroundings all season and helped the Red Devils rout Schalick 69-37 in Rudy Baric Gym.

Frisbee, a lean 6-2 junior forward, had nine points, 10 rebounds and a couple steals. Robinson, a thick 6-1 junior guard, had eight points and six rebounds. 

“We were definitely more comfortable than we have ever been,” Frisbee said.

Frisbee was hot early, scoring six of the Red Devils’ first eight points and grabbing five of his rebounds in the quarter. Robinson gave them a steadier game, spreading his production across all four quarters.

It’s not like they’re coming into a totally new environment. The two players are originally from Penns Grove and played there all the way through middle school. They went to Salem Tech for the academy there and naturally joined the basketball team.

Frisbee had 381 points, 292 rebounds and 77 blocked shots in 49 career games with the Chargers. Robinson had 365 points, 107 rebounds and 46 assists in 44 career games.

But two tough seasons in the win-loss column had them reassessing their choices and prospects for playing at the next level and they came – together – to Penns Grove to enroll in its Early College program.

“We came as a package,” Robinson said. “We thought about it hard, we even talked to our parents about it to bring them along and we made the decision to come to Penns Grove High School.”

“Twan’s basically my brother,” Frisbee said. “I put my trust in him wherever I go. Wherever I am I can always count on him to be there, like my right hand man. He’s not my brother, but I consider him like a brother.”

The bonus is the basketball team benefits from their size and length, elements that were missing with the graduation of last year’s class. 

In the five games they’ve played at Penns Grove, Robinson has 27 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and 10 steals. Frisbee 31 points, 25 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Penns Grove coach Damian Ware didn’t know they were coming until Frisbee’s grandmother told him, but he knew of them. He had seen them play in middle school and, of course, when the Red Devils played Tech the last two years. The players already knew them from going to middle school together.

So with that familiarity, the transition was a little smoother than most. Now, it was a matter of getting them up to speed with the way the Red Devils play.

“As far as the play on the floor they have a lot to learn because they didn’t understand what we do here compared to what they did at their other school,” Ware said. “Haneef has played with great energy since Game 1, but he’s fouled out of three of our five games. Antoine’s thing is just understanding the speed of our game and how we play. Here, we move.

“That’s the thing with Antoine. When he picks up the pace of the game he’s going to be great. By the end of the season I guarantee he’ll be one of the studs in South Jersey, for sure.”

Penns Grove’s Roman Gipson led all scorers with 19 points. 

PENNS GROVE 69, SCHALICK 37
SCHALICK (1-6) – Reggie Allen 2 3-5 7, Nylan Sutton 0 0-0 0, Justin Iacona 2 0-0 5, Sherrod Jones 2 0-0 5, Jase Volovar 2 0-0 6, Sean Kelly 1 1-2 4, Jamari Whitley 1 3-5 6, Jacob Schalick 1 2-2 4, Guage Cramer 0 0-0 0, Nick Aswell 0 0-2 0, Ryan Horner 0 0-0 0, Kade Macom 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 9-16 37.
PENNS GROVE (2-3) – Karon Ceaser 2 2-4 7, Brandin Robbins 1 2-2 5, Will Roe 1 0-0 2, Jameel Horace 3 1-2 8, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, Roman Gipson 8 3-6 19, Geonni Conrad 1 1-2 3, Antoine Robinson 4 2-2 10, Caleb Fowler 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisbee 4 1-2 9, Mishawn Brantley 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 12-20 69.

Schalick 69715-37
Penns Grove1914279-69
3-point goals: Schalick 6 (Volovar 2, Iacono, Jones, Whitley, Kelly); Penns Grove 3 (Ceaser, Robbins, Horace). Rebounds: Schalick 16 (Sutton 8); Penns Grove 34 (Frisbee 10, Robinson 6, Gipson 6, Horace 6). Total fouls: Schalick 18, Penns Grove 13.

SALEM 65, WILDWOOD 48: Tymere Lecator scored 22 points and Deshaan Williams and Antwuan Rogers both had double-doubles to lead the Rams (6-1) to their third straight win. It’s their second three-game winning streak of the season.

Williams, a 6-2 sophomore transfer from Cumberland, had a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds and got the game ball for his effort. He had 11 rebounds twice las a 5-11 freshman ast year for the Colts. 

Rogers had 10 points and 14 boards, his third double-double in seven games this season. Lecator had seven rebounds and seven assists to go with his points. Xavier McGriff had 10 points.

WOODSTOWN 57, GLASSBORO 39: Blake Bialecki scored 19 points, Rocco String 16 and Elijah Caesar added a career-high tying 11 as the Wolverines (3-2) won their third straight. Bialecki and String both had double-doubles with Bialecki grabbed 11 rebounds and String snaring a career-high 20. String also blocked seven shots.

WOODSTOWN (3-2) – Rocco String 7 2-6 16, Garrett Leyman 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 19, M.J. Hall 2 0-0 4, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 6, Eli Caesar 5 0-0 11. Totals 23 5-10 57.
GLASSBORO (1-5) – Xavier Sabb 5 4-8 16, Davon Barr 1 0-0 2, Maurice Davis 2 4-6 8, Kenny Smith 3 0-2 8, Tashean Thomas 2 0-0 4, Aiden Harris 0 0-0 0, Will Boggans 0 0-0 0, Marley Crowl 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-16 39.

Woodstown 2017911-57
Glassboro713613-39
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2, Caesar); Glassboro 5 (Sabb 3, Smith 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 14, Glassboro 12.

OVERBROOK 72, PENNSVILLE 26
OVERBROOK (5-2) – Zair Green 10, Xavier Wright 7, Lamar Little 14, Bilal Robinson 4, Elvin Santiago 4, J.R. Stanley 3, Jaden St. John 6, Rashon Jones 5, Jayden Wilkerson 4, Gavin Cajuste 3, Cody Harris 9, Jason Boyd 3.
PENNSVILLE (1-4) – Mason O’Brien 4-1-10, Jovanni Rios 3-1-7, Perry Meranti 0-0-0, Cole Johnston 0-0-0, Shiloh Jefferson 1-0-2, Daniel Knight 1-0-2, C.J. McDevitt 1-1-3, Jacob Miller 1-0-2. 

Overbrook 22241313-72
Pennsville9728-26
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (O’Brien 2).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 85, SALEM TECH 41
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (3-5) – Carlos Mendez 6 2-2 15, Jack Mustaro 10 7-7 31, Jack Pund 2 2-4 6, Danny Zellner 3 0-0 6, Ben Cook 3 0-4 6, Kybron Ricks 2 2-4 6, Zack Payne 0 0-0 0, Gary Connelly 1 0-0 2, Jordan Mendez 0 0-0 0, Kimani Pyram 1 2-2 5, C.J. Mitchell 3 0-0 6, Anthony Polidoro 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 15-23 85.
SALEM TECH (0-7) – Connor Dougan 5 3-4 15, Joseph Hayes 2 2-4 8, Larry Pompper 4 4-7 13, Logan Pace 0 0-4 0, Alex Thomas 3 0-1 6, Aiden Bobo 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 9-22 42.

Gloucester Catholic26171715-85
Salem Tech131586-42
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 6 (C. Mendez, Mustaro 4, Pyram); Salem Tech 5 (Dougan 2, Hayes 2, Pompper).

Salem County stats

Here are the Salem County high school basketball statistical leaders through Jan. 1, disclaimer: stats based on games inputted by schools to state reporting service

Boys

SCORING

PLAYER, SCHOOLGPFGFTPTSAVG
Tymear Lecator, Salem6382811819.7
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville414105914.8
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown417155814.5
Nylan Sutton, Schalick41875313.3
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville41264411.0
Rocco String, Woodstown41954310.8
Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove41554010.0
Reggie Allen, Schalick4114369.0
Antwuan Rogers, Salem6237538.8
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove4135358.8
Neziah Spence, Salem6205528.7
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove4133328.0
Sherrod Jones, Schalick3102248.0
C.J. McDevitt, Pennsville335227.3
Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech593267.2
Deshaan Williams, Salem61414427.0
Xavier McGriff, Salem6173427.0

REBOUNDING

PLAYER, SCHOOLGPTOTAVG
Rocco String, Woodstown46115.3
Antwuan Rogers, Salem6569.3
Darrelle Johnson, Salem5326.4
Deshaan Williams, Salem6386.3
Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove4256.3
Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove4205.0
Garrett Leyman, Woodstown4205.0
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville4205.0

3-POINT GOALS
14: Tymear Lecator, Salem
10: Neziah Spence, Salem
9: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
8: Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech
6: Brayden Hall, Woodstown
5: Reggie Allen, Schalick; Xavier McGriff, Salem; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove

BLOCKED SHOTS
25: Rocco String, Woodstown
6: Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove
5: Deshaan Williams, Salem

ASSISTS
39: Tymear Lecator, Salem
17: Neziah Spencer, Salem
14: Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove

STEALS
27: Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
16: Tymear Lecator, Salem
12: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove
10: Xavier McGriff, Salem; Darrelle Johnson, Salem; Jovanni Rios, Pennsville; Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove

Girls

SCORING

PLAYERS, SCHOOLGPFGFTPTSAVG
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove22144824.0
Talia Battavio, Woodstown6431711919.8
Megan Donelson, Woodstown636199916.5
Nora Ausland, Pennsville42265814.5
Marley Wood, Pennsville 41865012.5
Brianna Robbins, Penns Grove2932311.5
Naveah Robinson, Schalick31313311.0
Carlysia Pierce, Salem41674310.8
Taylor Bass, Pennsville4144358.8
Ava Scurry, Schalick3102227.3
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove261136.5
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove250136.5
Nevaeh Hickman, Salem4110256.3
Willow Davis, Schalick371196.3
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick260126.0
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech371155.0

REBOUNDING

PLAYER, SCHOOLGPTOTAVG
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech4358.8
Ava Scurry, Schalick3237.7
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick2157.5
Naveah Robinson, Schalick3227.3
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech3217.0
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove2136.5
Kyia Lehman, Woodstown6386.3
Cali Fisler, Schalick3186.0
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown6335.5
Megan Donelson, Woodstown6335.5
Abby Willoughby, Schalick3165.3
Jaida Burns, Pennsville4205.0
Marley Wood, Pennsville4205.0
RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove2105.0

3-POINT GOALS
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
8: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
6: Naveah Robinson, Schalick
4: Carlysia Pierce, Salem; Willow Davis, Schalick

BLOCKED SHOTS
7: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
6: Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
5: Cali Fisler, Schalick

ASSISTS
22: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
19: Marley Wood, Pennsville
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
11: Navaho Robinson, Schalick
10: Gianna Maiorini, Woodstown; Nora Ausland, Pennsville
8: Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
7: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech; Abby Willoughby, Schalick

STEALS
38: Megan Donelson, Woodstown
18: Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16: Talia Battavio, Woodstown
15: Naveah Robinson, Schalick
13: Gianna Maiorini, Woodstown; Taylor Bass, Pennsville
10: Nora Ausland, Pennsville; Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech; Abby Willoughby, Schalick
7: Kaylin Beardsley, Salem Tech; Kendall Young, Woodstown; Ava Scurry, Schalick
6: Lizzy Daly, Woodstown; Emma Perry, Woodstown; Marley Wood, Pennsville

Salem County schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the remainder of this week and the first full week of the new year

JAN. 2
BOWLING
Salem vs. Lindenwold at 30 Strikes
Salem Tech vs. Gloucester City at Wood Lanes

JAN. 3
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown
Pennsville at Overbrook
Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter
Wildwood at Salem
BOYS BASKETBALL
Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Pennsville
Salem at Wildwood
Schalick at Penns Grove
Woodstown at Glassboro
WRESTLING
Penns Grove in Bohemia Manor (Md.) Tournament
Schalick at Egg Harbor Twp.
SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Timber Creek at GCIT, 7 p.m.
Schalick vs. Glassboro at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.

JAN. 4
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Cumberland, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cumberland at Pennsville, 11:30 a.m.
Eastern at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Hammonton Duals
Penns Grove, Paul VI, Willingboro at Audubon
Haddon Heights, Mainland, Overbrook at Schalick
Salem, Burlington City, St. Joe at Pitman
Woodstown in Collingswood Duals
INDOOR TRACK
Salem, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

JAN. 5
WRESTLING
Schalick at Williamstown Tournament
Pennsville girls at Williamstown Tournament

JAN. 6
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 7 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Buena
BOYS BASKETBALL
Buena at Schalick
Camden Tech at Salem Tech
Pennsville at Woodstown
WRESTLING
Paul VI at Pennsville
SWIMMING
Schalick vs. West Deptford at River Winds
Woodstown vs. Lower Cape May

JAN. 7
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Clayton at Salem Tech
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman
Schalick at Glassboro
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Schalick
Penns Grove at Overbrook
Pitman at Salem
Salem Tech at Clayton
BOWLING
Salem vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes
Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Camden County at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Camden County at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 8
WRESTLING
Gloucester Catholic at Schalick
Pennsville at Penns Grove
Salem at Cumberland
Woodstown at Deptford
SWIMMING
Salem at Lower Cape May
TRACK
Pennsville, Salem, Schalick at Bennett Center, Toms River

JAN. 9
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Salem
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem Tech
Triton at Pennsville
Wildwood at Woodstown
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic
Pitman at Penns Grove
Salem at Glassboro
Salem Tech at Schalick
Woodstown at Wildwood
BOWLING
Salem Tech vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes
SWIMMING
Schalick at Camden County Tech
Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 8:30 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT
TRACK
Penns Grove at Cherokee
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.

JAN. 10
BOYS BASKETBALL
LEAP at Salem
Pennsville at Clayton
WRESTLING
Collingswood at Schalick

JAN. 11
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown at Camden Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
St. Joseph at Penns Grove, 1 p.m.
Schalick at Collingswood
WRESTLING
Pennsville, Oakcrest, Overbrook at Millville
Penns Grove at Deptford
Salem at Cherokee
Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena
Woodstown in Cinnaminson Duals
MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, noon
WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Salem CC at Middlesex, noon

Bialecki breaking out

Woodstown wins Warriors Holiday Classic in New Egypt, Bialecki named MVP; also includes wrestling highlights

SATURDAY’S BOYS GAMES
ACIT Holiday Tournament
Consolation: GCIT 59, Salem Tech 13
Championship: ACIT 59, Camden Tech 48

Warrior Holiday Classic
Consolation: Pinelands 56, Steinert 49
Championship: Woodstown 65, New Egypt 48

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEW EGYPT – A new coach often means big changes to the program he takes over and one of the biggest benefactors of the changes new Woodstown basketball coach Ramon Roots brought into his program has been Blake Bialecki.

Roots recognized Bialecki’s value to the team early in the transition and green-lighted the junior as the prime shooter in his offense.

Bialecki justified the faith his coach placed in him with another big game Saturday, scoring a game-high 17 points and winning MVP honors as the Wolverines beat host New Egypt 65-49 to win the Warriors Holiday Classic for the second year in a row.

“It’s really just my coaches have a ton of confidence in me and they just want me to shoot the ball,” Bialecki said. “Them having that confidence in me just makes me have more confidence in myself. They trust me to hit shots and now I’m starting to trust myself more to hit shots.”

It was the second game in a row Bialecki led the Wolverines (2-2) in scoring, this one coming on top of the 23-point game he enjoyed in the tournament opener against Pinelands. It reminded him of a similar two-game stretch he had last January when he went for 23 and 29 against Pennsville and Salem Tech. But he went scoreless the next game.

He scored just 11 points in this tournament last year, seven in the title game win over New Egypt.

“Last year I had the ball in my hand more, playing the point guard more, having to set up the plays and make plays, get the ball to other people,” he explained. “Now, Alejandro (Vazquez) and M.J. (Hall) are having the ball more and I’m off the ball more, and they’re drawing up more and more plays for me where last year I didn’t have certain plays drawn up just for me to get a shot off.

“It’s definitely more fun to score the ball. I’m definitely hoping to continue this stretch and just be score the whole year. Last year I was very inconsistent, up and down. I’m hoping that this year I’ll be more consistent scoring wise.”

The Wolverines hope so, too. Before breaking out this weekend, Bialecki had scored just 17 points in the Wolverines’ first two games, losses to Salem and Penns Grove. Roots knew he could give them more with the right amount of encouragement.

“After the 0-2 start I basically told Blake for us to get where we want to go you have to shoot the ball 15-plus times,” Roots said. “I want you taking five-plus 3s a game. There were a lot of times he would have a good catch-and-shoot opportunity and he was hesitant to take it.

“I told him I’m living and dying with you shooting the ball. You’re our best shooter. Overall you’re our best scorer,. We need you to shoot the ball. These last two games he has been really aggressive. 

“That was one of the reasons why I took this job. I knew his talent, I knew his skills, I knew what type player he could be, so I’m just trying to take his game to the next level. He has responded well.”

The Wolverines used a big second half to win their second game in a row. They trailed by four at halftime, then switched defenses and it led to them outscoring the Warriors 22-9 in the third quarter and 38-17 in the second half. 

M.J. Hall had three straight transition layups in the third quarter out of the 2-3 that keyed the comeback. Hall finished with 15 points, 11 in the second half. Rocco String had 13 points, nine in the second half, and threatened a triple-double (17 rebounds, six blocked shots). He’s averaging 15 rebounds a game and has had 22 blocks over his last three games.

“The first half we had mixed in man and then made some adjustments to just go 2-3 and I think that helped us defensively and offensively,” Roots said. “The 2-3 gave them a lot of problems and it benefitted us. We had a lot of ball movement, a lot of points in transition spotting up shooting, and we just played better basketball.

“A lot of people played well today.”

WARRIOR HOLIDAY CLASSIC
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
WOODSTOWN (2-2) – Eli Caesar 3 1-1 7, Blake Bialecki 6 3-3 17, Alejandro Vazquez 2 2-2 8, M.J. Hall 5 4-5 15, Garrett Leyman 2 0-0 5, Rocco String 6 1-4 13, Braydon Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-15 65.
NEW EGYPT (2-3) – Nolan Arnold 2 10-12 14, Clyde Ferris 5 3-6 15, Evan Goldburg 0 2-2 2, Cameron Cassandra 0 0-0 0, Caleb Kowaleski 0 0-0 0, Dylan Harper 0 0-0 0, Paul Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Ryan Reynolds 4 1-2 12, Tommy Merlucci 2 0-0 4, Lucas Burgos 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 16-22 48.

Woodstown10172216-65
New Egypt 131898-48
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez 2, Leyman, M. Hall); New Egypt 6 (Ferris 3, Reynolds 3). Rebounds: Woodstown 42 (String 17, Caesar 7). Fouled out: M. Hall, Merlucci. Total fouls: Woodstown 20, New Egypt 14.

ACIT CONSOLATION GAME
GCIT 59, SALEM TECH 13: Ian Malgapo filled the box score as GCIT snapped a two-game losing streak to get back over .500 for the season. He had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Milan Suarez (11) and Patrick Monaghan (10) also scored in double figures for GCIT.

Salem Tech (0-6)3262-13
GCIT (3-2)3013106-59

SATURDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Audubon Tournament
Consolation: Deptford 47, Cedar Creek 21
Championship: Audubon 43, Penns Grove 39

ACIT Holiday Tournament
Consolation: Atlantic Tech 55, Salem Tech 15
Championship: Camden Tech vs. GCIT

AUDUBON CHAMPIONSHIP
AUDUBON 43, PENNS GROVE 39: The Green Wave jumped out quickly and held off Penns Grove to win their holiday tournament and remain undefeated. Peyton Marrone scored 15 points and the Green Wave went 12-of-21 from the free throw line. Penns Grove’s RaNiyah Wilson led all scorers with 17 points. 

PENNS GROVE (2-2) – RaNiyah Wilson 7 2-3 17, Syanna Robbins 1 0-2 2, JaNiyah Cummings 0 1-2 1, Keziah Patterson 2 0-0 5, Mikayla Washington 1 0-0 2, Brianna Robbins 5 0-2 12. Totals 16 3-9 39.
AUDUBON (5-0) – Ashley Flynn 2 2-6 6, Peyton Marrone 5 5-7 15, Emma Speyerer 3 1-2 8, Giavanna Heller 1 4-6 6, Sophia Homa 3 0-0 6, Kylie Cannaday 1 0-0 2, Molly Sullivan 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 12-21 43.

Penns Grove78159-39
Audubon158137-43
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Wilson, Patterson, B. Robbins 2); Audubon 1 (Speyerer).

ACIT CONSOLATION GAME
ATLANTIC TECH 55, SALEM TECH 15: ACIT closed out a dominating defensive performance by shutting out the Chargers in the fourth quarter. Shelby Drummond was Salem Tech’s leading scorer with eight points.

SALEM TECH (1-3) – Shelby Drummond 4 0-0 8, Shelby Liber 2 1-2 5, Lavae Scott 0 0-2 0, Payton Fitzpatrick 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 1-4 15.
ATLANTIC TECH (3-3) – Brianna Casiano 2 0-0 4, Zion Stewart 3 1-2 7, Alani White 5 1-4 11, Trinitee McKellar 3 0-1 6, Jadyn Clinkscale 1 0-0 2, Imani Muhammad 4 0-0 8, Lydia Long 2 0-0 4, Joslyen Gomez 4 0-0 8, Kim Pierre 1 1-1 3, Hannah Schmidt 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-8 55.

Salem Tech5820-15
Atlantic Tech1722106-55

Active scorers watch

SALEM COUNTY SCORING LISTPOINTS
Talia Battavio, Woodstown1296
Megan Donelson, Woodstown1263
1000-POINT WATCH
Nora Ausland, Pennsville
(Salem 462/Pennsville 403)		865
Marley Wood, Pennsville770
x-RaNiyah Wilson, Penns Grove
(Kingsway 251/Penns Grove 464)		715
x-Does not include 12/27 vs. Deptford

Wrestling

WOODSTOWN QUAD
LONG BRANCH 38, WOODSTOWN 36
106: Hunter Allen (Wo) pinned Sudhish Ransanahi, 1:06
113: Jordan Vieira (LB) pinned Luke Woronicak, 3:14
120: Carson Bradway (Wo) maj. dec. Dominic Lugo, 15-1
126: Walker Battavio (Wo) maj. dec. Alex Ramsanahi, 14-3
132: Travis Balback (Wo) maj. dec. Tristen Hepburn, 14-1
138: Matthew Munson (LB) tech fall Ryan Polk, 18-0 (3:01)
144: Pedro DeSouza (LB) won by forfeit
150: Javier Guzman (LB) pinned Angel Hernandez, 4:18
157: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Devon Smith, 1:11
165: Diego Mota (LB) dec. Colin Webb, 11-7
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Evan Tracey, 2:00
190: Tornick Kajaia (LB) pinned Paul Banff, 3:13
215: Tyler Taylor (LB) pinned Bradley Snitcher, 3:48
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Nickolas Soria, 1:07

WOODSTOWN 49, AUDUBON 30
113: Rocco Monteferrante (A) pinned Luke Woronicak, 0:46
120: Carson Bradway (Wo) pinned Nicholas Sassany, 1:09
126: Travis Balback (Wo) tech fall R.J. Bauman, 18-2 (2:00)
132: Brayden Ervin (A) pinned Barry Coverly, 2:40
138: Ryan Polk (Wo) dec. Jimmy Moran, 8-4
144: James McSweeney (A) won by forfeit
150: Aydean Leahan (A) pinned Angel Hernandez, 3:28
157: Pedro Marte (A) won by forfeit
165: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Giovanni Patti, 1:32
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) tech fall Gabriel McCracken, 20-5 (4:26)
190: Paul Banff (Wo) pinned David Borodziuk, 3:52
215: Bradley Snitcher (Wo) pinned Jonah Jordan, 0:38
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit
106: Hunter Allen (Wo) pinned Mason Knopka, 0:54

NORTHERN BURLINGTON 45, WOODSTOWN 35
120: Carson Bradway (Wo) pinned Jason Marasco, 5:55
126: Rocco Giangeruso (NB) pinned Walker Battavio, 0:54
132: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Michael Mayhew, 1:52
138: Gavin Fowler (NB) pinned Ryan Polk, 1:03
144: Justin Marcello (NB) won by forfeit
150: Tret Villavon (NB) dec. Angel Hernandez, 9-6
157: Nathan Hyman (NB) pinned Thomas Lacy, 2:56
165: Hayden Joyce (NB) pinned Brett Rowand, 1:20
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Griffin Goldmacher, 4:49
190: Bailey O’Malley (NB) pinned Paul Banff, 0:29
215: Sean Falcey (NB) pinned Bradley Snitcher, 5:23
285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit
106: Hunter Allen (Wo) pinned Aiden Tranchitello, 2:18
113: Luke Woronicak (Wo) pinned Talen Zuzzio, 5:18

Working overtime

Pennsville, Penns Grove extended to multiple overtimes in losses, Woodstown gives Roots his first coaching win in OT

FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Buena 72, Pennsville 70 (3 OT)

Marty Derer Showcase, Delsea
Delsea 53, Penns Grove 51 (2 OT)
Westampton Tech 50, Salem 45

West Deptford Holiday Tournament
At RiverWinds Community Center
Consolation: Lindenwold def. Schalick
Championship: Absegami 82, West Deptford 41

ACIT Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech 60, Salem Tech 14
Atlantic Tech 57, GCIT 38

Warrior Holiday Classic
At New Egypt
Woodstown 51, Pinelands 46 (OT)
New Egypt 48, Steinert 46

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

BUENA – There was so much to dissect from the game, Pennsville basketball coach Joe Mecholsky is going to need a day or two and a long session in the film room to get back to you on just what the heck happened.

The Eagles lost to Buena 72-70 in three overtimes Friday in a game that had as many moving parts as Mecholsky has ever been around. And he’s been in a triple overtime game before.

They were down 14 early in the fourth quarter and forced overtime. They were up five in each of the first two overtimes, but couldn’t close it out. They were down in the third overtime and got close before time ran out on them.

“I feel like we blew the game instead of we lost it,” Mecholsky said. “I think I stopped coaching offense at one point. We tried to take the air out of the ball and I think that really killed our offensive momentum, so I’ll go back and watch the game over again and see how I can get better.

“I’m not going to say my young players did or didn’t do anything. They’re a very young team and they did everything they were told today and I’ll just have to look at the film and see how I can get better in nailing down that win when we were up five in the second overtime.”

The Eagles were down 14 (38-24) with 6:30 left in regulation and put on a charge to force overtime. Mason O’Brien’s 3-point play with 34 seconds left tied it at 41. The Eagles had the final shot in regulation. Shiloh Jefferson’s initial shot hit off the rim and Jovanni Rios couldn’t get the tap to fall.

They had five-point leads in each of the first two overtimes, but never had the lead in the third.

They were up five with 2:35 left in the first overtime, but Buena’s Troy Gregory buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie it at 49. It was the first trey Troy had made all season.

They were up five twice in the second overtime, with 2:43 and 2:20 left, but Buena got back-to-back left corner 3s from Nate Nieves and Carlo Spreng to take the lead, 57-56. Nieves finished with 12 points and Spreng had 10. Teammate Josue Cuadrado led all scorers with 23 points.

A free throw by David Knight with seven seconds left tied it at 59. Knight went to the line for two shots and the lead, but only hit one and it stayed that way despite the teams having three combined chances to get the game-winner. Knight came in off the bench as a substitute shooter after Logan Hitt was fouled hard after stealing the inbounds pass and had to leave the floor.

The Eagles got a chance to win it at the end when the Chiefs stepped on the line trying to put the ball in play. The Chiefs got the ball back when Pennsville turned it over and this time Knight stole the inbounds pass to end the session.

“I’ve been in some crazy basketball environments,” Pennsville sophomore guard C.J. McDevitt said, “but triple overtime? I’ve never been in a triple OT game, I’ll tell you that.”

“It was pretty crazy,” Chiefs coach James Bell said. “I just kept telling my kids to keep their minds straight and focus on what we need to do, play solid defense and hit the open shots when we have them. It was a crazy second half and three overtimes.”

Buena looked like it was finally going to put it away, leading by seven with 52 seconds left in the third overtime, pulling away with a 3-pointer by Nieves and three free throws by Cuadrado, but Pennsville battled back again. O’Brien hit a 3 to make it 70-66 with 28 seconds left and Knight and Jefferson wrapped putbacks around a pair of Buena free throws to make it 72-70 with eight seconds to go.

On the last play of the game the Eagles got the ball to O’Brien, who pushed a shot towards the basket at the buzzer that hit off the far iron. The Eagles were looking for a foul as O’Brien hit the deck, but there was no call and the game was over.

“I told my boys the outcome is the result of a thousand little things that happened in that game and that’s just the way it goes; we’ll learn from it,” Mecholsky said. “I’m disappointed we lost the game, but my boys didn’t disappointment me.”

O’Brien apologized to his coach for his play in the first three quarters, but he was a gamer in the fourth quarter and overtimes. He scored all 19 of his points after the third quarter, hitting three 3s and a three-point play in the fourth quarter comeback and seven points in the overtimes.

“The first three quarters were awful,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was. I was trying to find my game and they kept talking to me so I had to do something about it. I came out and matched their energy in the fourth quarter and overtimes.”

Rios added 14 points on his 17th birthday for Pennsville and McDevitt had 11. Both are career highs.

PENNSVILLE (1-3) – Danny Knight 3 2-6 9, Jovanni Rios 7 0-3 14, Mason O’Brien 7 1-1 19, Cole Johnston 1 2-2 4, Shiloh Jefferson 3 0-0 6, Perry Meranti 3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 0 1-2 1, C.J. McDevitt 2 7-14 11. Totals 26 13-28 70.
BUENA (2-3) – Josue Cuadrado 6 10-12 23, Carlo Spreng 4 0-2 10, Nate Nieves 3 3-4 12, Troy Gregory 1 1-2 4, Jaevon Alexander 3 0-0 8, Jayden Rivera 0 0-0 0, Shamel Rivera 5 0-0 10, Richie Wilson 0 0-0 0, Ricky Bessix 2 1-6 5. Totals 24 15-26 72.

Pennsville9671981011-70
Buena513131081013-72

3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Knight, O’Brien 4); Buena 9 (Cuadrado, Spreng 2, Nieves 3, Gregory, Alexander 2). Technical fouls: S. Rivera. Fouled out: S. Rivera, Alexander, Rios, McDevitt). Total fouls: Pennsville 22, Buena 25.

Pennsville’s Shiloh Jefferson (5) goes in for a potential game-winning layup at the end of regulation against Buena Friday. The bounced off the rim and the teams wound up playing three overtimes before Buena won 72-70.

DELSEA 53, PENNS GROVE 51: By Penns Grove coach Damian Ware’s best measure, his team had three chances to win the Marty Derer Showcase opener, but host Delsea kept coming up with clutch shots and eventually broke the Red Devils’ heart.

The Crusaders hit 3-pointers at the end of regulation and the first overtime to extend the game, then hit two free throws in the closing seconds of the second overtime to seal the victory. Jimmy Reardon hit the 3 at the end of regulation to force overtime, then Jelani Poles beat the buzzer with one at the end of the first extra period to keep it going and he hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left to win it.

Poles finished with 12 points. Reardon had nine. Luke VanAuken had a huge game for Delsea with 19 points and 20 rebounds. Brandin Robbins and Roman Gipson had 15 points apiece for Penns Grove.

The Red Devils had a chance to take the lead in the second overtime, but missed two free throws. Moments later they fouled Poles and he hit his two free throws. The Red Devils rallied from eight down in regulation to take a three-point lead into the closing seconds before Reardon hit his 3. 

“We had a chance, we had three chances to win it – regulation, overtime and the second overtime,” Ware said. “That’s part of our growing pains. We’re young and we’re inexperienced so this is going to be a growing lesson for us. We’re going to be fine but this is just a lesson we had to learn of how to finish games.

“We did everything we were supposed to do, we made the plays, but down the stretch we just didn’t make the defensive plays and that’s kind of what we pride ourselves on. We’ve got to be better on defense at the end of the game and regulation and challenge shots better.”

PENNS GROVE (1-2) – Brandin Robbins 5 4-4 15, Roman Gipson 6 0-0 15, Karon Ceaser 2 1-2 6, Antoine Robinson 3 0-2 7, Haneef Frisbee 2 0-0 4, Jameel Horace 0 2-2 2, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2, William Roy 0 0-0 0, Geonni Conrad 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 7-10 51.
DELSEA (2-2) – Luke VanAuken 8 3-8 19, Jimmy Reardon 4 0-0 9, Jelani Poles 4 2-2 12, Blake Bottino 2 2-2 6, Jeadyn Greene 1 0-0 2, Dahmir Hart 1 0-0 2, Exodus DeJesus 1 0-0 3, Ryan Casiano 0 0-0 0, Mike Cunningham 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-12 53.

Penns Grove 12772032–51
Delsea1310111234-53

3-point goals: Penns Grove 6 (Robbins, Gipson 3, Ceaser, Robinson); Delsea 4 (Reardon, Poles 2, DeJesus). Rebounds: Delsea 37 (VanAuken 20).

WOODSTOWN 51, PINELANDS 46: Blake Bialecki hit a season-high five 3-pointers and scored 23 points as the Wolverines held off Pinelands in the Warrior Holiday Classic in overtime to give new coach Ramon Roots his first victory as a varsity head coach. 

“It’s exciting for me to get the first win in the standings, but I’m just really happy for the kids,” Roots said. “I’ve been waiting to get the win and knew it was going to come sooner or later. We definitely had a lot of chances in the Penns Grove game. It was good to see them believing that they actually can win and what it takes to win.”

The Wolverines (1-2) outscored Pinelands 9-4 in the extra session to win it. Garrett Leyman hit two free throws to put them up three and then Rocco String closed it out with a layup. String scored eight points and dominated the paint with 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

Woodstown led by eight in the second half, but Pinelands got back in it through a series of backdoor buckets. The Wildcats went up by three with two minutes to play, but Bialecki hit a 3 to retie the game.

Pinelands had a chance to retake the lead with 12 seconds left but missed two free throws. Bialecki had a shot to win it in regulation but his mid-range jumper went in and out.

“We were able to get a little breathing room, but it was close to the very end,” Roots said. “We just kept fighting. As you’ve seen the team never gives up. They’re always fighting through it.”

Bialecki’s 23 points matches the second-best game of his career. In addition to his outside shot, the junior also also got to the basket and went 6-of-8 from the free throw line. 

The Wolverines will play host New Egypt for the championship 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Woodstown (1-2)1571289-51
Pinelands (2-2)1766134-46

WESTHAMPTON TECH 50, SALEM 45: West Tech used a big third quarter to take the lead and kept the Rams at arms length in the fourth quarter. Alexander Jeanty hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Panthers. Xavier McGriff led Salem with 14 points. Tymear Lecator filled the boxscore with 11 points, six assists and two steals.

WESTHAMPTON TECH (3-0) – Alexander Jeanty 8 1-1 22, Henry Hjoga 0 5-6 5, Dante Horace 1 0-2 2, Dalan Dickerson 2 1-2 6, Shakur Anderson 4 1-2 9, Damien Moragne 0 0-0 0, Jacob McCollum 2 0-0 4, Jevon Benjamin 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-13 50
SALEM (3-1) – Tymear Lecator 3 3-6 11, Antwan Rogers 3 0-2 6, Deshaan Williams 0 6-6 6, Xavier McGriff 5 1-1 14, Neziah Spencer 1 1-2 3, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Darrelle Johnson 1 0-0 2, Kyaire Parsons 0 0-0 0Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Joe Tunis 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 11-17 45.

Westhampton Tech 148199-50
Salem1511109-45
3-point goals: West Tech 6 (Jeanty 5, Dickerson); Salem 6 (Lecator 2, McGriff 3, Tunis).

CAMDEN TECH 60, SALEM TECH 14: Salvatore Algeri scored 13 points and Shareef Cox had 10 to lead the Warriors in the ACIT Holiday Showcase. Salem Tech will play GCIT in the consolation game Saturday.

Camden Tech (2-2)1826511-60
Salem Tech (0-5)2615-14