Here is the Salem County sports calendar for the week of Jan 19-24
MONDAY, JAN. 19 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove vs. Burlington City at Woodbury, 11 a.m. Salem at Atlantic City, 2 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Salem at Paulsboro Girls Tournament, 9 a.m. Schalick girls at Buena, 10 a.m. Pennsville at Deptford, 10 a.m.
TUESDAY, JAN. 20 BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Salem at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Mercer at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21 BOYS BASKETBALL Wildwood at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Overbrook at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Woodstown at Overbrook Clayton at Schalick, 5 p.m. Winslow at Salem, 5 p.m. Pennsville at Timber Creek, 6 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Nike Elite Meet, Ott Center, Philadelphia, 7 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Collingswood, Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Deptford at Brunswick Zone, 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 22 BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick at Pitman, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Salem, 5:30 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Pitman at GCIT, 5:45 p.m. Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech in NJTAC, Lucky Strike North Brunswick, 1 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Atlantic Cape at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 23 BOYS BASKETBALL Collingswood at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Gateway at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Salem at Buena, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Schalick at Pitman, 5 p.m. Pennsville at Woodstown, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 24 GIRLS BASKETBALL Kingsway at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. WRESTLING Haddon Heights, Middle Twp., Timber Creek at Salem, 9 a.m. Woodstown, Haddonfield, Millville at Penns Grove, 9 a.m. Holy Spirit, Toms River North, Vineland at Schalick, 10 a.m. INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Schalick, Woodstown at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m. SWIMMING SJISA Championships A, GCIT, 10 a.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Manchester Twp., 30 Strikes, 9:30 a.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Lackawanna, 1 p.m.
Here are the results and details of the games on Friday night’s Salem County sports calendar
GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick 44, Lindenwold 8: Nevaeh Robinson and Willow Davis combined for 26 points and the Cougars had another shutout quarter. Robinson scored 14 points and Davis scored 12. The Cougars held Lindenwold scoreless in the second quarter and to just three field goals in the game.
Cumberland 67, Salem 34: After a competitive first half, the Colts outscored the Rams 30-6 in the second half. Elizabeth Pflieger led three Cumberland scorers in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Dyaira Anderson and Madison Dixon scored 14 points each for Salem. Salem at Cumberland, 5:30 p.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL Salem Tech 41, Buena 35: Sophomore Raphael Busch scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and the Chargers used a 15-7 fourth quarter surge to snap an eight-game losing streak. It was the Chargers’ first win since their season opener. Chase Pompper also scored 10 points and Aiden Bobo pulled down nine rebounds.
3-point goals: Buena 4 (Taylor, Weightman, Nieves-Medina, Murray); Salem Tech 2 (Pompper, L. Kroll). Rebounds: Salem Tech 36 (Busch 15, Bobo 9)
Gloucester Catholic 53, Penns Grove 44: The Rams went out fast, opening a 20-8 lead in the first quarter, and kept the Red Devils at arm’s length the rest of the game. B.J. Williams led three GC scorers in double figures with 16 points. Alahajee Fofana grabbed 12 rebounds and Amor Sears dealt 13 assists. Sophomore Carson Pearsall led Penns Grove with a career-high 15 points. Pearson averaged 12 ppg in three games this week.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (7-6): Jack Pund 3 1-2 10, BJ Williams 7 2-2 16, Alahajee Fofana 3 2-2 8, TK Tanner 4 2-2 11, Darius Attoh-Mensah 2 1-2 5, Jordan Mendez 1 0-0 3, Kamor Sears 0 0-2 0, Kalief Armstrong 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-12 53. PENNS GROVE (7-5): Will Roy 1-0-2, Carson Pearsall 6-2-15, Roman Gipson 5-0-12, Mishawn Brantley 1-0-2, Geonni Conrad 3-0-6, Jeremy Costacamps 3-1-7, Luis Colon 0-0-0. Totals 19-3-44.
Salem shuts down Delaware visitors’ dynamic duo, wins eighth straight; includes results and details from the action on Wednesday night’s Salem County sports schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Salem 74, DuPont (Del.) 62 Penns Grove 65, Pennsville 17 Pitman 54, Salem Tech 31 Woodstown 67, Schalick 27 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville 55, Penns Grove 46 Woodstown 52, Schalick 27 Salem Tech at Pitman
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — The Salem Rams didn’t know a whole lot about the A.I. duPont team they brought across the bridge to play Wednesday night, but they did know which Tigers to pay attention to.
The short film session the Rams had in the run up to the game made it pretty clear they had to keep an eye on Amir Robinson and Gi’lyl Conrad. Both were averaging nearly 20 points a game, but Xavier McGriff and Neziah Spence kept them both well below that on their way to a 74-62 border war win.
It was the Rams’ eighth win in a row, their longest winning streak since a 15-gamer in 2021-22.
“We definitely knew they were their guys,” said Spence, who drew the assignment on Conrad. “We watched a little bit of film so we knew what they could do. We knew if we took them away it would make it difficult for them to score.”
As it turned out, Robertson had 15 points and Conrad was held to 11. Seven of Robertson’s points came from the free throw line. Nine of Conrad’s came from outside the 3-point arc.
“They did a great job,” Deshaan Williams said of his teammates’ defensive effort.
Rams coach Anthony Farmer called the defensive showing “one of the better efforts we’ve had putting it all together.”
“We’re trying to put it together for four quarters regardless of what we’re in,” Farmer said. “We’re just trying to be smart about what we’re doing and have an identity and understand the game plan and execute the game plan. We’re getting close.”
In the second quarter they came out in tough man-to-man defense, generally holding the Tigers to one shot, and outscoring them 17-9 to take a 31-22 halftime lead.
Spence showed out at the start of the third quarter. He opened the half with two straight steals, one he got to Williams for a bucket and the other he took for a three-point play. He almost got a third the next time down the court, but got the rebound on the Tigers’ missed shot and fed Williams for another layup to give the Rams their biggest lead.
“We knew what we had to do,” Spence said. “We had to stretch the lead. The second half I came out energetic and feel like I set the tone and got it popping.”
Spence was good on the offensive end, too, going for a game-high 21 points. Tymear Lecator had 19 and Deshaan Williams had his fourth double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds).
But the Tigers (7-2) wouldn’t go away. The 22nd-ranked team in Delaware (MaxPreps) chipped away the rest of the quarter and got back within 3. It was still a three-point game early in the fourth quarter when the Rams (10-1) went on an 11-2 run that expanded to 17-5 to move back comfortably ahead.
Farmer called it being resilient and making adjustments. In trying to keep up, the Tigers had four players foul out.
Rams senior Fatah Paige was most familiar with the Tigers. He played them one time last year when he was at McKean (Del.) High School and said they were “developed way more” than the team he beat handily last year.
Paige is progressing, too. He had seven points, four rebounds and an assist in his fourth game with the Rams since satisfying his transfer requirements. It came on the heels of a massive double-double against Clayton.
“I feel like I was just locked in,” he said of his big game. “I’m still getting warmed up to everything. I feel like as the games go on I’ll get more productive.”
3-point goals: DuPont 5 (Jones, Herring, Conrad 3); Salem 4 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator). Rebounds: DuPont 19 (Cannon 4); Salem 33 (Williams 10). Fouled out: Jones, Robertson, Hewing, Hale, Stephens. Total fouls: DuPont 27, Salem 22.
PENNS GROVE 64, PENNSVILLE 17: The Red Devils came out smoking, outscoring Pennsville 34-4 in the first quarter. Ten players scored for them in the game, led by Will Roy’s 16 and Carson Pearsall’s 11.
PENNSVILLE (1-11): Jake Layfield 2-0-5, Jacob Farina 1-0-3, Gavin Spears 1-3-5, Aidan Clark 2-0-4. Only players reported. Totals 6-3-17. PENNS GROVE (7-4): Zane Thomas 3-0-6, Roman Gipson 3-1-7, Will Roy 7-0-16, Mishawn Bradley 1-0-2, Geonni Conrad 1-3-5, Eli Pearsall 0-0-0, Carson Pearsall 5-1-11, Luis Colon 2-2-6, Jeremy Costacamps 2-2-6, Jerry Wooten 1-0-3, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0, Messiah Allah 1-0-2. Totals 26-9-64.
WOODSTOWN 67, SCHALICK 25: The Wolverines got back on the winning track after losing the battle for the Diamond Division lead in its previous game, pulling away with a big second quarter and closing it out by allowing only one point in the fourth.
Josh King led the Wolverines with a career-high 17 points. He had double-doubles in each of their first two games, but hadn’t scored in double figures single. He had scored only 16 points in his previous four games combined.
SCHALICK (5-5): Orion Baldwin 0 1-4 1, Julian Dickerson 1 1-2 3, Kade Macom 3 0-0 6, Sherrod Jones 2 1-2 5, Dylan Sheehan 4 0-0 8, Cooper Willoughby 1 0-2 2, Jacob Schalick 0 0-0 0, Will Sieminski 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 3-10 25. WOODSTOWN (8-4): Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 6 0-1 13, Trey Markward 1 0-0 3, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 3, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 3 0-0 8, Frank Hoerst 3 0-0 6, Connor Miller 2 0-0 5, Alejandro Vazquez 1 1-2 3, Josh King 8 1-2 17, John Hood-McGinley 2 0-0 6. Totals 28 2-5 67.
PITMAN 54, SALEM TECH 31: Joey Zubert made his bones keeping shots out of Pitman’s net on the soccer pitch and he doesn’t do a bad job of it on the basketball floor, either. Zubert blocked a pair of shots to go with his 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. He’s been credited with six blocks this season. Parker DeChristopher led all scorers with 17 points.
PENNSVILLE 55, PENNS GROVE 46: Taylor Bass and Addie Johnston had 23 and 18 points, respectively, picking up for injured 1,000-point scorer Marley Wood and the Eagles held off their rivals despite two near career-highs by Penns Grove’s JaNiyah Cummings and Keziah Patterson.
The Red Devils enjoyed their season-high in points. Cummings had her season high, 19 points. Patterson had her second 20-point game of the season (20). Cummings had 14 in the second half.
Bass (15) and Johnston combined for 28 of the Eagles’ 33 first-half points in a 33-21 halftime lead. .
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Patterson 2, Cummings, Numan); Pennsville 5 (Johnston 3, Bass 2). Technical fouls: Washington. Total fouls: Penns Grove 12, Pennsville 10.
WOODSTOWN 52, SCHALICK 27: The Wolverines took a five-point lead into the second quarter, then held the Cougars to one point to open an 18-point halftime lead. Lauren Hengel and Emma Perry led the Wolverines with 11 points apiece. Hengel scored five in the second quarter. Perry had nine in the second half. Nevaeh Robinson and Olivia Vanacker both had nine for Schalick.
Here are the results and highlights from Monday night’s Salem County sports calendar
BOYS BASKETBALL Salem 77, Clayton 64 Overbrook 66, Woodstown 51 Schalick 84, Pennsville 30 Penns Grove 65, Glassboro 50 Wildwood 66, Salem Tech 29 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro 64, Penns Grove 30 Clayton 63, Salem at Clayton 50 Pennsville 57, Schalick 35 Wildwood 53, Salem Tech 22 Woodstown 55, Overbrook 27 SWIMMING At YMCA of Vineland Millville 91, Schalick 79
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The Woodstown junior varsity came back from way downtown in the fourth quarter to win the undercard Monday night. It was the kind of rally that would have electrified the building, but the magic didn’t carry over into the main event for the home team.
The junior Wolverines thrilled the home crowd by coming from 23 down in the fourth to win at the buzzer, but in the main event it was all Overbrook. The Rams led wire-to-wire and although the Wolverines did make a run late left town with a 66-51 win to take the upper hand in the Tri-County Diamond Division.
Both teams were undefeated in the division coming into the game.
“They made things hard for us tonight,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “Seeing that was incredible by the JV and we had the energy in the locker room when we came out. It came down to great players make big-time plays and we just missed shots. It wasn’t our night.”
Overbrook established its dominance with runs at the start of each half. The Rams (9-2) jumped out 12-3 to start the game and then had the first nine points of the third quarter to set the stage for its 21st straight Diamond Division win.
“I just challenged our kids,” Rams coach Donny Lang said. “It’s a long bus ride, these kids from Woodstown they play hard and I challenged our kids to make sure we matched their energy or came out with more. They did that from the opening tip. They came out with the passion. it’s a division game, we want to win our conference and I credit my kids for coming out with that kind of energy.
“It’s funny. In this game we always say until there’s zeroes on the clock it’s never over. (Woodstown’s Alejandro Vazquez) hit a buzzer beater to cut it to 8 (at halftime). That was a big shot. We knew that kind of gave them some momentum coming into the second half so it was kind of like let’s start over and let’s make sure we win the second half, we’ll win the game.”
Lamar Little and Bilal Robinson, as usual, inflicted the most damage, going for 21 and 20 points, respectively, but the Rams got contributions from throughout the lineup. JR Stanley had nine points and five rebounds, Gavin Cajuste had seven rebounds and Jaden St. John had eight boards off the bench.
Little and Robinson had all but one of the Rams’ points in the 17-point first quarter.
“I’m very fortunate to get coach both of them,” Lang said. “Lamar’s a senior; he’s taken a big step for us. He’s kind of mentored Bilal and Bilal’s grown up fast from his freshman year. He started for us, but his role has changed now. He’s one of our main guys.”
Andrew White and Vazquez led the Wolverines (7-4) with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The game stayed in the 12- to 15-point range after Overbrook’s opening salvo of the third quarter. The Wolverines really went cold to open the fourth quarter and the Rams were able to stretch the lead.
The varsity Wolverines just didn’t have as much time to work with the deficit as the guys in the first game, but they did put together a nice run late to make it respectable. They made a 13-2 closing run that included a pair of 3s by Connor Miller and one by Jack Hood-McGinley, the hero of the JV win.
“They came in and played hard and made shots, that’s what basketball comes down to,” Roots said. “As coaches we’re going to re-evaluate everything. Guys might get a chance to get more opportunities. That’s the message I gave.”
OVERBROOK (9-2): Lamar Little 7 5-6 21, Bilal Robinson 8 0-0 20, JR Stanley 4 0-2 9, Gavin Cajuste 1 2-6 4, Jaden St. John 3 0-0 6, Rashon Jones 1 0-0 2, Damere Vennie 1 0-0 2, Jayden Wilkerson 1 0-0 2, Kyle Johns 0 0-0 0, Jason Boyd 0 0-0 0, Josh Lewis 0 0-0 0, Josh Schoeb 0 0-0 0 WOODSTOWN (7-4): Eli Caesar 1 4-5 6, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 2 1-2 6, Alejandro Vazquez 3 3-4 10, Jack Hood-McGinley 1 2-2 5, Josh King 1 2-2 4, Andrew White 4 2-4 12, Trey Markward 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frankie Hoerst 1 0-2 2, Connor Miller 2 0-0 6. Totals 15 14-21 51.
Overbrook
17
16
18
15-
66
Woodstown
7
18
11
15-
51
3-point goals: Overbrook 7 (Little 2, Robinson 4, Stanley); Woodstown 7 (Bialecki, Vazquez, Hood-McGinley, White 2, Miller 2). Rebounds: Overbrook 38 (St. John 7); Woodstown 22 (Hoerst 4, White 4). Total fouls: Overbrook 14, Woodstown 14.
SALEM 77, CLAYTON 64: Fatah Paige has only been with the Salem basketball team a short time, but he made his biggest impact to date in helping the Rams to their seventh straight win.
The McLean (Del.) transfer, after scoring a combined 16 points in his first two games with the Rams, went off for 18 points and 14 rebounds, with four thunderous dunks that brought the crowd to its feet.
Xavier McGriff (11) and Neziah Spence (12) also scored in double figures. Deshaan Williams had eight points and 13 rebounds. Marshall Stephens had eight points and seven boards. And BJ Robbins had six points, seven rebounds and eight assists, picking up the slack without floor general Tymear Lecator in the game.
PENNS GROVE 65, GLASSBORO 50: Roman Gipson went for a team-high 18 points and Carson Pearsall went for a career-high 10 in his first varsity scoring of the season, but all five of the Red Devils’ other scorers had seven to nine points. Pearsall’s previous career-high was nine, last year against Kingsway.
PENNS GROVE (6-4): Roman Gipson 18, Carson Pearsall 10, Haneef Frisby 7, Will Roy 9, Geonni Conrad 7, Zane Thomas 7, Luis Colon 7. GLASSBORO (2-8): Alex Adeleye 10, William Boggins 18, Cam Parker-Akins 8, Aiden Harris 4, Maurice Davis 10.
Penns Grove
14
15
19
17-
65
Glassboro
12
7
14
17-
50
SCHALICK 84, PENNSVILLE 30: Freshmen Julian Dickerson led Orion Baldwin led five Schalick scorers in double figures with 20 and 18, respectively, as the Cougars won their third straight to get over .500 for the first time this season. For Baldwin, it tied his career high.
Kade Macom, Sherrod Jones and Dylan Sheehan all scored 11 apiece. Mason O’Brien fought through a sore ankle to led Pennsville with 10 points.
WILDWOOD 66, SALEM TECH 29: Chase Pompper led Salem Tech with 10 points. Aiden Bobo had nine.
Salem Tech (1-7)
12
7
6
4-
29
Wildwood (3-5)
17
17
23
9-
66
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TONIGHT
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
6 vs. Overbrook
864
Tymear Lecator, Salem
DNP
755
Girls games
PENNSVILLE 57, SCHALICK 35: Sophomore Addie Johnston had the hottest hand of her career, hitting five 3-pointers and going for 22 points as the Eagles (6-3) remained undefeated in the TCC Diamond Division.
She hit four of her treys in the first half while scoring 16 points. She had 10 points in the second quarter as the Eagles erased a five-point deficit and took a 27-16 halftime lead.
“She was just hot in that first half,” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “She missed four layups during the course of the game or could’ve been a really big game for her.”
Johnston hit four 3s twice last season (Haddon Twp. and Wildwood). Her previous career-high scoring was 21 points against Triton.
She had nine 3-pointers this season coming into the game and broke a three-game streak without one when she hit two against Delsea Saturday.
Marley Wood had 15 points, 14 after falling on her wrist in the first quarter. Taylor Bass added 12 points. Izzy Saulin scored eight points, all in the second half.
Willow Davis hit a career-high four 3-pointers for Schalick and matched her career high with 14 points. Neveah Robinson had 12 points.
WOODSTOWN 55, OVERBROOK 27: The Wolverines snapped a five-game losing streak, their longest since the 2018-19 season when they have five- and six-game slides.
GLASSBORO 64, PENNS GROVE 30: Kezia Bracket scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished four assists and had four steals for the Bulldogs (7-3). Lily Czubas scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds. Keziah Patterson (14) and Mikayla Washington (12) combined for 26 points for Penns Grove (1-9).
PENNS GROVE (1-9): Keziah Patterson 5 2-2 14, JaNiyah Cummings 1 1-4 3, Mikayla Washington 5 2-4 12, NyAsia Numan 0 1-2 1. Played with with five, but only four scorers reported. Totals 11 6-12 30. GLASSBORO (7-3): Kezia Brackett 7 9-11 24, Grace Moore 2 1-1 6, Layla Anderson 4 0-0 9, Zoey Bailey 1 0-0 2, Sianna Wedderburn 2 0-0 4, Gianna Askin 1 0-0 3, Marissa Pasquarello 1 0-0 2, Sanaa Thomas 3 1-3 7, Lily Czubas 3 0-1 7, Tatiana Concepcion 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-16 64.
WILDWOOD 53, SALEM TECH 22: Angela Wilber (15) and Rebecca Benichou (12) combined for five 3-pointers while scoring in double figures for the Warriors. The Chargers didn’t hit a 3 in the game or have a scorer in double figures, but Rylee Doerr and Amora Delaine grabbed 15 and 12 rebounds, respectively. Doerr also was credited with four shots.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 12-17
MONDAY, JAN. 12 BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. SWIMMING Schalick vs. Millville, YMCA of Vineland, 3 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Salem at Ocean Breeze, Staten Island, 4:30 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Hagerstown, 5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, JAN. 13 WRESTLING Salem, Holy Spirit at Atlantic City, 4:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Cumberland, 6 p.m. Pitman at Pennsville, 6 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. GCIT at Bolero Lanes, 4 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Kingsway at Westbrook Lanes COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14 BOYS BASKETBALL DuPont at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pitman, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 15 GIRLS BASKETBALL Medford Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Camden Catholic, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Salem at Palmyra, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Clayton, 6 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 6 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 5:45 p.m. Schalick vs. Pitman at GCIT, 7:15 p.m. Salem vs. Deptford at GCIT, 7:15 p.m. INDOOR TRACK State Relays at Bennett Center, Toms River, 4:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic, Westbrook Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Northampton, 7 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Harcum at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 16 BOYS BASKETBALL Buena at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Lindenwold at Schalick, 4 p.m. Paulsboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Cumberland, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Girls Jamboree at Buena, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Eastern, 10 a.m. Schalick at Haddon Twp., 10 a.m. Woodstown at Cedar Creek, 11:30 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Delsea, 11:30 a.m. WRESTLING Woodstown at Buena Quad Penns Grove, Overbrook, Pitman at Salem, 9 a.m. Pennsville, Collingswood, Vineland at Sterling, 10 a.m. Schalick, Haddon Twp., Pemberton at Deptford, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Passaic at Salem CC, 2 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Middlesex at Salem CC, noon
Salem’s Stephens back with his buddies, has big game in Rams’ fifth straight win; includes boys and girls basketball, wrestling, swimming, track and bowling results By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM –Marshall Stephens is back playing with his basketing buddies again and he couldn’t be happier.
Stephens enjoyed his best game on the court since returning to Salem Thursday night, and it helped the Rams win their fifth in a row, 61-46 over Glassboro. He scored a career-high 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.
The 6-6 senior post, who took the nickname “Bop” from a character on Barney & Friends and has carried it since his freshman year, scored in 11 games for the Rams’ varsity as a sophomore, but moved to New York the next year and didn’t play basketball because it just didn’t feel right with all his basketball buddies back in Salem.
The coaches at Evander High School in the Bronx were after him every day to play for them. He missed it not playing and thought about it every day, but he stuck to his guns.
“Everything there was just out of place; it just didn’t feel like home,” he said. “It just didn’t feel right playing with these guys. I can play practice with y’all, I can play with you trying to get better, but as far as being on the team (he wasn’t feeling it).
“And I knew I was coming back. I’ll just wait until I come back. I was like if I come back to Salem I want to be the best I can for that program. That’s where I see myself playing and I can see myself graduating from.”
Rams coach Anthony Farmer, needing post following Antwuan Rogers’ early departure to play Division I football at Temple, welcomed Stephens back to the court when he returned and the player has been steadily getting comfortable with the game again. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in his first game back against Woodstown, which happened to be coach Anthony Farmer’s 100th career coaching win.
The game Thursday was his first since the opener scoring in double figures and his second in a row with 10 or more rebounds.
“I can say I have gotten comfortable to the point where a game could be starting and I won’t even be nervous; I’ll be excited,” he said. “I’m definitely getting there. The excitement is definitely coming back. I’m just hoping I can keep that momentum going.”
If he does, people will need to start getting his name right. In other media he’s called “Marshall Stevenson.” His name has neither a “son” nor a “v” in it. It’s S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S. You’re welcome.
He looked comfortable enough against the Bulldogs, scoring 10 points in the first quarter as the Rams opened an 18-8 lead.
“I just wanted to make my coaches proud because they told me be strong off the jump,” Stephens said. “Before the game they said we can get our seventh win and go on a championship run. I’ve got to be more physical on the back end. I’ve got guys looking at me and looking up to me, so I’ve gotta step up.”
Deshaan Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Rams (7-1). Tymear Lecator had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Fatah Paige, a transfer from McKean (Del.), had nine points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists in his Salem debut.
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Sabb); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator 3). Rebounds: Salem 41 (Stephens 10, Williams 8, Paige 8). Technical fouls: Santiago 2. Fouled out: Stephens, Santiago. Total fouls: Glassboro 17, Salem 19..
Photo credit: Amo Alleyne
WOODSTOWN 56, WILDWOOD 40: Blake Bialecki and Eli Caesar each hit three 3-pointers and combined for 30 points as the Wolverines won for the seventh time in their last eight games. Bialecki scored 17 points to move within 142 of 1,000 for his career.
WILDWOOD (2-4): Nolan Mawhinney 5 0-0 13, Owen Bannon 1 0-0 3, Gianni Troiano 1 1-2 3, Jordan Dozier 4 0-0 8, Eric Jordan 2 1-2 5, Vinny Sweeney 1 0-0 2, Michael Sciarra 2 0-0 6. Totals 16 2-4 40. WOODSTOWN (7-3): Eli Caesar 5 0-2 13, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Alejandro Vazquez 2 1-2 6, Andrew White 3 2-4 6, Blake Bialecki 6 2-2 17, Frank Hoerst 1 0-0 2, Josh King 3 2-4 8. Totals 21 7-14 56.
PITMAN 51, PENNS GROVE 43: Roman Gipson hit four 3-pointers and led Penns Grove with 18 points. Joey Zubert led a balanced Pitman scoring attack with 10 points. Lucas Razze had nine points, seven assists and five steals.
PENNS GROVE (5-4): Roman Gipson 7 0-0 18, Haneef Frisby 3 1-2 7, Will Roy 4 0-0 8, Geonni Conrad 1 1-2 4, Luis Colon 0 2-4 2, Zane Thomas 1 2-4 4. Totals 16 6-12 43. PITMAN (4-6): Lucas Razze 2 4-6 8, Parker DeChristipher 3 1-2 9, Joey Zubert 2 4-4 10, Jay Craig 3 2-4 8, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 1 3-4 6, Micah Frost 3 1-2 9. Totals 14 15-22 51.
SCHALICK 60, SALEM TECH 43: Schalick 3-4, Salem Tech 1-6
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TODAY
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
17 vs. Wildwood
858
Tymear Lecator, Salem
17 vs. Glassboro
737
GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHALICK 48, SALEM TECH 27: Nevaeh Robinson scored 19 points and Willow Davis had 14 as the Cougars got back on the winning track after having its three-game season-opening winning streak snapped last time out. Robinson scored 12 points in the second half. Davis hit three 3-pointers
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Liber, Drummond); Schalick 3 (Davis 3). Total fouls: Salem Tech 7, Schalick 9.
WILDWOOD 63, WOODSTOWN 37: Addison Troiano went 11-of-15 from the foul line on the way to 21 points and Rebecca Benichou hit three 3-pointers on the way to 18 for the Warriors. Lauren Hengel led Woodstown with 11.
WRESTLING PAULSBORO 42, PENNSVILLE 32 106: Brett Land (PV) tech fall over Ethan Nguyen, 16-0 (2:33) 113: Ben Pacheco (PB) tech fall over Erick Davalos, 26-11 (5:15) 120: Will Cruz (PB) pinned John Sassi, 0:35 126: Antonio Chila (PB) tech fall over Mehki Dicks, 17-2 (5:07) 132: Maximos Efelis (PV) tech fall over Patrick Zold, 21=5 (5:22) 138: Chris Baker (PV) pinned Logan Shipman, 1:30 144: Ben Price (PB) maj. dec. Nathaniel Mason, 16-4 150: Julian Sosa (PB) pinned Travis Hagan, 4:38 157: Gabe Supernavage (PV) tech fall over Grayson Lane, 21-3 (3:10) 165: Robbie McDade (PV) tech fall over Anthony Muniz, 17-1 (5:29) 175: Josias Torres (PB) pinned Juan Velasquez Hernandez, 2:58 190: Frank Damminger (PB) pinned Cristian Blyler, 1:11 215: Jason Yandach (PB) maj. dec. Hunter Coulbourn, 12-1 285: Trevor Waddington (PV) won by forfeit
INDOOR TRACK (At The Bubble, Toms River) (Salem County Top 6 finishes) BOYS Pole vault: 3. Salvatore Longo, Schalick 11-6 GIRLS High jump: 2. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10
BOWLING LINDENWOLD 4, SALEM TECH 0: Jean Pierre Pozo rolled Salem Tech’s high game (214) and series (563). Lindenwold’s Connor Piotrowski bowled the high game of the match (233).
Pennsville’s Bass passes 1,000-point mark in Eagles’ win over Clayton
MONDAY BASKETBALL GIRLS Pennsville 51, Clayton 38 Salem 38, Penns Grove 26 Hammonton 49, Woodstown 37 Wildwood 70, Salem Tech 12 BOYS Penns Grove 58, Salem Tech 19 Clayton 94, Pennsville 77
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – There were no outward signs in the gym before the game that something special was about to happen but everyone knew about the milestone they came to see.
It just might have taken a little longer than anticipated.
Pennsville senior Taylor Bass became the latest player to join the Salem County 1,000-Point Club Monday when she reached the milestone on a three-point play 15 seconds into the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 51-38 win over Clayton.
She became the 20th Pennsville player all time – boy or girl – to reach the milestone, the third in its girls program in two seasons and the second still active. Her 16 points against the Clippers left her with 1,008 for her career.
“There wasn’t that much anticipation if I’m lying; it was definitely very anticipated,” Bass said. “I was quite anxious I wasn’t going to get it today when everybody was able to pop out because the next game was going to be away.
“I’m glad I got it today. It was definitely killing me waiting all that time until now.”
It probably should have come last year, when senior Nora Ausland and junior Marley Wood both reached the milestone, but the early part of Bass’ career was beset by injuries. There was a thought she would get it Dec. 27, when she needed only 14 points, but was held to six by Haddon Twp.’s tenacious face guarding.
The balloons and posters came out after halftime and were stashed behind the bench, but, honestly, it was looking like the celebration might be delayed another day as foul trouble kept her on the bench for the better part of two quarters.
She picked up her third foul early in the second quarter after scoring only five points and her fourth in the first minute of the second half that put her on the bench the rest of the third quarter. She still needed three points for the milestone.
“I definitely kept getting frustrated, not with anybody else, but myself because I just kept fouling and fouling,” Bass said. “I was scared a little I wasn’t going to get it, but there was still a whole ‘nother quarter left; I knew I had it.”
She wanted to go back in even with the foul trouble, but coach Steve Merritt didn’t want to run the risk of losing his biggest threat with the game still very much in doubt.
“I told her I love you dearly and if it were up me I’d adopt you, but nobody in his right mind would put you back in the game in the third period with four fouls. Nobody,” Merritt said. “She come over and said can I go back in. I said no. There was anger, I could read that look, but I could not do it.
“I rolled the dice years ago and got lucky to get away with it but I wasn’t going to do it tonight. Not when she was that close. It was absurd.”
Bass reentered the game to start the fourth quarter with the Eagles down 38-37 and immediately went to work. The first time she got the ball she drove hard to the basket and was fouled. The layup for points 998 and 999 gave the Eagles the lead. The free throw that followed gave her 1,000 points on the dot and made it 40-38.
“I never really thought I was going to get a three-point play,” she said. “I wanted some points … because I was not having a good game. I was not playing too good today.
“I’ve never been so scared standing on the foul line (for the milestone and-one) before. I was so nervous. My hands were like shaking.”
The three-point play took the lid off everything. Bass scored eight more points in the quarter, the Eagles seemed to play more relaxed and they held the Clippers scoreless the entire quarter to win by double digits.
“It was like a weight lifted off of all of us,” Bass said. “It obviously wasn’t just me that wanted it. They wanted it for me and when I finally got it we were like OK let’s go, we all just got real excited. Our adrenaline was pushing and everything.”
“That was a very important moment and let’s celebrate that, great, but we still have another important moment ahead of it, let’s go win this thing,” Merritt said. “And they came out and played inspired defense for the first time all season. I told them if you continue to do that the game is yours.”
With Bass struggling early and sitting later, the Eagles needed to find some offense somewhere. Addi Johnson got them going early, scoring six points in the first quarter and 11 in the first half. Then with Bass sitting in third, Izzy Saulin got them back in the game scoring six points, diving for loose balls and grabbing several rebounds.
“I think I just focused in,” Saulin said.
NOTES: Bass also had seven rebounds and five steals … Wood added five points to her career total, but she also grabbed nine rebounds, dished 11 assists and blocked three shots.
Pennsville’s Taylor Bass (1) gets carried off the floor by her teammates after reaching the 1,000-point plateau Monday night.
SALEM 38, PENNS GROVE 26: MVP Madison Dixon filled up the box score with 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and four assists and did a defensive job on Penns Grove’s hottest hand, leading the Rams to the Battle for the Bridge title at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Salem coach Kemp Carr and MVP Madison Dixon.
It was the Rams’ third win of the season, matching their win total of all of last year.
“We’re working, we’re working hard as a group,” coach Kemp Carr said. “The coaches, the players, they’re bought in …. to all the mentality type factors that weren’t there last year.”
The Rams (3-2) weren’t intimidated by the bright lights and the NBA floor.
Freshman Dyaira Anderson had 15 points, nine rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals. Carlysia Pierce had 11 rebounds and six steals.
As the game’s MVP, Dixon will have the opportunity to hand the game ball to the refs prior to the 76ers game against Milwaukee Jan. 27.
HAMMONTON 49, WOODSTOWN 37: The Wolverines (4-4) lost to an undefeated opponent for the second straight game. Gabriella Stevenson led Hammonton with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Lauren Hengel led Woodstown with 15 points.
Hammonton (7-0)
11
14
16
8-
49
Woodstown (4-4)
8
4
10
16-
37
WILDWOOD 70, SALEM TECH 12: The Warriors hit seven 3-pointers and got scoring from 12 players. Angela Wilber (14), Rebecca Benichou (11) and Joelle Murphy (11) scored in double figures.
Salem Tech (2-3)
2
2
2
6-
12
Wildwood (5-4)
31
18
14
7-
70
Boys games
PENNS GROVE 58, SALEM TECH 19: The Red Devils (5-2) got balanced scoring from 11 players and held the Chargers (1-4) to one point in the first quarter at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Jerry Wooton, Ahkeen Edwards and Luis Colon had eight points apiece. Jeremy Costacamps had seven and three others scored six apiece.
“That’s kind of what we are,” coach Damian Ware said. “No super star, just balanced across the board.”
Salem Tech (1-4)
1
4
5
9-
19
Penns Grove (5-2)
18
12
12
16-
58
CLAYTON 94, PENNSVILLE 77: Mason O’Brien scored a career-high 37 points as the Eagles enjoyed their highest scoring game in two seasons, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the Clippers’ firepower. James Fritz led Clayton with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Jack Venuto had 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Michael Bull had 10 points and six boards.
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.
Saturday basketball roundup: Lecator getting back into form, just in time for Salem to make a run; Cherokee bombards Woodstown with 3s, and more
BOYS GAMES Salem 51, St. Joseph 45 Cherokee 65, Woodstown 50 West Deptford 50, Salem Tech 27 Maple Shade 47, Pennsville 36 (OT) GIRLS GAME Cinnaminson 56, Woodstown 34
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – When Tymear Lecator is at the top of his game Salem basketball coach Anthony Farmer is convinced he’s one of the better guards in South Jersey.
The junior hasn’t been quite up to his form of last season – and there are reasons for that – but Saturday he looked like the Lecator of old. Even he said it was the first time this year he felt like his old self.
Lecator exerted himself early, beating his season high in points by halftime. But he didn’t stop there. Even with foul trouble that kept him out most of the third quarter, he still had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Rams past St. Joe’s of Hammonton 51-45.
“I definitely wanted to get back to what I was last year and I knew I was being short of myself and I was hurting the team so I tried to come back,” he said. “I’ve been in the gym consistently getting shots up so that definitely played a big part (in Saturday’s success). I was just ready to go today. I was amped up.”
He didn’t waste any time showing it. He scored the first basket of the game and had nine of the Rams’ 11 first-quarter points. Then he scored six in the 14-0 second-quarter run that gave the Rams an eight-point halftime lead.
That’s 15 points in the half. His best game this year before Saturday was 13 in the season opener against Woodstown.
It was only his third game this season scoring in double figures; he did it 19 times last year, including a triple-double against Clayton. But he also has been dealing with some things he didn’t face last year, either. He underwent off-season wrist surgery and missed most of the Pleasantville game after rolling his ankle.
“I was down on myself for a little bit but I knew I was going to bounce back,” he said. “I wasn’t too hard on myself because I knew what I’m capable of. I just knew I had to let the pieces come together and now I’m back.”
Farmer is glad to see him starting to come around.
“Hopefully this gets him going, he finds his groove,” Farmer said. “We need him to be at full tilt because if we’re going to be the team we need to be down the stretch to try to lock up the 1 seed in Group 1 we need him to be playing at his best.”
Lecator isn’t the only Rams player making his way back. Senior Marshall Stephens is back on the floor after not playing basketball last year in New York.
Providing the Rams the post presence they need with Antwuan Rogers graduating early to join Temple football in the spring, Stephens went for eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots against the Wildcats. In six games this year he’s averaging five points, 6.5 rebounds and has 14 blocks. He’s had 26 rebounds and 10 blocks in his last three games.
“I’m still getting back to myself,” he said, “but I feel like when it’s the middle of the season, when stuff really starts to go down, I’ll be back in my element.”
SALEM 51, ST. JOSEPH (H) 45 ST. JOSEPH (4-3): Caden Banks 3 2-2 8, Zehkiy DeJesus 4 0-0 9, Ayden Santiago 0 0-0 0, Chris Hill 2 1-1 6, CJ Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Eddie Drummond 8 2-4 22. Totals 17 5-7 45. SALEM (5-1): Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8, Xavier McGriff 0 2-2 2, Neziah Spence 3 4-4 10, Tymear Lecator 8 2-3 19, BJ Robbins 3 0-0 6, Deshaan Williams 2 2-6 6, Kyvion Parsons 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 10-15 51.
St. Joseph
13
4
19
9-
45
Salem
11
14
10
16-
51
3-point goals: St. Joseph 6 (DeJesus, Hill, Drummond 4); Salem 1-16 (Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 27 (Williams 9). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: St. Joseph 12, Salem 15.
Salem’s Marshall Stephens (30) stands his ground in the post, challenging anyone to come into his lane. Top photo, Tymear Lecator (3) doesn’t give St. Joe’s CJ Mitchell much room to work.
It’s raining 3s
WOODSTOWN — Cherokee’s Johnny Comito set up in the left corner for the first shot of the second half. He let it fly and it found the bottom of the net for yet another 3.
Woodstown coach Ramon Roots just turned away and dropped his head. He’d seen this movie throughout the first half and it was starting all over again.
The Chiefs ended Woodstown’s five-game winning streak Saturday 65-50 under the weight of a season-high 11 3-pointers.
At halftime the Chiefs (6-1) had more points on 3s than the Wolverines (5-3) had points, a trend that carried until midway through the third quarter.
Cherokee’s previous season-high from behind the arc was seven, in the season opener against Cherry Hill West, but they hit six twice thereafter.
Louis Galasso had the hottest hand, hitting six 3s, tying his season high, on the way to 26 points. Tony Fuscia hit three.
“I knew they could get hot,” Roots said. “Everything was going in tonight for them. They shot the ball very well.”
The Chiefs led wire-to-wire. They hit the first two buckets of the game and never trailed. Every time Woodstown got close, they’d hit another 3.
“They shot very well,” Wolverines senior guard Eli Caesar said. “We could’ve contested their shots better, but they were hitting them. It’s kind of hard to defend it when they’re just hitting them. Even when you’re closing out they’re still making them.”
The Wolverines got into the act in the second half. They hit four 3s in the third quarter to keep up – but just to keep up. It helped them score 19 points in the quarter to stay within the seven they trailed by at halftime.
Caesar had three in the quarter and had a career-high six in the game to finish with a game- and career-high 28 points.
“I feel like we’re a good 3-point shooting team, we’re pretty confident shooters,” Caesar said. “I felt like I had to get us back in the game. They went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, so I knew we had to flip the switch.”
The Wolverines got within four on a 3-pointer by Alejandro Vazquez with 4:35 to play, but then Galasso hit another 3 and the Chiefs closed it out from the free throw line. In that final stretch Galasso hit two 3s and the Chiefs went 10-for-12 from the foul line.
“I know we have the ability to do that,” Roots said. “We’ve seen it, both of our losses, Woodbury and Salem, coming back in the game, but it’s all about putting ourselves in the hole. We’ve got to stop putting ourselves in the hole. If we weren’t in that hole, we wouldn’t have to come back.”
CHEROKEE 65, WOODSTOWN 50 CHEROKEE (6-1): Louis Galasso 9 2-2 26, John Comito 3 3-4 10, Tony Fuscia 3 3-4 12, Tom Cieslik 4 2-2 11, Chris Walters 2 0-0 4, Jeremiah Shields 1 0-0 2, Josh Shields 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 10-12 65. WOODSTOWN (5-3): Eli Caesar 9 4-5 28, Blake Bialecki 3 3-3 10, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 8, Josh King 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 2 0-1 4, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-9 50.
WEST DEPTFORD 50, SALEM TECH 27 SALEM TECH (1-3): Chase Pompper 1 2-2 4, Brody Kroll 2 0-2 4, Aiden Bobo 2 1-3 5, Keidyn Robinson 1 1-3 3, Larry Pompper 3 0-0 9, Sterling Lewis 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 4-10 27. WEST DEPTFORD (2-5): Curtis Pearson 2 1-2 5, Kyle Eason 3 4-6 10, Aaron Benson 1 0-0 2, Carter Watson 5 0-0 11, Anthony Martello 2 2-2 7, Michael Garcia 1 2-3 4, Cameron Hoang 0 0-0 0, Michael Joseph 1 1-4 3, Zamir Davis 0 0-0 0, Talib Bogar 1 0-2 2, Cole Stanish 3 0-1 6. Totals 19 10-20 50.
Salem Tech
5
6
10
6-
27
West Deptford
11
7
14
18-
50
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (L. Pompper 3); West Deptford 2 (Watson, Martello). Rebounds: West Deptford 36 (Joseph 7). Notes: Eason had four steals and three assists. The Eagles ended a four-game losing streak, while extending the Chargers’ slide to three.
MAPLE SHADE 47, PENNSVILLE 38
Maple Shade (2-8)
11
8
15
3
10-
47
Pennsville (1-6)
9
8
4
16
1-
38
NOTES: Maple Shade’s Jayden Robinson had 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Girls game A tough lesson
WOODSTOWN – The scoreboard showed a 22-point loss to an undefeated opponent every bit as good as their record indicated. But Woodstown girls coach Matt Smart believes in the long run the Wolverines will have done far better for themselves playing this game than beating an easier opponent by the same margin or more.
The Wolverines took one on the chin Saturday, losing to undefeated Cinnaminson 56-34, but in the immediate analysis of a game otherwise better left alone, Smart did find some positives for his team to take away that will serve them well down the road.
“That’s kind of been our theory all year,” Smart said. “We’ll play whoever, wherever, whenever. We always want to challenge the girls and we always want to try to continue to get better and better and better.
“Each game I’ve had to say let’s focus on us, let’s focus on us getting better. I don’t care what the scoreboard says, if we’re up by 30, if we’re down by 30, whatever, we just want to continue to focus on us getting better as a team and as a unit. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect a win today, but I think we truly got a lot better today.”
Smart said there were “a lot of things” the Wolverines did well. Among them were being more patient with the ball than they’ve been in past games, making smart decisions with the ball, looking for open players, spreading out the floor and keeping up their defensive intensity.
The Wolverines (4-3) actually came out of the first quarter with a lead. It was a one-point game early in the second quarter before the Pirates (7-0) started pulling away. The visitors used a 7-0 run to establish control, then ended the half with another seven-point run to take a 14-point halftime lead.
Gabby Harvey had eight of her 16 points in the second quarter and Shiloh Moore had seven of her game-high 17 there. Harvey hit her four 3-pointers across the second and third quarters.
The Wolverines focused on getting the ball inside and didn’t have a 3-pointer in the game. Kyia Leyman was their leading scorer with 14 points.
Riverview Sports News 