Snow day provides a chance to check out the Salem County basketball statistical leaders; leaders based on statistics posted to state reporting service (must have played in 75 percent of team’s games)
Boys
SCORING (based on avg.)
GP
FG
FT
PTS
AVG
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
80
40
220
18.3
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
72
33
213
14.2
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
58
179
13.8
Deshaan Williams, Salem
14
55
184
13.1
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
64
21
168
12.9
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
55
23
159
11.4
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
33
133
10.2
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
67
10
161
10.1
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
63
7
148
9.3
Danny Knight, Pennsville
12
108
9.0
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
43
18
111
8.5
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
47
22
131
8.2
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
49
9
107
8.2
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
29
14
73
8.1
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
39
13
104
8.0
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
38
16
117
7.8
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
32
9
77
7.7
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech
11
30
21
84
7.6
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
39
4
96
7.4
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
26
90
6.9
Josh King, Woodstown
15
42
13
98
6.5
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
24
15
69
6.3
BJ Robbins, Salem
13
24
63
4.9
Marshall Stephens, Salem
13
34
71
5.5
3-POINT GOALS (based on total)
GP
TOTAL
AVG
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
36
2.40
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
23
1.77
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
23
1.53
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
21
1.50
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
20
1.67
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
17
1.30
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
17
1.06
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
15
0.94
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
14
1.08
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
14
1.08
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
13
0.80
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
13
1.00
Lucas Fulmer, Woodstown
14
12
0.88
NOTE: Larry Pompper, Salem Tech 9 in 6 games
FT SHOOTING (based on pct.)
GP
FTM
FTA
PCT
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
33
39
.850
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
23
30
.770
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
16
21
.760
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
21
29
.720
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
40
59
.680
Josh King, Woodstown
15
13
21
.620
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
14
23
.610
Andrew Wrote. Wppdstpwm
13
18
30
.600
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
9
16
.560
Ayden Myers, Salem Tech
8
5
10
.500
Chase Pompper, Salem Tech
11
21
42
.500
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
13
27
.480
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
15
35
.430
REBOUNDS (based on avg.)
GP
TOT
AVG
Deshaan Williams, Salem
14
133
9.5
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
122
9.4
Raphael Busch, Salem Tech
9
71
7.9
Marshall Stephens, Salem
13
98
7.5
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
80
6.1
Josh King, Woodstown
15
91
6.1
Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove
16
86
5.4
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
72
4.8
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
50
3.9
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
38
3.8
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
53
3.8
Cooper Willoughby, Schalick
12
45
3.8
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
45
3.8
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
44
3.4
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
49
3.3
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
39
3.3
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
48
3.2
Kade Macom, Schalick
13
42
3.2
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
47
2.9
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
46
2.9
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
47
2.9
Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech
11
32
2.9
NOTE: Frank Hoerst, Woodstown had 66 in 10 games; Haneef Frisby, Penns Grove had 79 in 10 games
ASSISTS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Tymear Lecator, Salem
13
68
5.23
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
54
3.60
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
51
3.40
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
49
3.06
BJ Robbins, Salem
13
48
3.69
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
44
3.38
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
36
2.77
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
30
1.88
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
23
1.64
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
20
1.29
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
19
1.46
Josh King, Woodstown
15
19
1.27
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
18
1.50
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
17
1.06
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
15
1.50
Lucas Fulmer, Woodstown
14
14
1.00
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
14
1.08
NOTE: Kenny Bartee, Schalick, 44 in 5 games
STEALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Geonni Conrad, Penns Grove
16
42
2.63
Julian Dickerson, Schalick
13
35
2.69
Will Roy, Penns Grove
16
34
2.13
Josh King, Woodstown
15
31
2.07
Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
13
30
2.31
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
16
28
1.75
Orion Baldwin, Schalick
13
25
1.92
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown
15
24
1.60
Luis Colon, Penns Grove
16
24
1.50
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
15
22
1.47
Eli Caesar, Woodstown
14
22
1.57
Neziah Spence, Salem
13
21
1.62
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
10
19
1.90
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
12
18
1.50
Xavier McGriff, Salem
13
17
1.31
Andrew White, Woodstown
13
13
1.00
Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove
16
13
1.06
NOTE: Kenny Bartee, Schalick, 24 in 5 games
BLOCKED SHOTS (Total) 26: Marshall Stephens, Salem 19: Mishawn Brantley, Penns Grove 15: Aiden Bobo, Salem Tech 10: Haneef Frisby, Penns Grove 9: Raphael Busch, Salem Tech 8: Sherrod Jones, Schalick 7: Andrew White, Woodstown; Dylan Sheehan, Schalick
Girls
SCORING (based on avg.)
GP
FG
FT
PTS
AVG
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
87
28
222
15.9
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
73
16
172
14.3
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
54
41
166
13.8
Dyaira Anderson, Salem
10
51
23
125
12.5
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove
11
47
21
135
12.3
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
67
13
175
10.9
JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove
11
48
12
120
10.9
/Madison Dixon, Salem
9
32
8
88
9.8
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
35
3
83
8.3
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
44
5
122
8.1
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
51
16
126
7.9
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
49
12
119
7.9
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
36
12
85
7.7
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
21
6
60
7.5
Mikayla Washington, Penns Grove
11
19
22
78
7.1
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
31
15
93
6.9
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
25
13
63
6.3
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
21
8
50
5.6
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
25
3
53
5.3
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
32
4
70
4.7
Timmiyah Simmons, Salem
9
16
4
41
4.6
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
18
9
47
4.3
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
18
11
52
3.7
Jaryn Weathers, Salem
9
13
5
32
3.6
Talia Guardascione, Woodstown
14
17
13
49
3.5
3-POINT GOALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
29
1.81
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
27
1.93
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
20
1.43
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
17
1.42
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
15
1.25
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
13
1.44
NOTE: Woodstown’s Mia Waterman has 22 3s in 11 games.
FT SHOOTING (based on pct.)
GP
FTM
FTA
PCT
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
5
6
.830
Talia Guardascione, Woodstown
14
13
18
.720
Keziah Patterson, Penns Grove
11
21
29
.720
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
7
11
.640
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
28
47
.600
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
16
28
.570
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
41
73
.560
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
6
11
.550
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
13
26
.500
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
14
5
10
.500
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
5
10
.500
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
9
19
.470
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
13
28
.460
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
12
28
.430
REBOUNDS (based on avg.)
GP
TOT
AVG
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
114
12.7
Dyaira Anderson, Salem
10
123
12.3
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
92
9.2
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
89
8.9
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
104
8.7
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
87
7.3
Mikayla Washington, Penns Grove
11
67
6.1
Alysia Pierce, Salem
11
59
5.4
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
86
5.4
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
53
4.8
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
61
4.4
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
40
4.4
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
56
4.3
Triscia Wilson, Salem
8
34
4.3
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
45
4.1
Kyia Leyman, Woodstown
15
59
3.9
Jaryn Weathers, Salem
9
34
3.8
Janiyah Cummings, Penns Grove
11
40
3.6
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
34
3.4
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
17
45
3.2
ASSISTS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
85
7.08
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
39
3.55
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
30
1.88
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
26
2.36
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
24
1.71
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
24
1.71
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
24
2.67
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
23
2.09
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
21
1.75
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
21
1.31
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
19
2.38
Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech
9
18
2.00
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
17
1.13
Jaida Burns, Pennsville
13
16
1.33
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
16
1.60
STEALS (based on total)
GP
TOT
AVG
Taylor Bass, Pennsville
14
50
3.57
Willow Davis, Schalick
12
44
3.67
Cali Fisler, Schalick
11
40
3.64
Carlysia Pierce, Salem
11
40
3.64
Olivia Vanacker, Schalick
11
34
3.09
Emma Perry, Woodstown
15
33
2.20
Kendall Young, Woodstown
16
29
1.81
Ava Scurry, Schalick
10
28
2.80
Lauren Hengel, Woodstown
16
24
1.44
Addie Johnston, Pennsville
14
23
1.64
Marley Wood, Pennsville
12
24
2.00
Nevaeh Robinson, Schalick
12
23
1.92
Jaiden Wilson, Pennsville
14
22
1.57
Shelby Drummond, Salem Tech
10
19
1.90
Amora Delaine, Salem Tech
10
19
1.90
Izzy Saulin, Pennsville
14
17
1.21
Madison Dixon, Salem
9
16
1.78
Kaliyah Taylor, Salem
8
15
1.88
Shelby Liber, Salem Tech
8
14
1.75
BLOCKED SHOTS (Total) 32: Ava Scurry, Schalick 31: Rylee Doerr, Salem Tech 15: Amora Delaine, Salem Tech 14: Dyaira Anderson, Salem 11: Carlysia Pierce, Salem 10: Kyia Leyman, Woodstown; JaNiyah Cummings, Penns Grove; Marley Wood, Pennsville
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 26-31; *-weather permitting, of course
MONDAY, JAN. 26 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Mastery Camden Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Moorestown Friends at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Gloucester at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Gateway, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m., ppd. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville at Audubon, 6 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic, Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Lindenwold at 30 Strikes, cld.
TUESDAY, JAN. 27 BOYS BASKETBALL Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Collingswood at Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown in South Jersey Open at GCIT, 7 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Philadelphia at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Delaware Tech at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28 WRESTLING Woodstown at Cumberland, 5 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 5 p.m. Pennsville, Salem girls at TCC/Colonial Jamboree, Clayton, 5 p.m. SWIMMING TCC Showcase, GCIT, 3 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Launch of Salem CC football program
THURSDAY, JAN. 29 BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. SWIMMING Schalick at Camden Academy Charter, 3:45 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Schalick at Cherokee Challenge, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Bennett Center, 5 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold, 30 Strikes, 3:45 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Brookdale, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 30 BOYS BASKETBALL Salem vs. Burlington Twp. at Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m. Lindenwold at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Cumberland at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Collingswood, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Collingswood at Schalick, 5 p.m. INDOOR TRACK TCC Showcase at Bennett Complex, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31 BOYS BASKETBALL Collingswood at Schalick, 11:30 p.m. Woodstown at Washington Twp., noon WRESTLING Penns Grove at Highland Quad, 9 a.m. Burlington Twp., Lacey Twp., Pennsauken at Woodstown, 10 a.m. Cumberland, Williamstown, Cedar Creek at Pennsville, 10 a.m. Schalick, Lindenwold at Palmyra, 10 a.m. Salem at Arthur Johnson, 10 a.m. Salem girls at Eastern Jamboree, 9 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Luzerne, noon WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Raritan Valley at Salem CC, noon
Salem edges Wildwood to take lead in TCC Classic Division, but not happy with the effort; Pennsville ends losing streak, and more
BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville 46, Collingswood 44 Gateway 53, Salem Tech 29 Salem 50, Wildwood 49 GIRLS BASKETBALL Salem 52, Buena 15 Haddon Heights 64, Pennsville 46 Schalick 21, Paulsboro 16 Kingsway 54, Woodstown 17 WRESTLING Schalick 72, Pitman 9 Woodstown 42, Pennsville 28
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – There’s not a kid in America who has ever dribbled a basketball and not at one time counted down seconds in his head and drained a bucket at the buzzer to win some imaginary game against their rival or championship.
It’s like the golf kid who stands on the practice green and imagines sinking the putt that wins the Masters or the U.S. Open.
It’s part of growing up with sports in America.
Tymear Lecator was one of the basketball kids dribbling down the seconds in the playground to set up a buzzer beater. He was head on with the real thing Friday night.
There were three of those shots in the four quarters of Salem’s game with Wildwood. Lecator hit two of them to benefit the Rams. The third came at the final horn by Wildwood’s Trevor Troiano but was only good enough to close the margin in a 50-49 Salem win for the upper hand in the TCC Classic Division.
“When I was just a kid I’d be just practicing for that time, backyard, everywhere, and when the time comes don’t shy away,” Lecator said. “I want that shot and I’m confident in taking that shot. And I think it’s a good shot every time.
“You never know going into a game when they’re going to come around. Luckily those shots were in my hand when the buzzer was running down and I was able to get my team a couple buckets.”
Lecator beat the clock twice on his way to a team-high 18 points. His first buzzer-beater came from the right corner at the end of the first quarter and cut the Rams’ early deficit to 9-8. His second came in the third quarter off his steal right in front of the student section and capped a five-point burst in the final three seconds to gave the Rams a 35-31 lead.
It was the last of 11 lead changes in the game.
But Lecator’s most important shots of the game came without the clock moving. He hit a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left to put the Rams up 50-46 lead and render Troiano’s 3 at the final horn moot.
“I definitely knew I had to go to the line and knock down both and I stepped up – after shooting bad at the free throw line,” Lecator said. “Luckily I was able to step up and knock down the two most important ones.”
The win kept the Rams (12-2) undefeated in the Classic Division, while handing the Warriors (7-7) their first division loss. Despite the important win, there were a lot of long faces coming out of the Salem dressing room.
The Rams didn’t shoot it well early against Wildwood’s tight defense, committed 21 turnovers, and nearly let a five-point lead get away in the final 40 seconds. They led 16-15 lead at halftime despite going 3-for-15 from the field in the first quarter, 7-for-26 in the half and 1-for-13 from behind the arc.
“I don’t think really anybody on the team is happy, personally,” Lecator said. “I feel like I played pretty good, but I’m not even happy. We got beat on the backboards. Loose balls. We didn’t play a clean game. Had a couple dumb turnovers. Didn’t take the smartest shots. Rushed a lot of shots.
“We’re, honestly, 20 points better than Wildwood and we just played down to their level today. We didn’t respect the game. Luckily, we still were able to come out with the win, but for sure nobody’s happy.”
Darrelle Johnson gave the Rams a 47-42 lead with less than 40 seconds left. Wildwood missed its next shot that Johnson rebounded, but fell to the floor and was called for traveling. He slammed the ball on the floor that drew a technical foul with 25.4 left.
Troiano hit both technical foul shots and then was fouled driving with the accompanying possession. He hit those two shots with 10.8 seconds to go to make it a one-point game and the Warriors immediately called time.
Xavier McGriff was fouled on the inbounds with 8.8 to go. He made the first of his two free throws, missed the second but the Warriors traveled with the rebound inside of five seconds.
The Warriors fouled Lecator in the backcourt after the inbounds play and the Rams’ guard hit the two free throws that allowed the Rams to escape without joy.
“It’s just high expectations,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “We have a standard here. We have a goal in mind that we’re trying to accomplish and you have to go out and compete and play at a high level in order to accomplish that goal.
“That’s what we’re working for. The win is great, the win is good, but at the same time we want to play a good brand of basketball to help us in March. I didn’t think tonight we played a good brand of basketball to help us in March.
“We’ve found ways this year to win games when we’ve been horrible and that’s part of being a pretty good team, finding a way. But you’ve got to find a way with energy and effort and I thought Wildwood came in with a lot of energy and effort. (Getting) 50-50 balls, offensive rebounding, getting multiple possessions. Those are things that are unacceptable when you’re trying to be ready for March.”
3-point goals: Wildwood 5 (Bannon 2, T. Troiano 3); Salem 2 (Lecator 2). Rebounds: Wildwood 32 (T. Troiano 12, Mawhinney 9); Salem 34 (Williams 7, Stephens 6). Technical fouls: Johnson. Total fouls: Wildwood 21, Salem 14.
PENNSVILLE 46, COLLINGSWOOD 44: Mason O’Brien went for 32 points and the Eagles held on in the final five seconds to snap a 12-game losing streak and score their second win of the season.
O’Brien hit four 3-pointers and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He scored 20 of the Eagles’ 24 points in the second half.
“Mason was clearly the best player on the floor,” Pennsville coach Ray Heine said. “It was an evenly matched game in the first half. We took a 10-point lead late in the third, but it was sloppy finish.
“We’re learning how to close games. We were able to get big stops down the stretch. It’s nice to see things start to translate into game situations. When we play comparable competition I feel we can win.”
PENNSVILLE (2-13): Jake Layfield 0-1-1, Jake Farina 1-0-2, Gavin Spears 2-0-5, Danny Knight 1-0-2, Mason O’Brien 10-8-32, Aiden Clark 2-0-4. Totals 16-9-45. COLLINGSWOOD (0-17): Craig Kelly 0-0-0, Zach Washington 2-0-5, Aaron Young 6-1-15, Amandi Ekezie 2-0-6, Gavin Fife 0-0-0, London Forero 3-2-10, Jayden Diaz 2-1-6, Messiah Norman 1-0-2. Totals 16-4-44.
GATEWAY 53, SALEM TECH 29: Eddie Coryell scored 17 points and Ben Cook posted his fourth double-double of the season as the Gators snapped a two-game losing streak. Cook had 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots and had three steals. Coryell recorded seven assists. Chase Pompper led the Chargers with 13 points.
GATEWAY (7-8): Ben Cook 8 0-0 16, Eddie Coryell 6 1-2 17, Ben Runner 4 3-3 11, Evan Haase 2 0-0 6, Devin Forman 0 2-2 2, DJ Bink 0 1-3 1, Naqwon Langston 0 0-0 0, Tajial James 0 0-0 0, JaQuahn Smith-Carney 0 0-0 0, Max Hohl 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-10 53. SALEM TECH (2-10): Chase Pompper 5 3-6 13, Aiden Bobo 3 0-0 7, Luke Kroll 2 0-0 5, Raphael Busch 2 0-2 4. Only players reported. Totals 12 3-8 29.
SCHALICK 21, PAULSBORO 16: The Cougars found a way to win even when they didn’t play their best, coming to life in the fourth quarter to break away from the defensive battle.
The Cougars scored almost as many points in the fourth quarter as they had the previous three despite top scorer Nevaeh Robinson fouling out, outscoring their hosts 10-2 to overcome a three-point deficit. Robinson led Schalick with 10 points and was the game’s only scorer in double figures.
“We were able to get some shots to fall, that was the difference,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “I think we were fatigued from a tough game against Pitman the night before and we were missing (point guard Olivia) Vanacker so we struggled a little offensively in the first half until we were able to adjust.”
Emmalyn Weir connected with Jaelynn Jarmon for a key bucket in the rally.
“We played well all night defensively so we were able to stay in it,” Whelan said. “The girls fought through the struggles and never let themselves be defeated. We were able to find a way to win on a night that wasn’t our best.”
The Cougars have won four in a row and now have nine wins, their winningest season since 2021-22 (10-11).
KINGSWAY 54, WOODSTOWN 17: Annika Dohlen and Alessia Lentini scored 14 points apiece to lead Kingsway. Lauren Hengel and Kendall Young had six points each for Woodstown.
HADDON HEIGHTS 64, PENNSVILLE 46::Emma Harris hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points, her fourth 30-point game of the season, and the Garnets got 10 points apiece from Lily Yanni and Juliet Bennett. Marley Wood led Pennsville with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Taylor Bass had 13 for the Eagles.
SCHALICK 72, PITMAN 9 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Nicholas Latona (S) won by forfeit 120: Grady Datz (P) won by forfeit 126: Terry Both (S) pinned Nate Wenzke, 1:00 132: Jacob Potts (S) pinned John Wisniewski, 1:51 138: Colin Bittle (S) won by forfeit 133: Michael Bausch (S) pinned Dominick, 0:17 150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Aidan Upham, 1:35 157: Logan Newman (S) won by forfeit 165: Ayden Jenkins (S) pinned Alex Simone, 1:37 175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned Anthony Cappello, 2:49 190: Aiden Milward (P) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 4-1 215: James Cook (S) pinned Nicolas Horner, 0:20 285: Jeff Edmonds (S) pinned Ashton Maggioncalda, 5:04
Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports calendar BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove 81, Clayton 66 Schalick 39, Pitman 38 Salem 86, Pennsville 23 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick 42, Pitman 32 Clayton 39, Penns Grove 28 Pennsville 70, Salem 34 SWIMMING Woodstown 119, Pitman 49 Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT BOWLING Salem Tech in NJTAC, Lucky Strike North Brunswick
Boys basketball
PENNS GROVE 81, CLAYTON 66: Clayton’s James Fritz scored a game-high 23 points, but the Red Devils offset it by placing five scorers in double figures.
Roman Gipson led Penns Grove with 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Luis Colon had a career-high 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Jameel Horace went for 13 and eight. Geonni Conrad had 12 points and five steals, Will Roy had 10 points.
CLAYTON (5-8): Jackson Venuto 3 0-0 6, James Fritz 10 3-8 23, Nasir Carter 2 1-4 5, Trevor Rehm 3 0-0 8, King Mosley 0 0-0 0, Michael Bull 2 3-4 7, Justin Delaney 1 0-0 3, Kevin Mosley 2 2-2 8, Enok Figeruoa 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4, Anthony Taylor 0 0-0 0, Dominic Lemon 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 9-18 66. PENNS GROVE (10-6): Roman Gipson 8-0-16, Carson Pearsall 4-0-9, Benoni Conrad 5-2-12, Will Roy 5-0-10, Mishawn Brantley 2-0-4, Luis Colon 7-0-14, Jameel Horace 6-0-13, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0, Jeremy Costacamps 0-0-0. Totals 37-2-78.
SCHALICK 39, PITMAN 38: Dylan Sheehan hit the go-ahead free throw with six seconds left and the Cougars defended Pitman’s final layup to seal the victory and snap a three-game losing streak.
Justin Iacona converted a pass from Sheehan into a layup to tie the game with less than a minute to play. Julian Dickerson and Jase Volovar then trapped the ball at midcourt creating a steal by Sheehan, who was fouled driving to the basket. He made the second free throw to break the tie.
The Cougars battled back from a 19-6 first-quarter deficit to get the win.
“We talked all week about how physical Pitman is and how well they shoot the ball,” Schalick coach James Turner said. “Defensively we made too many mistakes in the first quarter. We made adjustments in the second quarter and our guys really responded.
“They played their asses off, made the necessary changes, and executed when it mattered most.:
Dickerson led the Cougars’ offense with 15 points, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Volovar made his first start of the season and scored five of the first six points of the game. He finished with 10.
SALEM 86, PENNSVILLE 23: Salem’s Tymear Lecator filled the box score with 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Darrell Johnson had 11 points and Fatah Paige had 10 points and six rebounds. Marshall Stephens had six points and seven rebounds, grabbing his 100th career rebound in the process, blocked three shots. Deshaan Williams grabbed eight boards.
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TODAY
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
DNP
926
Tymear Lecator, Salem
26 vs. Pennsville
814
Girls games
SCHALICK 42, PITMAN 32: Nevaeh Robinson scored eight of her game-high 20 points in the second quarter as the Cougars erased a one-point deficit and took control of the game. It was their third straight win.
PENNSVILLE 70, SALEM 34: Taylor Bass hit a career-tying six 3-pointers and erupted for a career-high 31 points, leading three Eagles in double figures. Marley Wood hit all four of her 3s in q 16-point first half and finished with 19. Addie Johnston had 11 points. The Eagles hit 14 3-pointers in the game. Madison Dixon led Salem’s offense with 10 points. Dyaira Anderson grabbed 17 rebounds.
Here are scores and details from Wednesday night’s Salem County sports calendar; includes track, basketball, wrestling and bowling
INDOOR TRACK PHILADELPHIA — Schalick’s Salvatore Longo and Penns Grove’s JaKai Ingram placed sixth in their respective events Wednesday night o post the highest finishes among Salem County athletes competing in the Nike Elite Indoor Meet at Penn’s Ott Center.
Longo was sixth in the boys pole vault at 11-6. He made three attempts at 12-0, a height that reduced the field to the final three. Ingram placed sixth in the boys shot with a PR of 45-0.25. It came on his final throw of the night.
Among the other Salem County athletes at the meet …
Kylee Goodson (Penns Grove) was ninth in the boys 400 with a PR of 50.66 that is the 34th fastest time in the state this year.
Arianna Dowe (Penns Grove) was ninth in the girls triple jump (32-11.75). Teammate Zoey Ceasar was tenth in the girls shot put (30-1.5)
Ahmad Tucker (Salem) was 13th in the boys long jump with a PR of 19-11.5.
Steve Chomo (Schalick) was 14th in the boys 800 with a season-best 2:04.25. He was sixth in his heat.
BOYS BASKETBALL Wildwood 68, Salem Tech 30: Trevor Troiano hit five of the Warriors’ 11 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points. Nolan Mawhinney added 13. Chase Pompper led the Chargers with 12 points. Wildwood (7-6) visits Salem Friday for first place in the TCC Classic Division.
3-point goals: Wildwood 11 (G. Troiano 2, Benichou, T. Troiano 5, Santiago, Sewell, McWade); Salem Tech 1 (L. Kroll).
GIRLS BASKETBALL OVERBROOK 65, SALEM TECH 37 Gianna Simon and Leigha Muff both went for 23 points as the Rams (2-12) won for the first time since their season opener. Muff hit five 3-pointers. Shelby Liber hit five 3-pointers and led the Chargers (2-9) with 18 points. Amora Delaine was credited with 21 rebounds.
3-point goals: Overbrook 8 (Simon 2, Washington, Muff 5); Salem Tech 6 (Drummond, Liber 5).
WRESTLING PENNSVILLE 49, TIMBER CREEK 30 106: Brett Land (P) pinned Lincoln Mitchell, 1:05 113: Jimmy Boone (T) pinned Jariel Colon, 1:42 120: Earl Wynn (P) tech fall over Dyllan Blotz, 19-3 126: Mehki Dicks (P) won by forfeit 132: Maximos Efelis (P) won by forfeit 138: Chase Baker (P) won by forfeit 144: Nathaniel Mason (P) tech fall over Jaire Williams, 24-8 150: Travis Hagan (P) won by forfeit 157: Matt Cordova (T) won by forfeit 165: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Nathaniel Collazo, 2:38 175: Ian Chandler (T) pinned Cristian Blyler, 3:07 190: Elijah Green (T) pinned Stephen Pangle, 0:49 215: Julian McCray (T) pinned Hunter Coulbourn, 2:34 285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Roland Green, 4-1
WINSLOW 53, SALEM 21 106: Jason Green (WI) won by forfeit 113: Christopher Steed (WI) won by forfeit 120: Aaden King (WI) tech fall over Zachary Tortilla, 15-0 (1:30) 126: Alverse Cannon (WI) pinned Hayden Stauble, 1:00 132: Guilherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Nathan Downey, 3:35 138: Angel Berrios (WI) pinned Brodie Parker, 0:40 144: Noah Young (WI) pinned Joseph Goetaski, 2:21 150: Nathan Smalls (WI) pinned Christian VanTonder, 2:50 157: Zion Moore (S) dec. Joshua Martinez, 10-7 165: Luke Vigorito (WI) pinned Jordan Brown, 3:50 175: Jaivion Sydnor (S) pinned London Brown, 1:34 190: Caleb Walderrama (WI) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:40 215: Abdur Jenkins (S) dec. Kameriin Walters, 5-2 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) dec. Izuchukwu Ugwuzor, 9-3
Clayton at Schalick
BOWLING Deptford 3, Salem 1: Edward Tokley rolled games of 247, 276 and 277 for an 800 series to lead Deptford (9-0) in the battle of Tri-County Conference division leaders. Troy Carey rolled the high game (254) and high series (633) for the Rams (8-2), who had an eight-match winning streak stopped. Deptford won the girls match, 4-0.
Penns Grove uses energy, defense to win on back-to-back days; Hengel gives courageous effort in Woodstown girls’ win; and more
BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove 63, Woodstown 52 Glassboro 56, Pennsville 17 Overbrook 64, Schalick 18 GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown 60, Penns Grove 28 Schalick 37, Overbrook 28 Glassboro 54, Pennsville 32 Salem 64, Salem Tech 36
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Some basketball teams, especially young ones that want to play at a fast pace, might be worried about playing on back-to-back days. Penns Grove coach Damian Ware welcomes the challenge.
Says it builds character.
The Red Devils have played on back-to-back days at least three times in each of Ware’s 13 years as head coach. They’ve already done it three times this season, but Tuesday was the first time they had won on consecutive days after turning back rival Woodstown 63-52.
It came a day after they beat Burlington City team in an intense MLK Day matinee decided by defense in the final 15 seconds.
“The difference between today’s game and yesterday’s game (was) yesterday in the fourth quarter we let Burlington City back into the game,” Ware said. “They took the lead on us at one point and we squeezed it out for the win.
“Today we stretched the lead out. It was a different game because we learned how to finish today. That was the difference between yesterday and today. It’s always good to finish a game and not have to worry about, shoot, we’ve got to make the last second shot to win the game, so that was good for us today.”
The Red Devils’ history has been pretty good on the second day of back-to-back games during Ware’s tenure. They were real good there for a while – 16-3 from 2017-2021 – and have a two years of struggle they’re starting to get the hang of it again.
They’re 32-24 in the second game of those sets, 20-12 after winning the first game. Their game Tuesday was their fourth in five days, sixth in nine.
The key to holding up in back-to-back games is having energy and Geonni Conrad said the Red Devils brought it from the start.
“Every time we come out with energy we do good, we can win back-to-back games,” the junior guard said. “If we don’t start the game with energy or a high tempo we most likely are losing to that team. I feel we like we did bring the energy early. I feel like we pushed it and tempo’d up the floor, played good defense and did what we needed to do.”
The second quality is stamina, and Ware has never worried about that.
“It’s very good for our conditioning,” he said. “We work very hard on practice on it. . We have good conditioning. I always say in the fourth quarter our conditioning should take over because we should be in better shape and we should be able to work harder from the first quarter to the fourth quarter and by the time we get to the fourth quarter we should have that team worn down. And I think that’s what happened today.”
The Red Devils got 17 points apiece from Conrad and Roman Gipson. Conrad opened the second half with two 3-pointers to help them start pulling away. There were four ties and eight lead changes in the first half.
“They were good looks,” Conrad said. “My teammates found me on the open wing and I tried to knock it down for them.”
They also got a double-double from 6-4 sophomore Mishawn Brantley. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds, with seven points and five boards coming in the fourth quarter when the Red Devils pushed the lead to 16.
“I came into this game looking forward to be dominating,” Brantley said. “I came into this game knowing we would win, knowing we were coming here and take home the win.”
“That was a break out game for him,” Ware said. “He’s only a sophomore and he hasn’t really played at a high level of varsity before, but now he’s starting to get to the point where he really understands it and he’s feeling more confident in himself. He’s coming out of his shell.”
The Wolverines were led by Blake Bialecki. The senior scored 16 points to push his career total to 916 and he hit two 3-pointers to break the boys’ school record for career 3s. Bialecki now has 167. The all-time school record is 186 by Talia Battavio.
“It’s cool,” he said of the record. “I work really hard shooting a lot of 3s training. I just want to win games.”
If Bialecki maintains his 14.3 ppg season scoring average he’s projected to hit the 1,000 mark at Overbrook Feb. 5, the end of a five-game road stretch. Failing that, the Wolverines’ three games after that are all against Salem County teams.
PENNS GROVE 63, WOODSTOWN 52 PENNS GROVE (9-6): Will Roy 4 0-0 9, Roman Gipson 7 1-1 17, Geonni Conrad 6 3-4 17, Carson Pearsall 0 3-6 3, Luis Colon 1 1-2 3, Mishawn Brantley 4 2-4 10, Jameel Horace 1 0-0 2, Ahkeem Edwards 1 0-0 2, Zane Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 10-17 63. WOODSTOWN (8-6): Eli Caesar 4 0-0 10, Jalen Markward 3 1-2 7, Blake Bialecki 5 4-5 16, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 5, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Josh King 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 3 3-4 9, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Totals 19 8-11 52.
Penns Grove
15
14
14
20-
63
Woodstown
13
13
11
15-
52
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Gipson 2, Roy, Conrad 2); Woodstown 6 (Bialecki 2, Caesar 2, Vazquez, Hood-McGinley). Rebounds: Penns Grove 37 (Brantley 11, Conrad 6, Pearsall 7); Woodstown 24 (Markward 5, Vazquez 6, White 5). Technical fouls: Pearsall. Fouled out: Caesar. Total fouls: Penns Grove 15, Woodstown 19. Officials: Konyak, Thomas.
OVERBROOK 64, SCHALICK 18: The Rams jumped out to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter, then held the Cougars scoreless in the second and the third en route to its 23rd straight Diamond Division win.
Bilal Robinson led three Rams in double figures and all scorers with 15 points. Lamar Little had 14 and JR Stanley 12. Robinson also had six rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots.
SCHALICK (5-7): Orion Baldwin 2-0-4, Julian Dickerson 1-0-2, Dylan Sheehan 2-0-4, Cooper Willoughby 0-3-3, Jacob Schalick 1-0-2, Will Sieminski 1-0-3. Totals 7-3-18. OVERBROOK (11-3): Lamar Little 6-1-14, JR Stanley 5-0-12, Jaden St. John 3-0-6, Rashon Jones 2-0-4, Josh Schoeb 1-0-3, Jayden Wilkerson 1-0-3, Bilal Robinson 6-0-15, Gavin Cajuste 0-0-0, Josh Lewis 0-0-0, Jason Boyd 1-2-5, Damere Vennie 1-0-2. Totals 26-3-64.
GLASSBORO 56, PENNSVILLE 17: The Bulldogs raced out to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter and coasted past the Eagles. Xavier Sabb had 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Maurice Davis had 14 points and seven boards. Aidan Clark had eight points for the Eagles, who are still missing top scorer Mason O’Brien.
GLASSBORO (3-9): William Goggans 8, Xavier Sabb 16, Mekhi Parker 3, Aiden Harris 9, Maurice Davis 14, Jack O;Connell 3, Derreck Robinson 3. PENNSVILLE (1-12): Jake Layfield 1, Gavin Spears 2, Danny Knight 5, Jacob Farina 1, Aidan Clark 8.
Glassboro
27
11
12
6-
56
Pennsville
0
5
5
7-
17
1000-Point Watch
PLAYER
TODAY
TOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
16 vs. Penns Grove
926
Tymear Lecator, Salem
DNP
788
Girls games
PENNS GROVE — Woodstown’s Lauren Hengel gave one of the most courageous performances in the state Tuesday night.
The senior point guard lost her aunt and uncle in a Mullica Hill car crash over the weekend, but she played Tuesday night and led the Wolverines to a 60-28 victory over Penns Grove. She scored 24 points, hit four 3-pointers and pulled down 15 rebounds – all career highs. She also had four assists and five steals.
“Lauren was great tonight,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “It was an emotional game for a lot of reasons, coming off an emotional loss last week and dealing with everything that she’s dealing with. At the end of the day she just wanted to be with her friends.
“She came out and played and was a leader on the court. Lauren is a fantastic player but at the end of the day she’s an even a better human being and I know the entire Woodstown community, family, our team, especially me, we all care about her.”
Hengel hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Wolverines (7-8) jumped out to a 16-10 lead. She scored 14 points in the second half when they pulled away.
In between, she handled the ball, made several sharp passes that helped her teammates score, drove hard to the basket and held her own defensive guarding a big. She also helped bring players along who were getting some extended minutes.
“We’ve put her in a different role than she has been in the past three years,” Smart said. “There are ups and downs with that. Sometimes she can’t be that scorer that we need, but she distributes the ball. It’s a difficult year for her on the court dealing with that transition but she’s taken it in stride. She never complains about anything. She only asks how to get better.”
Emma Perry added 12 points and held Penns Grove top scorer Kezia Patterson to one field goal and seven points. JaNiyah Cummings led the Red Devils with 11 points.
Meanwhile, Kailyn Kennedy added eight points to the Wolverines’ attack, while Kendall Young and Talia Guardascione had seven points each.
Lauren’s uncle Thomas Hengel coached multiple sports at Clearview High School for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
GLASSBORO 54, PENNSVILLE 32: Kezia Brackett scored a career-high 36 points, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded five steals as the Bulldogs pulled into a tie with the Eagles for first place in the Tri-County Diamond Division.
Glassboro split with Pennsville in the season series and has a win over Woodstown. Pennsville has a one-point win over Woodstown. Woodstown plays Glassboro and Pennsville in the next two Tuesdays that could really jam up the division.
Marley Wood led the Eagles with 14 points. Taylor Bass had 12.
SALEM 64, SALEM TECH 36: Dyaira Anderson enjoyed her fifth double-double of the season and fourth in the last five games to help the Rams snap a three-game losing streak and get back to .500 (5-5).
Anderson had 16 points and 15 rebounds. She has had at least 10 rebounds in each of the last five games and averaged 17.8 points and 14.6 rebounds during the run.
Carlysia Pierce had 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, and Madison Dixon had 11 points.. Shelby Drummond led the Chargers with 10 points. Rylee Doerr had eight points, 15 rebounds and blocked four shots. Amora Delaine had eight points and 12 boards.
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.
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