Category: SALEM

Confident Cougars

Schalick girls off to one of their best starts ever, shutting out another opponent in the first quarter on the way to a third straight win; Salem girls fall in New Egypt finals

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 48, Maple Shade 13
New Egypt Holiday Tournament
Consolation: New Egypt 30, Clayton 26
Championship: Steinert 59, Salem 14

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – There have been some lean times in the Schalick girls basketball program the last couple years but times, as they say, are a-changin’.

The Cougars are in the early stages of what could develop into a special season. They won their third straight game to open the season for the first time in John Whelan’s nine-year tenure as head coach Tuesday when they locked down winless Maple Shade 48-13.

This is a program that hasn’t won more than eight games in any of the last three seasons and hadn’t had a winning season in the last seven (they did come close in 2021-22). They won just six games last year and they’re already halfway there. They didn’t get their third win last year until the 10th game. And now they’re talking comfortably about winning their first division title since 2019.

“It’s the confidence,” Whelan said of the difference. “It’s another year for everybody. Our sophomores got the experience last year and they have stepped up in big ways, and our seniors are playing under control.

“It stems back to one thing I preached at the end of last season – the summer correlates with the season. The last few years we haven’t had great attendance in summer. This year the girls showed up. We had double digit girls at every practice this summer and I truly believe that is the reason why they are so much more confident and ready to go this year.”

While the competition to open the season hasn’t exactly been a Murderer’s Row, they still had to win the games. You have to go past 2010, the last year of available records, to find the last time the Cougars started the season 3-0. Heck, they hadn’t had a three-game winning streak at any point since late January 2023.

“Our confidence level is high,” sophomore leading scorer and rebounder Naveah Robinson said. “We played together last year, we’re working together and now we’re good. I think we’re going to be good this season. I felt it building towards the end of the season. Once I knew everybody was coming back I knew we were on a good roll.”

Having not played a game in 12 days and had only two hour practices in between Whalen was a little worried about rust, but the Cougars dominated this one from the start.

Coming out in a relentless press and trap, they forced the Wildcats into 16 empty possessions in the first quarter, creating 13 turnovers, and held them scoreless until Sharena Parker banked in a 3-pointer 50 seconds into the second quarter. If the offense had been a little sharper early, the Cougars probably could’ve doubled their 12-point lead, but again they hadn’t played since Dec. 18.

The Wildcats (0-4) were the second straight opponent the Cougars held scoreless in the first quarter, having held Overbrook scoreless for an entire half the last time out. They have allowed only three points in the first quarter in three games this season.

“It shows how we work as a team, like our communication, like how we come together to play defense all together,”  Scurry said.

They went back to the press and trap after a slow start to the second half to start learning how to put teams away and held the Wildcats without a field goal in the last 14:30 of the game and to one point in the fourth quarter.

“We talked in our preseason meeting that we’re going to be built on defense,” Whelan said. “We’re going to be built on energy and we’re going to be aggressive this year.

“It’s something we haven’t done a whole lot of iin the past, but we believe we have the athletes to do it and, obviously, they’ve done a great job. The numbers speak for themselves at this point, but Coach (Les) Berry and I hold them to a very high standard. We will not be complacent and we’ll continue to get better as the season goes.”

Offensively they could have been a little sharper to start the morning game, but they still had plenty to take control. Robinson didn’t start (coach’s decision), but she had seven points and seven rebounds in the second quarter and finished with 18 and 11 for the game.

Scully had 14 points and eight rebounds. Liv Vanacker scored only four points, but she had six assists and eight steals.

They talked at the beginning of the year about the potential to have a special season and so far it’s moving in that direction.

“Whelan sat us down at the beginning of the year and was like this is the year,” said Scurry, who endured seasons of 6, 6 and 8 wins in her previous three years. “We’re taking it a lot more serious., this is the year, we have a lot of potential for doing good this year. I was like OK we’ll see, then every day at practice we’re getting better and then the first scrimmage I was like this was actually happening. It’s empowering we’re doing this and we’re 3-0 right now.”

SCHALICK 48, MAPLE SHADE 13
MAPLE SHADE (0-4): Mia Leone 0 1-2 1, Ciani Floyd 0 0-0 0, Kayla Smith 0 0-0 0, Ava Capone 2 0-0 4, Anisa Telesford 0 0-0 0, Ravin Shaw 0 0-0 0, Gabriella Doohaluk 0 0-0 0, Sharena Parker 2 2-2 8. Totals 4 3-4 13.
SCHALICK (3-0): Navaeh Robinson 7-10 2-4 18, Willow Davis 2-10 0-0 14, Jaelynn Jarmon 1-4 0-0 2, Ava Scurry 7-11 0-0 14, Cali Fisler 0-3 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0-2 0-0 0, Olivia Vanacker 2-8 0-0 4, Emma O’Neill 1-1 0-0 2, Bailey Wentz 1-1 0-0 2, Vic Basich 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 22-55 2-4 48.

Maple Shade0661-13
Schalick12111411-48
3-point goals: Maple Shade 2 (Parker 2); Schalick 2 (Robinson 2). Rebounds: Maple Shade 18 (Leone 4, Floyd 4); Schalick 33 (Robinson 11, Scurry 8). Total fouls: Maple Shade 6, Schalick 4.

NEW EGYPT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
STEINERT 59, SALEM 14
SALEM (2-2): Carlysia Pierce 1 0-2 2, Madison Dixon 2 0-2 5, Kaliyah Taylor 1 0-0 2, Dyaira Anderson 1 0-2 2, Timmiyah Simmons 1 0-2 3. Totals 6 0-8 14.
STEINERT (3-3): Allie McCarthy 3 0-0 8, Maddy Larry 1 0-0 2, Lindsey Siwczak 1 0-0 2, Bella Rosa 6 0-0 15, Madison Milton 2 0-0 4, Ally Constance 2 0-0 5, Sage Zimmerman 1 0-0 3, Brooke Wright 0 0-0 0, Katie Corby 5 4-7 15, Caitlin Medino 0 0-0 0, Sammie O’Donnell 0 0-0 0, Emily Chirichella 0 1-2 1, Naomi Gray 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 5-9 59.

Salem5522-14
Steinert21161111-59
3-point goals: Salem 2 (Dixon, Simmons); Steinert 8 (McCarthy 2, Rosa 3, Constance, Zimmerman, Corby). Rebounds: Steinert 31 (Rosa 6, Corby 6).



Roll with it

Schalick’s Jones rolls in a couple big baskets in second half, while defense denies West Deptford; Salem, Woodstown win showcase games

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Schalick 56, West Deptford 47
Gateway 55, Pennsville 40
Brook Ball Winter Classic
Woodstown 52, Collingswood 45
Marty Derer Classic
Salem 71, Rancocas Valley 45
Westhampton Tech 59, Penns Grove 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Schalick basketball coach James Turner used to give the ol’ eye roll when he watched Sherrod Jones get to the basket and try to finish it off with a finger roll at the rim. He just wasn’t sure if the shot was going to have enough steam to get in the hole.

It’s not like that anymore.

Jones has gotten quite proficient at getting the shot to drop this season and it played a pivotal role in the Cougars’ 56-47 win over West Deptford Tuesday afternoon.

The senior used the move he learned from his father on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to convert turnovers into layups to give the Cougars their first lead since early in the game. He made a outback about 30 seconds later that with the defense they would play gave them the lead for good.

“Comparing this year from last year he’s much better at finishing at the rim,” Turner said. “In years past he’d get there and get a clean shot off but you just didn’t know if they’re gonna go in. This year, just today alone, he finished very, very well.

“This year he just made it look so smooth, so effortless, and that’s a big improvement for him from last year. He’s always been able to get to the rim and now he’s able to finish.”

As much as Jones likes to dunk, the finger roll is typically his first option.

“I just feel like the finger roll is the easiest shot for me to get to,” he said. “I feel like anytime I get to the paint and there’s somebody right there I just wrap around and get that finger roll up.”

Schalick’s Sherrod Jones (3) flashes to the basket during Tuesday’s game with West Deptford. Top photo, Jones goes in for a layup.

Jones was really big in the second half. He scored 11 of his 13 points in the half and had four rebounds and two blocked shots. He had nine points in the third quarter.

“I told myself coming into the second half I was going to get a bucket,” he said. “My whole goal coming into the game was just bringing intensity to the team, hype everybody up. I started off by playing defense, getting blocks, and then the finger roll came into play.”

The Cougars (2-3) took a big step in their development in the second half and particularly the third quarter. They learned a lot about playing together.

They went into halftime trailing by one. They took the lead in the third quarter and stayed out front by holding the Eagles (1-5) without a field goal over the final 11 minutes of the game.

“That showed me how much they wanted it,” Jones said. “The first half we would play defense like we did today and it’d be great, (but) the second half people would get tired and it’d fall off. This time we played defense all the way through and we just kept going.”

The last bucket West Deptford scored came on a putback with three minutes left in the quarter. From there to the final horn the Eagles went 0-for-11 from the field with 13 turnovers. The Cougars, meanwhile, outscored them 20-8.

Freshman Orion Baldwin scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and Justin Iacona had five.

“The one thing we do have is we have really good young players who really love the game and play the game well, and those guys allow the other guys to play together,” Turner said. “When you have young kids on the team that are energetic, that play the game very well, other teammates around them will also kind of (elevate their game).

“We haven’t all played together long enough to learn from each other, so the growth that happened today was those guys learning how to play together.”

SCHALICK 56, WEST DEPTFORD 47
WEST DEPTFORD (1-5): Zamir Davis 1 2-4 4, Dylan Gloeckner 0 0-0 0, Michael Joseph 0 1-2 1, Cole Stanish 3 0-0 6, Talib Bogar 2 2-3 6, Kyle Eason 6 0-5 12, Anthony Martello 4 2-2 10, Curtis Pearson 1 2-2 5, Yassien Abdel-Hamid 1 1-1 3. Totals 18 10-19 47.
SCHALICK (2-3): Sherrod Jones 6 0-0 13, Dylan Sheehan 5 2-2 12, Justin Iacona 1 2-4 5, Orion Baldwin 5 4-6 16, Kenny Bartee 0 1-4 1, Kade Macom 1 0-0 2, Julian Dickerson 3 0-2 7. Totals 21 9-18 56.

West Deptford1116146-47
Schalick8181614-56
3-point goals: West Deptford 1 (Pearson); Schalick 5 (Jones, Iacona, Baldwin 2, Dickerson). Rebounds: West Deptford 31 (Martello 6, Bogar 8, Stanish 7); Schalick 25 (Jones 5, Sheehan 6, Dickerson 7). Fouled out: Joseph, Sheehan. Total fouls: West Deptford 21, Schalick 21.
Schalick’s Kade Macom (24) forces West Deptford’s Cole Stanish into a five-second violation in the first half.

GATEWAY 55, PENNSVILLE 40
PENNSVILLE (1-5): Daniel Knight 5 0-0 13, Mason O’Brien 4 4-4 12, Jake Layfield 4 2-2 12, Jacob Farina 1 0-0 3, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-6 40.
GATEWAY (3-2): Eddie Coryell 5 1-2 15, Ben Runner 6 2-4 14, Evan Haase 4 0-0 11, Ben Cook 3 1-4 7, Matt Cawley 1 0-0 2, Devin Forman 1 0-0 2, Darnell Pretlow 1 0-0 3, Jake Finger 0 1-2 1, DJ Bink 0 0-0 0, Max Hohl 0 0-0 0, Pierce Kaeferie 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-12 55.

Pennsville126148-40
Gateway1014227-55
3-point goals: Pennsville 6 (Knight 3, Layfield 2, Farina); Gateway 8 (Coryell 4, Haase 3, Pretlow). Rebounds: Pennsville 12 (O’Brien 3, Spears 3); Gateway 38 (Runner 10, Cook 10).

BROOK BALL WINTER CLASSIC
WOODSTOWN 52, COLLINGSWOOD 45
WOODSTOWN (5-2): Eli Caesar 2 1-1 5, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 9, Alejandro Vazquez 6 1-1 16, Josh King 3 0-0 6, Andrew White 2 1-2 5, Frank Hoerst 4 3-6 11, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-12 52.
COLLINGSWOOD (0-6): Courtney Bunch 4 0-2 8, Croix Kelly 1 0-0 3, Mekhi Tingle 0 0-0 0, Zack Washington 1 0-0 3, Aaron Young 5 0-0 14, Amandi Ekezie 1 0-1 2, Gavin Wife 0 0-0 0, Jayden Diaz 4 0-0 10, Isiaha Clement 2 1-2 5. Totals 18 1-5 45.

Woodstown16141210-52
Collingswood1211148-45
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez 3); Collingswood 8 (Kelly, Washington, Young 4, Diaz 2). Notes: The win was Woodstown’s fifth straight. Vazquez has hit 10 3-pointers during the winning streak. Hoerst’s 11 points were a career high. He also had five rebounds and three steals.

MARTY DERER CLASSIC
SALEM 71, RANCOCAS VALLEY 45
RANCOCAS VALLEY (4-2): Griffin Fair 2 0-0 4, Christian Phinisee 4 4-5 13, Jaylen Washington 2 3-4 8, Colin Seal 1 2-2 5, Chris Lee 3 1-2 7, Andre Birdsong 2 0-2 6, Amare Shelton 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-15 45.
SALEM (4-1): Tymear Lecator 4-0-9, Deshaan Williams 8-3-19, Marshall Stevens 2-0-4, Neziah Spence 3-4-12, Xavier McGriff 6-0-13, BJ Robbins 4-1-10, Cole Sayers 1-2-4, Kyvion Parsons 1-0-2. Totals 29-10-73

Rancocas Valley1410136-45
Salem18142217-71
3-point goals: RV 5 (Phinisee, Washington, Seal, Byrdsong 2); Salem 5 (Lecator, Spence 2, McGriff, Robbins). Rebounds: Salem 35 (Williams 12, Stevens 8). Notes: The double-double was Williams’ third of the season.

WESTHAMPTON TECH 59, PENNS GROVE 41
WESTHAMPTON TECH (5-2): Tristen Dickerson 1 0-0 3, Damien Moragne 1 0-0 3, Henry Njoga 5 0-0 10, Alexander Jeanty 7 2-2 17, Jason Livingstone 4 1-2 9, Dewill Andre 2 2-2 6, Javon Ford 3 0-0 7, Christian Price 0 0-0 0, Todd Young 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-6 59.
PENNS GROVE (4-2): Roman Gipson 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 2 0-0 4, Mishawn Brantley 5 0-0 12, Luis Colon 2 2-2 6, Geonni Conrad 3 0-0 7, Eli Pearsall 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Costacamps 1 0-0 2, Ahkeen Edwards 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 2-2 41.

Westhampton Tech1814207-59
Penns Grove8101112-41
3-point goals: West Tech 4 (Dickerson, Moragne, Jeanty, Ford); Penns Grove 3 (Brantley 2, Conrad). Rebounds: West Tech 35 (Njoga 7, Andre 6). Notes: Dickerson had nine assists and Jeanty had six steals. It was West Tech’s third win in a row and snapped Penns Grove’s two-game winning streak.

1000-POINT WATCH

PLAYERTODAYTOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown9 vs. Collingswood812
Tymear Lecator, Salem9 vs. Rancocas Valley694


Matinee magic

Salem County basketball teams go 3-for-3 in Monday holiday tournament matinees; Woodstown boys win their own tournament

BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech 67, Camden Prep 53
Woodstown 52, Haddon Heights 38
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Haddons Invitational Round Robin
Woodstown 46, Moorestown Friends 31
New Egypt Holiday Tournament
Salem 36, New Egypt 24
Steinert 54, Clayton 42

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – All the Woodstown basketball team needed was to see a couple shots go down to change its whole outlook on things. Or maybe it was the adjustments that led to making more shots.

The Wolverines weren’t really playing poorly early against Haddon Heights, but they trailed at halftime of their holiday tournament championship game Monday. 

They made some adjustments and finally got some shots to fall sparking a second-half surge that carried them to their fourth straight win, 52-38.

“We played very good, we did a lot of great things throughout the game,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “The first half we were playing great defense, the shots just weren’t falling. I think they were doing a good job keeping us off the glass. We made some adjustments and we started making shots.”

Eli Caesar and Andrew White both missed the tournament opener Saturday, but were back in action Monday and played key roles in the turnaround. White scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half and Caesar scored six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.

Alejandro Vazquez also came up big, scoring eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Tournament MVP Blake Bialecki scored only six points, but made “a lot” of what Roots called “winning plays” to build momentum. Josh King joined Bialecki on the all-tournament team.

“People are taking advantage of their opportunity,” Roots said. “I feel we have a good group; it can be anybody’s night. I have confidence in all of them.”

Camden Tech handled winless Camden Prep in the consolation game, 67-53. Amari Richardson led Tech (2-2) with 15 points and nine rebounds. Keysean Spencer scored a team-high 16 points.

Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Championship Game
WOODSTOWN 52, HADDON HEIGHTS 38
HADDON HEIGHTS (4-2): Max Silvestri 4 2-3 12, TJ Murphy 1 2-2 5, John Bordi 6 1-2 14, Charlie Merz 0 0-0 0, James Gray 1 0-0 2, Kieran Knecht 0 0-0 0, Nysir Morris 0 0-0 0, Troy Eiter 2 1-3 5. Totals 14 6-10 38.
WOODSTOWN (4-2): Blake Bialecki 2 1-1 6, Alejandro Vazquez 4 1-1 11, Josh King 2 5-6 9, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Trey Markward 0 0-0 0, Elijah Caesar 4 2-3 11, Frank Hoerst 0 0-0 0, White 4 3-6 12. Totals 17 12-17 52.

Haddon Heights912512-38
Woodstown1181320-52
3-point goals: Haddon Heights 4 (Silvestri 2, Murphy, Bordi); Woodstown 6 (Bialecki, Vazquez 2, Fulmer, Caesar, White). Fouled out: King. Total fouls: Haddon Heights 15, Woodstown 12.

Girls games
Big second quarter lifts Woodstown

HADDONFIELD – Maybe it took a little while to shake off the early start, but the Woodstown girls came to life in the second quarter and carried it to a 48-31 victory over Moorestown Friends in the Haddons Invitational Round-Robin.

Getting to school at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. game at coach Matt Smart’s old stomping grounds, the Wolverines fell behind 8-4 in the opening eight minutes before stifling the Foxes 17-2 in the second quarter to take control of the game.

“Our defensive intensity definitely changed in the second quarter,” Wolverines coach Matt Smart said. “We played better on-the-ball defense as well as help defense, then we were more patient with the basketball. We let the game come to us and would run our sets and play. We wouldn’t settle for a good shot, but a great shot.”

Mia Waterman hit two of her three 3-pointers and Kendall Young scored five of her team-high 15 points in the second quarter. Waterman finished with nine points in the game. Kyia Leyman had 12 and five other Wolverines hit the scoring column.

“You can see in the second quarter we didn’t rely on one girl to score all of the points,” Smart said. “The points were spread out that quarter, which is what we want. When we’re sharing the load offensively we become a much tougher team to guard.”

Haddons Invitational
Second round
WOODSTOWN 48, MOORESTOWN FRIENDS 31
WOODSTOWN (4-2): Lauren Hengel 2 0-4 5, Kyia Leyman 5 2-3 12, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2, Kendall Young 6 2-3 15, Mia Waterman 3 0-0 9, Kailyn Kennedy 0 1-2 1, Talia Guardascione 0 2-2 2, Maddie Roback 0 0-0 0, Ava White 0 0-0 0, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 1 0-0 2, Gabriella Maldonado 0 0-0 0, Kamiya Brunson 0 0-0 0, Cecelia Nachbar 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-14 48.
MOORESTOWN FRIENDS (4-3): Khadijah Banks 0 0-0 0, Ida Ramos 3 0-0 6, Mariana Wilson 3 4-9 10, Jenaya Santiago 0 0-0 0, Wynne Ay 1 0-3 2, Maymouma Banks 3 0-3 6, Payton Zauber 1 0-0 2, Resse Glickson 2 0-0 5. Totals 13 4-15 31.

Woodstown (4-2)4171116-48
Moorestown Friends (4-3)82912-31
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Hengel, Young, Waterman 3); Friends 1 (Glickson). Rebounds: Friends 36 (Ramos 11, Wilson 10). Total fouls: Woodstown 14, Friends 10.

Things changing at Salem

NEW EGYPT – After seemingly taking control of the game with a big first quarter, the Salem girls fell back to earth and found themselves in a real dogfight by the time the fourth quarter came around.

Unfazed, they collected themselves and outscored their hosts 12-4 in the final eight minutes to beat New Egypt 36-24 in the opening round of the New Egypt Holiday Tournament.

Freshman Jaryn Weathers scored five of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Nevaeh Hickman had four of her five in the quarter and Maddie Dixon had three of her team-high 12 there. Dixon also had six rebounds and four assists in the game, while Weathers also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.

“I don’t think we ever cracked when they got it to two,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “I think we actually turned up. We didn’t play a few of our starters today, so to see us do this without our guns being completely loaded was admiration for the younger players.”

The win keeps the Rams’ early-season turnaround going. They have won won two in a row for the first time since last February, it’s the earliest they’ve won two games in a season since 2021-22 when they started 3-0, and it’s the first time they’ve been above .500 since being 4-3 in January 2023.

They won three games all of last season.

“Absolutely it’s mentality,” Carr said. “They know they have to work hard. I think in the past they’ve been able to get away with certain things. We want everybody when they come out of their house in the morning to be confident. That means when you go on the floor you have to be confident.

“I ask them you put clothes on every day? Yes. You eat every day? Yes. I said I need something to go with that every day and that’s confidence. I don’t care what it is, if it’s today’s task, if you’re going to take a test, if you’re going to play a basketball game, you have to bring a level of confidence.”

The Rams now play Steinert in Tuesday’s championship game. The Spartans (2-3) beat Clayton 54-42 behind Katie Corby’s 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. Bella Rosa had 18 points (four 3-pointers), 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

New Egypt Holiday Tournament
First round
SALEM 36, NEW EGYPT 24

Salem161612-36
New Egypt41073-24
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Dixon 3, Hickman); New Egypt 3 (Stillwell 3). Rebounds: Salem 29 (Weathers 8, Pierce 7, Dixon 6).


This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3

SUNDAY, DEC. 28
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Penns Grove vs. Vineland at Audubon, 11 a.m.
WRESTLING
Salem in Middletown South Tournament
Pennsville, Schalick in Overbrook Girls Tournament

MONDAY, DEC. 29
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech vs. Camden Prep, 10 a.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Moorestown Friends, Haddonfield, 10 a.m.
Salem at New Egypt (tournament), 1 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 30
BOYS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Collingswood at Overbrook Classic, 10 a.m.
Salem vs. Rancocas Valley at Delsea, 11 a.m.
Pennsville at Gateway, 11:30 a.m.
West Deptford at Schalick, noon
Penns Grove vs. Westhampton Tech at Delsea, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Maple Shade at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Salem at New Egypt Tournament
WRESTLING
Audubon, Long Branch, Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cherokee at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
Salem Tech at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.
St. Joe at Salem, 4 p.m.
Maple Shade at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cinnaminson at Woodstown, 1 p.m.
WRESTLING
Woodstown at Collingswood Duals, 9 a.m.
Northern Burlington, Manasquan, Holy Spirit at Salem, 10 a.m.
Pennsville at Hammonton Duals, 10 a.m.
Schalick, Haddon Heights, Mainland at Overbrook, 10 a.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

Bass closing in

Pennsville senior moves within 14 points of 1,000 for her career after 30-point night against Overbrook; includes 1,000-Point watch list

MONDAY BASKETBALL
BOYS
Woodstown 90, Glassboro 65: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Eli Caesar hit four and went for 20 and the Wolverines won their second straight after opening the season with two nail-biting losses. “We’re back on track,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said.

The trouble in the early losses was falling behind early and having to play catch-up. Against the Bulldogs jumped out 17-10 in the first quarter and 48-they hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and 48-24 at halftime. They hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and scored 31 points in the second quarter.

Salem 100, Great Oaks Charter (Del.) 71: Neziah Spence led four Rams in double figures with 20 points (and six steals). Xavier McGriff had 16, Deshaan Williams 12 (with eight rebounds) and Tymear Lecator 10 (with six assists). Marshall Stevens grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Penns Grove 67, Schalick 47: Roman Gipson led a balanced Red Devils’ scoring attack with 12 points. Geonni Conrad had 11 points and William Roy and Zane Thomas 10 each. Schalick’s Julian Dickerson hit five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 21 points.
Overbrook 61, Pennsville 15: Bilal Robinson led the Rams with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Lamar Little led all scorers with 24 points. Mason O’Brien led three Pennsville scorers with nine points.

GIRLS
Pennsville 61, Overbrook 21: The Eagles jumped out 20-0 in the first quarter, hit 11 3-pointers in the game and Taylor Bass scored a career-high 30 points to produce a third straight win.

Bass’ previous career high was 29 against Schalick last February. The senior now needs 14 points to become Pennsville’s newest 1,000-point scorer and the program’s third in two seasons. She’s averaging 23.0 in four games this season. The Eagles (3-1) host Haddon Twp. Saturday.

Marley Wood scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished 13 assists, one shy of her career high. Jaiden Wilson scored nine – all on 3-pointers.

If the Eagles ran a reverse Silent Night promotion, remaining quiet in the stands until the opposition scored, they would have been silent for more than nine minutes. The Rams finally broke their drought on a free throw with 6:59 left in the second quarter.

Glassboro 40, Woodstown 34: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett filled the box score with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Sanaa Thomas picked the Wolverines’ pocket for 10 steals. Kyia Leyman led Woodstown with 12 points.

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTONIGHTTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville30 vs. Overbrook986
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown25 vs. Glassboro775
Tymear Lecator, Salem10 vs. Great Oaks685

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 21-27

SUNDAY, DEC. 21
WRESTLING
Pennsville at Girls Beast of the East, New Castle, Del.
Woodstown at Beast of the East, Newark, Del.

MONDAY, DEC. 22
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glassboro at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK
Pennsville at Ocean Breeze, 4:30 p.m.
Salem at Bennett Center, 4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 23
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pennsville at Bridgeton, 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 26
WRESTLING
Schalick at Clayton Tournament
Salem girls at Clayton Tournament

SATURDAY, DEC. 27
BOYS BASKETBALL
St. Joseph at Salem, 12:30 p.m.
GCIT at Pennsville, 1:30 p.m.
Boardwalk Classic, Wildwood
Penns Grove vs. Millville, 2:30 p.m.
Woodstown Holiday Tournament
Camden Tech vs. Haddon Heights, 10 a.m.
Camden Prep vs. Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown vs. Holy Spirit, Haddonfield, 10 a.m.
Haddon Twp. at Pennsville, 10:30 a.m.
Audubon Holiday Tournament
Penns Grove vs. TBA, 11 a.m.
Vineland vs. Audubon, 2 p.m.
WRESTLING
Penns Grove, Schalick at Clayton Classic, 8 a.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook Tournament
INDOOR TRACK
Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia

High school Saturday

Here are the results from Saturday’s Salem County sports calendar

BOYS BASKETBALL
PLEASANTVILLE 61, SALEM 54: Deshaan Williams had 22 points and eight rebounds, but the Rams played much of the game without their floor leader and suffered their first loss of the season in the Ocean City PBA Tipoff Weekend.

Darrelle Johnson had nine points and eight rebounds, Marshall Stephens had six points, eight rebounds and two steals, and BJ Robbins had seven points, six assists and three steals. Standout guard Tymear Lecator left the game with an ankle injury and was held to one point.

The Rams (2-1) return to action Monday with a girls-boys home doubleheader against Greater Oaks Charter of Wilmington. The Gladiators’ boys are 4-1 with a one-point loss in their opener. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL
HIGHLAND 48, SALEM TECH 39: The Tartans used a 13-3 second quarter to take control and snapped a two-game losing streak. Highland put two scorers in double figures to offset Salem Tech junior Shelby Drummond’s game- and career-high 22 points. 
Winslow 53, Penns Grove 12

WRESTLING
HOWDY DUNCAN INVITATIONAL

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Gabe Supernavage placed second in 157 and four of his teammates placed in the top five helping Pennsville to an eighth-place finish in the Howdy Duncan Invitational at William Penn.

Supernavage made his way through the bracket with three straight tech falls in the shortest elapsed time (7:26), but was pinned by Davonne Dallas of Milford in the 157 final, after posting three straight tech falls on the road to get there.

Chase Baker, a 19-seed, needed a tournament-best one minute to score a 16-1 tech fall over Aidan Ulichney of Wilmington Charter in the 132 third-place match. Jacob Hand, the 23rd seed in his weight division, was fourth at 285 and Brett Land (113) and Travis Hagan (150) both placed fifth in their weight divisions.

BEAST OF THE EAST
NEWARK, Del. – Woodstown’s Mateo Vinciguerra, the second-seeded heavyweight, won two championship bracket matches to reach the Sunday quarterfinals in the Beast of the East.

Vinciguerra scored a 12-3 major decision in the Round of 32 and a 30-second pin in the Round of 16. He faces seventh-seeded Chris Funches of Grassfield in his first match Sunday.

Greyson Hyland went 2-2 at 175 and Carson Bradway 1-2 at 120.

Among other Salem County wrestlers at the meet, Schalick’s Aiden Jenkins (157) went 1-2 with a pin in the preliminary round, Salem’s James James lost his opening match, then scored three pins after a bye and teammates Sayge Herndon (106) and Derek Bush (120) both won a match

SALEM QUAD
Burlington Twp. 51, Salem 24
Salem 48, Camden/Eastside 24
Manchester Twp. 65, Salem 18

SALEM – Guylherme Quintaniha (132) went 3-0 with two pins and a forfeit win and Christian VonTonder (150) scored a pair of pins for the Rams. Quintaniha scored his pins against Burlington Twp. and Manchester Twp., while VonTonder pinned against Camden/Eastside and Manchester Twp.

CUMBERLAND DUALS
Brick Twp. 73, Penns Grove 6
Cherry Hill East 64, Penns Grove 12

BRIDGETON – Abdul Tart (144), Zaviyon Veney (215) and Antonio Cooper (285) scored the Red Devils’ points. Tart pinned against Brick to get the Red Devils on the board, while Veney and Cooper pinned against CHE.

INDOOR TRACK
PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown’s Josh Crawford and Penns Grove’s Arianna Dowe won events in Saturday’s fourth SJTCA meet of the season at the Ott Center.

Crawford won the boys 400 in 49.85, running a best-in-field 26.304 final lap. Dowe won the girls triple jump with a 32-7.75 on her first attempt.

Woodstown’s Kami Casiano (girls high jump) and Penns Grove’s Bryan Garlic (boys triple jump) posted third-place finishes.

Friday sports report

Salem County action in boys, girls basketball and more

FRIDAY’S GAMES
BOYS BASKETBALL
Schalick 67, Maple Shade 46
Pennsville at Salem Tech
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Woodstown 37, GCIT 27
Pennsville 51, West Deptford 40
Salem 45, Salem Tech 13
WRESTLING
Pennsville at William Penn (Del.) Tournament

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERFRIDAYTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville20 vs. GCIT956
Blake Bialecki, WoodstownDNP750
Tymear Lecator, SalemDNP674

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Woodstown is a different kind of team this season than it’s been in the past and as such is having to learn to make its own way. Everyone is watching to see how the Wolverines handle things with their two dynamic scorers gone to the next level and Friday night they took a big step in that direction.

Facing adversity for the first time this season, the Wolverines played their way back into the game in the second quarter and went on to defeat GCIT 37-27.

“It was a tough game,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “It’s the first game all year we started down, but I’m super proud of how the girls responded to adversity.”

The Wolverines (3-0) didn’t have a double-figure scorer, but they let defense be their guide. They held GCIT to seven field goals and 17 points over the final three quarters.

“The first quarter didn’t go our way, but we were taking good shots that just weren’t falling,” Smart said. “The girls never lost confidence in their game and each other.

“At the end of the first quarter I challenged the girls to match GCIT’s physicality, to be honest, with the basketball and to continue to play as a cohesive unit. They did that and more.”

Mia Waterman led the Wolverines with nine points – all on 3-pointers. Lauren Hengel had eight points, while drawing the defensive assignment on GCIT’s Averie Clement. Miya Leyman also scored eight points. Talia Guardascione only scored three points, but it was a three-point play in the third quarter that got everyone on the Woodstown side excited.

“We have a group of girls who are willing to work and learn together,” Smart said. “I’m grateful to be able to coach a tight knit group of girls that are willing to learn and develop as a team.”

GCIT (1-3): Maggie Duer 4 0-0 9, Averie Clement 3 0-2 7, Nathalie Pagan 4 2-5 11, Ingrid Giannone 0 0-0 0, Addison Tinges 0 0-0 0, Reilly McShane 0 0-0 0, Naomi Woods 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 2-7 27.
WOODSTOWN (3-0): Lauren Hengel 3 1-2 8, Miya Leyman 3 2-4 8, Emma Perry 1 0-2 2, Kendall Young 2 2-2 6, Mia Waterman 3 0-0 9, Talia Guardascione 1 1-1 3. Totals 13 6-11 37.

GCIT10557-27
Woodstown61696-37

3-point goals: GCIT 3 (Duer, Clement, Pagan); Woodstown 5 (Hengel 2, Waterman 3). Total fouls: GCIT 12, Woodstown 11.

PENNSVILLE 51, WEST DEPTFORD 40: Taylor Bass moved another 20 points closer to 1,000 and Marley Wood added 13 to her list already in the 1000-Point Club for Pennsville.

Bass and Wood combined for 11 in the second quarter as the Eagles (2-1) pulled away from a 10-10 tie to take a 287-17 halftime lead. Bass tweaked her ankle during the game and coach Steve Merritt lifted her with a little more than a minute to play for her protection or she likes would have 21 for the third game in a row. She currently sits on 956 career points.

WEST DEPTFORD (1-2): Addison Fronza 2 2-6 7, Carleen Connelly 2 0-0 4, Reyanna Jamison 1 0-2 3, Deanna Lawrence 5 0-1 11, Paige Clipper 0 0-0 0, Julia Barger 0 0-0 0, Mia Morrell 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Taylor 3 0-0 9, Rayanna Mujahid 3 0-1 6, Kara Christy 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-10 40
PENNSVILLE (2-1): Taylor Bass 9 1-1 20, Marley Wood 4 5-10 13, Isabella Saulin 1 0-0 2, Jaida Burns 2 1-2 5, Addison Johnston 3 0-0 8, Jaiden Wilson 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 7-13 51.

West Deptford107710-40
Pennsville10171113-51

3-point goals: West Deptford 6 (Fronza, Jamison, Lawrence, Taylor 3); Pennsville 4 (Bass. Johnston 2, Wilson). Fouled out: Jamison. Total fouls: West Deptford 16, Pennsville 14.

SALEM 45, SALEM TECH 13: Kemp Carr got the Salem football team back on a winning track and now as the seasons changed he’s looking to do the same with the Rams’ girls basketball team.

Dyalra Anderson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Carlysia Pierce filled the box score with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, leading the Rams over Salem Tech 45-13 for their first win of the season and first under new coach Carr.

“I’m happy how hard our girls play,” Carr said.

The Wolverines showed improvement from their season-opening loss to Woodstown, reducing their missed layups and turnovers. Their in-your-face defense held the Chargers scoreless in the second quarter.

Thirteen players played and eight scored. In addition to the double-figure scorers, Timmiyah Simmons added eight points and four rebounds, and Shyla Parsons grabbed six boards.

Salem Tech3037-13
Salem171495-45


BOYS BASKETBALL
PITTSGROVE — Orion Baldwin and Julian Dickerson scored 18 points apiece to lead Schalick to its first win of the season, 67-47 over Maple Shade.

After a tight first half, the Cougars pulled away in the third quarter and then put it away with a 20-7 fourth. Kade Macom gave them three double-figure scorers when he popped for 11.

MAPLE SHADE (0-3): Jaden Hawkins 7 0-0 17, James Waibel 1 0-0 2, Jaylen Robinson 5 1-3 11, Donovan Overby-Washington 2 0-0 4, Feranmi Odu 5 2-3 11, Hezekiah Delvalle 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 3-8 47.
SCHALICK (1-2): Orion Baldwin 5 5-9 18, Julian Dickerson 6 4-5 18, Dylan Sheehan 3 0-0 6, Justin Iacona 3 0-0 7, Kade Macom 4 1-1 11, Cooper Willoughby 2 0-0 4, Kenny Bartee 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 10-15 67.

Maple Shade1512137-46
Schalick15141820-67

3-point goals: Maple Shade 3 (Hawkins 3); Schalick 9 (Baldwin 3, Dickerson 2, Iacona, Macom 2, Bartee).

WRESTLING

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Schalick’s Emma Cain won two matches and scored seven team points in the consolation round of the Girls Beast of the East Tournament at William Penn High School. The 115-pounder scored both her wins with pins before being pinned in the fifth consolation round.went 3-2 in the Girls Beast of the East

Dominating defense

Schalick, Woodstown girls both deliver dominating defensive performances, includes all Salem County games, 1000-point watch

THURSDAY BASKETBALL
GIRLS GAMES
Pennsville 50, Glassboro 35
Woodstown 54, Penns Grove 10
Schalick 35, Overbrook 16
BOYS GAMES
Overbrook 84, Schalick 53
Glassboro 66, Pennsville 26
Salem 82, Salem Tech 25
Woodstown 63, Penns Grove 55

By Riverview Sports News

PINE HILL – Navaeh Robinson went off for 17 points and Schalick held Overbrook scoreless the entire first half on the way to a 35-16 victory.

The Cougars (2-0) jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead before the Rams finally scored on a 3-pointer in the third quarter. They have allowed just 51 points in winning their first two games for the first time in more than 15 years.

“We have had shutout quarters in the past but never a full half,” Schalick coach John Whalen said. “We told the girls in the beginning of the season we were making our mark on the defensive end this year.

“As always, we emphasize effort. It’s the one thing you always have control over. To their credit, they have bought in and taken pride in their effort. It has fueled our start to the season and I know they will continue to work to get better.”

SCHALICK (2-0) – Ava Scurry 2 1-2 5, Nevaeh Robinson 7 1-2 17, Cali Fisler 2 1-2 5, Willow Davis 1 1-4 5, Olivia Vanacker 1 0-0 2, Vic Basich 1 0-0 2, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Bailey Wentz 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-10 35.
OVERBROOK (1-2) – Leslies Rosario 0 0-0 0, Gianna Simon 1 3-3 5, Alexis Washington 0 0-0 0, Heaven Williams 0 0-0 0, Rosetta Loibman 1 0-0 3, Annalise Bosco 2 0-0 4, Kiya Townsend 0 0-0 0, Leigha Muff 1 1-2 4, Talia Wiggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 5 4-5 16.

Schalick             11        5          11        8-         35
Overbrook        0          0          7          9-         16
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Robinson 2, Davis); Overbrook 2 (Loibman, Muff). Fouled out: Loibman. Total fouls: Schalick 5, Overbrook 9.

WOODSTOWN 54, PENNS GROVE 10: The Wolverines put together a balanced scoring attack and another strong defensive effort to defeat its second straight in-county opponent to open the season.

Eleven different players scored for the Wolverines, led by Lauren Hengel’s 11 points and 10 from Kendall Young. Their defense held the Red Devils (0-2) scoreless in the second quarter and without a field goal in the fourth.

The Wolverines also had good ball movement, collecting 17 assists on their 22 field goals. Young had five assists and Mia Waterman had four. Kyia Leyman had three assists to go with nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.

Woodstown’s girls have now won 39 straight against Salem County competition.

PENNS GROVE (0-2) – JaNiyah Cummings 1 0-2 2, Keziah Patterson 1 0-0 2, NyAsia Numan 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Washington 0 2-6 2, Torres 0 0-0 0, Blackston 1 2-4 4, Colon 0 0-0 0, Cruz 0 0-0 0. Totals 3 4-12 10.
WOODSTOWN (2-0) – Lauren Hengel 4 1-2 11, Emma Perry 2 1-2 5, Kyia Leyman 4 0-2 9, Kendall Young 4 0-0 10, Mia Waterson 2 0-0 5, Talia Guardascione 1 0-0 3, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Maddie Roback 0 0-0 0, Ava White 1 0-0 3, Jaelyn McDonald 1 0-2 2, Gina Murray 0 0-0 0, Autumn Paleschic 0 0-0 0, Gabriella Maldonado 1 0-0 2, Kamiya Brunson 1 0-1 2, Cecelia Nachbar 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 2-9 54.

Penns Grove     5          0          4          1-         10 
Woodstown      17        17        14        6-         54
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Hengel 2, Leyman, Young 2, Waterman, Guardascione, White). Fouled out: Cummings. Total fouls: Penns Grove 7, Woodstown 11.

PENNSVILLE 50, GLASSBORO 35: Marley Wood had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Taylor Bass scored 21 points for the second game in a row as the Eagles won their first game of the season.

The teams were locked in a close game at halftime, but the Eagles outscored Glassboro 30-18 in the second half to win the game. Bass had 13 in the second half, including a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that got everyone’s attention, and Wood had 11. Addison Johnston had their other six points in the half on two of her three 3-pointers.

Bass and Wood also combined for nine assists and four steals. Jaiden Wilson grabbed eight rebounds and Jada Burns had five rebounds and four assists.

GLASSBORO (1-1) – Sanaa Thomas 2 2-4 6, Kezia Brackett 2 0-2 5, Grace Moore 3 0-2 6, Lily Czubas 4 1-2 9, Sianna Wedderburn 4 1-2 9, Laila Anderson 0 0-0 0, Tatianna Concepcion 0 0-0 0, Marissa Pasquarello 0 0-0 0, Cierra Garrison 0 0-0 0, Zoey Bailey 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 4-10 35. 
PENNSVILLE (1-1) – Taylor Bass 7 5-7 21, Marley Wood 6 3-4 15, Jaiden Wilson 0 1-2 1, Jada Burns 1 0-0 2, Addison Johnston 3 0-0 5, Isabelle Saulin 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 9-13 50.

Glassboro         8          9          9          9-         35
Pennsville         9          11        14        16-       50
3-point goals: Glassboro 1 (Brackett); Pennsville 5 (Bass 2, Johnston 3). Rebounds: Glassboro 40 (Czubas 13, Wedderburn 10); Pennsville 32 (Wood 13, Wilson 8). Fouled out: Wilson. Total fouls: Glassboro 13, Pennsville 13.

BOYS GAMES

WOODSTOWN 63, PENNS GROVE 55: After dropping nail-biters in their first two games, the Wolverines broke out with their first win of the season. Alejandro Vazquez hit three 3-pointers first half and finished with 19 points. Elijah Caesar had 16 and Lucas Fulmer added 13 with three second-half 3s.

The Wolverines trailed 33-28 at halftime, but used a 17-7 third quarter to take the lead. 

“We could easily be 3-0; just a couple plays away,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “It feels good to get that first one, though.”

Penns Grove’s Zane Thomas led all scorers with 26 points.

WOODSTOWN (1-2) – Elijah Caesar 6 4-7 16, Blake Bialecki 0 2-2 2, Alejandro Vazquez 7 1-2 19, Joshua King 2 2-7 6, Lucas Fulmer 5 0-0 12, C Miller 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 3 1-2 7. Totals 23 10-20 63.
PENNS GROVE (2-1) – Roman Gipson 0-0-0, Haneef Frisby 0-1-1, William Roy 4-2-13, Geonni Conrad 4-1-12, Zane Thomas 11-3-26, Mishawn Brantley 0-1-1, Luis Colon 1-0-2, Jeremy Costacamps 0-0-0. Totals 

Woodstown      20        8          17        18-       63
Penns Grove     16        17        7          15-       55
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Vazquez 4, Fulmer 3); Penns Grove 5 (Roy, Conrad 3, Thomas). Fouled out: Roy. Total fouls: Woodstown 13, Penns Grove 17.

GLASSBORO 66, PENNSVILLE 26: The Eagles had a tough time of it in Ray Heine’s debut as head coach. They fell behind 20-8 in the first quarter and never recovered. Mason O’Brien was their leading scorer with nine points. Glassboro’s Xavier Sabb outscored Pennsville by himself by a point.

PENNSVILLE (0-1) – Daniel Knight 7, Mason O’Brien 9, Gavin Spears 4, Chanler Lindenmuth 2, Jake Layfield 2, Aidan Clark 2.
GLASSBORO (1-2) – Xavier Sabb 27, Alex Adeleye 2, Maurice Davis 17, William Boggans 12, Derreck Robinson 2, Cam Parker-Akins 4, Lorenz Jones 2.

Pennsville         8          5          11        2-         26
Glassboro         20        21        16        9-         66

SALEM 82, SALEM TECH 25: The Rams jumped out to a 28-6 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Neziah Spence led the Rams with 16 points and Deshaan Williams had another monster game, going for 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Salem               28        24        11        19-       82
Salem Tech       6          7          3          9-         25

OVERBROOK 84, SCHALICK 53: Lamar Little knocked down eight 3-pointers and scored 36 points to lead the Rams. Bilal Robinson added 17 points. The Rams (2-0) had 12 3s in the game. Orion Baldwin and Julian Dickerson scored 14 points, respectively, for Schalick (0-2).

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTONIGHTTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville21 vs. Glassboro936
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown2 vs. Penns Grove750
Tymear Lecator, Salem8 vs. Salem Tech674

Coaching milestone

Salem’s Farmer collects 100th career coaching win in nail biter over Woodstown; story will be updated

TUESDAY BASKETBALL
BOYS
Clayton 102, Schalick 65
Salem 62, Woodstown 59
Wildwood at Pennsville
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wildwood 66, Pennsville 37
Schalick 40, Clayton 35
Woodstown 50, Salem 21

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Anthony Farmer certainly has had easier wins, but it’s hard to imagine any more personally satisfying at this stage in his coaching career than the one he collected Tuesday night.

Farmer scored his 100th career coaching win when his Salem basketball team held off a furious fourth-quarter charge by Woodstown for a 62-59 victory in their season opener.

“Obviously it’s a feel good moment to accomplish a milestone,” the nine-year coaching veteran said. “It just means you’ve been around a long time.

“To get 100 wins, taking over some programs that were in a rebuild. My first two stops were rebuild situations; I didn’t step into anything that was put together. First stop was pretty unsuccessful (at Middle Twp.), but then you come to Salem and you walk into something and build something of your own and I’m really proud of that.”

He would have had the milestone late last season, but the Rams were stripped of four wins in their 5-1 start due to an ineligible player. Despite the blow, the Rams went on to make the playoffs and post a winning record for the season, but it left him one short of the milestone and nine months to think about it..

In collecting the milestone win, Farmer now joins an elite group with 100 coaching wins, 1,000 high school points (St. Augustine) and 1,000 college points (Rutgers). He went on to play professionally overseas, but those records are incomplete.

“That speaks highly right there; that’s big time,” Farmer said. “I don’t know how many people across the state who can pull out a resume like that. To be a 1,000-point scorer in high school, 1,000-point scorer in the Big East, which was the best college basketball conference in America when I played, and then to transition because that doesn’t always translate.

“Because you were decent player at the high school level, at the college level, doesn’t mean you can go on and have success on any level. It just doesn’t. People just think because you were a decent player that it translates and it just doesn’t. You see so many great athletes fail on the coaching side because it doesn’t always translate. I must be learning and doing a little something right.”

Daeshaun Williams scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Rams’ effort. Marshall Stephens, playing his first high school basketball game in two years, had 10 points and eight boards. Tymear Lecator had 13 points in the second half.

Stephens played for the Rams as a sophomore, but moved to New York and only played football there last season because he didn’t think it was fair to his longtime teammates back in Salem to play their game while he was away.

“That tells you a lot about Marshall and his loyalty and how he feels about the Salem community and the kids,” Farmer said. “It’s a great opportunity with Antwuan (Rogers) signing early (with Temple football) and leaving, he’s able to step in. He’s very raw, but he’s an athlete.”

The Rams had big leads in both halves, but couldn’t shake their hosts. The Wolverines got it back to one at halftime with a big second quarter and were down 12 in the fourth quarter, but brought it back to a one-possession game. 

It was their second straight nailbiter for Woodstown. The Wolverines lost to Woodbury 53-52 at Penns Grove Saturday in their season opener. In both games they couldn’t get off a final shot.

Blake Bialecki led the Wolverines with 15 points. Elijah Caesar had 12 and Joshua King 11.

“It was a lot closer than it should have been,” Farmer said. “That nine (point lead) should’ve turned into 15, 16 the last two minutes, not four, so we’ve got to finish better.”

SALEM (1-0): Tymear Lecator 13, B.J. Robbins 0, Neziah Spence 7, Harlem Parsons 1, Cole Sayers 6, Daeshaun Williams 22, Xavier McGriff 4, Marshall Stevens 10, Donnie Weathers 0.
WOODSTOWN (0-2): Elijah Caesar 4 3-5 12, Jalen Markward 0 0-2 0, Andrew White 3 1-2 8, Blake Bialecki 4 5-7 15, Frank Hoerst 1 1-2 3, Connor Miller 1 2-2 5, Alejandro Vazquez 1 2-2 5, Joshua King 5 0-0 11, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-22 59.

Salem               22        8          13        19-       62
Woodstown      14        15        8          22-       59
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (King, Vazquez, Miller, Bialecki 2, White, Caesar). Rebounds: Salem 39 (Williams 13, Sayers 7, Stevens 8). Fouled out: Marshall, Vazquez. Total fouls: Salem 19, Woodstown 19.

Clayton 102, Schalick 65: The Cougars put four scorers in double figures, but it wasn’t near enough to overcome the Clippers’ depth firepower.

The Clippers ran 16 players into the game and 13 of them scored. James Fritz led the assault with 25 points, 10 steals and seven rebounds. Isaiah Aviles had 14 points and Jackson Venuto added 12 points and eight assists. 

Kade Macom had 16 points to lead Schalick. Sherrod Jones had 11 and Orion Baldwin and Cooper Willoughby had 10 apiece.

SCHALICK (0-1): Orion Baldwin 5-0-10, Julian Dickerson 4-0-8, Dylan Sheehan 2-0-4, Sherrod Jones 5-0-11, Justin Iacona 3-0-6, Kade Macom 7-0-16, Cooper Willoughby 5-0-10. Totals 31-0-65,
CLAYTON (1-0): Jackson Venuto 4 2-4 12, Anthony Taylor 1 0-0 2, Dominic Lemon 2 0-0 5, Trevor Rehm 4 0-0 9, King Mosley 2 0-0 5, Enok Figeruoa 0 0-0 0, Mason Gable 0 0-0 0, Nasir Carter 2 4-4 8, Isaiah Aviles 7 0-0 14, Anthony Archer 2 0-0 4, Kevin Mosley 2 1-2 8, Michael Bull 1 0-3 2, Kieran Queflander 0 0-0 0, Sincere Sierra 1 0-0 2, Justin Delaney 2 0-0 6, James Fritz 10 4-5 25. Totals 40 11-18 102.

Schalick            10        21        20        14-       65
Clayton             23        21        34        14-       102
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Macom 2, Jones); Clayton 9 (Fritz, Delaney 2, Ke. Mosley, Ki. Mosley, Rehm, Lemon, Venuto 2). Rebounds: Clayton 40 (Carter 7, Fritz 7).

1000-Point Watch

PLAYERTONIGHTTOTAL
Taylor Bass, Pennsville21 vs. Wildwood915
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown15 vs. Salem748
Tymear Lecator, Salem13 vs. Woodstown666

GIRLS BASKETBALL

SALEM — Woodstown opened its season looking a lot different than it had the past four years, but the results were the same.

The Wolverines may not have the dynamic scorers they had in recent years, but their defense was just as stout and together they produced a 50-21 win over Salem.

“Different can be good,” coach Matt Smart said. “Right now we are trying to figure out our identity, things like who are the leaders, who can play great defense, who can help us score.

“Almost every girl on our team has a vastly different role on the team than they have had in the past. We are still trying to figure out how to use everyone most effectively and yes there will be some struggles, but each and every girl is embracing the role.”

The Wolverines got balanced scoring from their starters with Lauren Hengel hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter and finishing with a team-high 14 and Mia Waterman hitting four 3s in the game for 12 points. Kendall Young had 10 points.

Defensively, the Wolverines held their hosts to two field goals and single digits each quarter. 

“You can really tell the girls enjoy the game of basketball and enjoy being around each other,” Smart said. “They give up good shots for better shots, they are starting to play as a defensive unit, and they are having fun doing it. They are smiling and laughing all the time, but when it comes to the game, they are able to lock in and perform.”

WOODSTOWN (1-0) – Lauren Hengel 5 1-1 14, Emma Perry 3 0-2 6, Kyia Leyman 3 0-0 6, Kendall Young 4 2-4 10, Mia Waterman 4 0-0 12, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Maddie Roback 0 0-0 0, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0, Gina Murray 1 0-0 2, Autumn Paleschic 0 0-0 0, Gabriella Maldinado 0 0-0 0, Cecelia Nachbar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-8
SALEM (0-1) – Timmyiah Simmions 1 0-0 2, Madison Dixon 3 0-2 7, Dyaira Anderson 0 1-2 1, Carlysia Pierce 2 3-7 7, Samiyah Moore 0 0-0 0, Kaliyah Taylor 0 0-4 0, Shyla Parsons 0 0-0 0, Triscia Wilson 2 0-0 4, Taleah Elliot 0 0-2 0. Totals 8 4-17 21.
Woodstown      18        12        13        7-         50
Salem               5          5          6          5-         21
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Hengel 3, Waterman 4); Salem 1 (Dixon). Total fouls: Woodstown 11, Salem 9.

Wildwood 66, Pennsville 37: The Warriors opened a 23-12 lead in the first quarter, then put it away with a 27-3 third quarter. They hit four of their 11 3-pointers in the first quarter and five in the third. 

Rebecca Benichou led three Wildwood scorers in double figures with 17 points, with eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Laila Fathi had 15 and Angela Wilber 12. The trio combined for 10 of the Warriors’ 3s.

Pennsville’s Taylor Bass led all scorers with 21 points, moving to within 85 of becoming the Eagles’ next 1,000-point scorer. 

PENNSVILLE (0-1) – Taylor Bass 10 0-0 21, Marley Wood 3 3-4 9, Isabelle Saulin 1 2-4 4, Addison Johnston 1 0-0 3, Jaida Burns 0 0-0 0, Jaiden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-8 37.
WILDWOOD (1-1) – Angela Wilber 3 1-2 12, Rebecca Benichou 6 2-2 17, Kiana D’Antuono 0 0-0 0, Addison Troiano 4 0-0 9, Joelle Murphy 4 1-1 9, Cydnee Kilian 1 0-0 2, Laila Fathi 5 1-2 15, Emma Bontreras 0 2-4 2, Sabrin Fathi 0 0-0 0, Antoinette Cooper 0 0-0 0, Ellasyn Morey 0 0-0 0, Lily Atkinson 0 0-0 0, Julia Ennis 0 0-0 0, Sarah Djellal 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 7-11 66.

Pennsville         12        8          3          14-       37
Wildwood         23        12        27        4-         66
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (Bass, Johnston); Wildwood 11 (Wilber 3, Benichou 3, Troiano, Fathi 4). Rebounds: Wildwood 39 (Benichou 8, Murphy 8). Total fouls: Pennsville 14, Wildwood 10.

Schalick 40, Clayton 34: Willow Davis scored nine of her game-high 12 points in the first half to help Schalick establish the lead and Olivia Vanacker had six of her 10 in the fourth quarter to help the Cougars close out their first season-opening win since 2022.

“It was a great win for us to set the tone for our season,” Cougars coach John Whalen said.

CLAYTON (0-1) – Deondria Simon 1 3-4 5, Janice Blair 0 1-2 1, India Bryant 3 1-2 9, Alivia Howey 0 0-2 0, India Williams 2 0-4 4, Bella Wiseburn 0 1-2 1, Gabby Searle 0 1-2 1, Kennedy Eaddy 1 3-4 5, Layana Carr-Archie 4 1-1 9. Totals 11 11-23 35.
SCHALICK (1-0) – Ava Scurry 2 2-4 6, Nevaeh Robinson 3 3-6 9, Cali Fisler 1 1-2 3, Willow Davis 4 3-6 12, Olivia Vanacker 4 2-4 10, Vic Basich 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-4 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-26 40.

Clayton             3          7          12        13-       35
Schalick            7          14        5          14-       40        
3-point goals: Clayton 2 (Bryant 2); Schalick 1 (Davis). Technical fouls: Williams. Fouled out: Williams, Scurry. Total fouls: Clayton 20, Schalick 21.