Category: SALEM

Salem County sweep

All three Salem County teams in South Jersey Group I boys playoffs won opening round games, two to collide in quarterfinals, Penns Grove gets second home game; upsets abound

SJ GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT
Friday’s games
Salem 67, Riverside 42
Woodstown 67, Paulsboro 49
Glassboro 64, Burlington City 61 (OT)
KIPP 46, Wildwood 41
New Egypt 42, Haddon Twp. 36
Penns Grove 43, Pitman 33
Audubon 45, Woodbury 41
Palmyra 66, Gateway 53
Monday’s games
No. 8 Woodstown at No. 1 Salem
No. 12 Glassboro at No. 4 KIPP
No. 14 New Egypt at No. 6 Penns Grove
No. 10 Audubon at No. 2 Palmyra

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Alejandro Vazquez was watching the Salem Community College playoff game with his Woodstown teammates Thursday night when the conversation turned to the Wolverines’ road in their own playoffs.

The Woodstown senior said he planned to give more than 100 percent in the Wolverines’ playoff opener against Paulsboro and even more in an anticipated second-round matchup with rival Salem.

Vazquez delivered on his first promise Friday, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 22 points in leading the Wolverines to a 67-49 win. The stage is at least set for him to fulfill the second promise as his team now draws top-seeded Salem Monday night.

“He just hit shots; he played big tonight,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “Andro was the first person in the gym. I told them come in at 3:30 and he was there at 3:15 getting his shots up. He was the first one in the gym, took the basketballs out. He was locked in right from the beginning.”

The Red Raiders clamped down on Woodstown gunner Blake Bialecki, but the Wolverines found offense elsewhere. In addition to Vazquez’ big game, freshman Frankie Hoerst had a career-high 16 points and Elijah Caesar had 11.

“In their zone they keyed on Blake,” Roots said. “They were in the 1-3-1, 1-2-2, they were physical with Blake. Blake made the right read and Andro just came and hit shots. Frankie played well, rebounded the ball, kicking it out. It was just a group effort.

“And we played at good pace. We took our time. We didn’t get sped up. We just played a good brand of basketball.”

Vazquez was really big in the third quarter when the Wolverines pulled away. He had 11 points in the quarter and Woodstown outscored its visitors 17-6 to carry a 46-29 lead into the fourth quarter. Paulsboro made a push and got within 10 in the fourth quarter but then Woodstown “made the right plays at the right time and made it difficult for them” to get any closer.

The next round promises to be even more intriguing. Roots was Salem coach Anthony Farmer’s assistant before taking the Woodstown job and every game between the teams since except the first one, which was Roots’ first game as head coach, has been a battle. Earlier this year the Wolverines had the ball down by three with five seconds left, but lost the possession to a curious carry call.

“I think we’re at a good space right now,” Roots said. “I think that Clearview game kind of helped us get back on track. You know, we went on that three-game skid, so that game got us back on track. We feel Paulsboro and Salem play similar styles, and I think Paulsboro did a good job preparing us for Salem, but Salem in the No. 1 team, they’re the favorite as they should (be), but I like our chances. If we play the right way and just control the ball, not get sped up and just play our pace I think we have a good chance.”

WOODSTOWN 67, PAULSBORO 49
PAULSBORO (11-4): Khalil Streater 5 0-0 10, Malakai McKenzie 7 1-3 18, Jeremiah Carr 6 1-1 14, LaShawn Clay 1 0-0 3, Majal Robinson 2 0-0 4, Jeff Taylor 0 0-0 0, Jakai Bennett 0 0-2 0, Dayvon Kersey 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 2-6 49.
WOODSTOWN (17-11): Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 11, Jalen Markward 1 1-2 3, Andrew White 2 0-0 5, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 1 2-2 4, Frank Hoerst 6 4-4 16, Alejandro Vazquez 7 5-6 22, Josh King 2 0-2 4. Totals 23 15-20 67.

Paulsboro1211620-49
Woodstown15141721-67
3-point goals: Paulsboro 5 (McKenzie 3, Carr, Clay); Woodstown 7 (Caesar 2, White, Vazquez 4). Fouled out: White. Total fouls: Paulsboro 17, Woodstown 11.

PENNS GROVE 43, PITMAN 33: The Red Devils followed a road map that will a team a lot of games. They put together a balanced offense and played tight defense.

The Red Devils, enjoying their winningest season since 2019-20 following this plan, didn’t have a player score more than nine points, but they spread the wealth among eight scorers. Haneef Frisby and Roman Gipson headed the effort with nine points apiece.

“We followed the gameplay to a T,” coach Damian Ware said. “We knew they had good shooters and we could not let them get open looks. Guys did their job and only allowed three 3-pointers to a team that can hit 10 to 15 if you’re not locked in.”

With New Egypt’s upset of third-seeded Haddon Twp., the Red Devils (17-11) get another home game and will host 14th-seeded Warriors (12-14) Monday night.

PITMAN (11-16): Lucas Razze 1-0-3, Parker DeChristopher 3-3-9, Joey Zubert 5-1-12, Jay Craig 1-0-2, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 3-0-7. Totals 13-4-33.
PENNS GROVE (17-11): Roman Gipson 4-1-9, Geonni Conrad 3-0-7, Will Roy 2-3-7, Haneef Frisby 3-3-9, Mishawn Brantley 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-1-5, Carson Pearsall 1-0-2, Luis Colon 1-0-2. Totals 17-8-43.

Pitman76119-33
Penns Grove1310614-43
3-point goals: Pitman 3 (Razze, Zubert, Bowen-Ashwin); Penns Grove 1 (Conrad).

SALEM 67, RIVERSIDE 42: The top-seeded Rams settled into the tournament with an expected win over a 16-seed, but considering some of the other results in the bracket they likely feel fortunate to have avoided the upset.

Three Rams scored in double figures and three others had 10 rebounds to lead the attack. Neziah Spence led the offense with 16 points, while Fatah Paige had 13 and 1,000-point scorer Tymear Lecator had 11. Deshaan Williams, Cole Sayers and Marshall Stephens grabbed 10 rebounds apiece.

The win earned Salem coach Anthony Farmer his second 20-win season with the Rams (21-8) and his first since the debut campaign.

SALEM 67, RIVERSIDE 42
RIVERSIDE (12-15): Cameron Brown 11 1-2 25, Andrew Weaver 4 3-4 13, Justin Porter 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Boston 2 0-0 4, Brett Grinnan 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Ali-Lewis 0 0-0 0, Gabriel Sanchez 0 0-0 0, Lewi Bin Isreal 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 4-4 42.
SALEM (20-5): Tymear Lecator 5 0-0 11, Neziah Spence 7 0-0 16, Darrelle Johnson 1 0-0 2, BJ Robbins 4 0-0 9, Deshaan Williams 3 0-0 6, Cole Sayers 2 0-0 4, Marshall Stephens 3 0-0 6, Fatah Paige 5 0-0 13. Totals 30 0-0 67.

Riverside751317-42
Salem1981624-67
3-point goals: Riverside 4 (Brown 2, Weaver 2); Salem 4 (Lecator, Spence 2, Robbins). Rebounds: Riverside 30 (Brown 10); Salem 49 (Williams 10, Sayers 10, Stephens 10).




Salem’s run ends in semis

Rams bowlers get off to slow start, see their generational run end in Group I semifinals

NJSIAA GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
Kinnelon 2, Salem 0
Middlesex 2, Rutherford 0
Championship
Middlesex 2, Kinnelon 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The Salem boys bowling team was making history every time it stepped on the lanes, a “generational run” is what they called it, but a different kind of history caught them in the end.

PEREZ

The Oil Crisis hit the U.S. in the 80s, but that’s what did in the Rams Friday in the NJSIAA Group I Final Four. They struggled to find the right oil line in the first game of their semifinal match at the Lucky Strike Bowling Center, fell behind and were swept out by top-seeded Kinnelon 2-0.

Kinnelon bowled undefeated Middlesex for the Group 1 state championship.

“It definitely was a rough day,” Rams coach Kenny Buck said. “The boys came into it thinking they had a really good chance

“We were probably thrown off by one or two things. I think maybe two bowlers might have gotten caught up in the moment; I know they didn’t adjust well. They were unfamiliar with the oil pattern. None of my bowlers were able to throw the ball the way they normally throw it. They were constantly adjusting and my better bowlers were able to adjust quicker.”

The South Jersey-champion Rams dropped Game One 748-710 under the weight of 23 open frames. They adjusted to the oil pattern in Game Two, but lost that game, 860-837. Kinnelon had 20 open frames in Game One, too, but threw 10 strikes and picked up 17 spares. The Rams rolled 12 strikes in the first game, but converted only 13 spares.

The oil pattern was such a challenge AJ Carlson, the Rams’ hottest bowler in the playoffs, opened the match with four empty balls and JD Puni went the entire game without a mark.

“I heard everyone had trouble with it, but definitely my guys; it was rough” Buck said. “A lot of people were having a hard time finding the pocket.

“I knew it was going to be tight. I told my boys they would have to bowl their best game. When we threw those two blanks I said that’s not going to be recoverable. We were still in the game, but they just couldn’t find their setting.”

The Rams did get up to speed in Game Two, but just didn’t have enough to overtake the Colts.

Leadoff man Rudy Perez, a left-hander, had the best of it for the Rams. He bowled the two highest games of the match (211-207) and had high series (418). He had runs of four straight strikes in frames 4 through 7 in both games. He was the only Ram to bowl above his average.

Captain Trou Carey and Carlson were the only other Rams with consecutive strikes in the match, and they were only able to bag two in a row once each.

“He was definitely locked in,” Buck said of Perez.

The loss brought a sad end to an otherwise historic season for the Rams. They set a school-record for wins, won the Tri-County Classic Division, won their first South Jersey sectional title and bowled in the Final Four for the first time. Their year-end starting five all had average of 154 or better.

“All things considered it was amazing,” Buck said. “The boys created this great bond, all of us did, we started referring to ourselves as a family and that was just amazing. We played for each other.

“We have so many games where we won just because we were so resilient and we stayed positive and we fought for each other. It was just a beautiful thing to watch. I’m sad that it ended in this way, but all great things must come to an end.”

Captain Carey echoed his coach’s sentiment.

“We just didn’t have a great day, but regardless of it all I wouldn’t want to be surrounded by any other group of guys,” he said. “The bonds and memories of not only this season and watching us grow and gel together as a team will never be forgotten. I love those guys and we made history at the end of the day so I can’t be too upset.”

SALEM (12-4)G1G2TOTAL
Rudy Perez211207418
AJ Carlson93154247
JD Puni74149223
Semaj Carey173153326
Troy Carey159174333
TOTAL7108371547
KINNELON (18-4)G1G2TOTAL
Joseph Canariato155142297
Preston Jones115206321
Michael Sprague140151291
John Sprague187201388
Zak Kessler151160311
TOTAL7488601608

Tough day on lanes

Salem’s Carey starts solid, then battles to find the right line in Top 100 tournament; Rams return Friday for Group I Final Four

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NORTH BRUNSWICK – Troy Carey got off to the same solid start he did in last year’s Top 100 tournament Thursday, but he spent the last two games trying to find the right line and did not advance to the match play portion of the state’s individual boys bowling championship.

The Salem senior captain rolled games of 199, 176 and 175 for a 550 series at the Lucky Strikes Bowling Center and placed 64th out of the 100 qualifiers. A series of 625 or better made the cut into the 18-man finals.

“A 183 isn’t the worst average of the day I guess,” he said. “I know I had higher expectations, but the pairs I played on weren’t the greatest. At the end of the day life goes on. I’m right back up here tomorrow with my team (in the Group 1 semifinals).

“I tried not to have any certain expectation, just bowl and have fun, just try to deal with whatever I’m faced with and just hope the cards are in my favor.”

Carey opened last year’s Top 100 with a 199 and missed match play by one pin – a sticky 10 pin he said was something “that ate me alive for a good couple months.”

On Thursday, with all his teammates in the gallery supporting him, Carey picked up a spare in the first frame then ran off four straight strikes before an open frame ended the run. He closed with a strike-9-spare in the tenth for the 199.

But when the bowlers changed lanes, so did his fortunes. Normally a strong closer, he threw his two lowest games in competition in a month (20 games). He did finish with four straight strikes in the final game to feel a little better about his day.

“(The third game) was really hard,” he said. “The pair played really iffy. It felt like my ball was reacting different after every shot. Every frame it was a different ball reaction.

“I caught myself trying to stay ahead of it and just compensate for the last ball. It just didn’t go right. The middle game was very similar, but I’m not trying to use it as an excuse.”

Rams coach Kenny Buck could tell his captain was having trouble with the lane conditions, but was impressed with the way he tried to battle through it.

“I saw someone who was constantly looking, constantly reflecting like I asked him to,” Buck said. “He was trying to find that lane, the throw that would work. He never gave up. He kept trying. In fact, in the third game he kind of found it in the last two frames. I think he’s ready for tomorrow.”

The Rams (12-3) return to the house Friday morning to face top-seeded Kinnelon (17-4) in the Group 1 semifinals. A win will send them to bowl either Rutherford (18-5) or Middlesex (19-0) for the state championship, which would be the crowning achievement in what they’re already calling a “generational run.”

“I feel real strongly about my guys,” Carey said. “I feel like we’ll do what we’ve gotta do.

“When we have energy, we’re a great team. Tomorrow we’ll just bowl as team, play for each other. When we do that, bowl as a brotherhood, it’s hard to beat us. At the end of the day, as long as everybody just plays their role and we just do our job we’ll be fine.”

The top qualifier was eventual champion Donaven Kline of Wall. Kline bowled a 300 in Game Two, posted an 835 series and won the individual title in extra frames over second-seeded William Cunningham of St. Joe (Metuchen). GCIT’s Annabelle Carter won the girls title.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Fev. 23-28; all events subject to the weather; first-round South Jersey Group I basketball tournament games now on Friday


WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Region XIX/North Atlantic District A Tournament
Ocean at Salem CC

THURSDAY, FEB. 26
BOWLING
NJSIAA Top 100, Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick

FRIDAY, FEB. 27
BOYS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Riverside at Salem, 5 p.m.
Paulsboro at Woodstown, 5 p.m.
Glassboro at Burlington City, 6:30 p.m.
Wildwood at KIPP, 6 p.m.
New Egypt at Haddon Twp., 7:30 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Audubon at Woodbury, 5:30 p.m.
Gateway at Palmyra, 6 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
South Jersey Group I Tournament
Paulsboro at Haddon Twp.
Burlington City at Woodbury
New Egypt at Palmyra
Cape May Tech at Glassboro
Salem at Audubon, 5 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 5 p.m.
Schalick at Gateway, 5 p.m.
Clayton at Wildwood
BOWLING
Group I Championship
At Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick
Salem vs. Kinnelon, 9 a.m.
Middlesex vs. Rutherford, 9 a.m.
Title match to follow
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Ocean at Salem CC, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 28
INDOOR TRACK
NJSIAA Group I Championship, Toms River
WRESTLING
NJSIAA District Tournament
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Region XIX/North Atlantic District A&B finals, Northampton CC
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC at Ocean (2), noon

Salem County leaders

Here are the Salem County boys and girls basketball stats leaders for the 2025-26 season; minimum 50 percent of team games, stats contingent on accuracy of reports to state service

Boys

SCORING (based on avg.)PTSAVGFG FTGP
Mason O’Brien, PV23616.86844614
Tymear Lecator, Sal36416.551187622
Blake Bialecki, Wo36413.481185527
Dashaan Williams, Sal27211.83926023
Julian Dickerson. Sch25711.68954122
Roman Gipson, PG30111.151222927
Eli Caesar, Wo2529.69903226
Dylan Sheehan, Sch1899.45783320
Geonni Conrad, PG2539.37993127
Danny Knight, PV1599.3534617
Neziah Spence, Sal1999.05585422
Andrew White, Wo2148.56823125
Alejandro Vazquez, Wo2278.41712527
Chase Pompper, ST1627.71652621
Will Roy, PG2087.7090927
Kade Macom, Sch1697.68671522
Aiden Bobo, ST1517.55611920
Carson Pearsall, PG1317.28502018
Sherrod Jones, Sch1227.18521317
Raphael Busch, ST1297.17541918
Orion Baldwin, Sch1456.90532221
Lucas Fulmer, Wo986.53341125
Xavier McGriff, Sal1396.32462022
Haneef Frisby, PG1296.14551821
Fatah Paige, Sal966.0042216
Josh King, Wo1505.56632127
Marshall Stephens, Sal1205.455822
Luke Kroll, ST605.4522511
BJ Robbins, Sal1005.263919
Darrelle Johnson, Sal815.0626616
Jameel Horace, PG755.0045415
3-POINTERSTOTAL
Blake Bialecki, Wo70
Tymear Lecator, Sal42
Alejandro Vazquez, Wo41
Julian Dickerson, Sch32
Neziah Spence, Sal30
Roman Gipson, PG28
Eli Caesar, Wo28
Geonni Conrad, PG24
Mason O’Brien, PV22
Kade Macom, Sch20
Orion Baldwin, Sch17
Will Roy, PG17
Lucas Fulmer, Wo17
Xavier McGriff, Sal15
Carson Pearsall, PG13
REBOUNDING (based on avg.)TOTAVGGP
Dylan Sheehan, Sch1979.8520
Dashaan Williams, Sal1868.0923
Raphael Busch, ST1407.7818
Marshall Stephens, Sal1677.5922
Haneef Frisby, PG1557.3821
Andrew White, Wo1606.4025
Fatah Paige, Sal925.7516
Josh King, Wo1425.2627
Mishawn Brantley, PG1385.1127
Frank Hoerst, Wo1015.0520
Tymear Lecator, Sal984.4522
Darrelle Johnson, Sal704.3816
Blake Bialecki, Wo1154.2627
Julian Dickerson, Sch863.9122
Aiden Bobo, ST713.5520
Sherrod Jones, Sch593.4717
Eli Caesar, Wo903.4626
Jalen Markward, Wo683.4020
Jameel Horace, PG503.3315
Cooper Willoughby, Sch693.2921
Xavier McGriff, Sal723.2722
Kade Macom, Sch703.1822
Alejandro Vazquez, PG843.1127
Roman Gipson, PG802.9627
Mason O’Brien, PV412.9314
FREE THROWS (min. 1 FTA per GP)FTMFTAPCT.
Blake Bialecki, Wo5564.859
Neziah Spence, Sal5466.818
Tymear Lecator, Sal7699.768
Eli Caesar, Wo3243.744
Julian Dickerson, Sch4156.732
Josh King, Wo2129.724
Alejandro Vazquez, Wo2535.714
Dylan Sheehan, Sch3448.708
Mason O’Brien, PV4666.697
Kade Macom, Sch1523.652
Xavier McGriff, Sal2031.645
Andrew White, Wo3150.620
Deshaan Williams, Sal60105.571
Chase Pompper, ST2658.483
Raphael Busch, ST1940.475
Orion Baldwin, Sch2248.458
Sherrod Jones, Sch1330.433
Aiden Bobo, ST1946.413
Luke Kroll, ST516.312
ASSISTSTOTSTEALSTOT
Tymear Lecator, Sal113Geonni Conrad, PG62
Roman Gipson, PG97Julian Dickerson, Sch52
Alejandro Vazquez, Wo86Roman Gipson, PG48
Blake Bialecki, Wo79Will Roy, PG47
Orion Baldwin, Sch64Josh King, Wo45
BJ Robbins, Sal56
Julian Dickerson, Sch53Alejandro Vazquez, Wo41
Will Roy, PG49Blake Bialecki, Wo41
Eli Caesar, Wo43Orion Baldwin, Sch40
Geonni Conrad, PG37Dylan Sheehan, Sch39
Dylan Sheehan, Sch34Eli Caesar, Wo37
Carson Pearsall, PG31Chase Pompper, ST36
Lucas Fulmer, Wo28Haneef Frisby, PG35
Josh King, Wo27Jalen Markward, Wo34
Jalen Markward, Wo27Luis Colon, PG33
Darrelle Johnson, Sal26Sherrod Jones, Sch31
Chase Pompper, ST25Neziah Spence, Sal28
Andrew White, Wo23Carson Pearsall, PG26
Sherrod Jones, Sch22Xavier McGriff, Sal26
Mason O’Brien, PV20Andrew White, Wo25
Ayden Myers, ST20Lucas Fulmer, Wo21
Neziah Spence, ST20
Luis Colon, ST20
BLOCKED SHOTSTOT
Marshall Stephens, Sal42
Mishawn Brantley, PG29
Aiden Bobo, ST22
Raphael Busch, ST20
Andrew White, Wo19
Haneef Frisby, PG18
Dylan Sheehan, Sch12
Sherrod Jones, Sch12
Frank Hoerst, Wo12
Kade Macom, Sch10

Girls

SCORING (based on avg.)PTS.AVG.FGFTGP
Taylor Bass, PV34414.961383823
Marley Wood, PV27913.29976121
Dyaira Anderson, Sal22213.0617
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch30012.501182824
Keziah Patterson, PG27212.3622
JaNiyah Cummings, PG23410.6422
Lauren Hengel, Wo26110.041012026
Addie Johnston, PV2189.48821123
Carlysia Pierce, Sal1629.0018
Kendall Young, Wo2298.81912726
Kyia Leyman, Wo1787.74761723
Madison Dixon, Sal1217.5616
Shelby Drummond, ST1057.5014
Shelby Liber, ST997.0714
Willow Davis, Sch1547.00512622
Mikayla Washington, PG1456.5922
Ava Scurry, Sch1296.14561721
Emma Perry, Wo1435.72591125
Amora Delaine, ST795.6414
Rylee Doerr, ST505.569
Liv VanAcker, Sch1105.00383122
Timmiyah Simmons, Sal504.5511
Jaryn Weathers, Sal634.5014
Cali Fisler, Sch873.95302622
Jaida Burns, PV783.9036820
Jaiden Wilson, PV823.7329822
Izzy Saulin, PV813.68371022
Talia Guardascione, Wo793.04252426
3-POINTERSTOTAL
Addie Johnston, PV41
Lauren Hengel, Wo34
Taylor Bass, PV30
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch29
Willow Davis, Sch25
Marley Wood, PV24
Shelby Liber, ST21
Kendall Young, Wo17
Jaiden Wilson, PV16
Madison Dixon, Sal16
Keziah Patterson, PG15
Shelby Drummond, ST13
REBOUNDING (based on avg.)TOTAVGGP
Dyaira Anderson, Sal24514.4117
Rylee Doerr, ST11412.679
Mikayla Washington, PG2129.6422
Ava Scurry, Sch1999.4821
Lauren Hengel, Wo2318.8826
Amora Delaine, ST1238.7914
JaNiyah Cummings, PG1908.6422
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch2028.4224
Marley Wood, PV1667.9021
Kyia Leyman, Wo1727.4823
Carlysia Pierce, Sal1347.4418
Kendall Young, Wo1365.2326
Liv VanAcker, Sch1105.0022
Triscia Wilson, Sal544.9111
Madison Dixon, Sal774.8116
Cali Fisler, Sch1054.7722
Taylor Bass, PV1084.7023
Jaryn Weathers, Sal634.5014
Jaida Burns, PV884.4020
Emma Perry, Wo1064.2425
Izzy Saulin, PV863.9122
Evening Amedee, ST223.679
Shelby Drummond, ST513.6414
Jaiden Wilson, PV713.2322
Timmiyah Simmons, Sal353.1811
Tiara Bazemore, ST443.1414
Keziah Patterson, PG693.1422
Rachel Reed, ST313.1010
Talia Guardascione, Wo803.0826
FREE THROWS (min. 1 FTA per GP)FTMFTAPCT.
Marley Wood, PV6199.616
Talia Guardascione, Wo2443.558
Taylor Bass, PV3871.535
Kendall Young, Wo2751.529
Willow Davis, Sch2657.456
Shelby Liber, ST818.444
Emma Perry, Wo1125.444
Ava Scurry, Sch1739.436
Liv VanAcker, Sch3173.425
Amora Delaine, ST1740.425
Cali Fisler, Sch2662.419
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch2869.406
Rylee Doerr, ST820.400
Lauren Hengel, Wo2051.392
Kyia Leyman, Wo1747.362
ASSISTSTOTSTEALSTOT
Marley Wood, PV148Carlysia Pierce, Sal84
Liv VanAcker, Sch88Taylor Bass, PV80
Lauren Hengel, Wo64Keziah Patterson, PG78
Kendall Young, Wo61Kendall Young, Wo74
Taylor Bass, PV50Liv VanAcker, Sch73
Emma Perry, Wo48Willow Davis, Sch67
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch48Cali Fisler, Sch67
Carlysia Pierce, Sal48Lauren Hengel, Wo61
Addie Johnston, PV39JaNiyah Cummings, PG53
Cali Fisler, Sch38Ava Scurry, Sch50
Madison Dixon, Sal37Emma Perry, Wo49
Talia Guardascione, Wo32Marley Wood, PV44
Willow Davis, Sch30Addie Johnston, PV43
Keziah Patterson, PG29Nevaeh Robinson, Sch38
JaNiyah Cummings, PG29Madison Dixon, Sal36
Shelby Liber, ST27Mikayla Washington, PG35
Jaiden Wilson, PV26Talia Guardascione, Wo34
Shelby Drummond, ST24Jaiden Wilson, PV33
Jaida Burns, PV20Shelby Drummond, ST30
Dyaira Anderson, Sal20Izzy Saulin, PV28
Kaliyah Taylor, Sal20Amora Delaine, ST28
BLOCKED SHOTSTOTAL
Ava Scurry, Sch85
JaNiyah Cummings, PG50
Rylee Doerr, ST31
Mikayla Washington, PG28
Kyia Leyman, Wo27
Amora Delaine, ST20
Carlysia Pierce, Sal18
Dyaira Anderson, Sal18
Lauren Hengel, Wo17
Marley Wood, PV16
Cali Fisler, Sch12
Keziah Patterson, PG11
Nevaeh Robinson, Sch11

Sectional champs

Salem bowlers come from behind to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic for first South Jersey Group I title in school history

GROUP I BOYS BOWLING
Saturday’s sectional finals
SOUTH
Salem 2, Camden Catholic 1
CENTRAL
Middlesex 2, Warren Tech 0
NORTH I
Kinnelon 2, Newton 1
NORTH II
Rutherford 2, North Arlington 0
GROUP I SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, at Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick
Salem (12-3) vs. Kinnelon (17.4), 9 a.m.
Middlesex (19-0) vs. Rutherford (18-5), 9 a.m.
Finals to follow

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

STRATFORD – All year long the Salem bowling team felt underestimated and overlooked. Even in the midst of an historic season, they were dismissed by the competition. The only people who truly believed were the guys in the blue shirts standing on the lanes, so there really was no panic when they lost the first game Saturday.

The Rams proved all the doubters wrong on their generational run Saturday, rallying from that close Game One loss to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic 2 games to 1 and win their first South Jersey Group I bowling title in school history.

The second-seeded Rams (12-3) lost the first game by three pins, 874-871, then stormed the lanes, winning 890-841 to tie the match and 988-866 in the clincher.

“We came back, we rallied together,” captain Troy Carey said. “We just used (the first game) as drive. Yes, it was a frustrating loss because we know it wasn’t our best, but we used it as drive, motivation, to make the next two personal.

“I said to all my seniors how do you want to be remembered at the end of the day. Do you want to be remembered as a team that made history or a team that had a ton of potential, just couldn’t get the job done?”

Armed with that bit of motivation, they went on to post the only upset among the four sectional finals staged at 30 Strikes as all the other No. 1 seeds won their matches.

“Last I think we had like a 5-8 season but people saw what we were capable of and they were coming to us saying you might have a pretty good season,” Rams coach Kenny Buck said. “They lived up to it.

“Having the talent isn’t enough. You have to put that work in, you have to have that dream, to have to do all the unmeasurables to actually be a champion and that’s what they did. I feel like it’s even more than just putting Salem on the map. They showed everyone we’re a force to reckon with.”

The Rams now go to Lucky Strikes in North Brunswick Tuesday – weather permitting – for the Group I Final Four. Middlesex (19-0), Kinnelon (17-4) and Rutherford (18-5) are the other finalists. The Final Four will be seeded based on the teams’ original PowerPoint number at the cutoff date, so the Rams would draw top-seeded Kinnelon in the semifinals.

AJ Carlson (C) has delivered in a big way for the Salem bowling team during the playoffs, consistently bowling over his average.

In a game where there is no defense, success rides on how well a bowler is rolling it that particular day and AJ Carlson came up big for the Rams for the second playoff match in a row. The junior rolled games of 226, 184, 219, posting his career high game and high series. His average entering the match was 151.19.

Six of his seven playoff games have all been above his average – by a total of 239 pins.

Buck called the impact Carlson had on the victory “unmeasurable.”

“This is the best I’ve bowled,” Carlson said. “I did consistently well and I did everything I could to play for the team.

“I just tried to be a team player, play consistent, just stay out of my head. I knew I had the potential to do it because I’ve done it before, but this was my first game with a 200 average during an actual match where it actually counts. I just shot my shot.”

Captain Carey bounced back from an opening 189 that was 20 pins below his average to roll games of 225 and 231 in the two wins. Semaj Carey gave the Rams a third 200 game in the clincher, rolling a 227, 50 pins over his average.

“Just playing for my brothers; I’ve gotta be there for them just like they’re there for me,” Troy said of his comeback. “First game I didn’t bowl to my average, so I felt like I owed them Game 2 and 3. Just played for them.”

The Irish (10-4-2) came out quickly in the match and got strikes from seven of their first nine bowlers. Carlson gave the Rams a shot in the game with a closing run of seven straight strikes, including three in the tenth. 

The Rams carried an 11-pin lead into the last frame of that first game, but they suffered two open frames in the tenth to open the door for the Irish to steal. Still, the loss didn’t deter them for the rest of the match. In fact, it may have inspired them.

“We realized once we lost it was by such a small among we could easily bring this thing back in the second and third,” Carlson said. “As long as we played to our averages and as consistently as we could, that would be a clear win.”

“That’s the one thing I really wanted my kids to learn, how to overcome obstacles when you’re confronted with them and were confronted with obstacles on the way to this path, maybe four years’ worth,” Buck said. “The theme for the last couple weeks has been you have to go in there and fight. Especially in the playoffs they really showed that they’re fighters. Have been all season.”

SALEMG1G2G3SERIES
Rudy Perez168181175524
AJ Carlson226184219629
JD Puni139143136418
Semaj Carey158157227542
Troy Carey189225231645
TOTAL871890*988*2749
CAMDEN CATHOLICG1G2G3SERIES
Chase Wolk199146161506
Brett Kehoe171177158506
Mike Salamon169162203534
Sean Burns171161175507
Rob Nawn164195169528
TOTAL874*8418662581
Salem coach Kenny Buck engages with Troy Carey after the Rams’ senior buried his fifth straight strike to open Game Two.




Playing for a title

Schalick girls earn a spot in the TCC Postseason Bracket title game, host Deptford Saturday morning; includes TCC Tournament scores and Salem County consolation games

TCC GIRLS TOURNAMENT
Postseason Bracket
Schalick 47, Salem 33
Deptford 54, Clayton 39
Championship Bracket
Gloucester Catholic 60, Clearview 29
Wukdwiid 69, Glassboro 64 (3 OT)
Consolation games
Washington Twp. 44, Woodstown 20
Pennsville 57, Cumberland 35
TCC BOYS TOURNAMENT
Championship Bracket
Kingsway 52, Overbrook 41
Cumberland 57, Williamstown 54
Postseason Bracket
Triton 53, GCIT 51
Washington Twp. 55, Pitman 40
Consolation games
Woodstown 77, Clearview 50

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — John Whelan held his breath a little bit when the Tri-County Conference officials were seeding their annual tournament and he let out a small sigh of relief when they finished their business.

Whelan’s Schalick girls basketball team was having one of their best seasons in a while, but its power points on Super Bowl Sunday left it on the bubble of making the TCC Championship Bracket reserved for the the league’s 12 heaviest hitters or the Postseason Bracket with what was left.

A power point here or there or a team jump-seeding its neighbor in the standings and a lot of things could change. When it all shook out, the Cougars fell on the Postseason Bracket side of the line — the No. 1 seed, if fact — and now, instead of facing an upper seed in the first round of the upper bracket with the expected consequences, they have a chance to win a championship.

The Cougars earned a spot in the Postseason Bracket championship game Thursday night when they dumped Salem 47-33. They now host Deptford (12-14) for the title Saturday at 10 a.m.

“It’s exciting,” Whelan said. “The girls deserve it. They’ve earned it. They put the work in all season, in the offseason in here, every practice, in the weight room, so it’s kind of come full circle for us. It’s exciting times to have this opportunity.”

In the past, the TCC split its tournament into three divisions – the top 8 (A), the eight in the middle of pack (B) and the also-rans (C),. This year they decided to expand the upper bracket to reward the league’s four division winners that sometimes didn’t make the A Bracket with first-round byes

They seeded it straight on the power points among the conference’s 23 teams – with the exception of the division winners who earned the top four seeds – and went to a 12-team upper and 11-team lower bracket. 

The Cougars came in at No. 13, despite having as many or more wins than seven teams in the Championship Bracket at the time of the seeding, meaning they were the first team out and the whole Postseason Bracket went through them. They were the winningest team in the bracket by five wins.

“You always want to strive to play for that higher competition, but we fell where we fell,” Whelan said. “The 1 seed, that would be extra home games for us. We approach it the same way we would any other bracket or championship or any other game. This is just as important to us as it would be if we were in the other bracket.

“It definitely gave us an opportunity to be where we are, for sure. Some of the upper-tier teams is something we’re striving to work towards and we’re making good strides. This is definitely a bracket with good competition, as seen in the past two games, and we’ll see again Saturday. This is the start of our post-season.” 

Nevaeh Robinson led Schalick with 14 points and nine rebounds. Cali Fisler had a career-high 13 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She was 5-for-6 in the fourth quarter, undermining the Rams’ strategy for getting back in the game. 

The Cougars were 18-of-27 from the line for the game, while the Rams were 13-of-29.

“We talked about the importance of free throws, especially in a playoff game,” Whelan said. “We knew it was going to be physical and we prepared for that mentally and physically. We spent a lot of time with free throws (in practice) and to their credit they knocked them down.”

“I just was really confident this game,” Fisler said. “I knew what I could do at line. I knew my percentages overall have not been very good this season, but I knew what I could do, so I stayed calm despite the noise they were trying to make and I just did what I do.”

Point guard Liv VanAcker got the Cougars through some of the more chaotic moments of the fast-paced game and dished seven assists to move within four of Abby Chomo’s single-season school record (89). Ava Scurry blocked four more shots, leaving her four shy of her single-season record (85).

“It was chaotic, yes, but our team is very good with chaos,” VanAcker said. “At first we start off a little shaky, but we get our groove after a while.”

DyAira Anderson led Salem with 14 points and 20 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Rams forced Schalick into numerous turnovers early and led 5-4 after a turnover-filled first quarter, but they were negatively impacted throughout by missing too many shots in close and struggling at the free throw line.

“You’ve gotta have the ball go through the circle.,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “You can’t get four and five shots at the basket, two feet, and you don’t make it. It’s not so much what they did more than what we didn’t do. We just didn’t execute what we needed to execute. You’ve gotta make shots.”

SCHALICK 47, SALEM 33
SALEM (9-10): Madison Dixon 3 0-2 6, DyAira Anderson 3 8-13 14, Carlysia Pierce 3 5-14 11, Jaryn Weathers 0 0-0 0, Tricia Wilson 1 0-0 2, Kaliyah Taylor 0 0-0 0, Samiyah Moore 0 0-0 0, Zanyah Frieson 0 0-0 0, Timmiyah Simmons 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 13-29 33
SCHALICK (17-6): Cali Fisler 3 7-8 13, Ava Scurry 4 0-0 8, Willow Davis 1 2-2 5, Nevaeh Robinson 5 2-5 14, Liv VanAcker 0 5-8 5, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 2-2 2, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neil 0 0-2 0. Totals 13 18-27 47.

Salem571011-33
Schalick4161215-47
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Davis, Robinson 2). Rebounds: Salem 55 (Pierce 12, Anderson 20); Schalick 26 (Scurry 5, Robinson 9, VanAcker 6). Technical fouls: Fisler. Fouled out: Pierce, Scurry. Total fouls: Salem 22, Schalick 20.

PENNSVILLE 57, CUMBERLAND 36: Marley Wood scored 10 of her game-high 24 points in the second quarter as the Eagles pulled away from this TCC Championship Bracket consolation game. Jaiden Wilson added a career-high 12 points Next up for the Eagles is a Wednesday date with Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I tournament.

CUMBERLAND (10-14): Ellie Bodine 4 3-4 11, Lizzy Pfliegar 5 0-0 13, Addie Weist 1 0-0 3, Ny Gay 0 0-0 0, Kamila Ramos 0 0-0 0, JaLynn Brown 0 0-0 0, Julianna Rivera 0 0-0 0, Aleevia Fennal 2 0-0 4, Hydra Loatman 0 0-0 0, Peyton Johnson 0 0-0 0, Amely Pina 1 0-0 2, Mikaylah Picconi 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 3-4 35.
PENNSVILLE (16-7): Taylor Bass 2 1-4 6, Marley Wood 9 4-5 24, Addie Johnston 4 0-0 9, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Jaiden Wilson 5 0-0 12, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Kylie Weist 0 0-0 0, Reagan Sipps 0 0-0 0, Angelina Wagner 0 0-0 0, Addison Hitt 0 0-0 0, Makayla Griffith 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 5-9 57.

Cumberland691010-35
Pennsville14151216-57
3-point goals: Cumberland 4 (Pfliegar 3, Weist); Pennsville 6 (Bass, Wood 2, Johnston, Wilson 2). Fouled out: Gay. Total fouls: Cumberland 9, Pennsville 7.

WASHINGTON TWP. 44, WOODSTOWN 20
WOODSTOWN (11-15): Kendall Young 2, Emma Perry 10, Lauren Hengel 4, Kyia Leyman 2, Talia Guardascione 2.
WASHINGTON TWP. (16-9): Frankie Begley 1 2-2 4, Shyla McLean 3 0-0 9, Julianna Cassidy 1 0-0 2, Elena Dabrowski 2 0-0 6, Aubrey Mack 6 1-2 13, Jade Mazzuca 1 0-0 2, Tessa Reilley 2 0-0 4, Lena Giannini 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 3-4 44.

Woodstown24104-20
Washington Twp.717812-44
3-point goals: Washington Twp. 5 (McLean 3, Dabrowski 2).
Schalick’s Ava Scurry (C) denies Salem’s Kaliyah Taylor entry into the lane during their TCC Postseason Bracket semifinal game Thursday night.

Boys game

WOODSTOWN 77, CLEARVIEW 50: Blake Bialecki led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points that featured five 3-pointers, as the Wolverines snapped a three-game losing streak that tied the longest in coach Ramon Roots’ two-year tenure. Bialecki had 11 points in the first quarter fueled by three 3s. Andrew White had 15 points, 13 in the third quarter, and Alejandro Vazquez had 10.

CLEAVIEW (10-17): Jonah Turner 3 1-2 7, Georgia Kritikson 3 1-1 8, Mike Pellecchia 3 1-2 8, Darren Riddick 4 0-0 9, Alex Whitwork 2 0-0 6, TJ McGovern 1 0-0 3, Logan Poletti 1 0-0 3, David Carter 2 0-0 6, Ethan Munch 0 0-0 0, Patrick Furfari 0 0-0 0, Jake Bernstein 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-5 50.
WOODSTOWN (16-11): Elijah Caesar 4 0-2 8, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 7 1-2 15, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 6 1-2 18, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 4 0-2 8, Connor Miller 2 2-2 6, Alejandro Vazquez 3 3-3 10, Brian Booker 1 0-0 2, John Hood-McGinley 0 0-0 0, Josh King 3 0-0 6. Totals 32 7-13 77.

Clearview13141112-50
Woodstown22132121-77
3-point goals: Clearview 9 (Kritikson, Pellecchia, Riddick, Whitworth 2, McGovern, Poletti, Carter 2); Woodstown (Bialecki 5, Vazquez). Total fouls: Clearview 8, Woodstown 11.


Rolling into the finals

Salem sweeps Doane Academy to reach South Jersey Group I bowling finals for first time in history, bowls Camden Catholic for the title Saturday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Troy Carey stood on the landing behind his bench surrounded by his happy teammates and laid the news on coach Kenny Buck.

“You are aware now you have to find a place for a banner in the gym,” the Salem senior captain said.

“I guess I’m aware now,” Buck replied.

The Salem bowling team carved another notch in the belt of its “generational run” as well as its own spot on the gym wall Wednesday when it beat Doane Academy at Wood Lanes two games to none to reach the South Jersey Group I championship match for the first time in school history.

The Rams (11-3) rallied from a slow start to clear the hurdle that stopped them last year. They won Game One 857-850 and then closed the match in dominating fashion, crushing it in Game Two 979-872.

They’ll now bowl top-seeded Camden Catholic (10-3-2) Saturday morning at 30 Strikes in Stratford for the South Jersey title and spot in the Group I Final Four.

“We have one end goal,” Carey said. “We’re there now, we’ve just got to complete the mission. This (semifinal) was something in the way of that goal. We knew we had to execute and we did. We started off flat, but we brought it together in the end and we played like us at the end of the day. That’s all that mattered.”

They won the first game after trailing by nearly 100 pins after four frames. Carey closed out his second game with eight straight strikes for a 279, matching his career high game. Rudy Perez opened Game Two with four straight strikes from the leadoff spot and struck out in the tenth for a 222. The Rams threw 29 strikes in the clincher.

“I got to be honest. I was extremely worried, but they just put their heads down and bowled” Buck said. “I knew we had it in us. It just takes one of them to get hot.”

Despite a high confidence level going into the match, the Rams trailed by 98 pins after four frames and 80 after five. They had 11 open frames in the first five, while Doane logged 20 marks. Hunter Johnson, the Spartans’ No. 3, opened the match with five straight strikes.

But somewhere in the middle of the game the Rams found their groove. AJ Carlson and Semaj Carey keyed the comeback. Carlson picked up 75 pins over the final four frames and beat his opposite number by 41 over that stretch to finish with the team’s high game (199, nearly 50 pins over his average).

Semaj picked up 98 pins over the final four frames and outpinned his man by 12 over the same stretch. J.D. Puni beat Johnson by 28 pins over the stretch.

“At the end of the day it’s not over until the last person bowls that last frame,” captain Carey said. “We like our odds regardless. We just fight.”

“We all realized we got here last year (and) we can’t go down like we did last year,” Perez said. “We wanted to make it farther like we should. We prevailed, we overcame the little obstacle we had and started bowling amazing at the end of that first. Bro, I couldn’t be prouder.”

The comeback energized them. They bagged three strikes in each of the first four frames and at least two in every frame thereafter until they blew it out in the tenth. Semaj had an open frame in the first, then ran off four in a row. The Spartans, meanwhile, didn’t have a frame with multiple strikes until the third.

“It’s really the energy, all the guys came together,” Semaj said. “We all boosted our energy by like a thousand. The energy sets the tone for everybody. It starts with the first person ends up at the anchor. If everybody’s on track we’re just going to rolling like a smooth boat.”

And now that boat is speeding to the sectional finals and maybe a better banner for the gym.

Salem captain Troy Carey (L) reacts after burying a third strike in the tenth frame of Game Two to seal the Rams’ 2-0 victory in the South Jersey Group I bowling semifinals. Top photo: J.D. Puni (R) celebrates the victory with teammate Rudy Perez.
SALEM (11-3)G1G2TOT
Rudy Perez166222388
AJ Carlson199144343
JD Puni145156301
Semaj Carey159178337
Troy Carey188279467
TOTAL8579791836
DOANE (8-11)G1G2TOT
Colin Paglione158210368
Caden Smith114166280
Hunter Johnson197147343
Jacob Powell197194391
Chris Powell184155339
TOTAL8508721722

GROUP I BOYS BOWLING
Wednesday’s sectional semifinals
SOUTH
No. 1 Camden Catholic 2, Asbury Park 0
No. 2, Salem 2, No. 6 Doane Academy 0
Finals: Salem (11-3) vs. Camden Catholic (10-3-2)
CENTRAL
No. 1 Middlesex 2, No. 5 Roselle Catholic 0
No. 2 Warren Tech 2, No. 3 Roselle Park 0
Finals: Warren Tech (9-4) at Middlesex (18-0)
NORTH I
No. 1 Kinnelon 2, No. 4 Butler 0
No. 3 Newton 2, No. 2 Pascack Hills 0
Finals: Newton (15-3) at Kinnelon (16-4)
NORTH II
No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3), Thursday
No. 2 Rutherford 2, No. 6 Wallington 0
Finals: Rutherford (17-5) vs. Belvidere-North Arlington winner

Eye on the prize

Schalick girls have goal to win their TCC Tournament bracket, take first step with win over Pitman, get Salem next in semifinal showdown, includes South Jersey Group I girls tournament pairings


GIRLS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Delsea at Gloucester Catholic
Clearview 54, Timber Creek 28
Glassboro 44, Kingsway 30
Wildwood 44, Washington Twp. 38
Consolation game
Woodstown 45, Triton 36
Postseason Bracket
Schalick 43, Pitman 32
Salem 34, Williamstown 27
Clayton 52, GCIT 50
Deptford 61, Penns Grove 25

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — If there’s a bracket to be played there’s a bracket to be won, doesn’t matter if it’s Championship, Postseason or the 3-on-3 tournament down at the local rec.

Knowing there’s a title to claim at the end of the week, Schalick played what coach John Whelan called one of its better overall games of the year, jumped on Pitman early and rolled to a 43-32 win in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Tournament Postseason Bracket. The bracket’s No. 1 seed now hosts Salam in Thursday’s semifinals.

“We definitely have our goal set on winning,” Whelam said. “We played probably, I would say, the best team ball that we’ve played all year. We moved the basketball really well, we made the extra passes, (got) better quality shots.

“It’s starting to click a little more. You’ve seen it the last handful of games where we’ve been moving the ball better. Our offense has looked so much better, and then we continue to stay tough on the defensive end.”

The Cougars held their visitors to single digits points in every quarter, while opening quarter leads of 17-6, 27-15 and 37-24. leads of 17-6 and 27-15 in the first half.

Nevaeh Robinson “had a rhythm going” early for the Cougars and scored all 17 of her points in the first half. When the Panthers recognized the havoc she was causing and switched to a box-and-one on her, Willow Davis kept the offense clicking. Davis scored eight points in the third quarter and 11 of her 14 in the second half.

“We were moving the ball well enough to where we didn’t feel like we needed to really change our offense regardless of the box-and-one,” Whelan said. “Willow stepped up in the second half and hit a lot of shots.”

Robinson also had 11 rebounds, Cali Fisler and Ava Scurry each had 10, and Liv Vanacker had nine. Vanacker also had five assists and Scurry blocked four shots.

SCHALICK 43, PITMAN 32
PITMAN (4-15): Colette Rollins 1 0-0 3, Jocelyn O’Brien 1 0-0 2, Marlee Adams 2 3-5 7, Kendall Bennett 3 0-0 6, Emery Sharpnack 2 3-3 7, Audrey Duffield 2 0-2 5, Bella Pramov 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 6-10 32.
SCHALICK (16-6): Cali Fisler 3 1-2 7, Ava Scurry 1 2-2 4, Willow Davis 5 1-2 14, Nevaeh Robinson 7 0-0 17, Olivia Vanacker 0 1-2 1, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-2 0, Emma O’Neill 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-10 43.

Pitman6998-32
Schalick1710106-43
3-point goals: Pitman 2 (Rollins, Duffield); Schalick 6 (Davis 3, Robinson 3). Rebounds: Schalick 41 (Fisler 10, Scurry 10, Robinson 11, Vanacker 9). Total fouls: Pitman 12, Schalick 15

SALEM 34, WILLIAMSTOWN 27: The Rams stretched an eight-point halftime lead to double digits, withstood a second-half rally by the Braves that got it to a one-point game and then pulled away to set up a semifinal showdown with Schalick.

“That’s a big win,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “It’s a Group 4 school, it’s a big team and it’s a postseason bracket, so we see it as a big deal for us. We’re excited for tonight.”

The Rams (9-9) played bang-up defense in the first half, holding the Braves (5-17) to only one field goal and five points in the first half. They stretched their halftime lead to 10 in the third quarter, but the Braves went on a run that cut it to one, 28-27, with about three minutes left before the Rams changed defenses and retook control.

“We showed some resiliency, something that we’ve really been working on, to not let that bother us, to keep playing through the clock,” Carr said. “We used a timeout to settle the girls down and we came out and got a basket that next possession.”

Dyaira Anderson led the Rams with a game-high 17 points and 18 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had eight points, six rebounds and nine steals.

Salem and Schalick played once during the regular season with the Cougars taking a 37-33 win on the road.

SALEM (9-9): Madison Dixon 0 1-2 1, Dyaira Anderson 7 3-3 17, Carlysia Pierce 3 2-4 8, Jaryn Weathers 1 1-2 3, Kaliyah Taylor 2 1-3 5. Totals 13 8-14 34.
WILLIAMSTOWN (5-17): Milana Riccardi 0 0-0 0, Rylee Fair 1 0-0 2, Savanna Rolls 2 1-2 5, Peyton Wright 1 2-6 4, Nyah Chatelier 0 1-2 1, Harper Carney 1 0-0 2, Liz Yodess 1 0-0 2, Ava Byorick 1 0-2 2, Jidli Francis 1 2-2 4, Maren Riccardi 0 0-0 0
Celiyah Waters 1 1-2 4, Colette Hicks 0 1-2 1. Totals 9 8-18 27.

Salem310138-34
Williamstown32139-27
3-point goals: Williamstown 1 (Waters). Total fouls: Salem 14, Williamstown 17.

DEPTFORD 61, PENNS GROVE 25: The Spartans brought the Red Devils back to earth behind double-doubles from Chaylin Marine and Kendall Evans. Marine had 21 points and 12 rebounds (plus five steals), while Evans had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Red Devils reached the quarterfinals of the Postseason Bracket with a victory over Overbrook in the opening round.

CONSOLATION GAME
WOODSTOWN 45, TRITON 36: Kyia Leyman and Kendall Young both enjoyed double-doubles as the Wolverines bounced back from their Championship Bracket opening-round loss to Kingsway. Leyman scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Young had 10 points and 12 rebounds with three assists and five steals.

WOODSTOWN (11-14): Lauren Hengel 2 1-2 5, Emma Perry 1 0-0 3, Kyia Leyman 9 0-0 18, Kendall Young 3 3-4 10, Kailyn Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Talia Guardascione 2 1-2 5, Kamiya Brunson 2 0-0 4, Jaelyn McDonald 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 5-8 47.
TRITON (36): Melannie Noel 7 2-4 16, Gianna Endt 1 1-1 4, Kaidan Henry 1 0-2 3, Gianna Loftis 2 5-8 9, Akeera Reid-Streater 1 0-0 2, Chloe O’Connor 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 8-15 36.

Woodstown1661013-45
Triton911133-36
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Perry, Young); Triton 2 (Endt, Henry). Rebounds: Woodstown 41 (Young 12, Hengel 11, Leyman 10).

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Feb. 25 Games
Paulsboro at Haddon Twp.
Burlington City at Woodbury
New Egypt at Palmyra
Cape May Tech at Glassboro
Salem at Audubon
Woodstown at Pennsville
Schalick at Gateway
Clayton at Wildwood
Feb. 27 Games
(Game at higher seed)
Paulsboro-Haddon Twp. vs. Burlington City-Woodbury
New Egypt-Palmyra vs. Cape May Tech-Glassboro
Salem-Audubon vs. Woodstown-Pennsville
Schalick-Gateway vs. Clayton-Wildwood

One that got away

Salem loses a 16-point early third-quarter lead, falls to Group 4 Williamstown in TCC Championship Bracket quarterfinals; no county teams left in main draw of either boys bracket; includes the South Jersey Group I boys tournament pairings

BOYS BASKETBALL
TCC Tournament
Championship Bracket
Kingsway 66, Timber Creek 57
Overbrook 66, Deptford 55
Cumberland 52, Delsea 47
Williamstown 50, Salem 40
Consolation game
Penns Grove 67, Woodstown 55
Postseason Bracket
GCIT 85, Clayton 76
Pitman 56, Wildwood 52
Washington Twp. 63, Highland 44

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Anthony Farmer has seen this movie before. He didn’t want to see it – or have to see it – again on this particular night.

There have been times when Farmer’s Salem basketball team have been sharp start to finish. There also have been times they’ve built a seemingly safe lead against a strong opponent early in the game only to have it ripped out from under it at the final horn.

It happened again Tuesday when the Rams lost a 16-point third-quarter lead and wound up losing to Group 4 Williamstown 50-40 in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket.

The Rams (19-5), the No. 2 seed, led 30-14 a minute into the third quarter and 32-21 with 3:50 left in the quarter when it all went south. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers. 

“They played 16 minutes of basketball, you know you’ve got to play a full 32,” Farmer said. “We played a half of basketball and now that’s the result.

“We played a really good 16 the first half and scored 11 points I think in the second half with 10 turnovers, so you almost had as many turnovers as you had points in the second half. Obviously, that’s an issue.

“We just have to have a feel for the game. Slow down, move the basketball, get reversals, make plays and play a good brand of basketball, which we just didn’t do. It was just a horrible second half.”

While all the misses hurt, especially with the Braves connecting on the other end, the most gut-wrenching may have been Marshall Stephens’ in-and-out after a nice spin move in the lane that Jameer Gordon turned into a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Braves (16-9) the lead for good.

While the Rams were having their troubles, the Braves were picking up the tempo and coming back. From the time they were down 16 in the third quarter to the end of the game the Braves were 8-of-19 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. They had only seven field goals in the first 17 minutes.

Gordon, a transfer from St. Joe (Hammonton), hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Braves finally got Clinton Suggs into the flow. The Rams held Suggs scoreless in the first half, but the Paul VI transfer scored 14 points in the second 10 in the third quarter. The Braves are 14-2 since Gordon and Suggs became eligible.

Suggs scored five straight points as the Braves trimmed the 16-point deficit to nine with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It was 10 with 3:15 left and the Rams scored only six more free throws the rest of the way. The Braves, meanwhile, scored nine free throws in the last 2:10 of the game alone to slam the door.

“These kids, since I’ve taken over, two years, have just shown fight and grit and fight and grit, so for us there was no panic on our end — at all,” Williamstown coach Adam Dandrea said as his players celebrated loudly in the locker room behind him. “I knew the kids would respond. That was all them right there. That was all them.”

The Braves now travel to Cumberland for Thursday’s semifinals. The Rams can play Delsea in a consolation game if they’re so inclined.

WILLIAMSTOWN 50, SALEM 40
WILLIAMSTOWN (16-9): Jameer Gordon 3 6-8 13, Clinton Suggs 4 5-6 14, Tyson Forman 4 3-3 13, Kaysen Matthews 1 4-4 6, Dametri Walker 1 2-2 4, Brayden Covington 0 0-0 0, Elijah Batts 0 0-0 0, Amir Washington 0 0-0 0, Ian Basillo 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 20-23 50.
SALEM (19-5): Donnie Weathers 0 0-0 0, Xavier McGriff 1 0-0 3, Neziah Spence 2 2-2 7, Tymear Lecator 4 7-10 16, Fatah Paige 1 0-0 2, Deshaan Williams 3 2-2 8, BJ Robbins 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parson 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 0 0-0 0, Derrelle Johnson 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 11-14 40

Williamstown682016-50
Salem1313104-40
3-point goals: Williamstown 4 (Gordon, Suggs, Forman 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Williams 6, Marshall 5). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Williamstown 14, Salem 23.

PENNS GROVE 67, WOODSTOWN 55: The Red Devils ran out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and held onto it to win the rubber game between rivals created by a TCC Championship Bracket consolation game.

Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad led Penns Grove with 18 points apiece. Four other players scored at least six.

“Just a total team effort like always,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said of the start. “Guys made shots and the defense was stellar.”

The Wolverines put four scorers in double figures, with Elijah Caesar, Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez scored 12 points apiece. Andrew White added 10. Bialecki hit three 3-pointers, giving him 202 for his career.

They took advantage of Penns Grove’s second-quarter foul trouble to climb back into it, but the Red Devils stemmed the tide.

WOODSTOWN (15-11): Elijah Caesar 5-2-12, Blake Bialecki 4-1-12, Alejandro Vazquez 5-0-12, Josh King 2-3-7, Andrew White 4-2-10, Frank Hoerst 0-2-2. Totals 20-10-55.
PENNS GROVE (16-10): Roman Gipson 6-5-18, Geonni Conrad 8-0-18, Haneef Frisby 3-1-7, Will Roy 2-0-6, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Luis Colon 2-3-7, Carson Pearsall 3-0-7, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-67.

Woodstown11171413-55
Penns Grove22101718-67
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2); Penns Grove 6 (Gipson, Gonrad 2, Roy 2, Pearsall).

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Feb. 25 Games
Riverside at Salem
Paulsboro at Woodstown
Glassboro at Burlington City
Wildwood at KIPP
New Egypt at Haddon Twp.
Pitman at Penns Grove
Audubon at Woodbury
Gateway at Palmyra
Feb. 27 Games
(Games at higher seed)
Riverside-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Woodstown
Glassboro-Burlington City vs. Wildwood-KIPP
New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Penns Grove
Audubon-Woodbury vs. Gateway-Palmyra