‘Locked in’ senior Tunis has career night while leading deliberate Salem to a victory over LEAP; Pennsville crushed by Clayton
FRIDAY’S GAMES Salem 48, LEAP 28 Clayton 101, Pennsville 45
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Joe Tunis says he’s “locked in” this year and that’s really good news – for Joe Tunis and the Salem basketball team.
Tunis was on the team last season but didn’t see enough action to be productive. He changed his mindset in the offseason and is playing regularly in the rotation. Friday night the senior guard had the best game of his career in leading the Rams to a 48-28 win over LEAP Academy that snapped a two-game losing streak.
He led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I wasn’t really locked in (last year); I’m locked in now,” he said. “I realized it’s my last year, coach told me I had to lock in, so I locked in.
“I want to win. Last year, losing in the playoffs to Pitman, that hurt. I didn’t want to feel like that anymore. We’ve lost two back-to-back tough ones (this week) we should’ve won (Pitman and Glassboro). Wanted it bad. Hate losing, that’s all it is.”
Consistency has always been Tunis’ key. It wasn’t there a lot of the time last year when it came to going to practice and it impacted how much coach Anthony Farmer was going to play him.
While some bits of Allen Iverson remain, he has gotten away from what he called that “childish mindset” and has played in eight of the Rams’ 10 games this year, producing 41 points and 28 rebounds with his most consistent production coming the last two nights.
His best game before going off against the Lions (4-5) was nine points and six rebounds against Woodstown in the second game of the year. He had eight points Thursday night at Glassboro.
“He was tremendous,” Farmer said. “We know what Joe can do, but Joe’s issue has been consistently showing up and being here. We’re better with Joe, when he’s around. We call him ‘The Junkyard Dog,’ he does a little bit of everything. Tonight, it went in for him. That’s great. Hopefully he stays hot for us.”
The Rams (7-3) needed somebody to break out because the game wasn’t played at their typical fast tempo. Farmer deliberately slowed down and it led to just an 18-12 lead at halftime.
Tunis and Donnie Weathers both drew starts because they were the spark in the stretch the Rams were at their best in an otherwise lacking performance against Glassboro. The 48 points were the fewest they’ve scored in a win since beaten Gloucester Catholic with 39 in January 2023.
“I don’t think we’ve been playing pretty good basketball,” Farmer said. “We’ve been able to squeak out seven wins now, but tonight I didn’t let them get up and down. We’ve been in the half-court a lot and we stink in the half-court. We had 18 points at the half, just running half-court offense.
“That was by design. I know in order to win the big game come March we’re going to have to settle down in the half-court and you’re going to have to run something. You can’t just rely on Ty (Lecator) to run around and jack up shots. We’ve got to get better, so that was by design.”
The second half they were a little more efficient, outscoring the Lions 30-16. Lecator (eight) and Xavier McGriff (seven) scored all of their points in the second half. Tunis had 10 in the half – seven in a 9-0 run that opened the third quarter and a 3 in the fourth.
“We thought (Tunis) could be a piece last year, but the consistency hurt him,” Farmer said. “Hopefully this helps him with some confidence and he’s feeling good about his role on the team and how important he is to the team. If he buys in he can be a really big picture for the back stretch.”
DeShaan Williams and Azhone Burden continued their strong play since the start of the new year. Williams had five points, three rebounds and blocked six shots against the Lions. Burden, a 6-4 senior transfer from Bridgeton who just became eligible this week, had seven points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
In the three games he’s played since becoming eligible, Burden has 35 points and 28 rebounds. Williams has 58 points and 30 rebounds in his last four games.
“It’s great to have him back,” Farmer said of Burden. “He can do a multitude of things for us and he’s going to be a big piece to our success down the line. It’s been a tough stretch for him being a senior having to sit and wait, so we’re just happy to have him back and he’s excited.
“I’ve been trying to get (Williams) to come out of his shell. He’s a real quiet kid, a real humble kid, a coach’s dream, but I’ve been urging for more from him and he’s turning it on.”
3-point goals: LEAP 2 (Rodriguez 2); Salem 3 (McGriff, Spence, Tunis). Rebounds: LEAP 28 (Noel 10); Salem 30 (Burden 10, Tunis 7). Fouled out: Shoultz. Total fouls: LEAP 16, Salem 12.
Recently eligible Azhone Burden (15) and sophomore DeShaan Williams have been consistently giving Salem big games since the start of the new year. Top photo: Joe Tunis (14) had a career game Friday night.
CLAYTON 101, PENNSVILLE 45: Princeton Sackor scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Clippers handed Pennsville (1-7) its fifth straight loss. Demetris Williams (14), Nazir Davis (12) and James Fritz (10) also scored in double figures for Clayton (4-4).
It’s the third time the Clippers have scored 100 points in a game this season and the fifth time in their last six one of the teams in the game scored 100.
Donelson mccracks down on McCracken, Leyman big in the post and Woodstown beats Wildwood in OT; includes all of Thursday’s Salem County basketball action
GIRLS GAMES
BOYS GAMES
Woodstown 49, Wildwood 46 (OT)
Woodstown 66, Wildwood 47
Glassboro 64, Salem 20
Glassboro 76, Salem 62
Penns Grove 47, Pitman 26
Pitman at Penns Grove, ppd.
Schalick 36, Salem Tech 26
Schalick 79, Salem Tech 22
Pennsville 58, Triton 49
Gloucester Catholic 61, Pennsville 40
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — How many times does it happen? You have a game with some of the most dynamic scorers in South Jersey and of course it’s defense that determines the outcome.
Woodstown’s Megan Donelson cracked down on Macie McCracken and the Wolverines gained a bit of satisfaction for last year’s last-second loss in the sectional final, beating Wildwood in overtime 49-46 Thursday night to give first-year coach Matt Smart an early signature win.
“It always comes down to defense,” Smart said. “It’s about boxing out, rebounding, defense. McCracken’s an incredible player. She’s going to get her points no matter what defense you throw on her. It’s about limiting her opportunities, playing nice good hard defense and then boxing her out and making her only get one shot instead of two or three and Megan was phenomenal. She was up to the challenge.
“That’s kind of what we always preach, play unselfish basketball. And defense, you have to be unselfish. She did a great job. Other girls did a great job switching, hedging, all the little things to try to limit her. She still played amazing. She’s an incredible basketball player and our girls just kind of took it as a personal challenge.”
Donelson was on McCracken from the time the Warriors got off the bus. She held the senior on the verge of 2,000 career points to one field goal and four points in the first half, no points in overtime and 14 points total. Meanwhile, she scored 13 points to go over the 1,300-point career mark.
“My goal was just to shut her down because I know she’s a good shooter; yeah, lock down,” Donelson said. “When coach gives me a player to man up on I just follow what he says and give it my all on that one player.”
But she wasn’t the only one who came up big in a big game. Kyia Leyman, who had been limited the last two seasons because of knee injuries, gave the Wolverines a huge game in the post, scoring 11 points and grabbing 19 rebounds — both career highs — and blocking two shots.
She had four points and eight rebounds in the first half and back-to-back three-point play opportunities in the third quarter to help the Wolverines open a nine-point lead.
“I think my mindset was just to do it for the team,” Leyman said. “It was definitely a team effort and I wanted to be there for them. I didn’t want to let them down, so I think I just tried my best — and I wanted to come back and beat a really good team. I think this was the best I’ve played, the most calm, collected I’ve played (since coming back).”
Donelson’s layup with 42 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 41. Both teams had shots in the closing seconds to win it. Donelson stole an entry pass but lost her footing driving to the basket. Gianna Maiorini collected the loose ball on the baseline but her shot was blocked by Sara Djellal. The Warriors raced back up the floor for the final shot, but McCracken’s 3 from the left side hit off the far iron and Leyman grabbed the rebound as the horn sounded.
Woodstown (6-2) jumped out front in overtime and never lost the lead. Donelson drove around the lane for the first basket and Talia Battavio, who struggled with her shot most of the game, squared up on the left elbow and buried at 3 to give the Wolverines a five-point lead. Battavio had 12 points in the game.
“That was pretty big,” Battavio said of her 3. “I feel like it got us motivated, fired up a little bit, got me fired up.”
Wildwood (6-1) had the ball for a last shot in overtime. The Warriors had it on the sideline near the scorer’s table with 1.1 seconds left and needed what seemed like a miracle 3 to tie. They had trouble pulling the trigger on the inbounds and when they did get it in the pass landed in the hands of Woodstown’s Lauren Hengel as the clock expired.
The Warriors beat Woodstown in last year’s South Jersey Group I final in a controversial finish after the home crowd rushed the floor in reaction to Wildwood’s go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds. While the game was on everyone’s mind, Smart said revenge wasn’t the motivating factor in this regular-season game.
“We’re a different team than the team last year, they’re a different team than they were last year,” Smart said. “Our message to the girls this week was this isn’t professional wrestling. We don’t beat them today and get the belt back. There’s still a lot of work to do. This is just a first step.”
But it was satisfying nonetheless.
“Leading up to this game we talked about three things in the team — being confident, being relaxed and having fun — and I think we did those three things as a program today,” Smart said. “It was a fun game.”
Woodstown’s Kyia Leyman (33) leaves her feet in hopes of disrupting Wildwood’s inbounds play Thursday night. On the cover, Megan Donelson forces Macie McCracken (3) to take a deep 3 in the first half.
PENNSVILLE 58, TRITON 49: The Eagles fought through illness and the absence of leading scorer Nora Ausland to rally for their fourth in a row. They were down 10 at one point in the second quarter, but rallied to get the deficit to one at halftime. Pennsville’s Taylor Bass led all scorers with a season-high 21 points. Addison Johnston had a career-high 19 points and Marley Wood had 12.
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Willoughby 2); Salem Tech 3 (Drummond, Liber 2). Rebounds: Salem Tech 43 (White 14, Doerr 9).
GLASSBORO 64, SALEM 20 GLASSBORO (4-4) — Sanaa Thomas 1 0-0 2, Tamia Smith 5 4-8 14, Grace Moore 4 1-1 9, NiJha Norzon Clark 1 0-0 3, Brackett 7 1-4 19, Kimora Miles 1 3-6 5, Sianna Wedderburn 3 2-2 8, Lily Czubas 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 11-21 64. SALEM (0-7) — Carlysia Pierce 1 2-3 4, Nevaeh Hickman 4 2-3 12, Dakirah Gray 1 0-0 2, Amariah Frye 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 4-6 20.
Glassboro
14
18
17
15-
64
Salem
3
2
9
6-
20
3-point goals: Glassboro 5 (Clark, Brackett 4); Salem 2 (Hickman 2). Rebounds: Glassboro 41 (Wedderburn 12, Miles 11). Only four Salem players reported.
Boys Games
WOODSTOWN 66, WILDWOOD 47: Rocco String came within two blocked shots of his elusive triple-double and led the Wolverines to their fourth straight victory. String had 18 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots in his fourth straight double-double and fifth of the season. The Wolverines had three other scorers in double figures — M.J. Hall (season-high 16), Alejandro Vazquez (10) and Blake Bialecki (12) — and Garrett Leyman grabbed 11 rebounds.
WOODSTOWN (4-2) — Elijah Caesar 4 1-2 9, John Hood-McGinley 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 6 0-0 12, Alejandro Vazquez 4 0-0 10, M.J. Hall 6 0-0 16, Garrett Leyman 0 0-0 0, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 9 0-0 18. Totals 30 1-2 66. WILDWOOD (2-6) — Eric Jordan 1 0-0 2, Nolan Mawhinney 2 0-0 5, Trevor Troiano 3 0-0 9, R.J. Blanda 0 0-0 0, Vinny Sweeney 0 2-2 2, Jordan Dozier 0 0-0 0, Brian Cunniff 10 6-7 27, Sammy Santiago 1 0-0 2, Jack Fullertonn 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-9 47.
GLASSBORO 76, SALEM 62 SALEM (6-3) — Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Tymear Lecator 7 4-5 15, Deshaan Williams 2 7-13 13, Darrelle Johnson 4 0-0 9, Joe Tunis 2 2-2 8, Ashore Burden 5 1-1 11, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-21 62. GLASSBORO (3-5) — Xavier Sabb 14, Kenny Smith 28, Davon Barr 6, Maurice Davis 10, Tashean Thomas 3, Alex Adeleye 2, Aiden Harris 11, Marley Crowl 2.
Salem
15
11
20
16-
62
Glassboro
17
22
17
20-
76
3-point goals: Salem 4 (McGriff, Lecator 3); Glassboro NA. Note: The Rams have lost two in a row.
SCHALICK 79, SALEM TECH 22: Reggie Allen scored 18 points, Nylan Sutton added 14 and Sherrod Jones 10 as the Cougars snapped a seven-game losing streak and kept the Chargers winless. Eleven players scored for Schalick.
SALEM TECH (0-9) — Joseph Hayes 2 1-3 6, Larry Pompper 0 1-3 1, Keidyn Robinson 1 0-0 2, Logan Pace 0 2-2 2, Krolle 1 0-0 2, Ayars 2 1-6 5, Ayden Myers 1 1-2 4. Totals 7 6-16 22. SCHALICK (2-7) — Reggie Allen Jr. 8 1-2 18, Nylan Sutton 7 0-2 14, Jase Volovar 3 1-2 9, Sherrod Jones 5 0-0 10, Justin Iacona 1 0-0 3, Zaeshawn Mills 3 0-0 8, Jamari Whitley 1 2-4 4, Sean Kelly 2 0-0 4, Jacob Schalick 1 4-5 7, Ryan Horner 1 0-0 3, Gauge Craner 0 1-2 1. Totals 32 9-17 79.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the rest of this week
JAN. 8 WRESTLING Gloucester Catholic at Schalick Pennsville at Penns Grove Salem at Cumberland Woodstown at Deptford SWIMMING Salem at Lower Cape May TRACK Pennsville, Salem, Schalick at Bennett Center, Toms River JAN. 9 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Salem Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m. Schalick at Salem Tech Triton at Pennsville Wildwood at Woodstown BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic Pitman at Penns Grove Salem at Glassboro Salem Tech at Schalick Woodstown at Wildwood BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Kingsway at Wood Lanes SWIMMING Schalick at Camden County Tech Salem vs. Gloucester Catholic at GCIT, 8:30 p.m. Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT TRACK Penns Grove at Cherokee WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Cumberland at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
JAN. 10 BOYS BASKETBALL LEAP at Salem Pennsville at Clayton WRESTLING Collingswood at Schalick
JAN. 11 GIRLS BASKETBALL Delsea at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Camden Catholic, 11:30 a.m. St. Joseph at Penns Grove, 1 p.m. Schalick at Collingswood WRESTLING Pennsville, Oakcrest, Overbrook at Millville Penns Grove at Deptford Salem at Cherokee Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena
Cinnaminson Duals Round 1, 9:30 a.m. M1: Seneca vs. Haddon Twp. M2: Paulsboro vs. Cinnaminson M3: Lower Cape May vs. Haddonfield M4: Wall vs. Woodstown Round 2, 11 a.m. M5: Seneca-Haddon Twp winner vs. Wall-Woodstown winner M6: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson winner vs. LCM-Haddonfield winner M7:Seneca-Haddon Twp loser vs. Wall-Woodstown loser M8: Paulsboro-Cinnaminson loser vs. LCM-Haddonfield loser Round 3, 12:30 p.m. M9: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner M10: Match 5 loser vs. Match 6 loser M11: Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner M12: Match 7 loser vs. Match 8 loser MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, noon WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Middlesex, noon
Tuesday boys roundup: Salem, Pitman stage another epic battle; all four Salem County boys teams in action fall
BOYS GAMES Clayton 102, Salem Tech 39 Glassboro 54, Schalick 31 Overbrook 66, Penns Grove 33 Pitman 83, Salem 77 (OT)
By Riverview Sports News
SALEM — Pitman and Salem have staged some epic battles the last two seasons and Tuesday night continued the trend.
Elijah Crispin scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers over the Rams 83-77 in overtime. Crispin was 16-of-25 from the free throw line.
Salem’s Neziah Spence sent the game into overtime with one of his three 3-pointers, but Pitman outscored the Rams 10-4 in the extra period.
Tymear Lecator and Deshaan Williams led the Rams with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Lecator also had five rebounds and seven assists. Williams also had eight rebounds. Ashore Burden added 15 points.
Tuesday girls roundup: Penns Grove doing more with less, focusing on quality over quantity; Cummings has a career double-double
GIRLS GAMES Clayton 72, Salem Tech 45 Glassboro 65, Schalick 15 Penns Grove 58, Overbrook 19 Pitman 48, Salem 33
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Look across the court to any bench at a high school basketball game. You’ll see a long row of chairs stretching from the scorer’s table to the end line. You won’t find an empty seat and both sides of the pre-game layup line stretches all the way to the mid-stripe.
And then you’ve got a team like the Penns Grove girls. The Red Devils have taken a minimalist approach to their game, where less is more. They played six players Tuesday and that was more than plenty to take down Overbrook 58-19.
“It tells me my kids have heart, fight and determination,” coach Jennifer Denby said. “It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality, and we have girls who can play the game.”
It’s a team that reminds many of the Penns Grove squad two years ago that went all the way to the South Jersey Group I semifinals with a seven-man roster, a Magnificent Seven.
“We have a handful (of players), but like I keep telling them we have the quality,” Denby continued. “We have 100 percent genuine, authentic players on our team. And that’s all we need, and we’re good with that. I just want them to compete on a higher level.”
“The numbers don’t matter,” sophomore center JaNiyah Cummings said. “You can have like 30 people and still be losing. If you have a good team, a good team where you have connection, and you can move the ball then you can do anything, honestly.”
One thing about a small roster, there’s a lot of opportunity for big games individually and the Red Devils had a lot of quality performances against the Lady Rams.
RaNiyah Wilson continued her march towards 1,000 points with a game-high 24. The senior guard now has 787 career points and is on pace to hit the milestone Feb. 8 against Glassboro. Perhaps sooner if she picks up one certain aspect of her game.
“She is a big scorer and I keep telling her play defense,” Denby said. “If you play defense, you get easy buckets. The teams we play who are not as fortunate like we are, she should get 30 and 40 points if she plays defense. Defense is the key for getting her 1,000 points.”
That was very much in evidence during one brief stretch in the second half. Wilson scored the last basket of the third quarter and the first basket of the fourth both after stealing inbounds passes and turning them into driving layups.
But the big games didn’t just stop with her.
Brianna Robbins had nine points and 10 rebounds. Mikayla Washington had four points and grabbed 13 boards.
But the biggest game belonged to Cummings. She had a career day, scoring 18 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Her previous career high was 13 points last year against Pennsville. Her best game this year was 12 in a double-double against Pleasantville.
“I don’t know what it was, I got this spark of energy and I just wanted to play,” she said. “I just wanted to play and I wanted to win.”
“Cummings is a true student-athlete; she is my AP girl,” Denby said. “Regardless if she’s going through a lot of negative things, Cummings still comes to perform and she stands on her own. It takes a lot for an individual to stand on their own. Cummings does that day in and day out, and I take my hat off to her.”
Cover photo: RaNiyah Wilson (5) and JaNiyah Cummings (24) had two of Penns Grove’s biggest games against Overbrook Tuesday.
Woodstown’s boys 4×800 relay goes back to Ott Center and smashes the record it set last week
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – They did it again.
The Ott Center at Penn is quickly becoming the Woodstown boys 4×800 relay team’s favorite place to run.
The Wolverines set the house record in the event when they ran there for the first time last week and Saturday they took the mark down five more seconds, winning the race in 8:27.19. Williamstown was a distant second, more than eight and a half seconds in the Wolverines’ dust.
The team of Jacob Marino, Karson Chew, Cole Lucas and Josh Crawford also ran the distance medley and finished third (11:03.03) in a race each of the first four teams ran faster than the house record. They edged fourth-place Highland by 11-hundreths of a second.
“Today was great just like last week,” Chew said.
Lucas led them out in the DMR, running a 3:20 in the 1200. Crawford followed with a 49.4 split in the 400. Chew delivered a 2:06 in the 800 and Marino finished it off with a 4:46.
They switched up their usual order in the 4×8. Chew handed off to Marino in second place. Marino was still a little sore from an injury in the DMR, but fought through it to keep them in good position. Crawford ran the third leg in 1:59 and Lucas brought it home in 2:02.
“We all came to the meet feeling super confident and ready to race our race and everyone did their job and we came out with the victory again,” Chew said. “We’re definitely getting used to the Ott Center and its track and can’t wait to run at state relays.”
It was a big day for Salem’s Anthony Parker, too. He finished second in the 55 hurdles (7.81) and the long jump (20-10.75) – both to Mainland’s Josiah Williams. He also anchored the 4×200 relay team behind Kaden Robinson, Terrance Smith and Jelani Beverly that finished third in a school record 1:33.26.
“Ant’s progress has been amazing,” Salem coach David Hunt said. “He worked hard in the offseason and in the weight room and he’s seeing the benefits early in the season.”
Other noteworthy performances were turned in by Salem’s DaviYonn Jackson in the boys triple jump (seventh, 38-11.25. On the girls side, Salem’s MaKayla Smith was ninth in the long jump (15-01.50) and fifth in the triple jump (31-0); Salem’s Ava Rodgers was fifth in the shot (31-5); Woodstown’s Kami Casiano was ninth in the high jump (4-8) and Woodstown’s 4×800 relay finished ninth (11:19.69).
Here are the results of Salem County wrestling teams in action on the mat Saturday
HAMMONTON DUALS RANCOCAS VALLEY 64, PENNSVILLE 14 106: Ryan Hannigan (RV) pinned John Sassi, 0:46 113: Luca Russo (RV) pinned Brett Land, 5:42 120: Alex Kinney (RV) pinned Earl Wynn, 0:30 126: Louis Simone (RV) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:50 132: Zachary Kosowski (RV) tech fall Nathan Mason, 19-3 (4:16) 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall Brady Earlen, 16-0 (4:47) 144: Thiago Maldonado (RV) tech fall Travis Hagan, 17-1 (5:02) 150: Raymond Miller (RV) won by forfeit 157: Kristofer Oesterle Jr. (RV) won by forfeit 165: Carter Robles (RV) pinned Juan Velasquez, 1:18 175: Aiden Gaines (RV) won by forfeit 190: Jake Barletta (RV) won by forfeit 215: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Ethan Gomez, 1:39 285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Alberto Sandino, 5-0
PENNSVILLE 55, BUENA 24 113: Earl Wynn (P) won by forfeit 120: Brett Land (P) pinned Jack Mazzoni, 1:20 126: Donato Vai (B) pinned Mekhi Dicks, 1:30 132: Thomas Hann (B) pinned Nathan Mason, 5:15 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall Michael Pettit, 17-1 (5:55) 144: Travis Hagan (P) tech fall Gionni Sharkey, 15-0 (3:00) 150: Lucas Gellura (B) won by forfeit 157: Aden Vai (B) won by forfeit 165: Juan Velasquez (P) won by forfeit 175: Ian Peacock (P) won won by forfeit 190: Joseph Halstead (P) won by forfeit 215: Connor Ayars (P) dec. Brian Passamante, 4-1 285: Jacob Hand (P) won by forfeit 106: John Sassi (P) won by forfeit
PENNSVILLE 42, WINSLOW TWP. 39 120: Earl Wynn (P) pinned Sebastian Perry, 3:05 126: Jake Peters (WT) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 5:45 132: Noah Young (WT) dec. Nathan Mason, 9-6 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Chase Panarello, 3:13 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Nathan Smalls, 1:20 150: Marquis Bates (WT) won by forfeit 157: Luke Vigorito (WT) won by forfeit 165: London Brown (WT) pinned Juan Velasquez, 3:10 175: Ian Peacock (P) won by forfeit 190: Nakeem Powell (WT) pinned Joseph Halstead, 2:48 215: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Makye Coney, 0:19 285: Jacob Hand (P) pinned Izechukwu Ugwuzor, 4:10 106: Christopher Steed (WT) pinned John Sassi, 1:00 113: Brett Land (P) pinned Elijah Parham, 1:21
DAN TRAINER DUALS, COLLINGSWOOD WOODSTOWN 46, CHERRY HILL WEST 27 120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Mason Hare, 0:32 126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Mason Mahan, 0:15 132: Barry Coverly (WO) dec. Brandon Farling, 8-4 138: Jakob Ubarry (CHW) maj. dec. Ryan Polk, 16-7 144: Harun Ambari (CHW) pinned Diego Mondragon, 0:24 150: Angel Mena-Martinez (CHW) pinned Angel Hernandez, 1:04 157: Brett Rowand (WO) pinned Danny Market, 0:32 165: Ari Tyson (CHW) tech fall Laitton Roberts, 20-4 (5:07) 175: Grayson Hyland (WO) maj. dec. Flynn Clements, 14-2 190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned Nick Fareas, 1:38 215: Walter Carter (WO) pinned Anthony Vanella, 0:23 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Mickey Smith, 1:00 106: Aiden Sanchez (CHW) pinned Hunter Allen, 5:45 113: Luke Woronicak (WO) dec. Caden Rossi, 10-3
COLTS NECK 45, WOODSTOWN 36 132: Nicholas Zecchino (CN) pinned Barry Coverly, 0:58 138: Michael Borao (CN) tech fall Ryan Polk, 15-0 (2:59) 144: Christian Cleary (CN) won by forfeit 150: Matthew Anderson (CN) pinned Thomas Lacy, 0:31 157: Brett Rowand (WO) pinned Brody Kaplan, 1:15 165: Dean Natale (CN) pinned Laitton Roberts, 0:31 175: Grayson Hyland (WO) pinned Nicholas Jannucci, 4:19 190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned Cooper Mah, 0:57 215: Walter Carter (WO) pinned Anthony Moriano, 4:24 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Logan Bavaro, 0:48 106: Julian Fortunato (CN) tech fall Hunter Allen, 21-5 (2:35) 113: Griffin Walsh (CN) pinned Luke Woronicak, 1:34 120: Ethan Michael (CN) tech fall Carson Bradway, 16-1 (5:36) 126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Zachary Zaltsman, 1:43
HOPEWELL VALLEY 62, WOODSTOWN 15 126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Dylan Hersh, 0:35 132: Sam Lowe (HV) pinned Barry Coverly, 4:52 138: Luke Caldwell (HV) pinned Ryan Polk, 0:50 144: Max Lawruszkiewicz (HV) won by forfeit 150: Max Pollara (HV) pinned Angel Hernandez, 0:54 157: Konrad Haugeto (HV) tech fall Brett Rowand, 17-1 (4:08) 165: Jett Branagh (HV) pinned Laitton Roberts, 0:51 175: Ethan Barker (HV) pinned Grayson Hyland, 5:06 190: Gavin Barker (HV) dec. Paul Banff, 9-2 215: Jon Trainor (HV) pinned Bradley Snitcher, 1:41 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) won by forfeit 106: Said Jan Rahmani (HV) pinned Hunter Allen, 1:48 113: Dean Meissner (HV) pinned Luke Woronicak, 0:28 120: Carson Bradway (WO) dec. Saif Ali Rahmani, 5-1
AUDUBON QUAD PENNS GROVE vs. AUDUBON PENNS GROVE vs. WILLINGBORO PAUL VI 63, PENNS GROVE 18 132: Mason Yost (PVI) won by forfeit 138: Cameron Connelly (PVI dec. AbdulMutaAlie IbnAbdulHailm Tart, 7-1 144: Gabe O’Brien (PVI) pinned Angel Ocasio, 0:40 150: Jeff Dean (PVI) won by forfeit 157: Tre Brown (PG) pinned Ian Gardner, 2:30 165: Keith Clark (PVI) won by forfeit 175: Clinton Bobo (PG) pinned Ryan Hee, 0:30 190: Maxwell Shipp (PVI) pinned Sumir Brown, 1:40 215: Anthony Jackson (PVI) pinned Antonio Cooper, 1:20 285: Wayne Scott (PG) pinned Sean Henderson, 1:26 106: Cristian Perales (PVI) won by forfeit 113: Iyon Townsend (PVI) pinned Avery Curriden, 0:50 120: Wesley Sheets (PVI) won by forfeit 126: Owen Gardner (PVI) pinned Devine Arce, 2:50
SCHALICK QUAD SCHALICK 65, OVERBROOK 12 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Amber Freiling, 0:43 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) tech fall Kayden Branco, 17-1 (3:36) 126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Kevyn Reed, 0:19 132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Damiano Redrow, 3:09 138: Gabriel McFeeley (S) won by forfeit 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 150: Koen Martin (S) pinned Karter Reed, 0:27 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Randall Ringstaff, 0:09 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall Oscar Calderon, 22-6 (5:02) 190: Xyon Marshall (O) pinned Evan Elliott, 1:08 215: Gerardo Felipe (S) dec. Augustus Guzman, 7-5 285: Juan Sanchez (O) pinned Julian Reid, 1:19 106: Emma Cain (S) maj. dec. Jackob Sole, 15-4
SCHALICK 57, HADDON HEIGHTS 18 120: Cole Denning (H) pinned E’Shion Underwood, 0:27 126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Brennan Albright, 0:33 132: Ryan Miller (S) maj. dec. Liam Loftus, 16-7 138: Michael Baisch (S) pinned Leo Falco, 5:00 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) maj. dec. Ryan Bailey, 16-7 150: Koen Martin (S) pinned Michael Fitter, 0:58 157: Riley Papiano (S) pinned Matthew Brown, 1:14 165: Eric Sulik (S) maj. dec. Andrew Gutkin, 10-0 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall Jacob Gutkin, 19-3 (3:59) 190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Jack Bailey, 0:30 215: Gerardo Felipe (S) won by forfeit 285: Nathan Lelionis (H) pinned Julian Reid, 1:14 106: Emma Cain (S) maj. dec. Aniello Napolitano, 14-5 113: Michael Ferraro (H) won by forfeit
SCHALICK 60, MAINLAND 18 106: Emma Cain (S) pinned Eric Garcia, 2:44 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Xander White, 1:06 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) pinned Justin Mazur, 4:20 132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Mason McDevitt, 2:37 138: Chris Mazur (M) pinned Michael Baisch, 5:15 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) dec. James Morley, 8-3 150: Carson Endicott (M) pinned Koen Martin, 2:21 157: Riley Papiano (S) over Ryder Slaughter-Brodton, TB-1 2-1 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Miguel Melo, 1:02 175: Ricky Watt (S) pinned James Barrett, 2:34 190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Elijah Endicott, 0:40 215: Gerardo Felipe (S) pinned Emilio Morales, 0:37 285: Oswaldo Mendoza (M) pinned Julian Reid, 1:14
PITMAN QUAD SALEM vs. ST. JOE SALEM vs. BURLINGTON CITY PITMAN 66, SALEM 6 106: Gianna Goto (P) won by forfeit 113: Grady Diaz (P) won by forfeit 120: John Wisniewski (P) won by forfeit 126: Isaac Gaspariano-Robbins (P) pinned Guylherme Quintanilha, 1:30 132: Nick Wenzke (P) won by forfeit 138: Jared Luu (P) won by forfeit 144: Jacob Lawrence (P) won by forfeit 150: Chris McIntyre (P) pinned Ziyon Moore, 1:35 157: Aidan Upham (P) won by forfeit 165: Double forfeit 175: Anthony Cappello (P) dec. Jordan Brown, 5-3 190: Andrew Hurst (P) won by forfeit 215: Aiden Milward (P) dec. Abdullah Jenkins, 5-0 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) pinned Nicolas Horner, 2:26
Friday’s girls roundup: Woodstown junior comes to game in good mood, has career night as Wolverines get back on track
FRIDAY’S GAMES Pennsville 57, Overbrook 20 Penns Grove 50, Schalick 14 Salem Tech 36, Camden Academy Charter 32 Wildwood 77, Salem 27 Woodstown 62, Glassboro 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – Lauren Hengel came to the gym Friday in a good mood. That was a good sign for the Woodstown girls basketball team looking to get back on the winning track.
Hengel came into the game with confidence and it translated to a big game as she helped the Wolverines beat Glassboro 62-39 to snap a two-game losing streak.
The 5-8 junior scored a career-high 14 points on the strength of 5-for-7 shooting from the floor and a pair of 3-pointers. She also had two rebounds and two steals. She scored 10 points in the third quarter.
Hengel gave the Wolverines a trio of double-figure scorers for the first time this season, joining Talia Battavio (19) and Megan Donelson (15). Battavio and Donelson combined for seven of Woodstown’s 11 3-pointers in the game. Hengel had two. Donelson scored all of her points in the first half.
“Lauren was amazing today,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “She came in today with a big smile on her face. She’s a big Notre Dame fan, so I think she just had a positive mindset (after watching the Irish beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to reach the CFP semifinals).
“We’ve always known that Lauren is a phenomenal basketball player. This whole season our big thing (with everyone except Battavio and Donelson) is confidence. They are phenomenal basketball players and a lot of times they’re open for great shots and they’re not confident to take it. Lauren today was confident with every single shot she took. She stepped into it. She made some big plays for us. She was fearless and smart at the same time, which really helped us.”
The Wolverines (5-2) came into the game having been swept in their appearance in the Haddon Twp. Holiday Tournament. They started out on a road towards three in a row Friday, falling behind the Bulldogs 9-2 in the first two minutes, but then Smart called the time out that turned their game around.
“We challenged the girls at practice this week to box out,” Smart said. “We were going for rebounds, but we weren’t finding a girl, being physical and boxing out. Glassboro at the beginning of the game kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit, we called time out and responded very well.
“Instead of just turning around looking for the ball off the back end of a shot, we were finding a girl, we were physical, we were letting the ball hit the ground one or two times and then attacking it. Basketball is a contact sport, a physical sport, so let’s find a girl, let’s box her out and then go attack that rebound. I think that set the tone for the whole game for us.”
With that mindset they climbed back in the game and eventually led 17-14 at quarter’s end. They stretched the lead to 14 at halftime and 23 after three quarters.
During the run, Battavio and Donelson hit a couple 3s, Kyia Leyman had a strong putback and Hengel had a bucket.
Somewhere in there was Smart’s favorite play of the game that summed up the approach to the day. Gianna Maiorini was battling under the boards and although she didn’t get this particular rebound she boxed out her man for a good five or six seconds which allowed a teammates to swoop in and secure the rebound.
The Wolverines grabbed 32 rebounds as a team. Eleven players had at least one, which was more than the number of players who scored points for them. Leyman and Donelson each had six boards. Maiorini had five.
The win extended Woodstown’s winning streak over TCC Diamond Division rivals to 34 in a row.
SALEM TECH 36, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 32: Shelby Drummond and Demajae White scored 11 points apiece and the Chargers (2-3) dominated the backboards to snap a three-game losing streak and double their win total of a year ago.
According to the game’s statistical report, the Chargers cleared 76 rebounds. White had 24, Kaylin Beardsley 14 and Rylee Doerr had 12. Drummond had nine. The Chargers are now 2-3 for the season. They won once all last season.
PENNSVILLE 57, OVERBROOK 20: Taylor Bass led three double-figure scorers with 19 points and Marley Wood had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists as the Eagles (3-2) went over .500 for the first time in coach Steve Merritt’s tenure. Nora Ausland had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Eagles.
Friday boys roundup: Frisbee, Robinson getting comfortable in their new surroundings back home in Penns Grove; story will be updated
FRIDAY’S GAMES Gloucester Catholic 85, Salem Tech 42 Overbrook 72, Pennsville 26 Penns Grove 69, Schalick 37 Salem 65, Wildwood 48 Woodstown 57, Glassboro 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Haneef Frisbee and Antoine Robinson looked into the future last year and knew they were going to play somewhere different this basketball season. They didn’t know quite where at the time, but they did know they were going to go there together.
Where one decided to go, the other one would, too. That’s just the way they roll. Ultimately, the two Salem Tech teammates decided there was no place like home. They came back to their roots in Penns Grove to give the Red Devils the benefit of their size and length.
It’s taken some time getting used to a new school, a new team, a new floor, but Friday night they were the most comfortable they’ve been in their new surroundings all season and helped the Red Devils rout Schalick 69-37 in Rudy Baric Gym.
Frisbee, a lean 6-2 junior forward, had nine points, 10 rebounds and a couple steals. Robinson, a thick 6-1 junior guard, had eight points and six rebounds.
“We were definitely more comfortable than we have ever been,” Frisbee said.
Frisbee was hot early, scoring six of the Red Devils’ first eight points and grabbing five of his rebounds in the quarter. Robinson gave them a steadier game, spreading his production across all four quarters.
It’s not like they’re coming into a totally new environment. The two players are originally from Penns Grove and played there all the way through middle school. They went to Salem Tech for the academy there and naturally joined the basketball team.
Frisbee had 381 points, 292 rebounds and 77 blocked shots in 49 career games with the Chargers. Robinson had 365 points, 107 rebounds and 46 assists in 44 career games.
But two tough seasons in the win-loss column had them reassessing their choices and prospects for playing at the next level and they came – together – to Penns Grove to enroll in its Early College program.
“We came as a package,” Robinson said. “We thought about it hard, we even talked to our parents about it to bring them along and we made the decision to come to Penns Grove High School.”
“Twan’s basically my brother,” Frisbee said. “I put my trust in him wherever I go. Wherever I am I can always count on him to be there, like my right hand man. He’s not my brother, but I consider him like a brother.”
The bonus is the basketball team benefits from their size and length, elements that were missing with the graduation of last year’s class.
In the five games they’ve played at Penns Grove, Robinson has 27 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and 10 steals. Frisbee 31 points, 25 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Penns Grove coach Damian Ware didn’t know they were coming until Frisbee’s grandmother told him, but he knew of them. He had seen them play in middle school and, of course, when the Red Devils played Tech the last two years. The players already knew them from going to middle school together.
So with that familiarity, the transition was a little smoother than most. Now, it was a matter of getting them up to speed with the way the Red Devils play.
“As far as the play on the floor they have a lot to learn because they didn’t understand what we do here compared to what they did at their other school,” Ware said. “Haneef has played with great energy since Game 1, but he’s fouled out of three of our five games. Antoine’s thing is just understanding the speed of our game and how we play. Here, we move.
“That’s the thing with Antoine. When he picks up the pace of the game he’s going to be great. By the end of the season I guarantee he’ll be one of the studs in South Jersey, for sure.”
Penns Grove’s Roman Gipson led all scorers with 19 points.
3-point goals: Schalick 6 (Volovar 2, Iacono, Jones, Whitley, Kelly); Penns Grove 3 (Ceaser, Robbins, Horace). Rebounds: Schalick 16 (Sutton 8); Penns Grove 34 (Frisbee 10, Robinson 6, Gipson 6, Horace 6). Total fouls: Schalick 18, Penns Grove 13.
SALEM 65, WILDWOOD 48: Tymere Lecator scored 22 points and Deshaan Williams and Antwuan Rogers both had double-doubles to lead the Rams (6-1) to their third straight win. It’s their second three-game winning streak of the season.
Williams, a 6-2 sophomore transfer from Cumberland, had a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds and got the game ball for his effort. He had 11 rebounds twice las a 5-11 freshman ast year for the Colts.
Rogers had 10 points and 14 boards, his third double-double in seven games this season. Lecator had seven rebounds and seven assists to go with his points. Xavier McGriff had 10 points.
WOODSTOWN 57, GLASSBORO 39: Blake Bialecki scored 19 points, Rocco String 16 and Elijah Caesar added a career-high tying 11 as the Wolverines (3-2) won their third straight. Bialecki and String both had double-doubles with Bialecki grabbed 11 rebounds and String snaring a career-high 20. String also blocked seven shots.
WOODSTOWN (3-2) – Rocco String 7 2-6 16, Garrett Leyman 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 19, M.J. Hall 2 0-0 4, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 6, Eli Caesar 5 0-0 11. Totals 23 5-10 57. GLASSBORO (1-5) – Xavier Sabb 5 4-8 16, Davon Barr 1 0-0 2, Maurice Davis 2 4-6 8, Kenny Smith 3 0-2 8, Tashean Thomas 2 0-0 4, Aiden Harris 0 0-0 0, Will Boggans 0 0-0 0, Marley Crowl 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-16 39.
Here are the Salem County high school basketball statistical leaders through Jan. 1, disclaimer: stats based on games inputted by schools to state reporting service
Boys
SCORING
PLAYER, SCHOOL
GP
FG
FT
PTS
AVG
Tymear Lecator, Salem
6
38
28
118
19.7
Mason O’Brien, Pennsville
4
14
10
59
14.8
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
4
17
15
58
14.5
Nylan Sutton, Schalick
4
18
7
53
13.3
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville
4
12
6
44
11.0
Rocco String, Woodstown
4
19
5
43
10.8
Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove
4
15
5
40
10.0
Reggie Allen, Schalick
4
11
4
36
9.0
Antwuan Rogers, Salem
6
23
7
53
8.8
Roman Gipson, Penns Grove
4
13
5
35
8.8
Neziah Spence, Salem
6
20
5
52
8.7
Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove
4
13
3
32
8.0
Sherrod Jones, Schalick
3
10
2
24
8.0
C.J. McDevitt, Pennsville
3
3
5
22
7.3
Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech
5
9
3
26
7.2
Deshaan Williams, Salem
6
14
14
42
7.0
Xavier McGriff, Salem
6
17
3
42
7.0
REBOUNDING
PLAYER, SCHOOL
GP
TOT
AVG
Rocco String, Woodstown
4
61
15.3
Antwuan Rogers, Salem
6
56
9.3
Darrelle Johnson, Salem
5
32
6.4
Deshaan Williams, Salem
6
38
6.3
Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove
4
25
6.3
Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove
4
20
5.0
Garrett Leyman, Woodstown
4
20
5.0
Jovanni Rios, Pennsville
4
20
5.0
3-POINT GOALS 14: Tymear Lecator, Salem 10: Neziah Spence, Salem 9: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown 8: Joseph Hayes, Salem Tech 6: Brayden Hall, Woodstown 5: Reggie Allen, Schalick; Xavier McGriff, Salem; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove
BLOCKED SHOTS 25: Rocco String, Woodstown 6: Haneef Frisbee, Penns Grove 5: Deshaan Williams, Salem
ASSISTS 39: Tymear Lecator, Salem 17: Neziah Spencer, Salem 14: Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove
STEALS 27: Karon Ceaser, Penns Grove 16: Tymear Lecator, Salem 12: Blake Bialecki, Woodstown; Brandin Robbins, Penns Grove 10: Xavier McGriff, Salem; Darrelle Johnson, Salem; Jovanni Rios, Pennsville; Antoine Robinson, Penns Grove
