Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 3; SJIBT Elite 8, four county basketball players could reach 1,000-point milestone among this week’s highlights
Monday
BASKETBALL Girls Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Delran, 6:30 p.m. Boys Penns Grove at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Gateway, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River
SWIMMING Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 8:15 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at West Deptford, 4 p.m.
WRESTLING Deptford Twp. at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Boys Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Salem, 7 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men CC of Philadelphia at Salem CC, 6 p.m. Women Salem CC at Harcum College, 5 p.m.
BOWLING Salem Tech at Lindenwold, 4 p.m.
Wednesday
WRESTLING Cumberland at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville, Glassboro at Clayton, 6 p.m.
SWIMMING Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Schalick at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Boys Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Women Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 5 p.m. Men Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 7 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Hammonton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. Salem Tech vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls St. Joe (Hamm.) at Salem Tech, 5 p.m. Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m. Boys Salem Tech at Riverside, 5:15 p.m. Schalick at Gateway, 5:30 p.m. West Deptford at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Salem, Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Timber Creek, 5 p.m. Pennsville at Burlington Twp., 6 p.m. Schalick at Absegami, 6 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK NJSIAA Sectionals, Toms River
SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights at Giant Fitness, 6 p.m.
Saturday
BASKETBALL Girls Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.
South Jersey Invitational Tournament at Eastern HS Paul VI vs. Timber Creek, 5:45 p.m. Woodstown vs. Cherokee, 7:30 p.m.
Boys Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 11:30 a.m. Salem vs. Paulsboro at Atlantic City, 6:30 p.m.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Women Raritan Valley CC at Salem CC, noon Men Salem CC at Luzerne County CC, noon
WRESTLING Bordentown, Vineland at Penns Grove, 9 a.m. Clearview, Hammonton, Central Regional at Pennsville, 10 a.m. Woodstown, Lacey, Pennsauken at Burlington Twp., 10 a.m.
Here is a complete look at Saturday’s sports action in Salem County, includes basketball, wrestling, track; will be updated throughout the day
Wrestling
WOODSTOWN – Woodstown’s impressive second-half turnaround continued Saturday morning as the Wolverines won three dual matches to get back to .500 for the season and put themselves in a position to host part of the first two rounds of the South Jersey Group I tournament.
In their last three matches before Saturday’s state cutoff, the Wolverines dominated Clayton/Glassboro 51-13, Penns Grove 54-18 and Millville 57-18, running their winning streak to seven in a row.
They are now back to .500 for the season, 10-10. At one point they were 2-9.
They started the day T-2 with Audubon in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, but were the virtual No. 2 having beaten the Green Wave head-to-head in one of their early-season victories. If it holds through the calculations of the other Saturday matches, as the No. 2 seed they will host 7, 3 and 6 when the tournament opens Feb. 5.
Woodstown’s Mateo Vinciguerra pinned at 215 to clinch the Wolverines’ win over Millville, locking up a 3-0 sweep of the day and the presumptive No. 2 seed. Paulsboro currently holds the No. 1 spot.
With the best information currently available, Woodstown would host Haddon Twp. and No. 3 Audubon vs. No. 6 Palmyra. The other side of the bracket at Paulsboro projects No. 5 Pennsville vs. No. 4 Gloucester and No. 8 Pitman vs. Paulsboro. The seeds become official Monday.
In the Group IV bracket, Schalick/Cumberland is projected No. 7.
WOODSTOWN 51, CLAYTON/GLASSBORO 13 132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned William Camp, 1:02 138: Conrad Raynor (CG) maj. dec. over Willem Groom, 11-2 144: Shawn McKellick (CG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 1:24 150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Sam Raynor, 0:56 157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) dec. Brodie Carey, 3-1 165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Colby Carr, 3:26 175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Jamal Brown, 0:41 190: Karsten Hantho (Wo) dec. Jeffrey Smith, 11-6 215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit 285: Luciano Mazzeo (CG) dec. Andre Sinou, 5-0 106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit 113: Double forfeit 120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Ryan Bivens, 1:13 126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Ryan McKellick, 5-2
WOODSTOWN 54, PENNS GROVE 18 126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Devine Arce, 7-0 132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:03 138: Willem Groom (Wo) won by forfeit 144: Nasir Garris (PG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 2:53 150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Anthony Brown, 12-8 157: Jayden Owens (PG) pinned Zayden Donahue, 0:16 165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Antonio Garris, 1:39 175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:04 190: Isaiah Underwood (PG) pinned Karsten Hantho, 1:41 215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Sumir Brown, 0:44 285: Andre Sinou (Wo) pinned Antonio Cooper, 0:29 106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit 113: Double forfeit 120: Travis Balback (Wo) won by forfeit
WOODSTOWN 57, MILLVILLE 18 138: Willem Groom (Wo) pinned Marzine Johnson, 2:25 144: Laitton Roberts (Wo) pinned Alexander Mendez, 2:41 150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Jacob Jones, 4:59 157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Ryan Tepper, 2:39 165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Marquis Allen, 5:51 175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Trystan Brooks, 2:59 190: Xavier McBride (M) dec. Karsten Hantho, 7-0 215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Jayden Jones, 2:23 285: Marcus Offer (M) dec. Andre Sinou, 1-0 106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit 113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit 120: Travis Balback (Wo) dec. John Roman, 8-1 126: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Carson Bradway, 0:38 132: Alex Torres (Wo) won by forfeit Records: Woodstown 10-10
MILLVILLE 60, PENNS GROVE 15 132: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:25 138: Marzine Johnson (M) won by forfeit 144: Nasir Garris (P) dec. Alexander Mendez, 9-6 150: Tre Brown (P) pinned Jacob Jones, 1:27 157: Jayden Owens (P) pinned Ryan Tepper, 0:52 165: Marquis Allen (M) pinned Antonio Garris, 4:43 175: Trystan Brooks (M) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:00 190: Xavier McBride (M) pinned Isaiah Upshur, 0:43 215: Jayden Jones (M) pinned Isaiah Underwood, 1:24 285: Marcus Offer (M) won by forfeit 106: Double forfeit 113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit 120: Caleb Rhodes (M) won by forfeit 126: Josh Roman (M) pinned Devine Arce, 5:29
SC Wrestling Quad
VINELAND 47, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 28 175: Noah Cruz (V) pinned Eric Sulik, 1:31 190: Gabriel Rodriguez (SC) pinned Zach Echevarria, 1:28 215: Gavin Gallo (V) pinned Dean Jost, 1:30 285: Donny St. Jean (V) dec. Noval Jenkins, UTB 3-2 106: Dentin Pickett (V) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:05 113: Josh Kinchen (V) maj. dec. over DeAnthony Harden, 13-4 120: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Chad Score, 0:37 126: Leland Minkowski (V) pinned Chase Williams, 4:50 132: Jayden Minkowski (V) pinned Ryan Miller, 2:56 138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Everett Cronk, 0:33 144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Alejandro Calderon, 4:41 150: Riley Papiano (SC) maj. dec. over Caden Barnes, 12-3 157: Lionel Powell (V) maj. dec. Anthony Deaver, 13-2 165: Matt Torres (V) over Jake Magonagle, injury
RUNNEMEDE – Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has never really been a big fan of these Saturday matinee games and now he has more reason to dislike them.
The Eagles went on the road and lost to Triton Regional 63-42. They have lost their last eight Saturday games going back to the 2020-21 season.
They were up by one at halftime in this one, but the Mustangs erupted for six 3-pointers and outscored them 30-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Triton speared 11 3s in the game, seven in the second half. Jayon Sanders-Cash (19 points) hit all three of his 3s in the quarter, Justice Avery (15) had two of his five, and Richie Kosma had the other.
It was a costly loss for the Eagles (6-10). Post Danny Saulin is facing a two-game suspension for a flagrant foul in the game and possibly more internally. The Mustangs also held Eagles 1,000-point junior Luke Wood to only four points – all in the fourth quarter.
Malik Rehmer led Pennsville with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and eight rebounds. Saulin went out with five points and nine rebounds.
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Lis, Johnson, Siedlecki, Na. Sutton); Camden Tech 1 (Ojeda). NOTES: The Warriors staged a fourth-quarter comeback. Schalick enjoyed a 20-point first quarter and then “we just lost ourselves,” coach James Turner said. It was the Cougars’ third straight loss after their win in the Wells Fargo Center, all without guard Reggie Allen in the lineup after receiving stitches for a cut above his left eye he suffered late in that game.
Girls games
WOODBURY 71, PENNS GROVE 48: The Thundering Herd took control of the game in the first half and put four scorers in double figures. Janessa Robinson led the winners with 18 points. Penns Grove’s Meely Horace led all scorers with 21 points and moved to within 72 of 1,000 for her career.
Salem County has the real possibility of four players reaching the 1,000-point milestone this week.
Notes: The Cougars rallied in the fourth quarter and had three shots around the rim in the closing seconds that didn’t fall.
SJIBT Elite Eight
Woodstown learned the identity of the final two teams joining it at Eastern High School for the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament. When Timber Ridge and Cinnaminson won Saturday morning, the Elite Eight was set. The tournament committee met Saturday to reseed the field.
The eight teams in order of seeds are Paul IV (11-4), Cherokee (11-5), Moorestown (14-3), Cinnaminson (14-5), Williamstown (11-4), Gloucester Catholic (11-4), Woodstown (11-3) and Timber Creek (10-7).
The Wolverines will play Cherokee Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Top-seeded Paul VI plays Timber Creek at 5:30. The Final Four games are Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:15. The consolation game is Super Bowl Sunday at 1 p.m. with the championship game at 3.
Indoor Track
TOMS RIVER – The Salem girls led the Salem County contingent at the Tri-County Conference Indoor Track Showcase at the Bennett Complex Bubble Friday.
Led by Anna Buzby, the Rams fiished fifth in the girls standings with 28 points. Buzby won the pole vault (8-0), finished third in the 800 (2:24.82), sixth in the 400 (1:01.14) and ran the lead leg on the third-place 4×400 relay team (4:22.57).
Buzby was joined on the relay by Karima Davenport-White, Rhionna Timmons and Sairis Jiminez. Timmons scored with a sixth-place finish in the 55 dash (7.62) and Dominique Lewis was fourth in the shot put (36-11.5).
Woodstown and Pennsville tied for 11th with two points. Woodstown’s 4×400 relay team of Kayla Ayars, Sarah Seiden, Arie Still and Jaime Deal finished fifth (4:27.66) and Pennsville’s Megan Morris was fifth in pole vault (7-6).
Penns Grove’s boys 4×400 relay of Kylee Goodson, Theus Berios, Jared Ortiz and Knowledge Young was fifth in its race (3:39.85).
Pennsville girls basketball coach tells team she’s leaving in March to become Triton’s vice principal and AD; also includes Friday night’s results, race for 1000
FRIDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Haddon Heights 56, Pennsville 22 Glassboro 47, Penns Grove 42 FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES Salem 83, Camden Academy Charter 76
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Sam Trapp knew the post-game meeting she was about to conduct Friday night was going to be different than any other she’s conducted before as a head coach.
It was going to be difficult enough to break down Pennsville’s 56-22 loss to Haddon Heights, but as soon as she announced the player of the game she called the girls together for the news that would change the room.
She tearfully informed her players that she was stepping down at the end of the basketball season to become vice principal and athletics director at Triton Regional High School.
“As soon as I waked in I gave out the player of the game award and then I said ladies can I get your attention, I need to make an announcement, and I just started crying,” Trapp said. “I felt sick to my stomach and my face was all flushed.
“They kind of all looked at me weird. They had no idea what was coming and I, obviously, had not mentioned it to anyone, so I just tried to pull it together. It was hard because I’ve been really emotional about it because I really do love the students and the staff and have built good connections with a lot of the parents, so it’s going to be really hard to walk out those doors on March 15 and know I’m leaving that chapter behind.”
Trapp, 33, had always had a role in administration as a goal and received her degree in school leadership in 2021. She wasn’t quite ready to make the move at that time and was going to be “very selective” in the opportunities she would pursue. Triton was simply the opportunity to advance her professional career she couldn’t refuse. The board approved her Thursday night.
She purposely kept it quiet until after the game to avoid becoming a distraction to the task at hand, which was the Eagles trying to snap a two-game losing streak. As it turned out, with one of their top scorer Nora Ausland still out with an ankle sprain, they didn’t have enough firepower to combat the 13 3-pointers the Garnets hit against them.
“Some of the them cried,” Trapp said describing the locker room scene. “One asked if she could get cleared to play real quick because she always wanted to play for me. There were a lot of really sweet gestures. My assistant was crying and gave me a big hug and said she was really excited for me.
“It’s a bittersweet moment because I am excited to challenge myself and take another step in my career goals, but at the same time I’ve got a lot of great relationships with the staff and the students and it’s going to be hard to walk away from such a good family dynamic here at Pennsville.”
Trapp also is the Eagles’ girls soccer coach so Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas will be looking to fill two coaching vacancies when Trapp leaves in mid-March. Because their sport is out of season, Trapp told her soccer players on the team’s social messaging page.
Thomas said Friday night he will be looking for “the best qualified applicant” for the health/PE teaching position at the school, but plans to “highlight” in the posting the Eagles will be in need of basketball and soccer coaching positions.
Trapp has been the head coach of both programs at Pennsville for three years.
The basketball Eagles were 15-11 South Jersey Group I tournament teams each of her first two years and are 6-9 so this year with at least eight more games to play. The soccer team went 29-23-5 with three South Jersey tournament appearances and a trip to the sectional final her first year.
She was the basketball assistant for two years prior to become head coach and the soccer assistant for one.
Trapp hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to coaching at some point in the future, but for now she’s concentrating on the administrative side of her career.
In the meantime, for the time they have left together, she wants her players to “make this last season a really good one.”
“Let’s go out with a bang and just have fun doing it,” she told them.
GLASSBORO 47, PENNS GROVE 42 PENNS GROVE (6-6) – Meely Horace 5-3-14, RaNiyah Wilson 7-3-19, Brianna Robbins 2-0-4, JaNiyah Cummings 1-0-2, Arianna Down 1-0-3. Totals 16-6-42. GLASSBORO (8-5) – Tamia Smith 7 2-6 16, Kezia Brackett 6 3-5 16, Sanaa Thomas 2 2-4 7, Anye Davis 0 0-2 0, Sianna Wedderburn 3 0-0 6, Kimora Miles 2 0-0 5. Totals 20 5-15 47.
Penns Grove
13
11
8
10 –
42
Glassboro
11
18
9
9 –
47
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Horace, Wilson 2, Down); Glassboro 2 (Brackets, Miles).
Boys Game
SALEM 83, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 76: The Rams trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter on the road but Anthony Farmer put the game on his back and delivered once again.
The senior guard scored 16 of his career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter, including 12-of-13 from the free throw line, to fuel the Rams’ comeback. He was a career-high 17-of-25 from the line for the game.
“He put us on his back tonight,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “He refused to lose in a must-win situation. We’ve been looking for one like this. We’ve been close couple times and just haven’t been able to get over the hump. That was huge.”
Over his last three games, Farmer has scored 77 points and gone 29-of-38 from the foul line. He’s averaging 19.6 ppg this season and is a 77-percent shooter from the line. He’s now 35 points shy of 1,000 points of his career, a feat he’s likely to get Tuesday against Salem Tech. His father and coach scored over 1,700 points in his prep career at St. Augustine and 1,000 later at Rutgers.
“He’s a senior, he’s put his time in,” his dad said. “The basketball gods, they reward you for doing the right things. I tell my kids that all the time, play the right way, do the right things, you’ll be rewarded. Ant is just one of those kids who puts the time in, puts the work in and the basketball gods are just shining that light on him to reward the kid.”
The Rams scored 35 points in the fourth quarter. In addition to Farmer’s eruption, Jabez DeJesus had 11 of his 24 in the fourth and Paul Weathers had six of his 13 in it. DeJesus also was 6-for-6 from the line in the quarter.
It was their highest-scoring quarter since putting 36 on Clayton in the first quarter of a wild 111-105 win on Jan. 2, 2020. It was the second time they’ve scored 30 in a quarter this season and the fifth time in the last three years.
SALEM 83, CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER 76 SALEM (9-6) – Anthony Farmer 9 17-25 36, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 8 6-6 24, Paul Weathers 5 3-3 13, Tymear Lecator 1 1-2 3, Xavier McGriff 0 0-0 0, Antwon Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Marshall Stephens 2 0-0 4, Joseph Tunis 0 1-2 1, Davonte Jackson 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 28-38 83. CAMDEN ACADEMY CHARTER (11-4) – Julius Dominguez 8 7-10 25, Daniel Casasola 5 4-5 14, Joseph Devine 4 3-7 11, Michael Morton 4 3-4 12, Kamar Goodhall 5 2-5 14, Omar Quinones 0 0-0 0, Marcus Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 19-31 76.
Salem
18
13
17
35 –
83
Camden Acad. Charter
20
18
19
19 –
76
3-point goals: Salem 3 (Farmer, DeJesus 2); Camden Academy Charter 5 (Dominguez 2, Morton, Goodhall 2). Fouled out: P. Weathers, Stephens, Casasola, Morton. Total fouls: Salem 26, Camden Academy Charter 24.
Girls basketball: Woodstown buried under barrage of Wildwood 3s; fourth quarter goes in opposite directions for Salem, Pennsville; Schalick rolls over Salem Tech
THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES Clayton 67, Pennsville 50 Salem 62, Overbrook 44 Schalick 44, Salem Tech 8 Wildwood 84, Woodstown 57
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WILDWOOD – The Woodstown girls made the two-hour trip to the shore Thursday for one of their biggest basketball games of the season and when they got there a four-alarm fire broke out.
Now before anyone gets concerned, it wasn’t a physical fire. The venerable old school on Pacific Avenue is still standing. It’s just that the Wildwood team Woodstown played was on fire from behind the 3-point arc the likes of which the Wolverines had never seen before.
The Warriors, the No. 1 team in South Jersey Group I power points, busted 21 3-pointers in the first three quarters and ran past the Wolverines 84-57.
“Cudos to them, but, geez, they even had some of their fans saying we never shoot like that,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “They were like, yeah, we’re good shooters, but what the heck. I was like, what the heck.”
The Warriors (12-3) hit 13 of the deep balls in the first half – and their first eight buckets of the third quarter were 3s. At one point 16 straight of their baskets were 3s. They came from four players – Macie McCracken, Sophia Wilber, Angela Wilber and Rebecca Benichou.
Angela Wilber and McCracken each had seven and finished with 25 and 31 points, respectively. Benichou had six for all 18 of her points. Sophia Wilber hit the first one of the game and it was on. Woodstown hit two 3s in the game.
The Warriors took 42 3-pointers in the game and were hitting from everywhere. When Benichou banked one in from the top of the key early in the third quarter, if you didn’t know it then, you just felt they couldn’t miss. When they shot one and didn’t make, the crowd was disappointed.
And it wasn’t like the Wolverines were just letting them shoot. They actually played good defense denying anything inside, the Warriors just worked it around until they got that outside shot.
“We went through five different defenses and nothing seemed to be it,” Straughn said. “If we guarded them up top, they would hit them on the baseline. If we guarded the baseline, they would hit them at the top of the key. They were just on fire.”
And the Wolverines got enough offense that would have won most of their games, they just couldn’t keep pace with the 3s. Talia Battavio led Woodstown with 18 points and made it a doiuble-double with 10 assists. Megan Donelson had 17 points and Shannon Pierman had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
It was the fifth time this year the Warriors had 10 or more 3s in a game. Their previous single-game high this season was 16 against Clayton. They topped that Thursday midway through the third quarter and showed no signs of stopping. They made it 20 when McCracken hit one from the top of the key with 1:12 left in the third.
The loss snapped Woodstown’s six-game winning streak. The Wolverines (11-3) were third in SJ-I power points entering the game. Curiously, by the end of the game, despite the loss, they had moved up to No. 2 in the power points, but after the results of some other games slipped back to No. 3 behind Woodbury.
“I think they’re pretty accurate right now,” Straughn said. “We’ve beaten some really good teams and they continue to win, so I think that bumped us up. Pennsville and Clayton played tonight; if either one of those teams win we get points because we beat them.
“I would love the No. 1 seed. It would be possible, Wildwood has some tough games and we’ve got some big games coming up. It’s not out of the question, but it’s going to be tough. Either way, I think on February 10 I think it’s going to be Wildwood and us 1 and 2, whichever way it goes. That’s my 99.9 percent promise.”
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Battavio, Donelson); Wildwood 21 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber 7, McCracken 7, Benichou 6). Total fouls: Woodstown 13, Wildwood 8.
SALEM 62, OVERBROOK 44: The Rams erupted for an 18-4 fourth quarter to pull away from a game that was tight for three quarters.
They got six points each from Ryann Foote and Ava Rodgers in the quarter to fuel the flurry. Rogers had 14 points in the second half and led all scorers with 23. Foote finished with 19.
“It was an intense game, back and forth, and they took all the fire and put their foot on their necks and never let go,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said. “We had a conversation at halftime and let them know it was going to be an intense game and it was going to come down to who wants it more. The third quarter I could see the fire coming.”
It was the second game in a row the Rams used a big fourth quarter to pull away. They outscored Pitman 17-6 in the fourth quarter of their last game – and 31-14 in the second half – to stretch a slim halftime lead.
“The last two games it’s been the team I’ve been waiting for and what we had,” Tatem said. “There’s been a lot of communication, a lot of holding each other accountable, a lot of coaching on the floor. They’re pushing each other. It’s beautiful to see we’re hitting that stride as a team.” OVERBROOK (3-9) – Jael Presley 4 2-5 10, Sarah Evans 2 0-0 6, Lelani Knight 0 0-0 0, Ahlani White 0 0-0 0, Zahaisha Nevius 6 5-16 20, Gianna Simon 3 0-0 6, Nahia Smith 0 0-0 0, Taija Wiggins 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Burkhardt 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 7-21 44. SALEM (6-8) – Ryann Foote 6 6-7 19, Ava Rodgers 8 7-10 23, Ameriyona Hunter 0 0-2 0, Carlysia Pierce 5 0-0 10, Dahkirah Grey 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Naveah Hickman 1 0-0 2, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0, Madison Dixon 3 0-2 8. Totals 23 13-21 62.
Overbrook
15
12
13
4 –
44
Salem
12
18
14
18 –
62
3-point goals: Overbrook 5 (Evans 2, Nevius 3); Salem 3 (Foote, Dixon 2). Fouled out: Presley. Total fouls: Overbook 20, Salem 18.
SCHALICK 44, SALEM TECH 8: Carly Vicente scored a career-high 14 points and Schalick held the Chargers scoreless in two quarters on the way to their third win in the last four games. Vicente’s previous career high was 13 against LEAP Academy earlier this season.
“She was hitting shots all night,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “It was really good to see her shoot the ball with confidence. She is growing towards her potential of being the scorer we know she can be and showing she can be a major piece of the team. I’m excited to watch her continue to grow.”
CLAYTON 67, PENNSVILLE 50: The Eagles went shot for shot with the Clippers for three quarters, but ran out of gas in the fourth, had two key players foul out and were outscored 20-4. Taylor Bass had her best game since returning from an injury, leading the Eagles with a season-high 20 points.
Clayton’s Rainelle Blocker led all scorers with 32 points. PENNSVILLE (6-8) – Taylor Bass 9 2-5 20, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-0 2, Bella Farina 3 0-2 6, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 1 1-5 3, Marley Wood 7 2-2 17, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-14 50. CLAYTON (7-8) – Jordyn Jones 5 0-1 10, Rainelle Blocker 12 7-12 32, Rosalina Pereira 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 2 4-4 8, Ava Delaney 4 1-5 11, India Williams 0 0-0 0, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, K. Guntner 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-22 67.
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Battavio 3, Donelson 2, Baber 3). Total fouls: Woodstown 6, Schalick 9. Notes: Woodstown, ranked No. 10 in the latest SJIBT rankings (its highest ever), has won six in a row. Donelson is now 106 points shy of 1,000, Battavio needs 111.
Here are the scores and box scores from Tuesday night’s Salem County basketball games; Penns Grove falls at buzzer, Pitman’s Crispin goes over 1,000 in shootout with Salem’s Farmer, and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 61, Penns Grove 60 Gloucester Catholic 72, Salem Tech 53 Overbrook 65, Pennsville 33 Pitman 71, Salem 60 Woodstown 53, Schalick 30
3-point goals: Salem 8 (Bundy, Farmer 4, Lecator 3); Pitman 5 (Devanney, Crispin 2, Fisicaro 2). Technical fouls: Salem bench 2, Farmer. Total fouls: Salem 21, Pitman 16. Notes: Pitman’s Crispin scored 36 points and hit the 1,000-career point mark with a 3-pointer in the second quarter. Farmer led Salem with 29 points and moved within 83 of the milestone.
WOODSTOWN 53, SCHALICK 30 SCHALICK (5-6) — Levi Freeney-Childers 4, Dan Lis 6, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 7, Jake Siedlecki 5, Nasir Sutton 4, Sherrod Jones 2. WOODSTOWN (7-5) — Manny Ortega 0, Blake Bialecki 8, Alejandro Vazquez 7, M.J. Hall 19, Connor Sanderson-Dick 0, Garrett Leyman 5, Anthony Bokolas 2, Max Webb 0, Rocco String 8, Elijah Caesar 4.
GLASSBORO 61, PENNS GROVE 60 GLASSBORO (7-7) — Xavier Sabb 3-4-10, Charles Graves 10-7-28, Clinton Suggs 2-4-8, Michael Dougherty 0-1-1, Josh Buff 3-0-8, Jayce Grays 3-0-6, Aiden Harris 0-0-0. Totals 21-16-61. PENNS GROVE (5-9) — Brandon Robbins 0-0-0, Roman Gipson 0-1-1, Giomar Conrad 6-3-20, Karon Ceaser 2-0-5, Willie Slocum 0-0-0, Mehki Ballard 8-1-22, Camren Thompson 0-0-0, Khiry Higgs 0-0-0, Mr Peterson 4-0-8, Dameon Wilson 2-0-4. Totals 22-5-60.
Glassboro
13
11
19
18 —
61
Penns Grove
19
12
15
14 —
60
3-point goals: Glassboro 3 (Graves, Buff 2); Penns Grove 11 (Conrad 5, Ceaser, Ballard 5) Notes: Charles Graves hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Penns Grove to its second heartbreaking loss in as many days. The Red Devils were up three with a minute to play.
OVERBROOK 65, PENNSVILLE 33 PENNSVILLE (5-9) — Luke Wood 7, Malik Rehmer 3, Daniel Saulin 4, Jayden Thomas 13, Mason O’Brien 6. OVERBROOK (11-4) — Lamar Little 2 0-0 5, Chris Grier 1 0-2 2, Amare Kee 2 0-0 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 6 0-0 14, Tory Scott 2 0-0 4, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Kevin Satchell 2 1-1 5, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0, Nic Johnson 7 2-4 18. Totals 27 3-7 65.
Pennsville
7
11
7
8 —
33
Overbrook
22
9
17
17 —
65
3-point goals: Overbrook 8 (Little, Keeper, Mills 2, Green 2, Johnson 2). Notes: Pennsville dropped its third straight, all Tri-County Diamond Division games.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 72, SALEM TECH 53 GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (8-5) — Carlos Mendez 4 0-0 8, Trey Battle 4 3-3 11, Ehthan Dugue 2 2-2 6, JonCarlo Coia 0 0-0 0, Nick Calzonetti 3 0-0 9, Kyle Guldin 7 1-4 15, Jack Pund 1 0-0 3, Jack Mustaro 8 1-1 17, Henry Pancoast 0 0-0 0, Billy Ginipro 0 0-0 0, Danny Zellner 0 0-0 0, Mendez 1 0-0 3. Totals 30 7-10 72. SALEM TECH (1-11) — Chase Wills 5 1-1 12, Haneef Frisby 4 0-2 8, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 5, Daviontae Russell 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 3-6 6, Tyler Zampino 3 1-2 8, Antoine Robinson 2 3-4 8, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 12-21 53.
Gloucester Catholic
19
21
22
10 —
72
Salem Tech
14
11
11
17 —
53
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 5 (Calzonetti 3, Pund, Mendez); Salem Tech 5 (Wills, Hayes, Muntz, Zampino, Robinson). Total fouls: Gloucester Catholic 15, Salem Tech 12.
Both Salem Tech teams charge into the win column with their first victories of the season; includes other county boys and girls games
MONDAY’S BOYS SCORES Schalick 42, Clayton 35 Glassboro 74, Pennsville 54 Salem Tech 55, Camden Tech 45 Gloucester Catholic 53, Salem 50 Clearview 58, Penns Grove 56
By Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The third time, they say, is the charm and it was for the Salem Tech basketball team Monday night.
Playing Camden Tech for the third time this season, the Chargers had a pretty good idea of what their opponent was all about. They used those experiences to good form, especially in the fourth quarter, and pulled out a 55-45 victory for their first win of the season.
“We’ve still got work to do, but I’m very proud of them,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said. “They showed me grit tonight.”
It was a good night all around for the Chargers. Their girls team also picked up their first win of the season, beating Camden Academy Charter 41-28.
The boys teams played in a pre-season scrimmage and a game in the ACIT Holiday Tournament.
On this night, the Chargers used a balanced scoring attack and a big fourth quarter on both ends of the floor to snap their 10-game season-opening losing streak.
“We knew what they had and they knew what we had,” Riley said. “The big message was lock in on defense and capitalize at the rim when we took it. Defensively, they locked in in the first quarter and the fourth quarter.”
The Chargers grabbed a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, but Camden Tech battled back and carried the lead into the fourth. But the Chargers bowed up again and outscored their visitors 24-6 in the final eight minutes.
They were down five with three minutes to play and dug deeper to close it out.
Four Chargers scored in double figures with Antoine Robinson and Wills scoring 14 apiece. Robinson had eight in the fourth quarter and Wills had six. Haneef Frisby had six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.
3-point goals: Camden Tech 2 (Brummel, Figueroa); Salem Tech 1 (Muntz). Fouled out: Cox. Total fouls: Camden Tech 23, Salem Tech 16.
CLEARVIEW 58, PENNS GROVE 56: Daulton Phalines’ layup with 12 seconds left broke a 56-56 tie and the Pioneers held their breath down the stretch.
The Red Devils had two shots in the closing seconds to either take the lead or tie it. Mekhi Ballard, who had the hot hand all night, missed an open 3 and Willie Slocum’s tip at the buzzer didn’t fall.
Ballard hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the game and led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, his third career 20-point game and first since February 2022. Kaprice Stewart led Clearview with 18. Phalines finished with 16.
GLASSBORO 74, PENNSVILLE 54: Charles Graves and Clinton Suggs each scored 22 points and Xavier Sabb had a double-double to lead the Bulldogs. Jayden Thomas and Luke Wood had 12 points apiece for Pennsville.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 53, SALEM 50: The Rams tied the game at 50, but the Lions made three free throws down the stretch to win it.
The Rams hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. The Lions made the first of two to retake the lead, Salem rebounded the missed second shot but turned it over and to foul again for the final margin.
GC’s Jack Mustaro led all scorers with 25 points, Carlos Mendez had 13 points and Kyle Guldin grabbed 12 rebounds. Jabez DeJesus led the Rams with 19 points. Anthony Farmer had 15 and is now 112 points shy of joining his father and coach as career 1,000-point scorers.
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 4 (Mendez, Mustaro 3); Salem 7 (Farmer 3, DeJesus 3, D. Weathers).
Girls Games
MONDAY’S GIRLS SCORES Schalick 46, Pennsauken Tech 32 Paulsboro 68, Salem 65 (2 OT) Salem Tech 41, Camden Academy Charter 28
SCHALICK 46, PENNSAUKEN TECH 32: Ava Scurry scored a career-high 16 points and the Cougars got good play from a different pair of players each half to score their second straight victory.
Scurry and Cianna Gaines were strong on the interior in the first half, combining for 15 points as the Cougars opened a 21-17 halftime lead. Guards Taylor Sparks and Abby Willoughby combined for 17 points in the second half and both of their 3-pointers to help them pull away.
Willoughby had six of her eight points in the third quarter and Sparks had 11 of her 13 in the second half.
“Taylor hit a lot of big shots for us in critical moments through the game,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “The team moved the ball and put forth a really good defensive effort, especially in the second half.”
PAULSBORO 68, SALEM 65 (2 OTs): In the end of the longest game of Salem coach Tiasia Tatem’s tenure, her Rams simply ran out of players with varsity experience and time on the clock.
It was a game of runs and attrition. Three players on each side fouled out. The Rams made a big run in the fourth quarter behind some unsung reserves to rally from a 43-36 third-quarter deficit, but it was Paulsboro that sent the game into overtime.
The Red Raiders tied it at 53 with 16 seconds left in regulation. Salem had a chance to win it, but threw a bad inbounds pass and Paulsboro couldn’t get a shot before the clock ran out. A free throw by Ryann Foote sent the game into a second overtime and the Red Raiders went on a four-point run at the end to win it.
“It went back and forth pretty much the entire game,” Tatem said. “It came down to the wire. They had three girls foul out, we had three girls foul out. It came down to experience and they had more varsity experience. It was not enough varsity experience, not enough time.”
Paulsboro’s Brookelyn Graham led all scorers with 38 points. She had 18 in the fourth quarter and overtimes, including 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Foote scored a career-high 27 for Salem and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Here is the Salem County high school sports schedule for the week of Jan. 22-27
Monday
BASKETBALL Girls Schalick at Pennsauken Tech, 4 p.m. Salem at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m. Boys Schalick vs. Clayton at Wells Fargo Center, 2 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Camden Co. Tech, at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Clearview, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 6 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Salem, Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River
BOWLING Salem vs. Lindenwold, 30 Strikes, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Gloucester Cath., 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Boys Glassboro at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Cath. at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Penns Grove in TCC Showcase, Toms River, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
WRESTLING Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m. Schalick, Penns Grove at Cumberland, 5 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 7 p.m. Boys Clayton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Pitman at GCIT, 5:45 p.m. Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5:30 p.m. Boys Salem at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.
Marley Wood helps Pennsville keep it together after losing a top scorer, propels Eagles to an OT win over rival Penns Grove, calls it ‘the best feeling ever’
THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Clayton 63, Salem 33 Pennsville 63, Penns Grove 60 (OT) Pitman 56, Salem Tech 32 Schalick 38, Overbrook 33 Woodstown 60, Glassboro 36
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – As soon as the horn sounded to signal the end of the game, Pennsville coach Sam Trapp leaped from the bench and made a bee-line towards her players coming off the court.
It was reminiscent of but not quite as frantic as the iconic image of Jim Valvano racing around the floor in Albuquerque looking for someone to hug after his North Carolina State team won the national championship in 1983. Valvano was looking for anyone. Trapp was seeking out a certain someone.
It didn’t take long for the coach to find the object of her search. Shortly after her Eagles had secured their 63-60 win over Penns Grove in overtime Thursday night Trapp located Marley Wood in the sea of blue and white uniforms and wrapped her arms around the sophomore guard in a giant bear hug.
“It was kind of a surreal moment; it was like crazy,” Wood said. “That’s the first time she’s ever hugged me like that. I played really hard and I think she saw I was getting kind of frustrated during the game but I stayed (with it) and I kept working and she was just happy that I kept going.”
Wood was the glue that kept the Eagles together down the stretch when circumstances dictated things could have easily gotten away.
They were without Nora Ausland, the other part of their one-two punch, for the most important part of the game after the junior forward injured her left foot and came out with 4:57 left in regulation and the Red Devils on the verge of seizing the momentum. It was the same foot she broke last year that ended her season at Salem after 12 games, although the extent of this latest injury wasn’t immediately known.
The Eagles have been rocked by injuries this season and shortly after the new year began had to elevate players from the junior varsity just to have enough able bodies to function. Post Bella Farina had just gotten back from concussion protocol and guard Taylor Bass was scheduled to return Friday after getting the cast removed from her broken hand, but the incoming snowstorm likely has disrupted those plans.
At least they’re not playing Friday now.
So with Ausland on the shelf after scoring 17 points, the Eagles needed Wood to step up in a big way. And she did. She kept things together with her ball handling, scoring and defense. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was the steadying influence down the stretch.
“I just knew that I had to step up and keep scoring so that we had our momentum still,” Wood said. “I had to kind of take her role and my role at the same time and try to coach my other teammates to keep going, too.”
“Why did I hug her; that’s why,” Trapp said. “To step up and remain composed and to continue to work hard through adversity. That girl has continued to lead this team through and through, through injuries and battles and I applaud her because she’s a sophomore, but she demonstrates leadership at such a supreme level, it’s phenomenal. She’s that player who just knows basketball IQ to put her at an advantage above the other kids on the court.”
Of course, Wood didn’t do it alone, but shepherded those who helped.
Farina was a rock in the post, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and standing her ground, drawing praise from among others Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, who repeatedly called her the best big man in the county’s girls game. Izzy Saulin gave the Eagles several big baskets, Kylie Harris was effective when she subbed in for Farina, and freshman Karsen Cooksey came through with rebounding and defense before fouling out.
Farina had seven points, 10 rebounds and at least three blocked shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. Saulin had 10 points. Harris had the first two baskets in an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter as the Eagles started to pull ahead.
“I was just really glad that everybody stepped up today,” Wood said. “Sometimes it’s hard but today everyone really showed what they could do. I think everybody played a big part of today’s game.”
The Eagles led by 13 early in the third quarter, but the Red Devils rallied behind RaNiyah Wilson and freshmen JaNiyah Cummings and Arianna Dowe. Cummings was a factor inside and Wilson and Dowe combined for 15 points in an 18-7 run that got their team within two late in the third quarter. It was a dogfight the rest of the way.
Wilson scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half and overtime. Cummings had 13 points and Dowe scored 11 of her career-high 15 points and hit all three of her 3-pointers in the second half.
“That girl scored 33 against Woodstown, that’s impressive, which is why we chose to go box-and-one on her,” Trapp said of Wilson. “They rely on her a lot. They have plenty of other scorers on that court and I mentioned that to our girls … but when you look at film they rely so heavily on No. 3 that you have to take her out and force the other players to step up and score and they did and did a great job.”
Wilson hit two free throws with 16 seconds left that tied the game at 58. The Red Devils had the last shot in regulation. They ran an inbounds play with three-tenths of a second left and got it in to Wilson, but her tap up didn’t connect.
Penns Grove scored first in overtime, but Wood hit a runner with 2:04 left to put Pennsville up for good and after Farina blocked a shot on the next possession she scored on the other end to make it a three-point game. Farina blocked another shot a short time later to keep the Eagles in front.
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Battavio 4, Donelson 2, Baber); Glassboro 3 (Smith 2, Miles). NOTES: The 27-point third quarter matched their biggest quarter of the season. It was highlighted by multiple steals from Donelson and Battavio as well as them finishing around the basket and hitting some jumpers. Battavio completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Donelson had five assists, six blocks and six steals. Pierman grabbed 11 rebounds. The Wolverines have won four in a row.
CLAYTON 63, SALEM 38 CLAYTON (6-6) – Rainelle Blocker 9 4-5 22, Jordyn Jones 4 3-3 11, Rosalina Pereira 0 1-2 1, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 7 2-6 18, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, Indian Williams 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 10-16 63. SALEM (4-7) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 5, Marjziah Bundy 1 1-2 4, Madison Dizon 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 1 4-6 6, Ryann Foote 2 1-2 5, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-2 5, Marissa Bower 4 1-4 12. Totals 13 9-20 38. 3-point goals: Clayton 3 (Delaney 2, Williams); Salem 4 (Hunter, Bower 3). NOTES: Rodgers grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Foote dished five assists. Hunter had seven rebounds and four steals. The loss snapped Salem’s two-game winning streak.
3-point goals: Pitman 4 (Fisicaro 2, Villari, Rollins); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2). NOTES: Fisicaro also was credited with 17 of the Panthers’ 30 steals. Duffield had seven.
3-point goals: Overbrook 4 (Evans, Nevins 3); Schalick 4 (Sparks, Willoughby). Total fouls: Overbrook 13, Schalick 12. NOTES: The Cougars showed their potential in the first and, especially, fourth quarters with high energy defense and crisp ball movement. Gaines scored nine of her career-high 13 in the fourth quarter and she had 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Scurry, with seven rebounds and five blocked shots, hit 100 rebounds and 50 blocks for the season. Schalick used a big fourth quarter rally to win. Schalick is 3-6, Overbrook 2-8.
Penns Grove outlasts Pennsville in a game that had a little bit of everything, a lengthy delay and a player going over 1,000 points
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 55, Woodstown 47 Overbrook 58, Schalick 31 Penns Grove 75, Pennsville 65 Pitman 101, Salem Tech 44 Salem 90, Clayton 52
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – For all the highs and lows that were going on in the Pennsville-Penns Grove game Thursday night, there were three big takeaways that should have followed the crowd back out into the cold night.
Penns Grove coach Damian Ware picked up another win over his Carleton School teaching colleague, planning period partner and Pennsville coaching buddy Joe Mecholsky. The Red Devils collected a bunch of South Jersey Group I power points and some serious county cred by beating their rivals. And Pennsville’s Luke Wood became the latest member of the 1,000-Point Club.
And, oh, Penns Grove’s floor Zamboni works just fine.
Luke Wood and his family celebrate the Pennsville junior guard scoring his 1,000th career point Thursday night at Penns Grove.
First the highlights:
The Red Devils took down the Eagles 75-65 for their ninth win in the last 10 meetings between the two coaches. They led virtually wire-to-wire largely by hitting 3s and ruling the boards (18 offensive rebounds) and placed three scorers in double figures.
Freshman KaRon Ceaser, riding the high of receiving his first college football scholarship offer from Syracuse earlier in the day, led the Red Devils with 20 points. Giomar Conrad had 18 points and Mehki Ballard, who seems to have found his shooting rhythm just in time for the second half of the season, had 14 with a couple 3-pointers.
Wood became the 17th member of Pennsville’s 1,000-Point Club and second in his family when he drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 5:45 left in a game the Eagles had climbed back into contention for. He needed 19 points coming into the game and finished with a season-high 28, going 11-of-25 from the field. He hit the magic number on his 18th shot of the game.
It was hoped he would reach the milestone at home this weekend, where his sister Ryane, the most recent player to join the club (1224 points ending in 2022), could have been on hand to watch. Instead, he had to settle for reaching the milestone against the same team his coach did against in 1992.
“I don’t know if there’s any other emotion other than it feels good, it’s great,” Wood said. “That’s something you come into high school trying to get and you finally hit it, it feels good.”
Now for the lowlight:
The game was delayed 28 minutes late in the first quarter as a custodian cleaned the gym floor after it had become dangerously slippery from the de-icing salt on spectators’ shoes mixing with the chemicals used to clean the floor. It made for hazardous footing along the sidelines and players from each team fell hard as a result.
Mecholsky threatened to pull his team from the game after Peyton O’Brien slipped along the baseline for a second time in the opening minutes of play. The game was halted at 7:28 p.m. local time – with 36.9 seconds left in the first quarter and Penns Grove leading by 10 – after the Red Devils’ Camren Thompson crashed into the bleachers.
“We’re here with kids, we’re here just trying to play a game and conditions are disastrously … I’ve never even seen that before in my life,” Mecholsky said. “We were going home. We were going home. What am I going do, have a Pennsville kid break his clavicle over there? No. We were leaving. We were leaving. That was an embarrassment. But they did fix it.”
The players from both teams said it was only slippery in the corners and around the sideline. The playing area was not affected, they said.
“The court was fine, but once you went out of bounds it was scary,” O’Brien said, “but we fought through it and they fixed it after a while so we were good.”
“I tried to stay away from the sidelines,” Wood said. “I was playing it smart. I tried to stay in the middle of the floor.”
A custodian made four laps around the court on the cleaner during and went back-and-forth three times along the baselines before the game resumed at 8 p.m. local time. The custodian went around the court twice more at halftime.
A Penns Grove High School custodian cleans the edge of the basketball court during a delay in Thursday night’s game with Pennsville.
The teams hung out in their bench area until the clean-up was finished.
“It was something that was out of any of our control,” Ware said. “For precaution and safety of the kids (the delay) was the best thing to do. You never know, somebody could have slipped, rolled an ankle, fell, bust their elbow up. It was the best thing we could do at that point.”
There were some rumblings the game could be suspended at halftime and resumed at a later date, but the three-person all-female officiating crew indicated at halftime the second half would proceed as scheduled. Ware said he would have not been in favor of a stoppage. The second half proceeded without incident.
The delay didn’t seem to bother the Red Devils’ game. They were leading 24-14 at the time of the delay and wound up winning by that margin. They hit six of their eight 3-pointers after the delay. They led by 20 in the third quarter before Ware subbed in his reserves and Pennsville rallied.
“I was actually kind of tired in the beginning of the game so the delay actually kind of helped me,” Ballard said.
Wood’s milestone 3-pointer got the Eagles to within 10. The junior guard looked a lot more relaxed once he reached 1,000 and he scored the Eagles next seven points. His next 3-pointer got them within six with 3:34 to play, 65-59, but that was as close as they got.
“There’s definitely a little bit of pressure when you’re about to score 1,000 points,” Wood said. “I think definitely after I scored it today everyone could tell the pressure got lifted and that I was back to my normal self.”
Thompson answered with a 3 and the Red Devils kept the margin between eight and 10 for the time that remained.
“They made more 3s than I anticipated and we didn’t rebound like them,” Mecholsky said. “Great game by coach (Ware). His players made shots tonight and they rebounded. They weren’t special, but they outrebounded us and we lost.”
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Suggs, Dougherty); Woodstown 9 (Bialecki 3, Hall 3, Webb, Leyman, Vazquez). NOTES: Graves and Sabb both had double-doubles with Graves grabbing 10 rebounds and Sabb hauling in 11. Webb had six assists and four steals for Woodstown. The Wolverines have lost three in a row.
OVERBROOK 58, SCHALICK 31 SCHALICK (4-5) – Reggie Allen 19, Dan Lis 4, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 4, Jase Volovar 2. OVERBROOK (9-3) – Jaden St. John 2 0-0 4, Lamar Little 4 0-0 11, Chris Grier 2 1-3 5, Amare Kee 2 1-1 6, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 4 0-1 9, Tory Scott 1 0-0 2, Zair Green 3 1-1 8, Kevin Satchell 0 1-2 1, Elvin Santiago 1 2-2 4, Nic Johnson 2 2-5 6. Totals 22 8-15 58.
PITMAN 101, SALEM TECH 44 PITMAN (10-3) – Porter Kostiuk 2 6-6 10, Stephen Devanney 1 2-4 4, Hudson Rue 1 0-0 2, Elijah Crispin 8 2-2 19, Trey Tinges 1 1-2 4, Colin Ambrosius 1 0-0 2, Chris Wyllie 3 0-0 7, Michael Fisciaro 12 3-3 32, Sonny Myers 5 1-4 11, Greg Petersen 1 4-4 8, Jake Epting 2 0-0 4. Totals 37 19-25 101. SALEM TECH (0-10) – Haneef Frisby 12, Joseph Hayes 4, Daviontae Russell 6, Josh Muntz 4, Tyler Zampino 8, Antoine Robinson 8, Chase Ayers 2.
Pitman
34
23
28
16 –
101
Salem Tech
12
14
12
6 –
44
3-point goals: Pitman 8 (Crispin, Tinges, Wyllie, Fisicaro 5). NOTES: The Panthers became the first team to score 100 in Salem Tech’s gym. Clayton hung 100-plus on the visiting Chargers in the 2021-22 and 2019-20 seasons.
