Category: SALEM

Wild Wednesday

Salem wins a frenzied game with Pennsville, Bialecki has a big game for Woodstown

WEDNESDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Salem 77, Pennsville 66
Woodstown 74, Salem Tech 40

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Jabez DeJesus has thrown down many loud dunks during his Salem basketball career, but there haven’t been many as satisfying as the one he slammed in the final minute of Wednesday night’s 77-66 win over Pennsville.

It was one of those dunks that screamed enough-is-enough in a bizzare game that had devolved into ugliness.

It was a game that certainly kept the officials busy. They whistled 55 fouls, four technicals and issued several bench warnings. Four players fouled out (two on each side) and every call in the second half seemed to draw a reaction from the coaches and the crowd.

Maybe you should’ve seen it coming. The game started with a technical foul when the Rams were caught dunking in warm-ups.

DeJesus brought an end to the foolishness when he drove the length of the floor with a deep rebound and dunked with 41 seconds left that was more an exclamation point on the Rams’ fourth straight win and 10th straight against county competition than an incitement for more chaos.

“I was really thinking about it moments before,” the 6-foot-1 senior said. “I was like, ‘Man, what can I do to solidify myself into this game,’ and I was surprised I was that open. This is my opportunity, I’ve got to take it, make a statement, so I ran down the court and hit it with authority.

“(Taking the game off the edge) was definitely part of the reason, but I just wanted to get myself into the game, help my team out and I saw the opportunity to help us extend the lead. I really wanted to add an exclamation point to the last seconds of the game, (so) I put it all out there for my team and made my statement.”

Pennsville looked dead midway through the third quarter when Luke Wood caught his fourth foul on the floor and then got T’d walking away for his disqualifying fifth foul, followed immediately by a T on Eagles coach Joe Mecholsky. DeJesus made all four free throws and the Rams led by 18. It was a 20-point game moments later.

But the Eagles put on another rally similar to the comeback they staged against Woodstown two nights earlier. They turned up the defense and exploited a mismatch with Daniel Saulin inside and brought it all the way to four, 65-61 with 2:17 to play.

“I think that our defense brought us back into the game,” Mecholsky said. “I think when they got into foul trouble they had to put in some inexperienced players and we were able to turn them over and get what we wanted to do.

“It was a battle of wills tonight. They imposed their will for three quarters, we imposed ours in the fourth, but that’s still not enough time to overcome the hole we were in.

“I just told them in the locker room when our best player went out we didn’t shrink, we got tougher. We had grapes, we didn’t have raisins. We stayed tough, we stayed to it, we came back. Tonight Salem was just a better team than us.”

The Rams pushed their lead back to seven and then it got ugly again. Malik Rehmer dropped a hard foul against guard Anthony Farmer that sent Salem coach Anthony Farmer into a rage and several steps out on the floor.

After a officials’ huddled (and Farmer made the first free throw), Rehmer’s foul was ruled intentional and Farmer Sr. was hit with tech.

Farmer the younger collected himself to make his two free throws. Rehmer offset them by making the two technical foul shots on the other end and it was a 70-63 game with 1:21 to play. Pennsville called time and Rehmer launched a deep 3 coming out of it that missed the mark.

The teams traded free throws on the next three possessions to make it an eight-point game and the atmosphere was still frenzied. Jayden Thomas fired up a deep 3 hoping to get the Eagles closer. DeJesus grabbed the rebound, drove the length of the floor and slammed it home for a 10-point lead to end any residual discussion.

“I liked it,” Farmer the guard said. “I was definitely a fan. I loved that he went up for that dunk and I was happy he got the opportunity and threw it down. An exclamation point. He closed the door.”

“It was one of those players a senior makes,” Farmer the coach said. “Bez being a senior had an opportunity to change the momentum and shift things and really seal the game. That was a senior type play.

“Honestly, in any other situation I probably would have told him to pull it out and run clock, but because of how ugly it was and the flow of the way the game was going we encouraged him to go make that play. And obviously it sealed the deal.”

DeJesus scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. Farmer, who Mecholsky called “the difference in the game tonight,” had 22 points, 18 in the first half. Farmer took on a lot with Ramaji Bundy out with a sore knee, but he made a lot of shots and distributed the ball when he wasn’t.

Saulin led Pennsville with 20 points, 12 in the second half, and 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. Peyton O’Brien had 13 points and six rebounds. Wood was held to eight points and now needs 41 to become the Eagles’ 17th 1,000-point scorer.

SALEM 77, PENNSVILLE 66
PENNSVILLE (4-5) – Luke Wood 2-6 3-5 8, Peyton O’Brien 3-8 6-6 13, Daniel Saulin 8-13 4-6 20, Jayden Thomas 3-11 1-7 8, Malik Rehmer 1-6 2-2 4, Cohen Petrutz 2-7 1-4 5, Mason O’Brien 2-7 4-4 8, Carlo Merindino 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 21-34 66.
SALEM (5-3) – Anthony Farmer 5 9-11 22, Jabez DeJesus 4 10-14 20, Paul Weathers 0 1-2 1, Xavier McGriff 3 0-2 8, Tymear Lecator 4 7-10 16, Donavon Weathers 1 0-0 2, Antwone Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Joseph Tunis 1 0-0 2, Davonte Jackson 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 27-39 77.

Pennsville161312 25 –66
Salem17221721 —77
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Wood, P. O’Brien, Thomas); Salem 8 (Farmer 3, DeJesus 2, McGriff 2, Lecator). Technical fouls: Wood, Pennsville coach Mecholsky, Salem (dunking in warmups), Salem coach Farmer. Fouled out: Wood, Thomas, Rodgers, D. Weathers. Total fouls: Pennsville 28, Salem 27. Officials: Harbin, Wright, Torres.

Woodstown 74, Salem Tech 40

WOODSTOWN – There’s something about playing Salem Tech that does something for Blake Bialecki.

The Woodstown sophomore hit a career-high 3-pointers and scored 29 points as the Wolverines won their second game of the week.

Bialecki, coming off a 23-point against Pennsville last time out, hit three 3s in the first quarter against the Chargers and four in the first half as the Wolverines opened a 32-20 halftime lead. He had hit 10 3s this season coming into the game. His previous high for 3s in a game was five last January against Salem Tech.

“The second we gave him an inch he was making his shots,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said.

WOODSTOWN 74, SALEM TECH 40
WOODSTOWN (6-2) – Manny Ortega 0 0-2 0, Blake Bialecki 10 1-2 29, Alejandro Vazquez 2 3-4 7, M.J. Hall 2 0-0 4, Garrett Leyman 3 2-3 8, Lucas Fulmer 1 2-2 4, Max Webb 4 2-2 10, Rocco String 2 0-0 4,
Elijah Caesar 4 0-4 8. Totals 28 10-19 74.
SALEM TECH (0-9) – Chase Wills 4 1-1 10, Haneef Frisby 3 0-0 6, Josh Muntz 4 0-0 8, Tyler Zampino 1 0-0 3, Antoine Robinson 5 0-4 11, Joseph Hayes 1 0-2 2, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 1-7 40.

Woodstown18142319 –74
Salem Tech 119614 –40
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Bialecki 8); Salem Tech 3 (Wills, Zampino, Robinson). Total fouls: Woodstown 10, Salem Tech 17.


Back on track

MONDAY’S GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES
Clayton 64, Salem Tech 17
Glassboro 70, Schalick 18
Penns Grove 79, Overbrook 22
Wildwood 84, Salem 33
Woodstown 58, Pennsville 43

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Talia Battavio bounced back from a cold shooting Saturday to score 22 points Monday night and lead Woodstown back into the win column, 59-43 over Pennsville in the Wolverines’ Coaches vs. Cancer game.

Battavio was held to a season-low nine points by OLMA and didn’t hit a shot in the second half, but bounced back for her fourth 20-point game of the season. The Wolverines are 11-1 the last two seasons when either Battavio or Megan Donelson score 20 points in a game. She also had five assists and six blocked shots.

The junior guard was one of three Wolverines to score in double figures in the game. Donelson had 17 points, including her 100th career 3-pointer, with five assists, three blocks and four steals. And Shannon Pieman had 12 points and eight rebounds. Alyssa Baber grabbed 12 boards.

“I feel like we’re still not playing our best basketball, individually or as a whole, but it was a good division win with multiple girls scoring,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “There’s nothing we can’t iron out in practice tomorrow (and) the rest of the week.

“We needed some momentum with tonight’s win because I think we have the potential to go on a winning streak for a few weeks now through the month.”

Pennsville’s Marley Wood led all scorers with 27 points. She hit a career-high seven 3-pointers, matching teammate Nora Ausland for the team’s single-game high this season (Overbrook).

WOODSTOWN 59, PENNSVILLE 43
PENNSVILLE (4-5) — Nora Ausland 4 0-0 9, Celli Ausland 1 0-0 3, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Izzie Säulen 1 0-0 2, Marley Wood 10 0-1 27. Totals 17 0-1 43.
WOODSTOWN (6-2) — Talia Battavio 9 2-2 22, Megan Donelson 7 0-0 17, Gianna Maiorini 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Baber 1 0-0 2, Shannon Pieman 6 0-2 12, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 2-4 59.

Pennsville781018 —43
Woodstown19121117 —59
3-point goals: Pennsville 9 (N. Ausland, C. Ausland, Wood 7); Woodstown 5 (Batavia 2, Donelson 3).


WILDWOOD 84, SALEM 33
SALEM (2-5) — Ryann Foote 4 6-8 14, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 2, Carlysia Pierce 1 0-0 2, Ava Rodgers 0 1-2 1, Kaela Nichols 3 0-0 6, Marissa Bower 3 0-0 6, Zaniyah Frieson 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 7-10 33.
WILDWOOD 84 (6-3) — Sophia Wilber 1 3-4 6, Angela Wilber 6 5-7 18, Macie McCracken 12 1-1 30, Kaliah Sumlin 3 3-6 9, Rebecca Benichou 9 1-1 21, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 13-19 84.

Salem69117 —33
Wildwood 3224226 —84
3-point goals: Salem 0, Wildwood 9 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber, McCracken 5, Benichou 2).

CLAYTON 64, SALEM TECH 17
CLAYTON (4-5) — Jordyn Jones 5 0-0 10, Rainelle Blocker 7 0-0 14, Rosalina Pereira 4 0-0 11, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 9 0-0 19, Janice Blair 0 1-2 1, Sophia Petsch 3 0-0 7. Totals 29 1-2 64.
SALEM TECH (0-7) — Shelby Drummond 1 0-0 2, Kaylin Beardsley 2 0-0 6, Demajae White 1 0-0 2, Hanna DeWitt 1 0-0 2, TiRonna McGaha 1 0-0 0, Morgan VanDover 1 1-2 3. Totals 7 1-2 17.
Clayton21211210 —64
Salem Tech10223 —17
3-point goals: Clayton 5 (Pereira 3, Delaney, Petsch); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2).

Familiar finish

Hall again hits the big shot as Woodstown gets back on track with a tight win over Pennsville; Ballard makes four late FTs to lift Penns Grove, Salem stages big fourth-quarter rally

MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY BOYS SCORES
Penns Grove 51, Overbrook 48
Clayton 83, Salem Tech 57
Glassboro 68, Schalick 42
Salem 64, Wildwood 57
Woodstown 60, Pennsville 57

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The Woodstown basketball team needed a win in the worst of ways. That it came against a heated rival only made it better.

M.J. Hall hit a game-tying free throw with 38 seconds to play and then nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to lift Woodstown over Pennsville 60-57 to get back on track after two crushing losses.

The Wolverines started the season 4-0, but their fortunes changed when the calendar did. They started the new year by letting a double-digit lead against Penns Grove get away under a hail of turnovers and then losing a low-scoring three-point game to Delsea 24 hours later.

But they were determined to get back on track and Hall, a junior guard with a history of picking the Eagles apart, made it happen.

“It’s a brotherhood and for us to be down in a situation like this after coming off an 0-2 week is just a blessing to have,” Hall said. “Going through the shot with the ball in your hand on the last possession is always a nervous wreck, but to come through and get us back on a winning streak hopefully is a blessing.

“We all play a part. Rocco (String) getting fouled out had us nervous, but we just found a way to come through and pull off the win and send a statement to anybody else.”

The end of the game was eerily similar to the one the Wolverines won here last year when Hall hit the game-winning shot from in front of the Woodstown bench with time running out.

The Wolverines opened a 20-5 lead early in the second quarter and the way things were going felt they had a real opportunity to push the lead to 25 or 30 before halftime. But Pennsville, showing shades of Penns Grove’s rally Thursday night, chipped away on the front end to get within eight and then got back in the game altogether with the final nine points of the half.

The Eagles did take the lead early in the third quarter when Daniel Saulin converted a long pass from Jayden Thomas into a layup to make it 33-32. The game stayed tight the rest of the night and was tied at 45 going into the fourth quarter.

“We talk about the hope that we keep for ourselves and the hope we shouldn’t give the other teams,” Woodstown coach Phil Campbell said. “We gave them some hope there before halftime and they made a game of it.”

Malik Rehmer hit two free throws with 1:13 left off the play that fouled String out to put Pennsville up for the last time 57-56. Woodstown, now without its big man in the game, called time with 1:08 left to set up a play. The Wolverines worked it around and Hall was fouled by Saulin.

Hall hit the first of the two free throws to tie the game. He missed the second shot and Saulin rebounded, but Hall snuck around to steal it back and the Wolverines immediately called time again with 33.8 left.

The plan was to work it around to about 15 seconds and get it to Garrett Leyman. They did, but the Eagles sealed off his drive to the basket. Instead of forcing something, Leyman smartly kicked it out to Hall, who drained the go-ahead 3 from the far left side of the floor.

Last year Hall hit the winning 3 from the right corner after the Eagles missed a potential game-winning layup just seconds earlier.

“We talk a lot about inside-out 3-pointers are the best shot you can take,” Campbell said. “They’re the highest percentage 3 in the country, inside-out, and that was exactly what he got. He’s a good shooter, especially in that kind of position.”

It just had to be Hall. In two career games in Pennsville, he has scored 23 points and hit two game-winning shots.

“To hit a shot like that, big, it’s fun,” he said.

“He just seems to flip the switch here in Pennsville,” sophomore guard Blake Bialecki said. “He always seems to play good here.”

Hall finished with 11 points. Bialecki led the Wolverines with 26 points, including five 3-pointers.

Hall’s big shot may have given the Wolverines the lead, but it still wasn’t over. Pennsville called time with 4.4 seconds left to set up the tying shot. They set the play in motion, but Luke Wood stepped on the sideline trying to rush up the floor for a 3.

Wood led Pennsville with 19 points and moved inside 50 points of 1,000. He had 12 points during the Eagles’ second-quarter comeback, but fell ill during halftime and missed the first four minutes of the third quarter. Saulin had 14 points and six rebounds. Rehmer had 13 points and nine boards.

“We played good team ball tonight, it was just unfortunate that we got nearly home and we just … two plays either way and we win that game,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “I’m not discouraged whatsoever. The kids decided the game and tonight the Woodstown team was a play better than us.”

WOODSTOWN 60, PENNSVILLE 57
WOODSTOWN (5-2) — Manny Ortega 1 0-0 3, Blake Bialecki 10 1-2 26, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0, M.J. Hall 4 1-2 11, Garrett Leyman 1 2-2 4, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 4 0-0 10, Rocco String 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 4-6 60.
PENNSVILLE (4-4) — Mason O’Brien 1 0-0 2, Luke Wood 7 2-4 19, Cohen Petrutz 2 0-0 4, Peyton O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Jayden Thomas 0 0-0 0, Malik Rehmer 3 6-7 14, Daniel Saulin 6 2-3 14. Totals 21 10-14 57.

Woodstown16161315 —60
Pennsville5231712 —57
3-point goals: Woodstown 10 (Ortega, Bialecki 5, Hall 2, Webb 2); Pennsville 5 (Wood 3, Rehmer 2).
Technical fouls: Thomas. Fouled out: String. Total fouls: Woodstown 12, Pennsville 8. Officials: Panko, Popper, Johnson.

PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48: Mekhi Ballard seems to be back in the groove and that’s a good thing for the Red Devils.

Ballard hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory and send the Red Devils into a four-way tie for first in the Tri-County Diamond Division.

“He’s our most experienced player who was off to a slow start, but has come up big the last two games,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “He had seven fourth-quarter points against Woodstown and then four big free throws today in the fourth. He’s starting to find his rhythm.”

Both pairs of free throws came after Overbrook scored to cut into the Red Devils’ lead. The first set pushed the lead to four. The Rams hit a 3 on the next trip down the floor and then he made two more to make it a three-point game. Overbrook had a shot at the buzzer for the tie but missed.

Ballard finished with 13 points to lead three Red Devils scorers in double figures. Giomar Conrad had 12 and Mr Peterson 10. Yes, the name is Mr, as in Mister.

“My dad told me a long time ago it was because when anybody talks to me he wants them to respect my name,” Peterson explained.

It’s the same reason Mr. T explained his name is Mr. T.

PENNS GROVE 51, OVERBROOK 48
OVERBROOK (5-3) — Shaun Mills 1 4 6, Chris Grier 6 9 24, Amare Kee 1 0 3, Lamar Little 1 0 2, Kevin Satchell 1 0 3, Xavier Wright 2 1 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0 2, Jaden St. John 0 3 3. Totals 13 17 48.
PENNS GROVE (4-5) — Brandon Robbins 0 0 0, Roman Gipson 2 3 7, Giomar Conrad 5 1 12, KaRon Ceaser 0 1 1, Willie Slocum 1 2 4, Mehki Ballard 3 6 13, Camren Thompson 1 0 2, Khiry Higgs 1 0 2, Mr Peterson 5 0 10. Totals 18 13 51.
Overbrook971715 —48
Penns Grove13111116 —51
3-point goals: Overbrook 1 (Grier 3, Kee, Satchell); Penns Grove 2 (Conrad, Ballard).

SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57: Freshman Tymear Lecator had the best game of his career, leading three Salem scorers in double figures, and the Rams went an amazing 18-for-18 from the free throw line.

The Rams trailed by 12 in the third quarter and staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to win their third game in a row.

“I don’t know how we did it, but we pulled it off,” Salem coach Anthony Farmer said.

Lecator, a transfer from Winslow, scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Anthony Farmer had 19 points and was 11-for-11 from the line. Paul Weathers posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

SALEM 64, WILDWOOD 57
WILDWOOD (6-4) — Junior Hans 4 7-8 16, Ryan Troiano 3 0-1 7, Jordan Fusi 3 1-1 12, Brian Cunniff 7 3-3 17, Josh Pintella 0 0-0 0, Harley Buscham 0 0-0 0, Lukas Basile 0 1-2 1, James Wyers 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 12-15 57.
SALEM (4-2) — Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Anthony Farmer 4 11-11 19, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 4, Paul Weathers 6 3-3 16, Tymear Lecator 7 4-4 21, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 18-18 64.
Wildwood1421139 —57
Salem11151820 —64
3-point goals: Wildwood 5 (Hans, Troiano, Fusik 3); Salem 4 (P. Weathers, Lecator 3).

GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42: Charles Graves scored 21 of his career-high 45 points in the first quarter and helped the Bulldogs (4-4) pull away from a one-point game in the final 2:30 of the quarter to take control.

The Bulldogs hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter; Graves had four of them. He’s gone for 20 or more in six of his last seven games, averaging 26.0 a game in that stretch. He’s averaging 23.7 for the season.

GLASSBORO 68, SCHALICK 42
SCHALICK (3-4) — Nylan Sutton 2 0-2 4, Jordan Johnson 1 2-2 5, Reggie Allen 9 2-6 21, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Daniel Lis 4 1-2 10, Jake Siedlecki 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 6-14 42.
GLASSBORO (4-4) — Charles Graves 18 5-8 45, Clinton Suggs 2 3-3 7, Michael Dougherty 3 1-2 10, Josh Buff 1 0-0 2, William Goggans 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 9-13 68.

Schalick1291011 —42
Glassboro2915159 —68
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Johnson, Allen, Lis); Glassboro 7 (Graves 4, Dougherty 3). Total fouls: Schalick 11, Glassboro 10.

CLAYTON 83, SALEM TECH 57
SALEM TECH (0-8) — Antoine Robinson 1 2-4 4, Chase Wills 5 2-2 12, Tyler Zampino 2 1-2 5, Josh Muntz 0 0-0 0, Haneef Frisby 5 1-2 11, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 4, Gio Holmes 4 0-0 10, Daviontae Russell 2 4-6 9. Totals 21 10-14 55.
CLAYTON (2-7) — Dillon Jones 3 0-2 6, Princeton Sackor 6 4-6 20, Nazir Davis 9 2-5 23, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Michael Akosah 0 1-2 1, Demetris Williams 5 3-8 13, Jon Cox 1 1-1 3, Ashaud Hines 4 0-2 8, Chimali Mitchell 1 0-0 3, Mason Gable 1 0-0 3. Totals 31 11-26 83.
Salem Tech5112714 —57
Clayton22161728 —83
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (Holmes 2, Russell); Clayton 10 (Sackor 4, Davis 3, Carter, Mitchell, Gable).

Tri-County Conference

DIAMONDALLDIVCLASSICALLDIV
Woodstown5-22-1Pitman8-23-0
Overbrook5-32-1Gloucester Cath.6-32-1
Glassboro4-42-1Salem4-32-1
Penns Grove4-52-1Wildwood6-42-2
Pennsville4-41-2Clayton2-71-3
Schalick3-40-3Salem Tech0-80-3


This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Jan. 8-13

Monday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Overbrook at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Salem vs. TBA, Toms River, 5 p.m.

Tuesday

WRESTLING
Oakcrest at Schalick, 5 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Timber Creek at Penns Grove, 6 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp.

BOWLING
Salem Tech at Hammonton, 4 p.m.

Wednesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Pennsville at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday

BASKETBALL
Boys
Clearview at Pennsvile, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at LEAP, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 6 p.m.

SWIMMING
Schalick vs. Triton Regional at GCIT, 6 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT, 7 p.m.

BOWLING
Clayton vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem vs. Gloucester City, Westbrook Lanes, 6 p.m.

Friday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Camden Academy at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Schalick at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Bridgeton, 6 p.m.
Boys
Camden Catholic at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Deptford Twp. at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Woodstown at Clearview, 5 p.m.
Buena at Pennsville, 6 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Schalick at NJSIAA Relays, Toms River, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
South Jersey Invitational Tournament
South Region
Eastern at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m.
Camden Catholic 42, Rancocas Valley 39
Gloucester Catholic 41, Haddon Heights 39
Lenape 62, West Deptford 13
North Region
Moorestown Friends at Cherokee
Haddon Twp. at Highland 
Paul IV 81, Delran 12
Shawnee 41, Westampton Tech 36
West Region
Williamstown 53, Pennsauken 40
Cherry Hill West 49, Woodbury 37
Moorestown 72, Kingsway 27
Holy Cross 50, Bishop Eustace 45
East Region
Gateway at Cinnaminson
Clearview at Haddonfield
Medford Tech at Sterling
Timber Creek 46, Winslow 34

Boys
Salem at Cherokee, 12:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Deptford Twp., St. Joseph Academy at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Woodstown, Hillsborough, Watchung Hills at Park Ridge, 11 a.m.
Pennsville vs. Oakcrest, Overbrook, Millville
Schalick, Buena, N. Burlington, Timber Creek at Cumberland

Shut down Saturday

OLMA puts the clamps on Woodstown’s two big scorers, wins by 20; shorthanded Pennsville, Salem both fall

SATURDAY GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delsea 37, Pennsville 20
Gateway 47, Salem 34
OLMA 51, Woodstown 31

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The girls basketball world has seen what Woodstown can do when its two dynamic scorers are lighting up the scoreboard. On Saturday, it saw what can happen when they are not.

Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson scored most of their team’s points once again, but this time it wasn’t nearly enough to save the Wolverines from a 51-31 loss to once-beaten Our Lady of Mercy.

The two scorers were averaging 20.1 and 18.8 a game, respectively, coming into the power matinee. But the Villagers (10-1) held Donelson to 14 points and Battavio to nine and 0-for-16 shooting from the field in the second half.

They hadn’t been held down like that since Highland held them to 19 combined points last February. It’s only the fifth time in their last 31 games one or the other had been held to single digits.

What’s that mean in the big picture? Consider, over the last two season when they both score 20 in a game, the Wolverines are 6-0. When one of them goes for 20, they’re 10-1. When they both score at least 18 in the same game, they’re 9-1. When one of them is held to less than 10 points, they’re 3-4.

“We know they’re two great performers for the last two years, but we have very, very good defenders and our communication is phenomenal,” OLMA head coach Brian Coyle said. “We had a good game plan on how to take away what they want to do. It really was about communication and staying in a good stance and when they do attack, just wall off.“

Before Donelson hit back-to-back 3s early in the third quarter there was a real threat both Wolverines scorers would be denied double figures in the same game for only the second time in the last two seasons.

Woodstown coach Kara Straughn thought the double treys might have been the spark to get the Wolverines going, but they were just a brief ray of sunshine.

“We couldn’t score anything today,” Straughn said. “I told them 75 percent of those shots would have fallen any other night. Today, they didn’t. It’s gonna happen. It’s the game of basketball.”

Maddie Bernhardt was tasked with guarding Battavio and VonAsia Thompson drew the assignment against Donelson. In the first half, they held the two stars to three combined field goals and Woodstown to 4-of-24 shooting as a team. To a man, they said communication was the key to getting the job done.

“Maddie’s a phenomenal defensive player,” Coyle said. “She’s going to be a 1000-point scorer and I think people look at her as a shooter and scorer, (but) she’s probably our most intelligent defensive player. She’s great at staying in front of the girl, she knows how to read and has great instinct. She’s also our best communicator on defense.”

“I definitely take pride in defending, so I was trying to lock her down,” Bernhardt said. “I kind of keep my hand up, at eye level and kept it in their face to make it harder for them to shoot it.”

But Bernhardt had her scoring chops on, too. She had 19 points and is now only 36 away from 1,000. Savannah Prescott had 13 points and Khalia Lewis dominated the paint with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Lewis became even more effective when Wolverines post Shannon Pierman went to the bench in foul trouble.

“I told (her team) in the locker room they’re almost an identical team to us,” Straughn said. ‘‘They have two guards who are really good; we have two guards who are really good. They have a center that’s really good; we have a center that’s really good. They have so many different weapons and their weapons were just a little stronger than ours today.”

Battavio contemplated becoming one of the Villager people in the offseason, and Straughn conceded the OLMA factor probably impacted her play. The junior guard finished with two baskets — both 3-pointers in the first half – Woodstown’s first bucket of the game for their only lead and the last bucket of the first half.

“I think part of it was mental,” Straughn said. “I told her sometimes you just overthink. When she misses one or two, instead of just saying let me trust some of the other ones, I think she tries to outwork herself and just keep going, going and going. She’ll even tell you that – she’s the queen of doing too much.”

The Wolverines (5-2) did get something out of the loss and because of OLMA’s strength it’s a gift that will keep on giving – power points.

“I’d rather lose to a team like this than lose to any other type of team,” Straughn said. “Playing teams like OLMA and Eastern, they’re going to make us better. That’s why we put these teams on our schedule. Yeah, it sucks to lose, but it’s even better to get better.”

OLMA 51, WOODSTOWN 31
OUR LADY OF MERCY (10-1) – Maddie Barnhardt 6 4-4 19, Savannah Prescott 3 7-8 13, Khalia Lewis 5 2-4 12, Adrianna Bristow 1 0-0 2, VonAsia Thompson 1 0-0 2, Katelyn Coryell 1 0-0 3, Gwen O’Hara 0 0-0 0, Katie Ricchiuti 0 0-0 0, Erin McGonigle 0 0-0 0, Erin McMahon 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 13-16 51.
WOODSTOWN (5-2) – Talia Battavio 2 3-6 9, Megan Donelson 4 4-6 14, Gianna Mairoini 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Baber 1 0-0 2, Shannon Pierman 1 2-2 4, Lauren Hengel 1 0-0 2, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brea DeGregorio 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 9-14 31.

OLMA1213188 –51
Woodstown9589 –31
3-point goals: OLMA 4 (Bernhardt 3, Coryell); Woodstown 4 (Battavio 2, Donelson 2). Technical fouls: Woodstown bench. Fouled out: Pierman. Total fouls: OLMA 10, Woodstown 16. Officials: Carter, Jackson.

Delsea 37, Pennsville 20

PENNSVILLE – The shorthanded Eagles felt the strain of the recent rash of injuries, putting only three players in the scoring column and scoring just six points in the second half. Marley Wood led Pennsville with 11 points.

“We could not produce anything offensively in the second half,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said.

DELSEA (2-4) – Maura Madden 2 0-0 6, Ali Green 2 1-3 5, Kayleigh Barndt 2 3-4 7, Elle Metcalf 1 0-0 3, Ayress Maitland 5 4-5 14, Natalie DiRaddo 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 8-17 37.
PENNSVILLE (4-4) – Calli Ausland 1 0-0 2, Nora Ausland 2 3-4 7, Marley Wood 3 5-8 11, Karson Crooksey, Izzy Saulin 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 8-12 20.

Delsea91549 –37
Pennsville7733 –20
3-point goals: Delsea 3 (Madden 2, Metcalf); Pennsville 0.

Gateway 47, Salem 34

WOODBURY HEIGHTS – Angelina Zagone scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Gators snapped Salem’s two-game winning streak. Ryann Foote led the Rams with a career-high 16 points.

SALEM (2-4) – Ameriyona Hunter 1-0-2, Ryann Foote 7-1-16, Marissa Bower 1-0-2, Carlysia Pierce 2-0-4, Ava Rodgers 3-1-7, Nevaeh Hickman 1-1-3. Totals 15-3-34. 
GATEWAY (7-1) – Angelina Zagone 9 7-9 27, Gabby Gasis 1 0-0 2, Tabby Bay 0 2-2 2, Bella Fini 5 2-3 13, Sydney Hughes 0 2-2 2, Lexi Kirwin 0 1-2 1, Maggie Eliasen 0 0-0 0, Rachael Summers 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 14-18 47.

Salem88108 – 34
Gateway189911 –47
3-point goals: Salem 1 (Foote); Gateway 3 (Zagone 2, Fini).


Challenge met

Woodstown passes its first major test of the season, Pennsville overwhelms Schalick in a battle of teams fighting the injury bug, Salem gets second straight win

THURSDAY GIRLS SCORES
Woodstown 61, Penns Grove 53
Pennsville 52, Schalick 14
Salem 45, Salem Tech 19

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – As almost everybody’s favorite to win the Tri-County Diamond Division and then some in South Jersey, the Woodstown girls basketball team knows it’s going to get everybody’s best shot every night.

The Wolverines faced their biggest test of the young season Thursday night and answered the bell like the favorites they are.

In a battle between the two best teams in the division, Woodstown grabbed the lead late in the first quarter, endured some anxious moments near the end of the first half and then finally pulled away in the second half for a 61-53 victory over Penns Grove.

“This is probably the biggest challenge we’ll have in all of our division games,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “They’re athletic, they’re quick, they’re the second-best team in our division, but I’ve got 10 girls who play together. There’s nobody in my opinion in our division who has as much of a team as I do.”

While Megan Donelson (25 points) and Talia Battavio (20) did most of their scoring as usual, the Wolverines (5-1) got contributions from throughout the lineup. Shannon Pieman grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots. Alyssa Baber had 10 boards.

And they needed every bit of it. They took the lead midway through the first quarter, but Penns Grove never let them get comfortable. 

The Red Devils were out of sorts during their two games in Wildwood after Christmas, but they were determined to play their game and not get caught up in the early-season enormity of the game. They pressed from the jump and made the Wolverines work for everything they got.

Donelson and Battavio combined for all of Woodstown’s points in the first quarter and 28 of their 30 in the first half.

Penns Grove is a team that likes to drive and attack the basket. But as the first half worn on, the Wolverines’ defense kept forcing the Red Devils farther out for shots and it produced the predictable results.

Woodstown led by 12 with less than two minutes left in the first half, but Penns Grove rallied and things got real intense in the final minute of the half. With 25.8 seconds to go in an eight-point game, Penns Grove’s RiNiyah Wilson was fouled by Battavio driving to the basket and the reaction led to a technical foul on the Wolverines guard.

Wilson hit three of the four free throws to make it a five-point game and the Red Devils had the ball with a chance to cut it to two or three. But Gianna Maiorini thwarted those plans when she stole the possession and fed Donelson who banked in a short jumper in the lane with six seconds to go. Donelson then stole the next inbounds pass and the Wolverines ran out the clock to take a seven-point halftime lead.

“If they would’ve gotten the lead I think it would’ve been a different game,” Straughn said.

The Red Devils got to within four several times early in the second half, but the Wolverines pushed it back out to 10 . They kept the Red Devils at arm’s length the rest of the game to win their fifth in a row while sending their hosts to their third straight loss.

“I think we could’ve done a little bit better than what we actually did, but we ended up pulling out the win and that’s just all that matters,” Donelson said.

While Donelson and Battavio were the big producers for Woodstown, Wilson did all she could to keep Penns Grove in it. The transfer from Kingsway led all scorers with a career-high 33 points and she grabbed nine rebounds.

“My coach talks about mental toughness, fight through the game, if we’re down pick my teammates up, keep going, keep fighting,” Wilson said. “I like playing in big games. I like competition.”

WOODSTOWN (5-1, 2-0) – Talia Battavio 6 6-8 20, Megan Donelson 11 2-2 25, Alyssa Baber 3 2-5 8, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Shannon Pieman 2 2-2 6, Lauren Hengle 0 0-0 0, Emma Perry 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 12-17 61.
PENNS GROVE (4-3, 1-1) – Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 0 1-2 1, RaNiyah Wilson 14 3-7 33, Arianna Dowe 1 0-2 3, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Meely Horace 6 2-4 14, Rolande Delva 1 0-0 2, Zoey Caesar 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cummings 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-15 53.

Woodstown18121714 –61
Penns Grove12111416 –53
3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Battavio 2, Donelson); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Dowe). Technical fouls: Battavio. Fouled out: Taylor. Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Penns Grove 19.

Pennsville 52, Schalick 14

PENNSVILLE – The Eagles had the best of it in this battle of teams fighting through injuries. They opened a 24-7 halftime lead, then erupted for 21 points in the third quarter and shut out the Cougars in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles were down to four core players because of the injuries and brought up several players from the junior varsity to replenish the ranks. Veterans and newcomers alike got together for a film session before the start of the night’s JV game to hammer out a game plan for the main event.

They got the bulk of their scoring from Marley Wood (20 points) and Nora Ausland (18) while the others help keep it in the road. Wood and Ausland combined for all of Pennsville’s points in the first half.

“The girls who got pulled up stepped up and played the role we needed them to play,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “Izzie Saulin really stepped up on the defensive end. She had some great blocks and solid rebounding.”

SCHALICK (1-4, 0-2) – Cali Fisler 2 1-1 6, Ava Scurry 2 0-0 4, Gianna Gaines 1 0-4 2, Carly Vicente 1 0-0 2, Katie Little 0 0-0 0, Madison Brown 0 0-0 0, Virginia Basich 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 1-5 14.
PENNSVILLE (4-3, 2-0) – Calli Ausland 1 0-0 2, Nora Ausland 8 0-2 18, Sophia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Malani McGee 2 0-0 6, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0, Marley Wood 8 3-3 20, Fredo 0 0-0 0, Lily Edwards 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 3-5 52.

Schalick4370 –14
Pennsville1212217 –52
3-point goals: Schalick 1 (Fisler); Pennsville 5 (N. Ausland 2, McGee 2, Wood). Total fouls: Schalick 8, Pennsville 12.

Salem 45, Salem Tech 19

SALEM – The Rams put together another strong defensive effort to grab their second straight win. They collected 30 steals and blocked 20 shots against the Chargers.

Ava Rogers had 10 points, nine rebounds and blocked seven shots. QwenNazha Johnson-Logan had nine points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks and had five steals. Ryann Foote had seven steals.

The Rams have recorded 59 steals and 40 blocked shots in their two-game winning streak. Johnson-Logan has had 23 blocks in the two games and is averaging 7.6 per game this season.

SALEM TECH (0-6, 0-2) – Kaylin Beardsley 2 2-2 7, Rylee Doerr 1 1-2 3, Morgan VanDover 2 1-2 6, Demajae White 0 1-2 1, Drummond 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 5-8 19.
SALEM (2-3, 1-1) – QwenNazha Johnson-Logan 4 1-1 9, Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 6, Ryann Foote 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 5 0-1 10, Marissa Bower 3 0-0 8, Kashira Patterson 1 0-0 2, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-6 5, Zaniyah Fresno 1 0-0 2, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-12 45.

Salem Tech8236 –19
Salem10101114 –45
3-point goals: Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley, VanDover); Salem 4 (Hunter 2, Bower 2).

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICOVDIVDIAMONDOVDIV
Gloucester Cath.7-12-0Woodstown5-12-0
Wildwood5-22-0Pennsville4-32-0
Pitman4-21-1Glassboro4-31-1
Salem2-31-1Penns Grove4-31-1
Clayton2-50-2Schalick1-30-1
Salem Tech0-60-2Overbrook1-40-2

‘Gio-cashing’

Penns Grove uses 20 seconds of chaos from Giomar Conrad at the end of the first half to take the momentum from Woodstown, Salem uses a big second half to beat Salem Tech, Pennsville’s balanced attack takes down Schalick

THURSDAY BOYS SCORES
Penns Grove 64, Woodstown 54
Pennsville 57, Schalick 37
Salem 84, Salem Tech 52

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Think of all the things you can do in 20 seconds. Maybe sprint from the easy chair to the mailbox and back on a cold winter’s day. How about a quick run to the fridge during a TV timeout of the big game. 

Some teams take longer than that to attack the basket, a situation that could be remedied with the introduction of a shot clock, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Penns Grove boys basketball coach Damian Ware isn’t sure he can do anything in 20 seconds, but he’s glad his team can.

That’s all the time Giomar Conrad and the Red Devils needed to flip the script on Woodstown Thursday night and turn a double-digit deficit into a halftime lead and an eventual 64-54 win to spoil the previously unbeaten Wolverines’ long awaited home opener.

Woodstown (4-1) led by double digits most of the first half, but Conrad scored eight straight points over the final 20 seconds to give his team a 32-30 halftime lead they never lost.

“That was crazy,” Conrad said, “but at the same time it felt good. I’d never done anything like that before.”

It started with a 3-pointer from the right side to cut the deficit to 30-27. Then in rapid-fire succession, Mekhi Ballard got a steal and fed him for a layup to make it 30-29, he put back a missed shot after another steal to put the Red Devils ahead, and then Willie Slocum picked off another rushed pass in the backcourt and fed Conrad for one final strike.

With time running out, Conrad drove wildly and appeared to lose his footing. His throw at the basket didn’t go in, but he was fouled right before the horn sounded. With no one else on the floor, he made the first of his two free throws and Penns Grove led by two at the break. If you want to extend the run even farther back, he hit two free throws inside 40 seconds that made it 30-24.

“I’m thinking, ‘finally,’” Ware said. “That’s what we did, honestly, in our heyday. Back when we won the South Jersey championship in 2020, that’s what we did all game long. We were known for that type of play, just tempo, tempo, turning teams up. And we didn’t have to come back, we just blew teams out.

“We’re trying to get this team to that same level to where they understand how they have to play, how hard we have to play and the energy we have to play with. We’re starting to get there. I’ve seen it in spurts for the last three games. Today I think was the culmination of everything and we kind of made a great run.”

The Red Devils (3-5) carried the momentum of those 20 seconds of chaos into the second half. Slocum scored the first three buckets of the third quarter to fuel a 14-3 run that gave them a 13-point lead with just over three minutes to go in the quarter. 

The Wolverines tried to come back, but never got closer than six the rest of the game. They were 8-of-27 from the field with nine turnovers in the second half.

Understandably, Woodstown coach Phil Campbell was in no mood to talk about it and declined a post-game interview request.

Conrad finished as the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. Slocum had 11 and Ballard added 10. Rocco String led Woodstown with 17 points.

PENNS GROVE (3-5, 1-1) – Brandon Robbins 0 0-0 0, Roman Gipson 1 2-2 4, Giomar Conrad 8 1-2 21, Karon Ceaser 3 1-2 8, Willie Slocum 4 3-4 11, Mehki Ballard 4 1-3 10, Camron Thompson 1 0-0 2, Khiry Higgs 0 0-0 0, Mr Peterson 3 0-1 6, Jaden Sorrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 8-13 64.
WOODSTOWN (4-1, 1-1) – Manny Ortega 2 1-2 7, Blake Bialecki 2 2-3 7, Alejandro Vazquez 0 0-0 0, M.J. Hall 4 2-2 11, Garrett Leyman 2 2-2 6, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 3, Max Webb 1 0-0 3, Rocco String 8 1-4 17. Totals 20 8-13 54.

Penns Grove9231715 –64
Woodstown1515915 –54
3-point goals: Penns Grove 6 (Conrad 4, Ceaser, Ballard); Woodstown 6 (Ortega 2, Bialecki, Hall, Bokolas, Webb). Total fouls: Penns Grove 13, Woodstown 14. Officials: Lawler, Montacalva.

Pennsville 57, Schalick 37

PITTSGROVE – Luke Wood led three Pennsville scorers in double figures with 16 points as the Eagles started the new year with a win for the second year in a row. Cohen Petrutz and Jayden Thomas both hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points apiece.

The Eagles trailed after the first quarter, then took the lead for good in the second quarter and steadily pulled away.

Wood is now 66 points away from 1,000 for his career. He has scored in double figures in his last 14 straight games. 

PENNSVILLE (4-3, 1-1) – Luke Wood 6 4-4 14, Malik Rehmer 1 0-1 2, Cohen Petrutz 4 0-0 11, Peyton O’Brien 2 1-2 5, Daniel Saulin 1 2-3 4, Jayden Thomas 4 0-0 11, Mason O’Brien 3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 0 2-4 2. Totals 21 9-14 57.
SCHALICK (2-3, 0-2) – Reggie Allen 3 0-2 7, Nylan Sutton 5 0-2 10, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 8, Dan Lis 3 1-2 9, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Sherrod Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 1-6 37.

Pennsville12131616 –57
Schalick13789 –37
3-point goals: Pennsville 6 (Petrutz 3, Thomas 3); Schalick 6 (Allen, Johnson 2, Lis 2, Volovar). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Schalick 14.

Salem 84, Salem Tech 52

WOODSTOWN – The homestanding Chargers gave the Rams all they could handle for a half, but they changed defenses at halftime and Salem erupted for 58 points in the second half to win going away.

“Momentum killed us,” Tech coach Bryan Riley said. “(Antoine) Robinson got his third foul as soon as the third quarter started and we switched from man to zone (defense) at half.”

Jabez DeJesus and Anthony Farmer took advantage of the switch. DeJesus scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half while Farmer had 10 of his 12.

Salem, meanwhile, held Tech’s two main scorers, Robinson and Haneef Frisby, to eight points apiece, but the Chargers got 13 from Tyler Zampino and 12 from Chase Wills.

Zampino had eight in the first quarter. Robinson scored six of his points in the second quarter as the Chargers took a 31-26 halftime lead, but he picking up his third foul early in the second half limited his effectiveness the rest of the game.

SALEM (3-3, 1-1) – Anthony Farmer 4 4-8 12, Ramaji Bundy 3 3-4 9, Jabez DeJesus 11 2-2 26, Paul Weathers 6 0-0 13, Tymear Lecater 4 0-0 9, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 7, Antwan Rodgers 3 0-0 6, Donaven Weathers 0 0-0 0, Davonte Jackson 1 0-0 2, Joey Tunis 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 9-14 84.
SALEM TECH (0-7, 0-2) – Antoine Robinson 4 0-4 8, Chase Wills 5 2-5 12, Tyler Zampino 6 0-3 13, Josh Muntz 0 0-2 0, Haneef Frisby 3 2-5 8, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 2, Gio Holmes 2 0-0 4, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0, Daviontae Russell 2 1-1 5. Totals 23 5-20 52.

Salem1882830 –84
Salem Tech1714912 –52
3-point goals: Salem 5 (DeJesus 2, P. Weathers, Lecater, McGriff); Salem Tech 1 (Zampino). Total fouls: Salem 15, Salem Tech 12.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICOVDIVDIAMONDOVDIV
Pitman7-12-0Overbrook5-12-0
Gloucester Cath.6-12-0Woodstown4-11-1
Wildwood5-32-1Pennsville4-31-1
Salem3-31-1Glassboro3-31-1
Clayton1-70-3Penns Grove3-51-1
Salem Tech 0-70-2Schalick2-30-2

Finding themselves

Salem salvages first overnight tournament trip with consolation win, Woodstown wins New Egypt title, Pennsville bounces back and more

THURSDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES
Marty Derer Showcase
Vineland 41, Penns Grove 27

Battle at Buena
Consolation: Pennsville 73, Buena 43
Championship: Camden Academy 76, LEAP 60

Warrior Classic, New Egypt
Consolation: Steinert 47, Pinelands 45
Championship: Woodstown 53, New Egypt 46

ACIT Holiday Showcase
Consolation: Atlantic Tech 67, Salem Tech 44
Championship: GCIT 42, Camden Tech 24

Bayonne Holiday Classic
Consolation: Salem 60, West Orange 56
Championship: Charlestown (Mass.) 74, Bayonne 50

By Riverview Sports News

BAYONNE – Salem basketball coach Anthony Farmer knew his team’s holiday tournament trip to North Jersey would be good for a lot of reasons.

It didn’t necessarily start out in the best of ways, but the Rams learned a lot about themselves and dealing with adversity. They even got a win out of it, holding off West Orange 60-56 in the consolation game of the Bayonne Holiday Tournament to snap a three-game losing streak.

“I thought this holiday tournament we grew up,” Farmer said. “My young guys stepped up and we are looking to make a run in January.”

As much as the Rams (2-3) were looking forward to the program’s first overnight tournament trip, things started stacking up against them quickly.

They were on the bus three hours getting there and caught a flat along the way. Then they had to play a strong team out of Boston in the opening round and lost by 20. And then their best player, senior guard Anthony Farmer, rolled an ankle in the game and didn’t play in Thursday’s consolation game.

But the Rams got through it. They put three scorers in double figures and held on down the stretch after the Mountaineers (1-6) had cut an 11-point Salem halftime lead to four going into the fourth quarter.

Seniors Paul Weathers and Jabez Dejesus led the Rams with 21 and 19 points, respectively. Freshman Tymear Lecator had 12. 

Dejesus went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and 9-of-10 for the game. Weathers had nine points in the fourth quarter.

“To win without one of your best players (is encouraging),” Farmer agreed. “The other guys had to step up and they did. That’s what we have been missing the last few games.”

Warriors Classic

WOODSTOWN 50, NEW EGYPT 46: The undefeated Wolverines got on top early, then spent the rest of the game trying to stay there before finally putting the hosts away in the Warriors Classic title game.

Garrett Leyman, who’s three-point play in the final 10 seconds gave the Wolverines the lead in the semifinals, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final, scored 15 points and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Max Webb also made the all-tournament team.

Rocco String was Woodstown’s leading scorer with 17 points.

The Wolverines carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter, then stretched their lead to eight with 1:26 to play.

WOODSTOWN 50, NEW EGYPT 46
WOODSTOWN (4-0) – Blake Bialecki 3-0-7, M.J. Hall 0-2-2, Garrett Leyman 5-3-15, Max Webb 3-1-7, Rocco String 8-1-17, Zyaire Caesar 0-2-2. Totals 19-9-50.
NEW EGYPT (2-4) – Nolan Arnold 8-3-20, Jack Burr 1-0-3, Connor Fischer 2-0-5, Tommy Merlucci 1-0-3, Clyde Ferris 5-0-11, Evan Goldberg 1-0-2, Ryan Reynolds 1-0-2. Totals 19-3-46.

Woodstown13131116 –53
New Egypt8111512 – 46
3-point goals: Woodstown 3 (Bialecki, Leyman 2); New Egypt 5 (Arnold, Burr, Fischer, Merlucci, Ferris).

Battle at Buena

PENNSVILLE 73, BUENA 43: The Eagles would like to have a little better record heading into the new year, but a 3-3 they’re really not complaining. They got back on the winning track after being routed in the tournament opener by taking control early, spreading the wealth and opening it up with a 27-point third quarter.

“As a program I’m just happy we can be disappointed at 3-3,” Eagles coach Joe Mecholsky said. “I wanted to be 5-1, 4-2, maybe yesterday’s game is one I’d liked back if we started a little bit fresher, but (we’re) 3-3 heading into the conference schedule, so … moving forward. Good win today. Three wins in another year may have been the whole season, so three before the new year is good.”

Eight players scored for the Eagles, three in double figures. Luke Wood led the Eagles with 24 points and is now 82 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He was 10-of-15 from the free throw line.

Daniel Saulin had his third double-double in six games — 16 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds – and blocked five shots. Cohen Petrutz scored 10 points and Jayden Thomas had eight points and six assists.

“That’s what everything was today – balanced,” Mecholsky said. “We were just looking to execute on offense, we didn’t care who scored. We knew if we put the ball in the basket then the score would turn out the way it did. Everybody was looking for the extra pass and it worked today.”

PENNSVILLE 73, BUENA 43
PENNSVILLE (3-3) – Luke Wood 6 10-15 24, Peyton O’Brien 3 2-2 8, Daniel Saulin 8 0-116, Jayden Thomas 3 2-4 8, Malik Rehmer 0 0-0 0, Cohen Petrutz 3 3-4 10, Mason O’Brien 1 1-2 3, Connor Starn 0 0-0 0, Logan Hitt 1 1-2 3, Carlos Merendino 0 0-0 0, Cole Johnston 0 1-4 1. Totals 25 20-34 73.
BUENA (0-6) – Vincent Dalponte 3 0-2 7, Josue Cuadrado 3 1-1 8, Avery Benjamin 1 0-2 3, Troy Gregory 0 2-4 2, Kaden Bryant 1 2-4 4, Ethan Wiker 3 0-0 9, Carlo Spreng 0 0-0 0, Michael Ketushko 0 0-0 0, Jaevon Alexander 1 0-0 2, Richie Wilson 3 0-0 7. Totals 15 5-13 43.

Pennsville17132716 –73
Buena810916 – 43
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Wood 2, Petrutz); Buena 8 (Dalponty 2, Guadrado, Benjamin, Wiker 3, Wilson). Fouled out: Spreng. Total fouls: Pennsville 9, Buena 23.

Marty Derer Showcase

VINELAND 41, PENNS GROVE 27: When the horn sounded to end the third quarter it was like a switch that flipped the script.

The Red Devils carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter of their Marty Derer Showcase at Delsea and held their opponent to less than 20 percent shooting from the floor.

But in the fourth quarter everything that could go wrong for the young Red Devils did. They hit only one of 10 shots from the floor, committed seven turnovers and were outscored 19-2.

It was more a change in chemistry than strategy that did in the Red Devils. They played mostly freshmen Karon Ceaser, Neziah Spence and Will Roy in the third quarter with Luis Colon and Mr Peterson alongside senior Willie Slocum and the group got them the lead.

They reinserted veterans Giomar Conrad and Mekhi Ballard in the fourth quarter and it fell apart.

“I should have kept the young guys in because they were making it happen,” coach Damian Ware said.

Karon Ceaser scored the Red Devils’ only basket of the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Jack Baruffi and Ernie Bernhardt teamed up for 11 of their combined 16 points in the fourth quarter for Vineland.

It was Bernhardt’s bucket three minutes into the fourth quarter that gave Vineland the lead for good.

VINELAND 41, PENNS GROVE 27
PENNS GROVE (2-4) – Giomar Conrad 4 0-0 8, KaRon Ceaser 3 1-8 7, Willie Slocum 1 0-0 2, Neziah Spence 1 0-0 3, Mr Peterson 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 1 0-0 3, Brandin Robbins 0 0-0 0, Mehki Ballard 1 0-1 2, Camren Thompson 0 0-0 0, Jaden Sorrell 0 0-0 0, Luis Colon 0 0-0 0, Khiry Higgs 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 1-9 27.
VINELAND (5-2) – Chris Gainey 2 2-2 6, Alex Reyes 2 0-0 4, Chris Thomas 2 3-4 7, Sencere Chandler 3 2-2 8, Jack Baruffi 2 5-10 9, Ernie Bernhardt 3 1-2 7, Noah Sarnoff 0 0-0 0, Alex Domboski 0 0-0 0, James Lawson 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 13-20 41.

Penns Grove95112 –27
Vineland124619 –41
3-point goals: Penns Grove 2 (Spence, Roy).

ACIT Holiday Showcase

ATLANTIC TECH 67, SALEM TECH 44: The every-other-game pattern of Haneef Frisby and Antoine Robinson leading the Chargers in scoring was back in Frisby’s court Thursday.

Frisby scored 18 points in the consolation game of the tournament to led the Chargers in scoring. Curiously, he has been leading them in scoring in all the even-numbered games, while Antoine Robinson has led them in the odd-numbered games. When they come through together consistently, coach Bryan Riley knows he’ll have something special.

“They’re sophomores,” he said. “They’ll figure it out.”

The Chargers were in the game in the first half, trailing by only three at the break with Frisby scoring 14 points. But ACIT outscored them 20-7 in the third quarter and continued to pull away in the fourth.

Tyler Zampino scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter for Salem Tech.

ATLANTIC TECH 67, SALEM TECH 44
ATLANTIC TECH (2-5) – Abdul Hawkins 4 0-0 9, Lamaj Owens 3 1-2 8, Giancarlo Canayunan 9 0-0 20, Yamdry Hernandez 3 1-6 7, WayneMiller 2 0-0 4, Daniel Abea 1 0-0 3, John Carr 2 0-0 4, Bartholemew 0 0-0 0, Jaron Douglas 2 0-0 4, Logan Ruga 1 0-2 3, Kyrie Rose 0 1-2 1, Javon Lane 2 0-0 4. Totals 29 3-12 67.
SALEM TECH (0-6) – Antoine Robinson 2 1-2 5, Chase Wills 1 0-0 2, Josh Muntz 1 0-0 3, Tyler Zmpino 4 6-8 14, Haneef Frisby 8 2-2 18, Gio Holmes 0 2-2 2. Totals 16 11-13 44.

Atlantic Tech16102021 – 67
Salem Tech914714 – 44
3-point goals: ACIT 6 (Hawkins, Owens, Canayunan 2, Abea, Ruga); Salem Tech 1 (Muntz)
Fouled out: Wills. Total fouls: ACIT 12, Salem Tech 15.


Pressing on

Wednesday roundup: Woodstown turns to the press in fourth quarter, uses it to fuel big comeback against Steinert

BOYS SCORES
Warrior Classic
Woodstown 53, Steinert 52
New Egypt 36, Pinelands 32

Bayonne Holiday Classic
Charlestown (Mass.) 90, Salem 70
Bayonne 69, West Orange 44

ACIT Holiday Showcase
Camden Tech 48, Salem Tech 42
GCIT 37, ACIT 30

GIRLS SCORES
Boardwalk Classic
Salem 52, Oakcrest 25

ACIT Holiday Showcase
Camden Tech 24, Salem Tech 11
Atlantic Tech 31, GCIT 30


By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

NEW EGYPT – Woodstown hasn’t rolled out the press much before Wednesday this season because, quite frankly, coach Phil Campbell wasn’t sure they were comfortable enough to make it work.

The Wolverines pulled it out late in their Warrior Classic opener against Steinert when they absolutely had to make something happen and ran it just like the coach remembers doing it during his high school playing days back in Texas.

The press helped them rally from 12 down with four minutes left and eight down two to go for an unlikely 53-52 victory to remain undefeated. They’ll play host New Egypt for the tournament title today.

Garrett Leyman’s putback and one with eight seconds left gave the Wolverines (3-0) their first lead of the game and Rocco String sealed it when he stole a skip pass with 1.5 seconds to go.

“It kind of reminded me of our opening game last year where we were down like that against Pitman and came back and beat them by one to start the season,” Campbell said. “I think this is a little bit better one.”

It was all about the adjustment they made at halftime to set up the man press and the way everyone who got on the floor played a part in making it work. They plugged it in with about four minutes left trailing 52-40 and it was so suffocating the Spartans (0-5) never scored again.

“I had a lot of faith,” Leyman said. “We just started being really aggressive, got some turnovers, started hitting our shots, doing what we knew we could. We just kept saying keep fighting. We know with our brand of basketball we know we could come back, and we did.”

It produced a couple steals right off the bat and Blake Bialecki, Alejandro Vazquez and Leyman all hit 3s to make it even more effective.

With time running out and his team down 2, Leyman picked up a loose rebound just outside the lane and confidently hit a short jumper and was fouled. His and-one gave Woodstown the lead.

The Wolverines still had two fouls to give and took them. The Spartans tried to get the ball in but couldn’t find an opening and String stepped in make the game-sealing steal.

“We pressed some last year and got away from it because the guys just were struggling to understand exactly how I wanted it to go and it got a little sloppy,” Campbell said. “This year we waited to reimplement the press. For the last week or so we’ve been slowly putting it back in, talking about we might need to press some people.

“I talked to (senior captain) Max Webb about it towards the end of the third quarter and it was like we weren’t quite there yet and I was like I agree, I’m thinking about when we need to put it in. There were about three or four minutes left and he looked over at me and I was like, yeah, it’s time. We put it in and they (Steinert) just didn’t know what to do with it.”

When Campbell was playing high school ball in Texas, his Abilene High School team pressed from the minute it got off the bus and regularly scored 100 points in a game. Even as well as Woodstown’s version worked against the Spartans, the Wolverines won’t use it that much going forward, but when they do find the ‘opportune moments’ to put it in motion Campbell will expect it to be run properly and productively.

Their defense this year has been strong without it. They didn’t press against Schalick and had 19 steals. They didn’t press Cumberland and won the turnover and rebounding battle while holding their opponent to an ice-cold percentage from the field.

Leyman was Woodstown’s leading scorer with 13 points, but the Wolverines spread the wealth. Vazquez, with three 3s, and M.J. Hall each scored nine points. Webb and String had eight apiece. String also had five blocked shots and three steals. One of Vazquez’ 3s was a half-court bomb that beat the second-quarter horn and sent the Wolverines into the half down seven instead of 10.

“Garrett had a great game overall, with 13 points he’s definitely the X factor,” Campbell said. “But everybody contributed … If it wasn’t for some great plays from Max, great shots from guys like Blake and Alejandro and M.J., some great defensive plays from M.J. and Rocco, we don’t get that win. It was definitely a team effort. Everybody who hit the court made a positive contribution towards getting that team win.”

WOODSTOWN 53, STEINERT 52
STEINERT (0-5) – Avery Cannato 4 1-2 11, Joseph Lee 2 0-0 5, Logan Kaboski 0 0-0 0, Mert Yilmaz 3 0-2 6, Ryan Leach 1 0-0 2, Walter Connor 1 0-0 2, Joseph Ditta 4 0-0 11, Jon Weaver 0 0-0 0, Cameron Popso 5 4-4 15. Totals 20 5-8 52.
WOODSTOWN (3-0) – Blake Bialecki 1 1-2 4, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-2 9, M.J. Hall 3 2-5 9, Garrett Leyman 5 2-3 13, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 3 2-3 8, Rocco String 4 0-0 8, Elijah Caesar 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-15 53.

Steinert16141111 –52
Woodstown10131317 –53
3-point goals: Steinert 7 (Cannato 2, Lee, Ditta 3, Popso); Woodstown 6 (Bialecki, Vazquez 3, Hall, Leyman). Fouled out: Hall. Total fouls: Steinert 15, Woodstown 12.

ACIT Holiday Showcase

CAMDEN TECH 48, SALEM TECH 42: The Chargers cut an seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to one with two minutes to go, but Camden Tech came back down and scored and Salem Tech didn’t have an answer. When the Chargers started fouling to stop the clock, the Warriors made their free throws down the stretch.

Evan Brummel hit three 3-pointers and led Camden Tech with 15 points. Salem Tech’s Antoine Robinson led all scorers with 18 points.

CAMDEN TECH (3-1) – Frankie Clas 0 0-0 0, Salvatore Algeri 2 1-2 6, Isaiah Haynes 0 2-4 2, Alex Ojeda 1 0-0 3, Evan Brummel 6 0-1 15, Jamal Sosa 1 0-0 3, Mehki Harper 0 0-2 0, Elijah Franks 3 1-2 7, Charles Banour 2 3-4 7, Shareef Cox 1 3-8 5. Totals 16 10-23 48.
SALEM TECH (0-5) – Antoine Robinson 8 0-0 18, Chase Wills 1 0-2 2, Josh Muntz 2 5-5 10, Haneef Frisby 4 1-4 9, Joseph Hayes 0 1-4 1, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Daviontae Russell 1 0-0 2, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-15 42.

Camden Tech1481115 –48
Salem Tech971016 – 42
3-point goals: Camden Tech 6 (Sosa, Brummel 3, Ojeda, Algeri); Salem Tech 3 (Robinson 2, Muntz). Fouled out: Wills, Muntz. Total fouls: Camden Tech 12, Salem Tech 21.

Girls Games

Boardwalk Classic

SALEM 52, OAKCREST 25: QwenNasha Logan had a triple double – 10 points, 11 rebounds and 15 blocked shots –.to help the Rams collect their first win of the season. She had 15 blocked shots in the first three games of the season.

SALEM 52, OAKCREST 25
OAKCREST (1-3) – Zeriena Buckle 0 0-0 0, Aliyah Cause 4 0-0 8, Anastasia Lisojo 1 0-0 2, Natalyah Mikulak 0 0-0 0, Atrirah Mitchell 5 1-6 11, Aminah Mullins 1 2-4 4. Totals 11 3-10 25.
SALEM (1-3) – QwenNasha Logan 5 0-0 10, Ava Rodgers 4 0-0 8, Ryann Foote 3 2-4 8, Ameriyona Hunter 3 0-0 6, Carlysia Pierce 1 1-2 3, Kaela Nichols 3 3-4 9, Marrissa Bower 2 0-2 8, Naveah Hickman 2 0-0 4, Zaniyah Frieson 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 6-12 52.

Oakcrest4678 – 25
Salem10121218 –52
3-point goals: None. Total fouls: Oakcrest 14, Salem 13.









Boardwalk Classic

Salem girls fall to Millville in their first Classic showcase, they’ll return Wednesday to play Oakcrest seeking their first win

BOARDWALK CLASSIC
Girls Games
Millville 44, Salem 27
Lower Cape May vs. Hammonton
Wednesday’s Games
Hammonton vs. Cape May Tech, 10 a.m.
Oakcrest vs. Salem, 11:30 a.m.
Kingsway vs. Absegami, 1 p.m.
Nazareth Academy (Pa.) vs. Methacton (Pa.), 2:30 p.m.
Lower Cape May vs. Delsea, 4:15 p.m.
Barnegat vs. Wildwood, 5:45 p.m.
Padua Academy (Del.) vs. Polytech (Del.), 7:15 p.m.

By Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – The Salem girls played their opponent even in the second half, but a slow start doomed them in a 42-27 loss to Millville in Tuesday’s Atlantic Ocean Showcase of the Boardwalk Basketball Classic at the Wildwood Convention Center.

The Rams were held to only one field goal in the first quarter, 10 points in the first half, and fell behind 25-10 at halftime. But after the break they played the Thunderbolts point for point, 17-17.

Leading scorer Brooke Joslin scored 10 of her season-high 18 points in the first half, including both of her 3-pointers. Ryann Foote led Salem with nine points.

Foote and Marissa Bower each had five points for the Rams in the second half.

The Rams (0-3) play here again Wednesday against Oakcrest at 11:30 a.m.

MILLVILLE 42, SALEM 27
MILLVILLE (2-3) – Brooke Joslin 8 0-0 18, Aubree Joslin 4 0-0 8, Jaylynn Jones 2 2-2 6, Ayla Gomez 2 1-2 6, Marissa Stevens 2 0-4 2. Totals 18 3-8 42.
SALEM (0-3) – QwenNasha Logan 3 1-2 7, Ava Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Ryann Foote 3 3-6 9, Ameriyona Hunter 1 0-0 2, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Marissa Bower 2 0-0 5, Carlysia Pierce 0 0-2 2. Totals 11 4-10 27.

Millville1213107 –42
Salem2810 7 –27
3-point goals: Millville 3 (B. Joslin 2, Gomez); Salem 1 (Bower). Fouled out: Foote. Total fouls: Millville 8, Salem 7.