Salem bowlers come from behind to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic for first South Jersey Group I title in school history
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Saturday’s sectional finals SOUTH Salem 2, Camden Catholic 1 CENTRAL Middlesex 2, Warren Tech 0 NORTH I Kinnelon 2, Newton 1 NORTH II Rutherford 2, North Arlington 0 GROUP I SEMIFINALS Tuesday, at Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick Salem (12-3) vs. Kinnelon (17.4), 9 a.m. Middlesex (19-0) vs. Rutherford (18-5), 9 a.m. Finals to follow
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
STRATFORD – All year long the Salem bowling team felt underestimated and overlooked. Even in the midst of an historic season, they were dismissed by the competition. The only people who truly believed were the guys in the blue shirts standing on the lanes, so there really was no panic when they lost the first game Saturday.
The Rams proved all the doubters wrong on their generational run Saturday, rallying from that close Game One loss to beat top-seeded Camden Catholic 2 games to 1 and win their first South Jersey Group I bowling title in school history.
The second-seeded Rams (12-3) lost the first game by three pins, 874-871, then stormed the lanes, winning 890-841 to tie the match and 988-866 in the clincher.
“We came back, we rallied together,” captain Troy Carey said. “We just used (the first game) as drive. Yes, it was a frustrating loss because we know it wasn’t our best, but we used it as drive, motivation, to make the next two personal.
“I said to all my seniors how do you want to be remembered at the end of the day. Do you want to be remembered as a team that made history or a team that had a ton of potential, just couldn’t get the job done?”
Armed with that bit of motivation, they went on to post the only upset among the four sectional finals staged at 30 Strikes as all the other No. 1 seeds won their matches.
“Last I think we had like a 5-8 season but people saw what we were capable of and they were coming to us saying you might have a pretty good season,” Rams coach Kenny Buck said. “They lived up to it.
“Having the talent isn’t enough. You have to put that work in, you have to have that dream, to have to do all the unmeasurables to actually be a champion and that’s what they did. I feel like it’s even more than just putting Salem on the map. They showed everyone we’re a force to reckon with.”
The Rams now go to Lucky Strikes in North Brunswick Tuesday – weather permitting – for the Group I Final Four. Middlesex (19-0), Kinnelon (17-4) and Rutherford (18-5) are the other finalists. The Final Four will be seeded based on the teams’ original PowerPoint number at the cutoff date, so the Rams would draw top-seeded Kinnelon in the semifinals.
AJ Carlson (C) has delivered in a big way for the Salem bowling team during the playoffs, consistently bowling over his average.
In a game where there is no defense, success rides on how well a bowler is rolling it that particular day and AJ Carlson came up big for the Rams for the second playoff match in a row. The junior rolled games of 226, 184, 219, posting his career high game and high series. His average entering the match was 151.19.
Six of his seven playoff games have all been above his average – by a total of 239 pins.
Buck called the impact Carlson had on the victory “unmeasurable.”
“This is the best I’ve bowled,” Carlson said. “I did consistently well and I did everything I could to play for the team.
“I just tried to be a team player, play consistent, just stay out of my head. I knew I had the potential to do it because I’ve done it before, but this was my first game with a 200 average during an actual match where it actually counts. I just shot my shot.”
Captain Carey bounced back from an opening 189 that was 20 pins below his average to roll games of 225 and 231 in the two wins. Semaj Carey gave the Rams a third 200 game in the clincher, rolling a 227, 50 pins over his average.
“Just playing for my brothers; I’ve gotta be there for them just like they’re there for me,” Troy said of his comeback. “First game I didn’t bowl to my average, so I felt like I owed them Game 2 and 3. Just played for them.”
The Irish (10-4-2) came out quickly in the match and got strikes from seven of their first nine bowlers. Carlson gave the Rams a shot in the game with a closing run of seven straight strikes, including three in the tenth.
The Rams carried an 11-pin lead into the last frame of that first game, but they suffered two open frames in the tenth to open the door for the Irish to steal. Still, the loss didn’t deter them for the rest of the match. In fact, it may have inspired them.
“We realized once we lost it was by such a small among we could easily bring this thing back in the second and third,” Carlson said. “As long as we played to our averages and as consistently as we could, that would be a clear win.”
“That’s the one thing I really wanted my kids to learn, how to overcome obstacles when you’re confronted with them and were confronted with obstacles on the way to this path, maybe four years’ worth,” Buck said. “The theme for the last couple weeks has been you have to go in there and fight. Especially in the playoffs they really showed that they’re fighters. Have been all season.”
SALEM
G1
G2
G3
SERIES
Rudy Perez
168
181
175
524
AJ Carlson
226
184
219
629
JD Puni
139
143
136
418
Semaj Carey
158
157
227
542
Troy Carey
189
225
231
645
TOTAL
871
890*
988*
2749
CAMDEN CATHOLIC
G1
G2
G3
SERIES
Chase Wolk
199
146
161
506
Brett Kehoe
171
177
158
506
Mike Salamon
169
162
203
534
Sean Burns
171
161
175
507
Rob Nawn
164
195
169
528
TOTAL
874*
841
866
2581
Salem coach Kenny Buck engages with Troy Carey after the Rams’ senior buried his fifth straight strike to open Game Two.
Schalick girls earn a spot in the TCC Postseason Bracket title game, host Deptford Saturday morning; includes TCC Tournament scores and Salem County consolation games
PITTSGROVE — John Whelan held his breath a little bit when the Tri-County Conference officials were seeding their annual tournament and he let out a small sigh of relief when they finished their business.
Whelan’s Schalick girls basketball team was having one of their best seasons in a while, but its power points on Super Bowl Sunday left it on the bubble of making the TCC Championship Bracket reserved for the the league’s 12 heaviest hitters or the Postseason Bracket with what was left.
A power point here or there or a team jump-seeding its neighbor in the standings and a lot of things could change. When it all shook out, the Cougars fell on the Postseason Bracket side of the line — the No. 1 seed, if fact — and now, instead of facing an upper seed in the first round of the upper bracket with the expected consequences, they have a chance to win a championship.
The Cougars earned a spot in the Postseason Bracket championship game Thursday night when they dumped Salem 47-33. They now host Deptford (12-14) for the title Saturday at 10 a.m.
“It’s exciting,” Whelan said. “The girls deserve it. They’ve earned it. They put the work in all season, in the offseason in here, every practice, in the weight room, so it’s kind of come full circle for us. It’s exciting times to have this opportunity.”
In the past, the TCC split its tournament into three divisions – the top 8 (A), the eight in the middle of pack (B) and the also-rans (C),. This year they decided to expand the upper bracket to reward the league’s four division winners that sometimes didn’t make the A Bracket with first-round byes
They seeded it straight on the power points among the conference’s 23 teams – with the exception of the division winners who earned the top four seeds – and went to a 12-team upper and 11-team lower bracket.
The Cougars came in at No. 13, despite having as many or more wins than seven teams in the Championship Bracket at the time of the seeding, meaning they were the first team out and the whole Postseason Bracket went through them. They were the winningest team in the bracket by five wins.
“You always want to strive to play for that higher competition, but we fell where we fell,” Whelan said. “The 1 seed, that would be extra home games for us. We approach it the same way we would any other bracket or championship or any other game. This is just as important to us as it would be if we were in the other bracket.
“It definitely gave us an opportunity to be where we are, for sure. Some of the upper-tier teams is something we’re striving to work towards and we’re making good strides. This is definitely a bracket with good competition, as seen in the past two games, and we’ll see again Saturday. This is the start of our post-season.”
Nevaeh Robinson led Schalick with 14 points and nine rebounds. Cali Fisler had a career-high 13 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She was 5-for-6 in the fourth quarter, undermining the Rams’ strategy for getting back in the game.
The Cougars were 18-of-27 from the line for the game, while the Rams were 13-of-29.
“We talked about the importance of free throws, especially in a playoff game,” Whelan said. “We knew it was going to be physical and we prepared for that mentally and physically. We spent a lot of time with free throws (in practice) and to their credit they knocked them down.”
“I just was really confident this game,” Fisler said. “I knew what I could do at line. I knew my percentages overall have not been very good this season, but I knew what I could do, so I stayed calm despite the noise they were trying to make and I just did what I do.”
Point guard Liv VanAcker got the Cougars through some of the more chaotic moments of the fast-paced game and dished seven assists to move within four of Abby Chomo’s single-season school record (89). Ava Scurry blocked four more shots, leaving her four shy of her single-season record (85).
“It was chaotic, yes, but our team is very good with chaos,” VanAcker said. “At first we start off a little shaky, but we get our groove after a while.”
DyAira Anderson led Salem with 14 points and 20 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Rams forced Schalick into numerous turnovers early and led 5-4 after a turnover-filled first quarter, but they were negatively impacted throughout by missing too many shots in close and struggling at the free throw line.
“You’ve gotta have the ball go through the circle.,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “You can’t get four and five shots at the basket, two feet, and you don’t make it. It’s not so much what they did more than what we didn’t do. We just didn’t execute what we needed to execute. You’ve gotta make shots.”
SCHALICK 47, SALEM 33 SALEM (9-10): Madison Dixon 3 0-2 6, DyAira Anderson 3 8-13 14, Carlysia Pierce 3 5-14 11, Jaryn Weathers 0 0-0 0, Tricia Wilson 1 0-0 2, Kaliyah Taylor 0 0-0 0, Samiyah Moore 0 0-0 0, Zanyah Frieson 0 0-0 0, Timmiyah Simmons 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 13-29 33 SCHALICK (17-6): Cali Fisler 3 7-8 13, Ava Scurry 4 0-0 8, Willow Davis 1 2-2 5, Nevaeh Robinson 5 2-5 14, Liv VanAcker 0 5-8 5, Vicky Basich 0 0-0 0, Emmalyn Weir 0 2-2 2, Jaelynn Jarmon 0 0-0 0, Emma O’Neil 0 0-2 0. Totals 13 18-27 47.
Salem
5
7
10
11-
33
Schalick
4
16
12
15-
47
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Davis, Robinson 2). Rebounds: Salem 55 (Pierce 12, Anderson 20); Schalick 26 (Scurry 5, Robinson 9, VanAcker 6). Technical fouls: Fisler. Fouled out: Pierce, Scurry. Total fouls: Salem 22, Schalick 20.
PENNSVILLE 57, CUMBERLAND 36: Marley Wood scored 10 of her game-high 24 points in the second quarter as the Eagles pulled away from this TCC Championship Bracket consolation game. Jaiden Wilson added a career-high 12 points Next up for the Eagles is a Wednesday date with Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I tournament.
WASHINGTON TWP. 44, WOODSTOWN 20 WOODSTOWN (11-15): Kendall Young 2, Emma Perry 10, Lauren Hengel 4, Kyia Leyman 2, Talia Guardascione 2. WASHINGTON TWP. (16-9): Frankie Begley 1 2-2 4, Shyla McLean 3 0-0 9, Julianna Cassidy 1 0-0 2, Elena Dabrowski 2 0-0 6, Aubrey Mack 6 1-2 13, Jade Mazzuca 1 0-0 2, Tessa Reilley 2 0-0 4, Lena Giannini 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 3-4 44.
Woodstown
2
4
10
4-
20
Washington Twp.
7
17
8
12-
44
3-point goals: Washington Twp. 5 (McLean 3, Dabrowski 2).
Schalick’s Ava Scurry (C) denies Salem’s Kaliyah Taylor entry into the lane during their TCC Postseason Bracket semifinal game Thursday night.
Boys game
WOODSTOWN 77, CLEARVIEW 50: Blake Bialecki led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points that featured five 3-pointers, as the Wolverines snapped a three-game losing streak that tied the longest in coach Ramon Roots’ two-year tenure. Bialecki had 11 points in the first quarter fueled by three 3s. Andrew White had 15 points, 13 in the third quarter, and Alejandro Vazquez had 10.
CLEAVIEW (10-17): Jonah Turner 3 1-2 7, Georgia Kritikson 3 1-1 8, Mike Pellecchia 3 1-2 8, Darren Riddick 4 0-0 9, Alex Whitwork 2 0-0 6, TJ McGovern 1 0-0 3, Logan Poletti 1 0-0 3, David Carter 2 0-0 6, Ethan Munch 0 0-0 0, Patrick Furfari 0 0-0 0, Jake Bernstein 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 3-5 50. WOODSTOWN (16-11): Elijah Caesar 4 0-2 8, Jalen Markward 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 7 1-2 15, Trey Markward 1 0-0 2, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 6 1-2 18, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frank Hoerst 4 0-2 8, Connor Miller 2 2-2 6, Alejandro Vazquez 3 3-3 10, Brian Booker 1 0-0 2, John Hood-McGinley 0 0-0 0, Josh King 3 0-0 6. Totals 32 7-13 77.
Salem sweeps Doane Academy to reach South Jersey Group I bowling finals for first time in history, bowls Camden Catholic for the title Saturday
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Troy Carey stood on the landing behind his bench surrounded by his happy teammates and laid the news on coach Kenny Buck.
“You are aware now you have to find a place for a banner in the gym,” the Salem senior captain said.
“I guess I’m aware now,” Buck replied.
The Salem bowling team carved another notch in the belt of its “generational run” as well as its own spot on the gym wall Wednesday when it beat Doane Academy at Wood Lanes two games to none to reach the South Jersey Group I championship match for the first time in school history.
The Rams (11-3) rallied from a slow start to clear the hurdle that stopped them last year. They won Game One 857-850 and then closed the match in dominating fashion, crushing it in Game Two 979-872.
They’ll now bowl top-seeded Camden Catholic (10-3-2) Saturday morning at 30 Strikes in Stratford for the South Jersey title and spot in the Group I Final Four.
“We have one end goal,” Carey said. “We’re there now, we’ve just got to complete the mission. This (semifinal) was something in the way of that goal. We knew we had to execute and we did. We started off flat, but we brought it together in the end and we played like us at the end of the day. That’s all that mattered.”
They won the first game after trailing by nearly 100 pins after four frames. Carey closed out his second game with eight straight strikes for a 279, matching his career high game. Rudy Perez opened Game Two with four straight strikes from the leadoff spot and struck out in the tenth for a 222. The Rams threw 29 strikes in the clincher.
“I got to be honest. I was extremely worried, but they just put their heads down and bowled” Buck said. “I knew we had it in us. It just takes one of them to get hot.”
Despite a high confidence level going into the match, the Rams trailed by 98 pins after four frames and 80 after five. They had 11 open frames in the first five, while Doane logged 20 marks. Hunter Johnson, the Spartans’ No. 3, opened the match with five straight strikes.
But somewhere in the middle of the game the Rams found their groove. AJ Carlson and Semaj Carey keyed the comeback. Carlson picked up 75 pins over the final four frames and beat his opposite number by 41 over that stretch to finish with the team’s high game (199, nearly 50 pins over his average).
Semaj picked up 98 pins over the final four frames and outpinned his man by 12 over the same stretch. J.D. Puni beat Johnson by 28 pins over the stretch.
“At the end of the day it’s not over until the last person bowls that last frame,” captain Carey said. “We like our odds regardless. We just fight.”
“We all realized we got here last year (and) we can’t go down like we did last year,” Perez said. “We wanted to make it farther like we should. We prevailed, we overcame the little obstacle we had and started bowling amazing at the end of that first. Bro, I couldn’t be prouder.”
The comeback energized them. They bagged three strikes in each of the first four frames and at least two in every frame thereafter until they blew it out in the tenth. Semaj had an open frame in the first, then ran off four in a row. The Spartans, meanwhile, didn’t have a frame with multiple strikes until the third.
“It’s really the energy, all the guys came together,” Semaj said. “We all boosted our energy by like a thousand. The energy sets the tone for everybody. It starts with the first person ends up at the anchor. If everybody’s on track we’re just going to rolling like a smooth boat.”
And now that boat is speeding to the sectional finals and maybe a better banner for the gym.
Salem captain Troy Carey (L) reacts after burying a third strike in the tenth frame of Game Two to seal the Rams’ 2-0 victory in the South Jersey Group I bowling semifinals. Top photo: J.D. Puni (R) celebrates the victory with teammate Rudy Perez.
SALEM (11-3)
G1
G2
TOT
Rudy Perez
166
222
388
AJ Carlson
199
144
343
JD Puni
145
156
301
Semaj Carey
159
178
337
Troy Carey
188
279
467
TOTAL
857
979
1836
DOANE (8-11)
G1
G2
TOT
Colin Paglione
158
210
368
Caden Smith
114
166
280
Hunter Johnson
197
147
343
Jacob Powell
197
194
391
Chris Powell
184
155
339
TOTAL
850
872
1722
GROUP I BOYS BOWLING Wednesday’s sectional semifinals SOUTH No. 1 Camden Catholic 2, Asbury Park 0 No. 2, Salem 2, No. 6 Doane Academy 0 Finals: Salem (11-3) vs. Camden Catholic (10-3-2) CENTRAL No. 1 Middlesex 2, No. 5 Roselle Catholic 0 No. 2 Warren Tech 2, No. 3 Roselle Park 0 Finals: Warren Tech (9-4) at Middlesex (18-0) NORTH I No. 1 Kinnelon 2, No. 4 Butler 0 No. 3 Newton 2, No. 2 Pascack Hills 0 Finals: Newton (15-3) at Kinnelon (16-4) NORTH II No. 4 Belvidere (14-5) at No. 1 North Arlington (22-3), Thursday No. 2 Rutherford 2, No. 6 Wallington 0 Finals: Rutherford (17-5) vs. Belvidere-North Arlington winner
Schalick girls have goal to win their TCC Tournament bracket, take first step with win over Pitman, get Salem next in semifinal showdown, includes South Jersey Group I girls tournament pairings
GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea at Gloucester Catholic Clearview 54, Timber Creek 28 Glassboro 44, Kingsway 30 Wildwood 44, Washington Twp. 38 Consolation game Woodstown 45, Triton 36 Postseason Bracket Schalick 43, Pitman 32 Salem 34, Williamstown 27 Clayton 52, GCIT 50 Deptford 61, Penns Grove 25
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE — If there’s a bracket to be played there’s a bracket to be won, doesn’t matter if it’s Championship, Postseason or the 3-on-3 tournament down at the local rec.
Knowing there’s a title to claim at the end of the week, Schalick played what coach John Whelan called one of its better overall games of the year, jumped on Pitman early and rolled to a 43-32 win in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Tournament Postseason Bracket. The bracket’s No. 1 seed now hosts Salam in Thursday’s semifinals.
“We definitely have our goal set on winning,” Whelam said. “We played probably, I would say, the best team ball that we’ve played all year. We moved the basketball really well, we made the extra passes, (got) better quality shots.
“It’s starting to click a little more. You’ve seen it the last handful of games where we’ve been moving the ball better. Our offense has looked so much better, and then we continue to stay tough on the defensive end.”
The Cougars held their visitors to single digits points in every quarter, while opening quarter leads of 17-6, 27-15 and 37-24. leads of 17-6 and 27-15 in the first half.
Nevaeh Robinson “had a rhythm going” early for the Cougars and scored all 17 of her points in the first half. When the Panthers recognized the havoc she was causing and switched to a box-and-one on her, Willow Davis kept the offense clicking. Davis scored eight points in the third quarter and 11 of her 14 in the second half.
“We were moving the ball well enough to where we didn’t feel like we needed to really change our offense regardless of the box-and-one,” Whelan said. “Willow stepped up in the second half and hit a lot of shots.”
Robinson also had 11 rebounds, Cali Fisler and Ava Scurry each had 10, and Liv Vanacker had nine. Vanacker also had five assists and Scurry blocked four shots.
SALEM 34, WILLIAMSTOWN 27: The Rams stretched an eight-point halftime lead to double digits, withstood a second-half rally by the Braves that got it to a one-point game and then pulled away to set up a semifinal showdown with Schalick.
“That’s a big win,” Salem coach Kemp Carr said. “It’s a Group 4 school, it’s a big team and it’s a postseason bracket, so we see it as a big deal for us. We’re excited for tonight.”
The Rams (9-9) played bang-up defense in the first half, holding the Braves (5-17) to only one field goal and five points in the first half. They stretched their halftime lead to 10 in the third quarter, but the Braves went on a run that cut it to one, 28-27, with about three minutes left before the Rams changed defenses and retook control.
“We showed some resiliency, something that we’ve really been working on, to not let that bother us, to keep playing through the clock,” Carr said. “We used a timeout to settle the girls down and we came out and got a basket that next possession.”
Dyaira Anderson led the Rams with a game-high 17 points and 18 rebounds. Carlysia Pierce had eight points, six rebounds and nine steals.
Salem and Schalick played once during the regular season with the Cougars taking a 37-33 win on the road.
3-point goals: Williamstown 1 (Waters). Total fouls: Salem 14, Williamstown 17.
DEPTFORD 61, PENNS GROVE 25: The Spartans brought the Red Devils back to earth behind double-doubles from Chaylin Marine and Kendall Evans. Marine had 21 points and 12 rebounds (plus five steals), while Evans had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Red Devils reached the quarterfinals of the Postseason Bracket with a victory over Overbrook in the opening round.
CONSOLATION GAME WOODSTOWN 45, TRITON 36: Kyia Leyman and Kendall Young both enjoyed double-doubles as the Wolverines bounced back from their Championship Bracket opening-round loss to Kingsway. Leyman scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Young had 10 points and 12 rebounds with three assists and five steals.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Paulsboro at Haddon Twp. Burlington City at Woodbury New Egypt at Palmyra Cape May Tech at Glassboro Salem at Audubon Woodstown at Pennsville Schalick at Gateway Clayton at Wildwood Feb. 27 Games (Game at higher seed) Paulsboro-Haddon Twp. vs. Burlington City-Woodbury New Egypt-Palmyra vs. Cape May Tech-Glassboro Salem-Audubon vs. Woodstown-Pennsville Schalick-Gateway vs. Clayton-Wildwood
Salem loses a 16-point early third-quarter lead, falls to Group 4 Williamstown in TCC Championship Bracket quarterfinals; no county teams left in main draw of either boys bracket; includes the South Jersey Group I boys tournament pairings BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Kingsway 66, Timber Creek 57 Overbrook 66, Deptford 55 Cumberland 52, Delsea 47 Williamstown 50, Salem 40 Consolation game Penns Grove 67, Woodstown 55 Postseason Bracket GCIT 85, Clayton 76 Pitman 56, Wildwood 52 Washington Twp. 63, Highland 44
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – Anthony Farmer has seen this movie before. He didn’t want to see it – or have to see it – again on this particular night.
There have been times when Farmer’s Salem basketball team have been sharp start to finish. There also have been times they’ve built a seemingly safe lead against a strong opponent early in the game only to have it ripped out from under it at the final horn.
It happened again Tuesday when the Rams lost a 16-point third-quarter lead and wound up losing to Group 4 Williamstown 50-40 in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket.
The Rams (19-5), the No. 2 seed, led 30-14 a minute into the third quarter and 32-21 with 3:50 left in the quarter when it all went south. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers.
“They played 16 minutes of basketball, you know you’ve got to play a full 32,” Farmer said. “We played a half of basketball and now that’s the result.
“We played a really good 16 the first half and scored 11 points I think in the second half with 10 turnovers, so you almost had as many turnovers as you had points in the second half. Obviously, that’s an issue.
“We just have to have a feel for the game. Slow down, move the basketball, get reversals, make plays and play a good brand of basketball, which we just didn’t do. It was just a horrible second half.”
While all the misses hurt, especially with the Braves connecting on the other end, the most gut-wrenching may have been Marshall Stephens’ in-and-out after a nice spin move in the lane that Jameer Gordon turned into a 3-pointer at the other end to give the Braves (16-9) the lead for good.
While the Rams were having their troubles, the Braves were picking up the tempo and coming back. From the time they were down 16 in the third quarter to the end of the game the Braves were 8-of-19 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. They had only seven field goals in the first 17 minutes.
Gordon, a transfer from St. Joe (Hammonton), hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Braves finally got Clinton Suggs into the flow. The Rams held Suggs scoreless in the first half, but the Paul VI transfer scored 14 points in the second 10 in the third quarter. The Braves are 14-2 since Gordon and Suggs became eligible.
Suggs scored five straight points as the Braves trimmed the 16-point deficit to nine with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It was 10 with 3:15 left and the Rams scored only six more free throws the rest of the way. The Braves, meanwhile, scored nine free throws in the last 2:10 of the game alone to slam the door.
“These kids, since I’ve taken over, two years, have just shown fight and grit and fight and grit, so for us there was no panic on our end — at all,” Williamstown coach Adam Dandrea said as his players celebrated loudly in the locker room behind him. “I knew the kids would respond. That was all them right there. That was all them.”
The Braves now travel to Cumberland for Thursday’s semifinals. The Rams can play Delsea in a consolation game if they’re so inclined.
3-point goals: Williamstown 4 (Gordon, Suggs, Forman 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence, Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 30 (Williams 6, Marshall 5). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Williamstown 14, Salem 23.
PENNS GROVE 67, WOODSTOWN 55: The Red Devils ran out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and held onto it to win the rubber game between rivals created by a TCC Championship Bracket consolation game.
Roman Gipson and Geonni Conrad led Penns Grove with 18 points apiece. Four other players scored at least six.
“Just a total team effort like always,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said of the start. “Guys made shots and the defense was stellar.”
The Wolverines put four scorers in double figures, with Elijah Caesar, Blake Bialecki and Alejandro Vazquez scored 12 points apiece. Andrew White added 10. Bialecki hit three 3-pointers, giving him 202 for his career.
They took advantage of Penns Grove’s second-quarter foul trouble to climb back into it, but the Red Devils stemmed the tide.
WOODSTOWN (15-11): Elijah Caesar 5-2-12, Blake Bialecki 4-1-12, Alejandro Vazquez 5-0-12, Josh King 2-3-7, Andrew White 4-2-10, Frank Hoerst 0-2-2. Totals 20-10-55. PENNS GROVE (16-10): Roman Gipson 6-5-18, Geonni Conrad 8-0-18, Haneef Frisby 3-1-7, Will Roy 2-0-6, Mishawn Brantley 0-0-0, Luis Colon 2-3-7, Carson Pearsall 3-0-7, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Ahkeen Edwards 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-67.
Woodstown
11
17
14
13-
55
Penns Grove
22
10
17
18-
67
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 3, Vazquez 2); Penns Grove 6 (Gipson, Gonrad 2, Roy 2, Pearsall).
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT Feb. 25 Games Riverside at Salem Paulsboro at Woodstown Glassboro at Burlington City Wildwood at KIPP New Egypt at Haddon Twp. Pitman at Penns Grove Audubon at Woodbury Gateway at Palmyra Feb. 27 Games (Games at higher seed) Riverside-Salem vs. Paulsboro-Woodstown Glassboro-Burlington City vs. Wildwood-KIPP New Egypt-Haddon Twp. vs. Pitman-Penns Grove Audubon-Woodbury vs. Gateway-Palmyra
Woodstown boys win 4×400 relay in record time, but it left them one point short of winning the South Jersey Group I indoor sectionals; the difference was Glassboro’s third-place finish by 0.10 seconds
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Blink your eyes. That’s how close it was to determining the South Jersey Group I boys indoor track sectionals champion Sunday.
As these meets always seem to do lately, it came down to the final race between Woodstown and Glassboro in the 4×400 relay.
Woodstown had to win it and have Glassboro finish fourth or worse – or some other combination of a six-point swing – to win it all at the Bubble.
The Wolverines did what they needed to do, winning the race in a PR meet record (3:30.30), but Glassboro raced to third (3:37.78), a scant 0.10 seconds ahead of fourth-place Gateway, to grab just enough points to win the team title by one point.
Glassboro scored 54.60 points overall to Woodstown’s 53.60.
The Wolverines relay team of Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Kyle Reitz and Josh Crawford obliterated the old 4×400 record of 3:32.09, set by Woodbury last year. Salem finished second in the race.
“We knew going into the 4×4 that we needed two things to happen,” Chew said. “We needed to win and Glassboro couldn’t get third or better. Unfortunately, only one of those things was in the cards for us.
“Everyone ran a great race and we all did the best we could with what we could control. Now it just comes down to regaining our confidence and going into states with a good mentality.”
Through five events both teams were lagging behind leader Haddon Twp., but after the completion of the high jump and 800, the Wolverines had pulled in front, bringing Glassboro with them. The margin was seven points..
Glassboro made a big move in the 3200, the next-to-last event in the meet. Top-seeded Bulldog Joseph Saicic won the race and Jaeden Wesley, the 18th-seeded runner, finished fourth. Jacob Marino gave Woodstown its only points in the race, finishing sixth.
Salem County produced three individual champions. Crawford won the 400 (51.13) and 800 (1:59.87, going 1-2 with Chew), and Woodstown’s Kami Casiano won the girls high jump (5-0). In addition, there were four other runner-ups — Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson (400), Woodstown’s Aiden Taulane (shot put), Woodstown’s Lia Covely (girls 55 hurdles) and Pennsville Kallie Morrison (girls high jump).
In all, Salem County qualified 28 individuals and three relays to the state group championships back here on Feb. 22.
This is the second major win for Casiano this year. She won the Tri-County Showcase with a jump of 5-2. She started the new year with a third-place finish in Penn’s Ott Center on Jan. 3 (4-10) and finished fourth in a batch meet here on Jan. 10 (5-0).
“I’m so happy about winning sectionals today,” Casiano said. “A big goal I had for myself this season was consistency. I’m getting past my nerves and giving it my all.”
Here are the event winners and Salem County qualifiers to the state group championships. The top six in each event score points and qualify for state.
This story will be updated.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SECTIONALS BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 54.60, WOODSTOWN 53.60, Haddon Twp. 36, Camden 32.60; SALEM 29.60, Gateway 22, PENNS GROVE 20, Audubon 17, Woodbury 14, Burlington City 12, Palmyra 8.60, SCHALICK 6, West Deptford 2, Buena 2. 400: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 51.13; 2. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 52.07; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 52.41. 1600: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 4:33.47; 4. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:36.50; 6. David Farrell, Woodstown 4:42.96 55 Hurdles: 1. Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey, Camden 7.83; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 8.42; 5. Gradin Buzby, Salem 8.64 55 Dash: 1. Donte Davis, Burlington City 6.55; 3. Jelani Beverly, Salem 6.70; 6. Kyle Reitz, Woodstown 6.81 800: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:59.87; 2. Karson Chew, Woodstown 2:00.56 3200: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 9:52.30; 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:14.36 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Kyle Reitz, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford) 3:30.30 (meet record, old record 3:32.09, Woodbury 2025); 2. Salem (Quimere Bergen, Gradin Buzby, RaShar Stevenson, Jerry Seals) 3:37.61 High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 6-2; 3. Tommy White, Penns Grove 5-6; T5. Jerry Seals, Salem 5-2; T5. Anthony Costello, Woodstown 5-2 Pole Vault: 1. Bobby McIlvaine, Haddon Twp. 12-0; 3. Salvatore Longo, Schalick 11-0; 4. Gradin Buzby, Salem 11-0 Shot Put: 1. Kyle Stephens, Haddon Twp. 47-9; 2. Aiden Taulane, Woodstown 46-2.5; 3. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 45-7; 6. Jailon Fletcher-Wilson, Salem 43-2
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Audubon 90, Glassboro 47, Haddon Twp. 46, West Deptford 32, WOODSTOWN 31, Buena 20, Woodbury 12, PENNSVILLE 8, Lower Cape May 8, SALEM 5, PENNS GROVE 4, Palmyra 2, Burlington City 2, Gateway 2 400: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 1:00.72 1600: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 5:08.61; 4. Abby Marino, Woodstown 5:29.58 55 Hurdles: 1. Casey Birdwell, Haddon Twp. 8.83; 2. Lia Covely, Woodstown 9.40 55 Dash: 1. Kathryn McGuire, Audubon 7.60 800: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 2:19.05 3200: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 11:20.98; 3. Abby Marino, Woodstown 11:58.23 4×400: 1. Audubon 4:18.72; 4. Salem (Dynastie Tucker, Brooklynn Jackson, Amaia Massengill, Alysha Williams) 4:24.47; 6. Woodstown (Maria Holmes, Angelina Lindenmuth, Abby Marino, Lia Covely) 4:38.23 High Jump: 1. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-0; 2. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10 Pole Vault: 1. Morganna Makuszewski, Audubon 9-0 Shot Put: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro 37-6.75; 4. Zoey Caesar, Penns Grove 30-11.25; 5. Sara Lodge, Woodstown 30-5.75; 6. Ava Rodgers, Salem 29-10.5
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 15-22
SUNDAY, FEB. 15 INDOOR TRACK South Jersey Group I Sectionals at Bennett Complex, 9 a.m.
MONDAY, FEB. 16 WRESTLING Cedar Creek at Salem, 10 a.m. NJSIAA Team Tournament At Paulsboro Buena vs. Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville vs. Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Winners to follow At Audubon Haddon Twp. vs. Woodstown, 5 p.m. Maple Shade vs. Audubon, 5 p.m. Winners to follow COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Bryant & Stratton (Va.)
TUESDAY, FEB. 17 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Timber Creek at Kingsway Deptford at Overbrook Cumberland at Delsea Williamstown at Salem, 5 p.m. Consolation game Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Postseason Bracket Clayton at GCIT Glassboro at Triton Wildwood at Pitman Highland at Washington Twp. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea at Gloucester Catholic Clearview at Timber Creek Kingsway at Glassboro Washington Twp. at Wildwood Consolation game Woodstown at Triton, 5:30 p.m. Postseason Bracket Pitman at Schalick Salem at Williamstown Clayton at GCIT Penns Grove at Deptford
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 WRESTLING Pennsville at Pennsauken, 6 p.m. Team Sectional Finals BOYS BOWLING South Jersey Group I Tournament Salem vs. Doane Academy, Wood Lanes, 3 p.m. Asbury Park at Camden Catholic
THURSDAY, FEB. 19 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Timber Creek-Kingsway vs. Deptford-Overbrook Cumberland-Delsea vs. Williamstown-Salem Postseason Bracket Clayton-GCIT vs. Glassboro-Triton Wildwood-Pitman vs. Highland/Washington Twp. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Delsea-Gloucester Catholic vs. Clearview-Timber Creek Kingsway-Glassboro vs. Washington Twp.-Wildwood Postseason Bracket Pitman-Schalick vs. Salem-Williamstown Clayton-GCIT vs. Penns Grove-Deptford Consolation game Cumberland at Pennsville, 4 p.m. WRESTLING Salem at New Egypt, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20 BOYS BASKETBALL Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Medford Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. WRESTLING St. Joseph (Hamm.) at Salem, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Cherry Hill West, 6 p.m. State Team Semifinals
SATURDAY, FEB. 21 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 11 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Championship, Washington Twp., 1 p.m. BOYS BOWLING South Jersey Group I Championship WRESTLING Pennsville, Ewing at Pt. Pleasant Beach, 10 a.m.
SUNDAY, FEB. 22 TRACK NJSIAA Group Championships, Bennett Center, 9 a.m.
Scores, details and projected playoff pairings highlight the Saturday Salem County sports report; Salem projected to pull down No. 1 boys seed in South Jersey Group 1; will be updated with more
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 BOYS BASKETBALL Salem 66, Salem Tech 44 Steinert 55, Schalick 30 Haddonfield 49, Woodstown 44 GIRLS BASKETBALL Middle Twp. 55, Schalick 26 TCC Tournament Delsea 47, Pennsville 30 WRESTLING Highland, Mainland at Pennsville Woodstown at Delran Quad
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM — All year long the carrot Salem’s boys basketball team had been chasing was the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group I tournament. It appears the Rams have claimed their prize.
After dispatching Salem Tech 66-64 on Saturday’s final day of power points qualifying, the Rams (19-4) appear to have secured the No. 1 seed by nearly two full points over No. 2 Palmyra. If the tournament were seeded as of 5 p.m. Saturday night, they would host No. 16 Riverside in the opening round of the playoffs.
It’s the first time an Anthony Farmer-coached Salem team is No. 1 in South Jersey. The Rams went to the South Jersey finals in his first season as the No. 2 seed.
“We’ve been taking care of business all season long, we’ve been finding ways to win, so this is the result,” Farmer said. “We’re excited about being the 1 seed and having everything come through Salem and having home court advantage. Now we’ve just got to get to work and see how far we can go with this thing.”
Here are the top 16 South Jersey Group I boys qualifers (and projected matchups) based on the power points standings at press time:
1. Salem (19-4), 2. Palmyra (17-6), 3. Haddon Twp. (20-5), 4. KIPP (15-6), 5. Burlington City (12-11), 6. Penns Grove (15-10), 7. Woodbury (11-14), 8. Woodstown (15-10), 9. Paulsboro (11-11), 10. x-Audubon (12-12), 11. Pitman (10-14), 12. Glassboro (7-15), 13. Wildwood (12-11), 14. New Egypt (11-13), 15. Gateway (13-11), No. 16 Riverside (9-14). x-LEAP, No. 10 in the power points standings, is ineligible for the playoffs.
Projected pairings based off those seeds: Riverside at Salem, Paulsboro at Woodstown, Glassboro at Burlington City, Wildwood at KIPP, New Egypt at Haddon Twp., Pitman at Penns Grove, Audubon at Woodbury, Gateway at Palmyra.
Projected pairings based off those seeds: Clayton at Haddon Twp., Burlington City at Woodbury, New Egypt at Palmyra, Riverside at Glassboro, Cape May Tech at Audubon, Woodstown at Pennsville, Schalick at Gateway, Salem at Wildwood.
In Farmer’s mind, having the home court is the biggest advantage to being the No. 1 seed.
“That is the big deal,” he said. “Kids have a tendency to get behind the home crowd and play with more energy and play better at home. Salem has a lot of support, our fans come out, so it’s great for us to be at home.”
The Rams were home Saturday and sent their seniors off in style. Farmer played the seniors on Senior Day and they made it happen.
Donnie Weathers led them with 13 points. Xavier McGriff had 12, and Kaden Robinson and Marshall Stephens had 10 apiece. All the players will be available for their next start, Tuesday against Williamstown in the Tri-County Tournament quarterfinals..
“We’ve been playing good basketball the last few weeks, I’m excited where we are,” Farmer said. “You want to be playing your best basketball around this time and I feel like we’re more disciplined, we have a better understanding of who we are as a group, so I’m excited about the run we’re going to make.”
HADDONFIELD 49, WOODSTOWN 44: The Wolverines cut a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with five seconds left, but couldn’t come all the way. Haddonfield missed a free throw with 4.7 seconds left and the Wolverines had the ball, but couldn’t get the tying shot to fall and the Bulldogs escaped with their 11th straight win.
Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points, but was held without a 3-pointer for the first time in 21 games and the first time at home since last year’s opening-round win in the South Jersey Group I tournament. He remains at 199 for his career. He had a good look at one with about 30 seconds left and the Wolverines down five, but rattled the rim three times before falling out. Elijah Caesar and Alejandro both hit two 3s and both finished with 10 points.
Chris Beane led Haddonfield (21-3) with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chase Stadler hit three 3s and finished with 10. The Bulldogs are the projected No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group 2.
HADDONFIELD (21-3): Mike Douglas 2 1-6 6, John Scipione 1 2-4 5, Chris Beane 4 4-8 12, Jack McKeever 1 0-0 2, Mike Mooney 3 1-4 7, Ryan Guyeiyian 1 5-9 7, Chase Stadler 3 1-4 10. Totals 15 14-35 49. WOODSTOWN (15-10): Elijah Caesar 4 0-0 10, Andrew White 3 0-3 6, Blake Bialecki 6 6-7 12, Alejandro Vazquez 3 2-3 10, Josh King 1 4-4 6. Totals 17 12-17 44.
STEINERT 55, SCHALICK 30: The Spartans from Mercer County dominated the first and third quarters to take control of the game. Steinert’s Michael Shaklin hit four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points. Christian Guagliardo went 6-of-9 from the line and added 10. Julian Dickerson led Schalick with 14 points.
Steinert
16
18
15
6-
55
Schalick
9
13
3
5-
30
Girls games
DELSEA 47, PENNSVILLE 30: Peyton Parker scored 22 points and the Crusaders held Pennsville’s top two scorers to a combined 13 points to win in the final game of the opening round of the Tri-County Conference Championship Bracket. The loss snapped Pennsville’s seven-game winning streak and was the Eagles’ first in the six games since changing coaches Feb. 2.
Taylor Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 10 points. Marley Wood was held to three. She tried to play through illness in the first half, but sat out the second.
“Delsea came out to play,” Eagles coach Robin Efelis said. “They were aggressive and played well. We had a few days of good practices, but it wasn’t enough.”
MIDDLE TWP. 55, SCHALICK 26: The Panthers went looking for a last-minute game addition to enhance its power points position and the Cougars answered the call to test themselves against the projected No. 1 team in South Jersey Group 2.
Middle (21-4) jumped out quickly and held the Cougars (15-6) to two points in each of the first two quarters. Interestingly, the Panthers didn’t put a scorer in double figures, but had 11 players scored. Vicky Basich led Schalick with eight points. Nevaeh Robinson had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Schalick benefitted from the game as well. The Cougars earned enough power points to project to No. 10 in the South Jersey Group 1 standings, the second-highest team from Salem County.
Penns Grove takes down Willingboro, Salem Tech falls in TCC bracket; Salem bowling reaches sectional semis
BOYS BASKETBALL
PENNS GROVE – The reason teams try to schedule games late in the cutoff week is to make a last-minute move up the power points standings.
Penns Grove gained a lot of power points in its hope to move into the South Jersey Group 1 top four and potentially two home playoff games Thursday with its 69-58 win over Willingboro.
The Red Devils (15-9) jumped out front early and stayed in control. Geonni Conrad and Roman Gipson led their usually balanced scoring attack with 16 and 14, respectively.
The Chimeras had three scorers in double figures, led by Yasin Hogue’s 25 points, but Penns Grove had eight players hit the scoring column, with half of them scoring at least seven points.
Wildwood 68, Salem Tech 31: Trevor Troiano hit three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Warriors in the first round of the Tri- County Postseason Bracket. Raphael Busch led the Chargers with 11. Wildwood now plays at Pitman in the quarterfinals.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wildwood 59, Salem 27: The Warriors (17-6) roared to a 23-4 first-quarter lead and cruised to a third straight victory. Wildwood’s Rebecca Benichou led all scorers with 23 points. Angela Wilber dished 10 assists. Dyaira Anderson led the Rams (8-9) with 16 points.
BOYS BOWLING SJ GROUP 1 QF Salem 2, Maple Shade 0: Troy Carey rolled two games of 266 for the day’s high series (532) and Jacob Puni rolled games of 242 and 228 to lead the second-seeded Rams (10-3) into the sectional semifinals. They’ll face sixth-seeded Doane Academy (8-10) Wednesday at Wood Lanes. The winner gets Camden Catholic or Asbury Park in the Feb. 21 finals.
SJ GROUP 2 QF Lindenwold 2, Salem Tech 1: Second-seeded Lindenwold (14-1-1) won the rubber game 842-789 to reach the sectional semifinals. Cooper Rappa bowled the high game (216) and high series (550) for the Chargers (6-8).
GIRLS BOWLING SJ GROUP 1 QF Camden Catholic 2, Salem Tech 1: The fourth-seeded Irish (14-1) won the rubber game 686-614 to reach the semifinals. Naomi Hess rolled a high-game 181 in Game 3 for the Chargers (9-2-1), but the Irish had four games 145 or better. Hess also had the high series for the match (512).
Here are the scores and highlights from Wednesday night’s Salem County sports schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Pitman 53, Pennsville 16 Woodstown 64, Salem Tech 15 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick 37, Oakcrest 24 Pennsville 49, Pitman 21 Woodstown 67, Salem Tech 16 WRESTLING Willingboro 33, Salem 30 Pennsville 63, Haddon Heights 10
By Riverview Sports News
GIRLS BASKETBALL WOODSTOWN 67, SALEM TECH 16: Emma Perry just missed her career-high on her Senior Night, 12 players scored and the Wolverines rolled in their final regular-season game. Perry scored 17 points, one shy of tying her career high she set two weeks ago. Lauren Hengel, another senior, added 12 points and 10 other Wolverines scored.
The Wolverines celebrated their Senior Night, then shutout the Chargers in the first quarter 26-0.
“It was a very good night,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “We have had a tough season this year and the girls continued to work hard every practice and every game.
“There have never been any complaints all year from the girls. They enjoy the game of basketball and they enjoy being around each other. There are countless conversations and jokes happening all the time with this group.
“The best part of the game for me as a coach was seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces. They were out there having fun. Yes, we care about wins and losses, but you play a sport because you have fun doing it. We often forget that and the girls did not forget about that tonight.”
The team’s four seniors — Perry, Hengel, Kyia Leyman and Kailyn Kennedy — all scored in the game. They combined for 39 points, 22 rebounds and 12 assists. In addition to her points, Perry had five rebounds and five assists. Hengel had eight rebounds and seven assists, Leyman had five rebounds and Kennedy had four rebounds.
“This senior class is a very special class,” Smart said of the group that has been a part of 70 wins in four years and played for three head coaches. “(They) all work extremely hard all of the time. They are a tight-knit group, but a very selfless group; you could see that tonight. We gave up good shots for better shots and moved the ball well. Seeing that on over half the shots we made tonight there was an assist is a very special thing.
“I’m going to miss this group so much. They are very special and you can tell how much they mean to the rest of the team based off of tonight’s Senior Night festivities. Luckily, our journey isn’t over yet.”
3-point goals: Salem Tech 4 (Liber 3, Bazemore); Woodstown 4 (Hengel 2, Perry, Young). Rebounds: Woodstown 52 (Maldonado 8, Hengel 8, Young 6). Total fouls: Salem Tech 4, Woodstown 4.
SCHALICK 37, OAKCREST 24: Nevaeh Robinson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Cougars (15-5) to their third straight win. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. The sophomore hit a 3-pointer in each quarter. Ava Scurry added six rebounds to run her career total to 612 and blocked five shots (226). Liv Vanacker had seven rebounds and seven assists.
Top photo: Schalick’s Ava Scurry is joined by her teammates to commemorate her 600th career rebound. (Submitted photo).
PENNSVILLE 49, PITMAN 21: Taylor Bass pumped in 23 points to surpass 1200 for her career, Marley Wood scored 16 (to go over 1,300) and the Eagles held Pitman scoreless in the third quarter to win their seventh straight. It’s their longest winning streak since they won seven straight in the 2019-20 season. It was their fifth straight win since the coaching change.
BOYS BASKETBALL WOODSTOWN 64, SALEM TECH 15: The Wolverines spread the wealth, getting scoring from 12 players, and held the Chargers to three points in the second half to win its third in a row — all over Salem County competition. Andrew White led the way with 13 points. Connor Miller had eight and Frank Hoerst had seven. Blake Bialecki hit two more 3-pointers and is now four away from extending his school record to 200 for his career. He has hit at least one trey in each of his last 19 games.
3-point goals: Woodstown 9 (Bialecki 2, Hood-McGinley, White, Fulmer 2, Hoerst, Miller 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 8.
PITMAN 53, PENNSVILLE 16: Jay Craig had his third double-double in his last six games and the Panthers hit eight 3-pointers as a team to roll past the Eagles. Craig had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jake Bowen-Ashwin also scored 11 points and Parker DeChristopher had 12. Lucas Razze had eight of the Panthers’ 21 steals.
WILLINGBORO 33, SALEM 30 106: Double forfeit 113: Double forfeit 120: Fahad Irshad (WI) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:47 126: Zachary Tortella (S) pinned Demarco Edwards, 4:47 132: Guylherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Michael Barker, 0:51 138: Yiornniel Cordero (WI) dec. Brodie Parker, 9-6 144: Joseph Goetaski (S) won by forfeit 150: Roatan Alleyne (WI) won by forfeit 157: Ziyon Moore (S) dec. Deryck Montoya, 9-3 165: Precious Bankole (WI) won by forfeit 175: Dovonte Ruiz (WI) won by forfeit 190: Toren Schoners (WI) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 1:53 215: Abdur Jenkins (S) def. Lebron Martin, SV-1 4-1 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) won by forfeit
PENNSVILLE 63, HADDON HEIGHTS 10 106: Aniello Napolitano (H) pinned Brett Land, 5:53 113: Erick Davalos (P) pinned Andrew Hanchey, 1:22 120: Maximos Efelis (P) won by forfeit 126: Michael Ferraro (H) maj. dec. Mehki Dicks, 13-3 132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Brennan Albright, 2:15 138: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Gavin Gilliss, 4:58 144: Vincent Grether (P) pinned Leo Falco, 3:57 150: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over Ryan Bailey, 18-3 (5:03) 157: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ian Bomgardner, 1:30 165: Robbie McDade (P) maj. dec. Andrew Gutkin, 10-2 175: Cristian Blyler (P) dec. Shawn Thompson, 10-3 190: Stephen Pangle (P) won by forfeit 215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) pinned Cameron Mayo, 1:51 285: Jacob Hand (P) dec. Nathan Lelionis, 7-2
Riverview Sports News 