Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 3-8
FEB. 3 GIRLS BASKETBALL GCIT at Salem Tech Pennsville at West Deptford Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4:15 p.m. Schalick at Buena BOYS BASKETBALL Buena at Pennsville Riverside at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. TRACK Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze Complex, Staten Island BOWLING Salem vs. Hammonton at DiDonato Bowling Center FEB. 4 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Schalick Woodstown at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Overbrook Pitman at Salem Salem Tech at Clayton BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem Tech Overbrook at Penns Grove Salem at Pitman Schalick at Glassboro Woodstown at Pennsville MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Montgomery County (Pa.) CC, 7 p.m.
FEB. 5 WRESTLING Pennsville at Gateway Penns Grove at Clearview Salem at Gloucester Catholic BOWLING Salem, Salem Tech in TCC Showcase at 30 Strikes
FEB. 6 GIRLS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem at Clayton Schalick at Pennsville Wildwood at Salem Tech Woodstown at Overbrook BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem Overbrook at Woodstown Pennsville at Schalick Glassboro at Penns Grove Salem Tech at Wildwood BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes SWIMMING NJSIAA Sectionals at GCIT WRESTLING Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton Pennsauken at Schalick MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL RCSJ-Gloucester at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
FEB. 7 GIRLS BASKETBALL Buena at Salem Pennsville at Millville WRESTLING Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove Salem at Winslow BOWLING NJSIAA Playoffs
FEB. 8 GIRLS BASKETBALL Cumberland at Schalick, 11:30 a.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Cherokee, 11:30 p.m. Absegami at Salem, noon WRESTLING Burlington City, Egg Harbor Twp., St. Joe (Hamm.) at Pennsville Salem, Woodstown, Williamstown at Hammonton MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Harrisburg Area CC, noon
Saturday basketball: Pennsville’s girls win in overtime, Schalick’s boys snap losing streak, includes all the day’s games involving Salem County teams
GIRLS GAMES
BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 46, Camden Catholic 45 (OT)
Schalick 73, Buena 31
Gateway 26, Schalick 21
Oakcrest 78, Pennsville 52
Bridgeton 63, Woodstown 51
Deptford 63, Penns Grove 60
By Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – After a disappointing game against a top team the night before, Pennsville coach Steve Merritt challenged his team to put on a good show Saturday in what he expected to be a similarly tough game against Camden Catholic.
The Eagles gave their coach almost everything he asked for and it resulted in a 46-45 overtime victory.
“They never quit, they played really good defense and were active,” Merritt said. “I was really pleased with the way we played today.
“I told them before the game when I got this job and started working with you I was really happy with the effort and desire to win and for the most part I was happy with it. Yesterday I was little disappointed; let’s go out and put on a good show and they did.”
Playing with 1,000-point scorer Nora Ausland (fouled out) and Jaida Burns (injured) on the bench down the stretch in regulation and all of overtime, the Eagles outscored the Irish 4-3 in the extra session.
All the points in overtime came from the free throw line.
Marley Wood put Pennsville ahead 45-44 with 29 seconds left when she made one of two. The Irish rebounded the shot she missed and tried to hold the ball for a last shot, but the Eagles tied it up with 8.7 seconds and took possession.
Wood was fouled again and this time missed both shots. Edore Pela drve through several Pennsville hands on her way to the basket and put up a short shot for the win that rattled around the rim and didn’t fall.
Pennsville took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Irish rallied to force overtime. The Eagles had a chance to win in regulation. Taylor Bass got a steal with two seconds left and raced towards the basket, but her potential game-winning shot rimmed out as the horn blew.
Bass was Pennsville’s leading scorer with 15 points. Ausland had 14 points, 11 in the second quarter to get the Eagles back in the game.
Pela led all scorers with 22 points. She had 11 in the Irish’ fourth-quarter comeback.
CENTERTON – Jase Volovar has been missing his shot lately and wondered where it had gone. It came back to him Saturday and he had a feeling it would.
He and Nylan Sutton both enjoyed career days in Schalick’s 73-31 rout of Buena that snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Volovar tied his career-high with three 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points. Sutton, a senior forward, hit 11 buckets and scored a career-high 24 points.
“It was about going out and coming out as a team and bouncing back from a couple losses,” Volovar said. “Getting back in the rhythm of winning coming up for this game (at Glassboro) Tuesday.
“I thought today we really came together as a team and were moving the ball extremely well, which really helped us get in the rhythm, helped me open up a lot.”
It started quickly for the Cougars’ junior guard. He missed his first 3, but came back down and hit one, then right away got a steal and layup off the press and was on his way to something special. He hit two more 3s before halftime and had 16 points at the break.
“I had been missing my shot,” he said. “Warming up I said my shot was going to be pretty good today. I was hitting from deep, all over the court, every area.”
He credited the increased shooting in practice with helping him get back on track.
Justin Iacona was also feeling it. He hit three 3s, too, and finished with 11 points.
BRIDGETON 63, WOODSTOWN 51: It was all Jameel Purnell and Tavon Chandler for Bridgeton in a tight first half, but the Bulldogs got more players involved in the second half and pulled away.
Purnell scored 34 points in the game and Chandler had 16 to almost outscore the Wolverines on their own, and they combined for all their team’s points in the first half as they built a 25-22 halftime lead.
The Wolverines stayed within reach, but, coach Ramon Roots said, just “didn’t make enough winning plays” to get over the top.
Blake Bialecki hit four 3-pointers and led Woodstown with 14 points. Alejandro Vazquez had 12 and Rocco String had 11. WOODSTOWN (11-5) – Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Blake Bialecki 5 0-1 14, Alejandro Vazquez 4 2-2 12, M.J. Hall 1 1-2 3, Garrett Leyman 1 1-2 4, Rocco String 4 3-4 11, Brayden Hall 1 0-0 3. Totals BRIDGETON (8-12) – Leroy Ortiz Rodriguez 2 0-0 4, Joel Francisco Lopez 2 0-0 4, Kyion Gray 1 0-0 3, Stephen Little 0 0-0 0, Jameel Purnell 14 1-2 34, Jahzeer Thompson 0 0-0 0, Geraldo Gonzalez 0 0-0 0, Tavon Chandler 6 2-4 16, Jerrell Burks 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 3-6 64.
DEPTFORD 63, PENNS GROVE 60: Deptford’s Alonzo Hernandez made it a three-point game with two free throws with 10.2 seconds left and Penns Grove missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds. Penns Grove’s Karon Ceaser put back his miss to get the Red Devils within 61-60.
DEPTFORD (11-5) – Jordan Williams 10-0-21, Kenny Cockrell 4-1-9, Luke Vilary 2-0-4, Brian Orio 1-02-4, Ayden Copestick 7-3-21, Alonzo Hernandez 1-2-4. Totals 25-8-63. PENNS GROVE (8-8) – B.J. Robbins 7-5-22, Roman Gipson 2-3-8, Karon Ceaser 9-2-22, Antoine Robinson 1-0-2, Jameel Horace 2-0-4, Will Roy 0-2-2. Totals 21-12-60.
Schalick wins three matches on cutoff day to win first division title in 12 years, Woodstown scores big win over Manasquan, and more
By Riverview Sports News
LINDENWOLD — Schalick wrestling coach Joe Frassenei expected to have continued success when his program split its co-op with Cumberland this season, but he didn’t necessarily expect this kind of success this soon.
The Cougars easily defeated three more teams Saturday in the Lindenwold Quad Meet and when they routed Salem they clinched the Tri-County Conference Classic Division title and their first division crown since 2013.
The Cougars routed Salem 77-6 to complete an undefeated division slate. They also beat Lindenwold 68-11 and Palmyra 79-0. It left them 22-1 at the state cutoff date and a solid No. 4 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and would probably be higher if they played a stronger schedule.
“We’re pleasantly surprised,” Frassenei said. “We knew we were going to be OK. I did not expect us to be this good this quick. I think we’re a year ahead of where I thought we were going to be. I figured we were going to take a step back a little bit this year because we lost half our team, but actually we’ve done much better than I thought we would.”
When the program split, the Cougars maintained 10 of the weight classes with “their” wrestlers. The four slots they had to fill have done well in their own right.
Gerardo Felipe (215) is 20-6, Collin Bittle (138) is 9-3, Caleb Jenkins is 29-1 moving up to 113 from 106 with his only loss a decision to a former co-op teammate, and Emma Cain (106) is 11-1 but inow focusing on the girls regionals.
Only a handful of Cougars got to wrestle three matches Saturday and many of their bouts were forfeited. Among those who wrestled more than once, Ryan Miller (132) had a tech fall and a pin, Bittle (138) had a major decision and two pins, Eric Sulik (165) had three pins and undefeated Ricky Watt (175) had two tech falls.
“It’s been a satisfying season,” Frassenei said. “The kids have been fantastic, they bought into it and they’re young, so we’re going to have all these kids back next year. Hopefully we can build upon that.”
Lindenwold Quad
SCHALICK 68, LINDENWOLD 11 120: Deny Ramos pinned E’Shion Underwood, 2:17 126: Luke Silva (S) won by forfeit 132: Ryan Miller (S) tech fall over Joshua Knight, 20-5 (2:13) 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Brandon Caro, 5:36 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) tech fall over Josiah Jones, 17-1 (3:00) 150: Koen Martin (S) tech fall over Junior Avila, 16-0 (2:28) 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Rahkeem Johnson, 1:01 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Angel Ramos, 19-3 (1:38) 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Julian Sanchez, 0:52 285: Julian Reid (S) pinned Rowan Dietz, 0:42 106: Jaime Lopez (L) tech fall over Victor Fenske, 17-2 (5:24) 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Johnny Palacios, 0:38
SCHALICK 77, SALEM 6 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) tech fall over Guylherme Quintanilha, 17-2 (1:59) 132: Ryan Miller (S) won by forfeit 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Cassidy Werkheiser, 0:42 144: Michael Baisch (S) won by forfeit 150: Koen Martin (S) won by forfeit 157: Riley Papiano (S) won by forfeit 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Tytiana Miller, 0:15 175: Ricky Watt (S) won by forfeit 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit 285: Abdullah Jenkins (SAL) pinned Julian Reid, 2:53 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit
SCHALICK 79, PALMYRA 0 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Luke Silva (S) won by forfeit 132: Ryan Miller (S) pinned Shane Mulherin, 0:26 138: Colin Bittle (S) maj. dec. Chace Mulherin, 14-6 144: Ayden Jenkins (S) maj. dec. Justin Lopez, 19-6 150: Koen Martin (S) won by forfeit 157: Riley Papiano (S) pinned SyKeem Muse, 1:51 165: Eric Sulik (S) pinned Luke Van Sciver, 1:29 175: Ricky Watt (S) tech fall over Burak Sayin, 22-5 (3:36) 190: Dezyon Purnell (S) won by forfeit 215: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit 285: Julian Reid (S) won by forfeit
Central Regional Quad
BAYVILLE – Pennsville had a tough day, going 0-3 as a team, losing to Central Regional, Clearview and Hammonton. Individually, Gabe Supernavage, Travis Hagan and Connor Ayars pinned two opponents, Christopher Daniels won two decisions and Nathaniel Mason won twice.
CENTRAL REGIONAL 53, PENNSVILLE 27 113: Mason Lugo (CR) pinned Erick Davalos, 1:15 120: Luke Condello (CR) pinned Mekhi Dicks, 1:22 126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Kriztopher Bustamante, 7-2 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Nicholas Thorn, 2:44 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Ben Laskowski, 1:02 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Ethan Kiernan, 3:14 150: Jonathan Barrera (CR) won by forfeit 157: Nicholas Straniero (CR) won by forfeit 165: Alexander Setaro (CR) pinned Juan Velasquez, 0:42 175: Donovan Stesner (CR) tech fall over Christian Blyler, 15-0 (1:59) 190: Connor Ayars (P) pinned Deklan McLaughlin, 1:01 215: Rhys Santarsiero (CR) won by forfeit 285: Mason Medina (CR) pinned Trevor Waddington, 3:45 106: Max Stierle (CR) pinned John Sassi, 0:58
CLEARVIEW 54, PENNSVILLE 12 120: Mekhi Dicks (P) dec. Logan Wright, 12-11 126: Christopher Daniels (P) dec. Ethan Calhoun, 7-4 132: Anthony Morales (CR) tech fall over Nathaniel Mason, 16-1 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Brady McCullough 144: Elijah Beatty (CR) tech fall over Travis Hagan, 21-4 150: Julian Malatesta (CR) won by forfeit 157: Kole Reiss (CR) won by forfeit 165: Tyler Trovato (CR) pinned Juan Velasquez 175: William Hyatt (CR) pinned Christian Blyler 190: Aaron Veytsman (CR) dec. Connor Ayars, 9-3 215: Double forfeit 285: Mason Nate (CR) pinned Trevor Waddington 106: Jonathan Contravo (CR) pinned John Sassi 113: Michael Lloyd (CR) tech fall over Erick Davalos, 19-3
HAMMONTON 57, PENNSVILLE 22 106: Tyler Police (H) pinned John Sassi, 1:18 113: Nicodemo Cirillo (H) pinned Erick Davalos, 1:31 120: Shane Way (H) tech fall over Mekhi Dicks, 15-0 126: Gavin Morris (H) maj. dec. Christopher Daniels, 8-0 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) over Gavin Kovacz, inj. 138: Luca Giagunto (H) pinned Gabe Supernavage, 2:18 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Scott Engelke, 3:34 150: Matthew Gehres (H) won by forfeit 157: Michael Maimone (H) won by forfeit 165: Vincent Palermo (H) pinned Juan Velasquez, 1:55 175: Julius Witcher (H) pinned Christian Blyler, 0:51 190: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Matthew Kane, 11-1 215: Mark Hartley (H) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) pinned Angel Arvizu, 1:56
Dual Match
Woodstown secured some major power points when Angel Hernandez pinned Chris Mendoza in 4:49 at 144 to clinch its 43-31 win over Manasquan. Had the bout gone the other way with a Mendoza pin, the match would have been tied and gone to criteria to determine the winner. Laitton Roberts, Greyson Hyland, Paul Banff, Walter Carter, Mateo Vinciguerra , Carson Bradway and Travis Balback also won bouts for the Wolverines.
WOODSTOWN 43, MANASQUAN 31 150: Michael O’Connor (M) pinned Thomas Lacy, 1:57 157: Torrin Travey (M) pinned Brent Reardon, 0:54 165: Laitton Roberts (WO) dec. Connor Brewer, 2-0 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Dan Riccione, 1:23 190: Paul Banff (WO) pinned David Dawson, 0:58 215: Walter Carter (WO) maj. dec. Kai Donahue, 10-1 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Charlie Kauffman, 0:11 106: Shea Travey (M) pinned Hunter Allen, 1:13 113: Shane Kerstetter (M) pinned Jadon Middlemiss, 3:50 120: Carson Bradway (WO) pinned Shane DePinto, 1:23 126: Travis Balback (WO) pinned Logan Milancewich, 1:17 132: Jaden Sanders (M) dec. Alex Torres, 13-12 138: Charlie Hunt (M) maj. dec. Louie Scholl, 16-7 144: Angel Hernandez (WO) pinned Chris Mendoza, 4:49
Schalick wins 3 as Salem County athletes shine at the TCC/Olympic Conference Indoor Track Championships, also includes basketball and wrestling results
By Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield, David Stewart and the girls 4×400 relay team and Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team all won events Friday night to lead Salem County’s contingent in the Tri-County & Olympic Conference Indoor Track Showcase at The Bubble.
Jordan, one of the state’s premier distance runners, won the girls 1600 (5:12.91). Stewart won the boys 400 (50.67). The girls 4×4 relay team of Allyson Green, Hadfield, Gia Martellacci and Brooke Valentine won it 4:23.38
Stewart also finished second in the 55-meter dash (6.61). Martellacci scored in the girls 400 and 55-meter dash.
The Cougars finished third in the girls team standings, behind champion Washington Twp. and runnerup Williamstown.
Woodstown’s boys 4×400 relay team of Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello and Josh Crawford won in 3:34.41. Lucas and Crawford went 2-3 in the 800 and Jacob Marino was second in the 3200.
The Wolverines were fourth in the boys standings, a half-behind behind third-place Deptford.
TCC/OLYMPIC CONFERENCE SHOWCASE At The Bubble, Toms River (Salem County scorers)
NON-OLYMPIC GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 93, Williamstown 66, SCHALICK 29, Kingsway 26, Timber Creek 20, WOODSTOWN 20, Delsea 14, Clearview 14, Overbrook 12, Glassboro 12, Deptford 9, Highland 8, PENNSVILLE 6, Cumberland 5, Triton 3 400: 2. Jaime Deal, Woodstown, 1:01.16; 4. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 1:02.27 1600: 1. Jordan Hadfield, Schalick, 5:12.9155: 6. Gia Martellacci, Schalick, 7.76 3200: 6. Abby Marino, Woodstown, 12:49.36 4×400: 1. Schalick (Allyson Green, Jordan Hadfield, Gia Martellacci, Brooke Valentine), 4:23.38; 3. Woodstown (Sarah Seiden, Lia Covely, Kayla Ayars, Jaime Deal), 4:29.62 High jump: 4. Kami Casiano, Woodstown, 4-10 Pole vault: 3. Megan Morris, Pennsville, 9-6 Shot put: 5. Allyson Green, Schalick, 30-1.25
BOYS TEAM SCORES: Williamstown 57, Delsea 41, Deptford 40.5, WOODSTOWN 40, Highland 37, Glassboro 28.5, SCHALICK 25.5, Washington Twp. 16, Timber Creek 12, Triton 10, SALEM 8, PENNS GROVE 6.5, Overbrook 5, Cumberland 4, Clearview 3. 400: 1. David Stewart, Schalick, 50.67; 2. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 51.36 55 hurdles: 2. Anthony Parker, Salem, 7.58 800: 2. Cole Lucas, Woodstown, 2:01.36; 3. Josh Crawford, Woodstown, 2:01.53 55: 2. David Stewart, Schalick, 6.61 3200: 2. Jacob Marino, Woodstown, 10:13.53 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Cole Lucas, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford), 3:34.41; 4. Penns Grove (Sebastian Hernandez, Bryan Garlic, Knowledge Young, DeQuan Brown), 3:44.88 High jump: T-6. Sebastian Hernandez, Penns Grove, 5-6 Pole vault: 4. Salvatore Longo, Schalick, 11-6 Shot put: 6. Sheldon Goldsboro, Schalick, 43-9
Basketball
BOYS HOLY CROSS PREP SHOWCASE MEDFORD TECH 70, SALEM 61: The Rams got off to a fast start, opening a 20-11 first-quarter lead, but Medford Tech’s Tyler Branson and Nesta Rice came to life and Jaguars pulled away. Branson hit five 3-pointers and scored 28 points while Rice finished with 18.
Salem placed four scorers in double figures, led by Tymear Lecator’s 14. Xavier McGriff had 13 and Neziah Spence and Deshaan Williams had 10 apiece. Lecator also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Williams grabbed eight rebounds.
3-point goals: Medford Tech 9 (Branson 5, James, Rice, Jackson 2); Salem 5 (McGriff, Spence 2, Lecator 2). Rebounds: Salem 40 (Williams 8, Rogers 7, Lecator 7).
GATEWAY 44, SALEM TECH 37: The Gators pulled away from a close game with a big third quarter. Joseph Hayes led Salem Tech with 12 points. Aiden Bobo had 11.
GATEWAY (4-12): Justin Dugan 19, Benjamin Contarino 4, Jake Finger 14, Sean Cawley 2, Dylan Ceravolo 5. SALEM TECH (0-17): Ayden Myers 2 0-2 4, Joseph Hayes 3 3-4 12, Aiden Bobo 4 2-2 11, Sam Battiato 1 1-2 4, Larry Pompper 2 0-2 4, Chase Ayars 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-12 37.
Gateway
10
8
18
8-
44
Salem Tech
7
12
10
8-
37
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Hayes 3, Bobo, Battiato).
GIRLS HADDON TWP. 57, PENNSVILLE 42: Alli Kamulda scored all of her points on six 3-pointers for Haddon Twp. Pennsville freshman Addie Johnston hit a career-high four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 16 points.
PENNSVILLE 53, CLAYTON 24 126: Christopher Daniels (P) pinned Cayden Wentz, 1:00 132: Nathaniel Mason (P) pinned Antonio Mendez, 1:39 138: Gabe Supernavage (P) tech fall over William Camp, 18-3 (5:15) 144: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Matthew Kamara, 1:41 150: Steve Benkert (C) won by forfeit 157: Brodie Carey (C) won by forfeit 165: Kenneth Johnson (C) pinned Juan Velasquez, 3:08 175: Joseph Halstead (P) won by forfeit 190: Connor Ayars (P) def. Jeffrey Smith, SV-1 3-0 215: Michael Nichols (C) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit 106: John Sassi (P) pinned Ayden Figueroa, 0:45 113: Earl Wynn (P) pinned Joshua Wentz, 0:54 120: Mehki Dicks (P) dec. Dylan Adams, 4-1
Penns Grove’s Wilson passes 1,000-point plateau in loss, Woodstown girls get back on track; Pennsville boys snap 12-game losing streak, Penns Grove boys over .500 for first time since 2020-21; Woodstown’s String goes for 26 points, 25 rebounds to join 200-200 club for second year in a row
GIRLS
BOYS
Wildwood 56, Penns Grove 42
Penns Grove 60, Wildwood 47
Overbrook 28, Salem Tech 24
Pennsville 66, Salem Tech 49
Woodstown 52, Clayton 34
Woodstown 84, Clayton 62
Camden Tech 46, Salem 40
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – RaNiyah Wilson knew it was going to be a monumental day when she woke up Thursday morning, but it wasn’t until she got to the gym and saw the presentation in front of her for the first time did she realize what a big deal it really was.
The Penns Grove senior was in line to score her 1,000th career point in the game with Wildwood – she only needed half her average to get it – but the celebration already started before she got into Rudy Baric Gym.
There was a set of gold balloons spelling out “1-0-0-0” behind the Penns Grove bench. There was a banner anticipating the feat behind the Red Devils’ basket. There were hand-held fans with her picture on it and baseball-like player cards.
There was even a cake. Now, all she had to do was complete the task.
Wilson hit the milestone on a layup with 4:01 left in the first half, touching off a celebration that included a short video on the scoreboard of her career. The only thing that dampened the day from a Penns Grove perspective was Wildwood won the game, 56-42.
“It means a lot,” Wilson said of the milestone. “Starting slow in my school seasons and then coming out, starting, getting hotter over time it’s … an unbelievable moment.”
She became the eighth girls player in recorded Penns Grove history to reach the milestone and 20th player in school history. With the 25 she scored against the Warriors she now has 1,013 points for her career.
Wilson started her career at Kingsway, but didn’t become a scorer until she transferred to Penns Grove last year. She scored 251 points at her former school – just 19 as a freshman – and may end up with well over 900 at Penns Grove by the end of this season.
Red Devils coach Jennifer Denby wouldn’t take credit for turning her into scorer. She just “gave her the floor … and she seized the opportunity.”
Wilson has scored in double figures in each of her last 20 games and has had 30 or more four times in her last seven. She’s averaging 24.2 ppg this season on a team that has only seven players.
“As a coach it’s good to see the girls reach a great milestone,” Denby said. “Coaches are just put in place to put the players in place. They’ve got to do the work, and that’s what NyNy is, she’s been putting in the work.
“She came here with a little bit of points and she said she wanted to get her thousand. Every day she’d come into the classroom, write down her plan and stuck to it every day. She wrote it down last year at the end of the season, we made out a plan and she went right through it.”
It hasn’t been lost on the college recruiters. At the moment, Wilson’s three top choices are Delaware State, Morgan State and N.C. Central.
3-point goals: Wildwood 6 (McCracken 2, Wilber, Benichou 3); Penns Grove 2 (Wilson, Patterson). Rebounds: Wildwood 30 (McCracken 18). Fouled out: Washington. Total fouls: Wildwood 11, Penns Grove 14.
Penns Grove senior RaNiyah Wilson stands under the banner school officials erected in the gym commemorating her feat as a 1,000-point scorer.
WOODSTOWN 52, CLAYTON 34: Talia Battavio broke out of a mini scoring slump with 21 points, Megan Donelson had 15 and the Wolverines (12-5) played some tenacious defense to snap a three-game losing streak.
Battavio helped the Wolverines get off to fast start with 14 points in a 26-2 first quarter. The Wolverines led 38-8 at halftime, holding the Clippers to only three field goals.
The losing streak was the program’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Woodstown coach Matt Smart said it felt “very good” to get back on the winning side of things.
“The team played together,” he said. “Our defense led to offensive output. We had lot of girls get into the game at critical times and perform well. They played with confidence and had a lot of fun today.”
OVERBROOK 28, SALEM TECH 24 OVERBROOK (5-12): Gianna Simon 3 2-3 8, Jael Pressley 4 2-8 10, Lelani Knight 3 4-8 10. Only three players reported. Totals 10 8-19 28. SALEM TECH (2-13): Hannah Dewitt 0 1-8 1, Shelby Liber 2 1-4 6, Shelby Drummond 1 1-2 3, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 3, Demajae White 3 0-0 6, Rylee Doerr 2 1-4 5. Totals 9 4-18 24.
Overbrook
6
10
6
6-
28
Salem Tech
5
4
5
10-
24
3-point goals: Salem Tech 1 (Liber). Rebounds: Salem Tech 50 (Scott 14, White 14, Doerr 12).
Boys games
PENNSVILLE 66, SALEM TECH 49: Wins have been hard to come by for the Eagles this season this season, so when one does come around it’s worth celebrating.
The Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak when they beat the Chargers for the second time this season.
“We came through a very tough part of our schedule where we faced tough opposition every night and tonight it was our chance to execute the way we want to,” Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky said. “We’ve been priding ourselves on defense and tonight we let our defense do the talking. The ball went in the basket and it felt good to get back on the winning side of the ledger.”
Jovanni Rios got the Eagles (2-15) off to a quick start scoring nine in the first quarter and 21 of his career-high 28 points in the first half. The junior was 11-of-15 from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds and had seven steals. He has scored 49 points over the last three games.
“He was the whole reason we got out early,” Mecholsky said. “He was just everywhere. He really played hard tonight.
“He’s been the biggest positive surprise in this season. He wouldn’t have been given the chance to develop under different circumstances, but he’s taken advantage of the opportunity he was given and really ran with it.”
3-point goals: Pennsville 3 (Rios 0-1, Knight 1-3, O’Brien 0-1, Johnston 2-6, McDevitt 0-1, Miller 0-2, Laughty 0-1); Salem Tech 1 (C. Pompper). Rebounds: Pennsville 31 (Rios 5, Meranti 5). Technical fouls: Hayes. Total fouls: Pennsville 23, Salem Tech 22.
PENNS GROVE 60, WILDWOOD 47: The Red Devils put together a big second half to pull away from a tied game that extended their winning streak to six in a row and got them over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 season. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Warriors.
“Well, in ’20 we won the South Jersey Group I sectional so we graduated that class and the last four years we have been growing the program back after COVID,” Red Devils coach Damian Ware said. “This was the next group of kids that have the basketball skills to be successful.
“But being so young and playing the tough schedule early in the year has allowed us to see great competition and now we are reaping the benefits of it.”
The teams battled to a 29-29 tie in the first half, then the Red Devils outscored their hosts 31-18 in the second. Karon Ceaser and Roman Gipson combined for 21 points in the second half. Ceaser hit three of his four 3s in the third quarter to give the Red Devils some separation.
Ceaser finished with 19 points. Gipson had 15 and Will Roy 11.
PENNS GROVE (8-7): KaRon Ceaser 6 3-5 19, B.J. Robbins 2 2-2 7, Will Roy 4 1-2 11, Jameel Horace 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Roman Gipson 5 3-5 15, Antoine Robinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-14 60. WILDWOOD (5-11): Eric Jordan 2 0-0 4, Nolan Mawhinney 3 0-0 6, Trevor Troiano 2 0-0 6, R.J. Blanda 1 0-0 2, Jordan Dozier 1 0-0 2, Gianni Troiano 1 1-2 3, Brian Cunniff 10 2-2 24. Totals 20 3-4 47.
Penns Grove
16
13
18
13-
60
Wildwood
14
15
11
7-
47
3-point goals: Penns Grove 9 (Ceaser 4, Robbins, Roy 2, Gipson 2); Wildwood 4 (Troiano 2, Cunniff 2). Rebounds: Penns Grove 23 (Ceaser 9), Wildwood 35 (Cunniff 11).
WOODSTOWN 84, CLAYTON 62: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers for the second time this season and scored 22 points and Rocco String scored a season-high 26 points as the Wolverines won their fourth straight.
String scored 11 points in the first quarter and combined with M.J. Hall for 18 as the Wolverines (11-4) opened a 25-8 lead. Hall finished with 15 points.
String also grabbed 25 rebounds to surpass 200 points and 200 rebounds for the second year in a row. He’s averaging 14.5 rebounds a game and has snared 65 in his last four games. He also had four blocked shots in the game, leaving him 22 shy of 100 for the season and 26 short of 200 for his career. He has had at least four blocks in each of his last 14 games.
CLAYTON (7-10): Princeton Sackor 4 4-5 13, Nazir Davis 5 1-1 13, Demetris Williams 3 1-2 7, Josiel Figueroa-Marrero 1 2-2 4, James Fritz 5 0-0 14, Jackson Venuto 2 0-0 5, Hasir Carter 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 8-10 62. WOODSTOWN (11-4): Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, John Hood-McGindley 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 7 2-2 22, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 6, M.J. Hall 7 1-3 15, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 0-0 3, Sid Leevy 0 0-0 0, Rocco String 12 2-3 26, Brayden Hall 2 2-2 6, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 35 7-10 84.
Clayton
8
15
19
20-
62
Woodstown
25
20
19
20-
84
3-point goals: Clayton 8 (Sackor, Davis 2, Fritz 4, Venuto); Woodstown 7 (Bialecki 6, White). Rebounds: Woodstown 61 (String 25). Total fouls: Clayton 7, Woodstown 15.
Pennsville’s Ausland breaks through the 1,000-point barrier, joins her brother on the esteemed list; Glassboro girls stun Woodstown, plus all of Tuesday’s Salem County basketball action
TUESDAY GIRLS GAMES
TUESDAY BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 67, Overbrook 25
Overbrook 80, Pennsville 44
Penns Grove 51, Schalick 43
Penns Grove 72, Schalick 50
Glassboro 52, Woodstown 44
Woodstown 55, Glassboro 49
Wildwood 82, Salem 13
Salem 72, Wildwood 43
Gloucester Cath. 72, Salem Tech 31
Gloucester Cath. 77, Salem Tech 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland thought she’s be able to go to bed Monday night as routinely and calm as as anyone could be on the verge of a major milestone, but the anticipation of what the next day held proved too much to sleep on.
She tossed and turned all night, and when she did nod off she dreamed of what was to come and then woke up realizing it hadn’t happened yet. The school day provided a suitable distraction, but when she got to the gym and saw the family gathering in the upper rows of the bleachers the butterflies returned.
Once she got in the game, though, the nerves gave way to normal game-day focus and she was able to settle into the game.
Then came the moment of truth. The Pennsville senior became Salem County’s newest 1,000-point scorer and joined her brother on the elite list while scoring a Pennsville career-high 28 points Tuesday as the Eagles soared past Overbrook 67-25.
She needed 13 points to reach the milestone and she hit the number on a free throw with 6:10 left in the second quarter. She hit a 3 moments earlier to get to 999. She now has 1,015 points for her career.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted off of me and I’m proud of myself that I was able to reach that even being out half of my sophomore season and a few games last year,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to do that.”
Ausland scored her first 462 points in two seasons at Salem, and missed 14 games her sophomore year because of injury.
Ironically, she scored her 1,000th point against the team she scored her first points against and did it for the coach with whom she started her career at Salem, Steve Merritt. She scored a team-high 15 points as a freshman against Overbrook in her high school debut Dec. 17, 2021.
Her first points in that game came on a short jumper after missing on a 3-ball, her dad and trainer Mike Ausland said.
“That’s something I had no idea about; completely lost track of that,” Merritt said. “I was happy to be here, it was good fun. And she deserves it, it’s a long road. It’s a good night.”
As much as everyone wanted it to happen Tuesday, there were no special arrangements to get her the ball to make it happen. The points she was going to get were going to come within the framework of the offense.
The first time she touched the ball she dished it off to Taylor Bass for an opening 3-pointer. She didn’t score for the first time until midway through the first quarter when she gave the Eagles the lead for good. She also had 14 rebounds (for 521 in her career) and seven assists.
Her next target on the points parade is brother Gage, who scored 1,144 points in three seasons at Salem before graduating in 2020.
“It meant a lot to me because my brother, he got it in his three years; I wanted to be like him,” Nora said. “That’s what influenced me to do that first. Now that I finally get it I feel accomplished. So now my goal is to beat him, of course.”
“And she’ll beat me, too,” Gage said.
With Ausland safely over the 1,000-point barrier, the focus now turns on Marley Wood’s quest for the milestone. Wood, a junior, is 69 points away from the number.
If she hits it, she will be the third member of her on the list. Luke Wood, who is not playing basketball this season to focus on baseball, has 1,198 career points. Their sister Ryane, a 2022 Pennsville grad, has 1,224 points and is the school’s fourth all-time leading girls scorer.
“I’m really excited because I want to see my name up on the banner with my brother and my sister,” Marley said.
Katie Kline is Pennsville’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 2,110 points. She graduated in 2004.
Pennsville’s Nora Ausland is flanked by her parents in celebrating her 1,000th career point Tuesday against Overbrook.
PENNS GROVE 51, SCHALICK 43: RaNiyah Wilson moved closer to becoming Penns Grove’s next 1,000-point scorer when she went for 31 points and was the difference against a Cougars team that gave the Red Devils a battle for four quarters.
Wilson needs 11 points to join the elite club teammate Meely Horace joined last season and is projected to get it Thursday at home against Wildwood. She has gone for 30 or more twice in the last week as she closed the gap on the milestone.
The Cougars limited the senior guard to 11 points in the first half on 5-of-19 shooting, but she got loose for 20 in the second half.
Penns Grove pulled away from a close game with eight straight points early in the second quarter, but Schalick never went away. The Cougars needed three players to match Wilson’s production. Freshman Navaeh Robinson (11), Ava Scurry (10) and Cali Fisler (10) combined for 31 points.
3-point goals: Schalick 2 (Willoughby, Robinson); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Patterson). Fouled out: Fisler, J. Cummings. Total fouls: Schalick 14, Penns Grove 14.
GLASSBORO 52, WOODSTOWN 44: The Bulldogs put together a big fourth quarter to upset Woodstown and hand the Wolverines their third straight loss and snapped their 38-game winning streak against TCC Diamond Division opponents.
Woodstown held a 36-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs went on a 20-8 tear to snap a four-game losing streak.
Kezia Brackett was Glassboro’s leading scorer with 14 points, but Sanaa Thomas scored eight of her 13 in the fourth quarter to lead its comeback.
“They were ferocious on the glass today and played great defense on our drives,” Woodstown coach Matt Smart said. “Brackett and Thomas played with an extreme tenacity on both ends of the floor. They were able to attack the basket, grab offensive and defensive rebounds and pressure the ball.
“They had other girls make big shots when they had the chance to. Their ability to close our and defense our drives without fouling made it difficult to score. They did not give up many second chance opportunities to us.”
Megan Donelson led the Wolverines with 17 points and pulled into a tie with teammate Talia Battavio for second place on Woodstown’s all-time girls scoring list, 108 points behind the top spot. She had five of their points in the fourth quarter and 12 in the second half.
The three-game losing streak is Woodstown’s longest since early in the 2022-23 season. Tuesday’s loss sets up a potential Diamond Division championship game showdown at Pennsville Feb. 4.
“We did not execute tonight,” Smart said. “We talk about playing our style of basketball each and every night — pressure the ball, push the pace, try and get open looks — and we did not do that tonight. We tried to force some shots that were not there instead of working to get an easy shot.
“While the last three games are obviously disappointing, the great thing about basketball is we get to play another game on Thursday (at Clayton). We need to find that Woodstown Basketball that makes us who we are. We need to play with confidence. I have no doubt the girls will be up for that challenge.”
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 10 (Green, Moore 3, Am. Eggers, High 3, As. Eggers, Hutchinson); Salem Tech 7 (Liber 5, Beardsley, Bazemore). Rebounds: Salem Tech 24 (Beardsley 6).
Boys games
Salem’s Xavier McGriff has scored 56 points in the Rams’ three-game winning streak after enjoying a career night against Wildwood Tuesday. (Photo by Jalen Freeman)
SALEM 72, WILDWOOD 43: Xavier McGriff continued his recent run of strong play, going for a career-high 22 points to lead the Rams to a third straight win that got them back to .500 (8-8) after forfeiting four wins due to an ineligible player. The Rams are 5-1 since the ruling Jan. 13.
McGriff, a junior guard, has scored 56 points during the three-game winning streak. He had 21 points in his previous game against Pennsville.
“He’s been in the program three years, played JV for two years and just stuck with it,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “He’s just a real hard worker, he listens, he’s good in the classroom, he’s good in the hallways, he’s good in the locker room.
“You know, the basketball gods tend to reward kids who put the work in on and off the floor and right now it’s just coming to light. I’m glad the kid’s shooting the ball well, it’s the perfect time of the season, and I hope he keeps lightin’ it up.”
Neziah Spence also had a career night, going for 18 points. Tymear Lecator had 11 points and 12 rebounds and came within two assists of a triple-double. Deshaan Williams also had a double-double (14 points/10 rebounds) and Antwuan Rogers grabbed 12 boards.
Wildwood (5-10)
5
10
11
17-
43
Salem (8-8)
14
16
23
19-
72
PENNS GROVE 72, SCHALICK 50: Playing four men down due to injury and illness, the Red Devils turned to their bench to give them a boost and it came through big to help them continue their longest winning streak since opening the 2020-21 season 8-0. It was their fifth straight win to get back to .500 (7-7) on the season.
Gionni Conrad, a part-time varsity player, came off the bench and scored all five of his points in the second quarter when the Red Devils outscored the Cougars 24-9 to take control of the game. Will Roy scored seven of his 11 in the quarter and Roman Gipson threw in eight of his team-high 17.
“Next man up mentality,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said.
Jameel Horace continued his run of strong play with a career-high 15 points. He has averaged 13 points over the past three games.
Schalick’s Reggie Allen led all scorers with 20 points. He is averaging 18.4 ppg over his last five games.
WOODSTOWN 55, GLASSBORO 49: M.J. Hall scored 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to lift the Wolverines to victory. They held off a furious Glassboro rally by going 8-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Rocco String had 13 points and Garrett Leyman 11.
GLASSBORO (6-9): Davon Barr 0 0-0 0, Xavier Sabb 3 0-4 7, Adien Harris 4 0-0 8, Tae Thomas 1 2-2 4, Kenny Smith 10 4-5 25, Alex Adeleye 1 2-2 5, Will Boggins 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-13 49. WOODSTOWN (10-4): Eli Caesar 0 1-2 1, Blake Bialecki 2 3-4 9, Alejandro Vazquez 2 1-2 6, M.J. Hall 6 5-6 18, Garrett Leyman 3 1-2 8, Rocco String 6 1-2 13, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 12-18 55.
OVERBROOK 80, PENNSVILLE 44: Lamar Little scored 27 points and the Rams hit 12 3-pointers to hand the Eagles their 12th straight loss. The Rams have won 13 in a row. Jovanni Rios led Pennsville with a career-high 17 points.
Ausland, Wood move closer to 1,000-point plateau, but Pennsville drops close game with Haddon Heights
MONDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Cinnaminson 50, Woodstown 44 Gateway 57, Salem Tech 20 Gloucester City 36, Schalick 16 Haddon Heights 53, Pennsville 48 Palmyra at Salem MONDAY’S BOYS GAME Bordentown 51, Schalick 39
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Nora Ausland can’t wait for Pennsville’s next game for two important reasons: she’s projected to hit the 1,000-point milestone and to put Monday’s loss to Haddon Heights behind her.
The Pennsville senior moved seven points closer to the career milestone, but the Eagles lost to the Garnets 53-48.
She now needs 13 points to become the newest member of Salem County’s 1,000-point club and join her brother Gage in the elite group. It’s expected to come Tuesday when the Eagles (10-4) host Overbrook, a team they beat by 37 in the first meeting this season.
“I’m excited (anticipating Tuesday’s game) because today was a mess,” Ausland said. “It shouldn’t have been like that at all, but you can’t change it, so tomorrow will be a better game.”
The points she gets Tuesday will come within the framework of the offense, just as they were going to happen Monday. Ausland had 10 in the earlier meeting with Overbrook and 25 against it last year.
“It is better that way,” she said, “because the more nerves, the more that I miss my shots. I try not to think about it and just let it happen when it happens.”
When it does happen, Eagles coach Steve Merritt said, it will bring a “collective sigh of relief” because it has been on everyone’s radar all season.
And after it hits, the focus will shift to Marley Wood’s pursuit of 1,000. The junior guard led the Eagles Monday with 16 points and now has 923 in her career. She hit four 3-pointers in the game and has 82 in her career.
Ausland might have been held to single digits by the Garnets, but she helped the Eagles (10-4) in a number of other ways. She had 11 rebounds and several steals and assists. She made back-to-back steals early in the third quarter that Taylor Bass turned into runout layups in a 7-0 run that drew the teams even after the Eagles trailed by 14 early in the game.
The areas that hurt them most were rebounding and 3-point defense. The Garnets (12-5) hit 10 3-pointers. Every time the Eagles got close, the Garnets hit another to keep their hosts at bay. Leading scorer Emma Harris (21 points) hit four, Brielle Connor three and CeCe Matthews (12 points) two.
“Those were two points of emphasis pre-game,” Merritt said. “We said No. 3 (Harris), No. 22 (Sami Szabo), they love 3s. No. 5 (Matthews) came out and hit a couple right away; now I’ve got three people to worry about.
“And rebounding. I said at some point during the course of the game no ball should hit the floor. We came up short in those areas.”
Here is this week’s Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 26-Feb. 2; all games 5:30 p.m. unless noted
JAN. 27 GIRLS BASKETBALL Haddon Heights at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Gloucester City at Schalick Palmyra at Salem, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Gateway Woodstown at Cinnaminson, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Schalick at Bordentown, 6:30 p.m. SWIMMING Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 7 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Bolero Lanes JAN. 28 GIRLS BASKETBALL Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville Salem at Wildwood Schalick at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown Pennsville at Overbrook Penns Grove at Schalick Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic Wildwood at Salem BOWLING Salem vs. Salem Tech at Wood Lanes WRESTLING Penns Grove at Riverside, 5 p.m. Salem, Holy Spirit at Oakcrest, 5 p.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at CC of Philadelphia, 7 p.m. WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m. JAN. 29 WRESTLING Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m. Cumberland at Woodstown, 6 p.m. Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 6 p.m. Pitman at Schalick BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes SWIMMING Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3:30 p.m. JAN. 30 GIRLS BASKETBALL Schalick at Paulsboro Wildwood at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Camden Tech at Salem Overbrook at Salem Tech Woodstown at Clayton, 7 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. Clayton at Woodstown Penns Grove at Wildwood BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. JAN. 31 GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Haddon Twp. Salem Tech at Camden Tech Winslow at Salem BOYS BASKETBALL Gateway at Salem Tech Salem vs. Medford Tech at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. WRESTLING Clayton at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 7 p.m. TRACK Tri-County & Olympic Conference at Bennett Center, Toms River FEB. 1 GIRLS BASKETBALL Camden Catholic at Pennsville, 1 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALL Oakcrest at Pennsville, 11:30 p.m. Schalick at Buena, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Bridgeton, 11:30 a.m. Deptford at Penns Grove, 1 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Clearview, Hammonton at Central Regional, 10 a.m. Pennsville girls at Eastern, 9 a.m. Penns Grove vs. Bordentown, Vineland, Winslow Salem, Schalick, Palmyra at Lindenwold, 9 a.m. MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Luzerne County CC at Salem CC, noon WOMENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Raritan Valley CC, noon
FEB. 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Eastern, 10 a.m.
String joins elite 500-500 Club with 500th career rebound in Woodstown’s win, Penns Grove’s Wilson gets closer to 1,000 points, includes all of Saturday’s Salem County action
SATURDAY GIRLS GAMES
SATURDAY BOYS GAMES
OLMA 35, Penns Grove 34
Woodstown 74, West Deptford 32
Camden Tech 49, Schalick 38
Camden Tech 80, Schalick 68
Clearview 76, Pennsville 38
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Rocco String wasted little time joining an elite club of high school basketball players.
The Woodstown senior post went into Saturday needing just one rebound to join the 500-500 Club. It was going to be quick and if you weren’t in your seat in time you’d have missed it.
Woodstown’s Rocco String wears the Player of the Game medallion after joining the 500-500 Club with his 500th career rebound Saturday.
He snagged a missed shot by one of his teammate and laid it back in for his 500th rebound and the first points of the game in an eventual 74-32 Wolverines win over West Deptford.
“It’s a big accomplishment; I did it in two and a half years,” String said. “Once I rebounded, I was like I did it and then I kept playing because we didn’t break for a timeout.
“It was a very cool accomplishment, for sure. Not a lot of people get that.”
Not unless they’re willing to work. After all, rebounding is a blue-collar job, but String isn’t afraid to bang around on the inside. He’s only been out of double-digit rebounds once this season, and he had nine in that one.
“A lot of players forget about the third phase of basketball,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “You have offense, defense, and rebounding. With a guy like Rocco, his first priority is to rebound.
“I’m proud of his accomplishment because he works so hard and he has become a great leader. He holds guys accountable and is becoming a man. He’s going to do great things in life because he is always looking to get better. He improves day to day (and) has turned into the best big in Group 1, in my opinion.”
On the offensive end, he had a game-high 15 points, giving him 551 for his career. Truth be told, the stat that really gets him excited is blocked shots. He has more than 160 of those in his career and has been a block or two shy of a triple-double several times this season.
His putback to open the game got the Wolverines off to a great start. They shut out the Eagles in the first quarter 20-0.
WOODSTOWN 74, WEST DEPTFORD 32 WEST DEPTFORD (3-10): Shayne Halter 0 2-2 2, Kyree Eason 0 0-0 0, Thomas Cross 1 0-0 3, Aaron Benson 1 0-0 3, Anthony Martello 1 0-0 2, Curtis Pearson 1 0-2 3, Braeden Warren 0 0-0 0, Carter Watson 5 0-0 12, Michael Joseph 2 3-4 7, Cole Stanish 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 5-8 32. WOODSTOWN (9-4): Eli Caesar 3 0-0 7, John Hood-McGindley 2 0-0 5, Blake Bialecki 4 0-0 9, Alejandro Vazquez 5 0-0 12, M.J. Hall 3 1-2 7, Josh King 1 0-0 3, Garrett Leyman 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bokolas 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 1 2-2 4, Sid Leevy 0 1-2 1, Rocco String 7 1-4 15, Brayden Hall 4 0-0 9, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 5-10 74.
West Deptford
0
14
7
11-
32
Woodstown
20
16
18
20-
74
3-point goals: West Deptford 5 (Cross, Benson, Pearson, Watson 2); Woodstown 7 (Caesar, McGindley, Bialecki, Vazquez 2, King, B. Hall). Total fouls: West Deptford 7, Woodstown 11.
CLEARVIEW 76, PENNSVILLE 38 PENNSVILLE (1-13): Jovanni Rios 6 0-0 12, Mason O’Brien 3 1-2 8, Logan Hitt 1 1-2 4, Cole Johnston 2 0-0 6, Danny Knight 1 0-0 3, Arturus Franz 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 2-4 38. CLEARVIEW (7-9): Luke Andres 4 1-1 12, J.D. Steidle 2 1-3 5, Jake Flotter 2 0-0 4, Jonah Turner 5 0-0 11, George Kritikson 4 0-0 10, T.J. McGovern 1 0-0 3, Luke Zuba 1 0-0 3, Kaprice Stewart 4 1-2 10, Brady Riedel 1 1-2 4, Andrew Long 1 0-0 2, Alex Doe 3 0-0 8, Tykeem Williams 1 2-2 4. Totals 29 6-14 76.
Penns Grove delivers down the stretch to win wild one at Clayton; Bialecki, Woodstown bounce back at Gloucester Catholic; 3 county girls move closer to 1,000, and more
THURSDAY GIRLS GAMES
THURSDAY BOYS GAMES
Penns Grove 58, Clayton 41
Penns Grove 83, Clayton 78
Schalick 24, Pitman 19
Pitman 78, Schalick 52
Pennsville 71, Salem 18
Salem 80, Pennsville 41
Overbrook 42, Salem Tech 41
Woodstown 78, Gloucester Catholic 31
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON — They didn’t quite get to the number coach Damian Ware suggested when he reminded his players of the test they were going to face, but it was the track meet he predicted. And Jameel Horace was there for them at the finish line.
Horace converted three layups in the final 40 seconds after a go-ahead 3-pointer by B.J. Robbins and Penns Grove escaped the fast pace at Clayton with an 83-78 victory Thursday for their fourth win in a row.
Ware told his team the night before to be prepared to score 100. They might have done it, too, if they hadn’t gotten complacent with a big lead and turned it over so much in the second half that allowed the Clippers to rally.
The Red Devils led by 20 in the second half and 15 to start the fourth quarter, but behind its all-gas, no-brakes approach Clayton came all the way back and tied the game at 74 with 1:05 to play.
Robbins hit his big 3-pointer with 56 seconds left and that put the Red Devils (6-7) up for good.
“That was a huge shot by him, the biggest shot of the game,” Ware said. “He’s been stepping up lately and he’s really coming around. He’s starting to take the bull by the horns in clutch moments and get the job done.”
The Clippers got a layup to make it 77-76 with 42.6 second left and that’s when Horace became Jameel-on-the-spot. He scored on a run-out layup out of a timeout. Karon Ceaser made a steal on the next play and sent Horace off on another run out. Clayton hit a layup to make it 81-78 and then Horace scored again down low inside 15 seconds to seal it.
Horace finished with 14 points. Ceaser led Penns Grove with 26 points. Roman Gipson had 22 and Robbins had 15. Clayton’s Demetris Williams led all scorers with 27 points.
“This is a game where we grew up a little bit,” Ware said. “It could have easily gone from a tie game to Clayton being up four, but we made the plays at the end of the game to win the game.
“We made the game-winning plays and that’s one of the things we’ve been stressing all season – to make game-winning plays in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter is winning time, so you’ve got to make the plays that are solid and that’s kind of what we did in that last minute or so. We figured out how to win a game in the clutch today.”
PENNS GROVE 83, CLAYTON 78 PENNS GROVE (6-7): B.J. Robbins 6 0-0 15, Roman Gipson 8 4-6 22, Karon Ceaser 12 1-2 26, Antoine Robinson 1 0-0 2, Jameel Horace 7 0-0 14, Will Roy 1 0-0 2, Luis Colon 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 5-8 83. CLAYTON (6-7): Princeton Sackor 4 4-8 12, Nazir Davis 6 0-0 12, Demetris Williams 13 1-1 27, Josiel Figueroa-Marrero 1 0-0 2, James Fritz 3 1-1 7, Jackson Venuto 4 0-0 10, Nasir Carter 2 0-0 4, Isaiah Aviles 2 0-0 4. Totals 35 6-10 78.
SALEM 80, PENNSVILLE 41: Xavier McGriff scored a career-high 21 points and Tymear Lecator scored 19 with six assists and a career-high seven steals to lead the Rams.
McGriff’s night was highlighted by 6-for-9 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers. His previous career high was 14 against West Tech earlier this season. Lecator’s night was highlighted by a career-high five 3-pointers. He made four in a row at one point.
A’Zhone Burden had seven points, six rebounds and seven assists, and Antwuan Rogers grabbed 10 rebounds.
WOODSTOWN 78, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 31: Wolverines junior Blake Bialecki had an eventful day. He scored a career-high 28 points on the strength of 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range and then after a quick change in the gym and drive back to Woodstown was installed as a member of the National Honor Society.
“It was definitely a very fun day,” he said.
Bialecki hit three 3s without missing in the first half as the Wolverines opened a 39-16 lead and three in the fourth quarter. His previous career high was 26 points against Salem Tech. He hit seven 3-pointers in that game.
“This one definitely felt better because it was against a better team and it was kind of must-win game for us after taking a tough loss yesterday,” he said. “It was a game we knew we needed.”
The Wolverines (8-4) matched their season-high with 12 3-pointers as a team. The win was a big rebound for them after a tough loss at Penns Grove the day before.
“We definitely bounced back,” Bialecki said. “It was the best response I’ve ever had in this sport personally.”
In addition to their second-highest scoring output of the season, the Wolverines did a masterful job defensively on Jack Mustaro, holding the Rams’ all-time leading scorer to just seven points. It was only the second time in 50 games Mustaro has been held out of double digits and the first time since Rancocas Valley held him to seven in December 2023.
“We had a game plan for Mustaro and we executed it really well,” Bialecki said. “We didn’t have (a dedicated) someone just deny him. We played our normal defense but if he came into a person’s zone, they denied him, if he went to another person’s zone, they denied him, and if he went to another person’s zone, they denied him. It was more of a team effort. It wasn’t just one guy guarding him.”
WOODSTOWN (8-4): Eli Caesar 2 0-0 4, Garrett Leyman 3 0-0 7, Rocco String 5 4-6 14, Brayden Hall 1 2-2 4, Connor Miller 2 0-0 6, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 6, Blake Bialecki 10 2-4 28, M.J. Hall 3 0-0 7, Sid Leevy 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 8-12 78. GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (6-9): Jordan Mendez 1 0-0 2, Gary Connelly 1 0-0 2, Ben Cook 1 3-4 5, Danny Zellner 3 2-2 8, Jack Pund 1 2-3 5, Jack Mustaro 2 2-2 7, Carlos Mendez 1 0-0 2, Andrew Ginipro 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 9-13 31.
Woodstown
20
19
17
22-
78
Gloucester Cath.
12
4
10
5-
31
3-point goals: Woodstown 12 (Leyman, Miller 2, Vazquez 2, Bialecki 6, M. Hall); Gloucester Catholic 2 (Pund, Mustaro).
PITMAN 78, SCHALICK 52: Reggie Allen poured in 27 points to match his season and career high, but the Cougars came up short and dropped their fourth straight. Nylan Sutton also scored in double figures for the Cougars (15).
Michael Fisicaro hit four of Pitman’s 11 3-pointers and led four Panther scorers in double figures with 21 points. Aiden Stranahan, a senior playing his first year of varsity with the Panthers, scored 20 points. Elijah Crispin had 15 points and Hudson Rue had a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
PENNSVILLE 71, SALEM 18: Nora Ausland, shut out for the first time in her two years at Pennsville in her last game, got back in the scoring column and put up 24 in her first game against her old team to move within 34 points of 1,000 for her career.
Ausland started her high school career at Salem under current Pennsville coach Steve Merritt before transferring to the Eagles last season. She scored 462 points in two seasons with the Rams and her game Thursday put her over 500 for her time at Pennsville.
On her current pace, she’s projected to reach the milestone at home Jan. 28 against Overbrook.
Marley Wood hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 points and needs 105 to become the third member of her family to reach 1,000. Izzy Saulin added 11 points to the win.
The Eagles (9-3) shutout Salem in the first quarter 22-0. The Rams (1-11) were coming off their first win of the season. Carlysia Pierce, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win, was Salem’s leading scorer Thursday with seven points.
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Prince, Hickman, Simmons 2); Pennsville 7 (Bass, Wood 4, N. Ausland 2). Total fouls: Salem 5, Pennsville 3
PENNS GROVE 56, CLAYTON 41: RaNiyah Wilson scored 30 or more points for the second straight game and closed the gap to 1,000 career points to less than 100 points. Wilson scored 30 points against the Clippers and now has 938 for her career.
It was her third 30-point game this season and sixth since coming to Penns Grove last season.
She’s on pace to hit the milestone on Jan. 30 at home against Wildwood.
Brianna Robbins also scored in double figures for Penns Grove with 17 points. She and Wilson combined for all 11 of the Red Devils’ points in the first quarter and all their points in the third as they extended a 23-20 halftime lead.
CLAYTON (8-4): Rainelle Blocker 6 6-11 18, Janice Blair 2 1-2 5, India Bryant 3 2-4 10, Ava Delaney 3 2-2 8, Rosa Pereira 0 0-0 0, India Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-19 41. PENNS GROVE (7-5): Mikayla Washington 1 1-2 3, Keziah Patterson 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cummings 2 0-2 4, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 8 1-2 17, RaNiyah Wilson 13 0-0 30. Totals 24 4-8 56.
Clayton
8
12
8
13-
41
Penns Grove
11
12
17
16-
56
3-point goals: Clayton 2 (Bryant 2); Penns Grove 4 (Wilson 4). Fouled out: B. Robbins. Total fouls: Clayton 6, Penns Grove 13.
SCHALICK 24, PITMAN 19: Olivia Vanacker and Cali Fisler combined for 10 of their 15 points in the third quarter and the Cougars held their opponents to four points in the second half to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Cougars (3-7) trailed 15-8 at halftime, then outscored the Panthers 14-3 in the third to take the lead.
“We made a small adjustment offensively at halftime and the girls came out and executed it perfectly,” Schalick coach John Whalen said. “Defensively, we didn’t change anything. We ran our base zone defense and pressed the majority of the game.
“The girls got much more comfortable in the second half and were able to play with more aggression and confidence.”
Vanacker and Fisler led the Cougars with eight and seven points, respectively. In the third quarter, Whalen said, “both did a great job attacking space and getting quality looks.”
OVERBROOK 42, SALEM TECH 41: Demajae White scored a career-high 12 points and Shelby Liber and Shelby Drummond each had 11, but the Chargers just came up short. Liber, a freshman, hit three 3-pointers for Salem Tech.
pinned E’Shion Underwood, 2:17
