Here are the scores and box scores from Tuesday night’s Salem County basketball games; Penns Grove falls at buzzer, Pitman’s Crispin goes over 1,000 in shootout with Salem’s Farmer, and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 61, Penns Grove 60 Gloucester Catholic 72, Salem Tech 53 Overbrook 65, Pennsville 33 Pitman 71, Salem 60 Woodstown 53, Schalick 30
3-point goals: Salem 8 (Bundy, Farmer 4, Lecator 3); Pitman 5 (Devanney, Crispin 2, Fisicaro 2). Technical fouls: Salem bench 2, Farmer. Total fouls: Salem 21, Pitman 16. Notes: Pitman’s Crispin scored 36 points and hit the 1,000-career point mark with a 3-pointer in the second quarter. Farmer led Salem with 29 points and moved within 83 of the milestone.
WOODSTOWN 53, SCHALICK 30 SCHALICK (5-6) — Levi Freeney-Childers 4, Dan Lis 6, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 7, Jake Siedlecki 5, Nasir Sutton 4, Sherrod Jones 2. WOODSTOWN (7-5) — Manny Ortega 0, Blake Bialecki 8, Alejandro Vazquez 7, M.J. Hall 19, Connor Sanderson-Dick 0, Garrett Leyman 5, Anthony Bokolas 2, Max Webb 0, Rocco String 8, Elijah Caesar 4.
GLASSBORO 61, PENNS GROVE 60 GLASSBORO (7-7) — Xavier Sabb 3-4-10, Charles Graves 10-7-28, Clinton Suggs 2-4-8, Michael Dougherty 0-1-1, Josh Buff 3-0-8, Jayce Grays 3-0-6, Aiden Harris 0-0-0. Totals 21-16-61. PENNS GROVE (5-9) — Brandon Robbins 0-0-0, Roman Gipson 0-1-1, Giomar Conrad 6-3-20, Karon Ceaser 2-0-5, Willie Slocum 0-0-0, Mehki Ballard 8-1-22, Camren Thompson 0-0-0, Khiry Higgs 0-0-0, Mr Peterson 4-0-8, Dameon Wilson 2-0-4. Totals 22-5-60.
Glassboro
13
11
19
18 —
61
Penns Grove
19
12
15
14 —
60
3-point goals: Glassboro 3 (Graves, Buff 2); Penns Grove 11 (Conrad 5, Ceaser, Ballard 5) Notes: Charles Graves hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Penns Grove to its second heartbreaking loss in as many days. The Red Devils were up three with a minute to play.
OVERBROOK 65, PENNSVILLE 33 PENNSVILLE (5-9) — Luke Wood 7, Malik Rehmer 3, Daniel Saulin 4, Jayden Thomas 13, Mason O’Brien 6. OVERBROOK (11-4) — Lamar Little 2 0-0 5, Chris Grier 1 0-2 2, Amare Kee 2 0-0 5, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 6 0-0 14, Tory Scott 2 0-0 4, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Kevin Satchell 2 1-1 5, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0, Nic Johnson 7 2-4 18. Totals 27 3-7 65.
Pennsville
7
11
7
8 —
33
Overbrook
22
9
17
17 —
65
3-point goals: Overbrook 8 (Little, Keeper, Mills 2, Green 2, Johnson 2). Notes: Pennsville dropped its third straight, all Tri-County Diamond Division games.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 72, SALEM TECH 53 GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (8-5) — Carlos Mendez 4 0-0 8, Trey Battle 4 3-3 11, Ehthan Dugue 2 2-2 6, JonCarlo Coia 0 0-0 0, Nick Calzonetti 3 0-0 9, Kyle Guldin 7 1-4 15, Jack Pund 1 0-0 3, Jack Mustaro 8 1-1 17, Henry Pancoast 0 0-0 0, Billy Ginipro 0 0-0 0, Danny Zellner 0 0-0 0, Mendez 1 0-0 3. Totals 30 7-10 72. SALEM TECH (1-11) — Chase Wills 5 1-1 12, Haneef Frisby 4 0-2 8, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 5, Daviontae Russell 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 3-6 6, Tyler Zampino 3 1-2 8, Antoine Robinson 2 3-4 8, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayers 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 12-21 53.
Gloucester Catholic
19
21
22
10 —
72
Salem Tech
14
11
11
17 —
53
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 5 (Calzonetti 3, Pund, Mendez); Salem Tech 5 (Wills, Hayes, Muntz, Zampino, Robinson). Total fouls: Gloucester Catholic 15, Salem Tech 12.
Both Salem Tech teams charge into the win column with their first victories of the season; includes other county boys and girls games
MONDAY’S BOYS SCORES Schalick 42, Clayton 35 Glassboro 74, Pennsville 54 Salem Tech 55, Camden Tech 45 Gloucester Catholic 53, Salem 50 Clearview 58, Penns Grove 56
By Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – The third time, they say, is the charm and it was for the Salem Tech basketball team Monday night.
Playing Camden Tech for the third time this season, the Chargers had a pretty good idea of what their opponent was all about. They used those experiences to good form, especially in the fourth quarter, and pulled out a 55-45 victory for their first win of the season.
“We’ve still got work to do, but I’m very proud of them,” Chargers coach Bryan Riley said. “They showed me grit tonight.”
It was a good night all around for the Chargers. Their girls team also picked up their first win of the season, beating Camden Academy Charter 41-28.
The boys teams played in a pre-season scrimmage and a game in the ACIT Holiday Tournament.
On this night, the Chargers used a balanced scoring attack and a big fourth quarter on both ends of the floor to snap their 10-game season-opening losing streak.
“We knew what they had and they knew what we had,” Riley said. “The big message was lock in on defense and capitalize at the rim when we took it. Defensively, they locked in in the first quarter and the fourth quarter.”
The Chargers grabbed a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, but Camden Tech battled back and carried the lead into the fourth. But the Chargers bowed up again and outscored their visitors 24-6 in the final eight minutes.
They were down five with three minutes to play and dug deeper to close it out.
Four Chargers scored in double figures with Antoine Robinson and Wills scoring 14 apiece. Robinson had eight in the fourth quarter and Wills had six. Haneef Frisby had six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.
3-point goals: Camden Tech 2 (Brummel, Figueroa); Salem Tech 1 (Muntz). Fouled out: Cox. Total fouls: Camden Tech 23, Salem Tech 16.
CLEARVIEW 58, PENNS GROVE 56: Daulton Phalines’ layup with 12 seconds left broke a 56-56 tie and the Pioneers held their breath down the stretch.
The Red Devils had two shots in the closing seconds to either take the lead or tie it. Mekhi Ballard, who had the hot hand all night, missed an open 3 and Willie Slocum’s tip at the buzzer didn’t fall.
Ballard hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the game and led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, his third career 20-point game and first since February 2022. Kaprice Stewart led Clearview with 18. Phalines finished with 16.
GLASSBORO 74, PENNSVILLE 54: Charles Graves and Clinton Suggs each scored 22 points and Xavier Sabb had a double-double to lead the Bulldogs. Jayden Thomas and Luke Wood had 12 points apiece for Pennsville.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 53, SALEM 50: The Rams tied the game at 50, but the Lions made three free throws down the stretch to win it.
The Rams hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. The Lions made the first of two to retake the lead, Salem rebounded the missed second shot but turned it over and to foul again for the final margin.
GC’s Jack Mustaro led all scorers with 25 points, Carlos Mendez had 13 points and Kyle Guldin grabbed 12 rebounds. Jabez DeJesus led the Rams with 19 points. Anthony Farmer had 15 and is now 112 points shy of joining his father and coach as career 1,000-point scorers.
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 4 (Mendez, Mustaro 3); Salem 7 (Farmer 3, DeJesus 3, D. Weathers).
Girls Games
MONDAY’S GIRLS SCORES Schalick 46, Pennsauken Tech 32 Paulsboro 68, Salem 65 (2 OT) Salem Tech 41, Camden Academy Charter 28
SCHALICK 46, PENNSAUKEN TECH 32: Ava Scurry scored a career-high 16 points and the Cougars got good play from a different pair of players each half to score their second straight victory.
Scurry and Cianna Gaines were strong on the interior in the first half, combining for 15 points as the Cougars opened a 21-17 halftime lead. Guards Taylor Sparks and Abby Willoughby combined for 17 points in the second half and both of their 3-pointers to help them pull away.
Willoughby had six of her eight points in the third quarter and Sparks had 11 of her 13 in the second half.
“Taylor hit a lot of big shots for us in critical moments through the game,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “The team moved the ball and put forth a really good defensive effort, especially in the second half.”
PAULSBORO 68, SALEM 65 (2 OTs): In the end of the longest game of Salem coach Tiasia Tatem’s tenure, her Rams simply ran out of players with varsity experience and time on the clock.
It was a game of runs and attrition. Three players on each side fouled out. The Rams made a big run in the fourth quarter behind some unsung reserves to rally from a 43-36 third-quarter deficit, but it was Paulsboro that sent the game into overtime.
The Red Raiders tied it at 53 with 16 seconds left in regulation. Salem had a chance to win it, but threw a bad inbounds pass and Paulsboro couldn’t get a shot before the clock ran out. A free throw by Ryann Foote sent the game into a second overtime and the Red Raiders went on a four-point run at the end to win it.
“It went back and forth pretty much the entire game,” Tatem said. “It came down to the wire. They had three girls foul out, we had three girls foul out. It came down to experience and they had more varsity experience. It was not enough varsity experience, not enough time.”
Paulsboro’s Brookelyn Graham led all scorers with 38 points. She had 18 in the fourth quarter and overtimes, including 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Foote scored a career-high 27 for Salem and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Cougars take the big stage at Wells Fargo Center, enjoy an NBA experience and pick up a win while doing it, then going back and watching Embiid put 70 on the Spurs
MONDAY’S BOYS GAMES Schalick 42, Clayton 35 Clearview 58, Penns Grove 56 Glassboro 74, Pennsville 54 Salem Tech 55, Camden Tech 45 Gloucester Catholic 53, Salem 50
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA — Danny Lis wasn’t much good in school today for as long as it lasted for the players on the Schalick basketball team Monday. All the Cougars senior – and the rest of his teammates for that matter – could think about from the time the bell rang was what he was going to be doing later in the day.
Game days occupy a special realm in a player’s mind anyway, but this one was a much different game day entirely. For a high school basketball player with dreams of playing in the big time, it was the ultimate field trip.
Call it Ferris Bueller’s day off with basketball benefits. The Cougars had the good fortune to be invited to play their game with Clayton in the Wells Fargo Center, on the same floor the main tenant 76ers were going to play the San Antonio Spurs later that evening.
They were going to play on the biggest stage in the biggest arena probably all of them will play in their life. They were playing in an NBA arena.
“It’s amazing, honestly,” Lis said. “It’s actually my first time on an NBA court. This is what I’ve been thinking about all day. I didn’t think about anything except just playing basketball on this court where the 76ers are playing.”
What made the trip even better is they beat the Clippers and the clock 42-35 pulling away in the fourth quarter for their fifth win of the year, more than they had the last two years combined.
It didn’t matter there weren’t a lot of people there, just the parents the scattered technical staff getting the arena set up for the NBA game scheduled for later in the evening, a game all of the players and their parents were going to attend.
It was a rather rushed experience that Cougars coach James Turner conceded detracted from making the memories last longer, but he’ll always remember the excitement of the players on an NBA and what it meant to them being in the arena.
The Cougars’ bus pulled in at 1:14 p.m. for the 2 p.m. tip, just a few minutes behind the Clayton bus and weren’t allowed in the arena until 1:30. It didn’t matter that they didn’t dress in one of the fancy locker rooms. Or they didn’t have any interaction with the players who call the place their office. And they had to be off the floor at 2:55 whether the game was over or not, so there wasn’t much of a halftime and they ran the fourth quarter with a running clock.
That was the trade off for being on the floor. That floor. That magnificent NBA floor many of them had only seen before on TV.
The anticipation had been building for weeks. It was all worth it when they magic walked through the tunnel from the concourse and finally stepped onto the court that has hosted Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and the NBA greats of their generation and later tonight Victor Wembanyama.
“Oh my gosh, it was amazing,” junior forward Nylan Sutton said. “I’m running down the court, I’m supposed to get back on defense, and I just look up and I’m like, wow. It was just unbelievable, a time to remember. I’m going to remember it the rest of my life.
“It was a mix of everything. The legends who play on this court. My dream is playing college basketball; me playing on this court in high school is just a dream come true. And just scoring on the court.
“I missed a couple shots, the nervousness in my body, but when I scored my first basket, I was like wow, I just scored where Joel Embiid, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan shot a basketball and it was like wow, I just did it. Me knowing that my sports career is not coming true yet, but I’m getting there, is making me happy.”
Schalick senior Danny Lis looks to get the ball past two Clayton defenders and into the front court in the Cougars’ game at the Wells Fargo Center Monday. (Photo by Brian Tortella)
As you might expect, between the nerves of the day and the depth perception in an empty arena, both teams had trouble hitting shots. There were times the players looked like they were trying to score like their favorite NBA stars, but many of them missed the mark.
There was one trip down the floor with about five minutes left in the first half Sutton looked like he was going to get a dunk in an NBA arena, but then pulled up and laid it in because he remembered the rules.
“They told us we couldn’t dunk,” he said. “I was feeling bouncy today, I was going to dunk it, but I didn’t want them to kick us out because I dunked it because I know they have a game later today. I was going to dunk, I really was.”
The arena staff might not have let them dunk, but they sure let them shoot the 3. Schalick’s Jordan Johnson had the honor of the first basket of the game and it was a 3 from the top of the key. The Cougars led most of the game after that.
Clayton took its only lead on a basket by A’Shaud Hine-Pope to open the fourth quarter, but it didn’t last.
Reggie Allen and Lis came up big down the stretch. Allen had two big steals and hit four straight free throws to put the Cougars back on top for good. He also took a shot above his left eye that took some doing to close. Lis had two buckets in the closing minutes to extend it to the final margin.
“It felt good to score on an NBA court where the professionals play, like Joel Embiid,” Allen said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day.”
The Cougars’ work was done when the game ended, but their day was far from over. After they were whisked off the concourse and the doors, the players headed out to a nearby Dave & Busters for a post-game meal and some revelry before returning to the arena to watch Embiid put 70 on the Spurs in a 133-123 win with the tickets they had to sell as part of the deal. Their seats were in the upper corner across the floor from the bench they occupied for the game.
“Our job is done,” Turner said. “As coaches and players our job is done. Now it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy.”
SCHALICK 42, CLAYTON 35 CLAYTON (3-11) — Dillon Jones 4 0-0 8, Nazir Davis 3 0-0 7, Demetris Williams 2 0-0 4, Jon Cox 1 0-1 2, Cristan Scott 2 0-0 4, A’Shaud Hine-Pope 1 0-0 2, Nasir Carter 0 1-2 1, Mason Gable 0 0-0 0, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Brian Marshall 2 0-0 4, Dean Madden 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-3 35. SCHALICK (5-5) — Reggie Allen 4 5-6 14, Dan Lis 2 0-0 4, Jake Siedlecki 3 0-0 6, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 7, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Nylan Sutton 3 0-2 6, Levi Mason 2 1-1 5, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0, Nasir Sutton 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-9 42.
Clayton
7
15
9
4 —
35
Schalick
11
16
5
10 —
42
3-point goals: Clayton 2 (Davis, J. Carter); Schalick 2 (Allen, Johnson). Total fouls: Clayton 6, Schalick 11.
Cover photo: Schalick’s Reggie Allen drives to the basket during the Cougars’ win over Clayton in the Wells Fargo Center a few hours before the 76ers took the floor. (Photo by Brian Tortella).
Here is the Salem County high school sports schedule for the week of Jan. 22-27
Monday
BASKETBALL Girls Schalick at Pennsauken Tech, 4 p.m. Salem at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m. Boys Schalick vs. Clayton at Wells Fargo Center, 2 p.m. Pennsville at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Camden Co. Tech, at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Clearview, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 6 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Salem, Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River
BOWLING Salem vs. Lindenwold, 30 Strikes, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Gloucester Cath., 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Boys Glassboro at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Gloucester Cath. at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 5:30 p.m.
INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Penns Grove in TCC Showcase, Toms River, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
WRESTLING Clayton at Salem, 5 p.m. Schalick, Penns Grove at Cumberland, 5 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Timber Creek, 6 p.m.
BOWLING Salem vs. Clayton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Thursday
BASKETBALL Girls Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Wildwood, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 7 p.m. Boys Clayton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Pitman at GCIT, 5:45 p.m. Schalick vs. Salem at GCIT, 7:15 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL Girls Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 5:30 p.m. Boys Salem at Camden Academy Charter, 5:30 p.m.
WRESTLING Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Pennsauken, 6 p.m.
County teams dig out of the snow and hit the mats Saturday
Collingswood Quad
COLLINGSWOOD – Pennsville fell behind early in both of its matches and couldn’t recover in either, falling to Vineland 50-25 and host Collingswood 54-27.
Travis Hagan stopped the runs of both teams with pins at 137. Sky Eppes (150) and Travis Waddington (285) also picked up two victories.
TEAMS
PVL
COLL
STER
VINE
Pennsville
XXX
27-54
25-50
Collingswood
54-27
XXX
58-18
53-28
Sterling
18-58
XXX
24-55
Vineland
50-25
29-53
55-24
XXX
COLLINGSWOOD 54, PENNSVILLE 27 113: Mason Musciano (Co) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:23 120: Lino Bataloni (Co) pinned Christopher Daniels, 1:38 126: Nathaniel Plotts (Co) pinned Kameron Drummond, 4:27 132: Ezra Katz (Co) pinned Ayden Perez, 1:49 138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Stewart Chang, 2:52 144: Matt Plotts (Co) pinned Maddox Efelis, 0:44 150: Sky Eppes (P) dec. Iasah Cruz, 6-1 157: Matt Malinowski (Co) pinned Robbie McDade, 1:37 165: Roman Florio (Co) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:30 175: Vincenzo Angelucci (Co) pinned Connor Ayars, 5:22 190: Elias Lussi (P) pinned Omarion Hollingsworth, 3:39 215: Nyeim Bennett (Co) pinned Daniel Emmons, 0:21 285: Trevor Waddington (P) won by forfeit 106: Lucas Thomas (P) pinned Dominic VanZandt, 4:09
VINELAND 50, PENNSVILLE 25 106: Josh Kinchen (V) won by forfeit 113: Deytin Pickett (V) pinned Lucas Thomas, 3:33 120: Chad Sciore (V) pinned Christopher Daniels, 5:14 126: Leland Cinkowski (V) maj. dec. over Kameron Drummond, 9-0 132: Jayden Cinkowski (V) pinned Ayden Perez, 5:39 138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Alejandro Calderon, 1:51 144: Everett Cronk (V) maj. dec. over Esther Baptiste, 9-0 150: Sky Eppes (P) maj. dec. over Caden Barnes, 15-6 157: Lionel Powell (V) pinned Robbie McDade, 1:47 165: Matt Torres (V) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:12 175: Connor Ayars (P) won by forfeit 190: Justin Oldaker (P) won by forfeit 215: Gavin Gallo (V) pinned Daniel Emmons, 0:28 285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Donny Saint Jean, 3-2
WOODSTOWN 58, MAINLAND 15 175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) dec. Chase Hoag, 4-0 190: Paul Banff (Wo) won by forfeit 215: Josiah Mejias (Wo) won by forfeit 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Oswaldo Mendoza, 1:07 106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit 113: Justin Mazur (M) won by forfeit 120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Garrett Chew, 0:43 126: Anthony Marinelli (M) pinned Carson Bradway, 1:09 132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Cole Cayanan, 1:59 138: Carson Endicott (M) dec. Ryan Polk, 4-2 144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Yeshua Martinez, 4:38 150: Laitton Roberts (Wo) maj. dec. over Trevor Dill, 9-1 157: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Tyler Waters, 0:57 165: Zach Bevis (Wo) dec. Gary Williams, 7-3
Haddon Twp. Quad
HADDON TWP. – Schalick/Cumberland won seven straight bouts from 138 through 190 to erase an early deficit and had enough points in the bank to offset being pinned in the final two bouts and beat Haddon Twp. 39-34.
SC Wrestling trailed 22-0 after the first five bouts, then started clicking off wins. Daniel Lloyd (138), Riley Papiano (150) Jake Magonagle (165), Eric Sulik (175) and Evan Elliott (190) all scored pins, Ayden Jenkins (144) scored a major decision and Ricky Watt (157) earned a technical fall to give their team a match-clinching 39-22 lead.
SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 39, HADDON TWP. 34 106: Andrew Marshall (H) maj. dec. over Caleb Jenkins, 10-0 113: Owen Ziegler (H) pinned DeAnthony Harden, 1:54 120: Thomas Andrews (H) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 1:41 126: Gabe Slafman (H) dec. Luke Silva, 7-4 132: Justin Capri (H) dec. Chase Williams, 6-0 138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Jake Andrews, 0:40 144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) maj. dec. over Damian Shepherd, 15-2 150: Riley Papiano (SC) pinned Julian Craft, 3:41 157: Ricky Watt (SC) tech fall over Antonio Reyes, 19-4 (5:58) 165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Richard Poblano Benito, 4:20 175: Eric Sulik (SC) pinned Joseph Sum, 1:03 190: Evan Elliott (SC) pinned Elijah Borowicz, 0:34 215: Chris Broderick (H) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 1:54 285: Willem Conover (H) pinned Hoval Jenkins, 4:36
Marley Wood helps Pennsville keep it together after losing a top scorer, propels Eagles to an OT win over rival Penns Grove, calls it ‘the best feeling ever’
THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Clayton 63, Salem 33 Pennsville 63, Penns Grove 60 (OT) Pitman 56, Salem Tech 32 Schalick 38, Overbrook 33 Woodstown 60, Glassboro 36
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – As soon as the horn sounded to signal the end of the game, Pennsville coach Sam Trapp leaped from the bench and made a bee-line towards her players coming off the court.
It was reminiscent of but not quite as frantic as the iconic image of Jim Valvano racing around the floor in Albuquerque looking for someone to hug after his North Carolina State team won the national championship in 1983. Valvano was looking for anyone. Trapp was seeking out a certain someone.
It didn’t take long for the coach to find the object of her search. Shortly after her Eagles had secured their 63-60 win over Penns Grove in overtime Thursday night Trapp located Marley Wood in the sea of blue and white uniforms and wrapped her arms around the sophomore guard in a giant bear hug.
“It was kind of a surreal moment; it was like crazy,” Wood said. “That’s the first time she’s ever hugged me like that. I played really hard and I think she saw I was getting kind of frustrated during the game but I stayed (with it) and I kept working and she was just happy that I kept going.”
Wood was the glue that kept the Eagles together down the stretch when circumstances dictated things could have easily gotten away.
They were without Nora Ausland, the other part of their one-two punch, for the most important part of the game after the junior forward injured her left foot and came out with 4:57 left in regulation and the Red Devils on the verge of seizing the momentum. It was the same foot she broke last year that ended her season at Salem after 12 games, although the extent of this latest injury wasn’t immediately known.
The Eagles have been rocked by injuries this season and shortly after the new year began had to elevate players from the junior varsity just to have enough able bodies to function. Post Bella Farina had just gotten back from concussion protocol and guard Taylor Bass was scheduled to return Friday after getting the cast removed from her broken hand, but the incoming snowstorm likely has disrupted those plans.
At least they’re not playing Friday now.
So with Ausland on the shelf after scoring 17 points, the Eagles needed Wood to step up in a big way. And she did. She kept things together with her ball handling, scoring and defense. She finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was the steadying influence down the stretch.
“I just knew that I had to step up and keep scoring so that we had our momentum still,” Wood said. “I had to kind of take her role and my role at the same time and try to coach my other teammates to keep going, too.”
“Why did I hug her; that’s why,” Trapp said. “To step up and remain composed and to continue to work hard through adversity. That girl has continued to lead this team through and through, through injuries and battles and I applaud her because she’s a sophomore, but she demonstrates leadership at such a supreme level, it’s phenomenal. She’s that player who just knows basketball IQ to put her at an advantage above the other kids on the court.”
Of course, Wood didn’t do it alone, but shepherded those who helped.
Farina was a rock in the post, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots and standing her ground, drawing praise from among others Penns Grove athletics director Anwar Golden, who repeatedly called her the best big man in the county’s girls game. Izzy Saulin gave the Eagles several big baskets, Kylie Harris was effective when she subbed in for Farina, and freshman Karsen Cooksey came through with rebounding and defense before fouling out.
Farina had seven points, 10 rebounds and at least three blocked shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. Saulin had 10 points. Harris had the first two baskets in an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter as the Eagles started to pull ahead.
“I was just really glad that everybody stepped up today,” Wood said. “Sometimes it’s hard but today everyone really showed what they could do. I think everybody played a big part of today’s game.”
The Eagles led by 13 early in the third quarter, but the Red Devils rallied behind RaNiyah Wilson and freshmen JaNiyah Cummings and Arianna Dowe. Cummings was a factor inside and Wilson and Dowe combined for 15 points in an 18-7 run that got their team within two late in the third quarter. It was a dogfight the rest of the way.
Wilson scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half and overtime. Cummings had 13 points and Dowe scored 11 of her career-high 15 points and hit all three of her 3-pointers in the second half.
“That girl scored 33 against Woodstown, that’s impressive, which is why we chose to go box-and-one on her,” Trapp said of Wilson. “They rely on her a lot. They have plenty of other scorers on that court and I mentioned that to our girls … but when you look at film they rely so heavily on No. 3 that you have to take her out and force the other players to step up and score and they did and did a great job.”
Wilson hit two free throws with 16 seconds left that tied the game at 58. The Red Devils had the last shot in regulation. They ran an inbounds play with three-tenths of a second left and got it in to Wilson, but her tap up didn’t connect.
Penns Grove scored first in overtime, but Wood hit a runner with 2:04 left to put Pennsville up for good and after Farina blocked a shot on the next possession she scored on the other end to make it a three-point game. Farina blocked another shot a short time later to keep the Eagles in front.
3-point goals: Woodstown 7 (Battavio 4, Donelson 2, Baber); Glassboro 3 (Smith 2, Miles). NOTES: The 27-point third quarter matched their biggest quarter of the season. It was highlighted by multiple steals from Donelson and Battavio as well as them finishing around the basket and hitting some jumpers. Battavio completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Donelson had five assists, six blocks and six steals. Pierman grabbed 11 rebounds. The Wolverines have won four in a row.
CLAYTON 63, SALEM 38 CLAYTON (6-6) – Rainelle Blocker 9 4-5 22, Jordyn Jones 4 3-3 11, Rosalina Pereira 0 1-2 1, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 7 2-6 18, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, Indian Williams 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 10-16 63. SALEM (4-7) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-0 5, Marjziah Bundy 1 1-2 4, Madison Dizon 1 1-4 3, Ava Rodgers 1 4-6 6, Ryann Foote 2 1-2 5, Carlysia Pierce 2 1-2 5, Marissa Bower 4 1-4 12. Totals 13 9-20 38. 3-point goals: Clayton 3 (Delaney 2, Williams); Salem 4 (Hunter, Bower 3). NOTES: Rodgers grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots. Foote dished five assists. Hunter had seven rebounds and four steals. The loss snapped Salem’s two-game winning streak.
3-point goals: Pitman 4 (Fisicaro 2, Villari, Rollins); Salem Tech 2 (Beardsley 2). NOTES: Fisicaro also was credited with 17 of the Panthers’ 30 steals. Duffield had seven.
3-point goals: Overbrook 4 (Evans, Nevins 3); Schalick 4 (Sparks, Willoughby). Total fouls: Overbrook 13, Schalick 12. NOTES: The Cougars showed their potential in the first and, especially, fourth quarters with high energy defense and crisp ball movement. Gaines scored nine of her career-high 13 in the fourth quarter and she had 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Scurry, with seven rebounds and five blocked shots, hit 100 rebounds and 50 blocks for the season. Schalick used a big fourth quarter rally to win. Schalick is 3-6, Overbrook 2-8.
Penns Grove outlasts Pennsville in a game that had a little bit of everything, a lengthy delay and a player going over 1,000 points
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 55, Woodstown 47 Overbrook 58, Schalick 31 Penns Grove 75, Pennsville 65 Pitman 101, Salem Tech 44 Salem 90, Clayton 52
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – For all the highs and lows that were going on in the Pennsville-Penns Grove game Thursday night, there were three big takeaways that should have followed the crowd back out into the cold night.
Penns Grove coach Damian Ware picked up another win over his Carleton School teaching colleague, planning period partner and Pennsville coaching buddy Joe Mecholsky. The Red Devils collected a bunch of South Jersey Group I power points and some serious county cred by beating their rivals. And Pennsville’s Luke Wood became the latest member of the 1,000-Point Club.
And, oh, Penns Grove’s floor Zamboni works just fine.
Luke Wood and his family celebrate the Pennsville junior guard scoring his 1,000th career point Thursday night at Penns Grove.
First the highlights:
The Red Devils took down the Eagles 75-65 for their ninth win in the last 10 meetings between the two coaches. They led virtually wire-to-wire largely by hitting 3s and ruling the boards (18 offensive rebounds) and placed three scorers in double figures.
Freshman KaRon Ceaser, riding the high of receiving his first college football scholarship offer from Syracuse earlier in the day, led the Red Devils with 20 points. Giomar Conrad had 18 points and Mehki Ballard, who seems to have found his shooting rhythm just in time for the second half of the season, had 14 with a couple 3-pointers.
Wood became the 17th member of Pennsville’s 1,000-Point Club and second in his family when he drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 5:45 left in a game the Eagles had climbed back into contention for. He needed 19 points coming into the game and finished with a season-high 28, going 11-of-25 from the field. He hit the magic number on his 18th shot of the game.
It was hoped he would reach the milestone at home this weekend, where his sister Ryane, the most recent player to join the club (1224 points ending in 2022), could have been on hand to watch. Instead, he had to settle for reaching the milestone against the same team his coach did against in 1992.
“I don’t know if there’s any other emotion other than it feels good, it’s great,” Wood said. “That’s something you come into high school trying to get and you finally hit it, it feels good.”
Now for the lowlight:
The game was delayed 28 minutes late in the first quarter as a custodian cleaned the gym floor after it had become dangerously slippery from the de-icing salt on spectators’ shoes mixing with the chemicals used to clean the floor. It made for hazardous footing along the sidelines and players from each team fell hard as a result.
Mecholsky threatened to pull his team from the game after Peyton O’Brien slipped along the baseline for a second time in the opening minutes of play. The game was halted at 7:28 p.m. local time – with 36.9 seconds left in the first quarter and Penns Grove leading by 10 – after the Red Devils’ Camren Thompson crashed into the bleachers.
“We’re here with kids, we’re here just trying to play a game and conditions are disastrously … I’ve never even seen that before in my life,” Mecholsky said. “We were going home. We were going home. What am I going do, have a Pennsville kid break his clavicle over there? No. We were leaving. We were leaving. That was an embarrassment. But they did fix it.”
The players from both teams said it was only slippery in the corners and around the sideline. The playing area was not affected, they said.
“The court was fine, but once you went out of bounds it was scary,” O’Brien said, “but we fought through it and they fixed it after a while so we were good.”
“I tried to stay away from the sidelines,” Wood said. “I was playing it smart. I tried to stay in the middle of the floor.”
A custodian made four laps around the court on the cleaner during and went back-and-forth three times along the baselines before the game resumed at 8 p.m. local time. The custodian went around the court twice more at halftime.
A Penns Grove High School custodian cleans the edge of the basketball court during a delay in Thursday night’s game with Pennsville.
The teams hung out in their bench area until the clean-up was finished.
“It was something that was out of any of our control,” Ware said. “For precaution and safety of the kids (the delay) was the best thing to do. You never know, somebody could have slipped, rolled an ankle, fell, bust their elbow up. It was the best thing we could do at that point.”
There were some rumblings the game could be suspended at halftime and resumed at a later date, but the three-person all-female officiating crew indicated at halftime the second half would proceed as scheduled. Ware said he would have not been in favor of a stoppage. The second half proceeded without incident.
The delay didn’t seem to bother the Red Devils’ game. They were leading 24-14 at the time of the delay and wound up winning by that margin. They hit six of their eight 3-pointers after the delay. They led by 20 in the third quarter before Ware subbed in his reserves and Pennsville rallied.
“I was actually kind of tired in the beginning of the game so the delay actually kind of helped me,” Ballard said.
Wood’s milestone 3-pointer got the Eagles to within 10. The junior guard looked a lot more relaxed once he reached 1,000 and he scored the Eagles next seven points. His next 3-pointer got them within six with 3:34 to play, 65-59, but that was as close as they got.
“There’s definitely a little bit of pressure when you’re about to score 1,000 points,” Wood said. “I think definitely after I scored it today everyone could tell the pressure got lifted and that I was back to my normal self.”
Thompson answered with a 3 and the Red Devils kept the margin between eight and 10 for the time that remained.
“They made more 3s than I anticipated and we didn’t rebound like them,” Mecholsky said. “Great game by coach (Ware). His players made shots tonight and they rebounded. They weren’t special, but they outrebounded us and we lost.”
3-point goals: Glassboro 2 (Suggs, Dougherty); Woodstown 9 (Bialecki 3, Hall 3, Webb, Leyman, Vazquez). NOTES: Graves and Sabb both had double-doubles with Graves grabbing 10 rebounds and Sabb hauling in 11. Webb had six assists and four steals for Woodstown. The Wolverines have lost three in a row.
OVERBROOK 58, SCHALICK 31 SCHALICK (4-5) – Reggie Allen 19, Dan Lis 4, Jordan Johnson 2, Nylan Sutton 4, Jase Volovar 2. OVERBROOK (9-3) – Jaden St. John 2 0-0 4, Lamar Little 4 0-0 11, Chris Grier 2 1-3 5, Amare Kee 2 1-1 6, Maki Ortiz 1 0-0 2, Angel Bermudez 0 0-0 0, Shaun Mills 4 0-1 9, Tory Scott 1 0-0 2, Zair Green 3 1-1 8, Kevin Satchell 0 1-2 1, Elvin Santiago 1 2-2 4, Nic Johnson 2 2-5 6. Totals 22 8-15 58.
PITMAN 101, SALEM TECH 44 PITMAN (10-3) – Porter Kostiuk 2 6-6 10, Stephen Devanney 1 2-4 4, Hudson Rue 1 0-0 2, Elijah Crispin 8 2-2 19, Trey Tinges 1 1-2 4, Colin Ambrosius 1 0-0 2, Chris Wyllie 3 0-0 7, Michael Fisciaro 12 3-3 32, Sonny Myers 5 1-4 11, Greg Petersen 1 4-4 8, Jake Epting 2 0-0 4. Totals 37 19-25 101. SALEM TECH (0-10) – Haneef Frisby 12, Joseph Hayes 4, Daviontae Russell 6, Josh Muntz 4, Tyler Zampino 8, Antoine Robinson 8, Chase Ayers 2.
Pitman
34
23
28
16 –
101
Salem Tech
12
14
12
6 –
44
3-point goals: Pitman 8 (Crispin, Tinges, Wyllie, Fisicaro 5). NOTES: The Panthers became the first team to score 100 in Salem Tech’s gym. Clayton hung 100-plus on the visiting Chargers in the 2021-22 and 2019-20 seasons.
For the two coaches in the Pennsville-Penns Grove basketball game, tomorrow they can be friends, today they fight
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES Glassboro 55, Woodstown 47 Overbrook 58, Schalick 31 Penns Grove 75, Pennsville 65 Pitman def. Salem Tech Salem 90, Clayton 52
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – For everybody else at the Paul W. Carleton School it was just another day at school, but for two of the teachers there it was a day a little different than all others.
For 363 days of the year, Damian Ware and Joe Mecholsky are teachers in the same school. One, Ware, teaches the fifth graders in an upstairs classroom. The other, Mecholsky, has the fourth graders downstairs.
They wave familiarly when they pass in the halls. They have the same planning period and often sit together talking basketball, comparing notes on common opponents.
But Thursday, while the conversation may be cordial and more poor mouth than trash talk, this day is different.
Every other day of the year they’re Carleton School teachers through and through, but when this school day ended Thursday they were trying to beat each other’s brains in as the coaches of the Penns Grove and Pennsville basketball teams that also, by the way, happen to be their high school alma maters.
“Oh, we’ll talk,” Ware said. “We don’t trade secrets or anything, but we’ll have general conversations about hoops and stuff like that.
“It’s actually a lot of fun. We have fun with each other. Neither one of us take anything personally. It’s all fun. It’s all about the kids. It’s a competitive, fun thing, basically.”
Everybody in the school gets caught up in it. Teachers and students are always asking when they’re going to play. The students get a kick out of watching their Mr. M coach the opposition.
Their teams have met nine times in the previous six years they’ve been head coaches at their alma maters and Ware has had the best of it, winning eight of them. Mecholsky finally broke through in the first meeting last season – in the Hyper-Baric Chamber that is Penns Grove’s gym – but the Red Devils got them back in Pennsville in the rematch.
(UPDATE: Ware made it nine out of 10 against his buddy Thursday night as the Red Devils won 75-65.)
There have been some memorable games though.
“We aren’t friendly while coaching against each other because every chance that son of a gun has had a chance to put 100 on my head he does it,” Mecholsky said. “He doesn’t try to hold back his team. He doesn’t try to be nice. No-o-o-o.
“One year (2018), they scored 100 on us and had a foul called so they took the 100 off the board. The next possession instead of just dribbling out the clock, with the crowd going ‘one hundred, one hundred,’ he scored again, so the crowd got to celebrate twice.
“And then the next morning we had breakfast together at the Deepwater Diner as if nothing happened.”
The game has no name, like the Wildman Willey Boot the teams play for in football, and strangely there have been no special wagers between the coaches like mayors and governors sometime do during football bowl games. Those things aren’t needed here. They’re playing for something more. Much more.
“We bet the one thing that can’t be bought with money – pride,” Mecholsky said. “When I see him in the hall the next day and I look at him, yea-h-h-h, I’m able to say I got you. And if he gets me, he’ll give me the same thing. We get on each other, but it’s brotherly love.”
When Friday morning comes things will return to normal for everyone at the Carleton School, unless, of course, school gets canceled or delayed by the impending snowstorm. Ware will make his way upstairs to teach his fifth graders and Mecholsky will head to downstairs to be with his fourth graders.
They’ll pass each other in the halls and get together during their planning period and talk ball as if nothing had happened. Only this time one will have a little extra pep in their step that’s not likely to subside until they play again the last day of the regular season.
“During the game we’re rivals and want to beat each other, Pennsville-Penns Grove,” Mecholsky said, “but right after the game it’s a handshake, it’s a hug and we’re back to work tomorrow.”
Who knows, they might even have breakfast at the Deepwater Diner together again.
McDade pin clinches Pennsville wrestling’s 57-18 over rival Penns Grove; Woodstown falls in basketball
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE – Robbie McDade is one of those multi-sport athletes who stays in the moment. He plays for the season he’s in at the time, accepts the results in that season and when it’s over moves on to the next one. But he had to admit it was pretty satisfying what happened Wednesday night.
As a football quarterback, he was on the losing end of Pennsville’s annual game for The Boot with rival Penns Grove in the fall. But he got a measure of revenge on the wrestling mat when he pinned Jayden Owens in 3:29 to clinch the Eagles’ 57-18 victory.
“It was pretty satisfying,” McDade said. “It’s always good to beat a rival. It sucks that we lost in the football, but it’s the next mindset. Wrestling, you’ve got to come in here and win. Can’t wait for next year in football and if we see them again here I can’t wait to beat them again.
“Every time we go against these guys, (in) wrestling, (in) football, it always puts a fire in you to do better and try to win. I’m looking forward to that football season.”
The Eagles had the match well in hand when McDade went on the mat for his 157 bout. They won the first seven weight classes of the match, four by forfeit, to open a 39-0 lead. Tre Brown got Penns Grove on the board with a pin of Sky Eppes at 150, then McDade put the Eagles over the top with his second-period pin.
McDade has pinned his last three opponents and won his last seven dual bouts in a row.
“He’s a sophomore this year so he’s still adjusting to varsity-level competition,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “He’s becoming more technical and less backyard brawler. He’s developing a technique, he’s starting to work the system that we teach and he’s having more and more success with it. He’s dangerous.
“Now he’s wrestling better competition and he’s won a couple matches where his technique is prevailing.”
McDade scored one of four pins by Pennsville wrestlers, joining Kameron Drummond (132), Travis Hagan (144) and Trevor Waddington (285).
All of Penns Grove’s points came via pin – Brown, Antonio Garris (165) and first-year wrestler Clinton Bobo (175).
McDade wasn’t the only Eagles wrestler to exact a little revenge in the match. When Elias Lussi scored his 9-2 decision over Isaiah Upshur at 190 in one of the headline bouts of the night, he beat a wrestler who pinned him in 30 seconds a year ago.
WOODSTOWN 41, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 21: The Wolverines won five of the last six matches to pull away and snap a six-match losing streak. They held a 19-15 lead after eight bouts, then got wins from Zach Bevis (165), Greyson Hyland (175), Paul Banff (190), Andrew Sinou (215) and Mateo Vinciguerra (285) to seal the win. Banff and Vinciguerra scored pins and Sinou’s decision clinched it.
PENNSVILLE 57, PENNS GROVE 18 106: Gina Shinn (Pv) won by forfeit 113: Vincent Ciccantelli (Pv) won by forfeit 120: Christopher Daniels (Pv) dec. Devine Arce, 6-2 126: Gavriel Supernavage (Pv) won by forfeit 132: Kameron Drummond (Pv) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:51 138: Ayden Perez (Pv) won by forfeit 144: Travis Hagan (Pv) pinned Nasir Garris, 3:29 150: Tre Brown (PG) pinned Sky Eppes, 5:34 157: Robbie McDade (Pv) pinned Jayden Owens, 3:29 165: Antonio Garris (PG) pinned Cole Campbell, 1:28 175: Clinton Bobo (PG) pinned Connor Ayars, 2:44 190: Elias Lussi (Pv) dec. Isaiah Upshur, 9-2 215: Dan Emmons (Pv) dec. Antonio Cooper, 7-6 285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) pinned Samir Brown, 3:48 Records: Pennsville 11-2, Penns Grove 3-5
Penns Grove’s Tre Brown (red) gets Pennsville’s Sky Eppes upside down in their 150-pound match Wednesday night. On the cover, Pennsville’s Robbie McDade (blue) has control over Jayden Owens on the way to his pin at 157.
Basketball
Overbrook 57, Woodstown 42
PINE HILL – Lamar Little and Nic Johnson scored 14 points apiece and Overbook got off to a fast start and handed the Wolverines (6-4) their second straight loss. Blake Bialecki led Woodstown with 12 points and was the Wolverines’ only scorer in double figures. Overbrook (8-3) has won three in a row.
OVERBROOK 57, WOODSTOWN 42 WOODSTOWN (6-4) – Blake Bialecki 12, Alejandro Vazquez 9, M.J. Hall 4, Garrett Leyman 2, Max Webb 2, Rocco String 6, Elijah Caesar 7. OVERBROOK (8-3) – Jaden St. John 1 0-0 2, Maki Ortiz 2 0-0 4, Kevin Satchell 0 2-2 2, Lamar Little 5 0-0 14, Zair Green 4 0-0 10, Chris Grier 1 2-4 4, Nic Johnson 4 4-4 14, Amare Kee 0 0-2 0, Shaun Mills 3 0-0 7, Tory Scott 0 0-0 0, Elvin Santiago 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-12 57.
Woodstown
4
10
8
18 –
42
Overbrook
17
11
20
9 –
57
3-point goals: Overbrook 9 (Little 4, Green 2, Johnson 2, Mills).
Riverview Sports News 