Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of March 2-7
MONDAY MARCH 2 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Woodstown at Salem, 5 p.m. Glassboro at KIPP, 6 p.m. New Egypt at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Audubon at Palmyra, 6 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Woodbury at Haddon Twp., 5:30 p.m. Palmyra at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Audubon, 4 p.m. Gateway at Wildwood, 5 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3 COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Delaware Tech, 3 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Lackawanna at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Semifinals Woodstown-Salem vs. Glassboro-KIPP New Egypt at Penns Grove vs. Audubon-Palmyra GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Semifinals Woodbury-Haddon Twp. vs. Palmyra-Glassboro Woodstown-Audubon vs. Gateway-Wildwood COLLEGE BASKETBALL NJCAA Division III Selection Show, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5 COLLEGE SOFTBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester (2), 3 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6 WRESTLING Region Tournament COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Brookdale, 3:30 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Sussex at Salem CC (2), 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Championship GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Championship WRESTLING Region Tournament COLLEGE BASEBALL Brookdale at Salem CC (2), noon COLLEGE SOFTBALL Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC (2), noon
SUNDAY, MARCH 8 INDOOR TRACK Meet of Championship, Ocean Breeze, Staten Island WRESTLING Girls Region Tournament
Woodstown boys win 4×400 relay to clinch indoor track title, their first state title in track program’s history
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – When Josh Crawford hit the finish line in the final even of the day, he not only brought the Woodstown boys a 4×400 relay title, he delivered a state championship.
The Wolverines won the Group I indoor track championship Saturday – their first track title in school history – with a strong showing in the running events. Their first-place win in the relay gave them 35 points, seven ahead of a Ramsey team that had them by three entering the final race of the meet.
“We didn’t need to win the 4×400 to win the meet, but it was a great cap to a great season,” Wolverines coach Alex Dominy said. “Overall this season has been hard with snow days, difficult in terms of flu and colds and Arctic blasts, but these boys continue to improve despite barriers to a more typical season. I couldn’t be happier.
“Going into states with only six boys in events and not being the favorite was very daunting, but everyone performed amazingly and did their job to the fullest,” senior Karson Chew said.
“It was a big accomplishment in general for six guys to beat schools that have tons of people to choose from,” added Crawford.
The relay team of Jacob Marino, Chew, Anthony Costello and Crawford came home in 3:31.03, 22-hundreths of a second ahead of race runner-up New Providence.
Marino was subbing in the 4×4 for Kyle Reitz, another casualty of the postponement, and was a late scratch in the 3200 to focus on the relay and helped bring them through.
He got the Wolverines off and running while not exactly a 400 specialist. Chew got them back up to second and Costello kept them there, maybe even closing the gap. Crawford still had “a hefty gap” (about two seconds) to make up when he took the baton, but when he passed the New Providence runner who jammed him up in the 400 right before the finish he knew they had it won.
“With the meet being moved we weren’t able to run our usual 4×400 with Kyle Reitz,” Dominy said. “Being that Jacob was doing the two mile, we opted to have him scratch and focus on holding it down in the 4×400. Seeing that we won with less than a second it was a great choice.”
Marino also finished second in the 1600 (4:28.65). Crawford also won the 800 (1:57.52) with Chew finishing third (1:58.87) and got points in the 400.
The Woodstown boys track team enjoys a victory lap in The Bubble after clinching their first ever state championship after winning the Group I indoor track title. (Submitted photo)
From the time they clinched, their phones were blowing up with congratulatory messages from Woodstown track alums from various generations. They got to take a victory lap around the track and they were welcomed back into town by an escort of fire engines.
“That was just a great feeling,” Costello said of the victory lap. “We saw other teams do it before after they snuck it out in front of us so we said all right it’s our time now, we’re going to do it and we’re going to take it all in while we can.”
Schalick’s Sal Longo finished second in the boys pole vault, topping out at 12-6. He was beaten out for gold by Ramsey’s Luciano Zizza in a jump off at 13 feet.
Four jumpers made it to 12-6 and Longo and Zizza cleared that bar on their first attempts. Haddon Twp.’s Bobby McIlvaine joined them on his final attempt while Bound Brook’s Jake Markey fell out. All three missed three shots at 13-0, but Longo and Zizza advanced to the jump off with fewer misses and Zizza got it on the first extra attempt.
“It means a lot to me,” Longo said. “To get second place at the group championship meet today, it was very relieving to know that the hard work I put in this season is finally paying off.
“Going for the gold was very exciting. I was so close to getting that height on my last jump, I just need to tweak my technique. Overall, it was probably one of the funnest competitions I’ve been involved in.”
Ramsey’s 1-5 finish in the pole vault set the stage for the drama in the relay. The 12 points vaulted the Rams into the lead, but they didn’t have an entry in the relay. The Wolverines had to finish second to pass them and not be caught by third-place Glen Rock.
“Every 5-10 minutes (we were) checking scores, just trying to feel it out,” Costello said. “We knew it was going to come down to the wire, so were like all right we need to do this and we’re not going to worry about the scores anymore. It just got to that point where we’re just going to go out and win the thing.”
The top two finishers in each event and the top wildcards all advance to next week’s Meet of Champions.
GROUP I INDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP (Event winners and Salem County point-scorers) BOYS Team scores (top 15): Woodstown 35, Ramsey 28, Glen Rock 28, Haddon Twp. 20, Camden 20, New Providence 18, Glassboro 18, Manville 17, Hasbrouck Heights 10, New Milford 8, Pascack Hills 8, Wood-Ridge 8, Dayton 8, Shore 8, Buena 8, Schalick 8. Also, Penns Grove 2, Salem 1. 400: 1. Giorgio Bruttini, Ramsey 50.67; 6. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 51.83 1600: 1. Shaun Maloney, Haddon Twp. 4:27.28; 2. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:28.65 55 Hurdles: 1. Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey, Camden 7.73 800: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:57.62; 3. Karson Chew, Woodstown 1:58.87 55 Dash: 1. Michael Napolitano, Hasbrouck Heights 6.49 3200: 1. Jayran Rodriguez, Manville 9:31.74 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Jacob Marino, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford) 3:31.03 High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 6-4 Pole Vault: 1. Luciano Zizza, Ramsey 13-0; 2. Sal Longo, Schalick 12-6 Shot Put: 1. Evan Yuzon, Glen Rock 58-7.75; 5. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 46-7; 6. Jailon Fletcher-Wilson, Salem 45-6
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Fev. 23-28; all events subject to the weather; first-round South Jersey Group I basketball tournament games now on Friday
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Region XIX/North Atlantic District A Tournament Ocean at Salem CC
THURSDAY, FEB. 26 BOWLING NJSIAA Top 100, Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick
FRIDAY, FEB. 27 BOYS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Riverside at Salem, 5 p.m. Paulsboro at Woodstown, 5 p.m. Glassboro at Burlington City, 6:30 p.m. Wildwood at KIPP, 6 p.m. New Egypt at Haddon Twp., 7:30 p.m. Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Audubon at Woodbury, 5:30 p.m. Gateway at Palmyra, 6 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL South Jersey Group I Tournament Paulsboro at Haddon Twp. Burlington City at Woodbury New Egypt at Palmyra Cape May Tech at Glassboro Salem at Audubon, 5 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 5 p.m. Schalick at Gateway, 5 p.m. Clayton at Wildwood BOWLING Group I Championship At Lucky Strikes, North Brunswick Salem vs. Kinnelon, 9 a.m. Middlesex vs. Rutherford, 9 a.m. Title match to follow COLLEGE BASEBALL Ocean at Salem CC, 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 28 INDOOR TRACK NJSIAA Group I Championship, Toms River WRESTLING NJSIAA District Tournament COLLEGE BASKETBALL Region XIX/North Atlantic District A&B finals, Northampton CC COLLEGE BASEBALL Salem CC at Ocean (2), noon
Woodstown boys win 4×400 relay in record time, but it left them one point short of winning the South Jersey Group I indoor sectionals; the difference was Glassboro’s third-place finish by 0.10 seconds
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
TOMS RIVER – Blink your eyes. That’s how close it was to determining the South Jersey Group I boys indoor track sectionals champion Sunday.
As these meets always seem to do lately, it came down to the final race between Woodstown and Glassboro in the 4×400 relay.
Woodstown had to win it and have Glassboro finish fourth or worse – or some other combination of a six-point swing – to win it all at the Bubble.
The Wolverines did what they needed to do, winning the race in a PR meet record (3:30.30), but Glassboro raced to third (3:37.78), a scant 0.10 seconds ahead of fourth-place Gateway, to grab just enough points to win the team title by one point.
Glassboro scored 54.60 points overall to Woodstown’s 53.60.
The Wolverines relay team of Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Kyle Reitz and Josh Crawford obliterated the old 4×400 record of 3:32.09, set by Woodbury last year. Salem finished second in the race.
“We knew going into the 4×4 that we needed two things to happen,” Chew said. “We needed to win and Glassboro couldn’t get third or better. Unfortunately, only one of those things was in the cards for us.
“Everyone ran a great race and we all did the best we could with what we could control. Now it just comes down to regaining our confidence and going into states with a good mentality.”
Through five events both teams were lagging behind leader Haddon Twp., but after the completion of the high jump and 800, the Wolverines had pulled in front, bringing Glassboro with them. The margin was seven points..
Glassboro made a big move in the 3200, the next-to-last event in the meet. Top-seeded Bulldog Joseph Saicic won the race and Jaeden Wesley, the 18th-seeded runner, finished fourth. Jacob Marino gave Woodstown its only points in the race, finishing sixth.
Salem County produced three individual champions. Crawford won the 400 (51.13) and 800 (1:59.87, going 1-2 with Chew), and Woodstown’s Kami Casiano won the girls high jump (5-0). In addition, there were four other runner-ups — Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson (400), Woodstown’s Aiden Taulane (shot put), Woodstown’s Lia Covely (girls 55 hurdles) and Pennsville Kallie Morrison (girls high jump).
In all, Salem County qualified 28 individuals and three relays to the state group championships back here on Feb. 22.
This is the second major win for Casiano this year. She won the Tri-County Showcase with a jump of 5-2. She started the new year with a third-place finish in Penn’s Ott Center on Jan. 3 (4-10) and finished fourth in a batch meet here on Jan. 10 (5-0).
“I’m so happy about winning sectionals today,” Casiano said. “A big goal I had for myself this season was consistency. I’m getting past my nerves and giving it my all.”
Here are the event winners and Salem County qualifiers to the state group championships. The top six in each event score points and qualify for state.
This story will be updated.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SECTIONALS BOYS TEAM SCORES: Glassboro 54.60, WOODSTOWN 53.60, Haddon Twp. 36, Camden 32.60; SALEM 29.60, Gateway 22, PENNS GROVE 20, Audubon 17, Woodbury 14, Burlington City 12, Palmyra 8.60, SCHALICK 6, West Deptford 2, Buena 2. 400: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 51.13; 2. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 52.07; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 52.41. 1600: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 4:33.47; 4. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 4:36.50; 6. David Farrell, Woodstown 4:42.96 55 Hurdles: 1. Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey, Camden 7.83; 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 8.42; 5. Gradin Buzby, Salem 8.64 55 Dash: 1. Donte Davis, Burlington City 6.55; 3. Jelani Beverly, Salem 6.70; 6. Kyle Reitz, Woodstown 6.81 800: 1. Josh Crawford, Woodstown 1:59.87; 2. Karson Chew, Woodstown 2:00.56 3200: 1. Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 9:52.30; 6. Jacob Marino, Woodstown 10:14.36 4×400: 1. Woodstown (Kyle Reitz, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello, Josh Crawford) 3:30.30 (meet record, old record 3:32.09, Woodbury 2025); 2. Salem (Quimere Bergen, Gradin Buzby, RaShar Stevenson, Jerry Seals) 3:37.61 High Jump: 1. Moses Robles, Glassboro 6-2; 3. Tommy White, Penns Grove 5-6; T5. Jerry Seals, Salem 5-2; T5. Anthony Costello, Woodstown 5-2 Pole Vault: 1. Bobby McIlvaine, Haddon Twp. 12-0; 3. Salvatore Longo, Schalick 11-0; 4. Gradin Buzby, Salem 11-0 Shot Put: 1. Kyle Stephens, Haddon Twp. 47-9; 2. Aiden Taulane, Woodstown 46-2.5; 3. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 45-7; 6. Jailon Fletcher-Wilson, Salem 43-2
GIRLS TEAM SCORES: Audubon 90, Glassboro 47, Haddon Twp. 46, West Deptford 32, WOODSTOWN 31, Buena 20, Woodbury 12, PENNSVILLE 8, Lower Cape May 8, SALEM 5, PENNS GROVE 4, Palmyra 2, Burlington City 2, Gateway 2 400: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 1:00.72 1600: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 5:08.61; 4. Abby Marino, Woodstown 5:29.58 55 Hurdles: 1. Casey Birdwell, Haddon Twp. 8.83; 2. Lia Covely, Woodstown 9.40 55 Dash: 1. Kathryn McGuire, Audubon 7.60 800: 1. Kayla Romanoski, West Deptford 2:19.05 3200: 1. Riley Fayer, Audubon 11:20.98; 3. Abby Marino, Woodstown 11:58.23 4×400: 1. Audubon 4:18.72; 4. Salem (Dynastie Tucker, Brooklynn Jackson, Amaia Massengill, Alysha Williams) 4:24.47; 6. Woodstown (Maria Holmes, Angelina Lindenmuth, Abby Marino, Lia Covely) 4:38.23 High Jump: 1. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-0; 2. Kallie Morrison, Pennsville 4-10 Pole Vault: 1. Morganna Makuszewski, Audubon 9-0 Shot Put: 1. Sunny Moore, Glassboro 37-6.75; 4. Zoey Caesar, Penns Grove 30-11.25; 5. Sara Lodge, Woodstown 30-5.75; 6. Ava Rodgers, Salem 29-10.5
Pennsville girls basketball ends long title drought by clinching share of Diamond Division, plus the rest of Monday’s Salem County sports calendar GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville 65, Penns Grove 25 Pitman 48, Salem Tech 26 Schalick 46, Woodstown 25 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove 80, Pennsville 16 Salem 60, Paulsboro 54 Pitman 52, Salem Tech 31 Woodstown 46, Schalick 33 INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNS GROVE — Pennsville assistant coach Ryan Wood stood before the girls basketball team after the game and gave the day its historical context in a way uniquely his own.
The Eagles had just clinched a share of its first division title since 1988 Monday when they bashed Penns Grove 65-25 in Rudy Baric Gym and Wood let them know just how long ago that was.
“Forty years ago,” he said rubbing his hands over his thinning scalp, “I had a full head of hair.”
And if you don’t believe it, his daughter, senior guard Marley Wood, has the proof.
“I’ve seen pictures, him and my brother (Luke) look the exact same, which is really weird,” she said.
The girls basketball banner at Pennsville High will soon get an update to reflect the latest division title.
The Eagles’ sixth straight win — and fourth since the coaching change — left them 9-1 in the TCC Diamond Division and a share of their first division title since 1988 with Glassboro. The teams split in the regular season.
“We’ve all worked very hard for this,” senior forward Taylor Bass said. “A lot of sweat, blood and tears have gone into it.”
There’s a banner in the far left corner of Pennsville’s Salberg Gym that commemorates the team’s last division title. After the boys soccer team won its first division title in 32 years in October, it left girls basketball with the school’s longest championship drought among teams that have won a championship. The boys basketball program has never won one. The girls track team is now on the clock (2011).
“Every year we get reminded that it’s been a while, so getting to do with my team my senior year and my dad in the back with us is great,” Marley Wood said.
The Eagles (14-6) had control of this one from the start. They built a 33-15 halftime lead, then opened the third quarter with 16 straight points to put it out of reach.
Bass and Addie Johnston led the offense with 18 points apiece. Since the coaching change that elevated Robin Efelis to head coach and brought Ryan Wood back to the bench, Johnston has scored 52 points and hit eight 3-pointers.
“It’s just been good games, good days,” the sophomore said. “My shooting’s been good, my confidence overall has been high. Just been coming out hot every day.”
Wood had six points, but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 12 assists. Already the second-leading all-time girls scorer in school history, she needs one point for 1,300 and four assists for 500. That would put her in the 1300-500-500 Club since she already has 521 rebounds.
3-point goals: Pennsville 5 (Bass, Johnston 3, Weist); Penns Grove 3 (Patterson, JCummings, Torres). Total fouls: Pennsville 6, Penns Grove 6.
SCHALICK 46, WOODSTOWN 25: The Cougars put together one of their best defensive efforts of the season in a year filled with big defensive efforts and ended a 13-game losing streak against the Wolverines. It was almost seven years to the day the last time they won in the series, Feb. 12, 2019.
“This one feels good,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “The girls were ready for this game and they put together four full quarters of good basketball. It was a signature win as we come to the end of there egular season. It will be a great momentum builder as we head into the playoffs.”
The Cougars (14-5) held their hosts to single digits in all four quarters. They led 10-8 after the first quarter, then took control in the second quarter. They closed Woodstown out with a 15-3 fourth quarter. They are averaging a shade under 24 points against in their 14 wins this season.
“As always we build off our defense,” Whelan said. “It was an outstanding defensive performance where the girls took pride in winning on that side of the court. That aggressiveness translated to playing downhill on the offensive end. Everyone played a part.”
Ava Scurry anchored the defense. She had 14 rebounds, including the 600th of her career, five steals and seven blocked shots. Cali Fisler had four steals and Olivia Vanacker had eight rebounds, a career-high nine assists and three steals.
Willow Davis led the offense with four 3-pointers and a career-high 18 points. Nevaeh Robinson had 10. Kendall Young was Woodstown’s leading scorer with 10 points.
The Wolverines, who once had a 39-game winning streaks against Salem County opponents, have now won lost two in a row to in-county foes.
PITMAN 48, SALEM TECH 26: Audrey Duffield scored 19 points and three other players had at least eight as the Panthers snapped a six-game losing streak that followed their last win over the Chargers. Shelby Liber led Salem Tech with 13 points. Amora Delaine had seven points and eight rebounds.
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (Liber 3). Rebounds: Salem Tech 35 (Delaine 8, Mott 7).
Boys games
PENNS GROVE 80, PENNSVILLE 16: The Red Devils went out 17-0 in the first five minutes and got scoring from 13 players.
Will Roy led the assault with 13 points, nine in the first quarter. Zane Thomas and Geonni Conrad had 11 apiece, and Jameel Horace had 10.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” Penns Grove coach Damien Ware said. “We have 10 to 12 guys who can play, contribute for us, so that’s really what we want to do on a night-in, night-out basis. If we can just play together. I tell them (to) play consistent.
“We’ve been playing good in stretches. We play good for five minutes and play bad for five minutes. Once we get to the point where we’re playing consistently good basketball we’re going to be tough to beat. We’re pretty deep. We have a lot of guys who can play, so we’ll be tough to deal with.”
PENNS GROVE (14-8): Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, Carson Pearsall 4 0-0 9, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 6 0-0 13, Mishawn Brantley 3 0-0 6, Geonni Conrad 5 0-0 11, Luis Colon 2 0-0 4, Jameel Horace 5 0-0 10, Jeremy Costacamps 1 0-0 2, Jerry Wooten 1 1-1 3, Ahkeen Edwards 1 0-0 2, Messiah Allah 0 2-2 2, Eli Pearsall 1 0-0 3, James Minor 0 2-2 2, Zane Thomas 4 3-3 11. Totals 34 8-8 80. PENNSVILLE (3-17): Jake Layfield 0 0-0 0, Shamir Watkins 1 0-0 2, Gavin Spears 0 0-0 0, Danny Knight 1 0-0 3, Jake Farina 2 0-0 6, Trey Clevinger 2 0-0 5, Colin Keenan 0 0-0 0, Liam Crane 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 0-0 16.
Penns Grove
25
25
20
10-
80
Pennsville
3
5
6
2-
16
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Pearsall, Roy, Conrad, E. Pearsall); Pennsville 4 (Knight, Farina 2, Clevinger). Total fouls: Penns Grove 3, Pennsville 4.
SALEM 60, PAULSBORO 54: Tymear Lecator scored 21 points to inch closer to 1,000 career points and hit two free throws in a one-point game to keep the Red Raiders at arm’s length. The junior guard needs 22 points to hit the milestone going into Tuesday’s game with Penns Grove. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Deshaan Williams and BJ Robbins added nine points apiece for the Rams (17-4), the No. 1 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and No. 2 seed in the upcoming Tri-County Conference Tournament. Marshall Stephens and Donnie Weathers both grabbed 10 rebounds Stephens also blocked three shots.
The Rams came from eight down at halftime to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders got within 54-53, then Lecator hit two free throws to stretch the lead and the Rams (17-4) closed it out from the line. They were 18-of-27 from the line in the game as a team, Lecator was 8-for-10.
When the milestone comes, he’ll be the 18th Salem player on the Salem County boys 1,000-point list.
“I’m not anxious, I know what work I put in and that never lies,” he said. “I’m just looking at it like another game and it’ll definitely be a blessing to hopefully reach the milestone tomorrow.”
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Lecator 3, Robbins); Paulsboro 6 (McKenzie 2, Taylor 2, Clay, Kersey). Rebounds: Salem (Lecator 8, Williams 7, Johnson 7, Stephens 10, Weathers 10); Paulsboro 30 (Carr 7, Bennett 7).
1000-POINT WATCH
TODAY
TOTAL
NEXT
Tymear Lecator, Salem
21 vs. Paulsboro
978
vs. Penns Grove, Tues.
WOODSTOWN 46, SCHALICK 33: The teams played even for a half, but Woodstown came out of the break in a strong defensive posture and pulled away. The Wolverines held them hosts to two points in the third quarter to pull ahead, then kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter.
“No special adjustment,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “We just played harder in the second (half),.”
Elijah Caesar led Woodstown’s offense with 14 points. Blake Bialecki added 12, including his 194th career 3-pointer, and went over 200 career assists. Kade Macom led the Cougars with a career-tying 16 points.
PITMAN 52, SALEM TECH 31: The Panthers controlled the game by dominating the first and third quarters. Peter DeChristopher led the effort with 16 points, four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Lucas Razze had six points, seven assists and five steals. Aiden Bobo led the Chargers’ offense with 10 points.
SALEM TECH (2-16): Chase Pompper 2 1-2 5, Luke Kroll 2 0-0 6, Ayden Myers 1 0-0 3, Raphael Busch 2 0-0 4, Sterling Lewis 1 1-2 3. Totals 12 3-6 31. PITMAN (9-13): Lucas Razze 2 1-2 6, Parker DeChristopher 6 0-0 16, Joey Zubert 4 0-0 9, Jake Bowen-Ashwin 1 1-2 3, Jay Craig 4 0-0 8, Oliver Spier 3 0-0 8, Micah Frost 0 0-0 0, Michael Aubrey 0 0-0 0, Kiernan Clark 0 0-0 0, Liam Etter 1 0-0 2, Brady Green 0 0-0 0, Brayden Geary 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 2-4 52.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Salem’s Amiyah Jones and Pennsville’s Aubrey Manorowitz both posted Top 10 finishes in jumping events to headline the Salem County performers at the SJTCA Meet at the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Facility.
Jones was fourth in the girls long jump (15-7) and eighth in the girls triple jump (30-9.75). Manorowitz placed fifth in the girls high jump (4-10).
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 9-15
MONDAY, FEB. 9 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Paulsboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Pitman, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pitman at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Salem at Ocean Breeze, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEB. 10 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Salem, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Delsea girls at Schalick, 5 p.m. Woodstown at Timber Creek, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Palmyra, 5:30 p.m. Cedar Creek at Schalick, 6 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Morris, TBA
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11 BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Pitman, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Oakcrest at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pitman at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Salem at Overbrook Girls Jamboree, 5 p.m. Salem at Willingboro, 5 p.m. Pennsville at Haddon Heights, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL Wildwood at Salem, 5:30 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Camden at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEB. 13 BOYS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Clearview at Timber Creek Gloucester Catholic at Deptford Woodstown at Cumberland Penns Grove at Williamstown Postseason Bracket Schalick at Clayton Salem Tech at Wildwood Pennsville at Highland GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Championship Bracket Cumberland at Clearview Woodstown at Kingsway Triton at Washington Twp. Postseason Bracket Pitman at Highland Salem Tech at Clayton Penns Grove at Overbrook WRESTLING Schalick, Burlington Twp., Cherry Hill West at Maple Shade, 3:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 BOYS BASKETBALL Salem Tech at Salem, 10 a.m. Woodstown at Haddonfield, 11:30 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL TCC Tournament Pennsville at Delsea WRESTLING Highland, Mainland at Pennsville, 10 a.m. Woodstown, Allentown, Haddon Heights at Delran, 10 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Sussex at Salem CC, 2 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Essex at Salem CC, noon
Glassboro denies Bialecki bid for 1000, Salem takes control of division, Schalick girls set up Willoughby for special Senior Night experience and more
BOYS BASKETBALL Gateway 64, Salem Tech 31 Glassboro 71, Woodstown 49 Salem 55, Wildwood 43 Schalick 54, Cape May Tech 40 West Deptford 58, Pennsville 15 GIRLS BASKETBALL Millville 46, Woodstown 39 Penns Grove at Paulsboro Overbrook 55, Salem Tech 35 Schalick 34, Cape May Tech 16 WRESTLING Schalick 65, Salem 12
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
GLASSBORO — The banner had been prepared and was folded neatly in the car. The plan was to bring it in sometime during the second half if Blake Bialecki was getting close to the milestone.
The Woodstown senior has been closing in on the 1,000-point barrier, but Glassboro — and Mekhi Parker — were determined not to have it happen on their watch.
The Bulldogs played what their coach, Lynell Payne, called “one of our better” defensive games of the season. They held Bialecki to nine points and stuffed the “sleepwalking” Wolverines, 71-49.
The nine points left Bialecki with 986 for his career. His nine points came on three 3-pointers – one in each of the last three quarters – and moved him within four of breaking the school’s all-time record for 3s, currently held by Talia Battavio (186).
“We made it a point,” Payne said. “He was sitting at 977 and I told the guys we don’t let anybody get that 1,000th point on us, so they collectively took it upon themselves and said OK we’re going to have some pride. We’re playing at home, we’ve been up and down all year ,so today we’re going to have some pride and definitely stop him because he torched us last time.”
Bialecki went for 25 when the teams played right before Christmas. He needed almost that many Monday to reach the milestone, but was held to single digits for just the fifth time this season and the first time in six games.
“When you look at our games people have been scoring on us,” Payne continued. “The LEAP guy (Gabriel Shoultz) had 30. Last week, the guy from Camden County Tech (Charles Barbour) had like 25. So, we’ve got to take some pride on defense and not let anybody score on us and I think tonight we actually locked in and did that.”
Actually, they’ve had an opposing player go for at least 25 in three of their previous four games.
The assignment to keep Bialecki in check fell to Parker. The 6-foot-4 sophomore never let his man get more than arm’s length away and held him to 3-for-16 shooting.
“When I said we cannot let this guy go off on us, he said, ‘Coach, I got him,’” Payne said of Parker “That’s what I look for. I can assign any of you, but whoever’s comfortable and you don’t want to let your brothers down, you guard him. And then he said ‘I got him’ and we all trusted him.”
“They definitely played very good defense on me today,” Bialecki said. “They did a really good job. My shot was rushed, took away my confidence kind of.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs dictated the pace. Xavier Sabb led all scorers with 19 points. Parker had 16 and Will Boggans 10. Alejandro Vazquez was the only Woodstown scorer in double figures. He hit three 3s and finished with 14.
The Wolverines held a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, then starting going the other way. They were outscored 13-5 in the second quarter and 46-30 in the second half. Sabb, Parker and Maurice Davis combined for 33 points in the second half.
“Sleepwalking,” Woodstown coach Ramon Roots said. “We were sleepwalking. They played tougher. They played stronger. That’s what it came down to. (His team) didn’t play tough tonight.”
Bialecki’s next shot at the milestone is Tuesday, when the Wolverines — and the banner — travel to Cherry Hill West. He’s not pushing it.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to help us win,” he said. “If that comes, it comes.”
WOODSTOWN (11-7): Eli Caesar 1 0-0 2, Jalen Markward 1 2-4 4, Blake Bialecki 3 0-0 9, Alejandro Vazquez 5 1-3 14, John Hood-McGinley 0 0-0 0, Josh King 1 0-0 2, Andrew White 2 2-2 7, Trey Markward 0 0-0 0, Lucas Fulmer 1 0-0 2, Bryce Ayars 0 0-0 0, Frankie Hoerst 0 0-2 0, Connor Miller 3 2-2 9, Brian Booker 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-13 49 GLASSBORO (5-12): Xavier Sabb 7 5-8 19, Mehki Parker 7 0-2 16, Will Boggans 5 0-0 10, Riley Brown-Dispensa 1 4-4 6, Marley Crowl 3 2-2 8, Maurice Davis 3 3-4 10, Wolfgang Donoway 0 0-0 0, Cam Parker-Akins 0 1-2 1, David Gillis 0 0-0 0, Lorenzo Jones 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 15-22 71.
Top photo: Glassboro’s Mekhi Parker (5) keeps a close eye on Woodstown’s Blake Bialecki during Monday’s game.
SALEM 55, WILDWOOD 43: The Rams solidified their hold on the Tri-County Classic Division lead by completing their season sweep of the Warriors.
The game was tight throughout, but the Rams carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, never lost it and closed it out with six straight Tymear Lecator free throws in the final minute. Lecator was 8-for-8 from the line in the game — all in the fourth quarter — and finished with 28 points.
“I believe we’re starting to become a more disciplined team down the stretch,” Rams coach Anthony Farmer said. “That has helped us come out on the other side of some really tough games. I’m proud of my guys.”
The Rams, still No. 2 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, are the only undefeated team in the Classic with three divisions games to play. They hold a two-game lead in the loss column over Wildwood, which has one division game left, and a three-game lead in the loss column over Clayton, which has three division games left.
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (Pompper, Myers, B. Kroll); Gateway 11 (Haase 5, Bink 2, Coryell 2, Langston, Forman). Rebounds: Salem Tech 23 (Cusch 8, Lewis 5, Myers 5); Gateway 36 (Runner 8, Cook 7).
WEST DEPTFORD 58, PENNSVILLE 15: Michael Joseph scored 13 points and West Deptford got points from 11 players. West Deptford opened a 24-3 lead in the first quarter.
PENNSVILLE (3-15): Danny Knight 2 1-2 5, Shamir Watkins 1 0-0 2, Gavin Spears 1 0-0 3, Colt Willis 1 1-3 3, Aidan Clark 1 0-2 2. Totals 6 2-7 15. WEST DEPTFORD (6-12): Curtis Pearson 3 0-2 6, Kyree Eason 2 0-0 4, Thomas Cross 2 2-2 7, Carter Watson 2 0-0 5, Yasmine Abdel-Hamid 1 0-0 2, Anthony Martello 2 1-2 5, Michael Garcia 1 0-0 2, Michael Joseph 6 1-3 13, Zamir Davis 1 0-2 2, Talib Bogar 1 3-4 5, Cole Stanish 3 1-1 7. Totals 24 8-16 58.
Pennsville
3
5
4
3-
15
West Deptford
24
11
19
4-
58
3-point goals: Pennsville 1 (Spears); West Deptford 2 (Cross, Watson).
1000-POINT WATCH
TODAY
TOTAL
NEXT
Blake Bialecki, Woodstown
9 vs. Glassboro
986
at CHW, Tues.
Tymear Lecator, Salem
28 vs. Wildwood
905
vs. Pitman, Tues
Girls games: Special moment
PITTSGROVE — Schalick recognized its seniors Monday night and orchestrated a special moment for one of them.
Abby Willoughby hasn’t been able to play this basketball season while recovering from an injury during the soccer season, but the but the Cougars gave her a chance to score one more time in their 34-16 win over Cape May Tech.
It came right out of the gate. They positioned Willoughby under the basket, Ava Scurry directed the opening tip to Vicky Basich, who then passed to Willoughby for a layup.
“It was a special moment for her as I know she has missed being on the court,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “Abby has been a big part of this program the last four years and she without a doubt earned this moment. I’m glad she was able to celebrate it with her teammates and family.”
After the bucket the Cougars subbed her out and allowed CMT to get the points back.
“Cape May Tech showed great sportsmanship and we truly appreciate their understanding,” Whelan said.
She played in 65 of 69 games over her first three years and wraps her high school career with 158 points, 242 rebounds and 138 steals.
The game was tight in the first half, but the Cougars (12-3) pulled away in the second for their seventh straight win. They outscored their visitors 22-5 in the second half.
Olivia Vanacker scored seven of her team-high nine points in the second half. Scurry had six of her eight and Cali Fisler five of her seven in the half.
3-point goals: Cape May Tech 2 (Oravitss 2); Schalick 1 (Vanacker). Total foul: Cape May Tech 11, Schalick 5.
MILLVILLE 46, WOODSTOWN 39: The Wolverines had everything going on early, jumping out to a 10-2 lead, then the game completely changed. Millville’s Naomi Burkhart scored a game-high 20 points. Lauren Hengel and Kendall Young led Woodstown with 10 points each.
OVERBROOK 54, SALEM TECH 37: Gianna Simon had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rams. She also had five assists and four steals.
Salem Tech (2-11)
9
5
18
5-
37
Overbrook (4-13)
8
14
15
17-
54
Wrestling
SCHALICK 65, SALEM 12 106: Victor Fenske (SC) won by forfeit 113: Nicholas Latona (SC) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (SC) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:30 126: Caleb Jenkins (SC) tech fall over Zachary Tortella, 17-2 (2:30) 132: Guilherme Quintanilha (S) dec. Jacob Potts, 11-6 138: Aiden Piernikowski (SC) pinned Brodie Parker, 0:23 144: Michael Baisch (SC) pinned Joseph Goetaski, 1:30 150: Ziyon Moore (S) pinned Gabriel McFeeley, 3:30 157: Mason Hollywood (SC) won by forfeit 165: Anthony Deaver (SC) pinned Jordan Brown, 3:30 175: Ricky Watt (SC) pinned Josthen Jimenez, 1:16 190: Gerardo Felipe (SC) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 0:56 215: James Cook (SC) won by forfeit 285: Abdullah Jenkins (S) dec. Jeff Edmonds, 7-0
Woodstown 4×800 relay finishes seventh at Millrose Games, runs sub-8:00, were first and fourth at various stages of the race
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
NEW YORK — It wasn’t quite the placing they were shooting for, but you’ll get no argument from Woodstown’s boys 4×800 relay team over the time they posted.
The Wolverines turned in Salem County’s best indoor time ever in the event and finished seventh in the 13-team Peter Diamond 4×800 at the 118th Millrose Games in The Armory in Washington Heights this afternoon.
Running under the banner of Woodstown TC, the team of Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, David Farrell and Josh Crawford ran a 7:55.62. They had hoped to finish fifth. Union Catholic won the race in 7:37.96, a facility and meet record and a second and a half off the national high school record.
“None of us were upset, none at all,” Crawford said. “We’re all happy for one another. Each one of us did our jobs, ran great legs. We dropped five seconds from our school record. A 7:55 is nothing to fret over. We’re all really happy with it.”
“Honestly, it couldn’t get better than that for us,” added Chew. “It just showed how well we can stick with the bigger competition and those big, huge school teams that are just bringing powerhouses every year.
“The target was fifth or better, but the fact we ran 7:55 I think that kind of counteracts it, like, OK we got seventh, but we ran a pretty damned good time.”
The Wolverines led the race three times in the first 600 meters of Chew’s opening leg and were second behind IMG Elite after he pulled in at 1:56.42, his fastest relay split ever. Marino ran 2:01.39 in the second leg, but they were in sixth at the exchange and were eighth after Farrell’s leg (2:03.40).
“I ended up opening a little flow,” Chew said. “I got out in front, which is definitely what needed to happen; I needed to solidify the position up front for a little bit to be able to hold my position.
“I knew going into it I had the ability to beat every single person on that track, given the day, given the time. I went into it knowing I was just as nervous as everybody else on that track and I was just as adrenaline high as everybody else on that track. I took the lead like I wanted to and tried to hold it the best I could until IMG took over towards the end.”
Crawford ran a 1:54.42 anchor leg and got all the way back to fourth with 200 meters to go, then his body started to rebel down the stretch and he began losing track position. His split was a half-second faster than his open 800 indoor PR, run in the Dr. Sander Scorcher here last week.
“My coach going into this told me that sometimes I have to take risks and this is the stage to take those type of risks,” Crawford said. “Taking the baton I saw I was in eighth, but I knew I could get up to fourth or whatever it was, but I just think I did it a little bit too quick.
“I ran 25 my first lap, 27 my second lap and for a 400 split that’s a 52; that’s what the pros are running. I got a little ahead of myself and tried to run what the pros were running just so I could catch up to that (lead) group of kids, which ended up nipping me in the butt the last 50 meters.
“I got ahead until the back straightaway and the lactic acid just built up. I was ahead and then I just started dropping places. I just locked up. It’s really only like a hundred-meter improvement that I’ve got to do and when I find that endurance that I need I think I’ll definitely be able to run some great times.”
PETER DIAMOND 4X800
FINAL
Union Catholic (NJ)
7:37.96
IMG Elite (FL)
7:38.47
St. John’s College (DC)
7:48.43
McCallie (TN)
7:52.95
Hickory Hawks (VA)
7:54.00
Haverford Twp. (PA)
7:54.35
WOODSTOWN (NJ)
7:55.62
State College (PA)
7:59.37
East Side Prep (MD)
8:00.49
North Hunterdon (NJ)
8:02.95
Northport (NY)
8:03.80
Manhasset (NY)
8:03.80
Bronx Science (NY)
8:12.64
TCC Showcase
TOMS RIVER — Here are the athletes who scored points during Saturday’s rescheduled Tri-County/Olympic Showcase at The Bubble.
BOYS Team scores: Williamstown 57, SCHALICK 37, Timber Creek 35, Highland 33, Glassboro 28, PENNS GROVE 25, Cumberland 24, Kingsway 22, SALEM 21, Clearview 16, WOODSTOWN 5, Deptford 4, Wildwood 2, PENNSVILLE 1. (Salem County scorers) 55 Dash: 4. Jelani Beverly, Salem 6.72; 5. David Stewart, Schalick 6.73; 6. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 6.79 400: 1. Kylee Goodson, Penns Grove 51.14; 4. Tommy White, Penns Grove 53.76 800: 4. Steve Chomo, Schalick 2:06.53 1600: 6. Tortsen Duva, Woodstown 4:59.21 55 Hurdles: 4. Timothy Gregory, Salem 8.39; 6. Gradin Buzby, Salem 8.71 4×400: 1. Schalick (Jacob Carter, Steve Chomo, David Stewart, Salvatore Longo) 3:39.93; 4. Woodstown (Maximus Csaezar, Michael Turner, Ben Lippincott, Anthony Costello) 3:43.42 Long jump: 4. Jerry Seals, Salem 20-1.5; 5. Ahmad Tucker, Salem 19-10 Pole vault: 1. Salvatore Longo, Schalick 11-6; 2. Gradin Buzby, Salem 11-0; 6. Josh Weiner, Schalick 9-0 Shot put: 1. Ethan McLean, Schalick 44-4.5; 2. JaKai Ingram, Penns Grove 42-4.5; 5. Raymond Brown, Penns Grove 40-11; 6. Connor Wariwanchik, Pennsville 40-5
GIRLS Team scores: Kingsway 94, Glassboro 56, Williamstown 47, Clearview 25, WOODSTOWN 18, Cumberland 15, Deptford 12, Highland 11, SALEM 10, SCHALICK 10, PENNS GROVE 9, Pitman 2. (Salem County scorers) 55 Dash: 5. Dynastie Tucker, Salem 7.72 400: 4. Brooke Valentine, Schalick 1:05.23 1600: 3. Abby Marino, Woodstown 5:35.33 Mixed 3200: 2. Abby Marino, Woodstown 12:17.84 55 Hurdles: 6. Josephine Federanko, Woodstown 10.61 4×400: 3. Schalick (Sarah Torpey, Brooke Valentine, Emma Wilbur, Helen Lillia) 4:42.79 High jump: 1. Kami Casiano, Woodstown 5-2 Long jump: 3. Ramiyah Jones, Salem 16-0.5; 4. Dynastie Tucker, Salem 15-2.5; 5. Arianna Dowe, Penns Grove, 15-0.75 Shot put: 4. Zoey Ceasar, Penns Grove, 30-2.5; 5. Sara Lodge, Woodstown 29-10.75
MONDAY, FEB. 2 BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at West Deptford, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Gateway, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Cape May Tech, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Wildwood, 7 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Paulsboro, 4 p.m. Cape May Tech at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Overbrook, 4:30 p.m. Woodstown at Millville, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Schalick at Salem, 5 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Collingswood, Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Penns Grove, Salem at Ott Center, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEB. 3 BOYS BASKETBALL Woodstown at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m. Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 7 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Overbrook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. ACIT, Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Washington Twp., Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Montgomery at Salem CC, 7 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 WRESTLING Woodstown at Overbrook, 5 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 6:30 p.m. BOWLING TCC Showcase, Lucky Strikes, 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 5 BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Buena, 7 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Clayton at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Overbrook at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Salem, Oakcrest at Hammonton, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Harrisburg Area at Salem CC, 6 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Delaware Tech at Salem CC, TBA
FRIDAY, FEB. 6 GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Schalick, 4 p.m. Millville at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Bridgeton, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 7 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Deptford, 11:30 a.m. Pennsville at Woodstown, noon Battle by the Bay, Atlantic City Salem vs. Cherry Hill East, 4 p.m. WRESTLING Lindenwold, Vineland, Winslow at Penns Grove, 9 a.m. Clearview, Egg Harbor, Haddon Twp. at Pennsville, 10 a.m. Salem, Oakcrest, Sterling, Timber Creek at Mays Landing, 10 a.m. Woodstown, Lacey at Williamstown, 10:30 a.m. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Philadelphia at Salem CC, noon WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at Middlesex, noon
Salem, Schalick girls battle in preview of county’s rising stars, Lecator shows out in Metro Classic, Salem Tech bowlers win school’s first-ever girls division title, and more
GIRLS BASKETBALL Pennsville 64, Salem Tech 20 Schalick 37, Salem 33 Woodstown 65, Clayton 52 BOYS BASKETBALL Rutgers Prep 67, Salem 55 Woodstown 86, Clayton 63 Pennsville 43, Salem Tech 40 Penns Grove 57, Wildwood 47 BOWLING Boys: Lindenwold 4, Salem Tech 0 Girls: Salem Tech 4, Lindenwold 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – In a battle of the two up-and-coming girls basketball teams in Salem County, the one with the most experience prevailed.
With the number of quality young players in prominent roles for both teams, Salem and Schalick appear to be the next big thing on the county girls basketball scene.
Schalick has more veterans sharing the floor with its rising stars and the Cougars used that mix to their advantage Thursday in turning back the Rams for their fifth straight win, 37-33.
“In tight games like this it comes down to experience,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “Experience and confidence. That’s the two main thing we relied on tonight.
“We have our five starters who were all here last year. Our bench consists of very young players new to the program so they’re getting their experience at both the JV and varsity level. (Against) Paulsboro, we were forced to call on some them and they came up big. In this moment today, we just relied on our starters, so it kind of flip flops back and forth based on the game and how the game’s going.”
Usually, the Cougars (10-3) are driven by the play of sophomores Nevaeh Robinson and Willow Davis, but Salem did a good job of bottling them up, so they turned to senior starters Ava Scurry and Cali Fisler to see them through.
The Rams (6-7) held Robinson and Davis to a combined 15 points. Scurry scored only six points, but she was a force inside, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking six shots. Fisler scored 10 points, her season high.
“Ava all season has been our anchor defensively, for sure,” Whelan said. “Offensively, she helped us out today early. We kind of spread the love around with the points today, as good basketball teams can.”
The Rams’ fortunes, meanwhile, run through Dyaira Anderson and juniors Maddie Dixon and Carlysia Pierce. Dixon scored only three points, but she does so much more. Anderson had 10 points, eight in the fourth quarter. Pierce was their leading scorer with 11 points.
While some on their roster have varsity experience, they’re all learning to play a different way under coach Kemp Carr.
“We played so hard, I’m proud to be these girls’ coach,” Carr said. “I’m just super proud of the identity (they’re forming) and how we are getting better. You can see it in spurts, we just need to put a 32-minute game together that we haven’t done yet.“But where they are from the beginning of the year to now … those things are happening, so eventually your experience will start catching up with those things . I think the future’s very bright for this program.”
“The future for both these programs is bright,” Whelan concurred.
Salem broke out a new defense for the first time – a 1-3-1 zone – in hope of handling Robinson and Davis and Carr thought it was “pretty efficient.”
They first rolled it out right after scoring their first points of the game midway through the first quarter. Scurry got behind it to score right away, but after that the Rams held to Cougars to one point and forced seven turnovers the rest of the quarter to grab a 9-7 lead.
Robinson finally got loose in the second half. She scored eight of her 10 points after halftime, with six of those coming on two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that kept giving the Cougars separation.
“You have to hand it to Salem,” Whelan said. “They fought to the very end. They never gave in. They gave us a really good basketball game. Our girls, they withstood all the pressure. Salem was relentless. We handled that pretty well.”
3-point goals: Schalick 3 (Robinson 2, Davis); Salem 1 (Dixon). Rebounds: Schalick 26 (Scurry 10, Robinson 6); Salem 32 (Anderson 10, Dixon 8, Pierce 6). Total fouls: Schalick 11, Salem 10. Officials: Bock, Heard, Fowlkes.
Schalick’s Willow Davis (2) and Olivia Vanacker (12) move in to trap Salem’s Maddie Dixon in the corner during Thursday’s game. Top photo, Schalick’s Ava Scurry (R) challenges Dyaira Anderson at midcourt.
PENNSVILLE 64, SALEM TECH 20: Sophomore Addie Johnston led all scorers with 16 points and Marley Wood filled the box score with six points, six rebounds and 10 assists as the Eagles completed a sweep of their first wave through the other five Salem County teams. Taylor Bass contributed 12 points and eight assists to the win. Izzy Saulin had 10 points and seven boards. Shelby Drummond led the Chargers with 13 points.
WOODSTOWN 65, CLAYTON 52: The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead, let the Clippers back into it at halftime, then steadily pulled away in the second half. Kendall Young and Emma Perry led four Woodstown scorers in double figures with career-highs 19 and 18, respectively. Lauren Hengel and Kyia Leyman added 12 points apiece.
Young also had six rebounds, four assists and six steals. Hengel had nine rebounds and three steals. Leyman blocked six shots. Talia Guardascione had six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
PENNSVILLE 43, SALEM TECH 40: The Eagles have their first winning streak of the season as they won their second straight behind 16 points from Mason O’Brien and a team 14-of-16 from the free throw line. Danny Knight and Jake Layfield added 10 points apiece. It’s the first time Pennsville has won back to back games since Jan. 29-30, 2024.
Salem Tech’s Luke Kroll led all scorers with 18 points and Raphael Busch had a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds). Aiden Bobo had eight points and eight boards.
3-point goals: Salem Tech 5 (Bobo, L. Kroll 4); Pennsville 7 (Layfield, Clark, Knight 3, O’Brien 2). Rebounds: Salem Tech 30 (Busch 12, Bobo 8).
PENNS GROVE 57, WILDWOOD 47: Penns Grove’s defense ruled the floor in the first half, then the offense took over in the second half.
The Red Devils held Wildwood to 10 points in a low-scoring first half, then their offense erupted for 22 points in each of the final two quarters to secure their fourth straight win.
Roman Gipson was the catalyst in the second half. In the third quarter, Geonni Conrad hit his two 3-pointers and Mishawn Brantley had two three-point plays.
Roman Gipson scored a team-high 12 points, Brantley had 11 and four other Red Devils scored at least seven points. Wildwood’s Nolan Mawhinney led all scorers with 24 points.
WILDWOOD (7-9): Owen Bannon 1-0-3, Gianni Troiano 1-1-3, Trevor Troiano 2-2-8, Nolan Mawhinney 10-4-24, Jeff Knight 2-2-6, Vinny Sweeney 0-3-3. Totals 16-12-47. PENNS GROVE (11-6): Roman Gipson 4-3-12, Carson Pearsall 3-0-8, Haneef Frisby 2-3-7, Will Roy 4-1-9, Geonni Conrad 2-2-8, Luis Colon 0-0-0, Messiah Allah 0-0-0, Jameel Horace 1-0-2. Totals 20-12-57.
Wildwood
4
6
18
19-
47
Penns Grove
5
8
22
22-
57
3-point goals: Wildwood 3 (Bannon, T. Troiano 2); Penns Grove 5 (Gipson, Pearsall 2, Conrad 2).
RUTGERS PREP 67, SALEM 55: The Rams came out of the gate slow in the Metro Classic, but they came to life in the second half to make a game of it.
They got into the event at the last minute and trailed 36-14 at halftime. They made an impression in the second half, though, outscoring the Argonauts 41-33.
Tymear Lecator found the rims at Stockton University friendly. He hit six 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers. He also had five rebounds and five assists. Deshaan Williams had 11 points and five rebounds. Marshall Stephens grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots.
SALEM (12-3): Deshaan Williams 11, Marshall Stephens 4, BJ Robbins 4, Neziah Spence 3, Tymear Lecator 31, Darelle Johnson 2. Totals 23-2-55. RUTGERS PREP (13-6): Logan Franz 3 2-2 9, Nicolas Nsenkyire 3 0-0 6, Rocco Loomis 6 4-4 18, Bryce Williams 3 0-0 8, William Brunson 7 2-4 18, Julian Ceberio 1 0-0 3, Morgan Duncan 1 0-0 2, Oliver Cohen 1 0-0 3. Totals 25 8-10 67.
Salem
8
6
20
21-
55
Rutgers Prep
16
20
16
17-
67
3-point goals: Salem 7 (Spence, Lecator 6); Rutgers Prep 9 (Franz, Loomis 2, Williams 2, Brunson 2, Ceberio, Cohen). Rebounds: Salem 25 (Stephens 12); Rutgers Prep 24 (Nsenkyire 11).
WOODSTOWN 86, CLAYTON 63: Blake Bialecki has been on a tear. On this night the Wolverines senior tied his career-high with seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Over his last four games he has scored 85 points and hit 17 3-pointers. He is now 36 points away from 1,000 and 10 away from setting the Wolverines’ all-time records for 3s.
Andrew White had a career-high 19 points for the Wolverines. Twelve players scored for the Wolverines in all.
Bowling: First-time champs
SALEM TECH GIRLS 4, LINDENWOLD 0: Naomi Hess rolled the Chargers’ high game (146) and high series (446) as the Chargers clinched the TCC Classic Division title, the first girls team in Salem Tech history to win a division crown. Casey Zaluske rolled a 146 in Game 2 and Candyce Cooper rolled three consecutive 143s. The boys lost 4-0. Rosario Torres rolled their high game (190) and series (521).
