Category: WOODSTOWN

Feels good to finish

Penns Grove finally pulls out close game, edges Woodstown to snap five-game losing streak; Salem slams Salem Tech, shorthanded Pennsville beats Schalick in OT

TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Pennsville 42, Schalick 37
Penns Grove 47, Woodstown 42
Salem 83, Salem Tech 41

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – That Penns Grove won a basketball game for the first time in two weeks was cause enough for celebration in the locker room after it was over, but the way it won the game might have been the most welcoming news of all.

The Red Devils snapped a five-game losing streak – their longest slide in seven years – Tuesday night with a 47-42 win over Tri-County Diamond Division rival Woodstown. They did it by outscoring the Wolverines 7-2 over the final minute and hitting five of six free throws down the stretch.

Exactly a week ago they lost a game they were leading by three with less than a minute to go.

“We needed it bad,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “The five-game losing streak was really rough. To get this win today against a good Woodstown team is very important for us. It gives us confidence.

“The guys work so hard and it hurts when you have those close losses because you want the kids to have success. I want them to have the success and feel the success because they work for it.”

Now, teams win games with late runs all the day, but if you knew anything about the Red Devils’ recent history, you knew endgame scenarios haven’t been kind to them.

The losses on the front and back ends of the five-game losing streak were hopeless blowouts, but in each of the three in the middle – in a span of four days – they had legitimate chances to win and couldn’t finish.

They lost at Clearview on a steal and layup with 12 seconds left and missed two shots to win or tie it. They got beat at home by Glassboro on a buzzer-beater 3 in a game they were leading by three with a minute left. And then they lost at home to Wildwood in overtime when they just ran out of gas.

“I think the fact of winning a close game that came down to when it was winning time (was the big thing),” Ware said. “I tell the kids all the time the thing with winning and losing is it’s one possession here or there. Everything has to be solid. 

“You can’t try to be fancy because that one possession could be the one that we needed at the end of the game. I try to make them value every single possession and we’re starting to get to that point.”

Penns Grove’s Mr Peterson (10) comes out to challenge a shot by Woodstown’s Alejandro Vazquez in the game’s closing seconds.

Neither team would let the other get too far ahead. The way they were going after it defensively, a six-point lead felt like it was a lot bigger than it actually was.

Early in the game Rocco String gave the Wolverines an edge with his commanding inside presence. But soon both he and Max Webb would be in foul trouble and sat most of the second quarter. Penns Grove’s Mr Peterson was there to take advantage of the opening and command the respect his name demands.

Peterson had six points and two rebounds in an 11-2 run that gave the Red Devils the lead early in the quarter. The Wolverines followed with their own rally to cut Penns Grove’s halftime lead to 20-19. It stayed close like that the rest of the game.

“Tonight was all about playing harder than I did last night,” Peterson said, referring to the Red Devils’ 40-point to Salem. “So, I came out and did it. To be honest, it felt good.”

With the game tied at 40, Penns Grove guard KaRon Ceaser made a basket around String and then stole the inbounds pass like a defensive back. He got it to Mekhi Ballard who was fouled and hit the first two of his four free throws with 41 seconds left to give the Red Devils a four-point lead.

“Coach called the press and I got the middle,” Ceaser said. “It’s like playing safety in football, so I just reacted when the ball was in the air. I had to go get it and make a play.”

“The last couple days at practice we’ve been doing situationals,” Ware said. “I think we’re starting to understand what it takes at the end of games to win, especially when we’re in these close games. I’m glad we got one today.”

“It feels like we just broke the spell, so we’re just going to keep winning from here on,” Mekhi Ballard said.

Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman converted a crisp pass from Alejandro Vazquez into a layup to make it 44-42 with 25 seconds left. The Wolverines called time to set up their end game, then came out of the break and fouled Ballard in the backcourt. The Red Devils’ guard, the player Ware wants at the line down the stretch of a close game, made those two to make it 46-42. 

The Wolverines missed three shots to get closer – 3-pointers by Blake Bialecki and Webb and a wild turnaround jumper in the lane by Connor Sanderson – then fouled Willie Slocum on the defensive rebound. Slocum made one of two for the final margin.

The Red Devils were 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. They were 6-for-10 in the first three, usually making the first and missing the second.

“I remember going to the line thinking I’ve got to make these free throws if we want to win this game,” Ballard said. “I think in the clutch we come through as a team and we end up making our free throws.

“Sometimes in the beginning of the game we start off real shaky. In the beginning of the game I don’t think we really try as hard to make our free throws as at the end of the game. When it’s time to win the game I think we come through as a team and make our free throws.”

While it may be debatable just how good a win it was for the Red Devils, there’s no denying it was a bad loss to for the Wolverines. 

Woodstown is currently one of the bubble teams in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. The Wolverines went into the game as the only team between No. 10 and the bottom (No. 23) with a winning overall record, but they were No. 15 in the standings.

PENNS GROVE 47, WOODSTOWN 42
WOODSTOWN (8-6) – Manny Ortega 0 0-0 0, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 8, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 4 0-0 8, Connor Sanderson 0 0-0 0, Garrett Leyman 3 0-0 6, Anthony Bokolas 1 0-0 2, Max Webb 1 1-2 3, Rocco String 5 0-0 10, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 2-4 42.
PENNS GROVE (6-11) – Roman Gipson 0 0-0 0, Giomar Conrad 7 0-0 16, KaRon Ceaser 1 4-10 6, Willie Slocum 1 3-4 5, Mekhi Ballard 3 4-4 12, Camron Thompson 0 0-0 0, Khiry Higgs 0 2-2 2, Mr Peterson 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 13-20 47.

Woodstown9101013 –42
Penns Grove6141314 –47
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Bialecki, Caesar); Penns Grove 4 (Conrad 2, Ballard 2). Total fouls: Woodstown 16, Penns Grove 10.

SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41: One night after senior Anthony Farmer became the latest member of the school’s 1,000-point club and they nearly turned over the scoreboard, the Rams poured it on again. They opened a a 60-15 halftime lead and cruised to their fourth straight win and 13th in a row over Salem County competition.

Freshman Tymear Lecator led three Salem scorers in double figures with 19 points. Jabez DeJesus had 11 and Davonte Jackson doubled his season output with a career-high 10, and four other Rams had at least eight points. Farmer saw limited action after scoring 36 points in each of his previous two games.

Salem has won four in a row.

SALEM 83, SALEM TECH 41
SALEM TECH (1-14) – Chase Wills 3 0-0 7, Haneef Frisby 3 2-6 8, Joseph Hayes 4 1-2 9, Daviontae Russell 1 0-0 2, Tyler Zampino 3 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 3 3-5 9, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 6-13 41.
SALEM (11-6) – Anthony Farmer 0 0-0 0, Donovan Weathers 1 0-0 2, Ramaji Bundy 3 0-0 6, Jabez DeJesus 4 0-1 11, Paul Weathers 2 3-4 8, Tymear Lecator 8 0-0 19, Xavier McGriff 3 0-0 8, Antwone Rogers 4 1-2 9, Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8, Joseph Tunis 1 0-0 2, Davante Jackson 4 0-0 10. Totals 34 4-6 83.
Salem Tech1141511 –41
Salem32281211 –83
3-point goals: Salem Tech (Wills); Salem 11 (DeJesus 3, P. Weathers, Lecator 3, McGriff 2, Jackson 2). Total fouls: Salem Tech 8.

PENNSVILLE 42, SCHALICK 37 (OT): The Eagles were down three starters and had only eight varsity players available, but found enough within themselves to win for the second night in a row, this time in overtime.

Jayden Thomas, Danny Saulin and Malik Rehmer all missed the game for various reasons and probably won’t be available when the Eagles go to Woodstown Thursday. Coach Joe Mecholsky pulled up two junior varsity players to make sure he had two full units

The Eagles led most of the game, but fell behind 30-29 with 1:47 left before Cohen Petrutz put them back on top with a 3-pointer.

Schalick’s Danny Lis’ tip-in off a missed 3 with 4.8 seconds left tied the game at 33. The Eagles had a shot to win it in regulation and got what they wanted with Petrutz driving the lane. There was contact, but no foul and the game went to overtime.

Petrutz and Mason O’Brien gave the Eagles the lead in overtime and their defense did the rest.

“When you give up 36 points you’ve done something right,” Mecholsky said.

Peyton O’Brien led the Eagles with 13 points. Petrutz had 12. Luke Wood had all nine of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Reggie Allen led Schalick with 13 points – all in the second half – and Lis had 12.

“To be shorthanded and to pull through the adversity will make us tougher for the stretch run,” Mecholsky said.

PENNSVILLE 41, SCHALICK 37 (OT)
SCHALICK (5-9) – Reggie Allen 5 0-4 13, Levi Feeney-Childers 1 1-2 3, Dan Lis 6 0-0 12, Nylan Sutton 3 0-2 7, Nasir Sutton 0 0-0 0, Jake Siedlecki 0 0-0 0, Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-2 2, Jase Volovar 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-10 37.
PENNSVILLE (8-10) – Luke Wood 2 5-5 9, Peyton O’Brien 6 1-4 13, Cohen Petrutz 5 1-2 12, Mason O’Brien 2 0-0 4, Connor Starn 1 0-0 3, Cole Johnston 0 0-0 0, Carlos Merendino 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-11 41.
Schalick 668144 –37
Pennsville867118 –41
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Allen 3, Ny. Sutton); Pennsville 2 (Petrutz, Starn). Total fouls: Schalick 14, Pennsville 7.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman14-46-0Overbrook13-56-1
Gloucester Cath.10-75-3Glassboro8-105-2
Salem11-64-3Penns Grove6-114-2
Wildwood11-74-3Woodstown8-63-4
Clayton3-141-5Pennsville8-102-5
Salem Tech1-140-6Schalick5-90-6

Shannon steps up

Tuesday’s girls roundup: Pierman produces in a big way on Woodstown’s Senior Night, Pennsville sees what its full complement can do, Salem back in win column

TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Woodstown 60, Penns Grove 44
Pennsville 49, Schalick 16
Salem 52, Salem Tech 32

By Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Shannon Pierman enjoyed a big Senior Night and juniors Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio both moved within 40 points of 1,000 for their careers Tuesday leading Woodstown’s girls to a 60-44 victory over Penns Grove.

Pierman had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double and ninth of her career. It was the seventh time in the last eight games she has had 10 or more rebounds and the 10th time all season. She has averaged 12.7 points and 11.7 rebounds over the past three games, the best three-game stretch of her career.

“Shannon played her butt off,” Wolverines coach Kara Straughn said. “She is by far the best center in Salem County.”

Donelson and Battavio, meanwhile, both continued their march to a milestone. Donelson led the Wolverines’ offense with 23 points and now stands at 971 for her career. Battavio added 16 points and is now at 960.

The Wolverines (13-3) opened the game on a 16-2 run, led 24-18 at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter.

“The girls played solid, composed team ball,” Straughn said, “and that’s what wins us games over and over.”

Penns Grove’s Meely Horace also is on track to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She scored 15 points in the game and now had 959. RaNiyah Wilson was the Red Devils’ leading scorer with 22 points.

WOODSTOWN 60, PENNS GROVE 44
PENNS GROVE (7-8) – RaNiyah Wilson 9 1-2 22, Meely Horace 7 0-0 15, Brianna Robbins 2 0-2 5, Amani Taylor 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 0 1-2 1, JaNiyah Cummings 0 0-0 0, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Semijah Hines 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 3-8 44.
WOODSTOWN (13-3) – Talia Battavio 6 4-4 16, Megan Donelson 7 9-13 23, Gianna Maiorini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 2 1-2 5, Shannon Pieman 4 6-8 14, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 20-29 60.

Penns Grove612917 –44
Woodstown1681917 –60
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Wilson 3, Horace, Robbins).

SALEM 62, SALEM TECH 32: Nine players scored and four players flirted with double-doubles as Salem bounced back from a Monday loss to Penns Grove to pick up a win that moved it into third place in the Tri-County Classic Division behind two of the best teams in South Jersey.

Ameriyona Hunter led the Rams with 11 points. She also had seven rebounds and seven steals. Ryann Foote had nine points and 10 boards. Ava Rogers had eight points and nine rebounds. NaeNae Logan had seven points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots (raising her season total to 74).

SALEM 52, SALEM TECH 32
SALEM (7-9) – Ameriyona Hunter 4 0-0 11, Ryann Foote 4 1-3 9, Lyric Hayes 1 0-0 3, Carlysia Pierce 1 1-2 3, Madison Dixon 1 0-0 2, Ava Rodgers 4 0-0 8, NaeNae Logan 3 1-2 7, Kaela Nichols 1 1-1 3, Dakirah Gray 0 0-0 0, Nevaeh Hickman 3 0-0 6, Zaniyah Freson 0 0-0 0, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 4-8 52.
SALEM TECH (1-12) – Hanna DeWitt 0 0-4 0, Morgan VanDover 3 0-0 7, TiRonna McGaha 2 1-1 5, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-2 2, Rylee Doerr 2 1-2 5, Shelby Drummond 2 2-2 6. Totals 10 4-11 25.

Salem1561813 –52
Salem Tech65615 –32
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Hunter 3, Hayes); Salem Tech 1 (VanDover).

PENNSVILLE 49, SCHALICK 16: Nora Ausland had the best game of the two she’s played since returning from a foot injury and hit five 3-pointers on the way to leading the Eagles with 19 points. Marley Wood had 15 points.

The Eagles held their hosts scoreless in the second quarter and without a field goal in the second and third quarters.

“It was a much-needed win,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said.

The Eagles had lost four in a row.

PENNSVILLE 49, SCHALICK 16
PENNSVILLE (7-10) – Nora Ausland 7 0-0 19, Taylor Bass 3 1-2 7, Karsen Cooksey 0 0-0 0, Bella Farina 0 2-4 2, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Marley Wood 7 0-0 15. Totals 20 3-6 49.
SCHALICK (5-9) – Ava Scurry 2 1-3 5, Gianna Gaines 0 0-2 0, Taylor Sparks 2 1-4 7, Abby Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Carly Vicente 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 1 2-4 4, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 0 0-0 0. Totals 5 4-11 16.
Pennsville13111213 –49
Schalick6028 –16
3-point goals: Pennsville 6 (N. Ausland 5, Wood); Schalick 2 (Sparks 2). Total fouls: Pennsville 9, Schalick 7.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Wildwood13-46-0Woodstown13-36-0
Gloucester Cath.13-55-1Glassboro10-55-2
Salem7-93-3Pennsville7-104-3
Pitman8-72-4Penns Grove7-82-4
Clayton7-92-4Schalick5-91-5
Salem Tech1-120-6Overbrook3-121-5

Devilish defense

Monday girls roundup: Penns Grove uses strong defense to dump Salem, Woodstown dominates Delran, Pennsville falls to Glassboro

MONDAY GIRLS SCORES
Glassboro 47, Pennsville 41
Penns Grove 66, Salem 31
Woodstown 65, Delran 31

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – The Penns Grove girls are at their best when their defense is running hot and Monday it was as good as it has been all year – especially in the first half.

The Red Devils forced a ton of turnovers and cleared most of the boards on both ends of the floor while dominating Salem 66-31 to snap a three-game losing streak in which they didn’t really have their best defensive player.

“They did pretty good with the defense,” Penns Grove coach Jennifer Denby said. “They did OK.”

The Red Devils were particularly sharp in the first half. They had 12 steals in the first 12 minutes to fuel a 25-5 lead that became 29-5 at the half. The only two baskets they allowed in the half were a bucket down low by Ava Rodgers in the first quarter and a 3-ball from Carlysia Pierce in the second.

“I feel like we could do better, but it was pretty good at the start,” guard Amani Taylor said.

Taylor was the catalyst. She missed significant minutes or altogether games during the losing streak after taking a shot in the nose during the Pennsville game, but she was back Monday wearing a plastic faceguard and was eager to make up for lost time.

“She was our missing (piece to the) puzzle,” Denby said. “We need her on the floor. She’s our general on the floor.”

Taylor had four steals in the first quarter and seven in the first half, whether it was with quick hands at the front of the press, sealing off the back door in the trap or just being disruptive in the middle of the floor. She finished with eight steals in the game.

“I really missed playing defense knowing my team was struggling a little bit,” she said. “I just like being aggressive.”

All coaches hope their defense leads to offense and it did for the Red Devils. RaNiyah Wilson led them in scoring with 28 points; she had 10 in the first quarter and 14 in the fourth.

Meely Horace put a dent in her bid to reach the 1,000-point plateau with 17; she needs 56. She also had 16 rebounds.

PENNS GROVE 66, SALEM 31
SALEM (6-9) – Ameriyona Hunter 2 0-2 4, Carlysia Pierce 1 0-0 3, Marjziah Bundy 1 0-0 2, Ryann Foote 4 2-4 10, Lyric Hayes 0 0-0 0, NaeNae Logan 1 0-0 2, Madison Dixon 0 0-0 0, Neveah Hickman 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 1 4-4 6, Ava Rodgers 2 0-0 4. Totals 12 6-8 31.
PENNS GROVE (7-7) – Brianna Robbins 4 1-2 9, RaNiyah Wilson 11 4-6 28, Amani Taylor 1 0-0 2, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Meely Horace 7 3-6 17, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 3 2-5 8, JaNiyah Cummings 1 0-4 2. Totals 27 10-23 66.

Salem231412 –31
Penns Grove1415928 –66
3-point goals: Salem 1 (Pierce); Penns Grove 2 (Wilson 2). Technical fouls: Foote. Total fouls: Salem 14, Penns Grove 16.

WOODSTOWN 65, DELRAN 31: Megan Donelson and Talia Battavio moved closer to the 1,000-point plateau with 22 and 21 points, respectively and Shannon Pierman passed 500 career rebounds with 15 in the game.

Both Donelson and Pierman enjoyed double-doubles. Donelson had 10 steals to go with her points and Pierman had 12 points to go with her rebounds. Pieman now has 503 career boards.

Donelson is now 52 points shy of the milestone. Battavio needs 56.

WOODSTOWN 65, DELRAN 31
WOODSTOWN (12-3) – Talia Battavio 7 5-7 21, Megan Donelson 8 4-10 22, Gianna Mairoini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 2 0-0 4, Shannon Pierman 4 4-6 12, Lauren Hengel 1 0-0 2, Emma Perry 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 1 0-0 2, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 13-23 65.
DELRAN (4-12) – Alexis Wachter 1 1-2 3, Ashley Doyle 3 3-8 9, Abby Shaeffer 4 0-0 9, Sienna Weaver 0 0-0 0, Madeline Speigel 1 1-2 3, Isabella Nunes 0 2-2 2, Lily Theis 1 0-1 2, Gianna Spinelli 0 0-0 0, Ellie Haskell 0 0-0 0, Chloe Canicci 0 0-0 0, Ava Kelly 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 7-15 31.

Woodstown24111614  –65
Delran81166 –31
3-point goals: Woodstown 4 (Battavio 2, Donelson 2); Delran 4 (Doyle 3, Shaeffer). Total fouls: Woodstown 13, Delran 17.

GLASSBORO 47, PENNSVILLE 41: Nora Ausland returned to the Pennsville lineup for the first time in 10 days and scored six points, but the Eagles didn’t quite have enough to offset a pair of 20-point Glassboro efforts in their first game since coach Sam Trapp announced her decision to step away from coaching at the end of the season.

Kezia Brackett and Tamia Smith had 22 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the Bulldogs. Bella Farina led Pennsville with 13 points.

GLASSBORO 47, PENNSVILLE 41
GLASSBORO (9-5) – Sanaa Thomas 0 3-4 3, Tamia Smith 6 5-8 20, Kezia Brackett 8 2-5 22, Sianna Wedderburn 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-17 47.
PENNSVILLE (6-10) – Nora Ausland 3 0-0 6, Calli Ausland 2 0-0 5, Taylor Bass 0 3-4 3, Bella Farina 5 3-5 13, Izzy Saulin 3 0-0 6, Marley Wood 3 2-2 8. Totals 16 8-11 41.

Glassboro9101315 –47
Pennsville6131111 –41
3-point goals: Glassboro 7 (Smith 3, Brackett 4); Pennsville 1 (C. Ausland).

Cover photo: Penns Grove’s Amani Taylor (5) comes up to play defense on Salem’s Ameriyona Hunter during their game Monday. Taylor led a defense effort that was strong all game and held the Rams to two field goals in the first half.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 3; SJIBT Elite 8, four county basketball players could reach 1,000-point milestone among this week’s highlights

Monday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Glassboro at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Delran, 6:30 p.m.
Boys
Penns Grove at Salem, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Gateway, 5:30 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
Schalick vs. TBA, Toms River

SWIMMING
Salem vs. Woodstown at GCIT, 8:15 p.m.

BOWLING
Salem vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at West Deptford, 4 p.m.

WRESTLING
Deptford Twp. at Schalick, 5 p.m.

Tuesday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Schalick at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 7 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Men
CC of Philadelphia at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Women
Salem CC at Harcum College, 5 p.m.

BOWLING
Salem Tech at Lindenwold, 4 p.m.

Wednesday

WRESTLING
Cumberland at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m.
Pennsville, Glassboro at Clayton, 6 p.m.

SWIMMING
Tri-County Conference Showcase at GCIT, 3 p.m.

BOWLING
Salem vs. Salem Tech, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.

Thursday

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

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 5 p.m.
Men
Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 7 p.m.

BOWLING
Salem vs. Hammonton, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech vs. Kingsway, Wood Lanes, 4 p.m.

Friday

BASKETBALL
Girls
St. Joe (Hamm.) at Salem Tech, 5 p.m.
Gateway at Schalick, 5:30 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Boys
Salem Tech at Riverside, 5:15 p.m.
Schalick at Gateway, 5:30 p.m.
West Deptford at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m.

WRESTLING
Salem, Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Timber Creek, 5 p.m.
Pennsville at Burlington Twp., 6 p.m.
Schalick at Absegami, 6 p.m.

INDOOR TRACK
NJSIAA Sectionals, Toms River

SWIMMING
Woodstown vs. Haddon Heights at Giant Fitness, 6 p.m.

Saturday

BASKETBALL
Girls
Pennsville at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m.

South Jersey Invitational Tournament
at Eastern HS
Paul VI vs. Timber Creek, 5:45 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Cherokee, 7:30 p.m.

Boys
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 11:30 a.m.
Salem vs. Paulsboro at Atlantic City, 6:30 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Women
Raritan Valley CC at Salem CC, noon
Men
Salem CC at Luzerne County CC, noon

WRESTLING
Bordentown, Vineland at Penns Grove, 9 a.m.
Clearview, Hammonton, Central Regional at Pennsville, 10 a.m.
Woodstown, Lacey, Pennsauken at Burlington Twp., 10 a.m.

Saturday roundup

Here is a complete look at Saturday’s sports action in Salem County, includes basketball, wrestling, track; will be updated throughout the day

Wrestling

WOODSTOWN – Woodstown’s impressive second-half turnaround continued Saturday morning as the Wolverines won three dual matches to get back to .500 for the season and put themselves in a position to host part of the first two rounds of the South Jersey Group I tournament.

In their last three matches before Saturday’s state cutoff, the Wolverines dominated Clayton/Glassboro 51-13, Penns Grove 54-18 and Millville 57-18, running their winning streak to seven in a row.

They are now back to .500 for the season, 10-10. At one point they were 2-9.

They started the day T-2 with Audubon in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, but were the virtual No. 2 having beaten the Green Wave head-to-head in one of their early-season victories. If it holds through the calculations of the other Saturday matches, as the No. 2 seed they will host 7, 3 and 6 when the tournament opens Feb. 5.

Woodstown’s Mateo Vinciguerra pinned at 215 to clinch the Wolverines’ win over Millville, locking up a 3-0 sweep of the day and the presumptive No. 2 seed. Paulsboro currently holds the No. 1 spot.

With the best information currently available, Woodstown would host Haddon Twp. and No. 3 Audubon vs. No. 6 Palmyra. The other side of the bracket at Paulsboro projects No. 5 Pennsville vs. No. 4 Gloucester and No. 8 Pitman vs. Paulsboro. The seeds become official Monday.

In the Group IV bracket, Schalick/Cumberland is projected No. 7.

WOODSTOWN 51, CLAYTON/GLASSBORO 13
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned William Camp, 1:02
138: Conrad Raynor (CG) maj. dec. over Willem Groom, 11-2
144: Shawn McKellick (CG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 1:24
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Sam Raynor, 0:56
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) dec. Brodie Carey, 3-1
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Colby Carr, 3:26
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Jamal Brown, 0:41
190: Karsten Hantho (Wo) dec. Jeffrey Smith, 11-6
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) won by forfeit
285: Luciano Mazzeo (CG) dec. Andre Sinou, 5-0
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Ryan Bivens, 1:13
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Ryan McKellick, 5-2

WOODSTOWN 54, PENNS GROVE 18
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Devine Arce, 7-0
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:03
138: Willem Groom (Wo) won by forfeit
144: Nasir Garris (PG) pinned Angel Hernandez, 2:53
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Anthony Brown, 12-8
157: Jayden Owens (PG) pinned Zayden Donahue, 0:16
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Antonio Garris, 1:39
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:04
190: Isaiah Underwood (PG) pinned Karsten Hantho, 1:41
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Sumir Brown, 0:44
285: Andre Sinou (Wo) pinned Antonio Cooper, 0:29
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Double forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) won by forfeit

WOODSTOWN 57, MILLVILLE 18
138: Willem Groom (Wo) pinned Marzine Johnson, 2:25
144: Laitton Roberts (Wo) pinned Alexander Mendez, 2:41
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) pinned Jacob Jones, 4:59
157: Zayden Donahue (Wo) pinned Ryan Tepper, 2:39
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Marquis Allen, 5:51
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) pinned Trystan Brooks, 2:59
190: Xavier McBride (M) dec. Karsten Hantho, 7-0
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) pinned Jayden Jones, 2:23
285: Marcus Offer (M) dec. Andre Sinou, 1-0
106: Chase Blandino (Wo) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit
120: Travis Balback (Wo) dec. John Roman, 8-1
126: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Carson Bradway, 0:38
132: Alex Torres (Wo) won by forfeit
Records: Woodstown 10-10

MILLVILLE 60, PENNS GROVE 15
132: Patrick Tull (M) pinned Raeed Clark, 1:25
138: Marzine Johnson (M) won by forfeit
144: Nasir Garris (P) dec. Alexander Mendez, 9-6
150: Tre Brown (P) pinned Jacob Jones, 1:27
157: Jayden Owens (P) pinned Ryan Tepper, 0:52
165: Marquis Allen (M) pinned Antonio Garris, 4:43
175: Trystan Brooks (M) pinned Clinton Bobo, 3:00
190: Xavier McBride (M) pinned Isaiah Upshur, 0:43
215: Jayden Jones (M) pinned Isaiah Underwood, 1:24
285: Marcus Offer (M) won by forfeit
106: Double forfeit
113: Vincent Devita (M) won by forfeit
120: Caleb Rhodes (M) won by forfeit
126: Josh Roman (M) pinned Devine Arce, 5:29

SC Wrestling Quad

VINELAND 47, SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 28
175: Noah Cruz (V) pinned Eric Sulik, 1:31
190: Gabriel Rodriguez (SC) pinned Zach Echevarria, 1:28
215: Gavin Gallo (V) pinned Dean Jost, 1:30
285: Donny St. Jean (V) dec. Noval Jenkins, UTB 3-2
106: Dentin Pickett (V) pinned Caleb Jenkins, 1:05
113: Josh Kinchen (V) maj. dec. over DeAnthony Harden, 13-4
120: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Chad Score, 0:37
126: Leland Minkowski (V) pinned Chase Williams, 4:50
132: Jayden Minkowski (V) pinned Ryan Miller, 2:56
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Everett Cronk, 0:33
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) pinned Alejandro Calderon, 4:41
150: Riley Papiano (SC) maj. dec. over Caden Barnes, 12-3
157: Lionel Powell (V) maj. dec. Anthony Deaver, 13-2
165: Matt Torres (V) over Jake Magonagle, injury

Basketball

SATURDAY’S SCORES
Girls
Woodbury 71, Penns Grove 48
Camden Tech 23, Schalick 21
Boys
Triton 63, Pennsville 42
Camden Tech 44, Schalick 43

RUNNEMEDE – Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has never really been a big fan of these Saturday matinee games and now he has more reason to dislike them.

The Eagles went on the road and lost to Triton Regional 63-42. They have lost their last eight Saturday games going back to the 2020-21 season.

They were up by one at halftime in this one, but the Mustangs erupted for six 3-pointers and outscored them 30-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Triton speared 11 3s in the game, seven in the second half. Jayon Sanders-Cash (19 points) hit all three of his 3s in the quarter, Justice Avery (15) had two of his five, and Richie Kosma had the other.

It was a costly loss for the Eagles (6-10). Post Danny Saulin is facing a two-game suspension for a flagrant foul in the game and possibly more internally. The Mustangs also held Eagles 1,000-point junior Luke Wood to only four points – all in the fourth quarter.

Malik Rehmer led Pennsville with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and eight rebounds. Saulin went out with five points and nine rebounds.

TRITON 63, PENNSVILLE 42
PENNSVILLE (6-10) – Luke Wood 2-15 0-0 4, Peyton O’Brien 1-4 1-3 3, Malik Rehmer 6-8 0-0 12, Cohen Petrutz 2-5 3-6 7, Daniel Saulin 1-3 3-8 5, Jayden Thomas 2-11 0-1 4, Mason O’Brien 3-5 0-0 7. Totals 17-51 7-18 42.
TRITON (10-6) – Leo Impagliazzo 3 6-10 12, Justice Avery 6 2-3 19, Jayon Sanders-Cash 5 2-2 15, Major Tomeo 1 0-0 2, Richie Kosma 3 0-0 9, Kasir Baker 1 0-4 2, Talen Walsh 0 0-0 0, Mike Campbell 0 0-0 0, Yandel Santas 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 10-18 63.

Pennsville1111812 –42
Triton1293012 –63
3-point goals: Pennsville 1-9 (M. O’Brien 1-2, Petrutz 0-1, Thomas 0-2, Wood 0-4); Triton 11 (Avery 5, Sanders-Cash 3, Kosma 3). Fouled out: Saulin (DQ). Technical fouls: Thomas. Total fouls: Pennsville 16, Triton 14.

CAMDEN TECH 44, SCHALICK 43
SCHALICK (5-8) – Daniel Lis 3 2-4 9, Jordan Johnson 3 0-0 7, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Ryan Johnson 0 1-2 1, Nasir Sutton 5 5-6 16, Nylan Sutton 1 3-10 5, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 11-22 43.
CAMDEN TECH (6-9) – Salvatore Algeri 3 6-8 12, Isaiah Haynes 3 2-2 8, Alex Ojeda 1 0-2 3, Evan Brummel 2 0-0 4, Xavier Figueroa 4 1-2 9, Elijah Franks 2 1-2 5, Charles Barbour 1 0-0 2, Jamal Sosa 0 1-2 1. Totals 16 11-18 44.

Schalick206512 –43
Camden Tech154619 –44
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Lis, Johnson, Siedlecki, Na. Sutton); Camden Tech 1 (Ojeda). NOTES: The Warriors staged a fourth-quarter comeback. Schalick enjoyed a 20-point first quarter and then “we just lost ourselves,” coach James Turner said. It was the Cougars’ third straight loss after their win in the Wells Fargo Center, all without guard Reggie Allen in the lineup after receiving stitches for a cut above his left eye he suffered late in that game.

Girls games

WOODBURY 71, PENNS GROVE 48: The Thundering Herd took control of the game in the first half and put four scorers in double figures. Janessa Robinson led the winners with 18 points. Penns Grove’s Meely Horace led all scorers with 21 points and moved to within 72 of 1,000 for her career.

Salem County has the real possibility of four players reaching the 1,000-point milestone this week.

WOODBURY 71, PENNS GROVE 48
WOODBURY (9-7) – Nyla Ivey 2-0-5, Janessa Robinson 8-1-18, Abby Bash 5-0-13, Dasani Talley-Dorman 4-6-14, Melannie Noel 1-2-4, Maya Braxton-Young 4-8-16. Totals 24-17-71
PENNS GROVE (6-7) – RaNiyah Wilson 4-3-13, Brianna Robbins 1-2-4, Zoey Caesar 1-2-4, Arianna Dowe 1-0-2, JaNiyah Cummings 1-0-2, Rolande Delva 1-0-2, Meely Horace 8-4-21. Totals 17-11-48.

Woodbury23181515 –71
Penns Grove12815 13 – 48
3-point goals: Woodbury 5 (Ivey, Robinson, Bash 3); Penns Grove 3 (Wilson 2, Horace).

CAMDEN TECH 23, SCHALICK 21
CAMDEN TECH (5-10) – Brenna Stiles 4, Vianny Fernandez 6, Kiara Miller 3, Ericka Bennett 2, Katelyn Burns 8.
SCHALICK (5-8) – Cianna Gaines 4, Taylor Sparks 8, Carly Vicente 1, Cali Fisler 2, Abby Willoughby 1.

Camden Tech4892 –23
Schalick4367 –21
Notes: The Cougars rallied in the fourth quarter and had three shots around the rim in the closing seconds that didn’t fall.

SJIBT Elite Eight

Woodstown learned the identity of the final two teams joining it at Eastern High School for the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament. When Timber Ridge and  Cinnaminson won Saturday morning, the Elite Eight was set. The tournament committee met Saturday to reseed the field.

The eight teams in order of seeds are Paul IV (11-4), Cherokee (11-5), Moorestown (14-3), Cinnaminson (14-5), Williamstown (11-4), Gloucester Catholic (11-4), Woodstown (11-3) and Timber Creek (10-7).

The Wolverines will play Cherokee Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Top-seeded Paul VI plays Timber Creek at 5:30. The Final Four games are Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:15. The consolation game is Super Bowl Sunday at 1 p.m. with the championship game at 3. 

Indoor Track

TOMS RIVER – The Salem girls led the Salem County contingent at the Tri-County Conference Indoor Track Showcase at the Bennett Complex Bubble Friday.

Led by Anna Buzby, the Rams fiished fifth in the girls standings with 28 points. Buzby won the pole vault (8-0), finished third in the 800 (2:24.82), sixth in the 400 (1:01.14) and ran the lead leg on the third-place 4×400 relay team (4:22.57).

Buzby was joined on the relay by Karima Davenport-White, Rhionna Timmons and Sairis Jiminez. Timmons scored with a sixth-place finish in the 55 dash (7.62) and Dominique Lewis was fourth in the shot put (36-11.5).

Woodstown and Pennsville tied for 11th with two points. Woodstown’s 4×400 relay team of Kayla Ayars, Sarah Seiden, Arie Still and Jaime Deal finished fifth (4:27.66) and Pennsville’s Megan Morris was fifth in pole vault (7-6).

Penns Grove’s boys 4×400 relay of Kylee Goodson, Theus Berios, Jared Ortiz and Knowledge Young was fifth in its race (3:39.85).

Luck on their side

Woodstown wins the toss, then tosses Pennsville aside in the renewal of their wrestling rivalry that has Cowboys-Eagles vibes

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Woodstown wrestling coach Adam Hyland hasn’t had a lot of luck with the coin toss this season and, frankly, it probably kept the Wolverines from having a winning record at this point in the season.

They finally won a flip Friday night and while it wasn’t the underlying reason the Wolverines beat Pennsville 49-19, it did factor in the way the lineup unfolded in a spirited match where matchups were the key.

“Sometimes that happens in wrestling,” Hyland said. “It’s actually unfortunate, in my opinion, that that can happen. That definitely played a part.

“We won the coin toss, which we rarely have done this year. I’m telling you out of 15 matches or so, we’ve probably won three or four coin tosses all year. It’s been the other way for us quite a bit and it cost us a bunch of matches throughout this year. Sometimes it works in your favor. It did in this case and we definitely took advantage of it.”

It certainly increases the drama. The team that wins the toss decides which set of matches – odds or evens – it wants the send their man out first. It’s all about strategy and can create some anxiety if a team has limited options.

“There were certain weight classes I wanted them to throw out first and send somebody specific,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “At certain weight classes I wanted to see who they were going to put out because that would dictate whether or not I would initiated a bump.

“So we lost the coin toss and those key weight classes I had to either guess or just send my guy anyway because they would react to whatever I do.”

Elias Lussi is typically the Eagles’ 190, but Starcevich was confident Connor Ayars could win at 190, so he bumped up Lussi to 215. But Hyland countered with undersized 285 Mateo Vinciguerra there and sending equally undersized Andre Sinou to face Pennsville’s Trevor Waddington at 285.

Ayars won a major decision to open the match. Vinciguerra answered with a major over Lussi and Sinou got an early takedown on his way to a decision over Waddington.

But then the real chess match began. Because the Eagles lost the toss, it was their turn to throw out first at 106. They sent out Lucas Thomas and Woodstown took a forfeit to send first-year wrestler Chase Blandino out at 113. Blandino scored a first-period pin over Vincent Ciccantelli that started a run of four straight Woodstown wins for control of the match. 

“That was really big for us and to get that pin was big for him,” Hyland said.

Brett Rowand clinched the victory with an 11-7 decision over Sky Eppes at 150. Rowand was down 5-0 at one point in the match.

“He did a nice job sort of battling back, one point at a time and winning convincingly at the end,” Hyland said.

The teams went into the day seeded 4-5 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings and as Saturday dawned the Wolverines rose to a virtual No. 2 seed, tied with Audubon in points but winning the head-to-head matchup. Saturday is the cutoff to determine the eight teams that will advance to the state duals tournament.

Pennsville is not wrestling Saturday, but Woodstown hosts a quad with Clayton, Millville and Penns Grove. Both teams are expected to make the field, but Penns Grove, at No. 11, needs some help.

“I don’t care where we end up,” Starcevich said. “I’m just glad my guys are getting another match. The more you compete the better you’re gonna become.”

“We’re just going to go out there and battle,” Hyland said. “This year we’re just trying to get in those playoffs, wrestle as tough as we can, try to the win that division and go into the postseason in terms of individual matchups a little bit on fire.”

WOODSTOWN 49, PENNSVILLE 19
190: Connor Ayars (P) maj. dec. over Karsten Hantho, 12-4
215: Mateo Vinciguerra (Wo) maj. dec. over Elias Lussi, 14-0
285: Andre Sinou (Wo) dec. Trevor Waddington, 6-4
106: Lucas Thomas (P) won by forfeit
113: Chase Blandino (Wo) pinned Vincent Ciccantelli, 0:47
120: Travis Balback (Wo) pinned Mehki Dix, 0:49
126: Carson Bradway (Wo) dec. Christopher Daniels, 5-2
132: Alex Torres (Wo) pinned Ayden Perez, 3:31
138: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Willem Groom, 4:53
144: Angel Hernandez (Wo) pinned Maddox Efelis, 3:08
150: Brett Rowand (Wo) dec. Sky Eppes, 11-7
157: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Zayden Donahue, 3-0
165: Zach Bevis (Wo) pinned Cole Campbell, 2:56
175: Greyson Hyland (Wo) won by forfeit

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 44, PENNSAUKEN 36: The teams were trading the lead throughout the match, but Schalick/Cumberland scored pins in each of the last three bouts to rally from a 10-point deficit and pull out the victory.

285: Noval Jenkins got the raly started with a pin at 285. Caleb Jenkins gave Schalick the lead with a first-period pin at 106 – the sixth lead change of the match – and DeAnthony Harden closed it out with a first-period pin at 113.

Luke Silva (120), Daniel Lloyd (138), Jake Magonagle (165) also had pins for Schalick, Ayden Jenkins (144) had a tech fall, and Eric Sulik (175) scored a decision.

SCHALICK/CUMBERLAND 44, PENNSAUKEN 36
120: Luke Silva (SC) pinned Zachary Slimm, 5:47
126: Lucas Silvestre (P) pinned Chase Williams, 0:40
132: Andrew Jamieson (P) pinned Ryan Miller, 2:56
138: Daniel Lloyd (SC) pinned Amari Martinez, 2:53
144: Ayden Jenkins (SC) tech fall over Derek Berry, 23-8 (4:32)
150: Romeo Aviles (P) pinned Riley Papiano, 3:06
157: Mikhi Johnson (P) pinned Michael Carastro, 4:48
165: Jake Magonagle (SC) pinned Jahky Hicks, 4:48
175: Eric Sulik (SC) dec. Kaleb Rodriguez, 12-6
190: Christopher Lamothe (P) pinned Gabriel Rodriguez, 2:33
215: Kameron Hoskins (P) pinned Evan Elliott, 2:28
285: Noval Jenkins (SC) pinned Derek Bayard, 3:29
106: Caleb Jenkins (SC) pinned Julio Alvarez, 0:51
113: DeAnthony Harden (SC) pinned Jovanni Hernandez, 1:02

Another tough loss

Penns Grove suffers third heartbreaking loss n four days; Pennsville, Salem, Woodstown all pick up wins

THURSDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Pennsville 72, Salem Tech 44
Salem 67, Schalick 32
Wildwood 66, Penns Grove 60 (OT)
Woodstown 87, Clayton 63

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – This was supposed to be a big week for the Penns Grove basketball team, a week in which the Red Devils had a chance to make a significant move in the South Jersey Group I playoff picture and Tri-County Diamond Division standings.

But now, after a third heartbreaking loss in four days, they’re left to think about what might have been and what can they do to bounce back from it.

The Red Devils lost to Wildwood Thursday night 66-60 in a game that went to overtime. Stack that on top of losing to Clearview on a steal and layup with 12 seconds left Monday and then losing to Glassboro the next night on a buzzer-beating 3 in a game they led by three with a minute to play and it’s enough to make any sane person lose it a little.

Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said he’s never gone through a stretch like that before, at least not one with three losses in a row like that.

“It’s tough,” he said. “because the kids are playing so hard and they’re playing so well. In the beginning of the season we were struggling a little bit, but now we’re playing at a high level and we’re hanging right with the teams that are the cream of the crop. It’s encouraging for me, but at the same time disappointing because we’re not getting the wins.

“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s rough, but at the same time I see the light at the end of the tunnel. If we could just finish a little bit better or not make a couple mistakes that we’re making here and there we can really get over the hump and really start challenging and be one of the teams that’s going to be there at the end of the season.”

The game against the current No. 3 team in the South Jersey Group I power points standings was close throughout. The Warriors jumped out 9-0, but the Red Devils brought it back with their own seven-point run and no one led by more than five the rest of regulation.

Penns Grove’s Giomar Conrad sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer; it was his third 3 of the fourth quarter. Conrad lhad four 3s in the game and led the Red Devils with 22 points. Mekhi Ballard had three 3s – two in overtime – and finished with 11 points and Karon Ceaser had 13.

Brian Cunniff led Wildwood with 25 points, including nine in overtime. Junior Hans had 14 of his 15 in the second half and overtime. They were a combined 7-of-9 from the free throw line in overtime.

“We just ran out of steam,” Ware said. “We fought so hard to get back and tie the game … all that energy might have tapped us out.”

Energy was a key element during one portion of the game. There was a 10-minute delay in the second half when the gym lost power with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Ware believes the stoppage hurt the Red Devils as they had just cut the margin to two and were about to take the momentum.

“I told them in the locker room, we’re 5-10, but we’re not a 5-10 team,” Ware said. “Our record does not define us, that’s not who we are. Who we are right now is we see we’re right there with the best teams in the league, the best teams in the division and playing right there with all the top teams.

“We’re just trying to get to their head and help them understand that even though we’re losing these games I want them to understand the progress we’re making and by the end of the season I think we’re going to turn the corner all the way and we’ll be right there.”

WILDWOOD 66, PENNS GROVE 60 (OT)
WILDWOOD (10-6) – Junior Hans 5 5-14 15, Ryan Troiano 1 2-4 4, Jordan Fusik 3 1-2 8, Brian Cunniff 9 7-11 25, Josh Pintella 1 0-2 2, Harley Buscham 1 0-0 2, Lukas Basile 4 0-0 10, James Wyers 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 15-33 66.
PENNS GROVE (5-10) – Roman Gipson 3 0-0 6, Giomar Conrad 8 2-2 22, Karon Ceaser 6 0-2 13, Willie Slocum 0 1-4 1, Mehki Ballard 4 0-0 11, Camren Thompson 1 0-0 2, Mr Peterson 2 1-4 5. Totals 24 4-12 60.

Wildwood141381516 – 66
Penns Grove1210919 10 – 60
3-point goals: Wildwood 3 (Fusik, Basile 2); Penns Grove 8 (Conrad 4, Ceaser, Ballard 3). Fouled out: Slocum, Peterson. Total fouls: Wildwood 13, Penns Grove 23.

WOODSTOWN 87, CLAYTON 63: Rocco String returned to some early-season form, scoring a career-high 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds while leading the Wolverines to their highest scoring game in three seasons. It was String’s fifth double-double. He had four in the first five games this season, but had scored only 39 points in his previous seven games.

Four Wolverines scored in double figures. Blake Bialecki had 12, Garrett Leyman 11 and Manny Ortega 10. Leyman had 16 rebounds and Max Webb distributed 11 assists.

The 87 points were the most the Wolverines have scored in a game since they put 90 on Camden Academy Charter in early January 2022. It’s the second time they’ve scored in the 80s in coach Phillip Campbell’s two-year tenure.

CLAYTON (3-12) – Dillon Jones 5 2-4 12, Nazir Davis 3 0-0 7, Demetris Williams 5 2-4 12, Jon Cox 2 0-1 5, Ashaud Hines 2 0-0 4, Nasir Carter 2 0-0 6, Fareed Mamah 3 2-2 8, John Carter 2 0-0 6, Deion Scott 1 0-0 3. Totals 25 6-11 63.
WOODSTOWN (8-5) – Manny Ortega 4 0-0 10, Blake Bialecki 5 0-0 12, Alejandro Vazquez 2 0-0 5, M.J. Hall 4 0-0 8, Connor Sanderson-Dick 1 0-0 2, Garrett Leyman 5 1-1 11, Anthony Bokolas 3 0-0 6, Lucas Fulmer1 0-0 2, Max Webb 2 0-0 4, Rocco String 12 0-0 24, Elijah Caesar 1 0-0 3. Totals 40 1-1 87.

Clayton1814724 –63
Woodstown21271821 –87
3-point goals: Clayton 7 (Davis, Cox, N. Carter 2, J. Carter 2); Woodstown 6 (Ortega 2, Bialecki 2, Vazquez, Caesar).

SALEM 67, SCHALICK 32: Jabez DeJesus led three Rams in double figures with 19 points. Anthony Farmer and Paul Weathers each tossed in 12.

Nylan Sutton (11 points) was the only scorer in double figures for the Cougars, who were without top scorer Reggie Allen for the second straight game. Allen took a shot above his left eye near the end of the Cougars’ game with Clayton Monday at the Wells Fargo Center and went for further attention when the team returned home.

SALEM (8-6) – Tymear Lecator 3 0-0 8, Jabez DeJesus 7 3-3 19, Anthony Farmer 4 3-3 12, Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Paul Weathers 5 2-2 12, Xavier McGriff 1 0-0 3, Antwan Rodgers 2 0-0 4, Marshall Stephens 2 3-5 7, Davante Jackson 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 11-13 68.
SCHALICK (5-7) – Jordan Johnson 2 0-0 4, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Nasir Sutton 3 0-0 7, Nylan Sutton 4 1-2 11, Levi Freeney-Childers 1 4-11 6, Dylan Sheehan 0 1-2 1. Totals 11 6-15 32.

Salem16211713 –67
Schalick410711 –32
3-point goals: Salem 6 (Lecator 2, DeJesus 2, Farmer, McGriff); Schalick 4 (Siedlecki, Na. Sutton, Ny. Sutton 2).

PENNSVILLE 72, SALEM TECH 44: Daniel Saulin had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed six rebound as the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with their fourth straight win over the Chargers.

The Eagles scored the first 12 points of the game to take control and carried it to a 35-17 halftime lead. Luke Wood (14) and Jayden Thomas (12) also scored in double figures for Pennsville. All 11 players scored for the Eagles. Josh Muntz led Salem Tech with 10.

SALEM TECH (1-12) – Chase Willis 2 0-2 4, Haneef Frisby 2 5-9 9, Joseph Hayes 3 0-0 5, Josh Muntz 3 4-8 10, Tyler Zampino 4 0-0 9, Antoine Robinson 2 0-0 5, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Chase Ayars 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 9-19 44.
PENNSVILLE (6-9) – Luke Wood 6-12 2-3 14, Peyton O’Brien 3-4 0-2 6, Daniel Saulin 6-7 4-6 16, Jayden Thomas 4-6 4-6 12, Malik Rehmer 2-6 1-2 5, Cohen Petrutz 2-6 1-3 5, Mason O’Brien 2-4 1-2 5, Connor Starn 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Hill 0-0 1-2 1, Carlo Merindino 1-2 0-0 3, Cole Johnston 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 28-51 14-28 72.

Salem Tech891410 –44
Pennsville21141522 –72
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (Hayes, Zampino, Robinson); Pennsville 2-15 (Wood 0-3, Thomas 0-2, Rehmer 0-2, Petrutz 0-3, M. O’Brien 0-1, Johnston 1-3, Merindino 1-1). Technical fouls: Rehmer. Total fouls: Salem Tech 18, Pennsville 15.

Bringing the 3

Girls basketball: Woodstown buried under barrage of Wildwood 3s; fourth quarter goes in opposite directions for Salem, Pennsville; Schalick rolls over Salem Tech

THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Clayton 67, Pennsville 50
Salem 62, Overbrook 44
Schalick 44, Salem Tech 8
Wildwood 84, Woodstown 57

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – The Woodstown girls made the two-hour trip to the shore Thursday for one of their biggest basketball games of the season and when they got there a four-alarm fire broke out.

Now before anyone gets concerned, it wasn’t a physical fire. The venerable old school on Pacific Avenue is still standing. It’s just that the Wildwood team Woodstown played was on fire from behind the 3-point arc the likes of which the Wolverines had never seen before.

The Warriors, the No. 1 team in South Jersey Group I power points, busted 21 3-pointers in the first three quarters and ran past the Wolverines 84-57.

“Cudos to them, but, geez, they even had some of their fans saying we never shoot like that,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “They were like, yeah, we’re good shooters, but what the heck. I was like, what the heck.”

The Warriors (12-3) hit 13 of the deep balls in the first half – and their first eight buckets of the third quarter were 3s. At one point 16 straight of their baskets were 3s. They came from four players – Macie McCracken, Sophia Wilber, Angela Wilber and Rebecca Benichou.

Angela Wilber and McCracken each had seven and finished with 25 and 31 points, respectively. Benichou had six for all 18 of her points. Sophia Wilber hit the first one of the game and it was on. Woodstown hit two 3s in the game.

The Warriors took 42 3-pointers in the game and were hitting from everywhere. When Benichou banked one in from the top of the key early in the third quarter, if you didn’t know it then, you just felt they couldn’t miss. When they shot one and didn’t make, the crowd was disappointed. 

And it wasn’t like the Wolverines were just letting them shoot. They actually played good defense denying anything inside, the Warriors just worked it around until they got that outside shot.

“We went through five different defenses and nothing seemed to be it,” Straughn said. “If we guarded them up top, they would hit them on the baseline. If we guarded the baseline, they would hit them at the top of the key. They were just on fire.”

And the Wolverines got enough offense that would have won most of their games, they just couldn’t keep pace with the 3s. Talia Battavio led Woodstown with 18 points and made it a doiuble-double with 10 assists. Megan Donelson had 17 points and Shannon Pierman had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

It was the fifth time this year the Warriors had 10 or more 3s in a game. Their previous single-game high this season was 16 against Clayton. They topped that Thursday midway through the third quarter and showed no signs of stopping. They made it 20 when McCracken hit one from the top of the key with 1:12 left in the third.

The loss snapped Woodstown’s six-game winning streak. The Wolverines (11-3) were third in SJ-I power points entering the game. Curiously, by the end of the game, despite the loss, they had moved up to No. 2 in the power points, but after the results of some other games slipped back to No. 3 behind Woodbury. 

“I think they’re pretty accurate right now,” Straughn said. “We’ve beaten some really good teams and they continue to win, so I think that bumped us up. Pennsville and Clayton played tonight; if either one of those teams win we get points because we beat them.

“I would love the No. 1 seed. It would be possible, Wildwood has some tough games and we’ve got some big games coming up. It’s not out of the question, but it’s going to be tough. Either way, I think on February 10 I think it’s going to be Wildwood and us 1 and 2, whichever way it goes. That’s my 99.9 percent promise.”

WILDWOOD 84, WOODSTOWN 57
WOODSTOWN (11-3) – Talia Battavio 7 3-4 18, Megan Donelson 8 0-0 17, Alyssa Baber 2 2-2 6, Shannon Pierman 6 0-0 12, Lauren HEngel 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-6 57.
WILDWOOD (12-3) – Sophia Wilber 1 5-6 8, Angela Wilber 9 0-0 25, Macie McCracken 10 4-8 31, Kaliah Sumlin 1 0-0 2, Cydnee Kilian 0 0-0 0, Rebecca Benichou 6 0-0 18, Ashley Nagle 0 0-0 0, Mia Cripps 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 9-14 84.

Woodstown15121515 –57
Wildwood1934265 –84
3-point goals: Woodstown 2 (Battavio, Donelson); Wildwood 21 (S. Wilber, A. Wilber 7, McCracken 7, Benichou 6). Total fouls: Woodstown 13, Wildwood 8.

SALEM 62, OVERBROOK 44: The Rams erupted for an 18-4 fourth quarter to pull away from a game that was tight for three quarters.

They got six points each from Ryann Foote and Ava Rodgers in the quarter to fuel the flurry. Rogers had 14 points in the second half and led all scorers with 23. Foote finished with 19.

“It was an intense game, back and forth, and they took all the fire and put their foot on their necks and never let go,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said. “We had a conversation at halftime and let them know it was going to be an intense game and it was going to come down to who wants it more. The third quarter I could see the fire coming.”

It was the second game in a row the Rams used a big fourth quarter to pull away. They outscored Pitman 17-6 in the fourth quarter of their last game – and 31-14 in the second half – to stretch a slim halftime lead.

“The last two games it’s been the team I’ve been waiting for and what we had,” Tatem said. “There’s been a lot of communication, a lot of holding each other accountable, a lot of coaching on the floor. They’re pushing each other. It’s beautiful to see we’re hitting that stride as a team.”

OVERBROOK (3-9) – Jael Presley 4 2-5 10, Sarah Evans 2 0-0 6, Lelani Knight 0 0-0 0, Ahlani White 0 0-0 0, Zahaisha Nevius 6 5-16 20, Gianna Simon 3 0-0 6, Nahia Smith 0 0-0 0, Taija Wiggins 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Burkhardt 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 7-21 44.
SALEM (6-8) – Ryann Foote 6 6-7 19, Ava Rodgers 8 7-10 23, Ameriyona Hunter 0 0-2 0, Carlysia Pierce 5 0-0 10, Dahkirah Grey 0 0-0 0, Kaela Nichols 0 0-0 0, Naveah Hickman 1 0-0 2, Marjziah Bundy 0 0-0 0, Madison Dixon 3 0-2 8. Totals 23 13-21 62.

Overbrook1512134 –44
Salem12181418 –62
3-point goals: Overbrook 5 (Evans 2, Nevius 3); Salem 3 (Foote, Dixon 2). Fouled out: Presley. Total fouls: Overbook 20, Salem 18.

SCHALICK 44, SALEM TECH 8: Carly Vicente scored a career-high 14 points and Schalick held the Chargers scoreless in two quarters on the way to their third win in the last four games. Vicente’s previous career high was 13 against LEAP Academy earlier this season.

“She was hitting shots all night,” Cougars coach John Whelan said. “It was really good to see her shoot the ball with confidence. She is growing towards her potential of being the scorer we know she can be and showing she can be a major piece of the team. I’m excited to watch her continue to grow.”

SCHALICK (5-7) – Cianna Gaines 2 0-2 4, Taylor Sparks 2 1-2 5, Carly Vicente 6 0-0 14, Abby Willoughby 2 0-0 6, Cali Fisler 4 1-2 9, Kyleigh Cutler 1 0-0 2, Olivia Lunemann 2 0-0 4, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 2-6 44.
SALEM TECH (1-11) – Drummond 1 0-0 2, Hanna DeWitt 1 1-4 3, Kaylin Beardsley 1 0-0 3. Totals 3 1-4 8.

Schalick814814 –44
Salem Tech0206 –8
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Vicente 2, Willoughby 2); Salem Tech 1 (Beardsley).

CLAYTON 67, PENNSVILLE 50: The Eagles went shot for shot with the Clippers for three quarters, but ran out of gas in the fourth, had two key players foul out and were outscored 20-4. Taylor Bass had her best game since returning from an injury, leading the Eagles with a season-high 20 points.

Clayton’s Rainelle Blocker led all scorers with 32 points.

PENNSVILLE (6-8) – Taylor Bass 9 2-5 20, Karsen Cooksey 1 0-0 2, Bella Farina 3 0-2 6, Kylie Harris 1 0-0 2, Izzy Saulin 1 1-5 3, Marley Wood 7 2-2 17, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-14 50.
CLAYTON (7-8) – Jordyn Jones 5 0-1 10, Rainelle Blocker 12 7-12 32, Rosalina Pereira 1 0-0 2, Deondria Simon 2 4-4 8, Ava Delaney 4 1-5 11, India Williams 0 0-0 0, Janice Blair 1 0-0 2, K. Guntner 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-22 67.
Pennsville1021154 –50
Clayton15171320 –67
3-point goals: Pennsville 1 (Wood); Clayton 2 (Blocker, Delaney). Technical fouls: Bass. Fouled out: Farina, Wood, Jones. Total fouls: Pennsville 17, Clayton 17.


Tuesday girls basketball

Here are the scores and box scores from Tuesday night’s Salem County girls basketball games; Woodstown wins sixth in a row, and more

TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Penns Grove at Glassboro, ppd.
Overbrook 42, Pennsville 34
Salem 49, Pitman 28
Gloucester Catholic 71, Salem Tech 10
Woodstown 69, Schalick 17

WOODSTOWN 69, SCHALICK 17
WOODSTOWN (11-2) — Talia Battavio 7 0-0 17, Megan Donelson 6 0-0 14, Gianna Mairoini 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Baber 3 0-0 9, Shannon Pieman 4 4-5 12, Lauren Hengel 4 0-2 8, Emma Perry 2 1-2 5, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, K. Young 0 0-0 0, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0, Kailyn Kennedy 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 5-9 69.
SCHALICK (4-7) — Ava Scurry 3 0-0 6, Cianna Gaines 0 1-4 1, Taylor Sparks 1 0-0 2, Abby Willoughby 0 2-2 2, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lunemann 2 0-0 4, Kyleigh Cutler 0 0-0 0, Danae Woodson-Cain 1 0-0 2, E. O’Neill 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 3-6 17.

Woodstown2913234 —69
Schalick0944 —17
3-point goals: Woodstown 8 (Battavio 3, Donelson 2, Baber 3). Total fouls: Woodstown 6, Schalick 9. Notes: Woodstown, ranked No. 10 in the latest SJIBT rankings (its highest ever), has won six in a row. Donelson is now 106 points shy of 1,000, Battavio needs 111.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 71, SALEM TECH 10

Salem Tech (1-10)0352 —10
Gloucester Catholic (11-4)23122016 —71

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Wildwood11-35-0Woodstown11-25-0
Gloucester Cath.11-43-1Pennsville6-73-2
Pitman7-32-1Glassboro6-52-2
Clayton6-82-3Penns Grove6-52-2
Salem4-81-3Schalick4-71-4
Salem Tech1-100-5Overbrook3-81-4

Tuesday basketball

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

PITMAN 71, SALEM 60
SALEM (7-6) — Ramaji Bundy 1 0-0 3, Anthony Farmer 8 9-10 29, Jabez DeJesus 2 0-0 4, Paul Weathers 4 1-4 9, Tymear Lecator 4 4-4 15, Donavon Weathers 0 0-0 0, Antwone Rogers 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-18 60.
PITMAN (11-4) — Porter Kostiuk 2 3-4 7, Stephen Devanney 2 0-2 5, Hudson Rue 1 3-4 5, Elijah Crispin 10 14-16 36, Trey Tinges 0 0-0 0, Michael Fisicaro 5 1-2 13, Sonny Myers 2 1-2 5, Greg Peterson 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 22-30 71.

Salem17171412 —60
Pitman16221419 —71
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.

Schalick (5-6)26157 —30
Woodstown (7-5)11101517 —53
3-point goals: Schalick 4 (Lis, Ny. Sutton 2, Siedlecki); Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez, Hall 2).

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.

Glassboro13111918 —61
Penns Grove19121514 —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.

Pennsville71178 —33
Overbrook2291717 —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 Catholic19212210 —72
Salem Tech14111117 —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.

Tri-County Conference

CLASSICALLDIVDIAMONDALLDIV
Pitman11-45-0Overbrook11-45-1
Wildwood9-64-2Glassboro7-75-1
Gloucester Cath.8-54-3Penns Grove5-93-2
Salem7-63-3Woodstown7-53-3
Clayton3-111-4Pennsville5-91-5
Salem Tech1-110-5Schalick5-60-5