Woodstown district champion Hyland among 15 Salem County wrestlers advancing to region tournaments
By Riverview Sports News
Woodstown sophomore Greyson Hyland won a district championship Saturday to lead a group of 15 Salem County wrestlers from two districts advancing to region wrestling championships.
Hyland scored a 6-1 decision over Gateway/Woodbury’s Brandon Bourdon to win the 175 division in District 31. Hyland won his first two matches by major decision and decision. Bourdon pinned his first two opponents.
Woodstown advanced seven wrestlers to the regionals. Travis Balback (120), Alex Torres (132), Zach Bevis (165) and Mateo Vinciguerra (215) were district runnerups.
Schalick/Cumberland advanced five wrestlers. Daniel Lloyd (138) and Ayden Jenkins (144) were district runnerups.
Pennsville advanced two wrestlers with Sky Eppes (150) finishing second at 150.
Penns Grove’s Clinton Bobo advanced out of District 29 as runnerup in 175.
DISTRICT 31 TEAM SCORES: Delsea 287, Gateway/Woodbury 153, Schalick/Cumberland 125, Woodstown 121.5, Vineland 89, Pennsville 62, Millville 50, Buena 27, Cedar Creek 26, Gloucester Catholic 18.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Greyson Pettit, Delsea; Josh Kinchen, Vineland; Caleb Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland. 113: Amari Vann, Delsea; Christian Snyder, Gateway/Woodbury; DeAnthony Harden, Schalick/Cumberland 120: Gage Summers, Delsea; Travis Balback, Woodstown; Aidan Barbato, Gateway/Cumberland. 126: Blaise Verdino, Delsea; Dante Gismondi, Gateway/Woodbury; Patrick Tull, Millville. 132: Zavier Stokes, Delsea; Alex Torres, Woodstown; Jayden Cinkowski, Vineland. 138: Chase Rossi, Gateway/Woodbury; Daniel Lloyd, Schalick/Cumberland; Matt Montalto-Summers, Delsea. 144: Michael Stokes, Delsea; Ayden Jenkins, Schalick/Cumberland; Brett Rowand, Woodstown. 150: Jamar Dixon, Delsea; Sky Eppes, Pennsville; Noah Ubil, Gateway. 157: Andres Cortes, Gateway/Woodbury; Charlie Muzzarelli, Buena; Lionel Powell, Vineland. 165: Riley Boos, Delsea; Zach Bevis, Woodstown; Donte Nocito, Gateway/Woodbury. 175: Greyson Hyland, Woodstown; Brandon Bourdon, Gateway/Woodbury; Noah Cruz, Vineland. 190: Salvatore Marchese, Delsea; Aamir Dunbar, Cedar Creek; Elias Lussi, Pennsville. 215: Alex Grippo, Delsea; Mateo Vinciguerra, Woodstown; Jayden Jones, Millville. 285: Jose Berrios, Delsea; Marcus Offer, Millville; Frank Leon-Keenan, Gloucester Catholic.
DISTRICT 29 TEAM SCORES: Washington Twp. 246, Kingsway 216, Clearview 144.5, Pennsauken 114.5, Deptford 64, Pitman 58, Clayton/Glassboro 48.5, Penns Grove 40, Lindenwold 10.
REGION QUALIFIERS 106: Jason Meola, Kingsway; Dylan Hetzel, Washington Twp.; Carter Greco, Clearview. 113: Colton Hagerty, Washington Twp.; Ryan Preziosi, Kingsway; Eoin Curran, Deptford. 120: Christian Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Lucas Silvestre, Pennsauken; Brady McCollough, Clearview. 126: Ramon Alfonso Arroyo, Kingsway; Adriano Platt, Pitman; Anthony Morales, Clearview. 132: Conrad Raynor, Clayton/Glassboro; Aiden Hardy, Washington Twp.; Andrew Jamieson, Pennsauken. 138: Michael Horn, Washington Twp.; Elijah Beatty, Clearview; Jaylen Huertas, Deptford. 144: Tommy DiPietro, Kingsway; Stephen Borrelli, Clearview; Chaz Melton, Washington Twp. 150: Chase Helder, Kingsway; Jackson Hoopes, Washington Twp.; Kole Reiss, Clearview. 157: Benjamin Dryden, Kingsway; Raymond McFall, Washington Twp.; Tyler Trovato, Clearview. 165: Cole DeNick, Kingsway; Chase Rollins, Pitman; Adrian Alqutawna, Clearview. 175: Piotr Bochenski, Washington Twp.; Clinton Bobo, Penns Grove; Joseph Leone, Kingsway. 190: Luke Van Schenk Brill, Kingsway; Christopher Lamonthe, Pennsauken; Aaron Veytsman, Clearview. 215: Andrew Osborn, Washington Twp.; Kameron Hoskins, Pennsauken; Ryland Angel, Kingsway. 285: Luciana Mazzeo, Clayton/Glassboro; Mitchell Lando, Washington Twp.; Shane Davilla, Pennsauken.
Farina leads Pennsville girls to B Flight consolation victory, Pennsville’s boys fall in the C Flight title game
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS C Flight Championship Gloucester Tech 58, Pennsville 48 GIRLS B Flight Consolation Pennsville 45, Pitman 13
OTHER GAMES BOYS West Deptford 59, Woodstown 56
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Joe Mecholsky has never been a big fan of playing the next day after going 32 up-tempo minutes with Clayton regardless of the outcome and the Pennsville coach had more reason to dislike it Thursday night.
The experience is kind of like going to the holiday party. You know you’re going to have a good time, but you also know you’re going to pay for it the next day.
The Eagles had some of the most fun they had all season in beating the Clippers Wednesday night, but back at it 24 hours later they felt it in their legs and lost to Gloucester Tech 58-48 in the C Flight championship game of the Tri-County Conference Tournament.
They were off with their shots, both from the floor and the free throw line, and GCIT, which also played the night before, came with energy that lasted the whole game. They shot 40 percent for the game, but were only 4-of-20 from behind the 3-point arc, a sure sign of tired legs.
It’s the second time this year they have fallen victim to the Clayton Effect. They opened the season with an 80-66 win over the Clippers, then lost at Deptford 76-50 less than 24 hours later. They are 3-6 this year in the second game of consecutive starts regardless of the first-game opponent.
“We didn’t do the things that have made us successful tonight,” Mecholsky said. “We didn’t get it down to Danny (Saulin). We missed a lot of shots. Hung in it, however, basketball is a simple game. Their team made more shots than us.
“Could it have been the Clayton Effect? Maybe. I don’t want to take anything away from GCIT’s performance. They played well, they did what they wanted to do, we couldn’t stop it on defense and that’s why they won the game.”
The game was close throughout. The Cheetahs, who lost to Pennsville by 11 back in December, took the lead for good with an 8-0 run in the second quarter, but could never put the Eagles away until the end.
Pennsville’s shooting woes took their toll in the second half when the Eagles went 1-for-13 over an eight minute stretch that put them in a nine-point hole with 1:55 to play. Still, they got it back to within three with 18.4 seconds left, then GCIT closed it out by hitting seven of eight free throws in the final 16.6 seconds.
The Cheetahs were 14-of-22 from the line in the fourth quarter. Trent Phillips was 10 of 12 and led all scorers with 20 points.
Luke Wood had a tough night shooting for Pennsville, but still wound up as the Eagles’ high scorer with 13 points and moved into third place on their boys all-time scoring list. Saulin, who went for 29 points and 26 rebounds in the Clayton game, was bottled up for 12 points and eight boards.
“They did everything right tonight,” Mecholsky said of the Cheetahs. “I just think they played a really nice game. They came fired up, they were excited at every time out, their bench was engaged and they were ready. We got outplayed.”
The win left the Cheetahs feeling like they just won a national title. They didn’t qualify for the South Jersey Group IV playoffs, but the win did make them one of the winningest teams in school history. If they win their only remaining game on the schedule next week they would finish the season just one game below .500.
“That’s huge here,” Cheetahs coach McNeil Wrice said. “You’re talking about in the history of GCIT it’s only had one winning season in 20-plus years, so to be a double-digit win team puts us in a special place in history. For us to be the first one to bring a conference championship, whether it’s A, B, C or D, that means something.”
If the Eagles had pulled it out, it would have given them 11 wins in a season for the first time in more than 25 years. They can still hit that benchmark with an upset over second-seeded Pitman in the first round of the South Jersey Group I tournament Thursday.
“It would have been nice to go out with a good taste in our mouth on the long weekend,” Mecholsky said. “We wanted to win the C Bracket championship. It doesn’t break our heart (they didn’t). Now we get ready for Pitman and that’s our focus to end the season.”
WEST DEPTFORD 59, WOODSTOWN 56: The Eagles capped a second-half rally with a 21-14 fourth quarter to beat the Wolverines in a game Woodstown picked in lieu of a third meeting with Penns Grove in a TCC Tournament B Flight consolation game.
WOODSTOWN (11-12) — Blake Bialecki 4 3-3 12, Alejandro Vazquez 1 0-0 2, M.J. Hall 5 0-2 11, Garrett Leyman 4 0-1 9, Max Webb 2 0-1 4, Rocco String 5 2-2 12, Elijah Carter 3 0-0 6. Totals 24 5-9 56. WEST DEPTFORD (9-16) — Andre Johnson 7 1-2 15, Zayd Mujahid 0 0-0 0, Mark Koszowski 2 0-0 5, Nick Senatore 5 4-4 17, Carter Watson 1 0-0 3, Aiden Cranmer 8 3-3 19, Zamir Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 8-9 59.
PENNSVILLE — Bella Farina knew it was going to be a good day the minute she hit the alarm clock early Thursday morning.
She got up on the right side of the bed, enjoyed a good lunch in the middle of the day and was excited to play a game against one of her close friends.
“I just had a lot of energy today,” she said.
She channeled that energy into the best game of her career. The senior post went for 19 points and 10 rebounds – the second double-double of her career – leading the Pennsville girls to a 45-13 rout of Pitman in the Tri-County Tournament B Flight consolation game.
“I knew the team wanted to end the week off with a win and it was my last regular season game of my career,” Farina said. “We all just worked really well together today.”
Farina’s other double-double came in a 13/11 game against Millville last Friday. Her previous scoring high was 16 points against Salem Tech in December 2022. In nine February games this season she has scored six points or more seven times and has scored eight points or more in each of the last four.
“I told her I don’t know what’s recently clicked for you but suddenly you’re getting it, you’re reading it, you’re understanding it and making the right cuts, in the right place at the right time,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said. “Something is just clicking all of a sudden and she’s just blossoming at the right time, which is really fun to watch.”
When Farina scored, her points came in bunches. She had four straight points in the Eagles’ opening 8-0 run. She opened the second half with seven straight points, capped by a three-point play in which she went over Pennsville Senior Little League World Series teammate Jess Bretz for the putback.
And then she scored their last four points of the game.
The Eagles (13-13) took control of this one early. The Panthers (12-12) were missing one of their injured ballhandlers and the Eagles held them without a field goal and to just one point in the first quarter. They did the same thing in the third.
The win got the Eagles to .500 for the seventh time this season. They’ll play their final home game of the Trapp tenure Thursday in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament. The coach announced earlier this month that she was stepping down at the end of the season to become the new athletics director at Triton.
“The goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season was 17 wins,” Trapp said. “The best Pennsville has so far was 16 wins for the girls basketball team and I was really shooting and hoping for that 17. I finished 15-11 (each of the last two years), so my goal was not to be 15-11 one more time. I wanted to do whatever it took.
“I was hoping for that 17th win with no injuries and no issues. There was a slew of injuries that I wasn’t expecting, which significantly impacted our season. I think we were 6-10 at one point, so to be able to just turn it around and come back and get win after win after win and build their confidence and show the true potential of this team, that’s all we’ve been focusing on.
”Now that we’ve been playing all together, we’ve been playing our best basketball. We’re doing things right and we’re doing them right at the right time when were all back together finally, which is what I like to see.”
Here is Wednesday’s schedule and scores for the Tri-County Basketball Tournament; look for separate stories on Pennsville-Clayton boys, Penns Grove-Pennsville girls elsewhere on the website
TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Timber Creek 63, Pitman 61 Delsea 56, Salem 54 Overbrook 59, Wildwood 43 Triton 59, Gloucester Catholic 52 B Flight Kingsway 64, Deptford Twp. 41 Clearview 54, Highland 52 Washington Twp. 63, Penns Grove 40 Glassboro 73, Woodstown 45 C Flight Pennsville 90, Clayton 62 GCIT 62, Williamstown 46 Salem Tech 52, Schalick 49 GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic 62, Williamstown 46 Clearview 54, Wildwood 42 Woodstown 71, Highland 67 Timber Creek 55, Washington Twp. 34 B Flight Penns Grove 41, Pennsville 38 Glassboro 48, Pitman 34 GCIT 34, Delsea 24 Kingsway 56, Clayton 48 C Flight Overbrook 52, Salem 48 Cumberland 60, Schalick 28 Deptford 51, Salem Tech 23
Boys Games
DELSEA 56, SALEM 54: A wise coach once said sometimes you’re the bull and sometimes you get the horns. Salem caught the horns Wednesday night.
Chase Ambrosius hit the last of his seven 3-pointers with 13 seconds left to give Delsea the lead and the Rams couldn’t get a a final shot to tie or win the A Flight semifinal.
The Rams led 23-3 after the first quarter and 38-15 at halftime and couldn’t hold it.
The loss came two days after they beat Overbrook 51-50 in the opening round.
Ambrosius led Delsea with 21 points. Luke Van Auken had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Max Van Auken had 13 points and eight boards.
Salem’s Anthony Farmer led all scorers with 23 points. Jabez DeJesus had 20.
The loss sends Salem to a consolation game matchup with Pitman.
SALEM (16-8) – Anthony Farmer 7 6-8 23, RaMaji Bundy 1 0-0 2, Jabez DeJesus 6 5-5 20, Paul Weathers 0 0-2 0, Tymear Lecator 3 1-2 9. Totals 17 12-17 54. DELSEA (17-8) – Luke VanAuken 7 3-5 17, Max VanAuken 4 4-5 13, Mike McGinley 2 1-1 5, Chase Ambrosius 7 0-0 21, Frank Master 0 0-0 0, Shane Madden 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Reardon 0 0-0 0, Jelani Poles 0 0-0 0, Dahmir Hart 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-11 56.
SALEM TECH 52, SCHALICK 49: The Chargers steadily built their lead over the first three quarter and it was big enough to withstand a fourth-quarter charge by the Cougars.
WASHINGTON TWP. 63, PENNS GROVE 40: The Minutemen got out to a quick start and carried it to a victory in a B Flight consolation game. Washington Twp.’s Gevon Conrad led all scorers with 23 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Giomar Conrad was Penns Grove’s only scorer in double figures (20).
3-point goals: Penns Grove N/A; Washington Twp. 6 (Conrad 3, McKenty, Rodia 2).
GLASSBORO 73, WOODSTOWN 45: Clinton Suggs hit five 3-pointers on the way to 23 points, Charles Graves had 20, Xavier Sabb had 17 and Glassboro pulled away with a big fourth quarter. Max Webb and Blake Bialecki had 13 points each for Woodstown.
WOODSTOWN 71, HIGHLAND 67 (OT): Highland’s Big Three outscored Woodstown’s Big Three, but the Wolverines complementary players were just a little stronger and it proved to be the difference.
Megan Donelson scored 23 points and Talia Battavio had 19 and both made big plays down the stretch in regulation and in overtime as the Wolverines (17-8) rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat the Tartans (14-11) for the second time this season. Shannon Pierman added 14 points despite fouling out in the fourth quarter to join the 500-500 Club in career points and rebounds.
Highland’s Dacia Mack led all scorers with 24 points. Breelynn Learn had 21 and Alonsa Thomas had 16.
OVERBROOK 52, SALEM 48: Salem senior NaeNae Logan reached a significant individual milestone in the game, but all things considered, she’d rather have been celebrating a victory.
Logan surpassed 100 blocked shots for the season in the first half of the C Flight semifinals. She had eight altogether and now has 104 for the year.
“She’s a kid who’s real heavy on herself, so for her to come back and get to have a moment like that and her teammates counting it down for her, she deserved it,” Salem coach Tiasia Tatem said.
The Rams, the No. 1 seed in the flight, celebrated Logan and her feat in the locker room at halftime with a 28-17 lead. They should have ridden that wave into the second half, but somebody forgot to tell Overbook. The visitors stormed through the third quarter on a 23-3 blitz to take the lead.
CUMBERLAND 60, SCHALICK 28: The Cougars were held scoreless in the first quarter and never recovered. Addison Weist scored 16 points and Isabella Albert had 13 to lead the Colts into the C Flight championship game. Taylor Sparks hit three 3-pointers and led Schalick with nine points.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES BOYS A Flight Pitman at Timber Creek Salem at Delsea Wildwood at Overbrook Gloucester Catholic at Triton B Flight Deptford Twp. at Kingsway Highland at Clearview Penns Grove at Washington Twp. Woodstown at Glassboro C Flight Clayton at No. 1 Pennsville Williamstown at GCIT Salem Tech at Schalick GIRLS A Flight Gloucester Catholic at Williamstown Wildwood at Clearview Highland at Woodstown Timber Creek at Washington Twp. B Flight Penns Grove at. Pennsville Pitman at Glassboro Delsea at GCIT Clayton at Kingsway C Flight Overbrook at No. 1 Salem Schalick at Cumberland Salem Tech at Deptford
Boys Games
SALEM 51, OVERBROOK 50: Anthony Farmer scored 19 points and the Rams rallied from 10 down with four minutes left to upset the No. 3 seed in the A Flight. Marshall Stephens blocked four shots, including two in a row down the stretch to keep the Rams in front.
The win was Salem’s third in a row and ninth in its last 10 games and sent Overbrook to its second straight one-point loss.
SALEM (16-7) – Anthony Farmer 19, Ramaji Bundy 3, Jabez DeJesus 10, Paul Weathers 2, Tymear Lecator 10, Marshall Stephens 5, Antwone Rogers 2. Totals 17-40 12-16 51. OVERBROOK (18-7) – Shaun Mills 2 2-4 8, Chris Grier 0 2-4 2, Nic Johnson 3 3-7 9, Lamar Little 4 0-1 10, Zair Green 2 2-2 6, Maki Ortiz 2 1-1 5, Xavier Wright 4 0-0 8, Kevin Satchell 1 0-0 2, Amare Kee 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-19 50.
Salem
7
13
11
20 –
51
Overbrook
15
16
6
13 –
50
3-point goals: Salem 5-16; Overbrook 2 (Little 2). Rebounds: Salem 23 (DeJesus 6, P. Weathers 6, Stephens 7).
WILLIAMSTOWN 48, SCHALICK 46: The Braves had won only one game all season and lost 10 in a row, but they were the third seed and beat the Cougars on a couple late free throws. Daniel Lis hit four 3-pointers and led Schalick with 19 points.
GLOUCESTER TECH 75, SALEM TECH 55: Trent Phillips led four scorers in double figures with 16 points and Michael Stanwood had a double-double (12/13) to lead GCIT’s victory. Haneef Frisby had a double-double for Salem Tech (13/14).
SALEM TECH (4-18) – Josh Muntz 3 1-2 7, Tyler Zampino 6 0-1 13, Antoine Robinson 5 3-3 14, Haneef Frisby 3 6-8 13, Chase Wills 3 1-2 7, Joseph Hayes 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 12-18 55. GLOUCESTER TECH (10-14) – Trent Phillips 8 0-0 16, Mark Hallman 5 4-4 15, Michael Stanwood 5 2-2 12, Carl Schmidt 5 0-0 12, Ian Malgapo 2 0-0 5, Patrick Monaghan 2 0-0 4, Gavin Shainline 1 1-2 3, Charles Donaldson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Morris 1 0-0 2, Brady Johnson 1 0-0 2, Amad Traore-Koffi 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 7-8 75.
CLEARVIEW 51, PENNS GROVE 50: The Red Devils missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and could only get a layup at the buzzer for the final margin. Kaprice Stewart scored 24 points to lead Clearview.
PENNS GROVE 54, GLOUCESTER TECH 44: Brianna Robbins is returning to the scoring form she displayed early in the season, going for a career-high 26 points as the Red Devils upset top-seeded GCIT in their B Flight opener. Robbins has been on a tear of late, scoring 63 points in her last three games. RaNiyah Wilson added 17 points. The Red Devils have won a season-best five in a row and six of their last seven.
The Red Devils will play at Pennsville in the Flight semifinals Wednesday.
Pennsville beat Delsea 43-35 behind Marley Wood’s 16 points. The win got the Eagles (12-12) back to .500 for the first time since mid-January.
SCHALICK 43, DEPTFORD 37: Cianna Gaines scored in double figures for the second time in her career and Abby Willoughby had 11 points and 10 steals as the Cougars won a first-round game in the tournament for the first time since 2021.
The Cougars got off to a slow start, falling behind 12-5 in the first quarter, but held the Spartans to just 13 points over the next two quarters to take control of the game. They outscored Deptford 16-5 in the second quarter behind eight points from Willoughby to grab the lead by halftime.
“We game planned to be a little more aggressive than normal and we were just that – aggressive and created turnovers,” Schalick coach John Whelan said. “Offensively, we showed a lot of growth in our confidence as we didn’t second-guess decision and that confidence showed with good ball movement and the highest amount of assists in a game this season. All the girls deserve a shoutout as the hustle and effort was there from everyone, but Abby played a great game today.
“The team wanted to get our seniors a win in their final home game and played for one another tonight. It was fun to see as a coach.”
The Tri-County Conference Tournament highlights the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Feb. 12-17
Monday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight No. 8 Gloucester Catholic at No. 1 Timber Creek No. 5 Triton at No. 4 Pitman No. 6 Salem at No. 3 Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. No. 7 Wildwood at No. 2 Delsea B Flight No. 8 Woodstown at No. 1 Kingsway, 6 p.m. No. 5 Glassboro at No. 4 Deptford Twp. No. 6 Washington Twp at No. 3 Highland No. 7 Penns Grove at No. 2 Clearview, 6 p.m. C Flight No. 5 Clayton at No. 4 Cumberland No. 6 Schalick at No. 3 Williamstown, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 GCIT GIRLS A Flight No. 8 Highland at No. 1 Williamstown No. 5 Woodstown at No. 4 Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Washington Twp. at No. 3 Wildwood No. 7 Timber Creek at No. 2 Clearview B Flight No. 8 Penns Grove at No. 1 GCIT, 4 p.m. No. 5 Pennsville at No. 4 Delsea, 5:30 p.m. No. 6 Pitman at No. 3 Kingsway No. 7 Clayton at No. 2 Glassboro C Flight No. 5 Overbrook at No. 4 Triton No. 6 Deptford at No. 3 Schalick, 4 p.m. No. 7 Salem Tech at No. 2 Cumberland
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Williamson College of Trades at Salem CC, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS A Flight Gloucester Catholic-Timber Creek winner vs. Triton-Pitman winner Salem-Overbrook winner vs. Wildwood-Delsea winner Consolation games B Flight Woodstown-Kingsway winner vs. Glassboro-Deptford Twp. winner Washington Twp.-Highland winner vs. Penns Grove-Clearview winner Consolation games C Flight Clayton-Cumberland winner at No. 1 Pennsville Schalick-Williamstown winner vs. Salem Tech-GCIT winner Schalick-Williamstown loser vs. Salem Tech-GCIT loser GIRLS A Flight Highland-Williamstown winner vs. Woodstown-Gloucester Catholic winner Washington Twp.-Wildwood winner vs. Timber Creek-Clearview winner Consolation games B Flight Penns Grove-GCIT winner vs. Pennsville-Delsea winner Pitman-Kingsway winner vs. Clayton-Glassboro winner Consolation games C Flight Overbrook-Triton winner at No. 1 Salem Deptford-Schalick winner vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland winner Deptford-Schalick loser vs. Salem Tech-Cumberland loser
Thursday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Salem CC at Northampton CC, 7 p.m. Women Salem CC at Montgomery County CC, 5 p.m.
Friday
BASKETBALL TRI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS/GIRLS All Flights Third-place games Championship games
Saturday
BASKETBALL Girls Overbrook at Woodstown
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Men Sussex County CC at Salem CC, 1 p.m.
Salem senior center quietly goes about his business, puts up another double-double as Rams dump Bridgeton to secure a South Jersey Group I top 3 seed; Woodstown girls fall in SJIBT consolation game
SATURDAY’S BASKETBALL SCORES BOYS Salem 88, Bridgeton 76 GIRLS SJIBT Consolation Williamstown 81, Woodstown 59
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – With all the high-flying, high-scoring guards on the Salem basketball roster, it would be easy to overlook Paul Weathers in the lineup. But the Rams are glad he’s there and they let him know it every chance they get.
WEATHERS
There is no doubt without the things the senior center brings to the table, the Rams wouldn’t be in the position they are today.
And that would be a solid No. 3 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group I playoffs following their 88-76 victory over Bridgeton Saturday that coach Anthony Farmer said was “exactly what we need going into the playoffs.”
Weathers was a big, if not silent, part of that. He may be the unsung starter, but he just goes about his business delivering double-doubles with regularity. He went for 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Group IV Bulldogs and is now averaging 10.9 points and 11.0 rebounds a game.
“Paul has done an excellent job for us,” Farmer said. “I told him going into the offseason we were going to give him an opportunity because I believed in him. He worked really hard and has been a force for us. He’s been a senior; that’s all we can can ask for.
“He might not get it from the media spotlight but we always make sure we let Paul know how important and how valuable he is to our team. He is so quiet and laid back sometimes we forget that he’s around, but once that motor gets going and he’s out there rebounding and blocking shots he’s a force.”
And nothing if not consistent. Guard Ramaji Bundy calls him a “selfless guy” who’s “just an all-around good dude.”
The effort Saturday was Weathers’ 14th double-double in 20 games this season. Let the guards get all the points, he knows what he’s on the floor to do.
“I’m always on the floor doing all the little things, the things that coaches want to see,” he said. “The blocks, the rebounds, everything that counts on the defensive end.”
Weathers was one of five Rams to score in double figures in the game. Jabez DeJesus was their leading scorer with 24 points, with 19 coming in the second half. Anthony Farmer had 18, Bundy 12 and Tymear Lecator 11 (with 10 assists).
Antwone Rogers came off the bench to give them eight points – all in the final 5:38 of the second quarter as the Rams came out of a timeout down 31-30 and took control of the game.
Bridgeton’s Jameel Purnell led all scorers with 30 points (and 13 rebounds).
For Salem’s Bundy, it was his second straight game scoring in double figures He had a career-high 15 in the Rams’ win over Clayton Thursday night. He had seven points in the first quarter Saturday when the Rams jumped out to a 20-11 lead..
“I’ve been comfortable with basketball, it’s just that I had to find my shot again,” he said. “In the first game we played Woodbury my shot was there, then I was getting in the groove where I was trying to be a facilitator, not really trying to shoot the ball but get other guys the ball. Now I’m started to get my groove back so I’m doing stuff I usually do.”
3-point goals: Bridgeton 2 (Purnell 2); Salem 7 (Bundy 2, Farmer 2, DeJesus 2, Lecator). Rebounds: Bridgeton 28 (Purnell 13); Salem 39 (P. Weathers 13, Dejesus 9). Total fouls: Bridgeton 19, Salem 16.
Cover photo: Salem guard Anthony Farmer brings the ball across the floor in the Rams’ game against Bridgeton Saturday.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I BOYS TOURNAMENT PROJECTED ROUND 1 MATCHUPS (Based on power points) No. 16 Burlington City at No. 1 KIPP Cooper Academy No. 9 Penns Grove at No. 8 Woodbury No. 13 Woodstown at No. 4 Wildwood No. 12 LEAP Academy at No. 5 Audubon No. 14 New Egypt at No. 3 Salem No. 11 Riverside at No. 6 Palmyra No. 10 Paulsboro at No. 7 Glassboro No. 15 Pennsville at No. 2 Pitman
Girls Game SJIBT Tournament
VOORHEES – Williamstown used a defensive switch and a big second half to pull away from Woodstown in an 81-59 win in a South Jersey Invitational Elite Eight consolation game.
Woodstown opened a seven-point first-quarter lead, but the Braves, the projected No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group IV and top seed in the upcoming Tri-County Conference Tournament, rallied to take a 32-30 halftime lead. They outscored the Wolverines 49-29 in the second half.
“They switched to a triangle-and-2 (on Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson) and we couldn’t string enough baskets and stops together,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said. “We played as tough as we could on their big (Iriona Gravely) and shooter (Alivia Mauz), but they’re No. 1 in Group IV for a reason.
“We don’t always get to play in those type of games or against teams like tonight in our division/regular-season schedule so a loss to Williamstown, as tough as it is, is going to make us better than some of our wins have. We’re looking towards the TCC Tournament (where they have a chance to see Williamstown again) and playoffs now.”
Battavio led Woodstown with 27 points. Donelson had 19. Shannon Pierman had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double and seventh in her last eight games.
Gravely led all scorers with 30. Mauz had 26, 19 in the second half. Mia Pezzato scored all nine of her points in the second half.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I GIRLS TOURNAMENT PROJECTED ROUND 1 MATCHUPS (Based on power points) No. 16 Salem at No. 1 Woodbury No. 9 Gateway at No. 8 Pennsville No. 13 Cape May Tech at No. 4 Woodstown No. 12 Penns Grove at No. 5 Palmyra No. 14 Pitman at No. 3 Maple Shade No. 11 Clayton at No. 6 Audubon No. 10 Burlington City at No. 7 Glassboro No. 15 Paulsboro at No. 2 Wildwood
Penns Grove did everything it could Friday to give it a chance to get a home playoff game, didn’t get outside help it needed and likely will be on the road; Pennsville thinks it’s in, but position hinges on Saturday’s results’ Woodstown, Same Tech also win
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 59, Schalick 36 Woodstown 77, Buena 22 Paulsboro 63, Pennsville 55 Salem Tech 64, Cape May Tech 53
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Damian Ware left the Schalick gym Friday evening comfortable in the knowledge his Penns Grove basketball team did everything it in its power to put itself in position to get a first-round playoff game. Now it was up to other games around the region to cooperate.
The Red Devils scored their fourth win in a row with their second win over the Cougars in four days, 59-36. It’s a result they figured they needed to move into the top eight of the South Jersey Group I power points standings to secure a first-round home game in the playoffs.
Their job done, all they needed now was a LEAP Academy victory over Palmyra and they could start printing home playoff tickets. But about a half hour after they left the building, the Red Devils learned Palmyra had won, leaving them once again on the outside looking for some mathematical help.
“Our goal was to win four games this week and we accomplished that goal,” Ware said immediately after the game and before the LEAP-Palmyra result was posted. “Right now we did what we had to do, everything else it out of our hands, so you just got to let the chips fall where they may.
“But I’m proud of the way my guys played today. A four-game week is a tough week and we stepped up and played hard. We played great defensively today; held them down. We did what we had to do, we did our part, now hopefully LEAP does their part.”
The win in Burlington County sent Palmyra soaring up the standings, all the way into a tie for sixth with Glassboro, leaving the Red Devils still ninth, eight points behind Woodbury.
The state cutoff is Saturday, then the final cross checks and calculations are made before the standings become official. Woodbury has a game against a 15-win Paul VI team in the opening round of the Camden County Tournament and the chance to pick up more power points before the deadline. Penns Grove is done until next week’s Tri-County Conference Tournament.
Once the results of Friday’s games started to hit, Ware resigned himself to the idea the Red Devils would be going on the road for the playoffs.
“We’ve got to be road warriors,” he said. “I was thinking the whole time we’re going to be on the road. I actually already kind of collected all of our home uniforms from most of the players. The whole time I was thinking we were going to be on the road, but hopeful we could get a home game. I was already kind of pre-planning to be on the road.
“We did all we could do. Now if we’d have won a couple games early in the season it would have been a no-brainer, but we kind of put ourselves in a position to where we had to hope for some other team’s help and if we didn’t get help, then we’d just have to do what we’ve got to do.”
Knowing they had to win to enhacing their position, the Red Devils controlled Friday’s game from the start. They opened with a Giomar Conrad 3, scored the first seven points of the game and led 20-7 early in the second quarter. They scored the last eight points of the second quarter for a 17-point halftime lead and led by 20 most of the second half.
“I think we’re doing great; the team chemistry is getting better,” post Willie Slocum said. “People have been doubting us, so it felt great to come together and be on this winning streak.”
The Red Devils haven’t won four in a row since starting the 2020-21 season 8-0.
Conrad led the Red Devils with 13 points – all in the first half. KaRon Ceaser had 11. Slocum and Camren Thompson also played big roles. Slocum had eight rebounds and Thompson, drawing his third start of the season in place of absent Mr Peterson, had four points in the first half, seven rebounds and several steals.
“I was just waiting my time, honestly,” Thompson said. “My time would come.” PENNS GROVE (10-12) – Brandon Robbins 2 0-0 5, Roman Gipson 1 2-3 4, Giomar Conrad 6 0-0 13, Karon Ceaser 5 0-2 11, Willie Slocum 1 0-0 2, Mekhi Ballard 2 1-2 6, Camron Thompson 2 0-0 4, Luis Colon 3 0-1 6, Neziah Spence 2 0-0 5, Jameel Horace 1 1-4 3, Gionni Conrad C 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 4-12 59. SCHALICK (7-13) – Reggie Allen 3 0-0 7, Daniel Lis 5 1-2 11, Nylan Sutton 3 0-4 6, Nasir Sutton 1 0-1 2, Jake Siedlecki 1 0-0 3, Jordan Johnson 0 0-2 0, Ryan Johnson 1 0-0 2, Jase Volovar 1 0-0 3, Dylan Sheehan 1 0-0 2, Nyzie Wonder 0 0-0 0, Sherrod Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 1-9 36.
Penns Grove
13
15
16
15 –
59
Schalick
5
6
11
14 –
36
3-point goals: Penns Grove 5 (Robbins, Conrad, Ceaser, Ballard, Spence); Schalick 3 (Allen, Siedlecki, Volovar). Rebounds: Penns Grove 39 (Slocum 8, Thompson 7); Schalick 30 (Ny. Sutton 8, Lis 6). Total fouls: Penns Grove 11, Schalick 14.
PAULSBORO 63, PENNSVILLE 55: Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky has done some quick calculations and believes his Eagles are in the 16-team South Jersey Group I playoff field, but where they fall won’t be decided until after Saturday’s cutoff.
The Eagles are currently 15th in standings, but likely will be 15 or 16 depending on the outcome of current No. 16 Burlington City’s game with Riverside. In any event, they’ll be on the road against one of the top seeds in the tournament. But at least they’re in.
“We had a chance to handle our business, we didn’t ,so now we let it fall as it may,” Mecholsky said. “We had three home games and one away game. We couldn’t close any of them out (going 0-4), so we deserve our fate.”
The Eagles made it a game despite missing 1,000-point scorer Luke Wood and Jayden Thomas with ankle injuries.
Throughout this recent spate of injuries, the Eagles have been playing through center Danny Saulin and the 6-8 senior delivered another solid game (19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds). Cohen Petrutz has his best game of the season, 18 points with three 3-pointers. They combined for 20 points in a 25-point third quarter that got them back in the game.
The Eagles led by one in the fourth quarter, then Paulsboro closed it out with an 8-0 run. Aiden Milligin hit a 3-pointer to get it started. Milligan scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. PENNSVILLE (9-15) – Peyton O’Brien 3-10 0-0 6, Daniel Saulin 9-15 1-4 19, Mason O’Brien 1-9 2-2 4, Cohen Petrutz 7-13 1-1 18, Cole Johnston 0-1 0-0 0, Connor Starn 2-3 0-0 6, Logan Hitt 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 4-7 55. PAULSBORO (10-12) – Ty Hodges 2 3-4 7, Ryann Briscoe 4 0-1 9, Aiden Milligan 6 2-2 16, Antonio Pandolfo 7 0-0 17, Yan Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Eric Scott 4 2-2 10, Stephan Lane 0 0-0 0, Aaron Scott 0 0-0 0, Jamar Robinson 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-9 63.
WOODSTOWN 77, BUENA 22: Connor Sanderson and Elijah Caesar both enjoyed career scoring nights and 11 players hit the scoring column as the Wolverines swamped winless Buena to solidify their spot in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
Sanderson hit four 3-pointers and led the Wolverines with 14 points. He had scored only two points previously this season. Caesar scored 11 points, his first game in double figures.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 22-5 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 47-8 at halftime. Buena has lost 25 in a row over the last two seasons.
SALEM TECH 64, CAPE MAY TECH 53: The Chargers opened a 19-point halftime lead and held on through a barrage of Benjamin Lynch 3-pointers in the second half for their third win, one more than they had all last season.
Tyler Zampino hit five 3-pointers and matched his career-high (set Feb. 1 against Clayton) with 26 points. Antoine Robinson had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Haneef Frisby had nine points and 10 boards.
The Chargers led 36-17 at halftime, but Lynch got hot in the second half and hit six of his seven 3-pointers. he hit four of them in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers had enough of a cushion to close it out. They were 2-23 last year and are guaranteed to have won more and lost fewer this year.
“It’s big for me,” coach Bryan Riley said. “It’s exactly how we envisioned it going.
“Last year we had two guys returning with varsity experience .I knew that getting into the Tri-County (Conference) was going to be difficult (and) playing in the Classic Division, in my eyes, was even harder … It was a big task, but every day my boys come, strap up the boots and get to work.
“This year, the underclassmen are stepping up and the seniors are leading with their energy. Antoine (Robinson), Tyler (Zampino) and Haneef (Frisby) are all returning and putting up big numbers the back end of the season. There were a few close games this year that we were missing starters that I would have liked to have won (but) you live and learn.
“We have three games left. We are hoping to end the season strong.”
SALEM TECH (3-17) – Chase Wills 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 3 3-3 9, Joseph Hayes 1 0-0 3, Josh Muntz 0 2-7 2, Daviontae Russell 0 1-2 1, Tyler Zampino 8 5-10 26, Antoine Robinson 3 8-9 16, Gio Holmes 0 0-0 0, Charlie Brown 1 0-0 3, Chase Ayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 19-31 64. CAPE MAY TECH (2-19) – Tyler Dille 1 1-2 3, Colin Gery 1 4-4 6, Ronnie Neenhold 2 4-4 8, Lucas Woolcock 0 0-0 0, Benjamin Lynch 8 1-1 24, Austin Bigelow 0 0-0 0, Chance Ginyard 2 0-0 5, Trevor Frey 1 0-0 2, Alec Dooley 1 2-2 4, Paul Simmerman 0 1-2 1, Jimmy Richie 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 13-15 53.
Salem Tech
19
17
15
13 –
64
Cape May Tech
10
7
15
22 –
53
3-point goals: Salem Tech 9 (Hayes, Zampino 5, Robinson 2, Brown); Cape May Tech 8 (Lynch 7, Ginyard). Rebounds: Salem Tech 40 (Frisby 10, Robinson 9, Zampino 6). Fouled out: Wills, Holmes, Dille, Gery, Lynch. Total fouls: Salem Tech 24, Cape May Tech 29.
Penns Grove closing in on goal of home playoff game, Pennsville hoping to secure a spot; includes all Salem County games
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES Penns Grove 60, Pennsville 51 Salem 89, Clayton 63 Overbrook 75, Schalick 38 Washington Twp. 50, Woodstown 46 Pitman 76, Salem Tech 42
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The goal for the Penns Grove basketball team this week was pretty straight forward.
Play four games, win four games. Do that and there’s a good chance they can collect a nice reward at the end of the week.
Ever since the second half of the season began the push for the Red Devils has been to fight their way back for a first-round home game in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
They moved a step closer to locking that up Thursday with a 60-51 win over Pennsville for their third win of the week. It’s their longest winning streak since late in the 2021-22 season.
“It keeps it rolling,” Penns Grove coach Damian Ware said. “It’s three in a row; we want to keep winning.
“Our goal for this week was to go 4-0 and move into the Tri-County Conference (on a roll). Right now we’ve got three of them so we look to finish off the week tomorrow.”
The Red Devils (9-12), 5-11 on Jan. 29, entered the day in ninth place in the SJ Group I power points standings, 24 points behind of Palmyra that holds the eighth and final home game slot. They cut the gap to eight points with their win over the Eagles with a winnable game Friday at Schalick before Saturday’s state cutoff. Palmyra plays LEAP Academy (13-8) Friday.
If they win Friday and get the same 25 power points they did for beating Schalick on Tuesday, the Red Devils would net gain 16 power points in their best 16-game ledger. If Palmyra loses, it would net gain six points and the Red Devils would jump them with a win.
“As long as we win tomorrow we should be locked into it, but we’ve got to finish the job,” Ware said. “We’ve had a really good week. If we finish tomorrow, we’ll have a great week. I’ve told these guys all year it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. We’re trying to finish strong.”
Pennsville, meanwhile, has been living on the bubble. The Eagles (9-14) are 15th after Thursday’s game, but feel good about their position despite the loss because they’re 27 points ahead of the final qualifying spot and the two teams above them and the three teams directly below them all lost.
They can nail it down with a win Friday at Paulsboro, but they’ll have to do it without junior guard Luke Wood. The 1,000-point scorer turned his ankle in the first two and a half minutes of the game, hurridly hobbled off the floor to the training room and didn’t play the rest of the game.
He is not expected to play Friday. Of even greater concern is how the injury might affect him for the upcoming baseball season. A promising left-handed pitcher, the ankle he hurt is in his push-off leg on the mound.
With Wood out of the game, the Eagles turned their eyes to post Danny Saulin to either score down low or draw the defense in to get the ball to his teammates. The 6-7 senior took advantage of the mismatch and responded with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double this year and 10th over the last two seasons. He also blocked two shots.
“I had to take control to help us get back in the game, to help find my teammates and my teammates found me,” Saulin said. “We had them on the ropes. It was just that first quarter not getting used to that press without Luke, then we figured it out and we were moving the ball from there and we almost won the game.”
Saulin scored the first 11 points in a 14-6 run that got the Eagles to within two with 1:14 left in the third quarter.
But that’s where the game turned. Penns Grove’s Giomar Conrad made a driving layup and was fouled, but Pennsville coach Joe Mecholsky protested too loud and long that it was a foul on the floor and was rung up with a technical. Conrad made his and-one to complete the three-point play and then hit both two technical foul shots to put the Red Devils up by seven.
“That pretty much changed the game,” Ware said.
Conrad led Penns Grove with 19 points. He was 7-for-7 from the free throw line, 6-for-6 in the second half. Mekhi Ballard had 16 with three 3-pointers.
The Eagles made one more push. They got back within three on four more Saulin points, but then KaRon Ceaser hit two buckets to make it a seven-point game with 4:40 left and Penns Grove never led by fewer than five the rest of the game.
SALEM 89, CLAYTON 63: Jabez DeJesus led four Salem scorers in double figures with 24 points, 15 in the second quarter. Ramaji Bundy had his best game of the year with 13 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers. Paul Weathers had 13 points and Anthony Farmer added 10. The Rams (14-7) have won seven of their last eight and are currently a solid third in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.
CLAYTON (3-18) – Dillon Jones 7 2-4 16, Nazir Davis 4 3-6 11, John Carter 1 0-0 3, Demetris Williams 2 0-0 4, Jon Cox 3 0-0 6, Cristan Scott 2 0-0 5, Ashaud Hines-Pope 1 0-0 2, Nasir Carter 5 0-0 13, Fareed Mamah 0 0-0 0, Earl Townsend 0 0-0 0, Brian Marshall 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Aviles 0 0-0 0, Rodney Robinson 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 5-10 63. SALEM (14-7) – Anthony Farmer 3 4-4 10, Ramaji Bundy 5 0-0 13, Jabez DeJesus 10 2-2 24, Paul Weathers 6 1-2 13, Davonte Jackson 3 0-0 8, Tymear Lecator 3 0-0 8, Marshall Stephens 2 0-0 4, Xavier McGriff 2 0-0 5, Donovan Weathers 0 0-0 0, Antwone Rogers 1 0-0 2, Joe Tunis 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 7-8 89.
Clayton
12
15
15
21 –
63
Salem
20
25
19
25 –
89
3-point goals: Clayton 6 (J. Carter, Scott, N. Carter 3, Robinson); Salem 10 (Bundy 3, DeJesus 2, Jackson 2, Lecator 2, McGriff). Total fouls: Clayton 6, Salem 12.
PITMAN 76, SALEM TECH 42 SALEM TECH (2-17) – Haneef Frisby 3 0-0 6, Joseph Hayes 0 3-4 3, Josh Muntz 1 2-2 5 Tyler Zampino 2 0-0 6, Antoine Robinson 8 3-6 20, Gio Holmes 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-14 42 PITMAN (17-6) – Porter Kostiuk 2 3-5 7, Stephen Devanney 5 0-0 14, Colin Ambrosius 0 0-0 0, Chris Wyllie 3 0-1 6, Michael Fisicaro 2 0-0 6, Sonny Myers 3 4-6 11, Hudson Rue 1 1-2 4, Jake Epting 2 1-4 6, Elijah Crispin 7 3-3 19, Sean Powell 0 0-0 0, Trey Tinges 1 0-0 3. Totals 26 12-21 76.
Woodstown girls putting together big streaks, big individual numbers; recognize three milestones, plus visiting 1,000-point scorer
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – They came to the Joseph P. Irvin Gym Wednesday to recognize some big numbers by some of the home team’s big players, but they aren’t the only numbers worthy of celebrating within the program.
For starters, the Woodstown girls basketball team added an exclamation point to the third straight Tri-County Diamond Division title they clinched the night before with a 60-33 rout of Glassboro.
It was the Wolverines’ 29th straight division win. Now, only Overbrook a week from Saturday stands between them an a third straight undefeated division season. They’ve also won 28 straight games against Salem County competition, although Glassboro doesn’t figure into this category.
Of course, those are all numbers record-keepers keep. On a more public stage, the program recognized juniors Talia Battavio and Megan Donelson for joining the 1,000-Point Club and senior Shannon Pierman for surpassing 500 career rebounds. All three reached their milestones last week, but Wednesday was the Wolverines’ first home game for them to be able to recognize them.
“It’s crazy to think it’s that many,” Woodstown coach Kara Straughn said of all the streaks and milestones working within the program. “A lot of the kids don’t think about the numbers, but the numbers are what leaves the lasting impression for the younger girls and it makes a name for the program and our school. They don’t realize they’re creating this legacy for Woodstown High School girls basketball with all of those little numbers and the numbers they don’t always think about.
“It just goes to show you when you put in all that work in the offseason and in-season it pays off.”
Battavio led the Wolverines Wednesday with 22 points and moved ahead of Donelson on the program’s active scoring list with 1,050 points. Donelson had 18 points and stands at 1,047. Pierman had 14 points and 15 rebounds for her sixth double-double in the last seven games, leaving her 20 points shy of joining the 500-500 Club (480-560).
Both 1,000-point scorers had their commemorative banners displayed on the padding on the wall leading out of the gym.
After the game, the recognized the milestones with a brief video, then presented the players with flowers and balloons that spelled out “1-0-0-0” and “5-0-0” for their particular milestones.
“I thought it was really thoughtful of everybody to do that,” Donelson said. “It’s cool people are going to look back that 2022 and 2023 they were really good. It makes a huge impact on the girls basketball program here.”
“I think we’ve come a long way,” Battavio said. “Having two 1,000-point scorers is amazing and I’m grateful we got to do it together. It helps that we’re best friends. I’m very proud of her.”
“It means a lot,” added Pierman. “We work hard, we play hard and I’m just really proud of all of us.”
Actually, there were three 1,000-point scorers on the floor in the game. Glassboro junior Tamia Smith reached the milestone on a layup with 1:37 left in the third quarter. When the historic moment game, they stopped the game and family and friends poured onto the floor to celebrate the feat.
Smith was fouled on the historic layup and after the celebration subsided she returned to the free throw line to promptly deposited point No. 1,002
“It’s nice to see it from a different perspective,” said Straughn, who presented Smith a bouquet and a ball after the game. “It’s just cool to see somebody else who we play every year and she’s only a junior. It’s nice to see there are up and coming and successful programs nearby and players who are successful nearby.”
Woodstown 1,000-point scorers Talia Battavio (L) and Megan Donelson (R) flank the newest member of the club, Glassboro’s Tamia Smith. There are 3,101 career points in this group of juniors.
