Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Jan. 5-10, highlighted by Penns Grove’s basketball doubleheader at Wells Fargo Center and Pennsville’s Taylor Bass’ bid for 1000 (both Monday), and No. 1 Salem CC’s return vs. No. 7 Union
MONDAY, JAN. 5 BOYS BASKETBALL Penns Grove vs. Salem Tech at Wells Fargo Center, 2:30 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove vs. Salem at Wells Fargo Center, 1 p.m. Hammonton at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Clayton at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem vs. Overbrook at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. SWIMMING Schalick vs. West Deptford at River Winds, 3:45 p.m.
TUESDAY, JAN. 6 BOYS BASKETBALL Clayton at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Glassboro at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Overbrook at Penns Grove, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. Salem at Pitman, 7 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Overbrook, 4 p.m. Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Pitman at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 5:30 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Gloucester Catholic at Westbrook Lanes, 3:45 p.m. Salem vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes, 4 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Penns Grove, Schalick at Cherokee Throwdown COLLEGE BASKETBALL Union at Salem CC, 5 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Monroe-Bronx at Salem CC, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7 WRESTLING Deptford at Woodstown, 5 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 5 p.m. Penns Grove at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 8 BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Pitman, 5:30 p.m. Schalick at Salem Tech, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Pitman at Penns Grove Salem at Glassboro, 5:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Woodstown at Wildwood, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville at Paulsboro, 6:30 p.m. SWIMMING Woodstown vs. Highland at GCIT, 7 p.m. Schalick vs. Cumberland at GCIT, 8:30 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Pennsville, Schalick at Bennett Complex, 5 p.m. BOWLING Salem Tech vs. Lindenwold at Wood Lanes, 3:45 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 9 BOYS BASKETBALL Buena at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. Salem at LEAP, 5:30 p.m. Triton at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove at Kingsway, 4 p.m. Schalick at Buena, 5:30 p.m. WRESTLING Pennsville, Salem at TCC Girls Jamboree, Kingsway, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 10 GIRLS BASKETBALL Delsea at Pennsville, 11:30 a.m. Woodstown at Haddonfield, 1 p.m. WRESTLING Deptford at Penns Grove, 9 a.m. Woodstown at Cinnaminson, 9:30 a.m. Salem, Gloucester at Washington Twp., 10 a.m. Schalick, Cumberland, Timber Creek at Buena, 10 a.m. Pennsville, Millville, Oakcrest at Overbrook, 10 a.m. INDOOR TRACK Woodstown at Bennett Center, Toms River COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 2 p.m. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Salem CC at RCSJ-Gloucester, 5 p.m.
Results and highlights from Saturday’s wrestling, indoor track action involving Salem County teams
Wrestling
HAMMONTON DUALS GATEWAY/WOODBURY 51, PENNSVILE 20 106: Mike Graham (GW) pinned Brett Land, 5:53 113: Vincent Toner (GW) maj. dec. Erick Davalos, 14-3 120: Leo Butler (GW) pinned John Sassi, 1:24 126: Christian Snyder (GW) tech fall over Mehki Dicks, 15-0 (2:45) 132: Chase Baker (P) tech fall over Aiden Barbato, 15-0 (4:34) 138: Cameron Torres (GW) pinned Vincent Grether, 4:28 144: Stephen Ericsson (GW) dec. Nathaniel Mason, 11-4 150: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Dylan Letzgus, 2:54 157: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Gio Alvarez, 0:27 165: Robbie McDade (P) dec. Daniel Rivera, 12-8 175: Josh Reynolds (GW) won by forfeit 190: Josiah Bradshaw (GW) pinned Cristian Blyler, 1:15 215: Shane Young (GW) won by forfeit 285: Ahmad Fears (GW) dec. Jacob Hand, 3-2
PENNSVILLE 59 WINSLOW 14 113: Christopher Steed (WI) maj. dec. Erick Davalos, 9-1 120: John Sassi (P) won by forfeit 126: Mehki Dicks (P) pinned Alverse Cannon, 5:24 132: Chase Baker (P) pinned Nathan Downey, 4:51 138: Noah Young (WI) maj. dec. Vincent Grether, 9-1 144: Nathaniel Mason (P) dec. Nathan Smalls, 7-4 150: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Joshua Martinez, 1:54 157: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Chase Hamilton, 0:47 165: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Luke Vigorito, 0:26 175: Cristian Blyler (P) tech fall over Pablo Hernandez, 16-0 (5:35) 190: Caleb Walderrama (WI) won by forfeit 215: Hunter Coulbourn (P) won by forfeit 285: Trevor Waddington (P) dec. Izuchukwu Ugwuzor, 6-4 106: Brett Land (P) won by forfeit
PENNSVILLE 53, BUENA 28 120: John Sassi (P) won by forfeit 126: Mehki Dicks (P) pinned Konner Raynor, 4:40 132: Chase Baker (P) won by forfeit 138: Thomas Hann (B) pinned Vincent Grether, 1:55 144: Zach Cohen (B) maj. dec. Nathaniel Mason, 14-3 150: Travis Hagan (P) pinned Gionni Sharkey, 2:55 157: Gabe Supernavage (P) pinned Gage Forvour, 1:10 165: Robbie McDade (P) pinned Billy Haslam, 0:44 175: Matt Cohen (B) won by forfeit 190: Larry Spellman (B) pinned Cristian Blyler, 2:40 215: Anthony Trainor (B) won by forfeit 285: Jacob Hand (P) pinned Mason Zaak, 1:40 106: Brett Land (P) pinned John Sutton, 3:28 113: Erick Davalos (P) tech fall over Alex Alicia, 19-2 (5:42)
DAN TRAINER COLLINGSWOOD DUALS WOODSTOWN 65, CAMDEN/CAMDEN EASTSIDE 6 106: T.J. Conto (WO) won by forfeit 113: Jadon Middlemiss (WO) pinned Fahim Bright, 0:47 120: Carson Bradway (WO) won by forfeit 126: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Adrian DeJesus, 1:44 132: Barry Coverly (WO) tech fall over Iyzuhs Abreu, 19-4 (4:33) 138: Luke Woronicak (WO) won by pin, 1:31 144: Unknown 150: Unknown 157: Ahmad Clossen (CCE) pinned Mathias Ellis, 3:25 165: Logan Warfield (WO) pinned Nekai Underdue, 3:20 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) pinned Levar Wilson-Morant, 1:05 190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) pinned Terrance Rothmiller, 3:41 215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Gabriel Marshall 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Anthony Nelson CHERRY HILL WEST 41, WOODSTOWN 29 106: Aiden Sanchez (CHW) pinned T.J. Conto, 0:08 113: Caden Rossi (CHW) dec. Jadon Middlemiss, 4-0 120: Carson Bradway (WO) dec. Aeden Wynne, 6-0 126: Walker Battavio (WO) pinned Mason Hare, 1:34 132: Barry Coverly (WO) tech fall over Jamir Jackson, 16-1 (4:00) 138: Brandon Darling (CHW) pinned Luke Woronicak, 3:16 144: Mason Mahan (CHW) maj. dec. Nehemiah Carter, 14-6 150: Angel Mena-Martinez (CHW) pinned Josh Woronicak, 3:31 157: Jakob Ubarry (CHW) pinned Mathias Ellis, 0:34 165: Gabe Jones (CHW) pinned Logan Warfield, 0:40 175: Clayton Tyson (CHW) maj. dec. Greyson Hyland, 11-3 190: Asher Fitzpatrick (WO) over Praise Okereafor (SV-1 5-2) 215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Nick Fareas, 0:52 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Anthony Vanella, 0:20
GLOUCESTER 57, WOODSTOWN 16 106: Connor Frenetic (G) tech fall over T.J. Conto, 15-0 (2:00) 113: Jacob Vazquez (G) tech fall over Jadon Middlemiss, 16-0 120: Ethan Santiago (G) pinned Carson Bradway, 2:26 126: Gavin Lee (G) pinned Walker Battavio, 4:17 132: Barry Coverly (WO) vs. Alexander Ekimoglou 138: Aidan Johnson (G) pinned Luke Woronicak, 0:17 144: Darrian Smith (G) pinned Nehemiah Carter, 0:17 150: Greg Harris (G) tech fall over Josh Woronicak, 17-2 (2:49) 157: Michael Eller (G) pinned Mathyias Ellis, 2:46 165: Derek Scruggs (G) pinned Ricky Watts, 3:39 175: Greyson Hyland (WO) maj. dec. Harry Ulmer, 8-0 190: Ashton Wall (G) pinned Asher Fitzpatrick, 1:31 215: Bradley Snitcher (WO) pinned Bryce Busan, 1:07 285: Mateo Vinciguerra (WO) pinned Alex Anderson, 0:36
OVERBROOK QUAD SCHALICK 72, OVERBROOK 12 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) won by forfeit 126: Caleb Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 132: Jacob Potts (S) won by forfeit 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Jaden Marshall, 1:53 144: Michael Baisch (S) won by forfeit 150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Karter Reed, 0:45 157: Ayden Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 165: Anthony Deaver (S) won by forfeit 175: Xyon Marshall (O) won by forfeit 190: Jayden Devan (O) won by forfeit 215: James Cook (S) pinned Augustus Guzman, 5:21 285: Gerardo Felipe (S) pinned Shyer Scarborough, 1:13 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Nicholas Latona (S) won by forfeit
SCHALICK 47, HADDON HEIGHTS 32 113: Aniello Napolitano (H) tech fall over Nicholas Latona, 21-5 (3:59) 120: Cole Denning (H) pinned E’Shion Underwood, 1:18 126: Caleb Jenkins (S) pinned Joseph DeRosa, 3:30 132: Jacob Potts (S) pinned Gavin Gilliss, 1:11 138: Colin Bittle (S) pinned Brennan Albright, 0:46 144: Michael Baisch (S) pinned Michael Fitter, 0:48 150: Ryan Bailey (H) pinned Mason Hollywood, 2:32 157: Ayden Jenkins (S) pinned Matthew Boone, 3:51 165: Jayden Bonilla (H) pinned Ayden Hubbard, 5:29 175: Andrew Gutkin (H) pinned Ricky Watt, 1:44 190: Evan Elliott (S) pinned Shawn Thompson, 1:16 215: James Cook (S) pinned Cameron Mayo, 0:59 285: Nathan Lelionis (H) dec. Gerardo Felipe, 8-6 106: Victor Fenske (S) tech fall over Andrew Hanchey, 19-3 (3:59)
SCHALICK 59, MAINLAND 12 106: Victor Fenske (S) won by forfeit 113: Nicholas Latona (S) won by forfeit 120: E’Shion Underwood (S) pinned Jaxon Serra, 0:42 126: Mario DiBartolo (M) dec. Caleb Jenkins, 4-0 132: Justin Mazur (M) dec. Jacob Potts, 3-1 138: Colin Bittle (S) tech fall over Archer Burns, 21-5 (3:58) 144: Daniel McKinnon (M) def. Michael Baisch, 12-8 150: Mason Hollywood (S) pinned Yehor Leusenko, 1:32 157: Ayden Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 165: Anthony Deaver (S) won by forfeit 175: Vincent Hoag (M) dec. Ricky Watt, 4-2 190: Evan Elliott (S) won by forfeit 215: James Cook (S) won by forfeit 285: Gerardo Felipe (S) won by forfeit
SALEM QUAD HOLY SPIRIT 37, SALEM 36 120: Zachary Tortella (S) won by forfeit 126: Nathaniel Quinones-Perez (S) won by forfeit 132: Guilherme Quintanilha (S) pinned Seamus Crowder, 1:30 138: Carmine Lovallo (HS) pinned Christian VanTonder, 2:51 144: Anthony Lovallo (HS) pinned Joseph Goetaski, 1:51 150: Gavin Mensch (HS) pinned Zion Moore, 0:46 157: Patrick Voss (HS) won by forfeit 165: Mason Sproles (HS) won by forfeit 175: Austyn Franklin (S) won by forfeit 190: Kaleb Ewald (S) won by forfeit 215: Double forfeit 285: Abdur Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 106: Double forfeit 113: Ryan Eykyn (HS) won by forfeit NOTE: Holy Spirit won the tiebreaker.
MANASQUAN 76, SALEM 3 126: Gustavo Ramirez Ortiz (M) pinned Nathaniel Quinones-Perez 132: Donovan Havard (M) pinned Guilherme Quintanilha 138: Padraig Tracey (M) won by forfeit 144: Jaden Sanders (M) pinned Joseph Goetaski 150: Ryan McNulty (M) tech fall over Christian VanTonder, 16-1 157: Torrin Tracey (M) tech fall over Zion Moore, 16-1 165: David Dawson (M) pinned Jordan Brown 175: Ryder Boyle (M) pinned Jaivion Sydnor 190: Abnel Roman Del-Rio (M) pinned Kaleb Ewald 215: Domenic Incolla (M) won by forfeit 285: Abdur Jenkins (S) dec. Ambrose Masons, 8-3 106: Myles Byrne (M) won by forfeit 113: Jack Thomas (M) won by forfeit 120: Liam Cavanagh (M) pinned Zachary Tortella
NORTHERN BURLINGTON 76, SALEM 6 132: Roco Giangeruso (NB) tech fall over Guilherme Quintanilha, 17-1 (2:08) 138: Kellan Bolos (NB) won by forfeit 144: Michael Mayhew (NB) won by forfeit 150: Julian Morgan (NB) won by forfeit 157: Nathan Hyman (NB) pinned Zyion Moore, 3:43 165: Nathanael Beteta-Perez (NB) pinned Jordan Brown, 5:17 175: Logan Berck (NB) pinned Jaivion Sydney, 1:33 190: Aadil Rehman (NB) pinned Kaleb Ewald, 0:53 215: Kody Phillips (NB) won by forfeit 285: Abdur Jenkins (S) won by forfeit 106: Maddox Millan (NB) won by forfeit 113: Niccolo Carnassale (NB) won by forfeit 120: Ryan Thatcher (NB) tech fall over Zachary Tortella, 17-0 (1:56) 126: Jason Marasco (NB) pinned Adrien Morales, 0:56
Indoor Track
PHILADELPHIA — Woodstown’s Karson Chew had a big day at the SJTCA Meet at the Ott Center Saturday.
Chew ran a leg on the winning 4×800 relay team that beat their best time in the building last year by three seconds and blasted his PR by eight seconds in winning the 1600.
“Overall pretty happy about how the day went,” he said. “The 1600 was a really good breath of fresh air. I haven’t had a PR in that event since last indoor season and I felt as though because I ran a 28 lap lap that I totally had more in the tank.”
Joining Chew on the first 4×8 of the indoor season were returnees Josh Crawford and Jake Marino and newcomer David Farrell.
“Overall everyone did pretty well in the first 4×8 of the season,” Chew said. “And although we still have some things to clean up, we’re well on our way for a great season in the relay.”
SJTCA MEET 8 OTT CENTER, PHILADELPHIA (Top 6 finishes)
BOYS 1600: 1. Karson Chew, Woodstown 4:36.46 Distance medley: 2. Woodstown 10:56.71 4×800: 1. Woodstown 8:20.31 Long jump: 6. Davine Banks, Penns Grove 18-4.75
Saturday basketball roundup: Lecator getting back into form, just in time for Salem to make a run; Cherokee bombards Woodstown with 3s, and more
BOYS GAMES Salem 51, St. Joseph 45 Cherokee 65, Woodstown 50 West Deptford 50, Salem Tech 27 Maple Shade 47, Pennsville 36 (OT) GIRLS GAME Cinnaminson 56, Woodstown 34
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – When Tymear Lecator is at the top of his game Salem basketball coach Anthony Farmer is convinced he’s one of the better guards in South Jersey.
The junior hasn’t been quite up to his form of last season – and there are reasons for that – but Saturday he looked like the Lecator of old. Even he said it was the first time this year he felt like his old self.
Lecator exerted himself early, beating his season high in points by halftime. But he didn’t stop there. Even with foul trouble that kept him out most of the third quarter, he still had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Rams past St. Joe’s of Hammonton 51-45.
“I definitely wanted to get back to what I was last year and I knew I was being short of myself and I was hurting the team so I tried to come back,” he said. “I’ve been in the gym consistently getting shots up so that definitely played a big part (in Saturday’s success). I was just ready to go today. I was amped up.”
He didn’t waste any time showing it. He scored the first basket of the game and had nine of the Rams’ 11 first-quarter points. Then he scored six in the 14-0 second-quarter run that gave the Rams an eight-point halftime lead.
That’s 15 points in the half. His best game this year before Saturday was 13 in the season opener against Woodstown.
It was only his third game this season scoring in double figures; he did it 19 times last year, including a triple-double against Clayton. But he also has been dealing with some things he didn’t face last year, either. He underwent off-season wrist surgery and missed most of the Pleasantville game after rolling his ankle.
“I was down on myself for a little bit but I knew I was going to bounce back,” he said. “I wasn’t too hard on myself because I knew what I’m capable of. I just knew I had to let the pieces come together and now I’m back.”
Farmer is glad to see him starting to come around.
“Hopefully this gets him going, he finds his groove,” Farmer said. “We need him to be at full tilt because if we’re going to be the team we need to be down the stretch to try to lock up the 1 seed in Group 1 we need him to be playing at his best.”
Lecator isn’t the only Rams player making his way back. Senior Marshall Stephens is back on the floor after not playing basketball last year in New York.
Providing the Rams the post presence they need with Antwuan Rogers graduating early to join Temple football in the spring, Stephens went for eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots against the Wildcats. In six games this year he’s averaging five points, 6.5 rebounds and has 14 blocks. He’s had 26 rebounds and 10 blocks in his last three games.
“I’m still getting back to myself,” he said, “but I feel like when it’s the middle of the season, when stuff really starts to go down, I’ll be back in my element.”
SALEM 51, ST. JOSEPH (H) 45 ST. JOSEPH (4-3): Caden Banks 3 2-2 8, Zehkiy DeJesus 4 0-0 9, Ayden Santiago 0 0-0 0, Chris Hill 2 1-1 6, CJ Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Eddie Drummond 8 2-4 22. Totals 17 5-7 45. SALEM (5-1): Marshall Stephens 4 0-0 8, Xavier McGriff 0 2-2 2, Neziah Spence 3 4-4 10, Tymear Lecator 8 2-3 19, BJ Robbins 3 0-0 6, Deshaan Williams 2 2-6 6, Kyvion Parsons 0 0-0 0, Harlem Parsons 0 0-0 0, Cole Sayers 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 10-15 51.
St. Joseph
13
4
19
9-
45
Salem
11
14
10
16-
51
3-point goals: St. Joseph 6 (DeJesus, Hill, Drummond 4); Salem 1-16 (Lecator). Rebounds: Salem 27 (Williams 9). Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: St. Joseph 12, Salem 15.
Salem’s Marshall Stephens (30) stands his ground in the post, challenging anyone to come into his lane. Top photo, Tymear Lecator (3) doesn’t give St. Joe’s CJ Mitchell much room to work.
It’s raining 3s
WOODSTOWN — Cherokee’s Johnny Comito set up in the left corner for the first shot of the second half. He let it fly and it found the bottom of the net for yet another 3.
Woodstown coach Ramon Roots just turned away and dropped his head. He’d seen this movie throughout the first half and it was starting all over again.
The Chiefs ended Woodstown’s five-game winning streak Saturday 65-50 under the weight of a season-high 11 3-pointers.
At halftime the Chiefs (6-1) had more points on 3s than the Wolverines (5-3) had points, a trend that carried until midway through the third quarter.
Cherokee’s previous season-high from behind the arc was seven, in the season opener against Cherry Hill West, but they hit six twice thereafter.
Louis Galasso had the hottest hand, hitting six 3s, tying his season high, on the way to 26 points. Tony Fuscia hit three.
“I knew they could get hot,” Roots said. “Everything was going in tonight for them. They shot the ball very well.”
The Chiefs led wire-to-wire. They hit the first two buckets of the game and never trailed. Every time Woodstown got close, they’d hit another 3.
“They shot very well,” Wolverines senior guard Eli Caesar said. “We could’ve contested their shots better, but they were hitting them. It’s kind of hard to defend it when they’re just hitting them. Even when you’re closing out they’re still making them.”
The Wolverines got into the act in the second half. They hit four 3s in the third quarter to keep up – but just to keep up. It helped them score 19 points in the quarter to stay within the seven they trailed by at halftime.
Caesar had three in the quarter and had a career-high six in the game to finish with a game- and career-high 28 points.
“I feel like we’re a good 3-point shooting team, we’re pretty confident shooters,” Caesar said. “I felt like I had to get us back in the game. They went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, so I knew we had to flip the switch.”
The Wolverines got within four on a 3-pointer by Alejandro Vazquez with 4:35 to play, but then Galasso hit another 3 and the Chiefs closed it out from the free throw line. In that final stretch Galasso hit two 3s and the Chiefs went 10-for-12 from the foul line.
“I know we have the ability to do that,” Roots said. “We’ve seen it, both of our losses, Woodbury and Salem, coming back in the game, but it’s all about putting ourselves in the hole. We’ve got to stop putting ourselves in the hole. If we weren’t in that hole, we wouldn’t have to come back.”
CHEROKEE 65, WOODSTOWN 50 CHEROKEE (6-1): Louis Galasso 9 2-2 26, John Comito 3 3-4 10, Tony Fuscia 3 3-4 12, Tom Cieslik 4 2-2 11, Chris Walters 2 0-0 4, Jeremiah Shields 1 0-0 2, Josh Shields 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 10-12 65. WOODSTOWN (5-3): Eli Caesar 9 4-5 28, Blake Bialecki 3 3-3 10, Alejandro Vazquez 3 0-0 8, Josh King 0 0-0 0, Andrew White 2 0-1 4, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Connor Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-9 50.
WEST DEPTFORD 50, SALEM TECH 27 SALEM TECH (1-3): Chase Pompper 1 2-2 4, Brody Kroll 2 0-2 4, Aiden Bobo 2 1-3 5, Keidyn Robinson 1 1-3 3, Larry Pompper 3 0-0 9, Sterling Lewis 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 4-10 27. WEST DEPTFORD (2-5): Curtis Pearson 2 1-2 5, Kyle Eason 3 4-6 10, Aaron Benson 1 0-0 2, Carter Watson 5 0-0 11, Anthony Martello 2 2-2 7, Michael Garcia 1 2-3 4, Cameron Hoang 0 0-0 0, Michael Joseph 1 1-4 3, Zamir Davis 0 0-0 0, Talib Bogar 1 0-2 2, Cole Stanish 3 0-1 6. Totals 19 10-20 50.
Salem Tech
5
6
10
6-
27
West Deptford
11
7
14
18-
50
3-point goals: Salem Tech 3 (L. Pompper 3); West Deptford 2 (Watson, Martello). Rebounds: West Deptford 36 (Joseph 7). Notes: Eason had four steals and three assists. The Eagles ended a four-game losing streak, while extending the Chargers’ slide to three.
MAPLE SHADE 47, PENNSVILLE 38
Maple Shade (2-8)
11
8
15
3
10-
47
Pennsville (1-6)
9
8
4
16
1-
38
NOTES: Maple Shade’s Jayden Robinson had 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Girls game A tough lesson
WOODSTOWN – The scoreboard showed a 22-point loss to an undefeated opponent every bit as good as their record indicated. But Woodstown girls coach Matt Smart believes in the long run the Wolverines will have done far better for themselves playing this game than beating an easier opponent by the same margin or more.
The Wolverines took one on the chin Saturday, losing to undefeated Cinnaminson 56-34, but in the immediate analysis of a game otherwise better left alone, Smart did find some positives for his team to take away that will serve them well down the road.
“That’s kind of been our theory all year,” Smart said. “We’ll play whoever, wherever, whenever. We always want to challenge the girls and we always want to try to continue to get better and better and better.
“Each game I’ve had to say let’s focus on us, let’s focus on us getting better. I don’t care what the scoreboard says, if we’re up by 30, if we’re down by 30, whatever, we just want to continue to focus on us getting better as a team and as a unit. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect a win today, but I think we truly got a lot better today.”
Smart said there were “a lot of things” the Wolverines did well. Among them were being more patient with the ball than they’ve been in past games, making smart decisions with the ball, looking for open players, spreading out the floor and keeping up their defensive intensity.
The Wolverines (4-3) actually came out of the first quarter with a lead. It was a one-point game early in the second quarter before the Pirates (7-0) started pulling away. The visitors used a 7-0 run to establish control, then ended the half with another seven-point run to take a 14-point halftime lead.
Gabby Harvey had eight of her 16 points in the second quarter and Shiloh Moore had seven of her game-high 17 there. Harvey hit her four 3-pointers across the second and third quarters.
The Wolverines focused on getting the ball inside and didn’t have a 3-pointer in the game. Kyia Leyman was their leading scorer with 14 points.
Schalick’s Jones rolls in a couple big baskets in second half, while defense denies West Deptford; Salem, Woodstown win showcase games
TUESDAY’S GAMES Schalick 56, West Deptford 47 Gateway 55, Pennsville 40 Brook Ball Winter Classic Woodstown 52, Collingswood 45 Marty Derer Classic Salem 71, Rancocas Valley 45 Westhampton Tech 59, Penns Grove 41
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Schalick basketball coach James Turner used to give the ol’ eye roll when he watched Sherrod Jones get to the basket and try to finish it off with a finger roll at the rim. He just wasn’t sure if the shot was going to have enough steam to get in the hole.
It’s not like that anymore.
Jones has gotten quite proficient at getting the shot to drop this season and it played a pivotal role in the Cougars’ 56-47 win over West Deptford Tuesday afternoon.
The senior used the move he learned from his father on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to convert turnovers into layups to give the Cougars their first lead since early in the game. He made a outback about 30 seconds later that with the defense they would play gave them the lead for good.
“Comparing this year from last year he’s much better at finishing at the rim,” Turner said. “In years past he’d get there and get a clean shot off but you just didn’t know if they’re gonna go in. This year, just today alone, he finished very, very well.
“This year he just made it look so smooth, so effortless, and that’s a big improvement for him from last year. He’s always been able to get to the rim and now he’s able to finish.”
As much as Jones likes to dunk, the finger roll is typically his first option.
“I just feel like the finger roll is the easiest shot for me to get to,” he said. “I feel like anytime I get to the paint and there’s somebody right there I just wrap around and get that finger roll up.”
Schalick’s Sherrod Jones (3) flashes to the basket during Tuesday’s game with West Deptford. Top photo, Jones goes in for a layup.
Jones was really big in the second half. He scored 11 of his 13 points in the half and had four rebounds and two blocked shots. He had nine points in the third quarter.
“I told myself coming into the second half I was going to get a bucket,” he said. “My whole goal coming into the game was just bringing intensity to the team, hype everybody up. I started off by playing defense, getting blocks, and then the finger roll came into play.”
The Cougars (2-3) took a big step in their development in the second half and particularly the third quarter. They learned a lot about playing together.
They went into halftime trailing by one. They took the lead in the third quarter and stayed out front by holding the Eagles (1-5) without a field goal over the final 11 minutes of the game.
“That showed me how much they wanted it,” Jones said. “The first half we would play defense like we did today and it’d be great, (but) the second half people would get tired and it’d fall off. This time we played defense all the way through and we just kept going.”
The last bucket West Deptford scored came on a putback with three minutes left in the quarter. From there to the final horn the Eagles went 0-for-11 from the field with 13 turnovers. The Cougars, meanwhile, outscored them 20-8.
Freshman Orion Baldwin scored six of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and Justin Iacona had five.
“The one thing we do have is we have really good young players who really love the game and play the game well, and those guys allow the other guys to play together,” Turner said. “When you have young kids on the team that are energetic, that play the game very well, other teammates around them will also kind of (elevate their game).
“We haven’t all played together long enough to learn from each other, so the growth that happened today was those guys learning how to play together.”
BROOK BALL WINTER CLASSIC WOODSTOWN 52, COLLINGSWOOD 45 WOODSTOWN (5-2): Eli Caesar 2 1-1 5, Blake Bialecki 3 1-2 9, Alejandro Vazquez 6 1-1 16, Josh King 3 0-0 6, Andrew White 2 1-2 5, Frank Hoerst 4 3-6 11, Lucas Fulmer 0 0-0 0, Brayden Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-12 52. COLLINGSWOOD (0-6): Courtney Bunch 4 0-2 8, Croix Kelly 1 0-0 3, Mekhi Tingle 0 0-0 0, Zack Washington 1 0-0 3, Aaron Young 5 0-0 14, Amandi Ekezie 1 0-1 2, Gavin Wife 0 0-0 0, Jayden Diaz 4 0-0 10, Isiaha Clement 2 1-2 5. Totals 18 1-5 45.
Woodstown
16
14
12
10-
52
Collingswood
12
11
14
8-
45
3-point goals: Woodstown 5 (Bialecki 2, Vazquez 3); Collingswood 8 (Kelly, Washington, Young 4, Diaz 2). Notes: The win was Woodstown’s fifth straight. Vazquez has hit 10 3-pointers during the winning streak. Hoerst’s 11 points were a career high. He also had five rebounds and three steals.
MARTY DERER CLASSIC SALEM 71, RANCOCAS VALLEY 45 RANCOCAS VALLEY (4-2): Griffin Fair 2 0-0 4, Christian Phinisee 4 4-5 13, Jaylen Washington 2 3-4 8, Colin Seal 1 2-2 5, Chris Lee 3 1-2 7, Andre Birdsong 2 0-2 6, Amare Shelton 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 10-15 45. SALEM (4-1): Tymear Lecator 4-0-9, Deshaan Williams 8-3-19, Marshall Stevens 2-0-4, Neziah Spence 3-4-12, Xavier McGriff 6-0-13, BJ Robbins 4-1-10, Cole Sayers 1-2-4, Kyvion Parsons 1-0-2. Totals 29-10-73
Rancocas Valley
14
10
13
6-
45
Salem
18
14
22
17-
71
3-point goals: RV 5 (Phinisee, Washington, Seal, Byrdsong 2); Salem 5 (Lecator, Spence 2, McGriff, Robbins). Rebounds: Salem 35 (Williams 12, Stevens 8). Notes: The double-double was Williams’ third of the season.
WESTHAMPTON TECH 59, PENNS GROVE 41 WESTHAMPTON TECH (5-2): Tristen Dickerson 1 0-0 3, Damien Moragne 1 0-0 3, Henry Njoga 5 0-0 10, Alexander Jeanty 7 2-2 17, Jason Livingstone 4 1-2 9, Dewill Andre 2 2-2 6, Javon Ford 3 0-0 7, Christian Price 0 0-0 0, Todd Young 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-6 59. PENNS GROVE (4-2): Roman Gipson 2 0-0 4, Haneef Frisby 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 2 0-0 4, Mishawn Brantley 5 0-0 12, Luis Colon 2 2-2 6, Geonni Conrad 3 0-0 7, Eli Pearsall 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Costacamps 1 0-0 2, Ahkeen Edwards 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 2-2 41.
Westhampton Tech
18
14
20
7-
59
Penns Grove
8
10
11
12-
41
3-point goals: West Tech 4 (Dickerson, Moragne, Jeanty, Ford); Penns Grove 3 (Brantley 2, Conrad). Rebounds: West Tech 35 (Njoga 7, Andre 6). Notes: Dickerson had nine assists and Jeanty had six steals. It was West Tech’s third win in a row and snapped Penns Grove’s two-game winning streak.
Salem County basketball teams go 3-for-3 in Monday holiday tournament matinees; Woodstown boys win their own tournament
BOYS BASKETBALL Woodstown Holiday Tournament Camden Tech 67, Camden Prep 53 Woodstown 52, Haddon Heights 38 GIRLS BASKETBALL Haddons Invitational Round Robin Woodstown 46, Moorestown Friends 31 New Egypt Holiday Tournament Salem 36, New Egypt 24 Steinert 54, Clayton 42
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN – All the Woodstown basketball team needed was to see a couple shots go down to change its whole outlook on things. Or maybe it was the adjustments that led to making more shots.
The Wolverines weren’t really playing poorly early against Haddon Heights, but they trailed at halftime of their holiday tournament championship game Monday.
They made some adjustments and finally got some shots to fall sparking a second-half surge that carried them to their fourth straight win, 52-38.
“We played very good, we did a lot of great things throughout the game,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said. “The first half we were playing great defense, the shots just weren’t falling. I think they were doing a good job keeping us off the glass. We made some adjustments and we started making shots.”
Eli Caesar and Andrew White both missed the tournament opener Saturday, but were back in action Monday and played key roles in the turnaround. White scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half and Caesar scored six of his 11 in the fourth quarter.
Alejandro Vazquez also came up big, scoring eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Tournament MVP Blake Bialecki scored only six points, but made “a lot” of what Roots called “winning plays” to build momentum. Josh King joined Bialecki on the all-tournament team.
“People are taking advantage of their opportunity,” Roots said. “I feel we have a good group; it can be anybody’s night. I have confidence in all of them.”
Camden Tech handled winless Camden Prep in the consolation game, 67-53. Amari Richardson led Tech (2-2) with 15 points and nine rebounds. Keysean Spencer scored a team-high 16 points.
HADDONFIELD – Maybe it took a little while to shake off the early start, but the Woodstown girls came to life in the second quarter and carried it to a 48-31 victory over Moorestown Friends in the Haddons Invitational Round-Robin.
Getting to school at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. game at coach Matt Smart’s old stomping grounds, the Wolverines fell behind 8-4 in the opening eight minutes before stifling the Foxes 17-2 in the second quarter to take control of the game.
“Our defensive intensity definitely changed in the second quarter,” Wolverines coach Matt Smart said. “We played better on-the-ball defense as well as help defense, then we were more patient with the basketball. We let the game come to us and would run our sets and play. We wouldn’t settle for a good shot, but a great shot.”
Mia Waterman hit two of her three 3-pointers and Kendall Young scored five of her team-high 15 points in the second quarter. Waterman finished with nine points in the game. Kyia Leyman had 12 and five other Wolverines hit the scoring column.
“You can see in the second quarter we didn’t rely on one girl to score all of the points,” Smart said. “The points were spread out that quarter, which is what we want. When we’re sharing the load offensively we become a much tougher team to guard.”
NEW EGYPT – After seemingly taking control of the game with a big first quarter, the Salem girls fell back to earth and found themselves in a real dogfight by the time the fourth quarter came around.
Unfazed, they collected themselves and outscored their hosts 12-4 in the final eight minutes to beat New Egypt 36-24 in the opening round of the New Egypt Holiday Tournament.
Freshman Jaryn Weathers scored five of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Nevaeh Hickman had four of her five in the quarter and Maddie Dixon had three of her team-high 12 there. Dixon also had six rebounds and four assists in the game, while Weathers also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
“I don’t think we ever cracked when they got it to two,” Rams coach Kemp Carr said. “I think we actually turned up. We didn’t play a few of our starters today, so to see us do this without our guns being completely loaded was admiration for the younger players.”
The win keeps the Rams’ early-season turnaround going. They have won won two in a row for the first time since last February, it’s the earliest they’ve won two games in a season since 2021-22 when they started 3-0, and it’s the first time they’ve been above .500 since being 4-3 in January 2023.
They won three games all of last season.
“Absolutely it’s mentality,” Carr said. “They know they have to work hard. I think in the past they’ve been able to get away with certain things. We want everybody when they come out of their house in the morning to be confident. That means when you go on the floor you have to be confident.
“I ask them you put clothes on every day? Yes. You eat every day? Yes. I said I need something to go with that every day and that’s confidence. I don’t care what it is, if it’s today’s task, if you’re going to take a test, if you’re going to play a basketball game, you have to bring a level of confidence.”
The Rams now play Steinert in Tuesday’s championship game. The Spartans (2-3) beat Clayton 54-42 behind Katie Corby’s 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. Bella Rosa had 18 points (four 3-pointers), 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
New Egypt Holiday Tournament First round SALEM 36, NEW EGYPT 24
Salem
16
1
6
12-
36
New Egypt
4
10
7
3-
24
3-point goals: Salem 4 (Dixon 3, Hickman); New Egypt 3 (Stillwell 3). Rebounds: Salem 29 (Weathers 8, Pierce 7, Dixon 6).
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3
SUNDAY, DEC. 28 GIRLS BASKETBALL Penns Grove vs. Vineland at Audubon, 11 a.m. WRESTLING Salem in Middletown South Tournament Pennsville, Schalick in Overbrook Girls Tournament
MONDAY, DEC. 29 BOYS BASKETBALL Woodstown Holiday Tournament Camden Tech vs. Camden Prep, 10 a.m. Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown vs. Moorestown Friends, Haddonfield, 10 a.m. Salem at New Egypt (tournament), 1 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 30 BOYS BASKETBALL Woodstown vs. Collingswood at Overbrook Classic, 10 a.m. Salem vs. Rancocas Valley at Delsea, 11 a.m. Pennsville at Gateway, 11:30 a.m. West Deptford at Schalick, noon Penns Grove vs. Westhampton Tech at Delsea, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Maple Shade at Schalick, 10 a.m. Salem at New Egypt Tournament WRESTLING Audubon, Long Branch, Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 3 BOYS BASKETBALL Cherokee at Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. Salem Tech at West Deptford, 11:30 a.m. St. Joe at Salem, 4 p.m. Maple Shade at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Cinnaminson at Woodstown, 1 p.m. WRESTLING Woodstown at Collingswood Duals, 9 a.m. Northern Burlington, Manasquan, Holy Spirit at Salem, 10 a.m. Pennsville at Hammonton Duals, 10 a.m. Schalick, Haddon Heights, Mainland at Overbrook, 10 a.m. INDOOR TRACK Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia
Woodstown’s Crawford wins again at Ott Center, runs fastest indoor 800 in state this season; Penns Grove’s Garlic wins triple jump
By Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – From the moment Josh Crawford first stepped into the Ott Center and helped establish a building record in the 4×800 relay he knew this was going to be one of his favorite places to run.
The Woodstown senior returned to the building Saturday for his first 800 of the season and put up another record performance. He smashed his own Salem County indoor record in the event with the fastest time in the state (and fifth in the country) this season and 15th-fastest indoor in South Jersey history.
He got around the Penn campus track in 1:54.98. It was three seconds faster than the Salem County indoor record he set last March. He won the boys 400 here last week.
“It’s definitely my favorite track, for sure,” Crawford said. “Part of it is definitely the fact that it’s a banked track, but also because my first couple races there I ran pretty solid times. Ever since that I took running there as my good luck charm.”
The Sacred Heart signee led race runner-up Teddy Foster at each split, but admitted he could hear the Haverford, Pa., runner at his back the entire way. He pulled away in the final lap to win by six meters. Woodstown teammate Karson Chew was third (2:00.54).
His time is the fastest by any Group 1 runner since Pleasantville’s Jacob Clark ran 1:51.52 and twin brother Isaac ran 1:51.72 in 2013. He broke his own Salem County indoor record of 1:57.66 that he set at the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze.
“I honestly had no idea how good it was,” he said. “Considering it’s the start of the season I had no idea what I was going to run, but considering right before it I ran the 55 and it wasn’t one of my best times, so it was kind of like a mental reset.
“I’m happy with the fact I didn’t let the 55 discourage me and I was able to go into the 800 and run the time that I ran today.”
Crawford wasn’t the only Salem County athlete to win an event at the meet. Penns Grove’s Bryan Garlic won the boys triple jump with a jump of 43 feet, 4.5 inches,.
Woodstown’s Jacob Marino was sixth in the boys 1600 (4:38.60) and fifth in the 3200 (10:17.25), His sister Abby was sixth in the girls 1600 (5:33.30) and the fourth fastest girl in the mixed 3200 (12:13.65). Aiden Taulane was sixth in the boys shot put (42-9), while Sara Lodge was sixth in the girls shot (29-8).
Penns Grove’s Nazeer Nocho-Paynter was third in the boys 400 (51.80). Raymond Brown (44-4.25) and JaKai Ingram (43-4.25) were third and fifth, respectively, in the shot put.
PENNSVILLE – Taylor Bass would have liked to have 1,000 points for a belated Christmas present, but Haddon Twp. played Scrooge.
The Pennsville senior needed just 14 points to become the newest member of the Eagles’ 1000-Point Club Saturday, but the Hawks weren’t having it on their watch, especially after seeing one of those celebrations the last time out. They held Bass to a season-low six points and ended the Eagles’ three-game winning streak 53-31.
Her next chance for the milestone comes Jan. 5 against Clayton, a team she’s scored 15 and 20 against the last two times they’ve played. It’s scheduled as a road game, but the Eagles are hoping the Clippers will do them a solid and change venues to facilitate celebrating the milestone at home, just as teammates Nora Ausland and Marley Wood did last season.
“I haven’t really thought about it that much until someone came up to me and was like ‘Wow you’re 14 away,’ and that’s when it really hit me this game I could possibly get it,” Bass said. “But before that I just kind of went out there and played.
“Today what I ended up doing after I realized I was going to be face-guarded the whole game was just go play basketball, It’ll come when it comes. I know it’s coming soon. It’s eight points. I know I can get eight points.”
The Hawks made it hard for her to get any points Saturday. The six were her fewest in 22 games. She didn’t get her first shot off until the first minute of the second quarter when she made a layup for her first points of the game. She had another basket in the third quarter and two free throws.
“I touched the ball maybe 10 times the whole game,” she said. “That was the main thing, just trying to touch the ball. Whether it got in the basket, whether I got to the basket, whether I passed to a teammate, I really just wanted to get my hands on the ball.”
It’s not like the Eagles didn’t have plans to get her the ball.
“It was a tall task (to get the 1,000 today),” Pennsville coach Steve Merritt said. “They came out and face-guarded her throughout the entire game.
“As much as I encouraged my girls to go and screen for her, I need to encourage them more strongly I guess or work on it because we just couldn’t get her free. And there certainly weren’t any long distance transitions. We got her the ball a couple times and they got back and knocked the ball away.”
Bass said she hadn’t had been guarded like that since last year’s Haddon Twp. game when the Hawks stayed up on her and Marley Wood all game, holding them to 9 and 6 points, respectively. It was the last time Bass was held out of double figures.
She had averaged 20 points in the 16 games in between, 23.0 this year going into Saturday.
“We knew she was one of their best players and we just wanted to shut her down just to win the game,” Hawks coach Mark Petito said. “I don’t even know what her career total points are, I don’t even know what she got. We knew the last game she had like 30 and we knew we had to shut her down. We just wanted to take her touches away and really defend the back door cut.”
Hawks guard Julianna Martin, who drew the heaviest duty on Bass, had extra incentive to shut down the Eagles’ senior.
“We played Haddon Heights the last game and Emma Harris scored 1,000 points,” she said. “My whole mindset going into the game was I don’t want to feel like that again so I tried my best to shut her down.”
In addition to their tight defense, the Hawks also shot it well. They hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter to open 14-point lead they maintained the rest of the game.
Top photo: Haddon Twp.’s Julianna Martin (3) keeps a close eye on Pennsville senior Taylor Bass during Saturday’s game.
HADDONS INVITATIONAL HOLY SPIRIT 58, WOODSTOWN 37: Reilly Byrnes scored 16 points with four 3-pointers — all in the first half — and Lauren Cella and Kennedy Ward had 14 apiece for the winners. Megan Kane had seven points and eight rebounds. Kendall Young led Woodstown with 11 points.
AUDUBON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT DEPTFORD 47, PENNS GROVE 12: Kendall Evans led the Spartans with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Penns Grove (0-4)
2
2
5
3-
12
Deptford (3-2)
17
9
11
10-
47
Boys
WILDWOOD – Will Roy is taking on an expanded role in the Penns Grove lineup this season and he took a big step forward Saturday, breaking out for a career-high 22 points to lead the Red Devils past Millville 41-39 in the Boardwalk Classic at the Wildwood Convention Center.
Roy came up from the JVs and made a couple spot starts last season, but this year’s he’s been handed the keys as the Red Devils’ point guard.
“He had what I call a breakout game for himself because I think it’s the first time he scored over 20 in his career,” head coach Damian Ware said. “This year he’s taken over the starting point guard role and I feel like he’s finally embracing it and starting to get comfortable in that role and taking a lead role.
“The last couple years he’s been a background guy. He started a few games last year, but mostly he’s been coming off the bench. He’s taken that point guard role and starting to establish himself.”
Roy’s previous career high was 16 earlier this year against St. Joe. His breakout game was anchored by a career-high four 3-pointers. He hit three in the first half.
“I always say if you make your first 3-point shot it gives you a good feeling,” Ware said. “He made his first 3-pointer and that got him going. Once you see one go in the basket the rest of them look easy.
“He’s still learning how to be a point guard, he’s not all the way there yet, but today was a big game for him.”
The Red Devils (4-1) fell behind at the start and fought through some early foul trouble. They trailed by five going into the fourth quarter, but won the final eight minutes 14-7 with Roman Gipson delivering a couple big baskets to pull out the game.
PENNS GROVE 41, MILLVILLE 39 PENNS GROVE (4-1): Haneef Frisby 1 1-2 3, Luis Colon 2 1-2 5, Roman Gipson 2 2-2 6, Geonni Conrad 1 0-0 2, Will Roy 9 0-0 22, Mishawn Brantley 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 4-6 41. MILLVILLE (2-3): Rosaun Rhett 3 0-0 6, Caiden Allen 4 4-4 12, Divonte Smith 3 0-0 6, Kaseem Carter 0 2-4 2, Cayden Pierce 1 0-0 2, Alex Doss 1 4-8 6, Xavier Hart 1 2-2 5, Kris Harrell 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 12-18 39.
WOODSTOWN – The host team was down two starters, but the rest of the lineup pulled the extra weight and lifted Woodstown to a 66-25 victory over Camden Prep in the opening round of its holiday tournament.
“We had a shorthanded lineup today … but we still handled business pretty well,” senior Blake Bialecki said.
The Wolverines (3-2) got scoring from all 10 players who got in the game. Bialecki led the way with 22 points. John Hood-McGinley had 10 and Josh King added nine.
“It didn’t surprise me,” coach Ramon Roots added. “I have full confidence in all of our players to step up in those situations.”
The Wolverines jumped out front 20-2 and steadily stretched the lead. Bialecki had two of his three 3-pointers and eight points in the first quarter.
They now play Haddon Heights in Monday’s 11:30 a.m. championship game. The Garnets (4-1) used a big second half to dump Camden Tech, 64-51. Tech and Prep will play in the 10 a.m. consolation game.
REGULAR SEASON GCIT 68, PENNSVILLE 55: Milan Suarez, a 6-6 sophomore, went for 36 points, 12 rebounds and six steals to lead GCIT (4-2). Ian Malgapo had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. No Pennsville details were reported.
Pennsville senior moves within 14 points of 1,000 for her career after 30-point night against Overbrook; includes 1,000-Point watch list
MONDAY BASKETBALL BOYS Woodstown 90, Glassboro 65: Blake Bialecki hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Eli Caesar hit four and went for 20 and the Wolverines won their second straight after opening the season with two nail-biting losses. “We’re back on track,” Wolverines coach Ramon Roots said.
The trouble in the early losses was falling behind early and having to play catch-up. Against the Bulldogs jumped out 17-10 in the first quarter and 48-they hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and 48-24 at halftime. They hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and scored 31 points in the second quarter.
Salem 100, Great Oaks Charter (Del.) 71: Neziah Spence led four Rams in double figures with 20 points (and six steals). Xavier McGriff had 16, Deshaan Williams 12 (with eight rebounds) and Tymear Lecator 10 (with six assists). Marshall Stevens grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Penns Grove 67, Schalick 47: Roman Gipson led a balanced Red Devils’ scoring attack with 12 points. Geonni Conrad had 11 points and William Roy and Zane Thomas 10 each. Schalick’s Julian Dickerson hit five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 21 points. Overbrook 61, Pennsville 15: Bilal Robinson led the Rams with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Lamar Little led all scorers with 24 points. Mason O’Brien led three Pennsville scorers with nine points.
GIRLS Pennsville 61, Overbrook 21: The Eagles jumped out 20-0 in the first quarter, hit 11 3-pointers in the game and Taylor Bass scored a career-high 30 points to produce a third straight win.
Bass’ previous career high was 29 against Schalick last February. The senior now needs 14 points to become Pennsville’s newest 1,000-point scorer and the program’s third in two seasons. She’s averaging 23.0 in four games this season. The Eagles (3-1) host Haddon Twp. Saturday.
Marley Wood scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished 13 assists, one shy of her career high. Jaiden Wilson scored nine – all on 3-pointers.
If the Eagles ran a reverse Silent Night promotion, remaining quiet in the stands until the opposition scored, they would have been silent for more than nine minutes. The Rams finally broke their drought on a free throw with 6:59 left in the second quarter.
Glassboro 40, Woodstown 34: Glassboro’s Kezia Brackett filled the box score with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Sanaa Thomas picked the Wolverines’ pocket for 10 steals. Kyia Leyman led Woodstown with 12 points.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Dec. 21-27
SUNDAY, DEC. 21 WRESTLING Pennsville at Girls Beast of the East, New Castle, Del. Woodstown at Beast of the East, Newark, Del.
MONDAY, DEC. 22 BOYS BASKETBALL Glassboro at Woodstown, 5:30 p.m. Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 5:30 p.m. Pennsville at Overbrook, 5:30 p.m. Penns Grove at Schalick, 5:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Great Oaks Charter (Del.) at Salem, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m. Overbrook at Pennsville, 5:30 p.m. INDOOR TRACK Pennsville at Ocean Breeze, 4:30 p.m. Salem at Bennett Center, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 23 BOYS BASKETBALL Pennsville at Bridgeton, 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DEC. 26 WRESTLING Schalick at Clayton Tournament Salem girls at Clayton Tournament
SATURDAY, DEC. 27 BOYS BASKETBALL St. Joseph at Salem, 12:30 p.m. GCIT at Pennsville, 1:30 p.m. Boardwalk Classic, Wildwood Penns Grove vs. Millville, 2:30 p.m. Woodstown Holiday Tournament Camden Tech vs. Haddon Heights, 10 a.m. Camden Prep vs. Woodstown, 11:30 a.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Woodstown vs. Holy Spirit, Haddonfield, 10 a.m. Haddon Twp. at Pennsville, 10:30 a.m. Audubon Holiday Tournament Penns Grove vs. TBA, 11 a.m. Vineland vs. Audubon, 2 p.m. WRESTLING Penns Grove, Schalick at Clayton Classic, 8 a.m. Pennsville at Overbrook Tournament INDOOR TRACK Penns Grove, Woodstown at Ott Center, Philadelphia
Riverview Sports News 