Tag: girls-basketball

First of many

Woodstown’s Straughn gets her first win as head coach as Wolverines race past Schalick; Pennsville, Penns Grove also score division wins

TUESDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Gloucester Catholic 65, Salem Tech 14
Penns Grove 66, Glassboro 41
Pennsville 65, Overbrook 35
Woodstown 60, Schalick 18

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Kara Straughn and her dad, longtime Woodstown coach Dave Wildermuth, have spent a lot of time over the years just talking ball. Most of the time it’s been father to daughter, coach to player, head coach to assistant, but now they’ve got some common ground.

Wildermuth has won a mountain of games in various sports as a head coach and an assistant, but now when they talk about coaching legacies his daughter can speak with a similar frame of reference having experienced victory as a head coach.

Straughn won her first game as a head coach Tuesday night when she guided the Woodstown girls basketball team to an easy 60-18 victory over Schalick. 

“It’s over, I did it,” she said while gathering her things by the bench well after the gym had cleared. “I like that I did it at home. I grew up on this court, I played on this court, so it was nice to get my first win as a head coach on this court.”

And she did it with her former basketball coach, current Woodstown AD Joe Ursino, and about a dozen former players and teammates in the stands and her dad at her side.

Wildermuth has coached a number of sports in a variety of capacities at Woodstown for 21 years. Just as a head coach alone he won 50 games in four seasons as the boys basketball coach (2018-2022) and he’s working on 35 wins as the Wolverines head softball coach the last two years (42, if you count his year at Salem). 

There’s no telling how many games he’s won in various sports as the JV and freshmen coach. And Straughn has been around for most if not all of them.

“I grew up watching him coach, so it’s always been the goal to coach and then become half the coach that he was,” Straughn said. “He’s like, well, you’re gonna beat my record … and it’s only going to take you half as much time. That’s been like the joke: When you get to how many games that I won then we can talk.”.

Well, she’s only 49 away now and she’s gunning for it.

“I can do that,” she said. “I can chip away at that goal.”

The players were glad to have delivered the first one.

“I’m just very happy that she’s the coach and she truly wanted to be and I’m really happy to get a win under her,” junior Megan Donelson said. “I know she’s happy about it.”

First-year Woodstown girls basketball coach Kara Straughn makes in-game adjustments in the huddle as he dad and assistant coach Dave Wildermuth looks on from the side.

The Wolverines missed the first chance to give Straughn her first win Friday when they lost their season opener at Gloucester Catholic. They took the drama out of this one early. 

They scored on their first three possessions – two on  offensive rebounds – and opened a 16-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. They scored the game’s first 22 points before Carley Vicente’s 3-pointer with 1:51 left in the quarter put Schalick on the board. It was 27-3 at the end of the quarter after Donelson hit a 3 at the buzzer.

Donelson had 11 points in the quarter and finished with 14 points, four assists and eight steals. Talia Battavio was their leading scorer with 15 points, three steals and four blocked shots. 

“Our main goal is to come out strong,” Battavio said. “Like what Wildo likes to say, the first four minutes is the most important part of the game, so I think we try to bring all we’ve got and get off to a good start.”

“I was proud of the fact we executed on offense,” Straughn said. “Friday night we couldn’t piece together enough, but tonight I said we really have to focus our offense and running the plays and moving the ball effectively and utilizing all five of us getting the ball in the post, not just relying on jump shots. They executed all the little things, I was really proud of them for that.”

There were a lot of other firsts in the game. It was Straughn’s first win over a Salem County opponent and extended the Wolverines’ winning streak against county opponents to 23 games. Sophomore Jala Thomas, who’d only scored one basket all last season, scored her first points of the year and raised her hands over her head as she raced back to her defensive position and sophomore Lizzy Daly and freshman Kendall Young both scored the first points of their varsity careers.

WOODSTOWN 60, SCHALICK 18
SCHALICK (0-2) – Abigail Willoughby 0 0-0 0, Cali Fisler 3 0-1 6, Ava Scurry 2 1-4 5, Cianna Gaines 0 0-0 0, Victoria Basich 0 0-0 0, Carley Vicente 2 0-0 5, Katie Little 1 0-0 2, Madison Brown 0 0-0 0, Danae Woodsacam 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 1-5 18.
WOODSTOWN (1-1) – Talia Battavio 7 0-0 15, Megan Donelson 6 0-0 15, Alyssa Baber 2 0-0 5, Gianna Mairoini 2 0-0 4, Shannon Pierman 3 0-2 6, Lauren Hengel 3 0-0 6, Emma Perry 2 0-0 4, Jala Thomas 1 0-0 2, Lizzy Daly 1 0-0 2, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0, Kendall Young 1 0-0 2, Talia Guardascione 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 0-2 60.

Schalick3456 –18
Woodstown2791212 –60
3-point goals: Schalick 1 (Vicente); Woodstown 4 (Battavio, Donelson 2, Baber). Total fouls: Schalick 3, Woodstown 8.

PENNSVILLE 65, OVERBROOK 35: The Eagles bounced back from a rough season-opening loss on the road to play one of their best games of the season. They looked sharp in all areas and hit shots from long range.

Salem transfer Nora Ausland hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Marley Wood had three 3s and finished with 22.

“The girls shot the lights out tonight,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “The offense looked good, running plays a lot more smoothly and creating an offensive threat in the half court just by identifying open space, finding good cuts and lots of pick-and-roll.

“Defensively we had a lot of good stops and grabbed several rebounds, minimizing two or three possessions in one trip down the court. Without a doubt there’s still plenty of room for growth, but the girls really bounced back and played very well tonight.”

Wood tied her career-high with the fifth 20-point game of her career. She had 22 last year against Salem. The Eagles are 7-2 when Wood scorers 18 points or more.

Ausland’s seven 3s were a career high, topping the five she had in a game against Clayton as a freshman. The 25 points were the second-best of her career.

“After I made the first 3 and then the second I knew I was going to be on tonight,” said Ausland, who hit 61 3s in the two years she spent at Salem. “When I’m hitting my 3s, my coach and my team do a great job of getting me the ball and keeping me hot.”

PENNS GROVE 66: GLASSBORO 41: The Red Devils got off to a quick start and never let the visitors get back in the battle of early-season unbeatens.

Meely Horace and RaNiyah Wilson combined for 21 points in the first quarter as Penns Grove sprinted to a 26-9 lead. Horace finished with a team-high 24 points, giving her 771 for her career, and Wilson scored a career-high 23. Wilson’s previous best was 21 last December against Hammonton when she was playing at Kingsway.

Glassboro’s Tamia Smith led all scorers with 29 points.

PENNS GROVE 66, GLASSBORO 41
GLASSBORO (3-1) – Sanaa Thomas 1 5-8 7, Tamia Smith 12 5-14 29, Kimora Miles 1 0-2 2, Anye Davis 0 0-0 0, Sianna Wedderburn 1 0-0 2, Grace Moore 0 0-0 0, Jayde Darling 0 0-0 0, Samyra Lane 0 1-2 1, Naveah Cox-Clement 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-26 41.
PENNS GROVE (3-0) – RaNiyah Wilson 11 1-3 23, Meely Horace 10 1-2 24, Brianna Robbins 5 2-6 12, Amani Taylor 1 0-0 3, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Arianna Dowe 0 0-0 0, Zoey Caesar 1 0-0 2, Semijah Hines 0 0-0 0, Jamira Lewis 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cunnings 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 4-11 66.
Glassboro99716 – 41
Penns Grove26111019 –66
3-point goals: Glassboro 0; Penns Grove 4 (Horace 3, Taylor). Technical foul: Penns Grove coach. Total fouls: Glassboro 3, Penns Grove 13.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 65, SALEM TECH 14: The Rams took control early, opening a 35-2 halftime lead, and had three scorers with as many or more points than Salem Tech scored in the game.

Julianna DiFebbo scored a game-high 15 points, while Jahzara Green and Talia Schumate had 14 apiece. Morgan VanDover was the Chargers’ leading scorer with six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 65, SALEM TECH 14
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (2-0) – Jahzara Green 6 2-2 14, Julianna DiFebbo 7 0-0 15, Talia Schumate 6 2-3 14, Katherine Lange 3 0-0 6, Jalyn Moore 2 0-0 4, Yazaniah Schumate 2 0-0 5, Maya Hutchinson 2 0-0 4, Ashlynn Eggers 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 4-5 64.
SALEM TECH (0-3) – Allyson Scioli 1 0-0 2, Demajae White 2 0-0 2, Morgan VanDover 2 0-0 6, Lavae Scott 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 0-0 14.

Gloucester Cath.16191614 –65
Salem Tech2066 –14
3-point goals: Gloucester Catholic 2 (DiFebbo, Schumate); Salem Tech 2 (VanDover 2). NOTE: Five make a team, but only players who scored are listed in available box score.




Goal oriented

Penns Grove’s Horace marching towards 1,000 career points on the way to a deep run in the playoffs

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Meely Horace really wants 1,000 points. And she really wants a championship banner.

There’s no reason those two items have to be mutually exclusive.

The Penns Grove senior guard moved a little closer to that personal goal and helped her team gain a lot of power points for the other when she went for 22 points to earn Player of the Game honors in the Red Devils’ 63-27 rout of Group IV Bridgeton in the only girls game of this year’s Red Devil Classic.

She now has 747 career points after two games this season. At her current pace – 19 points a game – she’s reach the milestone sometime late next month.

Just how much does she want it? She has 1K written on one of her pairs of shoes. She figures averaging five points a quarter should do the trick.

“I want to get to my 1K, my 1,000 points,” she said. “I want to break the record for them. It’s been a while since somebody hit 1K. I want to do that before I leave.”

There’s banner hanging high on the gym wall containing the names of the six 1,000-point scorers in Penns Grove girls basketball history, The last name went up in 2018 (Natrice Reed, 1,065).

There’s a piece of tape covering the next line on the banner. No one will say what the tape is covering, but it’s presumed that’s where Horace’s name will go when she hits the number.

“She’s going to get her 1,000 points and we want her to get that,” Red Devils coach Jennifer Denby said. “This is why we’re trying to coach her so she can become a better player mentally and physically on the court. 

“It is reachable. She most definitely is going to get her thousand, but she wants to win a championship. This is why we’re doing all this work now.”

Denby knows a little about scoring points as the all-time leading scorer in the Rowan women’s basketball program. She’s personally placed four of the six names on the banner during her tenure.

Meely’s mental toughness was put to the test early in the game. The Bulldogs held her scoreless in the first quarter and she admitted her game was “all over the place” in the early going. But as the game went on she fixed her mistakes, became a defender and turned it into offense to help her team.

Even as she struggled to get on track, the Red Devils were building a 13-2 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter she hit a couple 3s and Penns Grove extended the lead to 13 at halftime. She scored 13 points in the second half.

“Meely did struggle in the first half,” Denby agreed. “We pulled her off and talked to her and she got back in there and did her defense assignment, and she played offense. So, she deserves that reward that she got.”

And a bigger reward is yet to come.

PENNS GROVE 63, BRIDGETON 27
BRIDGETON (0-2) – Diara McGriff 0 0-0 0, Karina Perez 0 0-0 0, Alyanna Ridgeway 0 0-0 0, Kahmya Johnson 0 0-0 0, Adelina Wilks 3 11-12 17, Madison Garner 0 0-0 0, Kimona Notice 1 0-0 2, Imara James 4 0-2 8, Jayla Bowman 0 0-0 0, Tatiyanna Crawford 0 0-2 0. Totals 8 11-16 27.
PENNS GROVE (2-0) – Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 5 1-7 12, RaNiyah Wilson 7 0-0 17, Arianna Dowe 1 0-0 2, Amani Taylor 1 0-0 3, Semijah Hines 1 0-0 2, Meely Horace 8 3-6 22, Zoey Caesar 1 2-2 4, JaNiyah Cummings 0 1-2 1, Jamira Lewis 0 0-2 0, Ruiande Delva 0 0-0 0, Totals 24 7-19 63.

Bridgeton21564  –27
Penns Grove13171716 –63
3-point goals: Bridgeton 0, Penns Grove 8 (B. Robbins, Wilson 3, Taylor, Horace 3). Total fouls: Bridgeton 19, Penns Grove 13.

Tough way to start

Gloucester Catholic goes out fast against Woodstown to spoil Straughn’s coaching debut; Penns Grove pulls away from Clayton for county girls’ only win of the night

FRIDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Glassboro 44, Salem 29
Gloucester Catholic 69, Woodstown 41
Penns Grove 47, Clayton 38
Pitman 52, Schalick 14
Wildwood 64, Pennsville 30
Overbrook at Salem Tech

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

GLOUCESTER CITY – The moment she saw it on the schedule Kara Straughn knew her first game as the Woodstown girls basketball coach was going to be a tough one.

Straughn made her head coaching debut Friday night and it didn’t go well as the Rams handed her and the Wolverines a 69-41 loss.

“I knew it was going to be a tough game even if it wasn’t my first game,” Straughn said. “I was still going to have the same amount of nerves just because of who they are. They’re a team, a program, a coach … you cannot not honor and respect them as a whole.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult game because of who they are and going up there adds a whole ‘nother level of anxiety. I knew off the bat it was going to be a difficult game and we just didn’t match up.”

The Rams took advantage of their size and placed four scorers in double figures. Jazhara Green led the way with 17 points. Talia Schumate had 15, Jalyn Moore 13 and Julianna DiFebbo 12.

Talia Battavio led Woodstown with five 3-pointers and 17 points, but their next two scorers – Megan Donelson and Shannon Pierman – had 12 apiece.

The Rams jumped out to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter and Woodstown just couldn’t put enough together to overcome the deficit. 

“Matchup-wise it wasn’t there tonight,” Straughn said. “My girls played their hearts out, but we just couldn’t piece things together. We would get a couple stops and then we would throw the ball away sometimes. We just couldn’t put it all together.”

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 69, WOODSTOWN 41
WOODSTOWN (0-1) – Talia Battavio 5 2-2 17, Megan Donelson 4 3-4 12, Alyssa Baber 0 0-0 0, Gianna Maiorini 0 0-0 0, Shannon Pierman 5 2-2 12, Lauren Hengel 0 0-0 0, Jala Thomas 0 0-0 0, Lizzy Daly 0 0-0 0, Brae DiGregorio 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 7-8 41.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC (1-0) – Jahzara Green 7 3-3 17, Julianna DiFebbo 5 0-0 12, Talia Schumate 6 3-5 15, Katherine Lange 4 0-0 9, Jalyn Moore 5 2-2 13, Alyssa Elliott 1 0-0 3, Yazaniah Schumate 0 0-0 0, Maya Hutchinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 8-10 69.

Woodstown1114124 –41
Gloucester Cath.21171912 –69
3-point goals: Woodstown 6 (Battavio 5, Donelson); Gloucester Catholic 5 (DiFebbo 2, Lange, Moore, Elliott). Total points: Woodstown 8, Gloucester Catholic 10.

PENNS GROVE 47, CLAYTON 38: A veteran and a newcomer took over a close game in the fourth quarter and led the Red Devils to their opening-night victory

Jameelyonna Horace and transfer RaNiyah Wilson combined for 15 of their team’s 17 points in the fourth quarter as Penns Grove pulled away.

Horace knocked down two of her three 3-pointers and scored eight of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter. Wilson went 3-for-4 from the free throw line and scored seven of her 11 in the quarter.

The Red Devils held a 19-14 halftime lead, but the Clippers closed the margin to 30-29 entering the fourth quarter behind eight of Rainelle Blocker’s 13 points.

PENNS GROVE 47, CLAYTON 38
PENNS GROVE (1-0) – Jameelyonna Horace 6 1-2 16, Syanna Robbins 0 0-0 0, Brianna Robbins 5 0-0 10, Amani Taylor 0 0-7 0, Rolande Delva 0 0-0 0, RaNiyah Wilson 4 3-4 11, Arianna Dowe 1 0-0 3, Zoey Caesar 1 1-2 3, Semijah Hines 0 0-2 0, Jamira Lewis 0 0-0 0, JaNiyah Cummings 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 5-17 47.
CLAYTON (1-1) – Jordyn Jones 1 0-2 2, Rainelle Blocker 4 5-6 13, Rosalina Pereira 2 0-2 4, Janice Blair 0 0-0 0, Napria Loatman 0 0-0 0, Sophia Petsch 0 0-0 0, Deondria Simon 1 0-0 2, Ava Delaney 5 0-0 14, India Williams 0 0-0 0, LaNiya Carr-Archie 1 1-4 3. Totals 14 6-14 38.

Penns Grove8111117 – 47
Clayton113159 – 38
3-point goals: Penns Grove 4 (Horace 3, Dowe); Clayton 4 (Delaney 4). Total fouls: Penns Grove 3, Clayton 7.

WILDWOOD 64, PENNSVILLE 30: After enduring a 90-minute bus ride to the game, the Eagles had trouble getting on track and fell behind 46-14 at halftime.

The Warriors took advantage of the friendly confines to hit eight 3-pointers in the first half to open up their big lead. Leading scorer Macie McCracken (22) and Rebecca Benichou (13) both hit three 3s in the half.

Nora Ausland led Pennsville with nine points. She had the Eagles’ five points in the first quarter.

“They played in the South Jersey Group I championship last year (against Woodstown) for a reason; (coach Teresa Cunniff) has always had a solid program,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said. “They are a very good shooting team and executed man defense well, which we struggled against. We had several open looks, but could not finish at the basket.

“We are still figuring out who we are and what our strengths are as a team. Hoping to have a better showing and boost our confidence next week.”

WILDWOOD 64, PENNSVILLE 30
PENNSVILLE (0-1) – Calli Ausland 0 0-0 0, Nora Ausland 3 1-2 9, Taylor Bass 3 1-1 7, Sofia Belitsas 0 0-0 0, Kylie Harris 0 0-0 0, Anikka Macalino 1 0-0 2, Malani McGee 0 0-0 0, Isabelle Saulin 1 2-4 4, Avery Watson 0 0-0 0, Marley Wood 2 4-6 8. Totals 10 8-14 30.
WILDWOOD (1-0) – Sophia Wilber 2 4-6 8, Angela Wilber 4 0-0 11, Macie McCracken 9 1-1 22, Kaliah Sumlin 3 1-1 7, Rebecca Benichou 5 0-0 13, Cydnee Silian 0 0-0 0, Ashley Nagle 1 0-0 3, Janet Gonzalez 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 6-8 64.

Pennsville59124 – 30
Wildwood202617 1 – 64
3-point goals: Pennsville 2 (N. Ausland 2); Wildwood 10 (A. Wilber 3, McCracken 3, Benichou 3, Nagle).Total fouls: Pennsville 7, Wildwood 11.

GLASSBORO 44, SALEM 29: Tamia Smith (17) and Kezia Brackett (15) combined to outscore the Rams (0-1) themselves. Ava Rodgerss led Salem with 11 points.