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ABOUT THE COVER
Savanna Robertson and the Atlantic City girls basketball team trailed Middle Township by 13 points entering the fourth quarter on Jan. 4, but made an exciting rally to somehow pull off a 51-50 victory, outscoring the Panthers 26-12 in the final frame. Robertson had one of the best games of her Vikings career, scoring a game-high 23 points while adding five rebounds, an assist and two steals. And that was just the FIRST game of this year’s Seagull Classic, which made its return to Holy Spirit High School last year after a long hiatus. Once the premier basketball tournament in South Jersey, the Seagull is well on its way to enjoying that status once again thanks to the Summit Basketball Group, led by President John Rodio. This year’s tournament featured six of the top 20 teams in the state in boys basketball, two of the best girls teams in South Jersey, and a host of great matchups, including the finale in which rivals Pleasantville and Holy Spirit went at it. The event featured heavyweight teams such as the Patrick School and Wildwood Catholic, and is sure to only get better next year! — Dave O’Sullivan, Staff Writer
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE General contact: 609-788-4294/advertising@acglorydays.com Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher: sully@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDsullysays Giuseppe Ungaro, Managing Editor: gungaro@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDgisepu Amy D’Adamo, Graphic Design: advertising@acglorydays.com Bill Lynskey, Director of Advertising: bill@acglorydays.com Victor McGuinn, Advertising Sales: victor@acglorydays.com STORY IDEAS/ADVERTISING: Have a story you’d like to see told in Glory Days Magazine? Want to get your business noticed with a marketing campaign in our print or digital platforms? Call us anytime at 609-788-4294. Volume: 6 Issue: 12 Overall Issue Number: 119. Cover Photography: Dave O’Sullivan. 2018 Glory Days Magazine. All rights reserved.
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MAKING HEADLINES Sully takes a closer look at the athletes, coaches and teams who are generating news and highlights in the Cape-Atlantic League and throughout South Jersey.
u On a roll: The Atlantic City girls basketball team has won three
straight games and surged into a first-place tie with ACIT atop the Cape-Atlantic League’s American Conference standings. The Vikings picked up a confidence-building, come-from-behind win over Middle Township at the Seagull Classic and are now 5-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Read more about them in this edition’s cover story on page 10, and in Sully’s Roundball Report beginning on page 18. u Unstoppable: Wildwood Catholic junior forward Taj Thweatt is making an early case to be first-team all-state, as he put up 30 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Patrick School, then the No. 4 team in the state, at the Seagull Classic. u Streak continues: The Mainland boys swimming team just keeps winning. The streak is now at 51 straight meets.
glory days digital Want the best high school sports coverage every day of the week? Visit glorydaysonline.com for game coverage, features and more! You can also like us at facebook.com/acglorydays, and follow Sully on Twitter @GDsullysays. Get the best. Every day.
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OLD CAPE RECYCLING SCHOLAR ATHLETE
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Senior Michael Carroll specializes in breaststroke events and has helped lead Mainland to three consecutive Public B state championships.
Engineering a dynasty at Mainland Regional Even math whiz Michael Carroll is surprised at the numbers the Mustangs have put up the past three seasons By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ainland Regional has one of the best boys swimmers in the country in junior Destin Lasco. But it takes much more than just one high-level swimmer for a high school team to win 51 straight meets and three consecutive state championships. Michael Carroll, a senior and an Old Cape Recycling Scholar Athlete, is one of many swimmers the past few years who have helped gain a lot of wins, and second- and third-place finishes, to help the Mustangs continue to dominate meets. Mainland has gone 15-0 for three straight years, winning the Public B state championship all three times, and may four-peat this year. The Stangs are off to a 6-0 start, and nobody has been
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even remotely close in their six meets. Atlantic City is the only team to even reach 50 points against Mainland, while the Mustangs have score well more than 100 points in every meet. Carroll said he doesn’t mind that his name is never in the paper, and that a lot of guys on the team feel that way. They are thankful they can be part of the greatest boys swimming run in school history. “I don’t think it gets frustrating for us. We all show the same pride, regardless of whether we are winning races or coming in second or third, we all just share the pride of winning together,” said Carroll, who specializes in the breaststroke but also swims in some distance relays. “It’s really cool. The constant feeling of winning has been great. It really doesn’t get old. Every win makes us want to go out there and do it again. I think my freshman year, once we started winning every meet — we beat St. Augustine Prep for the first time in years and made it to states — we saw a good run coming. It started a snowball effect and it just kept building up.”
See Carroll, page 9
Jan. 11, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 9 Carroll, from page 6 Carroll, an 18-year-old from Linwood, is an excellent student and plans to major in engineering once he gets to college next fall. He’s already been accepted to Drexel and Rutgers, and also is looking at Northeastern University. He said the key to his success in the classroom while also meeting the demands of the swim program simply come down to prioritization. “It’s been hard, especially this year with working on college, but I always make time for swimming and make time for my homework. As long as you keep your priorities straight, if you know you might have to focus on studying for a test or something like that, you might lose a little bit of sleep and you know that will affect your swimming the next day. But as long as you know your priorities and know where you are and what you want, you should be fine in balancing both,” he said. “I’m interested in math and plan on majoring in engineering in college. I’ve always been a math person. I’ve been looking at colleges and so far I’ve gotten accepted to Rutgers and Drexel, and I’m also looking at Northeastern.” Carroll said he was much like other kids when he was younger, competing in sports like baseball, basketball and soccer, but once he started swimming at age 9, he knew it would become his sport of choice. “Breaststroke is just something that clicked with me for a while. I could never really get into the back-
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Carroll and the Mustangs have gotten off to a 6-0 start this year and now have won 51 straight meets. They’ve scored more than 100 points in every meet, while no opponent has notched more than 50. stroke. It clicked with me and I’ve been working really hard at it,” Carroll said. “I played all the sports when I was younger, baseball, basketball, but then I started swimming and I felt something different with the sport. I just had a better connection with it and there was no doubt that I would do it in high school.” He didn’t realize he would become part of one of the best teams in the state, however. “It’s been amazing being able to be a part of this
team, and the past four years swimming with all these guys like Glenn and Destin (Lasco) and Joey (Rogers). It’s inspiring just practicing with a guy like Destin and seeing him in meets. It’s a constant reminder that you can always become something if you work hard. It’s really cool to have him at practice. It’s great to be able to practice with somebody who is on that high of a level,” said Carroll, who has been a varsity swimmer since his freshman year. “It’s been a really good senior year so far. It’s been a lot with looking for a college, but it’s also been a very memorable year. I hope that our state titles and wins keep continuing, and that people look back on this and are like, ‘wow, that team was undefeated (for four years)’ and that this keeps continuing. We know it’s a big deal, what we’ve been doing, and it’s been great to have a chance to do this. I hope everyone (on the team) appreciates the opportunity to do what we’ve been doing.” The Mustangs may go on to win a fourth straight state title, and Carroll hopes they do, but he said nothing can compare to the first title when he was a freshman. “It’s an overwhelming feeling of pride and joy,” he said. “The first time was definitely a lot more shocking. It was exciting and everyone was going crazy. We’re hoping for a fourth ring this year.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY Ciani Redd-Howard celebrates in the waning moments of Atlantic City’s thrilling 51-50, come-from-behind victory over Middle Township in the opening game of the Seagull Classic on Jan. 4. It was the first of 15 games during a three-day span, and the showcase event featured some of the top boys and girls basketball teams in the state. Glory Days Magazine photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
CROWD PLEASER The Seagull Classic at Holy Spirit lived up to the hype, delivering hoops fans some of the best players, teams and matchups in the state By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer embers of The South Jersey Summit Basketball Organization, which organizes the Seagull Classic at Holy Spirit, will have a difficult time topping this year’s event when it comes back around in January 2020. They may do just that, however, as Mater Dei of California, one of the top high school sports schools in the nation, is scheduled to make an appearance next year. For now, though, high school basketball fans can take a few weeks to let this year’s showcase event
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— and all the great teams and athletes that were involved — sink in a little bit. At one point, the showcase event was one of the most prestigious in the country, before it took a years-long hiatus. The Summit group may be well on its way to helping the tournament regain its prominence, in just its second year since it returned to Holy Spirit in 2018. The plan to revive the event was hatched during the Shoot Down Cancer Classic at St. Augustine Prep when Spirit coach Jamie Gillespie suggested that the Seagull be brought back. John Rodio, president of South Jersey Basketball Summit Inc., got to work on doing just that along with Vice President Steve Wescott, Treasurer Mark Ronchetti, Director of Basketball Operations Steve Selby and Secretary Susie Wescott. This year’s Seagull Classic got off to a memorable start, as the Atlantic City girls fought back from a 13-point deficit to somehow shock Middle Township, beating the Pirates 51-50 behind a 23-point performance from Savanna Robertson, a senior who is beginning to come into her own as one of the Vikings’
star players. Later that night, fans got to see the impressive talents of Camden Catholic senior swingman Babatunde Ajike, who finished with 27 points, three rebounds and three steals in a 55-34 win over the Atlantic City boys. The Seagull featured six of the top 20 teams in the state, according to nj.com, and some of the state’s best players. Wildwood Catholic junior Taj Thweatt proved he is one of the best players in New Jersey when he had a monster game against The Patrick School, the No. 4-ranked team, during the Sunday slate of games on Jan. 6. He shot 11-of-18 from the field to score 30 points, and also added 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals — against a team that had beaten Camden, one of South Jersey’s top teams, the night before. One of the great things about the Seagull Classic is it incorporates girls basketball, and fans got to see two of the state’s best players during the Saturday
See Seagull, page 11
Jan. 11, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 Seagull, from page 10 action, as Mainland took on Gloucester Catholic. Rams senior Azana Baines is committed to Duke University, while Mainland junior Kylee Watson — who played for USA Basketball following her freshman year — is one of the most sought-after players in the nation, getting recruited by such NCAA women’s basketball heavyweights as Notre Dame, UCLA, South Carolina, Oregon and others. Neither player disappointed, as Baines scored 13 points, had eight rebounds and added six assists to lead the Rams to a 60-58 win in overtime, while Watson nearly had a quadruple-double, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven blocked shots. “In my mind, I thought Kylee was the best player on the floor, I think that was obvious. Her rebounding, handling the ball, her play inside, and all around, I thought she played outstanding,” Mainland coach Scott Betson said. Both Betson and Watson said that even though the Mustangs lost, it was a big deal for them to be able to showcase how good girls basketball can be in South Jersey. “You’re not going to see too many teams like that, honestly. There aren’t too many of them that exist. To be in games like this will be good for us, but it will only be good for us if we learn from it. We have to take care of the turnovers and we have to be able to hit free throws. As long as we correct those things, yeah, we’ll be better off for (playing this game),” Betson said. “This was an outstanding high school
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Pleasantville players react after sophomore forward Elijah Jones, second from right, scores a big basket during the fourth quarter of the Greyhounds’ win over host Holy Spirit at the Seagull Classic. basketball game, that’s what it comes down to. We were talking on the ride over here about as much as this is an awesome showcase event, and you’re not going to see two ACC-level players even in these boys games, it’s an abberation and really a treat to be a part of. “We were talking to the girls on the way over here that we hope they understand and appreciate this experience because this isn’t a thing that many high school kids get to experience, par-
ticularly on the girls side,” he added. “I just hope they understand how rare this is and how unique an opportunity this is for any high school kid.” Said Watson, “I think this tournament is great, it puts a lot of light on how good we can be and experience some great games. Girls basketball can be just as exciting as boys, and if you watched us today you can see that. We always play a great team, it was the same thing last year with Gloucester
Catholic and winning in double overtime on a buzzer beater. It ended up going their way this year, but it’s a great early season game to play in and learn from.” The players from the Pleasantville boys team were in attendance during Friday night games, even though they didn’t play until Sunday night against
See Seagull, page 13
Jan. 11, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Seagull, from page 11 host Holy Spirit, who they went on to beat 87-65. And that was a common theme throughout the weekend, players showing up early to catch glimpses of some of the great players and teams, or staying late after their game was finished just to be a part of everything that was going on. “I love it here. Last year I stayed from the first game all the way until the last. There are some good teams, and I love watching basketball,” said Pleasantville senior Jalen Freeman, who played for Middle Township last year. “It’s a great experience. We get to see some good teams that we never get to see, like St. Pat’s; we got to see Haddonfield, and we might see them later in the season (in the state playoffs), so it’s a great experience. It was a lot of fun,” added his teammate, Sahmir Jones. “The event really is turning into something special,” Selby said in an interview with 97.3 ESPN FM prior to the event. “One of the things John and
I, when we committed to doing this, wanted to make sure of was that it was a co-ed event. When you have talents like Baines from Gloucester Catholic and Watson from Mainland, they are once-in-an-area generational talents. You just don’t have those kinds of high level recruits (that often). You’ll see the boys in the stands in awe of what they are able to do. The other thing that makes it unique is we make sure the teams are funneled into the Holy Spirit cafeteria where they are able to eat after the game, and it kind of gives a sense of camaraderie. Basketball has taken me a lot of special places, and I stand by South Jersey basketball and the tri-state area, it’s a unique fraternity. It’s neat to see the guys, after they compete in some pretty heavy battles, then after they share some food and laughs together. The coaches who we have been fortunate enough to get in the area are really tight. It’s neat.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Madison Brestle and the Atlantic City girls staged an epic fourthquarter comeback to beat Middle Township at the Seagull.
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Jones, Freeman reach 1,000 in same game Pleasantville guards both hit milestone in same half of Seagull win over Holy Spirit By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer coring 1,000 points in basketball isn’t an extremely rare thing, but it’s also not overly common, either. Most schools may have a dozen names up on the board of players who have hit that magical milestone — one that ensures your name will forever be a part of school history. Senior guards Sahmir Jones and Jalen Freeman both began their careers elsewhere, but made sure this season they will always be a part of Pleasantville lore as each reached 1,000 career points — in the same quarter of the same game, no less. And on the same type of shot. Jones needed nine points to reach the milestone heading into the Greyhounds’ matchup against rival Holy Spirit in the finale of the Seagull Classic on Jan. 6, and Freeman needed 16, so it was a race to see who would get there first. Jones scored his 1,000th on a free throw early in the third quarter, and Freeman followed suit in the
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Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Pleasantville senior Sahmir Jones celebrates scoring his 1,000th career point recently with his mom, Samirah Jones, and dad Antwan Dozier, who himself was a 1,000-point scorer at Pleasantville before graduating in 2001. waning seconds of the third, on a free throw. The Greyhounds then went on a tear in the fourth quarter, blowing open a close game against the Spartans and winning 87-65. “It was a big night for our whole team and our whole community, and me and Jalen specifically. We were kind of pressing in the first half to see who
would get it first and how long it would take to get it, but once we both got it the game started rolling and we ended up blowing them out,” said Jones, who played his first two seasons as a student at Mainland Regional before transferring back home to Pleasantville.” Going into the fourth, we both got it, so we were like, ‘let’s go, let’s not press
and let’s get into the system, get everyone involved, pick up the speed and let’s finish strong.’ Our team never really got down (with recent losses) because we know what we’re capable of. We just needed to come out and perform. We knew there was going to be a big crowd here, so we just wanted to come out and perform for our city.” “It’s exciting. Since freshman year I’ve been thinking about it,” said Freeman, who spent his first three years at Middle Township in Cape May County. “I think it was big for the team since we were on a two-game losing streak. I think we were kind of trying to get the 1,000 point thing out of the way, and once that happened we flipped the switch.” Reaching the milestone was extra special for Jones, whose father was a big star at Pleasantville before graduating in 2001. Antwan Dozier is one of the leading scorers in school history and nearly finished his career with 2,000 points, finishing with 1,989. Dozier said he and Jones are the first father/son combination in Pleasantville history to each reach 1,000 career points. “That’s pretty cool. I grew up watching the guys older than me and I can’t remember them having kids who
See Jones, page 16
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ttttttttttttttttttttttt GAME REWIND
Boys basketball Pleasantville 87, Holy Spirit 65 The final score may not indicate it, but this game was a grind for three quarters and featured six lead changes. The Spartans stayed close throughout much of the game thanks to some sharp shooting from the outside, as they connected on eight 3-pointers. But Pleasantville turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, which led to a bunch of runout points and dunks. WHAT WE LEARNED They Greyhounds are very athletic, and are well-conditioned. They can wear you down if you don’t take care of the ball and aren’t able to set the tempo to your style. KEEP AN EYE ON Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan Pleasantville forward Elijah Jones. The Greyhounds have three proven Holy Spirit’s Isaiah Gerena and Pleasantville’s Cory Crawford batscorers in Sahmir Jones, Jacob Valeus and Jalen Freeman, but Jones tle for a rebound during the Greyhounds’ 87-65 win over the host proved he can be potent in this game with 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting. Spartans in the finale of the Seagull Classic on Jan. 6.
Page 16 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 11, 2019 Jones, from page 14 played and were that good. (Sahmir) is really good, he just hasn’t put as much time into basketball that I did. But the fact that I had 1,000 points, and now he has 1,000, and we’re the first fatherson combination in school history to do it, that’s really cool for us,” Dozier said. “It’s big. It was a very good moment for him, because he’s not really a scorer. He does whatever the team needs him to do. I wasn’t really sure (if he would get it) because his time is spent on all these different sports, so he never focused solely on basketball, and basketball was the last sport he picked up (as a kid).” Dozier said he and his son are much different types of players. He was much more of a scorer, where Jones is a point guard and his main responsibility is to distribute the ball.
“I was a scorer. I was more aggressive,” he said. “He’s really laid back and reserved, and picks his spots. Me, I always tell him to be more aggressive.” Jones was a role player his freshman year at Mainland, but it was clear even back then that he would develop into a difference maker. “I was primarily a ball handler, just trying to get my teammates the ball my freshman year. My sophomore year, I was one of the key guys. Me and Osun (Osunniyi) and Brandon Savitch, we all just had a lot of fun. I knew my dad had 1,989 points, so that was always in the back of my mind, and (Mainland coach Dan) Williams had 1,000 points, so I always told him I was going to pass him. It was always in the back of my mind. I wasn’t stressed about it or pressing for it, but I always knew about it,”
said Jones, who also was the quarterback for Pleasantville’s football team and landed a track scholarship to Boston University this past fall. “By the end of my sophomore year, I knew I could score, and I had a good game in our playoff game. So, going into my junior year, I knew I could score, and going into my senior year I knew I just had to go get it.” Jones said he never felt pressure because his dad was one of the all-time greats at Pleasantville. “My dad is my role model. He’s helped me to become the player I am today, and he wanted me to get it. I thought it would be cool for both of our names to be up on the 1,000-point board at Pleasantville High School. It’s
cool, it’s a great feeling. When I was 8 or 9 years old, I was a football player. I wasn’t even thinking about basketball,” Jones said. “It was a great moment. My whole family was there, my dad was there and he was really proud of me. I was just glad I could do it for him.” “For me, this is an awesome thing,” Dozier added. “When I was growing up, I didn’t have a dad who would watch me play and do all the things I do with him. Just to watch him excel in sports, and in the classroom, that’s always great.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Pleasantville senior Jalen Freeman poses for photos with his mom, Anika Collette, and his father, Clinton Freeman, after reaching 1,000 career points during a recent victory over Holy Spirit.
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SEAGULL CLASSIC STARS
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
u Santino Georgio/G/Holy Spirit: The Spartans might have lost to Pleasantville in the finale, but Georgio (pictured above) had a solid game, hitting four 3-pointers and finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Spartans. u Taj Thweatt/F/Wildwood Catholic: Thweatt was easily the most dominating player during this showcase event, as he did basically whatever he wanted against the Patrick School. And that’s saying something, as St. Pat’s came in as the No. 4 team in the state. Thweatt went 11-of18 from the field, scoring 30 points, and also added 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. u Savanna Robertson/F/Atlantic City: Had it not been for Robertson, the Vikings may have lost by 20 to Middle Township in the event’s opening game. But Robertson came up huge, scoring 23 points and adding five rebounds and a pair of steals as A.C. rallied from down 13 to win, 51-50. u Kylee Watson/F/Mainland Regional: This showcase is all about stars, and few shined brighter than Watson, even though her Mustangs lost 60-58 in overtime to Gloucester Catholic. Watson played perhaps the best game of her high school career, logging 36 minutes and scoring 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds. She nearly had a quadruple-double, finishing with six assists and seven blocked shots. She was 9-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-9 at the free-throw line. u Zhyana Young/F/Holy Spirit: The Spartans desperately needed a win over Delsea after starting the season 0-7, and even more so with starting point guard Paige Sofield out with an injury. Young answered the bell, scoring 17 points and adding nine rebounds in a 45-36 win. u Gannon Brady/G/Ocean City: Brady had a heck of a game in a 66-56 win over Howell, racking up 25 points, including five threes. u Babatunde Ajike/F/Camden Catholic: Known simply as “Baba”, this star was unstoppable in a win over Atlantic City. He scored 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting. u Sahmir Jones, Jalen Freeman/G/Pleasantville: The duo combined for 43 points, and each reached 1,000 career points in a win over Spirit.
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Cohesion proving elusive for some teams Squads trying to find right combinations as January grind begins
Games To Watch
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n the days of old in Ireland, travelers were often referred to as “tinkers.” These tinkers would travel around and use their skills to mend pots and pans as they moved from place to place. Not unlike the life of high school basketball coaches, traveling from gym to gym throughout the winter months and continuously “tinkering” with their starting lineups and playing combinations throughout the game, trying to find just the right mix that hopefully leads to some consistent play on the court. Coaches throughout the Cape-Atlantic League are in varying stages of this tinkering process, which sometimes — depending on the depth and varying talents of a coach’s roster — can be never ending. Some coaches have thought they’ve found consistency, only to see it blow up during a two- or three-game losing streak. Other teams have started to figure out their identity and what type of style suits them best when it comes to winning games. Earlier this week, Ocean City and Mainland were a quick study in contrast. Granted, Mainland was playing on back-to-back nights so there wasn’t a whole lot of gas left in the tank, but coach Dan Williams wouldn’t rely on that as an excuse, as he said he thought the Red Raiders played more as a unit and, as a result, were able to score a 58-48 victory as point guard Joey Sacco led the way with a 21-point outburst and Gannon Brady continued to heat up with 15 points after scoring 25 in a win over
ROUNDBALL REPORT
Dave O’Sullivan
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Ocean City and Mainland, led by point guards Joey Sacco, left, and Joe Massari, are looking for more consistency as the race for the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference title begins to heat up in the middle of January. Howell during the Seagull Classic. “I told the guys that the group that played more together for 32 minutes won the game tonight. I thought we did that at times, and that’s why we had a lead throughout parts of the first half, but they were able to play together for 32,” Williams said after the game. “And with their guard play, the experience they have and their ball-handling ability, they wore us down a little bit and exposed us a little bit. They have a bunch of kids who can shoot — they can all get to the rim pretty well, and if you leave Rhodes, he’s solid when
he gets that little dump-off pass and finishes. They’re going to be a tough matchup for anybody in our conference, as you just saw with the Holy Spirit game. That could have gone either way. Anytime you can put four really solid ball handlers who can also shoot the ball, that’s tough to defend.” “There’s an urgency as a team, not as an individual — when you’re down and there are two minutes left, there’s an urgency throughout the game, five guys collectively getting after it, whether it’s defense, getting on the boards or continuing to move the ball on offense,” he
January 14, 5:30 p.m. Mainland at EHT (girls): The Eagles want to prove they are for real. They’ll get their chance against one of the CAL’s best teams. January 15, 7 p.m. Holy Spirit at Lower Cape May (boys): First place in the CAL National will be on the line when the Spartans and Caper Tigers tangle. continued. “We went through a couple stretches where the ball didn’t move, and that really hurt. We had some poor decision making. You try to make (the deficit) up yourself, we’re down six, now we’re down by eight and you try to make it up by going one against five. That hurts because the next time down the floor, somebody else wants to get a touch on the ball — unless you have LeBron James, there’s nothing better than team basketball, and (Ocean City) played better team basketball and that’s the bottom line.” The Red Raiders, on the other hand, feel like they are starting to put things together after a subpar start to the season. “We knew what we were going to do with them, spread the floor, and we started pressuring them in the second half. They were taking quick shots, which was what we wanted, and we were converting on the other end. I thought they were going to slow it down more, work the ball around and look for open shots, but that worked in our favor. I definitely have to work on my free throws because I missed a bunch of those, but it’s all my teammates, I can’t do anything without them. They spread the floor and run the
See Report, page 20
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Page 20 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 11, 2019 Report, from page 18 plays. I’m glad we got the win,” Sacco said. “I love kicking it out to Gannon. He’s really developing his game, and we’re happy to have him,” Sacco said. “That takes some stress of Donovan (Graham), Luke (Varallo) and myself, and when Mike (Rhodes) can get a few that really helps us, too. I’m happy with what we’re doing right now.” The loss dropped Mainland to 5-4, but the Mustangs are still right in the thick of the Cape-Atlantic League’s National Conference race, just a halfgame behind leaders Holy Spirit and Lower Cape May, and Williams said he’ll take some positives away from the loss to Ocean City. “We haven’t been particularly strong playing back-to-back games, this year or in years past, it’s a tough thing to do. So to have a little bit of a lead for awhile in the first half, I thought that was a very positive sign,” he said. “We were still very much in the game at that point, and they should be proud of their effort there. We just didn’t have enough left in the second half. But there’s plenty from the first half, and even some from the second half — we got down and came back, and it wasn’t until the second time they got us down by 10 that it was really over, so we fought as hard as we could, we just need to do it more as a unit.” u Cumberland County rise-up: Through Jan. 9, Millville and Vineland owned two of the longest winning streaks in the CAL, the Thunderbolts at five straight and the Fighting Clan with four wins in a row. Millville got a huge confidence-boosting win over previously unbeaten St. Joseph. Wildcats coach Paul Rodio Jr. said he wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance at the Seagull Classic, even though they won, and warned his team that the CAL was going to be coming after them. “He’s a good coach, was really prepared and knew what we wanted to do to slow us down. As a team, it was probably by far our worst game this year. I didn’t think we played well even a little bit. I’m always happen when we win and I’m not going to complain about a win, but I thought it was as sloppy as it could get,” Rodio said after his squad’s 55-38 win over Rancocas Valley on Jan. 5. “We’ve been doing a great job
the first month working on a lot of fundamentals, but when the game comes we kind of get away from it a little bit sometimes, and that showed. We’re going right back to the fundamentals with passing, jumping off two feet on layups and making high IQ plays.” Rodio said he’s trying to remind his players that even though they were still undefeated after that game, there are going to be some tough games coming up and they need to continue to work hard at getting better. “That’s a tough thing to tell teenagers sometimes. Being 7-0 doesn’t really mean anything right now, 7-0 with our schedule could turn into 8-5 in the blink of an eye. I just hope we keep doing it in practice,” he said. “You can’t just turn it on and off in this game. The pros can’t do it, and we can’t do it.” u Here come the Vikings: The Atlantic City girls team got off to a rocky start, but this is a solid team and the Vikings are beginning to show they need to be taken seriously in the CAL. Through Jan. 9, the Vikings had won three straight games and suddenly were breathing down the necks of the ACIT RedHawks, who have won eight straight to start the season. At 3-0 in the CAL American, Atlantic City — which can now play home games again on campus after its gym renovations were recently completed — was tied with ACIT despite being just 5-3 overall. Savanna Robertson has emerged as a potential star, Alex Fader has been giving them good minutes in the absence of injured forward Tahirah Howard, and players like forward Ciani ReddHoward and point gaurd Madison Brestle have been much more consistent. u Good times in Wildwood: Things are starting to look really good for both Wildwood Catholic teams, as the girls have ripped off eight wins in a row to improve to 9-2, while the boys have surged ahead in the CAL United by winning four straight, including a dominating win over the Patrick School at the Seagull, a win that saw star junior forward Taj Thweatt play one of the best games of his career with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Hermits looking to get right at Classic Shoot Down Cancer Classic has a special place in coach Paul Rodio’s heart By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer he St. Augustine Prep basketball team has been scuffling a little bit lately, having lost to strong teams like Moorestown and Wildwood Catholic, and veteran head coach Paul Rodio is hoping some home cooking at the 2019 Shoot Down Cancer Classic, scheduled for Jan. 12-13 at St. Augustine Prep, will be just what the doctor ordered to get the Hermits out of their early January funk. The Hermits looked like world beaters early on, winning their first six games while scoring 70 or more points in four of those victories. They beat Toms River North, a South Jersey Group 4 semifinalist a year ago, Pleasantville, which is one of the top teams in the Cape-Atlantic League’s United Conference, as well as teams like Vineland, Bridgeton and Egg Harbor Township. But then Moorestown handed the Hermits a 54-48 loss in the recent Seagull Classic, and Wildwood Catholic — perhaps the best team in South Jersey — routed Prep 67-44 earlier this week. “We haven’t really played well the last week or so. We didn’t play well against Moorestown, and we didn’t play well against Wildwood Catholic, but both
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See Hermits, page 24
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Charles Solomon and the St. Augustine Prep Hermits will be looking to make it two wins in a row on Jan. 12 when they take on Trenton at the Shoot Down Cancer Classic at home.
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Page 24 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 11, 2019 Hermits, from page 22 teams are very good and we just didn’t respond. We just have to go back and put it together, we’ll be fine,” Rodio said. “We have not had continuity on offense. We’ve looked scattered, shattered — we’ve been looking like a bunch of parts instead of one big piece. We’re trying to put it back together and go back to the basics. Same thing on defense, we look like we’re all over the map — too many gaps and openings, I don’t think we’re all on the same page, so that’s been the last couple of days. That’s what we’ll be working on, trying to put things back together, simplify it a little bit and do what we do best.” The Hermits have a couple of new starters, and also have had to assimilate senior transfer Andrew Delaney, brother of sophomore Matthew Delaney, into the starting lineup.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a challenge. He didn’t come in until after our summer, so he didn’t play with us, so we’re just trying to get on the same page,” Rodio said. “Once we get everybody on the same page, I think we’re fine, but it’s taking us a little longer to do that than it has in other years.” Rodio said he believes that as players like Cole Vanderslice and Charles Solomon, two of the Hermits’ top players, get more used to playing alongside the Delaney brothers, things will begin to smooth out and the Hermits will be able to find some more consistency. “I think that’s really what it comes down to. I don’t want to simplify it, but really, that’s where we’re at,” he said. “When we look at practice, there are days when we look very good, then there are days we don’t look so good. So, I think it’s just a process of putting it all together. There’s enough talent there, it’s just a process of making it all work, and hopefully we’ll keep going
and make it work.” The Hermits ended their brief twogame slide on Thursday night with a win over ACIT, and head into the weekend with a 7-2 record. They’re also sitting atop the CAL American standings, a half-game in front of Millville.
The Classic
The annual showcase event at St. Augustine follows up last weekend’s Seagull Classic at Holy Spirit, and the Shoot Down Cancer Classic will feature some more outstanding matchups. The Saturday schedule starts off with Glassboro vs. Rancocas Valley at 11 a.m., followed by Pitman vs. Millville, Elizabeth vs. Pleasantville, Haddonfield vs. Paul VI, Trenton vs. St. Augustine and Moorestown vs. Wildwood Catholic in the final game of the night. Then, on Sunday, action begins at 10:30 a.m. with Winslow vs. Middle Township followed by Bordentown vs. Ocean City, Southern vs. Holy Spirit, and finally Camden Catholic vs. St. Joseph at 3 p.m. “It definitely gets you going. There are so many of these (showcase events) now. We get done this one and then have the Battle by the Bay coming up, then the one at Rancocas Valley, another at Paul VI — all those things help you get ready for the state tournament run,” Rodio said. “I get a chance to see a lot of good teams, and a lot of teams I’m going to see down the road play right in front of me, so it gives us an opportunity to catch up on who we have to play, who’s com-
ing up, and see teams I haven’t had a chance to see as much.” The showcase began nearly two decades ago and is near and dear to coach Rodio’s heart. The Shoot Down Cancer Foundation was started by Beth and David Catalana, who was one of Rodio’s assistant coaches, and all proceeds go to the Oncology Division of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The event began in honor of Garrett Catalana, Beth and David’s son, who was treated for cancer at CHOP years ago. The family wanted to give something back to the hospital that helped save their son’s life. “It’s been very successful. (Catalana) has raised $20,000 to $25,000 a year for the children’s hospital for more than 15 years. It’s been great, and it’s a great event. I’d like to see as many people as possible come out, not just for our game but for any game just to throw some money in the till for the children’s hospital,” Rodio said. “ It definitely is neat, and at some point during the weekend every year I think back. When his son had gotten sick, Dave was coaching with me and we were together through all of that, so it brings back memories of what was going on at that time. The result of it has been positive and good. It makes you think back to your roots and remember what this thing is all about for real. I definitely feel good about the weekend.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Jordyn Kendrick and the Hermits have dropped two of their last three games, but are still 7-2 heading into the Shoot Down Cancer Classic.
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ttttttt GAME REWIND
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Boys basketball Ocean City 58, Mainland 48 It’s always a fun game to watch when two rivals like this get together, and both student sections were rocking until the end. The game was tight through three quarters and featured several lead changes and a 70-foot buzzer-beating heave by Mainland’s Luke Mazur to end the first quarter. In the end, however, the pace seemed to wear down the Mustangs, who were playing on back-to-back nights after scoring a victory over Middle Township the night before. Both these teams should be in the mix for the Cape-Atlantic League’s National Conference crown, and both will be vying for spots in the eight-team CAL Tournament. WHAT WE LEARNED The Red Raiders are a tough matchup for anybody, simply because all five starters can handle the ball. It’s basically a four-guard offense, with point guard Joey Sacco running the show and guys like Luke Varallo, Donovan Graham and Gannon Brady (pictured above) making moves to the basket and also popping out for 3-pointers. KEEP AN EYE ON Mainland point guard Joe Massari, he missed several games prior to this one with an ankle injury and the Mustangs are going to need him as healthy as possible if they want to make berths in the CAL and state tournaments.
snapshots Savanna Robertson had one of the best games of her career in the opening matchup of the Seagull Classic, scoring more than 20 points to help lead Atlantic City to a 51-50 comeback win over Middle Township. Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
Mainland’s Joe Massari (1) sets a screen on Ocean City’s Luke Varallo to try to spring teammate Tommy Zanaras during the Mustangs’ loss to the rival Red Raiders on Jan. 8.
snapshots
Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
Mainland’s Katie McClintock swims the 100 breaststroke event during the Mustangs’ recent win over Vineland.
Egg Harbor Township’s Jack Schiavo tries to break free from the grip of Burlington Township’s Craig Cook during the championship bout at the Arthur O. Marinelli holiday tournament at EHT.
Mainland’s Taylor Dalzell boxes out Ocean City’s Delaney Lappin during the Mustangs’ win over their rival during a game in December.
Egg Harbor Township sophomore Rahim Muhammad soars through the air for a layup during the Eagles’ 70-64 loss to Pleasantville on Jan. 9.
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