Salem girls basketball defeats Paulsboro 48-34 in first round of South Jersey, Group 1 state tournament

  • 03/03 - 5:00 PM Girls BasketballFinal
    Paulsboro 34
    Salem 48
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SALEM -- Salem girls basketball forward Gayle Sanders sometimes has a tough time at the beginning of games.

"It takes me a little while to warm up," the senior said.

Sanders missed her first five shots, but bounced back to lead all scorers with 20 points in eighth-seeded Salem's 48-34 victory over ninth-seeded Paulsboro in the opening round of the NJSIAA/ShopRite South Jersey, Group 1 tournament on Tuesday.

Sanders added eight rebounds for the Rams. Fellow seniors Tiasia Tatem (seven rebounds) and Kayla Robinson (five assists, five steals) scored 12 and six points, respectively, and Ayanna Chapman had 10 points and seven boards.

"I think (the team) played really well," Sanders said. "We played together and everyone contributed."

Although they pulled off the win, it wasn't the cleanest game played by the Rams. Sloppy play plagued Salem in the opening minutes as Paulsboro got out to a 9-3 lead. Paulsboro was led by the front-court duo of Alexus McKeithan and Aniyah Bagby, both of whom finished with 11 points. McKeithan grabbed 19 rebounds and Bagby nine.

Paulsboro ended its season at 8-12.

"Our motto is, 'If you mess up on one end, you get it back on the other end,'" Salem coach Shikeena Lynard said. "They never gave up and kept playing. It's always great to see that."

The adherence to that motto, coupled with Salem's energy and effort, were the reasons the team never panicked. After Paulsboro's run, Salem went on a 29-10 surge that stretched over two quarters to give the Rams a 32-19 lead.

"We just gave it our all, considering this could have possibly been the end of our season," Sanders said. "We did what we had to do."

Salem will face the winner of the game between top-seeded Haddon Township and 16th-seeded Palmyra in the second round.

Sanders said her team isn't ready to have the season end just yet.

"I want to continue the season," she said. "I don't want to stop because it's my senior year."

"Confident is how I would say we are," Lynard said. "It will be a good day of practice tomorrow because everyone will be confident."

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