Camden keeps winning with deep lineup

With high-scoring Garry Simmons out of the lineup indefinitely because of personal reasons, Camden High has had to lean - harder than usual - on Aaron Walton, Vince Walls and Germir Pitts to jump-start its offense.

All three have responded and have kept the Panthers (9-2) running smoothly.

Camden is 6-0 without Simmons in the lineup, including impressive wins over Woodrow Wilson, Bishop Eustace, Cherokee, Solebury and Trenton. Walton has led the way, averaging 26.2 points in the six victories.

"This is my third year on varsity and I feel more comfortable this year," said Walton, a 6-foot-2 junior who was held to 10 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter of yesterday's 84-81 overtime win over previously undefeated Trenton. "And I'm getting a lot of help from the young players."

One of those players is Walls, a 6-1 sophomore who is the son of Camden icon Kevin Walls, a Panthers standout in the early 1980s. Vince Walls has averaged 23 points per game in five of the wins (he missed one game with the flu), including a 31-point outburst in a 75-54 victory over Cherokee, and 27 points in yesterday's triumph over Trenton, a team that is No. 13 in the Newark Star-Ledger's state rankings.

"He has a good shot, and he runs the floor and can score from inside, too," Camden coach Clarence Turner said. "He makes good choices out there."

So does Pitts, a 5-9 guard who has reached double figures in each of Camden's last six wins, averaging 16.8 points per game in that span.

Camden doesn't have as much size as in recent years. Its starting lineup usually includes Walton, Walls and Pitts, along with 6-2 Tyree Watkins and 6-4 Terrell Harper. Hubert Simmons (no relation to Garry), a 6-foot freshman, has also made some starts, and he reached double figures in consecutive games recently.

"We don't have the talent like we had last year; we're basically all guards and we have to work hard every night if we're going to win," Walton said.

As for Garry Simmons, Turner is hopeful he will return to the team in early February.

Camden, No. 6 in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings, plays host to second-ranked Paul VI tomorrow. Both teams are undefeated in the Olympic National.

Harris update.

Stricken by the flu and a 102-degree temperature, Eastern standout guard Bobby Harris played only about half the game and did not score in the Vikings' 84-72 loss to Pennsauken on Thursday.

Eastern (6-7) has lost five straight.

"Bobby's the only starter we have back, so the chemistry isn't there yet," Eastern coach Joe Murphy said. "We just have to get used to playing with each other."

Look for Eastern to make strides in the season's second half. The Vikings were recently bolstered by the addition of junior Shumeek Scott, a Gloucester Catholic transfer who had to sit out 30 days before being eligible to play last week. Scott scored 27 in the loss to Pennsauken.

Streaking Shawnee.

Shawnee, led by Doug Holcombe and Eric Kessler, has won eight straight and raised its record to 10-3. Shawnee will be tested Thursday when it plays an afternoon game at district rival Cherokee.

Hammonton cracks top 10.

For the first time ever, Hammonton has cracked The Inquirer's South Jersey top 10. The 11-1 Blue Devils are ranked No. 10.

A year ago, Hammonton went 15-12 and finished with its first winning season since 1954-55. Now the Blue Devils are threatening to win the Cape-Atlantic American II title; they are battling Mainland for the crown.

Hammonton has a tough schedule this week, facing Mainland, Atlantic City and Seneca. The Blue Devils started the season with eye-opening wins over Mainland and Atlantic City, so those teams will be seeking revenge.

McCargo nears milestone.

Collingswood senior Darnell McCargo needs 21 points to become the all-time leading scorer in the program's history.

Justin Dempsey, a 2005 Collingswood graduate, set the record with 1,551 points. McCargo has 1,531 points heading into tomorrow's game against visiting Northwest Prep.

In Collingswood's history, nine players have reached 1,000 career points: Dempsey, McCargo, Steve Selby (1,311 points), Archie Garnett (1,246), Steve Kaplan (1,130), Stan Pawlak (1,095), Jim Ambrosius (1,049), Joey Soto (1,031) and Brendon Green (1,005).

Flashy freshman.

St. Augustine's Isaiah Morton has emerged as the area's premier freshman. The fleet 5-7 guard is averaging 19.6 points per game, and he erupted for 37 points Saturday in a 104-99 overtime win over Pleasantville.

Games of the week.

Here are some of this week's best matchups:

Today:

Gloucester Catholic at Washington Township, 1; Winslow Township at Williamstown, 1.

Tomorrow:

Cinnaminson at Bordentown, 6:30; Hammonton at Mainland, 5:30; St. Joseph at Holy Spirit, 7; Paul VI at Camden, 3:45; Clearview at Salem, 5:30.

Wednesday:

Washington Township at Eastern, 6.

Thursday:

Delran at Cinnaminson, 6:15; Atlantic City at Hammonton, 5:30; Holy Spirit at Pleasantville, 7; Shawnee at Cherokee, 3:45; Winslow Township at Rancocas Valley, 5.

Friday:

Bordentown at Medford Tech, 6:30; Deptford at Williamstown, 7.

Saturday:

Gloucester at Gloucester Catholic, 6; Burlington vs. Eastern at Rancocas Valley, 11; Lenape vs. Trenton Catholic at Rancocas, 5; Cherokee at Rancocas, 7; Clearview at Haddonfield, 3.

Tourney alert.

Teams need at least a .500 record at the Feb. 2 cutoff date to qualify for the NJSIAA tournament. For several teams, the next two weeks will be the make-or-break point of their seasons.

Team Record

Records through yesterday. Last week's ranking is in parentheses.

1.

Holy Spirit (1) 13-0

2.

Paul VI (2) 11-1

3.

Cinnaminson (3) 11-1

4.

Rancocas Valley (4) 10-2

5.

Shawnee (6) 10-3

6.

Camden (7) 9-2

7.

Winslow Twp. (10) 9-2

8.

Collingswood (NR) 11-2

9.

Camden Catholic (8) 9-3

10.

Hammonton (NR) 11-1

Under consideration (listed alphabetically):

Deptford (9-2), Pemberton (9-3), Salem (12-1), St. Augustine (10-2), St. Joseph (11-3), Williamstown (9-3).

- Sam Carchidi