Deptford's Jordan Williams Drops 54 Points: NJ's Top 2026 Scoring Game & Program Record

Deptford senior forward Jordan Williams had one of those nights every high school player dreams of when everything he threw up just seemed to find the bottom of the net.

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During last week’s Tri-County Conference game against rival Clearview, Deptford's Jordan Williams went berserk, pouring in a school-record 54 points in an 85-64 win. The 6’3” wing scored from everywhere. Deep threes, silky mid-range jumpers, powerful finishes around the rim, and he barely missed at the line (7-for-8).

On the evening Williams hit 22 field goals overall, including three from beyond the arc. This outburst currently stands as the highest single-game total in New Jersey high school hoops this season (the previous high output were 47-point games turned in by Noah Cilento of American Christian and Awwab Kamran of Thomas Edison Energy Charter.) In the end, Williams alone outscored 130 entire teams that played in the other 135 games across the state.

Shattering the Record Books

Williams’ 54-point outburst erased the old Deptford mark of 45, set by Virgil Scruggs in 2022 against Salem Tech. Going further back, the previous high was 42, shared by Tom Sampson (1990), Kevin Eli (2000), and Rickie Crews (2005). Williams didn’t just break the record, he demolished it.

Slow Build to Explosion

The crafty Williams started the game with 12 first-quarter points and added six more in the second. Heading into halftime with 18 points is a respectable number, but nothing that screamed “historic” yet. Then, the floodgates opened. He scored 36 points in the second half alone, dropping 19 points in the third and another 17 in the fourth. That’s more than plenty of teams score in a full game on an average night. For perspective, his previous season-best was 31 against Willingboro on December 27, and he also pulled down 13 rebounds to match his career high.

It Just Felt Natural

After the game, Williams kept things low-key. He said the whole night flowed effortlessly and was quick to credit his teammates for spotting mismatches and continuing to feed him the ball. What stood out to him was the balance. He wasn’t stuck in the paint or bombing from deep. Rather, he mixed it up through a combination of perimeter shots, mid-range pull-ups, drives, and contested finishes.

“It was my best three-level scoring game,” Williams told nj.com after the game. “I knocked down three threes, had a couple mid-ranges. I got to the line and had a couple of contested finishes. It was really an all-around game. It wasn’t just in the paint or just chucking up shots on the perimeter.

Williams even reflected on last year’s matchup against Clearview, when he dropped in 36 points which was his previous career high. Back then he thought that was huge. The idea of touching 50 had never crossed his mind. He just let the game come to him organically, and it turned into something special.

Coach Saw It Unfolding

Deptford head coach Mike Vilary emphasized that the game stayed competitive throughout. No one was running up the score or padding stats. Williams’ points came naturally and within the flow of the offense. It wasn’t until the game was headed to the fourth quarter when the staff realized that the school scoring record was in sight.

“One of the assistant coaches pointed out that he had 37 points,” Vilary said. “He was only a handful of points away from the school record and I had no idea. I knew he had a decent number of points, but I didn’t know he was racking them up that hard. He had a lot of offensive rebound put-backs, worked off the ball. That created offense for him.”

The Go-To Guy All Season

Williams has been Deptford’s scoring engine all season. He’s averaging 23.1 points per game (15th in the state for players with at least 10 games played) and has scored in double figures in all 16 games this season. He leads the Tri-County Conference in scoring and ranks second in South Jersey, only behind Camden’s Alex Pace.

Vilary pointed out how much Jordan has grown. As a freshman, he was mostly a perimeter shooter. Now he’s a true slashing forward—attacking in transition, staying active inside, refusing to settle for jumpers, and working hard off the ball to get open. When the team needs a bucket, he delivers. It’s been massive for the Spartans’ success.

Nights like this are rare. Jordan Williams’ 54-point masterpiece against Clearview is going to be one of those stories that will be retold for years within New Jersey high school basketball circles.