By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On Instagram @sjglorydays
ATLANTIC CITY — If you were to ask South Jersey boys basketball fans to name teams that have won more than 65 games in the last three seasons, Ocean City probably wouldn’t be the first school to roll off anybody’s tongue.
But the Red Raiders (68-15 the past three seasons) have quietly become one of the top teams in the region under longtime coach John Bruno, who has a huge group of hardworking seniors who are looking to end their careers with more championships to add to last season’s South Jersey Group 3 title.
Ocean City will have a chance to win the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament title on Saturday after the Raiders held off a strong effort from a young St. Augustine Prep squad on Tuesday night at Atlantic City High. The 46-42 win puts the Raiders up against Atlantic City — which got 50 points from sophomore Don’Taye Thompson in a rousing 78-72 win over top-seeded Middle Township in the other semifinal — on Saturday at noon at Egg Harbor Township High for the title.
The last time Ocean City was in the championship game was 16 years ago, when most of Bruno’s players were still in diapers, or not even born yet.
“I told the players that 2010 seems like such a long time ago,” said Bruno, who has more than 500 wins to his credit. “I’m happy for the kids. When you get to what I’ve been through — not that it’s not important (to me), I’m just so happy for the kids, and that they are able to experience this. Now they’re able to tell kids in school tomorrow. I’m happy that they get a chance to get excited about it, and I’m happy that we played well tonight.”
Bruno got to match wits with legendary St. Augustine Prep coach Paul Rodio, one of the winningest coaches in state history. And it took a while for Ocean City to figure out the Hermits’ matchup zone defense. Ocean City (20-4, 9-3 Cape-Atlantic League American) jumped out to a 24-15 lead late in the first quarter, but the Hermits (15-12, 9-3 CAL American) made a run in the second quarter, getting to within 24-21 by halftime.
“I thought in the fourth quarter we toughened up a little bit, got a lot of loose ball, a lot of rebounds that we weren’t getting in the first half. That little run they had at the end of the second quarter — when we could have taken the lead away, they came back. We turned it over a couple of times, but for the most part we controlled the ball, and that’s what you have to do against their guards,” Bruno said. “The fact that they went to a zone (defense) gave us trouble, but later, in the fourth quarter, we were able to solve it a little bit and we were getting good shots. If they are going to sit in a zone, you have to make shots. We kept saying the middle was open, but you have to do something with it when you get (the ball). We’re not the kind of team that can drive it (to the basket) from there. We told Tighe that if he gets it (at the top of the key) he should let it go. He hit a couple big threes, and that’s not really part of his game. But if you’re going to play against a zone, you have to shoot shots, and you have to hope they go in.”
The teams were tied at 31 heading into the fourth quarter, and a couple of big shots from Ocean City senior Tighe Olek put the Red Raiders ahead for good at 41-37. With the Hermits trailing, 45-42, with less than 15 seconds remaining, Prep freshman Zebron Bartley hoisted a 3-point shot that was off the mark. Alec Bell grabbed the rebound and hit 1-of-2 free throws at the other end with .2 seconds left to ice the victory.
“Luke (Tjoumakaris) did a great job on the boards in the second half. It was really a good high school game, back and forth, good calls both ways,” Bruno said. “Everybody had something to say, but it all came down to Bartley taking the shot. If it goes in, we’re going to overtime and if it doesn’t go in, we win. I thought defensively we did a great job.”
Tjoumakaris and Olek combined for 25 points for Ocean City, while Bryce Clark led the way for the Hermits with 14 points and Bartley added 12.
WHAT’S NEXT: Ocean City is scheduled to travel to Lower Cape May on Friday at 7 p.m. and then face Atlantic City on Saturday at noon at Egg Harbor Township High for the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament championship. St. Augustine Prep hosts Union Catholic on Feb. 26 in the opening round of the Non-Public A South sectional tournament, time TBA.
