By LESLEY GRAHAM
Ocean City was unable to find its shooting rhythm against a tough Holy Spirit squad Thursday night, losing at home 56-49 in a boys basketball matchup.
The loss dropped the Red Raiders to 2-6 overall (1-2 conference), while the Spartans improved to 5-3 (2-2 in conference).
The starting five for Ocean City included Gannon Brady, Joe Repetti, Tom Finnegan, Brad Jamison and Mike Rhodes. Brady led all scorers with 18 points.
As the first quarter got underway, Holy Spirit came out firing on all cylinders, scoring 18 points in the opening eight minutes.
Ocean City struggled to hit shots early on, dropping only three buckets in the first quarter. Holy Spirit led 18-6 going into the second quarter.
The Red Raiders started to mount a comeback in the second quarter, finding a rhythm in their shooting and stepping up their defensive presence.
Ocean City outscored Holy Spirit 15-12 to cut the lead to nine heading into halftime 30-21.
Holy Spirit did not allow Ocean City to ride the second quarter momentum as the half began, and the Red Raiders seemed to be struggling to once again move the ball efficiently and finish shots.
As the clock ticked away, the Spartans would increase their lead to 14 entering the final eight minutes of play, 45-31.
Ocean City was not going down go quietly and battled hard for the final quarter.
The intensity in the gym was palpable as each team gave it their all to fight for the win.
With under three minutes to play, Ocean City was down eight.
The Red Raiders pressured the Spartans all over the court in an attempt to get the ball back and convert on the other end.
Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, a big Holy Spirit steal made fouling the necessary evil to get the ball back.
As the final seconds fell away, Holy Spirit would take the victory.
