Let that be a lesson, Red Raiders.
The Ocean City High School boys basketball team mounted a furious fourth quarter rally and nearly stole Friday night’s Cape Atlantic League National Division game at Mainland, only to see the comeback fall a point short.
The learning experience: never get outscored 21-8 in the second quarter to your biggest rival on their home court. It kind of makes it difficult to win, even when you’ve flipped the switch and proceeded to outplay your opponent for most of the second half.
Nevertheless, Ocean City (2-4) never quit and was in a position to win at the end. But Mainland prevailed, 63-62.
Mainland’s Luke Mazur, who led the Mustangs scoring with 21 points, hit a pair of three pointers to start the second half, putting the Raiders down by 22.
However, Ocean City began chipping away at the advantage and went on an 8-0 scoring run at the end of the third, with junior guard Joe Repetti (17 for the game) scoring six during that stretch to draw to within 13.
Repetti stayed hot in the fourth, scoring 10 of the Raiders’ 31 points.
Mainland’s gym, packed to the rafters and loud, was a madhouse in the fourth quarter as Ocean City turned up the defensive pressure and allowed Repetti and teammate Gannon Brady to do their thing on the offensive end.
It also helped the Raiders’ cause that Mazur fouled out with about two minutes remaining.
On what turned out to be Ocean City’s final possession, Brady, who paced all scorers with 24 points, missed a three. Michael Rhodes gathered in the offensive rebound and scored to draw to within a point with only six ticks remaining.
In high school basketball, timeouts can be called following a made basket. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the officials never acknowledged the Raiders’ attempt to call time, allowing Mainland to escape with the one-point margin of victory.
