O.C. Dominates Oakcrest in Boys Basketball

By LESLEY GRAHAM The Ocean City boys basketball team upended the visiting Oakcrest Falcons Monday night, 73-39. The win brings Ocean City’s record to 11-8, while Oakcrest drops to 5-14. Red Raider Gannon Brady led all scorers with 23 points, while teammate Tom Finnegan added 16, including four three-pointers. Ten different Ocean City players contributed to the scoring. All four quarters of basketball found the Red Raiders dominating the paint, putting up their second consecutive highest score of the season with 73 points. Brady Rauner goes up strong against an Oakcrest player. The Red Raiders opened the game strong offensively and never looked back. Oakcrest struggled to find a shooting rhythm against the Raiders defense that was limiting second chance opportunities. After eight minutes of play, Ocean City led 19-7. The second quarter was much of the same as the first, with Ocean City once again dominant on the offensive end. The Raiders were able to see the lanes and find their teammates for open looks at the basket. The passing was clean and crisp, which made for quick, fast-paced basketball and smooth transitions from end to end. To end the half, Finnegan got an open look and drained a three-pointer to give the Raiders a 37-14 lead at halftime. Gannon Brady, who led all scorers with 23 points, shoots a free throw. Ocean City continued its dominance in the second half of play, allowing for some younger players to see quality minutes on the floor. As the third quarter ticked away, Ocean City once again ended with a strong three-pointer, pushing its lead to 57-26. During the fourth quarter, four new faces entered the game for the Raiders. Brendan Schlatter scored six points for Ocean City, helping to maintain the Raiders' lead. In the final five minutes of play, Ocean City and Oakcrest both scored 10 points to finish the game strong. The Red Raiders will be back in action again on Wednesday as they take on the Lower Cape May Regional Tigers in a home contest at 6 p.m. Tom Finnegan drains one of his four three-pointers for Ocean City.