OCEAN CITY – The holiday season has arrived, which means the new-look boys basketball team at Ocean City High School is ready to tip off the 2024-2025 season.
Last year the Ocean City Red Raiders finished with an impressive 26-4 record and reached the sectional title game with a senior-heavy lineup.
Kori Segich had one of the most dominant seasons in Raider history with 719 points scored as the Raiders rode the starting lineup deep into the playoffs. The Raiders lost that heartbreaking South Jersey final to rival Mainland Regional in triple overtime.
“It was a special season with a bunch of special kids,” Ocean City head coach John Bruno said. “The more I watched last year’s film as I prepared for this upcoming season, I just saw how great they really were.”
Senior guard Ben McGonigle is the only returning player from last season’s starting lineup. McGonigle served as the primary ball handler for the Raiders and used his passing ability to direct the team’s offense. Now that he is the player with the most experience on the team, Bruno is ready to hand the keys over to McGonigle.
“Ben is going to be our leader this year,” Bruno said. “He played his role well as a junior and knew when to attack and when to defer to his teammates. Now he must become the guy we rely on. His performance in the final game versus Mainland gave him confidence coming into this season.”
McGonigle’s 15 points in the South Jersey Group III title game against Mainland Regional was his season high in the most important game of the year. He got more aggressive as the season went on, which he will need to continue so the new Raiders can get up to speed.
Asked about how the Raiders are going to fill the shoes of the departed senior class, Bruno said they are going to need a little bit from a host of different players.
“We are not going to try and replicate what they did last year and instead try and get a little from everyone,” Bruno said. “Jack Porter saw minutes for us a year ago and I expect an increased role from him as a senior. We also have a real good group of juniors like Dean Lappin, Chris Pontari and Luke Tjoumakaris.”
Porter and McGonigle are joined by Zio Wright and Mike Russomano as the team’s senior class.
Josh Lenko is the Raiders’ lone underclassman on the roster, but Bruno mentioned how he believed the sophomore can contribute to the team right away after seeing the court a bit his freshman year.
Outside of McGonigle the Raiders do not have a ton of live game experience. Coach Bruno did not commit to a single starting lineup and has chosen to start the year with different lineup combinations.
“The game is going to get a bit faster for these guys and they are going to see some stronger players out there,” Bruno said. “It is going to be a work in progress. We are going to put a combination of players out there with Ben and see what rotation works for us. It is pretty nice to have the choice between 8-9 players to put in a game at any time.”
The Raiders started their season Tuesday evening on the road against St. Augustine Prep after the Sentinel went to press. Before their first home game, the Raiders will hit the road again to Wildwood Catholic High School on Dec. 19. The tip off for that game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The first home game of the season for Ocean City will be on Dec. 22 against Holy Spirit High School. Tip-off from Ocean City High School is set for 7 p.m. and will be the only home game before the new year. It is a double-header with the Ocean City girls facing Holy Spirit at 5:15 p.m.
Ocean City’s first shot at revenge against Mainland will be at home on Jan. 18. The Raiders will look to even the score against their heated rival after the Mustangs handed them two of their four losses last season.
When asked about what he wants to see from the team in the first couple of games Bruno said, “Our main expectation is that with each game that goes by we get better. It’s going to be a work in progress.”
– By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
