After 6-2 start, Ocean City basketball now 6-6, including two narrow losses
OCEAN CITY – It was a tough stretch of games for the Ocean City High School girls basketball team after a great 6-2 start to the season.
The Red Raiders finished the week with a 42-26 loss to the Haddonfield Memorial High School Bulldogs on Jan. 17 that dropped their record to 6-6. Ocean City played a very tight game in the first half but could not carry the momentum into the final two quarters.
Ocean City senior Marley Ostrander led all scorers with 17 points, including 13 in the first half. The lead changed hands eight different times until Haddonfield settled into a 25-22 advantage at halftime.
Ostrander scored first for the Raiders out of the break but after she cut the lead to one, Haddonfield took over. The Bulldogs ran away with the game and held Ocean City to just four points the entire second half. Aggressive defense by the Bulldogs forced Raider turnovers that were converted for layups on the opposite end.
Asked about the offense in the second half, Ocean City head coach Trish Henry said, “It comes down to who executes and we just did not do that at all. We went away from the game plan at the end on offense and I believe we had 12 turnovers. It’s tough to overcome that against a good team and it starts with me, but we have to make shots and we all must get better.”
Haddonfield finished the game on a 17-4 run with three different Bulldogs scoring in double digits.
“We sometimes make this game more difficult than it is,” Henry said. “When we get free throws, we have to make them. We are under 50 percent so far this year. That right there wins us the two games this week. I’ll own that. It’s on me. We’ll just keep practicing shots.”
Ocean City’s previous two games came down to the final minutes as the Raiders lost by a combined four points. They fell to Atlantic City High School 55-52 on Jan. 14 despite a huge 25-point day from Ostrander. That game was run-and-gun throughout.
Two days later the Raiders traveled to 11-0 Hammonton High School and pushed Hammonton’s undefeated streak to the brink. Down 31-19 at halftime, the Raiders stormed back. Freshman Mya Dever had her highest scoring game of the season with 15 points, but the Raider comeback fell just short as the girls lost 56-55 on Jan. 16.
The Raiders will try to get back on track Jan. 22 on the road against Millville High School before a trip to Lower Cape May Regional High School on Jan. 26. Both games will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
Ocean City has already beaten both teams this season as a part of its early season streak of five wins in six games.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
