ERMA — Trailing 55-54 with only seconds left on the clock, the Caper Tiger boys basketball team had the ball and the chance to upset Ocean City’s Red Raiders, but the shots just wouldn’t fall.
The Lower Cape May Regional High School team outscored Ocean City 16-13 in the fourth quarter, but isn’t quite enough.
They took the lead 47-46 just over halfway through the final stanza on a three-point shot by Ryan Mallon.
LCMR reached its biggest lead of the fourth quarter with 2:38 left in the game at 52-46, but Ocean City closed the gap to two points.
With 2 minutes left, LCMR was able to get a four-point lead back, but with the Raiders down 54-50, Leon Brown hit a three-pointer to bring the Raiders within a point.
The Caper Tigers missed on their next possession and the Raiders took a 55-54 lead with 47 seconds left as Ben McGonigle slipped in for a layup.
After that, LCMR worked the clock, but as they tried to get one last shot to win the game and beat Ocean City for the first time this season, the Caper Tigers just couldn’t connect.
The LCMR boys led 11-9 after the first quarter and 22-21 at the half, but Ocean City regained the lead with a 21-16 effort in the third quarter. The teams entered the final stanza with Ocean City up 42-38.
Ty Bonner led LCMR with 25 points; John Fernandez had 13, Mallon six (both three-pointers), Cole Sederland five, Brayden Melo three and Mason Cronin two.
McGonigle had 17 points for the Raiders, Luke Tjoumakaris had 11 and Josh Lenko nine. Jack Porter and Tighe Olek had three each and Dean Lappin two.
LCMR (14-11) lost to Ocean City (18-6) by 12 points back on Jan. 11, but had their chance to beat the Group III South Jersey sectional top seed Friday night.
The Caper Tigers enter the Group II sectionals as the No. 8 seed and will host their first-round game at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, against No. 8 Barnegat (16-8). If they win, they would move to the quarterfinals against the winner of No. 4 Cinnaminson (14-12) and No. 13 Cedar Creek (10-14).
Ocean City will host No. 16 Toms River East (11-15) at 6 p.m Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the first round. The top seed gives the Raiders home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Girls basketball
The Caper Tiger girls (8-18) are the No. 12 seed in the South Jersey Group II sectional tournament. They open at 5 p.m. Thursday at No. 5 Haddonfield (17-11).
In Group III, No. 10 Ocean City travels to rival Mainland Regional, the No. 7 seed, at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Mainland (9-15) beat Ocean City (13-13) 45-40 on Jan. 18, but the Red Raider girls returned the favor in the Cape-Atlantic League tournament, winning 43-38 on Feb. 12.
By DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave
