Bosch Scores 19 in One Half to Lift Ocean City Boys to Playoff Victory

The Ocean City High School boys' basketball players have proven to be unselfish this season.

On Tuesday night, they took turns making an impact during the Red Raiders' 61-53 victory over No. 5 Delsea in the opening round of the NJSIAA Group III South playoffs.

Ocean City, the No. 4 seed, will host a quarterfinals matchup on Thursday against No. 5 Central Regional, which edged No. 12 Woodrow Wilson of Camden, 60-58, in the opening round.

"We have a core of seven or eight guys that come in and do what they have to do to help us out," Ocean City center Matt Bosch said. 

Bosch went toe-to-toe with Delsea star sophomore Cedric Ellerby and helped carry the Red Raiders over the Crusaders. The Ocean City junior scored all of his game-high 19 points in the second half as the Red Raiders rallied from a seven-point deficit.

"It's very important to get him the ball, because as long as he is scoring, we are doing well," said Ocean City guard Chris Turner, who scored 14 points. "We have to get him the ball more, though. As long as he has the ball we are going to be in good hands."

Ocean City found itself down seven with 2:45 left in the third quarter after a three-pointer by Delsea's Joe Ingram.

However, the rest of the quarter belonged to the Red Raiders. Dylan Canova scored on a putback, and Andrew Kimball followed with two straight baskets to make it a one-point game.

After another Delsea score, Turner and Bosch hit foul shots to tie the contest at 35 after three quarters.

Ocean City took its first lead since early in the first quarter on a foul shot by Tom Ballezzi. The lead changed five times during the fourth quarter—until the Red Raiders took control for good with 5:31 left in the game.

Turner connected on a three-pointer and followed with a steal and layup to put the Red Raiders ahead 43-39.  

"It took me a while to get my shots down and get everybody together," Turner said. "I have to be a team leader, so I had to pick it up myself and bring everyone's intensity up."

"He is an amazing athlete and at this point in the season, it's not a surprise," Bosch said of the 5-foot, 9-inch Turner. "He can jump through the roof and is as fast as anything, the fastest person on the team."

The Crusaders attempted to increase the tempo of the game in the fourth quarter, but the Red Raiders showed they can play that style of play, too.

"I thought they did a good job defensively bothering us," Ocean City coach John Bruno said. "In the second half, we did a much better job handling the pressure."

Every time Delsea would chip into the lead, the Red Raiders had an answer.

Delsea made it a three-point game four different times in the final 2:47, but the Red Raiders always managed to increase their advantage with a key basket or foul shots.

After missing three foul shots in the third quarter, Ballezzi, a 78-percent shooter, was seven for eight from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Ocean City made its last 12 foul shots of the game to clinch the victory. Ballezzi finished with 10 points.