The Red Raider Boys and Girls Are Set for Round 2 Tonight

The Ocean City High School boys' and girls' basketball teams will get to defend their home courts again tonight in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Group III South playoffs.

The girls, the No. 4 seed, host No. 5 Seneca at 5 p.m. in the Dixie Howell Gymnasium. The boys, the No. 4 seed, host No. 5 Central Regional at 7 p.m.

The Red Raider girls are coming off a dominating win over Pinelands but expect more of a challenge against Seneca.

"It's going to get tougher, obviously," Ocean City girls coach Paul Baruffi said. "As you move through the playoffs, it gets tougher and tougher."

Seneca has won four straight games but lost to Ocean City on Feb. 12 in a Shootout at the Shore game at Mainland Regional High School.

Ocean City led throughout the game, but Seneca didn't make life easy for the Red Raiders in a 40-37 win.

"They are very good," Baruffi said. "We just have to prepare and do the best we can. They have height like us. They have big girls ... If you look at them and look at us, it's like looking in a mirror."

"If we play our game like we have the last five games, then hopefully we will get far," Ocean City guard Emily Gillian said.

The Red Raider boys are coming off a come-from-behind win over Delsea in the opening round, as Matt Bosch scored 19 points. Central needed overtime to get past Woodrow Wilson of Camden in the opener.

Jeremy Wozniak and Jo Jo Hardy are Central's main contributors on offense. Wozniak led all scorers in Central's playoff opener with 26 points.

"We take it game by game, and in practice we work hard," said Ocean City's Chris Turner, who scored 17 against Delsea. "We will go out and try to play a good game."