Toms River, NJ - Ocean County College hosted Camden County College in their home opener on Tuesday (Nov. 17), falling to the Cougars in a 76-59 final.
Reminiscent of the Vikings' season opener, the Cougars burst out of the proverbial gate early, establishing a lead and setting a pace that Ocean was forced to meet. OCC was down by 18 points at the half, and returned from the intermission like a team possessed. Powered by top scorers Wes Deitch (18 pts., 3 steals) and Josh Kline (15 pts., 6 rebounds), the Vikings roared to life, closing to within 4 points of the Cougars in front of an electric home crowd before the Cougars pulled away and secured the win. Bryan Potter (10 rebounds) and Ethan Paul (8 rebounds) were Ocean's defensive leaders in a game that showed flashes of what the Vikings could be.
"The slow start was too much to overcome, but I was proud of the toughness we demonstrated in the second half," recounted OCC Men's Basketball Head Coach Patrick Boylan. "We now need to learn how to put together a full 40 minutes of quality basketball."
The Vikings return to the court on Thursday, November 18, when they welcome Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester to campus for a 7 p.m. GSAC matchup.