Marabuto Powers Ocean Past Atlantic Cape, 99-88

Toms River, NJ - Ocean County College Men's Basketball won their 4th straight game in a 99-88 victory versus the Buccaneers of Atlantic Cape CC on Thursday (2/6). The Vikings have now won 8 of their last 9 games, and are 13-7 overall. 

Tasked with having to overcome a significant height deficit in this matchup, the Vikings attacked Cape for every possession and kept the ball in constant motion, forcing the Bucs to chase. Towering sophomore Cape forward Christopher Parker ran into foul trouble quickly and exited early, taking his near double-double average per game with him, which the Vikings were quick to capitalize on. Freshman guard Myles Marabuto led Ocean scoring with 23 points, while sophomore guard Dylan Csik contributed 21 points, and freshman guard Jamari Smith 20 points in the hard-fought win. As stated previously, the Vikings were aggressive throughout this contest, with Csik and sophomore guard Brian Starrett combining for 11 steals, and freshman forward Robert Peirson battling in the paint to pull down 10 rebounds. 

"This was a very gritty win," remarked OCC Men's Basketball Head Coach Patrick Boylan. "It wasn't pretty at times, but our ball pressure and overall defense allowed us to extend the lead and eventually win the game. Myles Marabuto was outstanding tonight, accepting the challenge to guard Parker while giving away a lot of size. Omar Hadid provided valuable minutes off the bench, which were crucial to the win. Our depth continues to really help us." 

OCC Men's Basketball next takes the court this Saturday, February 8, when they travel to RCSJ Cumberland for a 2 P.M. matchup.