April 6, 2005
One last home game for Phillip & Kaitlin
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
Ocean City High School sports teams have had a pretty good year so far.
After another fabulous fall in soccer, cross country and field hockey, the two Raider basketball teams
combined for 39 wins, including four in the NJSIAA tournament. The new girls swim team reached the
South Jersey final. And the spring season could bring some more winners in baseball and track, based on
very early returns.
The great thing about the success of 2004-05 is the youth of many of the athletes making an impact. The
Class of 2006 is loaded with athletes like no class to come through OCHS in a long time.
On Saturday, however, two seniors who have been solid performers for Ocean City basketball teams will
wear their basketball uniforms for the very last time.
Phillip Schaffer and Kaitlin DuRoss have been playing varsity basketball almost since entering high school.
Schaffer’s older brother, Matt, led the way for him and Kaitlin followed two older sisters, Lindsay and
Ashley.
Both have led their teams in scoring and, as seniors, developed into “go-to players”, the person you want
to have the ball when the game is on the line.
In two of the most exciting games of the season, Schaffer had the ball for the final play – driving and
dishing out to Dave Beyel for the game-winner in overtime against Egg Harbor Township in December, then
grabbing an improbable offensive rebound and tossing in a winner at the buzzer in the second overtime
against Woodrow Wilson in March.
DuRoss has made her impressions more quietly. When her Raiders needed to wake up, she made a move
that got the offense going. She rebounded the ball well and applied defensive pressure that frequently
forced a needed turnover.
Between them, Schaffer and DuRoss scored 1,559 career points. But their contributions went much further
than points. They were players that got better when the game required it and made the players on the
court with them better.
On Saturday, Schaffer and DuRoss will play one last high school game before moving on to the next level –
he’s going to Elizabethtown and she is headed for Philadelphia University of the Sciences. They will both
play on their conference all stars during the final two games of All Star Saturday. And their teams will be
filled with talent, giving both players the stage to perform at their best.
The new gym at Ocean City High School opened this season with a doubleheader victory over Egg Harbor
Township and a season of thrilling victories followed, for boys and girls. Saturday’s outcome is not as
important as those games but, if their years of competition are any example, this final showcase will be
important to these two Raider leaders.
A half-hour or so before 5 o’clock on Saturday, Kaitlin DuRoss will pull on her white jersey with red and
black trim and the big No. 3 on the back. A few hours later, Phil Schaffer will slide into his familiar No. 4
and get ready for his final high school basketball game.
There are no championships at stake and both will be playing on teams loaded with other successful
players. But you can be sure that Phillip and Kaitlin want to make their final performances on their home
court something to remember.
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