By Tom Williams

February 5, 2003

The basketball gods are smiling on us again

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist

The Atlantic City-Pleasantville boys basketball game has become the premier regular season event in South Jersey.

Oh, you might be able to make an argument for Absegami-Paulsboro wrestling or Camden-Woodrow Wilson basketball. But the game that annually concludes The Battle by the Bay has a rhythm and an atmosphere that is unequalled. Actually, the rhythm was even a little loud this year as live rap artists filled every pause in the action through a sound system that was powerful enough to have filled the Boardwalk Hall.

Anyway, there was great basketball at Atlantic City High School over the weekend in the event that kicks off a tremendous February in Atlantic County.

All of this started with Father Ed Lyons and Boo Pergament 31 years ago. They created the Seagull Classic Christmas Tournament and brought together some of the greatest high school teams in the country (and one from Canada).

At the Seagull Classic, you saw players like Albert King, Gene Banks, Adrian Branch, Chris Washburn, Rumeal Robinson, Bill Wennington, Malik Sealy, Chris Corchiani, Bill Curley, Ed Jordan, Jamal Mashburn, Pooh Richardson, Milt Wagner, Michael Brooks and Billy Donovan, now the coach of college basketball’s No. 1 team. You saw teams coached by Morgan Wooten, Bob Hurley, Pete Johnston, Speedy Morris, Bill Ellerbe, Fran Dunphy, Brendan Malone, Bob Wade and Joe Goldenberg.

The Seagull Classic didn’t stay in the area throughout its run, however. It started at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and spent eight years at Holy Spirit. But it was also played at Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Drexel, Camden County College and the Palestra.

Wildwood’s Boardwalk Basketball Classic has stepped in recently to fill the Christmas holiday gap left when the Seagull Classic ended.

Last weekend’s Battle by the Bay started the February ball rolling. This Saturday and Sunday, top girls teams will gather at Mainland. Some of the top games include Willingboro-Archbishop Carroll, Notre Dame-Absegami, Wildwood-Mainland, Ocean City-Camden Catholic, Highland-Sacred Heart and Peddie-Holy Spirit.

The following weekend, there will be girls in action at the Ventnor Community Complex in the Prime Events Shootout and boys at Hammonton in the Olympic-Cape Challenge.

The Shootout (Feb. 14-17) features two of the nation’s top 20 teams meeting – Willingboro vs. Christ the King - in a game designated the Game of the Week in the country by USA Today. Other games include Holy Spirit-Absegami, Christ the King-Trenton, Cardinal-O’Hara-Marlboro, Sacred Heart-Wildwood, Ocean City-Gloucester Catholic and St. John Vianney-St. Peter’s.

In the Olympic-Cape Challenge (Feb. 15-16), St. Augustine plays Winslow Township plus Holy Spirit-Shawnee, EHT-Camden, Atlantic City-Woodrow Wilson and Pleasantville-Timber Creek, among others.

After all of these showcases are over, the Cape-Atlantic League will decide its champions on Mar. 1 in a doubleheader at Richard Stockton College.

But showcases and championships aren’t all basketball fans can enjoy. There are still some teams battling for spots in the NJSIAA tournament this week.

All teams must be at .500 when the clock strikes midnight on Saturday night to be allowed to play in the tournament. And some will scramble for spots.

Among boys teams, Ocean City, Absegami, Buena and Hammonton were alive through Monday night’s action. Buena must defeat St. Joseph, Kingsway and Wildwood Catholic. Hammonton, which hasn’t qualified in 10 years, needs to beat Manchester, Lower Cape May and St. Joseph.

Ocean City and Absegami could be on a collision course. The Raiders need to win twice this week, including Tuesday night’s game at EHT, which was too late for The Gazette’s deadline. OC also plays Mainland on Thursday. A win in either game would send Ocean City into Saturday night’s game at Absegami needing a win. And Gami might need a win Saturday to qualify, too, if it upsets EHT Thursday.

Among girls, EHT, Vineland, Bridgeton, Hammonton, Pleasantville and St. Joseph all entered this week with a chance to qualify.

Even the 11 boys teams and seven girls teams that have already assured themselves of positions face important games this week. They are all trying to add a win or two, hoping to jump up a spot or two in the seedings and gain a home court advantage.

It seems clear that the Cape-Atlantic League will play a key role again in the post-season. And that the rest of February will be very special for area hoop fans.