By TOM WILLIAMS

A Raider Nation group was part of Ocean City’s boys basketball win over Mainland in Linwood Monday. And they were there – wearing white tee shirts – last night when John Bruno’s team played Cedar Creek.

This is an important time for Raider Nation.

The Ocean City teams have played all season to get home court advantage in the Cape-Atlantic League and NJSIAA Tournaments. And Raider Nation is part of that home court advantage.

There are lots of big challenges coming up.

The boys basketball team plays Williamstown tomorrow afternoon and senior Kori Segich needs 31 points points to become the 15th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. And he will do it despite missing 15 games over the last two years because of injury.

If Segich doesn’t score 31 tomorrow (he has three 30-point games this year) the Raiders will be at home next Wednesday in the first round of the CAL Tournament against either Oakcrest or Holy Spirit. If they win that game they will be at home again on Friday (Feb. 9) against either Absegami or St. Joseph. The boys will also have home games in the NJSIAA Tournament starting Feb. 22.

Trish Henry’s girls basketball team also plays at home in the first round of the CAL Tournament. The Raiders face Oakcrest on Monday. It will be their only home game in the CAL Tournament. If they win Monday they travel to Our Lady of Mercy on Wednesday. But the girls also have a home game with Atlantic Tech on Feb. 12.

Unfortunately, the home wrestling matches are over for the season. Dan Calhoun’s Raiders go to Lacey Township on Monday to face Gateway in the first round of the NJSIAA Team Tournament.

There is a large section of the Dixie Howell Memorial Gymnasium dedicated to Raider Nation with a sign on the wall behind it. Let’s hope they show up in full force for these important boys and girls basketball games this month.

In addition to cheerleaders, they might see performances by the Dance Team and the Flag Team. But, most of all, they can create an atmosphere in the Dixie Howell Gym that gives the Raiders the home court advantage they’ve worked for all season.