Camden basketball rolls on, reaches 27th state final in its history with win over Rumson
EGG HARBOR TWP. – The Camden High School boys’ basketball team was thrilled just walking into the gym Wednesday night.
Two years ago, the Panthers drove all the way to Toms River North for the Group 2 state semifinals only to be told in the parking lot the game was off due to COVID, forcing them to turn the bus around.
That squad was supposed to end the program’s lengthy state championship drought, but the pandemic put the “Chase for 12” on hold.
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There seems to be no stopping Camden this year though as it rolled through Rumson-Fair Haven 77-43 at Egg Harbor Township to reach Sundays’ Group 2 final.
“It felt great,” junior Cian Medley said. “We were all happy to finally be here, get to this game, now get to the next game.”
The Panthers, who’ve won 23 straight contests, the last 16 by an average of almost 30 points, square off with Newark Central at Rutgers as they seek their first championship since 2000. The time has yet to be determined.
“Hopefully COVID don’t come back,” head coach Rick Brunson said.
What it means
Camden advances to the 27th state final in program history.
It’s lost its last eight appearances, the last two by two points each in 2016 (85-83 to West Side) and 2017 (51-49 to West Side).
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The Panthers have won 11 championships.
The run
Rumson led Camden 8-4 midway through the first quarter, then the Panthers went on a 23-0 run to go up 27-8 and all but end the game in the second period.
The defense held the Bulldogs scoreless for 9 minutes, 24 seconds.
“That’s our pressure,” Brunson said. “We just try to put pressure on teams, and we try to play as hard as we can play. I’m not going to stop pressing. When teams figure it out, we adjust.”
Camden added a 15-0 run in the third period.
Shining star
Elijah Perkins scored 782 points in three years at Ranney before transferring to Camden, averaging 15 in both his sophomore and junior seasons.
This year, the senior has averaged less than 9, but his value to the team is equally high.
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He’s been arguably the best defender on Camden and he stood out again against Rumson, posting a game-high three steals.
“It’s doing what the team needed,” Perkins said of his new role. “Whatever coach Rick tells me to do, I try to get it done to the best of my abilities. Really just being a coachable kid. Try my best.”
His teammates appreciate the effort he puts in.
“We feel he the best defender in the world to us,” junior DJ Wagner said. “He definitely play a huge role, great defender, and most of all he just plays hard.”
Perkins can still get buckets too though. He netted 10 first half-points and tallied 12 in the game.
By the numbers
0 – Camden defensive fouls through three-plus quarters. The Panthers swarmed the ball yet didn’t draw any whistles.
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5 – Medley 3-pointers against Rumson. He missed his first four of the game but made his last four. He finished 5-of-11 from deep and scored a game-high 20 points.
11 – Scorers for the Panthers. DJ Wagner netted 11 points, Rasheer Fleming added 9 and Dasear Haskins chipped in 8.
They said it
“I really think they’re locked in. The last couple games they’re playing extremely hard.”
– Camden coach Rick Brunson
“It’s going to hurt because I want to play this game now. I want to play Sunday right now.”
– Camden guard Cian Medley on waiting for Sunday to come.
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Camden basketball tops Rumson, makes 27th state final in its history
