Milestone approaches for standout junior as LCM prepares for state playoff game

Posted: February 25th 2025

Junior Ty Bonner of Lower Cape May needs just 21 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

If you passed Ty Bonner on the street, you’d be excused for not realizing that the Lower Cape May Regional High School junior is at the doorstep of a major athletic milestone.

After all, at 5-8 and just 135 pounds, Bonner may not give off the vibe that he’s a big-time scorer in high school basketball.

But what Bonner may lack in size and strength he more than makes up for with quickness, toughness, fearlessness, acumen and a sharpshooter’s eye for the basket.

As the state tournament approaches, Bonner is just 21 points from becoming only the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points prior to his senior season.

Bonner, who is averaging 17 points per game, could be in position to reach the milestone in Thursday’s home playoff game against Barnegat in the South Jersey Group II Tournament. If he scores less than 21 points and the Caper Tigers win, he’ll get the chance to hit the magic number in a second-round game against Camden early next week.

Either way, he’s playing to win the game in front of him Thursday, regardless of how many points he scores.

“For me, I just have to keep playing,” Bonner said. “Nothing’s really changing for me. It’s going to come naturally. I still have another year left to do it if it doesn’t happen (this season).”

Bonner’s been a mainstay for the Caper Tigers over the past couple of seasons. One of the team’s most consistent players, he’s been a member of the varsity team since serving as the sixth man as a freshman. He then shined in a more prominent role last season as a sophomore, scoring 13.1 points per game for a team that finished with 21 wins and a Cape-Atlantic United Conference title.

This season, against a more difficult schedule, Lower is a solid 14-11 heading into the state playoffs. Most of the defeats have been competitive, the Tigers losing seven games by seven points or less. One of those came last Friday when Lower dropped a 55-54 decision to Ocean City in its regular-season finale. Lower had two shots in the final five seconds rim out.

In addition to his scoring, Bonner is also second on the team in rebounds at 5.0 per game and leads the team in assists at 4.0 per game, proving that his is an all-around game not solely focused on scoring.

“He’s had to make a little bit of a transition this year, now being the primary scorer instead of the secondary scorer,” Lower coach Scott Holden said. “But he’s also had a very important transition from off guard to point guard and that’s not the easiest thing to do. For him to do what he’s done is pretty impressive, especially since he’s still learning.”

Bonner, also the goalie for the school's lacrosse team, hails from a family of athletes. His older brother, Macky, was his teammate the past two seasons. Macky, a career 1,000-point scorer in basketball at Lower, is now playing college lacrosse at Ursinus.

“He’s pretty much my role model,” Bonner said of his older brother. “Everything I do is to try to be like him, so it’ll mean a lot to join him (as a 1,000-point scorer).”

Macky’s older sister, Shea, was also an athlete at Lower Cape May, while his father, Bob, was an outstanding athlete who was a standout on the school’s Cape-Atlantic League football championship team in the early 1980s. His uncle, Matt McGaffney, was a 1,000-point scorer at Lower Cape May. And his grandfather, John “Champ” McGaffney, was a former head basketball coach at Lower Cape May and Wildwood Catholic who’s now serving as an assistant coach in the program.

“I like having him around,” Bonner said of his grandfather. “He keeps me under control. I think he helps our team a lot because he obviously knows a lot about basketball.”

Should Bonner score his 1,000th point prior to this season’s end, he’d join 2018 graduate Patrick Holden (2,103 career points), 2006 graduate Charles Johnson (1,666 career points) and 2023 graduate Archie Lawler (1,150 career points) as the only Lower Cape May boys basketball players to reach the milestone as juniors.

“Basketball’s been a big part of my life since I can remember,” Bonner said, “so it’ll mean a lot to me to get it. There’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of extra hours in the gym. So, yeah, it’ll definitely mean a lot to me.”

LOWER CAPE MAY BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS

Player Gr. Year Career Pts.

Patrick Holden Jr. 2018 2103

Charles Johnson 2006 1666

Charlie Wise 1972 1465

Patrick Holden Sr. 1985 1257

John Halbrunner 1980 1227

Archie Lawler 2023 1150

Macky Bonner 2024 1103

Brandon Pascucci 2011 1074

Matt McGaffney 1991 1011

Tom McKeefrey 2010 1003