VIDEO: Crusaders extend Boardwalk Classic dominance with win in Farnan memorial game

Posted: December 31st 2023

Wildwood Catholic's Lola McGonigle looks to drive on a Bishop Eustace player as teammate Anastasia Bowman sets a screen.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

WILDWOOD – If the Wildwood Catholic High School girls basketball team were to suddenly lobby to play all of its games at the Wildwoods Convention Center, you could easily understand why. 

The Crusaders extended their winning streak in the facility, which hosts the annual Boardwalk Basketball Classic, to 13 games after Saturday’s 60-32 victory over Bishop Eustace in the Genny Farnan Memorial Showcase Game.

Wildwood Catholic has not lost a game in the tournament since a 50-25 defeat to Central Bucks East (Pa.) in a bracket title game in 2017.

Wildwood Catholic controlled the contest against Eustace from the start, building a 16-9 lead after the first quarter before pulling away for good behind an 18-6 second-quarter run.

Wildwood Catholic, which knocked down 10 three-pointers as a team, had three players reach double figures. Lola McGonigle and Kaci Mikulski each produced 14 points and Lily King added 13 points. Ava Vogdes also chipped in eight points, including a layup at the buzzer of the Crusaders’ dominant second quarter.

The annual contest at the Boardwalk Classic memorializes Farnan, a standout player at Wildwood Catholic who scored 1,025 career points before graduating in 2005. She went on to graduate from Rowan University and was working in the education field when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Farnan passed away at age 29 in March 2016.

A non-profit named in her memory, NextGen30, provides financial assistance for graduating high school seniors who are attending college and promotes various acts of kindness across the Cape May County community.

Wildwood Catholic improved to 6-0 with Saturday’s win. The Crusaders face a pair of Cape-Atlantic American Conference tests in the upcoming week when they host Absegami Wednesday and Middle Township Friday.