VIDEO: King shoots Crusaders to comeback win over Middle

Posted: January 11th 2025

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The Wildwood Catholic Academy girls basketball team lost two games in a row recently. It’s something that rarely happens.

The Crusaders seem to have put that rough patch behind them.

Wildwood Catholic won its third straight game in picking up its most significant victory of the season to date, rallying from a seven-point first-half deficit to beat Middle Township, 42-37, in an important Cape-Atlantic American Conference game Saturday afternoon.

“We’re excited to have secured a big road win today,” Wildwood Catholic coach Steve DiPatri said.

Nearly every player in the game struggled to make an outside shot. The lone exception was Lily King of Wildwood Catholic.

The junior guard knocked down four three-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Crusaders (8-2 overall, 5-0 CAL American). She made two three-pointers in the first half to help Wildwood Catholic stay close when the rest of her teammates struggled to score. Middle held an 18-14 lead at the break.

Wildwood Catholic then limited Middle to just two points in the third quarter to take a one-point lead into the fourth. The Crusaders opened their lead to as high as 11 points in the fourth quarter before settling for the five-point victory. King twice scored while being fouled and also knocked down a three-point shot from the top of the key in the final quarter to help Wildwood Catholic assert control.

“I am impressed by our team’s resilience and the way we continue to grow as a unit,” DiPatri said.

Lola McGonigle added nine points for Wildwood Catholic.

Reagan Powell scored 13 points and Sarah Farrow chipped in 10 points for Middle (8-2 overall, 4-1 CAL American), which did not make a three-point attempt until Abbey Cappelletti sank a pair in the late stages of the game. Overall, the Lady Panthers shot 2 for 30 on three-point tries.