Middle enjoys a doubleheader sweep and a numbers retirement ceremony

Posted: February 6th 2025

Bridget Ruskey (to right of banner) was honored by Middle Township High School Wednesday by having her jersey numbers for lacrosse, basketball and soccer officially retired. Pictured with her are (from left): her brother, Jake; her father, John; her mother, Beth; her soccer coach at Middle, Bob Wishart; and her basketball coach at Middle, John Leahy.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The Middle Township High School athletic program enjoyed a special evening on Wednesday.

The Panther basketball teams swept Mainland in a girl-boy doubleheader and, in between the two games, former star athlete Bridget Ruskey became the eighth Middle Township High School graduate to have her number retired.

Actually, in Ruskey’s case it was numbers, as the school retired her respective jersey numbers from soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

In the girls game, Middle held a three-point lead at the half before establishing control of the contest with a 15-6 run in the third quarter on its way to a 44-35 victory over Mainland. 

Reagan Powell scored 17 points and Abbey Cappelletti netted 13 points for Middle (17-4).

In the boys game, Jamir McNeil dominated throughout to the tune of 26 points and seven steals as the Panthers posted a comfortable 70-52 victory over the Mustangs. 

Mason Murawski added 12 points, Adam Bouabbache chipped in 11 points and Chase Moore mixed a gem by posting nine points, six rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.

Middle, the Cape-Atlantic American Conference regular-season champion, improved to 15-6 with the win. 

Ruskey’s retirement ceremony brought out many of her family, former teammates, former coaches and friends. She was presented with the banner that will hang in the gymnasium indicating her retired numbers of 21 (lacrosse), 12 (soccer) and 5 (basketball).

Ruskey, a 2017 graduate, is the state’s all-time leader in goals scored in lacrosse with 485. She also scored 41 goals in soccer and registered 1,081 points in basketball. Ruskey was an 11-time Cape-Atlantic League all-star selection across her three sports and was the Press of Atlantic City’s Female Athlete of the Year as a junior and senior.

She went on to an excellent four-year college lacrosse career at Division I LaSalle, where she scored 121 career goals.

Ruskey currently lives and works in New York City.