Seniors changed culture, fortunes in Cape Tech girls basketball program

Posted: February 25th 2025

Cape May Tech girls basketball coach Dan Loesch with the seven seniors who helped turn the Lady Hawks into a 14-win team this winter: (from left) Emma Drumm, Ella Mkrtchyan, Anna Delaney, Brynn Brophy, Mariah Mitchell, Amanda Daino, Marley Wetzel.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

There have been a lot of accomplishments by the high school girls basketball teams in Cape May County this season.

Middle Township finished the regular season with 23 wins and the Cape-Atlantic League championship, and is a favorite to win the South Jersey Group II title for a third straight season.

Wildwood Catholic was the regular-season champion of the CAL American Conference and a 22-game winner going into the state playoffs.

Wildwood is a victory away from another 20-win season and saw one of its players, Macie McCracken score her 2,000th career point.

And Ocean City pulled off one of the big upsets of the regular-season when it beat Egg Harbor Township.

But good things have also been happening at Cape May Tech, where a solid group of seniors has made its mark.

After winning just six games two seasons ago and 10 last season, the Lady Hawks enter Wednesday’s South Jersey Group I playoff game at Audubon at 14-13 for the first over-.500 regular season in program history. The 14 wins are a program record.

“I think our seniors have done a great job with changing the culture around here,” third-year head coach Dan Loesch said. “They bought into our system. They came to understand that if you come to practice and work hard and focus that good things can happen. They bought into what we were trying to do. To go from six wins to 10 wins to 14, it proves that if you follow the process good things can happen.

“It’s a big accomplishment for these girls. I don’t care what conference you’re in, up at the top, down at the bottom, whether you’re in the CAL or if you’re in the Tri-County Conference, it’s a big accomplishment in any sport to more than double your win total in two years. I give a lot of credit to all the girls.”

Seniors Emma Drumm, Amanda Daino, Anna Delaney and Marley Wetzel have been instrumental to the team’s success. Drumm averages 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, Delaney is at 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds with 60 three-pointers and Daino is at 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. Wetzel was a key contributor as well until she suffered an ankle injury late in the regular season.

“It’s been a very rewarding season,” Daino said. “You have more fun the more you win. Going from sophomore year to senior year, to be able to pile on the wins has been incredible.”

Drumm didn’t play high school basketball as a freshman but has been a key factor in Cape May Tech’s improvement over the past three seasons. She’s posted nine double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Drumm said. “I love it so much. I don’t know what I’d do without this team. We’ve been through so much together.”

The team’s other seniors include Mariah Mitchell, Brynn Brophy and Ella Mkrtchyan. Sophomore Emma Oravits has been a consistent contributor.

Included in Cape May Tech’s renaissance are first-round victories in the Cape-Atlantic League Playoff Tournament in each of the last two seasons.

“Winning that CAL playoff game last year brought us to a new level,” Daino said. “We really started building that chemistry together. We don’t have that in middle school because we’re all coming from different (grammar or middle) schools. Having played together the last couple years has really helped us.”

Cape May Tech hasn’t won a state playoff game since the 2010-11 season. The Lady Hawks will get a chance to end that drought Wednesday at Audubon in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament.

“I personally want to keep going,” Daino said. “We have to put everything out on the floor Wednesday night to try to come out with a win and go to the next level. I think with the team we have now we can do it, as long as we play our game.”

The next loss will end the seniors’ careers. But while they may move on, their legacy will long be remembered around the program.

“It’s sad that it’s ending,” Drumm said, “but it’s also exciting. We’re ready for this game on Wednesday. We’d really like to beat this team and keep going on.”

The loss of seven seniors could put Cape May Tech right back in rebuilding mode for next season. Loesch believes the program is equipped for the challenge.

“Losing seven out of 13 players is a big thing for us,” he said. “I hope we get a good class of freshmen and maybe a transfer or two comes to us. But we’ll continue to do what we do no matter what talent we have. If that means we have to rebuild everything, then so be it. Hopefully after a couple years we can be right back in this same position. These seniors have shown it can be done.”