VIDEO: Lady Warriors battle early but eventually fade against mighty New Providence in state semifinal

Posted: March 12th 2026

Teammates Addison Troiano and Angela Wilber share a hug as their teammates and coaches salute the fans following the Wildwood High School girls basketball team's loss in the state Group I semifinal game.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

MONROE TOWNSHIP – The Wildwood High School girls basketball team trailed mighty New Providence by five points early in the second quarter in the state Group I semifinal Wednesday evening.

Wildwood’s Angela Wilber then sank a three-pointer and Rebecca Benichou banked in a layup to tie the score at 14-14 with 6 minutes, 30 minutes to play in the half.

In the bleachers, Warrior Nation began to stir. The large student section got even louder than it had been, anticipating that their team could battle one of the top-ranked public schools in the state all the way to the finish.

Unnerved by Wildwood’s mini run, however, New Providence exploded to put the game out of reach.

The Pioneers, ranked ninth in the state, scored the final 16 points of the half to take a 30-14 lead at the break. They extended the run to an incredible 27-0 by scoring the first nine points of the third quarter and went on to record a 54-33 victory. New Providence will attempt to win its third state championship in four seasons when it faces Arts on Sunday at Rutgers University.

Wildwood, which won the South Jersey title for the third time in five seasons, finished at 23-8. The team won 19 of its final 23 games after going 4-4 through its first eight games.

“We definitely had an amazing season and I’m really proud of our team,” said Wilber, Wildwood’s lone senior starter. “I think everyone on the team got better as the season went on. I’m proud of all the girls. I think everyone really grew as players.”

Wildwood showed fight at the start of the second half despite not scoring for the first six minutes of the third quarter. The Lady Warriors got good looks around the basket on each of their first four possessions of the period, only to have each of those shots rim out.

Wildwood shot just 11 for 35 from the floor for the game (31.4 percent). No Lady Warrior player scored in double figures as junior forward Joelle Murphy led the team with eight points.

“We definitely took a lot of good shots,” Wilber said. “We missed a lot of layups that might have gone in on another night and we missed a lot of three-pointers that might have gone in on another night. I don’t know if I’d say we were unlucky, but our shots just weren’t falling.”

New Providence (29-1) had no such issues. Dynamic guard Annie Conover led the Pioneers with a game-high 22 points, shooting 11 for 20 from the floor. Teammate Addy Fitzgerald shot 4 for 5 from three-point range and 7 for 10 from the floor overall and added 18 points.

The Pioneers made 24 of 43 shot attempts from the floor (55.8 percent).

One by one, Wildwood’s starters and rotation players were removed from the game for good in the fourth quarter. All fought tears as they exited the court for the final time of the season. And in the case of Wilber and seniors Kiana D’Antuono and Cydnee Kilian, the final time of their careers.

After shaking hands with New Providence following the final buzzer, Wildwood’s players and coaches walked across the floor to salute their large contingent of fans who drove two hours to Monroe Township High School to watch their team play. Wildwood’s fans outnumbered New Providence’s by at least three to one. The players and coaches basked in one final moment together on the court as the fans gave them a standing ovation for their efforts.

Wildwood gets as much support from its community than any girls basketball team in the state.

“We felt like it was something we had to do because they’ve been supporting us throughout the season,” Wilber said. “It was a two-hour drive here but that didn’t stop them. The kids that came on the fan bus dressed in neon for the theme. All of our parents, grandparents, cousins, sisters, brothers – so many people were here. Everyone showed up for us just like they have been since the first game. We thought we had to thank them for that.”

With four starters and some key substitutes set to return, Wildwood has a chance to be one of South Jersey’s best small-school programs again next season.

“Getting here was great but I think this is a hurdle we need to get over,” said Benichou, a junior guard. “All the starters except Angie are going to be back and we’re all going to know what it’s like to get this far. We’ll have more experience and we’ll have a better idea of what things are going to be like.”