VIDEO: McCracken’s poise, Benichou’s shooting lead Wildwood past Wildwood Catholic

Posted: December 29th 2024

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

WILDWOOD – When the Wildwood High School girls basketball team faced Wildwood Catholic last season, Lady Warrior guard Rebecca Benichou shot 1 for 13 from the floor in a six-point loss.

Benichou made up for that performance in a big way against the Crusaders Sunday at the Boardwalk Basketball Classic.

The sophomore guard shot 4 for 4 in the first quarter, including 3 for 3 on three-point shots to stake her team to an early lead. The Lady Warriors ended up leading practically from start to finish in a 51-45 victory over their island rival in the GWTIDA Showcase Game.

Benichou ended up making four three-pointers for the game and finished with 18 points to serve as the perfect complement to senior teammate Macie McCracken, who dazzled with a game-high 23 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to pace Wildwood (5-0).

Benichou, who stands just 5-2, also added eight rebounds.

Wildwood helped itself with a terrific defensive effort. The Lady Warriors held Wildwood Catholic to only eight field goals through three quarters before the Crusaders surged in the fourth.

Wildwood led by as many as 11 points on two occasions and held a 49-39 advantage with 1:28 to go. But the Crusaders never went away thanks to a frenetic full-court press and halfcourt trapping defense that forced numerous Wildwood turnovers. But McCracken’s poise under pressure, sharp decisions with the ball and six fourth-quarter points ultimately allowed Wildwood to keep the Crusaders from completely rallying.

Wildwood Catholic twice cut Wildwood’s lead to six points but Angela Wilber’s two free throws with 41 seconds to play extended Wildwood’s lead to eight.

Wildwood shot 6 for 8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Lola McGonigle scored 11 points and Joelle Murphy provided 10 points for Wildwood Catholic (5-1).

Wildwood Catholic was nearly perfect from the foul line in the loss, making 16 of 17 attempts. But the Crusaders, who entered the game with 35 three-point field goals through five games, made just one against Wildwood.

The victory was Wildwood’s first over Wildwood Catholic since 2010. The teams did not play for seven seasons from 2016-17 through 2022-23.