VIDEO: Bonner dominates late as LCM edges Wildwood in OT in Not For Long Media Game of the Week

Posted: January 15th 2024

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

ERMA – The scoreboard says that Lower Cape May Regional High School’s boys basketball team beat Wildwood in overtime Sunday afternoon.

Generally speaking, however, is that anyone in attendance – player, coach, fan, parent – walked away as a winner.

That’s how good the game was.

Macky Bonner scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as Lower Cape May edged Wildwood, 65-60, before a near-sellout crowd in an extremely entertaining front end of a boy-girl doubleheader between the schools.

The contest was exactly what high school sports should be about – two teams from neighborhood schools going at each other to the finish. No mercenaries on the floor in this game. 

The flow of the game went back and forth throughout, with numerous lead changes. Neither team led by more than six points at any stage in regulation.

Wildwood rallied from a 41-35 hole late in the third quarter to take a four-point lead and had the ball with 2 ½ minutes left in the fourth quarter. But some costly turnovers and the will of Bonner led to the Warriors squandering the advantage.

In fact, Bonner had a chance to give Lower the lead late in regulation when he was fouled after an offensive rebound with seven seconds remaining and his team trailing by a point. But the senior guard missed the second free throw and Wildwood nearly won it at the buzzer, only to see Ryan Troiano’s running jump shot from just beyond the foul line area bounce off the rim.

Bonner took over the overtime session, making sure Lower Cape May never trailed again. He scored eight points in the extra period, on two field goals and four free throws in as many attempts.

“I was very upset that I missed that foul shot (near the end of the fourth quarter) because I should have made it,” Bonner said. “I’ve worked hard so that when I’m in that situation I make those. But I knew when we went to overtime I had to keep my head up and keep playing because I knew my team needed me.”

Lower, which led by as many as seven points in overtime, shot 9 for 12 from the line as a team in the extra period.

Ty Bonner, Macky’s younger brother, added 20 points for Lower (11-2), scoring 12 of them in the third quarter. He posted 10 straight points for Lower over about a three-minute stretch in the period.

Auri Wright chipped in eight points for Lower (11-2), which has won six straight games.

The victory was Lower’s second over its local rival this season. The Tigers beat Wildwood, 57-52, at the Boardwalk Basketball Classic in late December.

“This was a really big win for us,” Macky Bonner said. “We beat Wildwood earlier so we knew they’d come in here with nothing to lose and really come after us. We knew it would be back and forth and we knew what to expect. Luckily, we came out with the win.”

Brian Cunniff scored 13 of his 19 points after halftime to lead Wildwood (8-5). Junior Hans netted 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Jordan Fusik added 12 points on four three-pointers.

“I’m very happy with our effort and we had a chance at the end. But up four with the ball with 2 ½ minutes left, we have to be able to close that out,” Wildwood coach Scott McCracken said. “We have to figure out how to beat a good team on the road. You have to do that if you want to win in the state playoffs.”