VIDEO: SOUTH JERSEY CHAMPS! Freshman’s late three-point bomb delivers title to Lady Warriors

Posted: March 2nd 2024

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

WILDWOOD – The best three-point shooting team in the state was having a very hard time making shots from that distance Saturday afternoon.

But when it really counted, a freshman came through for the Wildwood High School girls basketball team and gave the players, coaches, fans and community something to truly celebrate.

Rebecca Benichou’s three-pointer from the left corner with 2.4 seconds to play finished a rally from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit as the Lady Warriors stunned Woodstown, 54-53, to win their second South Jersey Group I championship in three seasons.

REBECCA BENICHOU

The Lady Warriors (23-7) will next play Wednesday at Deptford High School at 5 p.m. in the state semifinal against Shore Regional or Middlesex. Shore and Middlesex were scheduled to play for the Central Jersey Group I championship Saturday evening.

Angela Wilber gave Wildwood its first lead since early in the third quarter when she sank a free throw in the final minute to make the score 51-50. Woodstown’s Shannon Pierman, who finished with a game-high 24 points, then scored while being fouled with 9.8 seconds to go. She made the free throw to put Woodstown ahead, 53-51.

On the ensuing possession, Wildwood’s Macie McCracken drove toward the left wing and found Benichou, who didn’t hesitate to let her shot fly. The ball swished through the basket with 2.4 seconds remaining. Wildwood fans mobbed the floor when the buzzer sounded, but the officials deemed that Woodstown (21-7) had called a timeout with 2.1 seconds to go. After order was restored, Woodstown’s Megan Donelson got off a running 30-footer at the buzzer that was well short.

Macie McCracken led Wildwood with 13 points but did not make a three-point shot in a game for the first time all season. She played all 32 minutes after coming down with an illness less than 18 hours prior to the game. Her six points in the fourth quarter, all on drives to the basket, were critical as the Lady Warriors rallied. Sophia Wilber added 13 points, including a huge fourth-quarter three-pointer, the only other triple Wildwood made in the second half. Angela Wilber sank 10 points and Kaliah Sumlin chipped in nine before fouling out.

Wildwood finished the game on a 15-5 run.

Wildwood, which went into the game having made a state-best 287 three-pointers on the season for an average of 9.9 per game, struggled mightily from that distance for much of the game, particularly in the second half.

But at the end, all Wildwood needed was to make one. Benichou did just that, delivering the program’s 11th sectional championship.