It was never close.
The Wildwood Catholic boys’ basketball team boldly stepped into the Richard Stockton College gym on Saturday and simply destroyed athletic, defending league champion Atlantic City, 61-33, for the Cape-Atlantic Championship.
That score does not reveal the content of the contest.
Coming in at 21-4, the Crusaders boasted enough size, girth and experience necessary to run and bang around the basket with the Vikings, who entered the game at 18-6 on the year.
No one could have predicted what happened once the jump ball was tossed into the air. A 15-2 opening quarter statement set the tone for the victorious team in blue with white trim.
Senior Eddie McWade was outstanding throughout the contest with strong left-handed moves to the basket and ferocious rebounding in tall traffic. He connected for six points and six rebounds in a first half that saw the Crusaders head to the locker room with a 26-10 margin before finishing with 15 points and 11 tough rebounds.
“We were looking forward to this since the first week of the season,” said McWade. “Everyone talked about their defense but we have some guys who can play defense too. We put it all together today for four quarters. We worked hard in practice to prepare for this and it paid off.”
Equally impressive was sensational senior Jordan Robertson, who opened with nine points in the first half before finishing with 25 points for the afternoon including three thunderous dunks.
Having lost the previous two seasons to Atlantic City in the title game, the Middle Township boys can attest to the importance of handling the basketball in the backcourt against the outstanding Viking pressure defense.
Crusader guards George Cook and Kevin McWade were masterful in taking the proper angles and making the right passes to foil Atlantic City’s aggressive defenders. Cook, a senior, and McWade, a junior and Eddie’s younger brother, were poised throughout and their play allowed the older McWade and Robertson to do their damage in the paint.
Cook finished with five assists and six points and Kevin McWade garnered five rebounds.
Coming in at 21-4, Wildwood Catholic earned a ticket to the title tilt with an impressive 68-64 decision over top seed Holy Spirit in the semi-final. This was their first appearance in a CAL Championship game since the tournament format was developed in 1992.
They sure made the most of it.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” said Crusader Athletic Director Sal Zuccarello. “It means so much for our school and our program for a school that almost closed a few years ago. It’s brought so much spirit to the community to have Wildwood Catholic girls and boys here for a championship doubleheader.”
Cape May – Why don’t some of our well established builders even answer their phones, answer texts or emails. Who would ever recommend them to a friend.
