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Cape May County teams to play in reincarnated Seagull Classic

A good number of Cape May County teams will take part when South Jersey’s original premier high school basketball showcase event, the Seagull Classic, returns to Holy Spirit High School this weekend after a 28-year hiatus.

Boys teams from Lower Cape May, Middle Township, Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic and girls teams from Middle Township and Ocean City are all set to play in the three-day, 14-game showcase event scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

Two of the local boys teams – Lower Cape May and Wildwood – will play one another on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. That game will be broadcast live on 98.7 The Coast radio, with a live video stream available on the Coast Sports Today Facebook page.

Both of Middle’s teams will play Friday evening. The girls will take on host Holy Spirit at 6 p.m., with the boys renewing their longstanding rivalry with St. Augustine Prep at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday’s action will begin with a pair of games involving county teams. The Ocean City girls will face Lenape at noon, with the Wildwood Catholic boys squaring off with Lenape at 1:30 p.m.

The Seagull Classic was originally the brainchild of Father Ed Lyons and was first played in December 1972 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

With the blessing of its original founder, the reincarnation of the Seagull Classic is hosted by the South Jersey Basketball Summit Organization, a non-profit entity that promotes a healthy relationship among basketball coaches and officials while also raising college scholarship money for high school basketball players across the South Jersey area. The organization awards its scholarships at its annual “CO” (Coaches-Officials) Basketball Summit held at the Tropicana Casino and Resort Atlantic City shortly after the completion of each high school basketball season.

Proceeds from this year’s Seagull Classic will go toward children’s autism research, youth scholarships and other charitable endeavors.

After its inception in 1972, the Seagull Classic quickly became one of the region’s top high school basketball events. It was played at various sites over the years, including Villanova University, the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Camden County College and Holy Spirit High School. The final three previous Seagull Classic events were held at St. Joseph’s University, with the last occurring in 1990.

Click here for more information about the 2018 Seagull Classic.

— Brian Cunniff

2018 SEAGULL CLASSIC SCHEDULE (all games at Holy Spirit High School)

(All contests are boys games unless otherwise noted; all teams are from New Jersey unless otherwise noted)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 5

6 pm – (GIRLS) Holy Spirit vs. Middle Township

7:30 p.m. – St. Augustine Prep vs. Middle Township

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6

Noon – (GIRLS) Mainland vs. Gloucester Catholic

1:30 p.m. – Olympus Prep vs. Scotland Christian Academy (N.C.)

3 p.m. – Howell vs. Sanford (Del.)

4:30 p.m. – Lower Cape May vs. Wildwood

6 p.m. – St. Joseph (Hammonton) vs. Bishop Eustace

7:30 p.m. – Timber Creek vs. Linden

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7

Noon – (GIRLS) Ocean City vs. Lenape

1:30 p.m. – Wildwood Catholic vs. Lenape

3 p.m. – Winslow Township vs. Patrick School

4:30 p.m. – Camden vs. Martin Luther King (Pa.)

6 p.m. – Atlantic City vs. Camden Catholic

7:30 p.m. – Holy Spirit vs. Pleasantville