By BRIAN CUNNIFF
Wildwood High School senior basketball player Maddie McCracken has received a prestigious national honor.
The 5-8 combination guard has been recognized as a McDonald’s All-American nominee. McDonald’s All-American nominees are considered to be among the best high school seniors in the country. More than 800 boys and girls from across the country have been nominated for a chance to play in the 42nd annual McDonald’s All-American Games.
The McDonald’s All-American selection committee will choose 24 boys and girls from the list of nominees to play in the 42nd annual All-American Games, scheduled for Wednesday, March 27, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Selections will be made next Thursday, Jan. 24.
McCracken is averaging 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for the Lady Warriors (9-2) this season. She scored 26 points in Wednesday’s 53-39 victory at Woodstown.
Last season as a junior, McCracken posted averages of 23.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists and led Wildwood to a 20-8 record and a share of the Tri-County Classic Division title. She averaged 16.2 points per game as a sophomore, when Wildwood went 24-5 and won the South Jersey Group I title.
McCracken currently has 1,591 career points.
McCracken is one of seven players from the South Jersey area named a McDonald’s All-American nominee. The others are Gloucester Catholic’s Azana Baines, Trenton Catholic’s Habiba El-Gizawy, Lenape’s Shannon Mulroy, Kingsway’s Morgan Robinson, Cherokee’s Ava Therien and Life Center Academy’s Gabriella Zapata-Smalls.