VIDEO: Lady Warriors defense again on point in playoff victory

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

WILDWOOD – The Wildwood High School girls basketball team has played two state playoff games. The Lady Warriors have conceded exactly one combined field goal to its opponents in the first halves of those two games.

Buoyed by an even better defensive effort than in its opening-round playoff victory, Wildwood scored the first 27 points of the game and held Pitman without a field goal until early in the third quarter in a 44-14 victory in the second round of the South Jersey Group I Tournament Wednesday.

The win sends second-seeded Wildwood into the sectional semifinal round, in which it will host No. 3 Palmyra on Friday at 5:30 p.m. That game will air live on 98.7 The Coast radio. Palmyra was a 44-28 winner over Woodstown in its second-round game.

Wildwood (23-5) used pressure defense to create havoc on 10^th-seeded Pitman (12-14). The Panthers attempted only five shots in the first quarter while turning the ball over 11 times in the period.

On offensive end of the floor, Imene Fathi sank seven points and Leah Benichou and Jenna Hans each added four in a 15-0 opening quarter for the home team.

The second quarter was more of the same. Wildwood scored the first 12 points of the period and didn’t allow Pitman to score until Jenna Georgette made a pair of free throws with 1 minute, 8 seconds to play in the half.

Pitman finished the game with only four field goals.

Fathi led Wildwood with 16 points and also had five steals. Hans added 12 points, seven rebounds and six steals and Winter Favre contributed nine points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Wildwood won its first-round game over Gateway, 53-18, after racing out to a 36-3 halftime lead.