VIDEO: Murphy’s shooting, team’s 4Q defense carry WCA into CAL final

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

ATLANTIC CITY – It was Carly Murphy’s turn to be the hero for the Wildwood Catholic Academy girls basketball team.

The junior knocked down four three-pointers and scored a game-high 16 points and the Crusaders used stifling fourth-quarter defense to slip past Absegami, 36-31, in a Cape-Atlantic League playoff tournament semifinal game at Atlantic City High School Thursday.

Wildwood Catholic will face Mainland in the CAL title game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Absegami High School. Mainland beat Atlantic City in the other semifinal, 52-37.

“This means we’ve gotten better every day since the season started,” Wildwood Catholic coach Steve DiPatri said. “The kids have bought into our system and I’m really proud of them for getting to this point.”

Part of Wildwood Catholic’s system this season is a starting unit with five true offensive options, with all five starters averaging at least seven points per game. 

Murphy, a 5-9 junior forward who was averaging 7.5 points per contest entering the game, knocked down 4 of 7 three-point attempts, each coming at critical moments. Her two three-pointers in the third quarter helped quell Absegami runs when it appeared the Braves might take control of the game. And her three-pointer in the fourth quarter gave Wildwood Catholic the lead at 30-28 with 4:42 remaining.

“The beauty of this team is that on any given night someone can beat you,” DiPatri said. “If the other team picks who they want to stop, who they want to cover, we’re lucky that we can go to a different option. Our kids always seem to step up and do what they have to do.”

Dynamite Absegami freshman Reese Downey, who led her team with 13 points, briefly gave the Braves their last lead when she knocked down her third three-pointer with 4:28 remaining. But Absegami would never score again.

Ella McCabe’s three-pointer from the right corner with 3:07 left gave the Crusaders the lead for good at 33-31. Ava Vogdes sank a free throw with 1:09 remaining and McCabe hit two free throws with 51 seconds to go to set the final score. In between, Absegami missed a couple open looks from three-point range, with Vogdes grabbing two of her game-high nine rebounds at critical moments in the final two minutes.

“In the fourth quarter I told them that we really have to want it,” said Wildwood Catholic senior Kimmy Casiello, the team’s lone senior. “We really wanted it on defense. We wanted those steals, we wanted those stops and we locked them down.”

Wildwood Catholic (21-4) shot 7 for 17 from three-point range for the game. The Crusaders have now made 162 three-pointers as a team through 25 games.

Wildwood Catholic will now face a Mainland team that has been among the best teams in South Jersey all season in Saturday’s CAL title game. It’s the Crusaders’ second appearance in a CAL title game, the other coming in 2014 when they lost to Middle Township.

“I am so happy for our group,” Casiello said. “We’ve grinded through every single game since December. We’ve never gotten this far so it’s a great feeling to make it there.”

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live by 98.7 The Coast radio, with a live video stream at CoastSportsToday.com.