WILDWOOD — After picking up a much-needed win the day prior, the Caper Tiger girls ran into Wildwood High School and one of the best basketball players around.
Lower Cape May Regional High School (4-12) played a tight first quarter with the Wildwood Warriors (11-2) but were eventually overwhelmed and lost 73-35 on Saturday, Jan. 25. Senior Macie McCracken scored 31 points for the Warriors, including 12 of the team’s 14 points in the first quarter.
The Caper Tigers fought hard in the opening stanza after the blitz of points by McCracken and brought the game to 14-12 thanks to Savannah Wareham. The sophomore leads the team in three-pointers this season and scored six unanswered for Lower, including a trey to get the team settled into the game.
McCracken and the Warriors changed their game plan after the first quarter and got after the Caper Tigers on defense. Lower had trouble maintaining possession in the half court with steals and double-teams by Wildwood. McCracken had another nine points in the second period as the halftime lead grew to 32-18 in only eight minutes of play.
McCracken has had a historic career at Wildwood and recently eclipsed 2,000 points and 300 three-pointers. She can score from anywhere on the court and is averaging 25 points per game this season. Against Lower she made five three-point shots and made eight of nine of her free throws.
The Caper Tigers never managed to get back to their first-quarter form and were unable to stop McCracken and the Warriors in the second half.
With the loss, the Caper Tigers dropped to 4-12 amid a tough year. Senior Alex Vogt leads the team in points scored (143), followed by sophomore Brooke Robinson, who has scored 123 points. The duo of Robinson and Wareham have stood out in their sophomore seasons as strong players the Caper Tigers will have for a few years.
Lower snapped a five-game losing streak the day prior against Collingswood High School behind a dominant first half. Junior Meredith Lutjen led all scorers with 14 points as the Caper Tigers picked up a 42-25 win Jan. 24.
Lutjen had her best game of the season along with a great defensive effort by the Caper Tigers that held Collingswood to just three points in the first quarter. Lower took full advantage of the opportunity to net 16 points for a commanding lead. The Caper Tigers stayed aggressive the remainder of the game and built on the lead behind 12 points by Vogt.
The end of the regular season is quickly approaching for the Caper Tigers and only a handful of games are left. Lower will host Vineland High School on Wednesday, Jan. 29, in a matchup between two Cape-Atlantic League teams right before the conference tournament gets under way in early February. Game time is 6 p.m.
The Caper Tigers’ next game will be part of the annual War vs. the Shore event held at Mainland Regional High School. Lower will take on Manchester Township, the team that ended the Caper Tigers’ season last year in playoffs. The two teams will meet at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 1.
Lower’s potential final home game of the season will be against Millville High School at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5.
By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Star and Wave
