WILDWOOD – One last play separated the Ocean City Red Raider girls from victory after a back-and-forth battle against the Wildwood Warriors was decided on the final shot.
Raider Marley Ostrander and Warrior Rebecca Benichou were both unstoppable throughout and forced the game to come down to who had the ball last.
Despite a heroic three-pointer by Ostrander with time running out to tie the game, Benichou had the final possession and drove it in at the end to give Wildwood the 53-51 win on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Ostrander got the ball back with 30 seconds left in the game down by three points. The junior stayed cool under pressure and fought through a defender before reaching the three-point line. Without hesitation Ostrander pulled up after she got the look she wanted and drained the shot with the chance to force overtime. The extra period never happened though as Ocean City left a little too much time on the clock.
Benichou caught the inbound pass on her side of the court with around 11 ticks remaining in regulation. She did not waste any time and sprinted towards the left side of the basket where she was automatic all game long. As the clock was about to expire Benichou jumped up and around a Raider defender for a layup to avoid overtime and secure the win for Wildwood.
“Our message to the team was who wants it more and who has the most heart,” Wildwood head coach Teresa Cunniff said. “That is exactly how we finished the game with more heart and they played their butts off. They did not give up at any time and played Wildwood basketball.”
Benichou scored 27 points to lead the game but more importantly scored 14 in the fourth quarter when her team needed it the most. She scored from anywhere on the court with two three-pointers and multiple jumpers and layups from the left side of the basket.
“Rebecca is an amazing player who has some fiery tendencies and what I like about her the most is she plays at 100 percent speed all the time,” Cunniff said.
Wildwood needed every ounce of effort from Benichou after the Raiders put themselves in a position to win thanks to a massive run in the second half.
Down by nine points Ocean City rattled off an 18-1 run to flip the game upside down and take an eight-point lead. Each possession for Ocean City turned into points in a showcase of what the Raiders’ firepower can be like when in rhythm. Four different Raiders contributed to the run including Mya Dever, who scored 9 and continued her great freshman season.
Ostrander finished with 24 points and really took over in the second half after starters Kaia Chew and Allie Hudson held on the first half. Chew and Hudson hit big three-pointers to stay within striking range of Wildwood after the Warriors looked to have been pulling away.
Next up for the Raiders is a rematch against the 16-0 Hammonton Blue Devils on Feb. 4. Ocean City nearly broke Hammonton’s undefeated season back on Jan. 16 when Hammonton defeated Ocean City 56-55. The one-point win was the closest Hammonton has gotten to losing a game all season long. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Ocean City.
Ocean City will wrap up the week with a trip to Lower Cape May Regional High School on Feb. 5. Two days later the Raiders will travel to Mainland Regional High School but instead of playing the Mustangs, they will play Shore Regional High School as part of War vs. The Shore. Game time is set for 1:15 p.m.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
