Must-Watch Games: Wildwood Catholic v Absegami

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The southern part of the Jersey Shore doesn't nearly get enough love and has some great competition amongst the schools and cities in that region. Some of the best performances last season came from the Cape Atlantic League and Tri-County League, among others. Here's a look at what should be a fantastic CAL matchup this season: Wildwood Catholic against Absegami.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Wildwood Catholic: 23-6 record in 2021-22, 12-1 in CAL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wildwood Catholic has consistently been one of the best teams in South Jersey in recent years, and the Crusaders being back a host of talent, beginning with junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='408039' first='Kaci' last='Mikulski']. We saw a breakout season from her as a sophomore, averaging 13.55 PPG while knocking down 64 threes on the year. She's not only going to run the point, but will light it up from beyond the arc without question.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Losing guard Kimmy Casiello will hurt, but incoming freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='564266' first='Lily' last='King'] will be getting a lot of play in the backcourt for WC, an exciting young talent expected to be a playmaker and shot creator early on. The frontcourt is where this team is loaded, with junior center [player_tooltip player_id='488767' first='Ava' last='Vogdes'], a double-double threat, and two small forwards in [player_tooltip player_id='488766' first='Ella' last='McCabe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='481565' first='Carly' last='Murphy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vodges, with another year under her belt, is more mature, more physical and more confident coming into the year. McCabe and Murphy were both stellar three-point shooters last season and capable rebounders, while being forces defensively. Wildwood Catholic wasn't much of a shot-blocking team, but it would be interesting to see what these three can do in the interior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 prospects [player_tooltip player_id='976701' first='Anastasia' last='Bowman'] and Raegan Flickinger, both bench players last season, will have larger roles as sophomores and are darkhorse breakout candidates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Absegami: 16-10 record in 2021-22, 12-4 in CAL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Absegami is an up-and-coming team and one with talent that doesn't quite reflect last season's record. Where else to start but one of the most exciting prospects in the 2025 class, guard [player_tooltip player_id='414395' first='Reese' last='Downey']. With some of the best ball-handling skills in the state, a lethal three-point shot and creativity that rivals just about anyone, she's must-watch basketball whenever she's on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two 2025 prospects will be making considerably more noise this season in Jaidah Garrett and [player_tooltip player_id='436419' first='Julia' last='Hartman']. The latter, Hartman, was an excellent shot-blocker last year and with both Chi Chi Wocka and Gelasia Nurse having graduated, the Braves will need her to step up down on the post. She can do much more than play defense as Hartman is an excellent perimeter shooter and can pass the ball as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Her and Downey have some slack to pick up with Jacqueline Fortis, one of the better passers in South Jersey, having graduated as well. Garrett is more of a defensive-first player, but definitely has some offensive potential that needs to be unlocked. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Absegami gets even more help on the post from junior transfer Kaylynn Blackwell, a 6-1 prospect from Western Reserve Academy with great mobility coming off a surgery and great athleticism. Keep an eye out for freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id='564265' first='Claire' last='Fitzgerald'] as well, someone who will be getting meaningful minutes off the bench.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>The game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With two superstar talents between Mikulski and Downey, plus a number of emerging, young talents, this is destined to be a closely-contested game with eye-popping skills to be showcased.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->