Crusaders, Warriors renew rivalry at Boardwalk Classic

WILDWOOD – The high school basketball teams from Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic high schools will battle one another in the final game of the first day of the Boardwalk Basketball Classic at the Wildwoods Convention Center.

The teams get together for the annual Andrew Alameno Memorial Boys Island Championship Game at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live by WCZT-FM 98.7.

The game features two teams searching for their first victories. Wildwood Catholic lost to county rivals Middle Township and Cape May Tech to start the season, while Wildwood dropped games to Tri-County Conference Classic Division heavyweights Salem and Pitman.

Wildwood Catholic, which won last year’s game, 55-52, after trailing by 14 points at the start of the fourth quarter, will turn to senior point guard Julian Miller to lead the way. Miller is averaging 23.5 points in his first two games.

Meanwhile, Wildwood is led by senior guard Matt Schiff and senior forward Donny DeLeo, both of whom are averaging in double figures.

Wildwood Catholic has won three straight Alameno Island Championship Games, with Wildwood’s last victory coming in 2004. Overall, the Crusaders hold a six-game winning streak over their cross-town rival.

The game is named in memory of Andrew Alameno, a 1982 graduate of Wildwood Catholic High School and a former member of the Wildwood Crest Bach Patrol who was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

Fans can follow the game live online at www.bbclassic.net, which will feature an up-to-date statistical web cast of the contest.

Both Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic will also play in separate four-team, two-game brackets later during the 2008 Boardwalk Basketball Classic.

— BRIAN CUNNIFF