Lots of basketbal action involving local teams Thursday night. Here's a summary of the results:
GIRLS
Middle Township 32, Lower Cape May 31 (OT): Megan Russ made a pair of free throws with no time remaining after being fouled while following up a teammate's missed shot to allow Middle (6-1) to avoid the upset loss at rival Lower Cape May. Lower, which trailed 10-2 to start the game but then held Middle to eight second-half points in forcing overtime, had taen the lead on free throws by Elisa Miller with 30 seconds to play. Jessie Mooers had 11 points for Middle, while Lindsay Bryan canned 10 points for Lower (2-4).
Wildwood 48, Clayton 43: Trailing by 10 at the half, Wildwood used a 12-3 third-quarter run to draw to within a point before gaining the lead for good in the second half. Marissa Brannau posted her second straight 20-point game, leading all scorers with 22 points, while Loretta Kelly added 17 points for the Lady Warriors (3-4).
OLMA 49, Wildwood Catholic 42: OLMA outcored the Crusaders 29-17 over the middle two quarters to take the lead for good. Maggie Senatore's 11 points led Wildwood Catholic (4-3).
St. Joseph 57, Cape May Tech 33.
BOYS
Middle Township 58, Lower Cape May 31: Lower Cape May held a four-point lead at the break, but Middle (5-2) exploded in the second half, outscoring the Caper Tigers by an incredible 42-11 in the second half to roll to the easy decision. Taz Harris scored 18 points and Ryan McCusker added 10 for Middle. Brandon Pascucci's 13 points topped Lower Cape May (3-3).
Cape May Tech 48, St. Joseph 46: Aaron Freeman poured in 22 points and Lou Sotomayor added 13 for the Hawks, who overcame a six-point deficit at the start of the final period to get the win. Tech improved to 5-2.
Wildwood 52, Clayton 42: Wildwood trailed by a point at the half but outscored the Clippers 37-25 after the break, including 23-13 in the third quarter, to claim the victory. Matt Schiff (19), Rick Palmer (17) and Kevin Fetsick (11) each scored in double figures for the Warriors (5-2), who won their fifth straight game after starting the season 0-2. Also of note, we've heard rumors that there was some kind of altercation among members of the two teams following the game. We'll see if we can track down more details.