By BRIAN CUNNIFF

Staff Writer

WILDWOOD – Zak Barrett had such a difficult time with Cape May Tech’s perimeter defense that his coaches told him at halftime to stop shooting three-pointers.

But when the game was on the line and Barrett found himself wide open on the left wing, the area’s leading scorer couldn’t resist.

Swish.

Barrett’s three-point shot with 36 seconds to play in the second overtime was the difference as the Wildwood High School boys basketball team downed the Hawks, 67-64, on Friday in one of the best regular-season games between two local schools in recent memory.

The shot capped a stellar night for Barrett, who finished with a game-high 27 points, his scoring output helped by a 14-for-16 effort from the foul line.

The game, which at various points never seemed like it would end, finally came to a conclusion when a three-point shot by Hawk freshman Connor Kennedy went halfway down before popping out as the buzzer sounded.

Wildwood, which won for the 11^th time in 12 games, improved to 14-5 with the win, while Tech, mired in a rebuilding season, fell to 4-16 with the loss.

Barrett’s winning basket came on the first shot attempt of the second overtime. After Wildwood won the tip, the Warriors held the ball on the perimeter as Tech sat back in a 2-3 zone. After more than three minutes, Tech switched to man-to-man defense, only to see Barrett, who was open thanks to a tremendous screen set by Francis Christian, make his only three-point shot in nine attempts.

Tech, which made 10 of its first 13 shots from the field, led by as many as nine points in the first half and took a seven-point lead into the break. But after Wildwood closed to within a point at the close of the third period, neither team led by more than three points through the rest of regulation.

Wildwood nearly won the game at the end of regulation but Christian’s three-point was correctly ruled by the officials to have been released after the buzzer at sounded.

Tech had a four-point lead in the first overtime, but Wildwood got a basket on a length-of-the-floor drive by Wes Hills and two free throws by Barrett in the final 50 seconds to force a second overtime.

Christian recorded 18 points and seven assists for the Warriors, who appear to have locked up the No. 2 seed for the South Jersey Group I Tournament. Wes Hills chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds.

Wildwood shot 15 for 17 from the foul line after halftime.

Jake Heminway shot 8 for 11 from the floor and scored 21 points to lead Cape Tech. Khali Wilson, playing on a bad ankle, added 17 points.