Albertus Magnus easily dispatched Elmira in the girls Class AAA subregional earlier this week and faces Section 9’s Middletown in tonight’s regional final at Monroe-Woodbury HS at 6:30pm. Here’s a quick look at the Falcons opponent:
Middletown Middie Bears (17-3)
NYSSWA State Ranking: 9
Section 9 Tournament Seed: 4
How they got here: Defeated No. 1 seed Pine Bush 40-32 (first title since 2003)
Players to watch: Ashley MacCalla, So. G, Sydney MacCalla, Sr. F, Jayden Ferguson, So. G
Middletown at a glance : Don’t let the No. 4 seed in Section 9 fool you, Middletown is a quality team who took down multiple state ranked opponents on their way into the state tournament. The Middie Bears are lead by dynamic sophomore Ashley MacCalla, who is ranked by some services as the top 2027 small forward in the state and holds offers from Miami and Indiana. MacCalla, who dropped 23 in the Section 9 final is strong and confident off the dribble, looks to push the tempo and is a tremendous finisher at the rim. Ashley’s sister, senior, Sydney is a force as well, averaging over 15ppg for the Bears. Jayden Ferguson has been the other main scoring option for Middletown, who scored 10 in the final against Pine Bush.
Prediction: This might be the best individual matchup in the girls state tournament between MacCalla and Albertus star, Julia Scott, as both of these girls will likely be playing Power 5 college hoops in the future. MacCalla has the talent to take over any game, but we think Scott’s interior dominance and the dynamic players around her will be too much in the end. Maddy Zuppe is an experience leader who’s been here before, Riley Harold has been a steady 2nd and 3rd scoring option, and freshman Sara Nezaj has emerged as a future star. Tempo will be a big key here, as Middletown needs to push the pace if they want to hang with the defending Class AA state champs.
Albertus Magnus 69, Middletown 57
