State champion Albertus Magnus rolls past Middletown to reach girls basketball Final Four
Julia Scott knew it was important to get her game, and with it her Albertus Magnus girls basketball team, off to a good start in Friday’s state Class AAA quarterfinal.
True to form, Scott scored eight points in the first quarter and finished with 31 to lead the Section 1 champion Falcons (21-4) to an easy 65-42 victory over Section 9 winner Middletown in the playoff held at Monroe-Woodbury High School.
“We definitely played tough but we played our game, played as a team and played composed,’’ Scott said.
Seizing on her height advantage, the 6-foot-3 junior Scott hit four baskets as Magnus slowly pulled out to a 17-7 lead after one quarter.
“It definitely gave us some confidence, a lot of energy and a good momentum boost in the beginning, so we kept pushing forward,’’ Scott said.
Middletown pulled within 19-11 midway through a slow start to the second quarter before the Falcons went on an 11-0 run, eventually heading into halftime up 30-12.
Middletown hit two quick buckets to start the third but went cold from the field, missing all but one shot the rest of the period as Magnus rolled out to a 47-21 lead.
“I thought we played pretty connected defensively, which is what we were concerned about,’’ said Magnus coach Pat Buckley. “The end was a little bit of a mess but I’m really proud of the girls.’’
Buckley was thrilled with the play of Scott, as well as the rest of his team.
“Clearly, Julia is a great player so we play through her but we have a great supporting cast of girls that can play unselfish, and Julia is super unselfish,’’ Buckley said. “We’re just really excited as a team.’’
Sara Nezaj added 15 points for the Falcons.
Middletown sophomore standout Ashley MacCalla scored 13 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter. Jayden Ferguson added 13 for the Bears.
“We played tough, we played strong,’’ said Middletown coach Kaitlyn Diana. “That was a very talented team that we played.
“We struggled scoring in the first half. In the second half we came out and moved the ball better and played better defense. … We gave it our all for 32 minutes.’’
Magnus was the state Class AA champion in 2024 but now the Falcons move up an enrollment class – still, Magnus has managed another state Final Four appearance next week despite replacing four players from last year’s team.
“It’s anybody’s chance to win,’’ Buckley said of the Final Four. “We like our chances.’’
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Magnus downs Middletown in Class AAA girls basketball regional final
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