MacArthur seeks playoff run

MacArthur’s up-tempo offense is taking flight with the Lady Generals positioned for a playoff run.

The Lady Generals entered the week at 9-4 overall and 5-2 in Conference AA-III near the top of the girls’ basketball standings. Second-year head coach Dave Radtke, who said the fast-paced style of play with constant substitutions has led to multiple contributors with all 12 players on the roster scoring in three games.

“I have a great group of athletes who buy into the system,” said Radtke, who prior to arriving at MacArthur was head coach at Calhoun for five years. “The fresh legs in the second half help a lot.”

The Lady Generals have been led offensively by junior guard Angeline Klein, who is averaging 15 points per game despite not being in the starting lineup. Klein’s scoring spark comes after she endured personal tragedy with her mother dying in August following a 15-year battle with breast cancer. The Lady Generals have rallied around her and hosted the Kim Klein Memorial Girls Basketball Tournament in December.

“She is team-first,” said Radtke of Klein, who scored 26 points in a 62-38 win over East Meadow on Dec. 11. “She is our go-to player.”

Klein is among many scoring threats opponents need to eye when facing MacArthur. The Lady Generals have six players averaging at least eight points a game including Shannon Myles, Caitlyn Buckley, Brianna Impastato, Angela Cozza, Mackenzie Tierney and Klein.

“It’s been a real team effort,” Radtke said. “We’re working hard and playing well.”

Radtke said the deep bench has allowed for aggressive defensive pressure. Buckley and Tierney have embraced the role as lock-down defenders and the Lady Generals have held opponents to under 40 points in eight games.  

“We come to play defense every night,” Radtke said. “We constantly press and pressure.”  

A 55-29 win at Long Beach last Saturday snapped a two-game losing streak that saw the Generals drop close contests to Mepham, 37-32, and Calhoun, 55-46. MacArthur entered the week tied for second place in Conference AA-III and has a critical league game at third-place Great Neck South on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

The Lady Generals can assure themselves of a postseason spot by finishing .500 or better in conference play and Radtke is hoping a solid seed for can be attained for playoffs that get underway in mid-February. Last year MacArthur reached the Conference AA outer-bracket game and fell to Hicksville, who advanced to face fifth-seeded Freeport. Radtke has been pleased with MacArthur’s defensive intensity, but said to advance far will need to be more clutch when shots are open.

“It’s our consistency with our shooting that will get us over the top,” he said. “If we can get some consistency in our shooting, we will be dangerous.”