MacArthur on conference title quest

A season-opening win against crosstown rival Division set the tone for a strong start to the 2023-24 season for the MacArthur girls’ basketball team while also positioning the Generals for a conference title.
The Generals’ 46-43 victory on Dec,. 1 in the battle of the Levittown School District’s two public high schools could prove crucial down the road since non-conference wins factor into tiebreakers when teams are tied atop the league standings. MacArthur is seeking its third straight conference title this winter. 
“The win against Division is going to be huge because us, East Meadow and Mepham are going to fight it out for the top spot in the league,” said 10th year MacArthur head coach Dave Radtke. “I wanted to play tough teams in our non-league to give us a good report card when it comes to the playoffs.” 
Crafting a challenging non-league schedule paid dividends for the start of conference play with MacArthur winning its first four games in Nassau AA-I. The strong start included a 72-62 win against conference newcomer East Meadow on Dec. 18 in which sophomore center/power forward Meaghan Campbell tallied 24 points. 
Campbell has stepped up as MacAthur’s leading scorer early in the season with two triple- doubles so far. 

“She is putting up great numbers,” said Radtke of Campbell, who earned All-Conference honors as a freshman last season, 
Senior point guard Sara Kealey has also been a big spark plug for the Generals early on this season and as a team leader. Kealey, who earned All-County accolades as a junior, registered 10 points in the Division win and 13 in a 77-35 blowout victory against Valley Stream Central on Dec. 21.
The Generals defense has performed strong early in the season holding opponents to 50 points or under in eight out of 10 games despite playing a fast-paced style. Radtke attributed the team’s stout defensive play to having a roster of many multi-sport athletes who have solid instincts when pressuring the ball. 
“We play a lot of zone and what is great about that is we have a lot of soccer players who understand spacing,” Radtke said. “They anticipate very well on defense.”
MacArthur began the new year with a 50-45 non-league loss to Conference A tile to contender Seaford at the Nassau Coliseum Jan. 4 in which Kealey tallied 21 points. The Generals responded in commanding fashion two days later with a 50-16 win at Jericho paced by 14 points from sophomore Gabby Nicolini. 
MacArthur is next in action on Friday night at home for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Mepham, who is 4-1 in AA-II and expected to be in the mix for the conference crown. The Generals will then travel to Long Beach on Tuesday at 5 p.m. before returning home to face Great Neck South on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. a rematch with East Meadow on the road that could go a long way toward determining the conference championship is on tap for Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.