The Newburgh Free Academy boys’ basketball team took the court on Saturday with seven players.

Missing several key players, they were never able to keep up with the Middletown Middies and dropped their Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I opener, 77-55, at Middletown High School.

“Middletown executed,” first-year Newburgh coach Jason McAllister said. “We can’t use our lack of people as an excuse. You have to give credit to them. They rebounded well. They played good. They hit open shots. They got up early on us and we dug ourselves a hole, and we fought tooth and nail to come back. It was just a little too much at the end.”

The Middies had three players reach double figures, as Ziyade Ndancky scored a team-high 19 points. Right behind him was Chris Cruz, who scored 18 points and Jairus Cody added 15.

Ndancky did most of his damage in the first quarter when the Middies took a 24-10 lead. They were ahead 6-0 before a basket by Naeshawn Moody finally put the Goldbacks on the board.

The Goldbacks had their best quarter in the second, as they outscored the Middies 21-16 in the second quarter to close the halftime gap to 40-31.

After a slow first quarter, Elnathan Johnson hit 3 three-pointers in the second quarter. Overall, he hit eight 3-point baskets on his way to a game-high 27 points.

“Elnathan Johnson is a very interesting person because he really dedicated his life to basketball the last couple of years,” McAllister said. “He’s always in the gym early. He’s always the last to leave. Last year, he didn’t really play as much as he wanted to, so he really was a gym rat this offseason. It’s showing.”
Aidan Brown also scored 11 points for the Goldbacks.

It’s been an interesting month for the defending Section 9 Class AA champions. They lost their top player to graduation, but they haven’t been able to really work together as a team yet, due to the football team’s run to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship game.

That kept key players like Deondre Johnson, Darryl Jackson and several others out of the lineup because they didn’t have enough practices to play. However, most of the team is expected to be eligible to play in games starting with Tuesday’s contest with the Valley Central Vikings.

“I don’ think a lot of people can relate to what we’ve been through,” McAllister said. “We have had practices with five guys, or six guys and seven guys due to the football season, or injuries. We get everybody back starting on Monday. So, we’re going to look just a little different with our returners and some new guys coming back.”

That’s just in time, too, as the Goldbacks were scheduled to host a resurgent Valley Central Vikings team that is off to a 3-1 start with wins over Port Jervis, Minisink Valley and Washingtonville, as they welcome back their best player, Raysean Johnson, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.

The Goldbacks dropped their only other game this season, 59-47, to the Wizards on December 8.

“We have a good dynamic where we’re staying positive because there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” McAllister said. “We’re going to be fun. Every team goes through rough patches, but our rough patch is just a little different from other peoples’ rough patch right now.”