VIDEO: Robinson goes from role player to star as Middle Township repeats as Cape-Atlantic League champions

Posted: February 22nd 2026

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – The Middle Township High School and Wildwood Catholic Academy girls basketball teams are each known for a trio of standout players.

But it was someone outside those trios who made the biggest impact on Saturday’s Cape-Atlantic League championship game at Egg Harbor Township High School.

Senior forward Mya Robinson, who came into the game averaging a tick over six points per contest, came through with a career-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and two drawn offensive fouls to give her team a major boost as Middle secured its second straight CAL title with a 42-35 victory.

“It’s very incredible to have a game like this as a senior and to be able to contribute to the team,” Robinson said.

Top-seeded Middle led by three points at halftime before outscoring No. 3 Wildwood Catholic 13-8 in the third quarter to begin to pull away. At one point late in the third quarter and into the early stages of the fourth, Robinson scored eight straight points for her team.

“We’ve talked all year about embracing your role and a perfect example of that is what Mya did today,” Middle coach John Leahy said. “She played great defense, she was super active with her help, she was able to find the right spots and she made her layups. She was just outstanding today.”

MYA ROBINSON: career-high 16 points

In addition to the offense from Robinson, Middle got a pair of important three-pointers that helped extend its lead at different points of the second half. A left baseline three-pointer by Abbey Cappelletti capped a 7-0 Middle run in the third quarter, and another three-pointer from the right corner by Reagen Powell off a set inbound play in the fourth quarter gave the Lady Panthers their largest lead of the game at 12 points.

“We watched a lot of film coming into this and the one thing we noticed about our previous games against Wildwood Catholic was that we didn’t turn it over a whole lot,” Leahy said. “So when you take care of the ball, a lot of times it just comes down to making shots. Those were two monster threes for us. Abbey’s got us going in the second half and then Reagen’s was great execution on our side-out play where all five players contributed to that.”

Wildwood Catholic stayed within striking distance behind a pair of long three-pointers by Lily King and a late steal and layup by Damiya Carter in the fourth quarter, but the Crusaders could only get as close as four points with less than 30 seconds to play. Ainsley Frederick made two critical free throws and Cappelletti added another to help Middle stay out of reach.

“They play great defense,” Wildwood Catholic coach Steve DiPatri said. “I felt like we were able to break it down a little better in the second half than we did in the first, but I felt like every time we attempted to claw back in it, they’d make a big play. 

“They’re a really great team. Hopefully, we learn from this and continue to grow as a program and we get a chance to come back and play for this again.”

Wildwood Catholic entered the game having scored at least 55 points in each of its three previous CAL tournament victories, including 58 in its semifinal win over No. 2 Egg Harbor Township. But Middle limited the Crusaders to three field goals or less in three of the game’s four quarters and held every Crusader player below her scoring average.

Robinson was instrumental in those efforts, drawing two offensive fouls in the first half.

“We were collaborative and all together with all our help defense and rebounding and talking,” Robinson said. “I felt like we were all connected and we had each other’s backs.”

Powell added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Cappelletti chipped in six points, four assists and brilliant ballhandling in the final two minutes for Middle.

The victory gave Middle (23-4) its seventh win overall in the CAL title game, which was first held in 1992. No other program has won as many.

“It’s not easy. This is a very hard tournament to win because you’re playing a lot of really good teams,” Leahy said. “Steve does a really good job with his group. They’re one of the best programs in South Jersey, so we knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I thought our preparation was good. Nobody is surprising anyone with anything at this point, so it really comes down to your execution and your defense and your rebounding. I’m super proud of our kids and our program.”

Carter scored 13 points, King recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds and Dani Daley also had 10 points for Wildwood Catholic (19-8).