Nutley HS girls’ basketball team boasts strong returning nucleus

Courtney Wilde leads the Lady Raiders this season. Photo by Steve Ellmore.

NUTLEY, NJ – The Nutley High School girls’ varsity basketball team, under head coach Larry Mitschow, hopes to have a successful season with a strong group of returning players.

The Raiders will open the season at home on Dec. 15 against Orange in a Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division game.

The returning players include:

Courtney Wilde, junior guard
Abby Scheidel, sophomore guard
Rebecca Granata, junior forward
Alaina Feaster, junior center
Lindsey Norton, junior forward
Mackenzie Moraski, junior center.

The key newcomers are:

Sofia Lamond, sophomore forward
Jaden Long, sophomore guard
Nicole Sullivan, junior guard
Lucia Rizzuto, sophomore guard

Wilde and Feaster will serve as the captains.

“They have taken a leadership role throughout tryouts and the preseason,” Mitschow said. “They have been vocal in practice with the younger players in a positive way and we hope for them to be excellent role models for our program. They have been with me for three years now, so they should know what is expected, both on and off the court.”

Wilde made Second Team on the All-Super Essex Conference-American Division last year.

One of the strengths of the team is its chemistry and balanced scoring.

“I noticed during the past two weeks how well the team is getting along with one another,” said Mitschow, whose team finished 7-19 last year, losing to second-seeded Warren Hills in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 state tournament. “I think this has translated into us moving the ball on offense, and getting scoring opportunities for everyone. I think we have a very unselfish team this year.”

The Raiders’ main goal is to win the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division title.

“After playing the past five years in the top division (American Division) in the county, I think this division suits us well,” said Mitschow, noting that the NHS girls’ program has won the division only once in the past 15 years or so. Winning the division would be a great achievement, the coach said.

In addition, Nutley hopes to achieve a high seed in the state tournament and host a postseason game.

“The past five years it seems we are always playing on the road, which makes it even tougher,” Mitschow said.

Last season the Raiders went through a rebuilding year after losing McDonald’s All-American and Nutley’s all-time leader scorer, Blair Watson, to graduation in 2016. In Watson’s junior year, the Raiders won the North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 state tournament title for the first time since 1977.

“ I expect us to be a lot better than we were last year,” Mitschow said. “Last season was kind of a rebuilding year for us. After losing Blair Watson to graduation, we have the nucleus of our team back from last year and with that, comes experience. I also think the level of play will be a lot easier than we have seen in the past. Although the competition won’t be as strong, we still have to play at a high level if we want to succeed.”

For the Raiders, getting contributions from the bench and executing the their game plan will go along way toward achieving their season goals.

“We do a lot of scouting throughout the season, and knowing your opponent only goes so far,” Mitschow said. “We need the girls to finish around the basket and shoot a higher percentage on jump shots and free throws. I think if these things happen, there is a good chance we will be league champs in 2018.”

NOTE- Watson is currently a sophomore on the University of Maryland women’s basketball team. The 6-foot forward had a team-high 24 points in the 114-45 romp of Loyola, Md. on Monday, Dec. 11. The Lady Terps, who improved to 9-2, are ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press top 25 national poll….

In addition to Orange, the other teams in the SEC-Liberty are Montclair Kimberley Academy, Columbia, Newark Academy, Arts, Shabazz, and Newark Collegiate.

Schedule

Dec. 15, Orange, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19, at Arts, 4 p.m.

Dec. 21, Shabazz, 4 p.m.

Dec. 27 and 29-30, at Westwood Christmas tournament, opponents and times, TBA

Jan. 3, West Orange, 4 p.m.

Jan. 5, Columbia, 7 p.m.

Jan. 9, at Newark Collegiate Academy, 6 p.m.

Jan. 11, at Montclair Kimberley Academy, 4 p.m.

Jan. 13, at Clifton, 11:30 a.m.

Jan. 16, at Newark Academy, 4 p.m.

Jan. 18, at Orange, 5:30 p.m.