Courtney Wilde
NUTLEY, NJ –
With a relatively young core of players, the Nutley High School girls’ varsity basketball team is struggling so far this season as it competes in the tough Super Essex Conference-American Division. But the future is definitely bright, as the Raiders continue to progress and gain invaluable experience, much to fifth-year head coach Larry Mitschow’s delight.
The Raiders, who had a 4-12 record through Jan. 24, are learning to play without Blair Watson, the since-graduated McDonald’s All-American and the program’s all-time leading scorer who sparked the team to incredible success for the past few years. Watson is now continuing her career at the University of Maryland, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation.
This year’s key players include sophomore center Mackenzie Moraski, sophomore forward/guard Courtney Wilde, sophomore forward Rebecca Granata, freshman point guard Abigail Scheidel, junior Sydney Kunz, and senior Jen Callaghan. Junior forward Giovanna Modica and sophomores Lindsey Norton and Alaina Feaster are other contributing players in the rotation.
The Raiders’ wins came against Newark Academy in the season opener on Dec. 16; Shabazz, 46-42, Jan. 10; Caldwell, 34-31, Jan. 21; and Millburn, 47-42, Jan. 28.
Despite the tough season, the Raiders are putting in strong efforts. “As a young team, in a tough conference, we have been playing extremely hard of late,” said Mitschow. “The team has been in some close games lately with East Orange and Montclair, both top 10 teams in Essex County.”
Wilde has been a spark plug for the team.
“Wilde has been the most consistent player throughout the year so far,” Mitschow said. “She has scored in double figures just about every game for us. Her three-point range has improved and she has been hitting quite a few from long range.”
Mitschow also has praise for Callaghan, the lone senior who has picked up her game lately.
“She has been our defensive stopper for three years,” said Mitschow of Callaghan. “This year, she has been matched up with some of the area’s top guards. She works extremely hard in practice, and it shows in the game.”
Moraski also has stepped into a starting role this season, and has had some great games, Mitschow noted.
Coach Mitschow realizes it’s been a tough first half of the season, but he believes his team will remain focused and continue to work hard and show improvement the rest of the season. “We are excited about the county tournament upcoming, and hopefully we can pull a couple of upsets,” he said.
Watson finished her Raiders’ career with 2,127 points. As a junior in the 2014-15 season, Watson helped the Raiders capture the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 tournament championship as the team finished with a 17-14 record. In the previous year, the Raiders lost to West Morris in the section final. Last season, the Raiders finished with a 19-8 record, but lost in the section tournament quarterfinals to West Morris.
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