Nutley HS girls’ basketball team rallies past Shabazz

NUTLEY, NJ (updated Wednesday Jan. 11, 12:39 p.m.) – Sophomore center Mackenzie Moraski scored 16 points and sophomore wing Courtney Wilde had 10 points to lead the Nutley High School girls’ varsity basketball team to a 46-42 win over Shabazz on Jan. 10 in Newark.

Sophomore forward Rebecca Granata had nine points, freshman point guard Abigail Scheidel had seven points and junior Sydney Kunz and sophomore Lindsey Norton each had two ponits for the Raiders, who improved to a 2-8 record.

NHS outscored Shabazz, 17-8, in the fourth quarter.

Shabazz, a perennial state power, is struggling this season. The loss dropped Shabazz’s record to 0-8.

Last season, the Raiders beat Shabazz in double overtime, 62-56, at NHS, led by since-graduated McDonald’s All-American Blair Watson’s 32 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and seven blocked shots.

The Raiders hope to turn things around this season. They will visit rival Belleville on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m.

“Belleville is a really big game for us on Saturday,” said NHS head coach Larry Mitschow in an email to The Nutley Journal. “They are 6-2 right now, and beating them would give us a lot of power points.”