Nutley HS girls basketball team returns good nucleus this season

Joe Ragozzino Published: December 17, 2024 | Updated: December 11, 2024 2 minutes read

Sophomore center Isabel Riccardi holds the ball.

Isabel Riccardi holds the ball during action against Glen Ridge in the 2022-23 season. (File Photo).

NUTLEY, NJ — The Nutley High School girls basketball team, under second-year head coach Kara McNish, returns a good nucleus this season.

The key returning seniors are guard/forward Grace Christie, center Isabel Riccardi and point guard Cassey Arroyo, who returns to the team after playing as a freshman and sophomore.

Junior guard/forward Makayla Albert and sophomore forward Kaitlyn Nellegar are other returning players.

McNish outlined her goals for the team.

“My goals for the team are to be competitive in league play,” she said. “We are in the Liberty Division of the SEC (Super Essex Conference) and have some tough competition. We want to make a run in the county tournament and make the state tournament.”

McNish is excited about the season.

“This year, we have a much different makeup than last year,” she said.”We were predominantly guards and undersized, and this year, we definitely have a taller team with a lot of post players, so we will have to shift our focus and look to score in different ways. I’m excited about this upcoming season. We have a lot of girls who played AAU in the summer and fall and they have expanded their game and skill set and I can’t wait to see it translate on the court with us.”

The Raiders will tip off the season on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at St. Dominic Academy in Jersey City.

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