The Warren Hills girls Basketball Team had one of their best seasons to date, led by power forward Nicole Mallard.

Senior Mallard also had her best year, scoring a team-high 387 points and averaging 13.8 points per game.

“We went in every game this season with a winning mindset, which helped us start the season 16-0,” she said. “The relationships we all formed with each other, whether it was a senior or a freshman, or a sophomore and a junior, we all were the best of friends. These relationships helped get things done on the court.”

Mallard will continue her athletic and academic career at Rowan University this upcoming Fall. She had been courted by 39 other schools, including Moravian and Lycoming.

“Rowan was one of the first [to contact me] about two  years ago, and ever since then, Rowan University has been in the back of my head. I’ve watched multiple games, whether it was online or I watched it in person, and they have a very similar playing style that we do here at Warren Hills, and I would fit in nicely.”

On the court, Mallard said she looks up to star UConn Guard Katie Lou Samuelson.

“When she plays, you can just tell she loves what she does and loves her teammates. I also admire her because she has persevered and worked so hard to get where she is now,” she said. “It’s amazing to think about how she balances her college life, academics, and basketball all at the same time. Sometimes I have trouble as a senior in high school, but at that high of caliber, it’s amazing to think about.”

As a freshman, Mallard said her confidence was a little shot playing with girls bigger and older on varsity.

“I knew what I was capable of, but was always a little timid to show it on the court,” she said. “I had to get a feel for their style of play and learn how I could help contribute.”

Mallard scored 97 points freshman year and followed that up with three consecutive years with no fewer than 319 points. She said she hopes to set a good example to the younger basketball players that watch her on the court.

  “I realized I wasn’t a freshman anymore, that I needed to act as a leader for my team so we could achieve our goals to have a successful season,” she said.  “Not only for my team, but for the youth of the basketball program that would show up at our games.”

Mallard also said none of it would have been possible without Coach Meghan McGeehan.

“McGeehan knows how to have a good time, but also knows when it is time to get work done,” she said.  “What I like best about her is that she always had confidence in us. I remember her telling us to correct the things we were doing wrong, and that ‘we got this.’”