Sussex Tech senior cooks up 'copy-and-paste' basketball milestone
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Mackenzie Reilly sometimes feels like "a copy-and-paste" of Riley Feichtl. They're both 5-foot-11 blondes with similar names who went through Sussex Tech's culinary arts program. And now they both have 1,000 career rebounds.
Reilly reached the milestone on the offensive glass late in the Mustangs' 51-36 home loss to St. Dominic of Jersey City on Feb. 5. The game was briefly halted with 4:43 left, as Reilly was embraced by teammates and serenaded by fans and the Sussex Tech cheerleaders chanting her name. They posed for photos on the baseline with posters, and gold balloons spelling out "1,000."
Feichtl graduated in 2022 with 865 points and 1,224 boards.
"I'm crazy determined, and it's finally here," said Reilly, a senior in Sussex Tech's bakeshop. "I've been trying to count down the games, and get a certain amount in every game. I feel very relieved. I've been stressed out about getting to this number since freshman year. I'm also really excited, because my hard work paid off."
Reilly knew all about Feichtl, and even watched her play for Sussex Tech.
Reilly specifically recalled the Mustangs' two-point comeback win at Vernon on National Girls and Women in Sports Day in 2022 when Feichtl had four points and 12 boards. Reilly also remembered the older girl helping out with post moves at her own practice at Sussex County Charter School for Technology, less than two miles down North Church Road in Sparta.
"She hit 1,000 rebounds, and it was posted everywhere," said Reilly, a Stillwater resident. "I was like, 'That is something 100% I could do.' This is totally attainable if I improve every year."
Reilly had gotten an early start in basketball. The Sandyston rec team didn't have enough players for the second- and third-grade team, and also needed a coach. Tim Reilly was on the township recreation committee, so he stepped up and signed up his daughter.
Mackenzie was only in first grade, but already the tallest player. She was also training for horse show jumping, and tried baseball, lacrosse, soccer and swimming. When her parents divorced, Mackenzie shifted to playing on a Stillwater team coached by her 6-foot mom, Meredith Reilly.
Mackenzie played for Sussex Charter starting in sixth grade. But she wasn't pushed to start AAU basketball early, so both she and her dad were surprised when she made the Sussex Tech varsity before freshman year.
"I remember telling her, 'You're going to take your lumps, but just do your best,'" said Tim Reilly, who had played football and baseball at Midland Park. "She did more than just have fun. She held her own as a freshman, and built on it."
Mackenzie had 129 points and 226 rebounds in her first season, 234 rebounds as a sophomore and 330 last winter. This season, she is averaging 7.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
"I look at (rebounding) as another opportunity to score," she said. "My guards are going to miss shots, and if I'm posting up right there, I have the opportunity to get points and help the team."
Reilly was a Sussex Tech cheerleader in the fall of her freshman year, and became a thrower for outdoor track and field. In the summer after her sophomore year, she decided to return to soccer and made the varsity despite not playing since middle school. She also trained with Just Driven AAU, coached by Jamie Douglas, a 5-foot-10 former 1,000-point scorer at both Hopatcong and Adelphi.
When searching for a college, Reilly had two goals: to continue baking and basketball. She hadn't even heard of Paul Smith's College, a small school in the Adirondacks of upstate New York, when the coach reached out about a year ago. Reilly visited and met the team, and also attended other schools' prospect camps. She committed to new head coach Alphonso Howlett in the fall.
Reilly has been accepted into Paul Smith's baking arts and service management program. Italian rainbow cookies are one of her specialties. Last spring, Reilly was part of a winning team at Skills USA New Jersey for a Roaring '20s themed hanging upside-down cake.
"Mackenzie's the hot topic right now," said Sussex Tech junior guard Allie Ismail, a Newton resident in the allied health program. "It inspires us. She keeps us motivated. She works so hard, and we can all tell and appreciate it."
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex Tech senior Mackenzie Reilly earns 1000th career rebound
