If all good things must come to an end eventually, the same holds for things that are undeniably “great”.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Harrison girls basketball season concluded with a hard-fought loss to Nyack in the first round of the Class AA playoffs, falling to the Red Hawks 48-43 on the road.
But the game also marked the end of one of the greatest careers in the history of the Huskies’ program, as it would be the final game for Harrison’s all-time leading scorer, Mia Strazza, who amassed more points than any player in the program’s history earlier this year.
Against the Red Hawks, Strazza shined for the Huskies, netting a game-high 24 points in the loss and nearly leading her No. 9-seeded team to an upset win over No. 8 Nyack. But length—and depth–of the higher seed proved too much to overcome, as the Red Hawks win was powered by a 17-point outing by Casey Cummings and nine-point showing from both Sydney Edmunds and Rakiya Mohammed.
“They created a lot of issues for us, so you have to give them all the credit,” said Harrison head coach Louis Kail. “We played hard, but so did they; they’re a very well-coached team.”
With the win, Nyack will move on to the Class AA quarterfinals where they will face a stiff test in No. 1 seed Panas on Feb. 27. The Panthers won their first round game in a romp, topping Brewster 69-42.
For Harrison, the impending graduation of Strazza gave an emotional Kail a chance to reflect on everything the Emory-bound star has accomplished in her six-year scholastic career.
“Mia is leaving our program as the all-time leading scorer after being here since she was in the seventh grade, and she’s been an incredible leader an even better person,” said Kail. “It’s devastating to watch a kid like that pour her heart and soul into the game, but she wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added. “We’re going to miss her in ways I can’t even describe.”
As for the girls that will be back next year to build upon the legacy established by players like Strazza and those that came before her, Kail is confident that this young group will continue to build as they get more opportunities in high-leverage games like this one.
“Some of these girls are only sophomores but they’ve already played in four sectional games,” said Kail. They’re getting that experience which will hopefully set the tone for the future.”
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