Coming into last weekend, the Harrison girls basketball team had two goals in mind; building on a strong start to the winter season and capturing the trophy at their annual Holiday Tournament. They managed to accomplish both feats and captured their second league win of the season—a 50-25 victory over Eastchester—in the process.

It was clear from the outset of the Dec. 16 first-round game that the Huskies would have the upper-hand over their league foes, as four Eastchester athletes were forced into Covid quarantine protocol, leaving the Eagles with just eight available players. Harrison took advantage of the opportunity, jumping out to a 30-9 lead by the end of the first half. 

Harrison head coach Louis Kail was pleased with the focus of his players and felt that the Huskies were able to use Friday night’s contest to fine-tune their game.

“I think it’s about trying to get better,” he said.  “It’s about doing the right thing, making the right play, making the right pass and playing defense the right way and just getting better.”

Tori Fernandez led the Huskies with 14 points, while Julia Vesey paced the Eagles with seven, but Kail was happiest with his teams work on the offensive glass, as the Huskies were able to dominate the rebounding battle and turned second-and-third chance points into an early lead.

“I think we’ve really gotten after it on the offensive end,” explained Kail. “This team is playing without a senior captain who we lost to an ACL injury and ever since that moment, they’ve been digging in and doing that extra work and I think you’re seeing that in these last couple of games.”

Kail also felt that Friday’s game—and seeing Eastchester hampered by Covid-related issues—should serve as an important reminder to his own team about the impermanent nature of the winter schedule. 

“Most importantly, it’s appreciating every game that you play,” he said. “Because you never know when things can change.”

The Eagles would fall again on Dec. 18, losing to Blind Brook 40-23 in the consolation game, while Harrison would go on to edge Putnam Valley 61-56 in the tournament finals. Freshman Mia Strazza tallied 27 points in the win, more evidence that the Huskies’ young core is quickly gelling into a formidable force. 

“We have some experience, but they’re still young, they’re still learning,” said Kail. “We are going to have our bumps in the road, but the expectations are that we’re going to continue to grow and move forward.”

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