The first time the Harrison girls basketball team squared off against Eastchester—back on Dec. 17—the Huskies made quick work of the short-handed Eagles, topping their visitors 50-26 to claim the Harrison Holiday Tournament title. That win earned much praise from Harrison head coach Louis Kail, though Kail also admitted his young team would need to mature quickly in order to become a true contender in Class A.
On Jan. 18, just over a month later, the two league foes met again and Harrison’s progress was evident. After jumping out to an early lead, the Huskies would speed away from their hosts, torching the Eagles 69-37 to earn their ninth straight win.
“It’s all about their growth,” said Kail. “Every game presents its opportunities and Eastchester came out today and showed us a different look than we were ready for and the girls just had to adapt on the fly, and did a great job with that.”
A commitment to the press paid dividends early on, as the Huskies’ tenacious trap forced a slew of Eagles’ turnovers and helped the Huskies jump out to a 19-4 first quarter lead. According to Kail, while the press has been a useful tool for the Huskies this year, they will often push the tempo defensively as a means of settling into the game.
“We’ve worked on it a lot, we’ve shown it at points, and it’s not something we’ve been hiding,” said Kail. “But I think sometimes, on the road, you gotta get going early and that’s a good way for us to get up and down, turnover some teams and get into the open court.”
With the offense jumpstarted, the Huskies were led by the trio of Stella Perini, Olivia Fernandez and Mia Strazza who all finished with 17 points to pace the club. In the absence of returning star Gabby Marraccini—who was lost to injury in the season opener against Tappan Zee—the Huskies have had a variety of players step up to lead the team offensively. Daniela Biancardi led Eastchester with 13 points.
“I think it’s kind of a blessing and a curse,” admitted Kail. “It’s a blessing in the sense that we have a couple of kids who can fill it up, but it’s a curse in the sense that there are times when we don’t really know whose hands the ball has to go through.”
With his Huskies 9-1 on the year, Kail is confident that questions such as offensive production will be answered as the team heads through the league portion of its campaign and looks ahead to a deep postseason run. With talented large-school opponents like Ursuline (9-1) and Port Chester (7-3) left on the schedule, Kail said he expects his team to approach each game with the same level of focus and intensity.
“This group is interesting, they’re kind of flat-line throughout, no matter who the opponent is,” he said. “And that’s what makes them special.”
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