The Harrison girls basketball team may have gotten some bad news prior to their Feb. 22 game against Mamaroneck, but it wasn’t enough to derail what has been a solid start to the season. Forced to take the court short-handed after four players were ruled out due to Covid-19 protocols, the Huskies were able to survive an early surge by the Tigers and come away with a decisive 55-30 victory.
Harrison head coach Louis Kail said he was informed earlier in the day that his team would be forced to play with just four substitutes after it was determined that a number of his players had come into contact with a classmate who had tested positive for Covid-19. Although it is unclear when the Huskies will be at full strength again, Kail was pleased with the way his team was able to answer the bell on Monday afternoon.
“It’s a unique situation for everybody,” Kail said. “So, it’s an opportunity for other girls to step up and gets some minutes,”
Seven of the nine players who were active for Monday’s game managed to record a point in a balanced Harrison effort led by a 14-point outing from Olivia Fernandez. Tori Fernandez added 13 of her own, while Blayse Jennings and Stella Perini tallied nine points apiece. Mamaroneck was led by Kaitlyn Welsh who netted eight points for the Tigers.
Harrison led 14-11 after the first quarter of play, but were able to clamp down defensively for the remainder of the game and extend their lead with some sharp shooting from the field.
“The only thing I asked them to do after the first quarter was to come out and play with great effort; the shots might not always fall but you can always play with effort.” Kail said. “All the teams around are in situations where they’re playing multiple games in a week, I think we had tired legs from Saturday and Sunday and they just had to find some motivation.”
At 4-0 on the season, the Huskies have demonstrated the ability to play effectively on short rest, but they will be tested on Feb. 23 when they have to take on rival Rye for their third game in three days. The Garnets and Huskies squared off in the 2020 Class A semifinals at the Westchester County Center, a game which Harrison won 54-51 to advance to the championship game.
“My major takeaway is that these young kids are growing up really fast, playing big minutes against good teams,” Kail said. “We’re going to have to play [Rye] hard; we’re shorthanded, nothing we can do about that, but it’s always fun when we go there, and it should be a good game.”
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