Over the last few years, the on-court feud between Harrison and Eastchester has produced its fair share of thrilling games and fantastic finishes. On Jan. 19, the Eagles wrote another chapter in the rivalry, riding a fourth-quarter surge to a 61-55 comeback win over the visiting Huskies.
Trailing 42-41 heading into the final quarter, the Eagles got a lift from standout Cassidy Mitchell, who scored six of her team-high 20 points in the final frame to give Eastchester its first lead since the first quarter.
The Eagles defense did the rest, as they outscored the visitors 20-13 in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.
“In the fourth quarter, we just wanted to play good, hard defense,” Mitchell said after the game.
Harrison point guard Avery LaBarbera led all scorers with 22 points despite facing some extra attention from the Eagles’ defenders. LaBarbera’s play was a big reason for the Huskies’ success early on and helped her team head into halftime holding on to a 30-25 lead.
“We wanted to faceguard Avery and play tight,” Mitchell said. “They are one of our main rivals and we work hard in practice to get ready, and we probably bring more energy than we do in other games.”
Similar to the way the Eagles keyed on LaBarbera, Harrison head coach Louis Kail said his team came into the game looking for ways to slow down Mitchell. But Mitchell’s strong showing, coupled with solid performances from Julie Murtagh and Lauren Gresia, who combined to score 27 points, proved too much for the Huskies.
“[Mitchell] is one of the best players in our league and we know that,” Kail said. “She came out and had a great game, and I give her a lot of credit, and they have a lot of other pieces that did a lot as well. We just need to be able to finish games.”
Eastchester and Harrison have both battled through a tough league campaign that also includes two other teams—Rye and Pelham—that are ranked among the top 10 squads in Class A.
According to Kail, these competitive league games should benefit all of the squads once the sectional playoffs begin in mid-February.
“I’m friends with all the coaches in our league, and we all say it; it’s about whichever team shows up that day, that’s the team that’s going to win,” he said. “Today, it was Eastchester.”
