Tuesday may have marked the end of an era for Harrison girls’ basketball, but there is still undoubtedly hope for the future.
Playing in the Class AA semifinals against Ursuline, a short-handed Huskies’ squad fell 55-37 to the No. 2 Koalas at the Westchester County Center, putting a bittersweet stamp on the careers of three seniors—Olivia Fernandez, Stella Perini and Olivia Greco—who have helped the program set a formidable standard for future generations of Huskies.
Without junior point guard and 1,000 point scorer Mia Strazza in the lineup—Strazza has been sidelined with an injury this postseason—Harrison knew it had an uphill battle against an Ursuline team that had already beaten the Huskies twice during regular season.
Ursuline junior Sophie Nascimiento, one of the top scorers in Section 1 this year, proved why she has earned those accolades, pacing all scorers with 20 points on the day. Harrison was led by the seniors Fernandez and Perini, who both finished with 12.
Harrison head coach Louis Kail acknowledged that, even at full strength, the Huskies would have their hands full with a talented Ursuline squad and credited the Koalas with a solid performance.
“Ursuline’s a really good team; if we’re healthy it’s a competitive game,” said Kail. “But going in undermanned against a really good team, it’s just not going to happen.”
With the win, the Koalas will go on to face top-seeded Albertus Magnus in the Class AA finals on Saturday in a championship-round matchup that many predicted before the season.
Harrison finished the season at 16-7, and Kail said he hopes that the seniors who have meant so much to the program are truly able to recognize the impact that they have had.
“Our three seniors, they were incredible, they got our young kids ready and they really helped to set the tone for what we want to do as a program,” said the head coach. “All week, our big focus has been ‘perspective.’
“These girls have become accustomed to success, accustomed to being here,” he added. “Over the last five years, they’ve gotten 100 wins, they’ve been a part of two finals, won multiple league championships, they’re amazing students and even better people.”
