GRANITE CITY – Edwardsville High girls basketball sophomore forward Sydney Harris had a very good season opener Tuesday night, leading all scorers with 17 points as the Tigers won their first game of the year over Granite City 65-13 at Granite’s Memorial Gym.
Harris is coming off a breakout freshman season, becoming one of the Tigers’ best players, and on Tuesday, she was very happy to be back on the court for the start of the 2019-20 season.
“I was happy to be back out there,” Harris said in a postgame interview. “I always love season openers; I mean, that’s a kickoff to everything. We got a new team out there. we have Que (Love) and Maria (Smith) coming back, and Katelynne (Roberts), who had a few minutes last year, but for the most part, we have new kids on the floor, but I’m already feeling comfortable playing with everybody, and I really think our season should go pretty good this year. I’m liking how things look.”
Harris hit what was perhaps the biggest shot of the season last year for Edwardsville, making a last-second three in the corner to give the Tigers a 48-46 win over O’Fallon in the IHSA Class 4A sectional semifinal at Belleville West. Harris is a team player who there whenever and wherever needed.
“I’m just here for the team,” Harris said. “I just don’t want to let the team down, and stuff. I know I have a lot of people depending on me, and I just don’t want to let anybody down. I’m here for the team, and everybody all-around buckets, so we can get some wins this season.”
The Tigers got off to a fast start, scoring the game’s first six points in 46 seconds and the first 19 points of the game, using good pressure defense to force Warriors’ turnovers, leading to baskets.
“Yeah, we just all came out ready to play,” Harris said. “Everyone loves the first game coming out; it’s Que’s last year; I know she was anxious, we all were, just talking about we’re just ready and stuff. And we just came out on top, and we were ready to dominate and stuff.”
Harris feels that the team’s defense will be a big key to the Tigers’ success.
“Yeah, I really think this season is gonna be our defense,” Harris said, “Like, once we’re not hitting shots and stuff, our defense will keep us in most games, and things like that. We’re just going to have to focus on that, so we’ve been working on it in practice, mostly. And I really think that was a big asset in this game.”
There will be other factors as the year goes along, but Harris feels that the Tigers’ defense will be the biggest key of the year.
“I think it’ll be one of the main parts,” Harris said, “because I know every team has games where you can’t hit shots, and I really think in those games, the defense will keep us in those.”
It’s way too early to talk about the IHSA Class 4A state finals at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, which will be held March 6-7, but getting back there is one of Harris’ main goals for the new season.
“That’s one of my main goals, is to make it to state,” Harris said. “That was one of my goals last year, but everything happens, we fell short, that’s OK. It’s just comeback season.”
