Ursuline’s Harris a dominant force on the court
Ursuline’s Harris a dominant force on the court
By dan hiner
youngstown
Ursuline girls basketball player Dayshanette Harris has become a force on the court over the last two seasons.
Wednesday’s 73-65 win over East Cleveland Shaw was no different.
Harris recorded a double-double with 34 points and 10 rebounds. The junior also had five steals and three blocks.
“I took control because I knew my teammates look up to me,” Harris said. “For me my job is to lead my team into the correct direction — which is a win.”
Ursuline head coach Vannessa Dickson said Harris’ performance hasn’t been a surprise, it’s been an expectation.
“There’s really not much more that I could say about Dayshanette, she’s that type of kid,” Dickson said. “The thing is, I expect 30 points out of her. Which is shocking for a high school kid, but it’s an expectation now.
“I probably don’t congratulate her or pat her on the back enough, which I probably should do more of, but it’s one of those things. When we come out, that’s what I expect out of her.”
Harris scored eight points in the final 5:38 to help the Irish (4-2) pull away in the fourth quarter.
The refs let some calls go and the game became more physical in the second half. Dickson said that style of play was a perfect fit for Harris.
“I always tell her, ‘Until somebody stops you continue to drive, continue to drive’, and tonight she did a tremendous job at getting to the paint and a tremendous job at finishing,” Dickson said. “That’s her bread and butter. If she can get into the paint, there’s not too many people who are gonna be able to stop that.”
The Cardinals (5-2) stayed in the game thanks to their 3-point shooting. Shaw made 13 3-point field goals which later opened the paint in the second half.
Delech Gibson led the Cardinals with 30 points and eight rebounds. Paula Taylor had 24 points for Shaw. All eight of her field goals were 3-pointers.
“Those two kids, those were the two kids who hurt us in the past,” Dickson said. “I think last year they made 11 3s on us. We knew coming in that, that was gonna kind of be their ball game.”
The Cardinals had turnovers and fouls late in the game. Two players fouled out for Shaw in the fourth quarter. Eventually the Cardinals had to play a girl with an ankle injury who could hardly walk because she was the only player left on the bench.
While Harris played well, she did have some help.
Anisah Moorman also had a double-double for the Irish. She finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Anyah Curd had eight points and 15 rebounds.
The duo helped the Irish gain a 50-39 advantage on the boards and combined for six blocked shots.
Dickson said she challenged her frontcourt to battle for boards, and thought Moorman and Curd responded.
“I’ve challenged them the last couple days. And I challenge them today to step up and control the rebounds,” Dickson said.
After winning a district title last season, Harris has learned and is more determined to make it farther in tournament play.
“It’s been a great experience,” Harris said. “I’m happy I’m here at Ursuline. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I’ve learned a lot being here. From my freshman year and losing in the semifinals, and winning districts last year. The goal is even bigger this year.”