Many mornings, there’s one person up earliest, putting in the work for the Eastside Lady Eagles basketball team.
Whether it’s putting up shots or just general conditioning, she’s there bright and early.
It’s senior center Laila Harvey. And there’s a reason she’s always working on her game before sunrise.
“Honestly, I think that [work ethic] comes from my relationship with the Lord,” said Harvey. “Everything that I do, I want to do it to the best of my ability for Him. And I know I have the ability to do it. So why not work hard?”
Harvey is a big reason why Eastside girls' basketball is off to its best start in 10 years. The Lady Eagles are 11-4, and on Friday night, they took down rival Riverside for the first time since 2021.
The senior star had 19 points in Eastside’s 54-47 win.
“I think we’ve all been giving 110 percent these last few months and this season leading up to this game, because we knew how bad we wanted to beat [Riverside],” said Harvey. “It’s my last year, and that’s something I hadn’t been able to do yet.”
“The young girls on this roster, they look up to our two seniors,” said Eastside head coach Nikki Young. “They came into this game wanting to get them a win against Riverside. It made it a lot easier, and a lot more fun.”
The Lady Eagles are a rather unique team this year in the way they’re made up. Just two seniors are listed on the roster: Harvey and guard Kristen McBride.
Aside from those two, Eastside’s got seven freshmen, one sophomore, and two eighth graders. The Lady Eagles are the youngest team in 5-A Region 2, and one of the youngest overall in the state.
A unique situation for Young coming into the season, for sure. But her team is making the absolute most of it as the year progresses.
“Our young players have an incredible mentality,” said Young. “They have a willingness to listen, and they’re the first ones in and last ones out of the gym like Laila. Having girls like that who are hungry and coachable makes all the difference.”
Players like freshmen Taryah Humbert (18.6 points per game) and Ansley Williamson (10.6 points per game) are helping power Eastside to wins.
In a region with some of the best teams in the state — teams loaded with talent like Dorman, Byrnes, Gaffney, and Spartanburg — Eastside is riding its balance of youth and experience to success.
A little competitive drive helps, too.
“The thing about this team, from our eighth-graders to our seniors, is that everybody loves to win,” said Young. “They hate to lose. Whether that’s being the first to put their jerseys in the washer, or the first to be up for team meals, everything’s a competition. It’s great.”
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