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Thursday, March 13, 2003

By Torsten Ove, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Amber Harris

SCHOOL: Washington

WHO IS SHE? A 6-foot senior forward for the girls' basketball team. The Little Prexies (24-4) will play defending champion Vincentian (21-7) in a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal tomorrow at Robert Morris.

PAST WEEK: Scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 52-37, second-round win over Bishop Guilfoyle Tuesday. She scored a game-high 21 points in the team's first round win Friday over Cambridge Springs.

SEASON: Harris is the team's leading scorer and rebounder. She averages 17.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 2.5 steals and 1.6 assists per game.

CAREER: A three-year starter, Harris is one of the few members of the school's 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. She has scored 1,384 points and grabbed 1,017 rebounds.

RECRUITING: Harris is being recruited by a number of colleges at different levels, including Division I schools American, UNC-Wilmington, Robert Morris and UNC-Asheville. "She'll definitely be a college player, it is just a matter of finding the right fit," said Washington Coach Bill Fleissner.

BIG IMPROVEMENT: Last summer, Harris worked hard on her offensive post game while playing AAU basketball for the Lady Magic. "She gets leaned on a lot by bigger girls, but she's got some really nice moves and has great feet, so she outquicks them," Fleissner said.

JUST WIN: The only statistic that drives Harris is three -- as in the Little Prexies need three more victories to win the PIAA title. "She's very unselfish and she's developed into an excellent passer over the past two seasons as well," Fleissner said.

-- By Paul Zeise

Mike Reid

SCHOOL: Perry

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1 senior and two-sport standout in basketball and football.

THE PAST WEEK: Reid, a guard, had 14 points in Perry's 58-43 victory against Keystone Oaks in a PIAA Class AAA second-round basketball game Tuesday. He had 18 in a first-round game Friday against Knoch.

SEASON: Perry has a balanced scoring attack, and Reid averages 14 points a game.

ONE OF A KIND: Although there are no records to prove it, Reid is believed to be one of the few athletes to start four years in football and basketball at Perry.

BASKETBALL IS BEST: Reid's future is in football, and he has signed with IUP. But Reid said basketball is still his favorite sport.

"When I came to Perry, I was playing basketball more than football," he said. "I was playing football just to stay in shape for basketball. But it turned out more recruiters started coming around for football. So I chose football."

TOUGH ASSIGNMENT: Perry plays Blackhawk in the PIAA quarterfinals tomorrow night, and Reid might guard Blackhawk star guard Ryan Evanochko, who averages 26 points a game. "It's going to come down to whether I can stop him," Reid said. "But I know I've got help all around me. He's not their whole team, and I'm not our whole team."

-- By Mike White