How Tait Harvey has helped Reynolds girls basketball reach NCHSAA fourth round
· Yahoo Sports
ASHEVILLE — Reynolds junior Tait Harvey didn’t feel the pop when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in a September 2024 preseason practice. She even finished the day running and moving like normal.
She thought she had hyperextended her knee. It wasn’t until that weekend, when Harvey went to a camp and felt pain landing from a jump, that she knew something was wrong.
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The injury cost Harvey a season after a breakout freshman year. Now back on the court as a junior, Harvey is giving the Rockets everything she has, helping lead a 60-48 win over Charlotte Catholic on Feb. 28 to send No. 3 Reynolds (21-6) to the fourth round of the NCHSAA 6A playoffs.
“It sucked, mentally,” Harvey said about her sophomore season. “All I wanted to do was be out there, and I was feeling like there was nothing I could do.”
Reynolds will play the winner of No. 10 Watauga and No. 2 Alexander Central on March 2. The higher seed will host.
It took Harvey a while to get comfortable with her legs after returning from the ACL tear, Reynolds coach Amanda Whitaker said. She had to relearn to trust her body. She shot 5-for-31 from 3-point range in her first five games.
The offense has returned for Harvey, who is averaging 14 points per game and is 25th in North Carolina in 3-pointers made. Even when she’s not scoring, her production is invaluable for the Rockets.
“I try to do all the little things throughout the game,” Harvey said. “Rebounding, get on the floor for loose balls or even just making passes to my teammates so they can start scoring.”
Against the No. 11 Cougars (14-14), Harvey helped distribute to her teammates while her own shots weren’t falling. Four Rockets players scored at least 10 points, led by Adalyn Wilkinson with 17. Harvey made four fourth-quarter free throws that helped keep the Cougars at bay and finished with 13 points.
“She adds another layer to what we do,” Whitaker said. “She’s had her ups and downs this year after missing the whole season last year, but she’s pushing through. She’s just that kind of athlete.”
Whitaker said she has seen the confidence returning as the season has gone on. Harvey is also adding to that confidence with the knowledge she picked up last season, watching the game from the bench.
“I was trying to coach my best from the sideline,” Harvey said. “If I saw something, I would help my teammates the best I could.”
It’ll take more than just Harvey for Reynolds to get back to a second regional final in three years.
But with Harvey on the court, the pieces are there.
Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Tait Harvey is 'that kind of athlete' for Reynolds girls basketball