‘The sky is the limit’ for unbeaten Harrison Central. Two super sisters are leading the way

The cast updates a little each season, but the results continue to look the same.

Harrison Central is off to an unblemished 8-0 start to the new year with a starting lineup that consists of just two seniors and three underclassmen.

Harrison Central’s Anaisha Carriere dribbles the ball during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Coach Nancy Ladner’s Red Rebelettes have been a model for consistency, having reached the the Final Four in each of the last four years. But a new core has led the program’s push for its first Gold Ball since 2005 in each season and this go around isn’t any different.

“I think with the youth that we have, the sky is the limit as far as how far they want to go,” Ladner told the Sun Herald.

The mix of youth with senior talent has forced one of Ladner’s brightest stars to acclimate to take on a new role. Senior forward Anaisha Carriere has grown over the years while playing under the tutelage of former stars Laila Walker and Dekeria Walls.

Harrison Central’s Michelle Jackson dribbles the ball during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

The stretch-four has a deft touch around the rim and can handle the ball in traffic at any level on the court, but her command within the team has stood out to Ladner.

“The growth I’ve seen from her is more from maturity and trying to be a leader and trying to bring the team together,” Ladner said. “She’s done a really good job of that.”

Carriere is a Mississippi State commit and will be one of three Rebelettes in the last three classes to sign Division-I when she puts pen to paper following the season.

Harrison Central’s Jayla Carriere looks for a pass during a game at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Sisters on and off the court

The bond between Carriere and her teammates is tight, but it runs even deeper with her new starting point guard.

A ninth-grader with an advanced handle of the basketball and feel for the game, Jayla Carriere is fitting in well alongside her older sister Anaisha.

“I’ve always played up all my life so it feels normal,” the younger Carriere said of her first action on varsity. “It feels good to be next to (Anaisha).”

Harrison Central’s Jayla Carriere protects the ball during a game at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Jayla’s emergence has provided HCHS with a boost and a luxury the team didn’t have a season ago: a true point guard.

Her outside-in play style has complimented her older sister well added to the chemistry and flow Ladner hopes to see.

“They compliment each other because they look for each other, they know their tendencies,” Ladner said. “They’ve played together for so long.”

Harrison Central’s Krista Clark dribbles the ball during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

“We work off each other, we’re sisters on the court,” Anaisha said. “She knows what I’m good at, I know what she’s good at.”

The two have dominated at times, already. The pair combined to score 43 points in a 78-10 win over Warren Central earlier in the season with 25 coming from the younger Carriere. The eldest dropped 26 in the season-opener against Hattiesburg.

And they’re not alone. Ladner points to senior Larissa Hubbard as a key player who has stepped up this year. Hubbard had a 20-point game in an earlier win over Ponchatoula.

Harrison Central’s Larissa Hubbard goes for a layup during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

“Another one that’s filling that (leadership) role is Larissa Hubbard,” Ladner said of her two seniors in the starting five. “I think with both of them combined, they’ve made a tremendous difference with this year’s team versus last year’s.”

Rounding out the talented group is another rising phenom in freshman Saniyah Murray, a 6-foot-4 center who already holds an offer from ULM.

Now all that’s left is to pull it together.

Harrison Central’s Anaisha Carriere looks for a pass during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Harrison Central and the rest of the state begin district play earlier than usual with the most recent classification changes expanding the size of each region and lengthening the district schedule.

Anaisha and Hubbard know well how difficult the stretch can be — the team lost 11 games in a row last season — but Ladner believes her team is up for the challenge.

Harrison Central’s Michelle Jackson looks to shoot the ball during a game against Pascagoula at Pascagoula High School on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

“I think they’re playing hard,” Ladner said. We’re not to the point we need to be, but each day we’re getting closer. The hardest part is getting kids to play hard and we’re doing that. I think we’re going to get better and better.”

Harrison Central faces Gulfport Friday to open the regional slate before a heavyweight bout with Biloxi on Tuesday.