Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week: Clarendon Hall's Berry leads Lady Saints to pair of crucial region wins

Last week was crucial for the Clarendon Hall girls basketball team.

The Lady Saints were coming off a tough 75-31 loss to Cathedral Academy and needed to get back on track in Region I-2A.

Clarendon Hall got back on track in a big way. They started the week 1-3 in the region and ended it back at .500 with wins over Andrew Jackson and Calhoun. Leading the way was Sidney Berry, who provided a scoring punch and some rebounding prowess. As a result, Berry was named the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"It feels really good," Berry said of the honor. "I appreciate everything the Clarendon Hall community did for me."

Clarendon Hall head coach Johnny Horton was proud of the way Berry stepped to the plate when her team needed her most.

"It actually started in that fourth quarter against Cathedral. At the beginning of that fourth quarter, she rallied her girls, and she vowed that she would fight. To me, that's where things kind of shifted," Horton said. "From that game going into practice, the intensity stepped up. Sidney has been a great leader. I tip my hat to her; this honor is well deserved."

Berry had a simple mindset going into the two crucial region contests.

"We just had to win," Berry said. "I just had to really stay focused on building that teamwork and pushing everyone to be better."

The Lady Saints started the week with a 42-36 win over one of their biggest rivals, Andrew Jackson. In a game where points were hard to come by, Berry stood out. She finished with a team-high 13 points and added five rebounds.

"At the end of the game when things got tight and it mattered the most, I felt like I was at my best," Berry said.

Berry followed that up with a double-double performance against Calhoun Academy. She finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 48-40 win. Berry felt like they were able to carry some great momentum from the win over AJA into the matchup with Calhoun.

"It definitely was a booster," Berry said. "People always wonder if we're actually good, so it's nice to show that we're actually winning."

Horton saw Berry fight for every one of the 13 points she scored in the win and appreciated that mentality.

"Any gymnasium that we walk in, they know exactly who Sidney Berry is and, for a lot of teams, the focus is to slow her down," Horton said. "It's amazing that she got a double-double, but she had to scrap for every one of those and those other girls fought hard, as well. I think the advantage went to Sid because she stayed consistent."

Rebounds are a crucial part of the Lady Saints success, and that starts with Berry.

"Rebounding to us is key; that's our staple," Horton said. "We're trying to build all the momentum we can off rebounding and getting physical inside.

"I always tell my girls, even when the shots are not falling, if we can get an offensive rebound and a putback here or there, things will turn."

Berry thinks the wins, which became three straight with a win over Dorchester Academy on Tuesday, can be the start of a run as the Lady Saints prepare for the playoffs in the coming weeks.

"We just have to keep the intensity up," Berry said. "We just have to keep pushing and working together as a team, and the momentum will keep going our way."

Horton agrees.

"They're clicking at the right time and grabbing that momentum as we get towards the playoffs," Horton said. "Just getting these girls believing in themselves and one another, fighting for one another, that's huge. We're still young - a team full of juniors and sophomores - so there's still a lot of learning, but they show up to every practice, and they're ready to work."