Joe’s Take: Just call her Syd
A chance at enshrinement hung in the air. She stood at the precipice of Syd. Just Syd. No Baird. Or Spencer’s big sister, just Syd Yes, the girl sporting her signature ponytail wearing No. 23, in white Webster warmups, while…
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Continue ReadingA chance at enshrinement hung in the air.
She stood at the precipice of Syd. Just Syd. No Baird. Or Spencer’s big sister, just Syd
Yes, the girl sporting her signature ponytail wearing No. 23, in white Webster warmups, while standing in the captain’s huddle, nearly grasped history – all she needed was 27 points, 27 points before her spot in Highlander basketball lore increased considerably, once again.
Her long hours playing with the West Virginia Thunder boys while standing four-foot-six inches tall had paid off. She neared an extremely big milestone.
She never dreamed of scoring 2000 points during her playing days. 1,000? Easy. But, if Highlander legend Brett Morris fell short 600 points, where did that leave her? Actually, pretty well off.
“When I first started, I didn’t know how much as I was going get, I wasn’t really worried about it, once I hit 1,000 there was no pressure, and played my game as I know,” she said. She sure did.
Her willingness to stick to the plan inserted her in the perfect spot after she ran through her usual place at the end of the starter’s introductions. According to her lofty scoring averages, this would be a piece of cake.
Now, she just needed the points. And then it happened, or not.
She actually spent the first two possessions doing what became another running theme of the night: Being unselfish. Webster’s first two buckets didn’t come from Emily Taylor and Hannah Wayne.
Seriously though, then it happened! Boom. She energetically took her old-fashioned three-point play earned from plowing through Red Devils’ and ran with it. 1 and 2 and 3 down, 24 more to go.
Again though, we saw the Baird magic as she looked and created for her teammates. Over and over again, she spotted her girls. Her next shot even missed, meaning she was forced to wait longer. But she waited, even after a missed teardrop, she didn’t jack up another shot.
Patience became a virtue as she worked her way down the lane in her next opportunity.
She held out for her teammates before she euro stepping around Ariety Hickman for a sweet deuce. This time a roar started emanating from the student section, a lowly rumbling.
The sound grew as baskets four, five, and six brought her to within 15 points. “I was looking for their shots before I look for mine,” Baird said. There goes the Y.
The potential loss of her E pervaded halftime. Just listen to mother Shannon, “Everyone was asking where does she stand, where does she stand and she was seven short at halftime.”
But not for long.
Her daughter’s first name grew stranger still shortly into the third period. Points 21, 22, and 23 officially sent packing the E for good. Four points away. Sydney then sliced right down the lane past Yeager as the crowd could feel it. 2 more to go.
And then, she became Syd.
“I didn’t really know how many points I had, but they were guarding us in a 2-3 and dad called our play and the ball just felt good as it left my hand, it was like slow motion,” Sydney said.
After receiving the ball from Taylor, she elevated and released. The ball flew through the air. The rock clanged off the slightest bit of the rim, before finding the bottom of the net. In a flash, celebration. Pandemonium. Balloons. Bailee Goins. Marley Washenitz. Alexis Hornbuckle. In short, the celebration was on and her nickname was sealed. “Oh, my goodness was all I could think of at the time,” Baird said.
Not only did she get the chance to build her legend, but by the time the game ended, she’d tacked on 15 more points. “I didn’t really have a choice,” Sydney said when I asked if she wanted to come out shortly after breaking the record.
Still, she capped a magical night with a celebration that may force Webster County High School to purchase a 2,000 points banner. How can they not when they have a kid with such a cool three-letter-moniker?
“I think it is Syd, now,” Sharon said after the game.
Just Syd.
Contact Joe Albright at josephpalbright3@gmail.com.