Webster’s Sydney Baird showing off in new ways
Helping hands mean more than idle ones. There may be no better example of that than what is happening for Webster County girls’ basketball. Sydney Baird Sydney Baird 5'7" | CG Webster County | 2023 State WV , long known…
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Continue ReadingHelping hands mean more than idle ones.
There may be no better example of that than what is happening for Webster County girls’ basketball.
Sydney Baird Sydney Baird 5'7" | CG Webster County | 2023 State WV , long known for her scoring prowess, has continued to help mold the Highlanders with more than just her points. Her fingerprints appear all over. They aren’t smudges or blotches, either.
Instead, intact prints are bringing out the best in her teammates. Whether the confidence she’s shown while bringing her group along to the big time, her knack for making the right assist, some lockdown defense, or her rim protection skills shine through, everything’s coming up aces.
Simply put: This is not the Sydney Baird Sydney Baird 5'7" | CG Webster County | 2023 State WV show anymore.
Does this transformation automatically turn her crew and her into the favorites to win the Class A title? Not quite.
That distinction, at least for right now, appears appropriate for fellow Little Kanawha Conference East mate Gilmer County. And it is going to be relatively hard to take it away from the Titans. Not only are Amy Chapman and company a veteran team, but they have yet to be pushed late into any game, are scoring 74 points per contest, and own a stifling press.
Regardless, in a year that Webster County head coach Sharon Baird’s kept her eye on for the last few years, it is hard not to put the Highlanders as at least contenders in Class A. Sydney contributions have helped that much.
“Last year we noticed a lot of teams playing junk defenses on us,” assistant head coach Ryan Baird said. “Trying to slow down Sydney.”
How is that working out for opposing teams this season? Not well. Nearly all attempts to make other Webster players besides Sydney beat them haven’t worked out. “I felt like last year people didn’t really understand we had other players who could help us win in shooters like Holly Perrine and Hannah Cutlip, along with our bigs’ Madison Hamrick and Natalie Snyder,” Sydney said.
Now, everyone who plays the Highlanders almost certainly knows that quartet of players, the group that has been with Sydney the longest. Her faith in them to step up in the big-time marks at least a little bit of the beauty that has come with the Highlanders star player embracing everyone to get the job done.
Sure, “everyone still knows she is going to take over in crunch time when we really need her,” Ryan said. But, “we are running a lot of the same stuff we did last year with a few different man-to-man plays, and we are opening upsets not just for Syd.”
Everyone’s joining in the fun and scoring. Just this past week alone, in a game against a challenging St. Marys’ group – three girls scored in double figures. But that isn’t all, nine girls scored and no one has played more than 17 minutes on the floor. Beautiful.
Many teams couldn’t paint a more beautiful picture if they tried. Yet, the embarrassment of riches doesn’t end on just offense. The entire defense got an overhaul as more and more players inspired by Sydney and her playstyle join in the fun.
“There is no drop-off between No. 2 and No. 10,” she said.
What is the limit? Well, we can’t judge Baird’s full impact on this team until the rest of the season plays out. However, that hasn’t stopped her teammates, parents and the community from rallying around the girls. Everyone’s cheering them on and that’s leading to big expectations. The girls recently defeated reigning Class A state champion Tug Valley, and the goals are high.
“I believe we can go down to the state tournament and win a game. Our ceiling is a state championship. If we are going to do it, it is going to be this year. This is what this group of four seniors and Syd has worked for,” he said.
Maybe it sounds a little out there, but Baird’s quick in reminding everyone that the group they see right now won’t be the same one in the Charleston Coliseum come March.
“We have just scratched the surface with what we can do with Syd going out, freely assisting the girls and playing decoy along with stellar defense for us on any given night,” he said.