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T.F. South sophomore Tariya Wright would be the first to say that when she drives the lane, she can get a little overexcited.
But when she’s at the 3-point line? She’s as cool as a cucumber.
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Wright had a decision to make on her first scoring opportunity against Lemont.
“I was thinking, ‘Should I shoot? Should I drive?’” Wright said. “I was like, ‘Nah. She’s not even stepping up. I’ll shoot the ball.’”
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Nothing but net for the game’s first three points.
Wright found great success deciding either way in Thursday’s 58-39 South Suburban Blue victory over visiting Lemont in Lansing.
Rayvan Rush had 16 points and six rebounds for the Red Wolves (11-3, 3-1). Wright added 16 points and four rebounds, while Katlynn Williams-Clark contributed 12 points.
Bella Kedryna scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds for Lemont (7-3, 3-1). Jessica Beasley and Gia Pontrelli added 10 points apiece.
Wright would match her early 3-pointer with another that put T.F. South in front 13-1. In between, her teammates were fired up as well.
“Once you see a basket go in, I think everything is going to be good,” Rush said. “We just started playing our game at our pace. Her basket helped us get into a rhythm.”
Wright, a 5-foot-8 guard, is leading the way for the Red Wolves by averaging 14.6 points. Rush is right behind her at 13.3. Together, they are combining for a whopping 9.3 steals.
They are a legitimate dynamic duo. When they’re really clicking …
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“Tariya is over there in the corner, ready to shoot,” Rush said. “I drive and kick. Either she makes the shot or I drive in and make it.”
Wright is in her second season on the varsity. As a freshman, she led T.F. South with a 12-point average.
T.F. South coach Eric Bryce knew what he was getting from day one. So did Rush, who as a sophomore was in her second varsity season.
“When I saw her, I thought, ‘This is good, we’ve got a bucket on the team,’” Rush said. “We had a freshman who could come off the bench and give us some points. But she wasn’t coming off the bench.”
Not for long, anyway.
Wright didn’t start in the first three games for the Red Wolves. In her fourth, she scored 19 points against Chicago Christian.
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Bryce has had her in the starting lineup ever since.

“From knowing her coming up through the junior high ranks, we knew she was going to be a varsity level basketball player,” Bryce said. “We just didn’t know that by game four she’d go off for 19 points.
“For some freshmen, it can be a little much for them to transition from junior high to varsity basketball. That night she basically said, ‘OK, I need a spot in the starting lineup. I need to be here.’”
If there were nerves, there was also eagerness.
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“It was pretty exciting being the only freshman on the varsity team,” Wright said. “It was nice to actually come to a family that helped me get my rhythm and play high-level high school ball.”
Wright followed up her breakout game with four 20-point efforts over a five-game span.
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She was pretty much unflappable.
“It was about confidence,” Wright said. “I would get in a rhythm in games and get locked in. When I did, I was able to drown out the crowd and just focus on my game.”
There wasn’t a big crowd Thursday. But the opponent was perennially strong Lemont.
Wright had all the answers.
“My team, this year, we’re just focused on us,” Wright said, smiling. “We’re not worried about the teams or their records. We’re just going to play our game.”



