MORGANTOWN – The University High girls’ basketball team faced perhaps the perfect trap-game scenario on Tuesday night with a Senior Night game against a struggling opponent with a rematch against their rivals just two days away.
But one of UHS’s senior leaders who made sure her team took care of business was dynamic guard Bri Fox, who leads the Hawks in scoring (21 points per game), assists, and steals, and is second in rebounding.
The Hawks jumped out to a 19-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back, cruising to a comfortable 67-25 victory over Laurel Highlands (Pa.).
“She’s our motor, the engine that makes us go,” according to UHS coach Sammy Lusk. “It’s not always the case, but for Bri, the stats really support what you see when you watch her play. She does it all for us. She has always been a lightning-quick, aggressive defender and penetrator, but her all-court awareness has expanded along with her maturity. She knows she needs to be on the court for us, and she knows how to pick her spots and control her aggression. It’s made a significant difference in her game, and that’s a big part of our success this season.”
A second-team All-State selection as a junior, Fox was all smiles when asked about the Senior Night victory.
“It was great to be out there with the same girls I’ve been playing with since I started,” she said. “Our chemistry on this team is really good right now. Everyone knows their role, and we’re playing hard for each other, and we have that trust in each other. And that makes it really fun.”
When asked how her game has changed during her three years as a starter, her response was as quick as her crossover move.
“Confidence, for sure,” she smiled. “I‘ve always loved being disruptive and creative, but I’m better at knowing when to wait and when to make a move. And if I miss a couple shots, I know I just need to keep shooting, keep playing my game, keep getting everyone involved.”
To a coach, that sounds like the definition of senior leadership.
“Bri absolutely detests losing,” Lusk said with a grin, “and she’s not afraid to push her teammates, to hold them as accountable as she holds herself. She’s great at feeding the hot hand, and she’s helped our offense to become more unselfish, to make the extra pass. In a game like tonight’s – the Hawks led 38-3 at the half – it’s easy to get sloppy, to lose focus. But we executed and stayed sharp on both ends, and I was really proud of the job they did.”
Fox has already committed to play at Washington & Jefferson next year, but for now, she’s got more immediate goals in mind.
“We did not play well against Morgantown earlier this year (a 70-31 loss),” she said, her smile fading a bit. “But we were still trying to find ourselves as a team. We are much better at pushing through adversity now, and if we take care of the ball and play as well as we can, I think we have a great shot against any team we play. We just have to be confident and believe.”
BOX SCORE
Laurel Highlands – 0 3 9 13 – 25
University 19 19 16 13 – 67
Laurel Highlands (5-11) – Paschke 1 0-0 2 Schwertfeger 5 0-2 14 Price 2 2-2 7 Milson 0 2-2 2 Totals 8 4-6 25
University (10-3) – Vanscoy 3 0-0 6 Campbell 3 3-3 10 Cox 5 0-0 14 Fox 5 0-0 11 Bishoff 4 0-0 10 Pattinson 1 0-0 2 Hall 1 1-2 3 King 0 1-2 1 Riffle 4 0-2 8 Bealko 1 0-0 2 Totals 27 5-9 65
3pt goals made: LH 5 (Schwertfeger 4, Price), UHS 8 (Campbell, Cox 4, Fox, Bishoff 2).
