Birschbach Hopes To Lead Fox Girls Hoops Back From Difficult Early Season Start

When the members of the Fox High School girls basketball team emerged from their locker room after Tuesday night’s 28-23 loss to district rival Seckman High School, almost every one of them was smiling and seemed to have put the defeat behind them.

Even coach Jeremy Donald seemed upbeat and mostly encouraged by the Warriors’ strong effort against the Jaguars on Tuesday.

But one person, sophomore guard and team-leading scorer Erin Birschbach, came out of the locker room with tears in her eyes. She was nearly inconsolable because she was unable to lead Fox to what would’ve been a big win for this year’s team as well as the entire program.

“I just really wanted to win it for (assistant coach Tim) Meeks,” Birschbach said. “He used to coach here (at Seckman), and it would’ve been a big deal for us to win it for him tonight.”

And that sentiment is the true essence of Fox’s tireless young leader, who rarely leaves the court during a game and leads the Warriors on offense and defense, despite being one of the youngest players on a team that features eight upperclassmen.

“We’re a very, very close team, and we all respect each other,” Birschbach said. “We’ve played together for a long time, and age never comes up.

“We always try to pick each other up. I know my teammates are always there for me, when I need help. So I try to be there for them.”

And that certainly was the case on Tuesday, when Birschbach scored 14 of Fox’s 21 total points against Seckman and helped lead the Warriors to one of their best defensive efforts of the season.

The 28 points allowed is the least amount of points Fox has allowed in a game all season. The effort nearly led to a dramatic win when Birschbach found herself wide open for a 3-pointer during the late stages of Tuesday’s ballgame.

“Oh man, I was so excited. I thought it was in,” Birschbach said of her last-minute 3-point attempt that hit front and back rim but didn’t go in. “I was so open, and I took my time. I was so mad that I missed that shot.”

The missed shot led to a series of game-clinching free throw attempts for Seckman, which won the game with six made freethrows in the final minute of the game.

Despite the loss, Donald had nothing but praise for his Warriors’ effort and spirit, especially Birschbach, who played nearly every minute until she fouled out with seconds left in the game.

“I thought Erin was fantastic on defense,” he said. “And if we can play that kind of defense all the time, we’re going to win more games than we have so far.”

Fox has one win in seven games this season, which has made the early part of the season difficult to take for Birschbach and her teammates.

But rather than sulk, it’s clear the team, and especially its leader, is determined to turn things around.

“It sucks to lose,” Birschbach said. “And we know we’re not playing at our best. But we’re getting there. We just got to stick together and do whatever’s possible to get better.”

Fox will get its chance to get better over the winter holiday break, when it plays in the Seckman Christmas Tournament, which begins at Seckman Tuesday.

That day, the Warriors will take on St. Clair (MO) High School in a 3 p.m. first-round game, with the winner advancing to the semifinals the following day, against the winner of the Festus-Northwest first-round game.

“I’m very encouraged by how we played tonight,” Donald said. “I feel like we’re really close to getting to where we want to be.”