Focus on defense, taking care of basketball propels Fox Chapel boys into playoffs

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, February 17, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Will Siegel is proud of the role he plays on defense for the Fox Chapel boys basketball team, and Siegel and his teammates want to make sure they don’t waste their effort on one end with mistakes on the other.

Avoiding turning the ball over on offense is paramount for the Foxes.

“If we are defending the whole game, we are likely to lose,” Siegel said. “We want to handle the ball and convert on possessions. If we defend for 32 seconds and give up a basket, we don’t want to give the ball right back. Taking care of the ball is important.”

Fox Chapel was scheduled to open the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs against North Hills on Feb. 19 in a game played after the deadline for this edition. The Foxes finished the regular season with a 12-10 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Section 2-5A.

Fox Chapel recovered from a mid-January swoon to close the season strong. The Foxes suffered an ugly 39-27 loss to section champion Shaler and a 44-42 overtime loss to Penn Hills during a three-game losing skid.

The Foxes bounced back by winning three of their final four games. Fox Chapel beat Plum, Armstrong and Woodland Hills to finish second in the section.

“I think it comes down to our decision-making,” Foxes coach Zack Skrinjar said. “Sometimes we are trying to make perfect plays or force things that aren’t there. We want to take an extra second or two and make a play or pass we are making to make the most sense. If a guy isn’t open, let’s choose another option.”

Fox Chapel had the second-best scoring defense in the section. The Foxes only allowed 47.8 points per contest, which is only behind Shaler, which allows 45 points per game.

Siegel said playing a tough nonsection schedule helped the Foxes prepare for the postseason. Not all of the games went Fox Chapel’s way, including a four-overtime loss against Baldwin, but the experience gained was important.

“We took good advantage of it,” Siegel said. “We took a few losses we didn’t want to, but we took time to get our lineups together. We learned how to play as a team. We were learning how to play with a few new starters and we were ready when section play started.”

Skrinjar was excited for the playoffs to start. He’s hoping Fox Chapel can get back to the state playoffs but knows every step of the road back is difficult.

“It’s one of those things in the back of my mind as a coach,” Skrinjar said. “It might sound strange, but a lot of our guys probably don’t realize they could make states with a win. It really is one game at a time.”

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