Benet senior forward Emma Briggs had a little extra incentive to play well.
The Furman commit was celebrating her 17th birthday.
“I brought extra energy,” Briggs said. “I definitely want to play really well on my birthday, especially because it is senior year.
“I don’t know if that made an impact, but it definitely energized me, gave me more motivation. But every game has to be the best that I can play.”
The 6-foot Briggs was definitely at her best on what can be called her super 17th. She recorded a career-high 26 points, a team-high nine rebounds and a game-high four steals to lift the Redwings to a 44-32 victory over St. Ignatius at Fremd’s Dave Yates Chicagoland Showcase in Palatine on Saturday.
“She was the birthday beast today,” Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. “We really needed her. We were just struggling.”
Indeed, the Redwings (6-1) shot 3 for 18 in the first quarter against the tenacious defense of St. Ignatius (4-3), the Class 3A state runner-up last season, and led 7-6. Briggs then scored 13 points in the second quarter, sinking six straight shots, as Benet extended its lead to 27-15 at halftime.
“We were getting good looks,” Kilbride said. “We were just for whatever reason not making them, so Emma was able to find her way to the rim in the second quarter. We made a couple open shots and got some cushion.”
Briggs scored in a variety of ways, including two left-handed drives, a turnaround jumper, a 3-pointer off a feed from senior guard Sailer Jones and finally a fast-break layup which junior guard Ava Mersinger set up with a long outlet feed.
Briggs’ mindset during that run was simple.
“It was just bring the intensity up,” she said. “We knew if we’re missing the first shot, we’ll make the next shot, we’ll make the rest.
“That’s the mindset that we have to have. So we had to keep shooting the ball and keep the intensity up.”
Briggs kept the intensity up at both ends of the court. Whenever the Redwings needed a big play, Briggs came through. She scored the game’s final five points.
“Emma just makes it really easy,” Jones said. “We have a lot of plays to get Emma the ball.
“Me, as well as the full team, have full confidence in her. When she gets the ball, she’s going to do something good with it. We make it work.”
Benet’s Emma Briggs pushes the ball up the court against St. Ignatius during a game in the Dave Yates Chicagoland Showcase at Fremd in Palatine on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / Naperville Sun)
Kilbride was not shocked by Briggs’ performance.
“Honestly, she’s been playing really well for us, so this is kind of a continuation of that,” Kilbride said. “She’s a great passer, and her and Bridget (Rifenburg) are such a tough matchup in space.”
The Richmond-bound Rifenburg and Briggs are four-year varsity players and the unquestioned leaders of the team.
“She’s really stepped into that leadership role this year,” Jones said of Briggs. “Obviously she was (a leader) last year, but I think she’s really embraced it this year.
“When she said she brought the energy, she makes it sound like it was just today. But she brings it every game, and it kind of helps pick everybody else up and just keeps everyone else going. So that’s great to have in a leader.”
Benet’s Emma Briggs smiles after a win against St. Ignatius in the Dave Yates Chicagoland Showcase at Fremd in Palatine on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Brian O’Mahoney / Naperville Sun)
Briggs, who was the quarterback on Benet’s flag football team, said she isn’t leading by herself. Other seniors like Rifenburg and Jones are helping her in the Redwings’ quest to win a state championship.
“The group of seniors we have this year, it’s my best friends,” Briggs said. “We are always together, so I definitely think our chemistry is what’s important.
“Our goals are to make it to state and have the best season we can on the way there because it doesn’t matter now as much as it does in February or March. It matters more in that final week than it does now.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/basketball-benet-emma-briggs/
