By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
It appeared as though the Saugatuck girls basketball team was going to have a tough game on Friday, Feb. 21, as visiting Gobles jumped out to an 8-0 lead.
But as is so often the case, appearances can be deceiving.
The Trailblazers bounced back to outscore Gobles 27-6 the remainder of the opening quarter and never looked back in securing the 79-46 win.
In addition to giving the team’s four seniors some good memories of Senior Night, the victory also put the finishing touches on Saugatuck’s second straight SAC Central championship. The Trailblazers, who improved to 19-1 overall with their 13th straight win, finished a perfect 10-0 in the division.
Defense was the key to Saugatuck’s success, according to coach Kevin Tringali, with “steals and full-court pressure” helping to stake the Trailblazers to a 65-37 lead through three quarters.
Four players scored in double figures for Saugatuck, with the dynamic guard duo of junior Tali Laskowski and sophomore Mylah Simpson combined for 42 points. Senior post Kennedy Gustafson added 18 points, with junior power forward Maggie Loomis finishing with a career-high 14 points.
Two days earlier, Saugatuck hosted Martin in a makeup game and came away with the 68-38 victory.
The game came just one day after a 58-47 win over Kalamazoo Christian.
“We have been hammering home the point of always having a championship mindset and effort regardless of the circumstances,” Tringali said. “Our kids understand this, as you could see by their effort tonight.
“This was a game where they could have dipped below the expectations they have on themselves, especially after last night’s game. But they didn’t do that and for that we are extremely pleased.”
Saugatuck led 22-9 at the end of the first period and extended that lead to 40-14 at halftime.
Seven Saugatuck players found their way into the scoring column, led again by Laskowski with 21 points and Simpson with 20.
The game with Kalamazoo Christian was a battle of two state-ranked teams. And the Trailblazers responded with what Tringali called “our best overall game of the season.”
Laskowski paced Saugatuck with a game-high 24 points.
“But it was her several steals and assist that really helped us,” Tringali said.
Gustafson recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 12 points, and Simpson finished with 11 points that included a 3-pointer late in the game.
“We are so proud of how resilient our kids were tonight,” Tringali said. “It was a heavyweight fight from start to finish, but we kept our poise every time they made a run. We valued every possession as we only had 13 turnovers.
“We lost our player a few times on the perimeter and they made us pay, but we seemed to always find a response, especially the way Tali was coming off screens and getting to the hoop.”
Saugatuck took a 27-20 lead into the break but saw that lead trimmed to 38-37 after three quarters. A 20-9 fourth-quarter run sealed the game for Saugatuck.
Monday, March 03, 2025
