By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
HOLLAND—In 2010, DJ Khaled released the song “All I Do is Win,” with a little help from T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross.
Given the way the Saugatuck girls basketball team has been playing this season, that might as well be the Trailblazers’ theme song.
Saugatuck—ranked sixth in Division 3—collected its 11th straight win in the form of a 57-29 victory over Holland Black River on Friday, Feb. 14.
The win was the third of the week for the Trailblazers, who bested North Muskegon 55-35 on Wednesday, Feb. 11, after beating South Haven 51-48 the previous night.
Saugatuck clinched the divisional title for the second straight year thanks to the triumph over Black River.
“Despite staring a little slow, we were happy with our kids’ effort tonight,” Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said after the Black River game. “Our defense is getting better and post players Maggie Loomis and Nova DeGraff continue to improve.”
Mylah Simpson and Tali Laskowski led the charge for Saugatuck at both ends of the floor.
Defensively, the pair combined for 18 steals. Offensively, Simpson scored a team-best 21 points, with Laskowski next in line with 13 points.
Penny Grob added 10 points to give Saugatuck three double-digit scorers.
The Trailblazers also had three players score in double figures in the North Muskegon game, including 19 from Simpson.
Laskowski was close behind with 17 points, while Kennedy Gustafson chipped in with 10 points as part of her double-double.
Saugatuck jumped out to an 18-8 lead and never looked back.
“I was extremely pleased with how we played,” Tringali said. “This game had a trap written all of it after last night’s tough battle with South Haven, bur our kids got after it right from the jump. To me, that’s another sign of mental growth.”
Speaking of the South Haven game, it was a barn burner from the start, with the Rams leading 11-10 after one quarter and the teams locked at 22-22 at halftime.
Saugatuck built a 39-33 lead after three quarters and held off the Rams and Ly’Nique Cunningham—who scored more than 30 points—in the final frame despite losing Gustafson to fouls with seven minutes remaining.
“Our kids grew up tonight,” Tringali said. “They found a way to play through some adversity and, although tightened up at times, they made the plays when they counted most. It was good for us to be in this situation. The moment wasn’t too big.”
Laskowski netted a team-best 20 points, followed by Simpson with 17 and Gustafson with 10.
The win over South Haven (12-4) was the second for Saugatuck over the Rams in less than a week. The Trailblazers earned a 44-36 decision on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Friday, February 21, 2025
