By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
MUSKEGON—It’s been said that all good things must eventually come to an end.
For the Saugatuck girls basketball team, the end of its season-opening winning streak ended at the hands of host Western Michigan Christian on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Not that the Trailblazers went down without a fight.
After falling behind 25-17 at the end of the opening stanza, Saugatuck battled all the way back to take a 54-52 lead late in the final frame.
But WMC wouldn’t be denied, ending the game on a 7-1 scoring run to claim the 59-55 victory.
The loss was the first of the season for the Trailblazers following eight straight wins.
Despite the game’s outcome, Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali had nothing but praise for his team when it came to its effort level.
“I am incredibly proud of how scratched and clawed are way back tonight,” he said. “It’s been a crazy week with the weather and no school, yet our kids stayed relentless until the final buzzer.”
Tringali knew going into the game that WMC would present a formidable challenge, especially on its home court. And that’s exactly the reason he wanted to schedule the game, similar to the road contest against Zeeland West the previous week.
“They are a very good and physical team as this was yet another great test for us,” Tringali said of WMC. “We are so thankful we got this in and, just like Zeeland West, I feel we need to play against these strong programs in some tough environments.”
Saugatuck beat Zeeland West, which entered the game unbeaten, 43-40 on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
“Tonight’s result changes absolutely nothing for us,” Tringali said. “All of our season goals are still in front of us.”
After finding itself down by eight points after the opening stanza, Saugatuck methodically fought back. The deficit stood at 30-24 at halftime and was down to a single point at 46-45 at the end of the third quarter.
And while the Trailblazers did take the 54-52 lead, they weren’t quite able to put the game away.
“We just couldn’t finish possessions down the stretch,” Tringali said. “I promise you we will cringe when we watch film and see our missed opportunities. But I also promise we will grow and be better for it.”
Mylah Simpson scored a team-topping 22 points in the loss. Penny Grob and Charlee Gustafson joined her in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Gustafson also had a team-best five rebounds.
Talia Laskowski chipped in with eight points, six assists and three steals.
Ada Roth and Jordan Sanders rounded out the scoring for Saugatuck with two points each.
For WMC, Madie Folkema had 25 points, followed by Abigail Derdowski with 13. Derdowski also had 13 rebounds.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
