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GOBLES - Winning a conference championship is difficult to do in West Michigan.
The Saugatuck girls accomplished something almost no other team has accomplished on Friday, Feb. 20, clinching their third consecutive SAC Division title with a 79-29 win at Gobles.
The Trailblazers are 19-1 and 9-0 in the SAC Lakeshore.
"It means a lot. The biggest thing is we really play together," junior Mylah Simpson said. "Our team is always focused because that helps us continue to be ready for bigger games."
The only other girls program to win three conference titles in a row this century is Hamilton from 2017-19.
"This is a sign of our culture. It is a testament to the kids who have stuck in our program for a long time," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "You do something over a longer period of time in any sport, it leads back to the culture."
More: How Penny Grob rose to winningest Saugatuck player in history
More: No. 10 Saugatuck girls make another statement by dominating bigger school
The Trailblazers weren't sure they were going to get to play. Leading 2-0 the power in half the gym went out.
Once it was fixed, the Trailblazers shot the lights out, leading 15-0 before Gobles got on the board.
Talia Laskowski had 25 points to lead Saugatuck. Mylan Simpson scored 19 points. Penny Grob scored 15 and Charlee Gustafson added 11.
"We are so proud," Grob said. "We work so hard at practice every day. Everyone has been keeping up their part of this journey on this team. That is what got us here."
Saugatuck, ranked No. 10 in Division 3, has proved it to the bigger schools in the area, too. The Trailblazers beat Division 1 Zeeland West, which is 15-5 and defeated every other area team that Saugatuck didn't face, including a split with Holland Christian. It is proof how strong Saugatuck is, and has been more the past quarter century.
"It is so special to come into an already established community and be able to help along the way has just been amazing," said Laskowski, who joined Saugatuck as a junior after being homeschooled.
In 2004, Saugatuck had a 20-0 regular-season team, led by four future college players in Jenna Saarela (Northern Michigan), Beth Masopust (Wheaton), Tristen Smith (Spring Arbor) and Ali Keag (Cornerstone). and the next decade won a couple of conference titles, the latter with the best female athlete in school history, Ana Capotosto, who went on to play, start and become captain at the University of Toledo.
The most recent wave started with a couple of future college players in Brooke Simpson and Kennedy Gustafson. Simpson became the second Saugatuck player to play NCAA Division I basketball at Ball State and Loyola. Gustafson plays for Wartburg in Division III.
This year's group has a couple of players with close to that level of basketball talent in guards Laskowski and Simpson. Laskowski was all-state first-team last year and Simpson was honorable mention.
They both area headed to all-state honors this year, too.
Joined by Grob, a four-year starter, they have created a defense-first, running version of what has been known as "Run T-M-P." Add a hungry forward finally getting to play after two knee injuries (Ada Roth), and another Gustafson and you have the starting five of a 19-1 team - a conference champion.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck girls basketball claims third straight SAC conference title
Continue reading...
The Saugatuck girls accomplished something almost no other team has accomplished on Friday, Feb. 20, clinching their third consecutive SAC Division title with a 79-29 win at Gobles.
The Trailblazers are 19-1 and 9-0 in the SAC Lakeshore.
"It means a lot. The biggest thing is we really play together," junior Mylah Simpson said. "Our team is always focused because that helps us continue to be ready for bigger games."
The only other girls program to win three conference titles in a row this century is Hamilton from 2017-19.
"This is a sign of our culture. It is a testament to the kids who have stuck in our program for a long time," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "You do something over a longer period of time in any sport, it leads back to the culture."
More: How Penny Grob rose to winningest Saugatuck player in history
More: No. 10 Saugatuck girls make another statement by dominating bigger school
The Trailblazers weren't sure they were going to get to play. Leading 2-0 the power in half the gym went out.
Once it was fixed, the Trailblazers shot the lights out, leading 15-0 before Gobles got on the board.
Talia Laskowski had 25 points to lead Saugatuck. Mylan Simpson scored 19 points. Penny Grob scored 15 and Charlee Gustafson added 11.
"We are so proud," Grob said. "We work so hard at practice every day. Everyone has been keeping up their part of this journey on this team. That is what got us here."
Saugatuck, ranked No. 10 in Division 3, has proved it to the bigger schools in the area, too. The Trailblazers beat Division 1 Zeeland West, which is 15-5 and defeated every other area team that Saugatuck didn't face, including a split with Holland Christian. It is proof how strong Saugatuck is, and has been more the past quarter century.
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"It is so special to come into an already established community and be able to help along the way has just been amazing," said Laskowski, who joined Saugatuck as a junior after being homeschooled.
In 2004, Saugatuck had a 20-0 regular-season team, led by four future college players in Jenna Saarela (Northern Michigan), Beth Masopust (Wheaton), Tristen Smith (Spring Arbor) and Ali Keag (Cornerstone). and the next decade won a couple of conference titles, the latter with the best female athlete in school history, Ana Capotosto, who went on to play, start and become captain at the University of Toledo.
The most recent wave started with a couple of future college players in Brooke Simpson and Kennedy Gustafson. Simpson became the second Saugatuck player to play NCAA Division I basketball at Ball State and Loyola. Gustafson plays for Wartburg in Division III.
This year's group has a couple of players with close to that level of basketball talent in guards Laskowski and Simpson. Laskowski was all-state first-team last year and Simpson was honorable mention.
They both area headed to all-state honors this year, too.
Joined by Grob, a four-year starter, they have created a defense-first, running version of what has been known as "Run T-M-P." Add a hungry forward finally getting to play after two knee injuries (Ada Roth), and another Gustafson and you have the starting five of a 19-1 team - a conference champion.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck girls basketball claims third straight SAC conference title
Continue reading...
