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GRANDVILLE - An emotional district title brought an outburst of joy for the Saugatuck girls basketball team.
The emotions flowed again in the regional semifinal, but this time it was an outburst of disappointment and what could have been.
The Trailblazers lost to Kent City 72-67 on Monday, March 9, at Calvin Christian, ending their spectacular season at 22-2.
"It is really tough because we had the pieces to go a little further. It was a one-two possession game," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "That part is going to be tough because we thought we could win this region, but we gave it everything we had."
Saugatuck started strong, leading 20-8 after the first quarter. But a double-digit lead wasn't safe against Kent City, which buried 13 3-pointers to come back and stun the Trailblazers.
More: Saugatuck girls basketball rallies with back-to-back 3s to claim back-to-back district titles
More: Saugatuck girls basketball makes history with third consecutive conference title
"Honestly, it is really disappointing. We definitely had that game; we just came out slower after being up by a good amount. We started to settle and then they started to make shots," Saugatuck senior Talia Laskowski said. "I am going to remember the relationships of this team. Everyone is so close and that was amazing."
The second half was back-and-forth. Saugatuck's Mylah Simpson tied it 47-47 with a three-point play, then did it again to make it 50-49. With 1.7 seconds to go in the third Laskowski was fouled shooting a halfcourt shot and made one free throw to make it 51-49 at the end of three.
Penny Grob banked in two 3-pointers to open the fourth but the Eagles again answered.
Kent City's Laynee Hoffman nailed a 3-pointer then scored twice in transition as the Eagles re-took the lead. Then Brooklyn Skrabis nailed a 3 to push it to 68-63 with 2:40 to go.
Simpson pulled Saugatuck within 69-67 with 1:13 to go with two free throws, giving the Trailblazers one more chance late.
After fouling, the Eagles missed two free throws but the rebound bounces off a couple of Saugatuck players and ended up out of bounds out of bounds.
With 9 seconds remaining, Ellie Hansen put down two free throws to seal the comeback win for the Eagles.
"It takes 32 minutes. This was the game that everything came together. We have a team that can shoot and they all came out shooting," Kent City coach Sonnie Male said. "Saugatuck has great guards and they take it to the rim, finish and get fouls, and dish it. We wanted to know where they were at all times - and they still played a great game - and I am proud of our girls for getting it done."
Saugatuck started with focused energy.
Grob banked in a 3-pointer, then Laskowski scored on a nice pass under the basket from Charlee Gustafson. After a turnover, Simpson darted to the basket and dumped off a perfect pass to Grob in stride for the layup and a 16-6 lead. Ada Roth nailed a 3-pointer from the corner and Saugatuck led 20-8 after one quarter.
The Eagles put together a 12-3 run to end the thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Ellie Hansen and cut the Saugatuck lead to 33-26 at the break.
Simpson opened the second half with a three-point play. But then the 3-pointers started falling for the Eagles.
Hansen, Hoffman and Kensington Freeland each nailed multiple 3-pointers as the barrage swung the momentum of the game.
"They got hot and exposed the corners with their shooting," Tringali said. "But our kids never quit."
More: How Penny Grob rose to winningest Saugatuck player in history
More: Ada Roth battles through two ACL tears to finally play in Never Forgotten Game
Laskowski finished with 21 points to lead the Trailblazers. Simpson was 7-for-8 from the line and had 16 points. Grob finished with 16 behind four 3-pointers.
It was the final game for Laskowski, Grob, Roth, Jordan Sanders and Ashtyn O'Neill.
"Our senior group is phenomenal. I am going to remember how much this group cares about each other. The genuine love for one another made this team special," Tringali said. "They gave me everything they had and helped bring our community together and our school."
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 falls to Kent City in regional semifinals
Continue reading...
The emotions flowed again in the regional semifinal, but this time it was an outburst of disappointment and what could have been.
The Trailblazers lost to Kent City 72-67 on Monday, March 9, at Calvin Christian, ending their spectacular season at 22-2.
"It is really tough because we had the pieces to go a little further. It was a one-two possession game," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "That part is going to be tough because we thought we could win this region, but we gave it everything we had."
Saugatuck started strong, leading 20-8 after the first quarter. But a double-digit lead wasn't safe against Kent City, which buried 13 3-pointers to come back and stun the Trailblazers.
More: Saugatuck girls basketball rallies with back-to-back 3s to claim back-to-back district titles
More: Saugatuck girls basketball makes history with third consecutive conference title
"Honestly, it is really disappointing. We definitely had that game; we just came out slower after being up by a good amount. We started to settle and then they started to make shots," Saugatuck senior Talia Laskowski said. "I am going to remember the relationships of this team. Everyone is so close and that was amazing."
The second half was back-and-forth. Saugatuck's Mylah Simpson tied it 47-47 with a three-point play, then did it again to make it 50-49. With 1.7 seconds to go in the third Laskowski was fouled shooting a halfcourt shot and made one free throw to make it 51-49 at the end of three.
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Penny Grob banked in two 3-pointers to open the fourth but the Eagles again answered.
Kent City's Laynee Hoffman nailed a 3-pointer then scored twice in transition as the Eagles re-took the lead. Then Brooklyn Skrabis nailed a 3 to push it to 68-63 with 2:40 to go.
Simpson pulled Saugatuck within 69-67 with 1:13 to go with two free throws, giving the Trailblazers one more chance late.
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After fouling, the Eagles missed two free throws but the rebound bounces off a couple of Saugatuck players and ended up out of bounds out of bounds.
With 9 seconds remaining, Ellie Hansen put down two free throws to seal the comeback win for the Eagles.
"It takes 32 minutes. This was the game that everything came together. We have a team that can shoot and they all came out shooting," Kent City coach Sonnie Male said. "Saugatuck has great guards and they take it to the rim, finish and get fouls, and dish it. We wanted to know where they were at all times - and they still played a great game - and I am proud of our girls for getting it done."
You must be registered for see images attach
Saugatuck started with focused energy.
Grob banked in a 3-pointer, then Laskowski scored on a nice pass under the basket from Charlee Gustafson. After a turnover, Simpson darted to the basket and dumped off a perfect pass to Grob in stride for the layup and a 16-6 lead. Ada Roth nailed a 3-pointer from the corner and Saugatuck led 20-8 after one quarter.
The Eagles put together a 12-3 run to end the thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Ellie Hansen and cut the Saugatuck lead to 33-26 at the break.
Simpson opened the second half with a three-point play. But then the 3-pointers started falling for the Eagles.
You must be registered for see images attach
Hansen, Hoffman and Kensington Freeland each nailed multiple 3-pointers as the barrage swung the momentum of the game.
"They got hot and exposed the corners with their shooting," Tringali said. "But our kids never quit."
More: How Penny Grob rose to winningest Saugatuck player in history
More: Ada Roth battles through two ACL tears to finally play in Never Forgotten Game
Laskowski finished with 21 points to lead the Trailblazers. Simpson was 7-for-8 from the line and had 16 points. Grob finished with 16 behind four 3-pointers.
It was the final game for Laskowski, Grob, Roth, Jordan Sanders and Ashtyn O'Neill.
"Our senior group is phenomenal. I am going to remember how much this group cares about each other. The genuine love for one another made this team special," Tringali said. "They gave me everything they had and helped bring our community together and our school."
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 falls to Kent City in regional semifinals
Continue reading...
