Impressive Inland Lakes girls basketball season ends in regional loss to St. Ignace
HARBOR SPRINGS – The Inland Lakes girls basketball team scrapped and clawed against longtime state powerhouse St. Ignace on Monday.
But the Bulldogs knew four strong quarters of basketball were required to knock off a team as talented as the Saints. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they weren’t consistent enough and saw their season end with a 59-35 loss in a MHSAA Division 4 regional semifinal at Harbor Light.
Following the Bulldogs’ defeat, here’s some takeaways from Monday’s clash.
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Saints take control in third
It took a while for the Saints (17-7) to hit another gear, but they did so with a magnificent third quarter, which saw them overpower the Bulldogs (18-7) with suffocating defense and brilliant offensive execution. Spearheading St. Ignace was junior guard Jillian Frasier, who keyed an 11-1 run that helped the Saints build a commanding 36-17 advantage midway through the period.
“I just liked the fact that we took advantage of (Inland Lakes) sometimes overplaying, and we were getting some backdoor cuts,” St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls said. “We don’t see a lot of (man-to-man) defense, so it was good for us to get that experience. Both teams had their centers in foul trouble, so that kind of made it interesting, but I was really proud.”
Frasier’s 16 points led the Saints, who received 15 from Avery Visnaw and 14 from Cadence Cullen, while Addison Cullen and Gabby Adams added six and five points respectively. Allison Cece had three.
Not enough offense
While the Bulldogs tried their best to stay close, poor shooting and turnovers let them down.
“Before the game, I said if we play four full quarters, we have a legitimate chance,” Inland Lakes coach Daryl Vizina said. “We played three against Onaway and got away with it, we played three against Gaylord St. Mary’s and got away with it, and we played three tonight. A team that plays this hard, rebounds this hard, has this much talent, you have a period maybe where we just weren’t quite as focused as what it takes.
“I’m really proud of the girls. At no point was it effort related, at no point did they quit."
Sparking the Bulldogs early was junior Brooklyn LaBrecque, who scored each of her team-high 11 points in the first half. LaBrecque knocked down three 3-pointers during the first two quarters.
Playing in her final game as a Bulldog, senior Taylor Jones finished with eight points, while Chloe Robinson had seven, Mary Myshock tallied four, Marissa Kolly recorded three, and Elizabeth Furman registered two.
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A stellar season
Monday marked the end of an highly successful campaign for the Bulldogs, who won an outright Ski Valley Conference title and a second consecutive district crown under Vizina. Despite being a young squad, Inland Lakes maintained the momentum it built following last year’s district breakthrough and followed it up with two more trophies this winter.
“We kind of felt like from the outset that we were underdogs,” Vizina said. “We had one starter back, really, and Tara (Clancy) got hurt right at the beginning. We compete. We’re not always the prettiest team, but we play defense, we compete, we try hard, and as a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
Onto the final
For the Saints, they’ll return to the regional final for the first time since 2021 when they face Munising in a 7 p.m. clash at Newberry on Wednesday.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Inland Lakes overpowered by St. Ignace in girls basketball regional loss
