Lake Leelanau St. Mary girls basketball enter the 2024-25 season with high expectations, powered by an experienced senior-laden roster.
The Eagles’ eight-player roster features five battle-tested seniors, complemented by two underclassmen and one freshman.
In a significant transition, the program welcomes veteran boys coach Matt Barnowski to lead the girls team, following the retirement of Clint Couturier after last season.
The Eagles launch their campaign with a home opener against Benzie on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m., marking the beginning of a new era for both boys and girls programs.
The team is focused on implementing fresh offensive and defensive schemes.
“We’ve thrown a lot at the girls in the last week and they’re catching on. We’ve got some improvements to make on the defensive side of things,” Barnowski said. “They’re very focused ... It’s funny, I hate to say it, but they have a chip on their shoulder still from last year. They’ve got some targets out on some teams, and they’ve all set individual and team goals, and we know what they are. They’re going to work their butts off.”
The Eagles primary objective: securing a district championship. Glen Lake upset the Eagles in a district final last season 68-42, as the Lakers caught its fifth district championship in a row (Div. 3 & 4). St. Mary defeated Glen Lake for the first time ever last year 52-42.
“We’re not overly concerned with what our regular season record is. They’re really focused on trying to get a district championship this year ... Go as far in the tournament as possible ... as long as we’re learning every single game and we’re making improvements, I consider that a success,” Barnowski said.
Competing in Division 4 presents a fresh opportunity for St. Mary, no longer facing the perennial powerhouse Glen Lake that has dominated their matchups in recent years.
The postseason path could lead to challenging regional final matchups for any county team against either Gaylord St. Mary or Mio. The latter features the reigning Division 4 Player of the Year, Mia McGregor, who earned the prestigious honor.
“We’re all seniors and we really want it this year. We want coach to push us hard and push us to our full potential,” St. Mary senior Lyra Barnowski said.
The senior leadership core includes Cathryn Mikowski, Barnowski, and Muriel Korson, along with Jessica Grant and Lizzie Liggett, all preparing for their final season in Eagle blue and white.
“(This season) is a lot different. We’re gonna be a lot more fast paced,” Mikowski said.
St. Mary will have to replace the production former ballers Della and Sarah Bunek, Delana along with Leah Fleis if they hope to have a successful season.
For Korson, her favorite part is being with the team, “I’m just excited to play and see what happens this season. Especially to work with my team because we’re all seniors,” she said. “We just need to work on our game and work together ... (My favorite part) is definitely the team and we have team dinners. It’s so fun to be around these girls.”
A recent scrimmage at Boyne City provided valuable insights into areas needing refinement as the season approaches.
“Once we get into the groove of things, our new offense, I think we’ll play a lot better together and, yeah, beat teams,” Mikowski said.
