Glen Lake enters the girls basketball season with renewed determination after last year’s regional final loss, bringing a reloaded roster and heightened expectations.
The Lakers begin their season at Manton on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m., followed by a challenging matchup against Harbor Springs at 7 p.m. Last season, Glen Lake started strong with a statement victory over TC St. Francis.
This season marks a transition for the Lakers as they move up from MHSAA Division 4 to Division 3. The program has alternated between these divisions over the past four years, with classifications determined by school enrollment numbers and overall division sizes.
“Our biggest goal is to see steady improvement in every practice and every game,” Glen Lake coach Brad Fosmore said. “We are young but very enthusiastic, hardworking, and willing to learn.”
Fosmore, now in his second season at the helm, leads the Lakers into a competitive Northwest Conference that promises to be formidable again this year.
“There is a lot of young talent coming up on several teams. We will have to be ready to play every night,” Fosmore said. “The conference is going to be very tough ... Everybody top to bottom ... It’s gonna be very balanced,” Fosmore said.
Glen Lake fell to Frankfort in a regional final last year 45-42. The Lakers defeated St. Mary in a 68-42 district final to capture its fifth championship in-a-row. Glen Lake is coming off of two state championship appearances in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Lakers have won five Northwest Conference Championships ina- row.
The Lakers plan to implement an up-tempo style this season, emphasizing pressure defense to create turnovers and transition scoring opportunities. The Lakers will be looking to secure a Northwest Conference Championship, district championship, and beyond.
The roster features two senior leaders in Jessie Pugh and Tila Shimek, along with a robust underclass that includes a large sophomore group, several juniors, and an incoming freshman class.
Glen Lake will have to replace dominant Eleanor Valkner on the inside to remain competitve.
“It feels good. I think it’s crazy how (my senior year) went by so fast,” Tila Shimek said. “My favorite thing is building new relationships with the younger girls because we don’t get a lot of time to play with them. But, in practice sometimes, we scrimmage together, and it’s fun.”
Pugh added: “The new freshmen, they’re not shy at all. They’ll shoot it and I’m stepping into that leadership role, it’s truly different because we’ve had a lot of good leaders in front of us, so just doing that is a big step for us,” Pugh said. “I like meeting new people and getting to know them.”
Glen Lake sophomore standout Lydia Fosmore returns as the team’s offensive catalyst, looking to build upon an impressive freshman campaign where she emerged as the Lakers’ scoring leader, defender, and more. The walking double-double is ready to leave her mark on northern Michigan and beyond.
“We’re going to be pushing the ball a lot more. We’re gonna be a lot more aggressive ... We’re going to be running the ball a lot more, which is really exciting,” Fosmore said.
“I like the adrenaline of the start of the season because you just really build off of that throughout the whole season. I like meeting the new girls and because we’re going to be together for a long time, you got to build good relationships.”
