The Lakers girls basketball team sails into the 2025-26 season with aspirations to compete for a Northwest Conference championship and beyond.
Glen Lake will be a junior-led team, with one lone senior, Grace Noonan, ready to attack her final season in Laker threads.
“I’m ready to take it on and help lead our team. Not just on the floor, but with our chemistry off the floor, allowing us to be really close together this season,” Noonan said. “It’s the last ride, we really want to show everybody what we’re made of and what we can do as a team.”
Glen Lake girls basketball starts the season against Elk Rapids Dec. 9 before hosting Suttons Bay, Dec. 11, and Benzie Central, Dec. 16.
The Lakers will play in the Elk Rapids Invitational against Traverse City St. Francis and Elk Rapids Dec. 19.
“This year we have a lot of varsity experience, and we have a lot of girls coming up,” Glen Lake junior Lydia Fosmore said. “We have to come out strong and show what we’re made of. We have a lot of strengths that we can put out onto the court.”
Fosmore is returning as the Lakers’ leading scorer, earning a dream team spot as a sophomore. She led with 13 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.
Glen Lake will have to ramp up the offense after finishing sixth overall in the Northwest Conference with a record of 6-8.
The Lakers had an up-anddown 2024-25 season, finishing 10-14 overall.
Glen Lake won in the first round of districts against Elk Rapids 34-24, before falling to Manton in the district semifinal 52-31.
Glen Lake junior Laila Shimek says that her team feels like family on the court. Shimek said the team is focused on the fundamentals and stamina. One of the main goals would be keeping the turnovers under 10 (per game),” Shimek said.
L.L. St. Mary girls basketball previews
Lake Leelanau St. Mary girls basketball team enters the 202526 season in a new era as the Eagles welcome Anya Woods as the new varsity coach.
The girls tip-off the season against rival Leland, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., before facing Traverse City St. Francis and Cedarville (DeTour) Dec. 12-13.
The Eagles are coming off a 15-7 season that finished with a 32-23 loss to the Comets in the district semifinal.
Woods is a Suttons Bay gradu- ate and a member of St. Mary parish.
She was in the military for six years before moving home and working at the family company.
“I loved basketball and wanted to be a part of the basketball community again,” Woods said. “St. Mary’s has a lot of potential for growth for where this basketball program can go.
They have a lot of talent and skill, so it’s going to be phenomenal to watch them grow and develop.”
The Eagles will be led by seniors Mackenzie Schaub and Bridget Kohler, both of whom return with experience. Lake Leelanau will have to replace the production of graduate leaders Cathryn Mikowski and Kyla Barnowski, who both averaged over 10 points a game.
“We need to play together as a family, as a team, and as one unit, and as long as we communicate and help each other. We’ll be fine,” Makenzie Schaub said, and Bidget Kohler added. “We are going to keep each other up as much as we can and have each other’s backs on our down days, or even on our best days. We will hold each other accountable.”
The Eagles, first and foremost, will focus on their Catholic faith and the power of prayer before and after practice.
“We’re working on developing ourselves so that when we come together as a team, we can be better for each other. Our biggest key this year is to be a group and work together as a team,” Woods said. “There’s a lot of potential in these girls.
They’re great with each other. They have grace and patience with each other.”
