Trailing by seven at halftime, the Glen Lake girls basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat Kingsley 54-45 and capture an MHSAA D4 district championship Friday.
The Lakers moved to a regional semifinal against Morely Stanwood (21-3) at Lake City tonight at 7 p.m.
“We just had a great week. The girls brought the right energy to practice all week,” Glen Lake coach Brad Fosmore said. “And everybody, everybody played their roles, even the girls that didn’t play in the game. It was just a great team win.”
Fosmore was also proud of his team’s ability to keep cool under pressure. “(Kingsley) is very good at pressuring you, but we handled it well tonight and did a really good job,” he said. “I really credit our defense.”
With a packed student section from both schools and a loud, energized gym, the Lakers weathered a physical contest before pulling away in the fourth quarter to secure the district title.
Kingsley led early and finished the first quarter ahead 12-10 after a tightly contested opening period that included a couple of trips to the free-throw line for both teams.
The Stags continued to pressure Glen Lake in the second quarter, forcing multiple steals and building a seven-point lead. Kingsley went into halftime ahead 28-21 as the Lakers struggled to find offensive rhythm late in the half.
Kingsley maintained momentum coming out of the break and stretched its lead to 32-23 midway through the third quarter. But the Lakers clawed their way back. Fueled by renewed defensive intensity and well-placed baskets, Glen Lake closed the third quarter on a run that got them to only one point behind. The Lakers took full control in the final quarter, quickly increasing their lead by 5. They maintained their advantage from the free-throw line in the final minutes as Kingsley was forced to foul. Lydia Fosmore led the Lakers with 18 points, while Delanie Dembowske added 13, and Laila Shimek finished with nine.
