By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
HOLLAND—It would be fair to say the girls basketball game between Saugatuck and Holland Black River didn’t start exactly the way Trailblazers coach Kevin Tringali had been hoping.
Saugatuck fell behind 7-2 and one quarter and were down by as many as 12 points at 16-4 midway through the second stanza.
“(Black River) Coach (Brent) Rowe always does a great job with his team and tonight was no different,” Tringali said. “They came ready to play and we were out of sync, especially early.”
Fortunately for Tringali, his players managed to find their rhythm—at least enough—to secure the 40-34 win in comeback fashion.
The victory upped Saugatuck’s record to 13-9 and extended its winning streak to four as it prepared to begin postseason play.
“It was a hard-fought victory,” Tringali said. “We were extremely careless with the ball early on for whatever reason. It’s something that must be cleaned up if we want to reach our postseason goal.”
Saugatuck took its first lead of the game at 25-24 midway through the third quarter and ended the frame with a 13-4 scoring edge to go up 27-24.
“To keep our composure and grind this out is a testament to our resolve,” Tringali said.
The Trailblazers drew a bye in the opening round of district play on Monday, Feb. 27. They were scheduled to play the winning of the Fennville vs. Black River game in a district semifinal on Wednesday, March 1.
The district title is slated for Friday, March 3, with a 7 p.m. tipoff at North Muskegon High School.
“I can promise it will be a nail-biter again if we meet up with (Black River) Wednesday,” Tringali said. “Regardless of who we play in the postseason, we can’t get off to another slow start.”