SAUGATUCK – Mylah Simpson could understandably feel a little overshadowed.
When she came to Saugatuck as a freshman, her older sister was a senior on her way to an NCAA Division I scholarship.
Then homeschool star Talia Laskowski joined the Trailblazers last season and earned first-team all-state honors.
But Simpson is too busy working to think about anything like that. She has just performed, reaching 1,000 career points and being a constant force on the court.
The junior was an honorable mention all-state performer last season and is even better this year, averaging nearly 20 points per game and playing superb defense – teaming with Laskowski to form perhaps the best guard tandem the Holland area has seen.
Simpson had 17 points to lead No. 10 Saugatuck to a 56-34 win over Black River in the Division 3 district semifinals on Wednesday, March 4, at home.
“Mylah is the most driven player I have ever been around,” Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. “She always puts her teammates first and is all in, all the time.”
The Trailblazers (22-1) will host the winner of the Calvin Christian-Potter’s House game in the district finals at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6.
“Mylah’s IQ is super high. She knows what her skills are and if she can make it to the rack, she is going to get there,” Laskowski said.
Simpson said it is all about the bigger goals, including the district finals on Friday.
“We all work really hard together and that everyone does the things that we need to do,” Simpson said.
Simpson herself is getting looks from NCAA Division I schools as a 5-11 guard who can shoot, drive, pass, rebound and defend.
She has done all of this despite a shoulder injury that has limited her mobility and caused a lot of pain.
But Simpson has just quietly pushed through that pain to become one of the top guards in the state.
She and Grob got going early in the district semifinals.
“Our energy was really there in the beginning. We were pressing hard and defense leads to offense,” Simpson said.
Laskowski scored 14 points and had 10 steals. Penny Grob had 12 points, including two early 3-pointers.
“When Penny gets going that is really important. When you have Ada Roth and Penny knocking down shots, you have to worry about more than Talia and Mylah,” Tringali said.
Grob said it was an important start, one she would like to replicate.
“Personally, it felt great. It set my mood for the rest of the game. Usually I have a habit of not playing my best early in the game and start going crazy in the second half,” Grob said. “It got us going and having my teammates cheer me on like that really meant a lot and brought our energy up.”
Black River was led by Delyla Martinez with 10 points and Megan Davis with nine.
DIVISION 3
Otsego 45, Hamilton 38
The Hawkeyes lost in the Division 2 district semifinals on Wednesday, March 4, at home.
Lean Brink scored 14 points and Brooke Petroelje had 12.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Mylah Simpson, quick start, powers Saugatuck girls basketball into district finals
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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