GAYLORD ― Three years ago, one of the best Gaylord St. Mary girls basketball teams in recent years met up with Maple City Glen Lake in the Division 4 regional finals. A 22-3 overall team led by Ava Schultz, Macey Bebble, Emma Glasby and Emma McKinley met their match against the Lakers on March 9, 2023, falling to the eventual D4 state champions 54-35.
Then, four freshmen, Kaylee Jeffers, Emery Blust, Payton Glasby and Allyra Cook, mostly watched as their senior leaders fell to a superior team. Now, seniors leading their own GSM team three years later, the Snowbirds got their revenge while proving themselves as one of the best teams in Northern Michigan, regardless of division or school size.
GSM (18-1, 13-0 Ski Valley) hosted Glen Lake (13-6, 10-1 Northwest Conference) in a playoff-like atmosphere at Monsignor Kaminski Gymnasium on February 16, battling through all four quarters before the Snowbirds eventually pulled away for a 47-38 victory over the D3 Lakers.
Here are the key takeaways from a statement win for the Snowbirds.
St. Mary handles Glen Lake's size advantage, lifting hopes for postseason
Gaylord St. Mary is No. 4 in the Michigan Sports Writers Poll and has been in the top ten all season, and for good reason; this group has been leading the program for three straight years, only losing a couple of players from teams that went 42-8 over the past two seasons and has advanced to back-to-back D4 regional finals.
A team as versatile as GSM doesn't have many weaknesses. However, if you could point to one thing they've struggled with, it's teams that have the height to dominate the Snowbirds in the paint.
While GSM's hounding press defense can fluster even the most talented guards, it's been the teams that find ways to exploit mismatches down low that are able to counter the Snowbird press. So, with the size Glen Lake has on its roster, this seemed to be the test the Snowbirds needed as the playoffs begin to loom.
If Monday was the test, GSM passed it.
There were times where Glen Lakes' post players (Avery Flores, Laila Shimek, Lydia Fosmore) had their way on the boards, but senior Payton Glasby played one of her best defensive games, limiting those three to 27 of the team's 38 points.
If GSM can play that type of defense in key games during the postseason, this could be the season the Lady Snowbirds make a run past the regional rounds.
Jeffers leads the way in balanced scoring night
Being as experienced as GSM is, no one player usually has to dominate for the Snowbirds to score efficiently. While the win over Glen Lake was an example of that balanced scoring philosophy, it was also an opportunity for senior Kaylee Jeffers to show what she can do when the team leans on her for her scoring.
Jeffers led all scorers with 17 points, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the second quarter. Her fellow seniors shared most of the rest of the scoring load; Glasby had 9 points, Allyra Cook had 8 points and Emery Blust had 7 points.
While Glasby has been GSM's leading scorer most nights, its nice to have a guard like Jeffers that can create her own shot while also creating for others.
Two wins from another title, three wins for outright SVC Championship
St. Mary currently sits atop the Ski Valley Conference standings, the lone unbeaten team in conference play with three games left to play. While winning a share of the title feels inevitable, the last game of the regular season could be the most consequential of the whole 2025-26 season.
GSM will host Central Lake (10-6, 7-6 SVC) on Februry 18 and travel to Johannesburg-Lewiston (9-8, 7-7 SVC) on February 20, with wins in those games locking up at least a share of St. Mary's second consecutive league title.
However, the Feb. 26 matchup with Inland Lakes (16-2, 12-1 SVC) will likely decide if the Bulldogs can earn a share of the title itself, or if GSM can complete an unbeaten league schedule on its way to an outright SVC title.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: No. 4Gaylord St. Mary girls basketball defeats Maple City Glen Lake