Frankfort defeats Gaylord St. Mary again, wins third straight regional
· Yahoo Sports
JOHANNESBURG ― When the Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds walked off the court on Monday, March 9, after a 23-point victory over Buckley, they were heading into the regional finals with a ton of confidence and momentum. However, head coach Pat Schultz knew, and repeated, that he knew the most consistent teams would move on past this week.
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Unfortunately for the Snowbirds, it was Frankfort yet again that was more consistent, hit more shots and eventually came out on top 56-44 in Thursday's Division 4, Regional 27 final, ending GSM's season in the regional finals for the third season in a row and bringing the high school careers of seniors Kaylee Jeffers, Payton Glasby, Emery Blust and Allyra Cook to a sudden end.
"The best teams are the ones that can be consistent, and that's plagued us a little bit. They'll go out and shoot like they did the other night, then they'll shoot like they did tonight," said coach Schultz. "We missed some open looks here or there, and the best teams are the ones that are consistent."
Slow shooting start plagues Snowbirds throughout final game
Coming off a game where GSM hit 12 3-pointers, ran up a 20+ lead and put away Buckley, the Northwest Conference Champions, it was clear if the Snowbirds could just repeat their Monday night performance offensively, they'd be in great shap against a team that has historically given them fits.
Right away, it was clear shots were not going to be falling at the same rate, and the Snowbrids' offense was going to need to adapt.
Frankfort held GSM to just six points in the opening quarter, all from senior Payton Glasby, as the Panthers opened up a 12-6 lead. The Snowbirds flipped the scoring in the second to take a three-point lead into halftime, but it was clear Frankfort's defense was giving the GSM stars issues they hadn't dealt with much in the 2025-26 season.
"They were really, really physical with Payton," said coach Scultz. "They took her away, and when she doesn't get off, the other kids feed off of her alot so it can be hard for us to play good basketball from a team perspective."
GSM hit less than half the amount of threes (5 3pt-made) they made against Buckley, led by Emery Blust with two. Jeffers led the team with 17 points, Glasby had 13, while Blust had 10.
Frankfort deals with GSM's press flawlessly
While making shots is a big part of basketball, GSM thought it could hang with most teams regardless of how it shot on a night-to-night basis, simply because most teams aren't built to handle a fullcourt press for 32 minutes.
Credit to the Panthers, for the third-straight season, they were more ready and able to execute their press break better than any other team GSM has faced. That hurt GSM, offensively and defensively.
Senior Addie Jarosz and sophomore Riley LaVack scored 20 points apiece, showing their ability to execute both in the fast break and in the halfcourt against the Snowbirds' high-intensity defense. Rather than let turnovers pile up, they were able to get the ball down the floor, run their offense and create mismatches when GSM switched.
Then, as GSM showed some uncharacteristic signs of tired legs in the final quarter, Frankfort outscored the Snowbirds 23-11 in the final eight minutes to send the No. 2 team in Division 2 home before the quarterfinals.
Impactful senior class bids farewell
The Class of 2026 was incredibly important to GSM basketball.
Back in 2024, that group of Jeffers, Glasby, Blust and Cook took over the program as sophomores, leading a storied Snowbirds program that had been to a state quarterfinal and regional final in back-to-back seasons. Some may have thought it would take a year for the 'Baby Birds' to truly soar for GSM; in reality, they didn't need any extra time.
Since taking over as starters in 2023, the Class of 2026 led GSM to a 62-15 record over three seasons, won the SKi Valley Conference twice, extended the program's district-title winning streak to six consecutive and advanced to three straight regional title games.
While the regional final round and Frankfort proved to be their kryptonite, it doesn't tarnish the legacy they are leaving behind at GSM.
"They've kept the tradition of St. Mary's Basketball right where it should be," said coach Schultz. "They're a fantastic group. No complaining about Saturday mornings at 8 o'clock. No complaining about lifting three times a week. No complaining about summer workouts. It was good, and that's all you can ask for."
"That group is a fantastic group. There are a couple of them in there that are some of the hardest workers I've ever had in my 17 years of doing this. Just some girls that can really, really grind it out."
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: Frankfort girls basketball beats Gaylord St. Mary in D4 regional final