It was a stellar school year for high school athletics in the Holland area.
Here is a look at the top girls stories of the school year:
Gabby Reynolds named Miss Basketball, leads West Ottawa's historic season
When Gabby Reynolds was a freshman, she asked West Ottawa girls basketball coach Paul Chapman if she could wear jersey No. 1.
There was no No. 1 jersey, so Reynolds chose No. 3.
“It was the next closest jersey number,” she said.
Before this season, Chapman ordered a No. 1 jersey but didn’t tell Reynolds until he pulled it out of the closet midway through the season.
Reynolds was already having an outstanding season, but Chapman saw even more in the 5-foot-9 senior point guard.
“If you’re a Miss Basketball candidate, you’ve got to be a No. 1 type player,” he told her when he handed her the jersey.
In nine of the next 10 games, Reynolds scored 30 points or more, including a 47-point effort and was named Miss Basketball of Michigan.
It was part of a huge season for the Panthers that saw them win their first district title in nearly two decades and reach the regional final.
Reynolds, a George Washington commit, broke the all-time school scoring record and was the catalyst, but fellow senior guard Chelsea Overbeek was all-state honorable mention, junior center Magaly Lemus led the OK Red in rebounding for the second year in a row, and senior Brooke Pedersen's scrappy play and timely scoring in the postseason kept the run going.
Zeeland wins bowling state championship
The Zeeland girls bowling team won its second state championship with a thrilling finish.
Zeeland was down two games in the finals against South Lyon and rallied to win 150-149 and force a fifth game, that the team won 158-137 to claim the championship, its first since 2020, on Friday at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.
"It definitely has even more meaning. We just kept our heads in it and kept winning," Zeeland senior Rylee Smith said. "It was definitely a crazy day. In the semis, a girl had a chance to beat us with a strike and got seven. In the finals, I had an unlucky break and missed the 2-7 split. But we got new life and held our heads high and were able to put together 10 great frames."
Holland Christian soccer reaches state semifinals
HOLLAND - With 16 seconds remaining in the state semifinals, the Holland Christian girls soccer team had one final shot.
Trailing by a goal, Sarah Geerlings stepped up to take the free kick just outside the box.
As the seconds ticked down, Geerlings narrowed in on her spot and launched the ball toward the goal - just wide - and Holland Christian lost 1-0 to Spring Lake in the Division 2 state semifinals on Wednesday at Holland High School.
"They never gave up, and that has been the story of this postseason run," Holland Christian coach Elliot Slenk said. "I couldn't be more proud of them. We did all we could to get back in the game, but credit to Spring Lake, they played a great game and deserved the credit for how they played."
Brook Simpson transfers to Saugatuck; all-state in two sports, leads basketball to 20 wins
Brook Simpson had a lot to prove after coming back from a knee injury and switching schools.
Simpson proved what she had before the injury - that she was one of the best basketball players in the state.
She earned all-state honors at Saugatuck this past season, was The Holland Sentinel Defensive Player of the Year, and will now turn her attention forward to college basketball after helping Saugatuck to its first 20-win season in two decades.
Simpson committed to Bowling Green State University on Sunday, choosing the NCAA Division I program in the Mid-American Conference.
She also was all-state in track after finishing state runner-up in the 400 meters and eighth in the 200.
West Ottawa distance relay claims state title; cross country 3rd at state
EAST KENTWOOD - Last year, the West Ottawa 4x800-meter relay team watched in horror as their best runner went down with a leg injury.
The Panthers, who hoped to challenge for the state title, could not finish the race.
For Helen Sachs, she was forced to watch too, sitting out last season after battling and injury and an eating disorder.
As Sachs crossed the finish line with the title for the Panthers, she erupted with emotion into the arms of her teammates.
"It is just super emotional. Last year, I had just gotten out of treatment and I came to state to support everybody. All I was allowed was a 30-minute walk," Sachs said. "To anchor the 4x800 and bring it home for a state championship is just really nice.
"It means a lot to our team. Last year was hard. Coming back strong means a lot."
The same group was part of a third-place cross country finish in the fall.
The Panthers have been in the top three the past four years, including a title last year. West Ottawa scored 186 to finish behind Romeo (65) and Ann Arbor Pioneer (126).
Defending champion Helen Sachs, battling back from an injury that kept her out most of the season, finished 11th overall in 18:17.7.
West Ottawa's Ava Porras took 37th (18:48.4). Jane Olney was 40th (18:52.3). Julia Frampton took 87th (19:31.8) and Emma Gunnett was 88th (19:33.1) and Addie Birkholz took 158th (20:13.5).
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
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