When junior Anna Strom pulled up for a three-pointer in the district final against the Muskegon, no matter the shot went in or missed the basket, the home crowd at GHHS Fieldhouse knew it was too little, too late.

Fortunately for Strom, it went in, cutting the final score to a 37-34 Muskegon win, ending the Lady Bucs’ season.

Grand Haven finished the year with a 14-8 overall record and a second place finish in the O-K Red Conference.

The Buccaneers were dealt a bad hand to start the season, with star junior forward Kelly Olthof tearing her ACL over the summer and junior Esther Byington not fully recovering from the shoulder injury she suffered last season.

Yet, coach Katie Kowalczyk-Fulmer and her team didn’t give up.

“I’m proud of my [players],” Kowalczyk-Fulmer said. “It was a tough season for us. I was really proud of how competitive we were despite the injuries to Kelly and Esther. Our season was a success; I think we were playing our basketball towards the end.”

Regardless of how the Lady Bucs finished this season, the Buccaneers have high expectations for next year.

“We return nine players coming back,” Kowalczyk-Fulmer said. “Our plan is to shoot to win the O-K Red Conference, win districts, win regionals and if we do win some championships next year, those four seniors (who played this year) will have been a big part of that success.”

To attain these goals, Kowalczyk-Fulmer stressed the importance of becoming tougher by being more physical and stronger with the ball.

“[We have to] keep finding ways to get better,” she said. “I’m really lucky [that] these kids are so dedicated and put a lot of time into the game.”

In fact, the Buccaneers’ head coach has already shifted focus to next winter. Her AAU team started last Sunday. But it doesn’t mean she hasn’t totally forgotten about this year’s performance.

“I think we’re all a little disappointed it didn’t end the way we wanted,” Kowalczyk-Fulmer said. “But at the end of the day the sun always rises and I think that when you put into perspective, it was a good season with good kids.”