by The 1989 and 1990 Detroit Pistons may go down as one of the best defensive teams in NBA History. Fast forward to 2004 with that version of the Detroit Pistons. All 3 won NBA Championships and all 3 redefined “toughness” on the court. Some could say the same thing about the 2001 Baltimore Ravens, the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the 1985 Chicago Bears, it simply doesn’t matter because the cliché is always going to be the same, “Defense Wins Championships” and that is the case with the 2025 Magnificat Blue Streaks.
When I sat down to pick a defensive player of the year, I knew it would be a Blue Streak simply because I saw them play terrific defense all year. Sofia Wilson and Sophia LaPorte playing incredible defense up top against some of the best guards in the state. Wilson and LaPorte routinely draw the toughest assignments. Most nights, they were lights out on defense and forced others to do the scoring.
So, then I looked at the front court of Gemma Wichmann, Reese Roggenburk and Julia Hall and my decision of who to name the best one player didn’t get any easier. This is when it hit me, this is the best defensive team I have ever covered. When you mix in players such as Charlotte Pap, Izzy Wilson, Elle Lakios, Maddie Kowalski, Abigail Norman and Lily Kuhlman coming off the bench, they just keep getting deeper and deeper with defense being priority number one.
Others may focus on the depth not being what it was last year, but upon further inspection I’m not so sure I agree with that. Losing Spicer, Katie Maryo and Brynn Roggenburk hurt, but this team just keeps reloading. What they may have lost in Maryo’s sharpshooting from the outside, they have gained with Lakios coming off the bench with a spark. The same can be said with Pap replacing the role Spicer had and Sophia LaPorte stepping into the Brynn Roggenburk role. It is a system that is value based and that is why it works year in and year out.
Coach Danny Gallagher doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for that. They don’t run the same system from 3rd grade on like other programs can do, they get the girls in 9th grade and do everything they can to teach their system and values quickly. I’ll say it again, if this team needs to win a game with defense, they will.
Case in point when they shut down quality teams such as Gilmour, Laurel, Copley, Padua, Stow and Fremont just to name a few. They held Green, Solon, Winton Woods and Brush to under 50, not many if any can claim that. My point being, they play the toughest schedule not only in the state, but one of the toughest in the country. This is exactly how you get better and become battle tested as the year goes on.
They play in one of the most fun old school gyms around, with a family feel to it that is infectious. These girls work hard, stick to their values and treat the media with respect. They handle the constant pressure of being ranked high and having everyone gun for them with class. They deserve this award because defense does win championships and no one does it better.
Head coach Danny Gallagher had this to share, “Our team defense is our identity! In everything we do we live by our values, but I believe those values come out the most in our team defense. Commitment, Passion, Consistency, Selflessness, and Self Awareness are our team basketball values and it takes each of these to be a great defensive team. We spend lots of prep time on scouting reports and getting our match ups right, but if we do not execute this through our values our defense would not be what it is. We are honored to receive this award and appreciate the recognition.”
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