COLLINSVILLE – Gabby Semple was one of four seniors on the Granite City High girls basketball team – the other three being Emily Sykes and Sophia and Isabella Mangi – who helped a very young Warrior team through a very difficult season. The season ended on Feb. 12, 2024, with a loss to Alton in the IHSA Class 4A regional semifinals at Vergil Fletcher Gym in Collinsville.
Despite a tough year, the Warriors never surrendered and kept working hard throughout, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Semple contributed with points and rebounds, along with having 13 assists, seven steals, and a blocked shot on the season. As a senior, she was a leader for the team all season.
Gabby is a Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete of the Month for the Warriors.
After the regional game against Alton, Semple had these comments: “I think we kept putting up a good fight, “no matter what they threw at us. We were getting through the press, we were running what we could, we were still putting up shots, we played the best defense to our abilities, and I’m proud of the whole team for never giving up, and giving their best effort, even though we lost by so much. Nobody lost their heart.”
Semple continued and said: “I’m proud to see where Granite goes, “because we have a young team, and all of our freshmen and sophomores are very hard-working and dedicated to the program. So I’d like to see what they come and do here when they’re seniors on varsity.”
The program’s future is looking very bright indeed with the influx of new and younger talent coming into the program.
“Yes it does,” Semple said, “and I can’t wait to come back and look at the legacy the seniors have created from our seniors last year, to the seniors this year.”
Again, congrats to Gabby on the Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete of the Month honor.
