Last week, I wrote a column predicting that Grand Valley State’s women’s basketball team would lose to Pittsburg State in the Elite Eight. The Lakers went on to upset the Gorillas, 59-56, and did pretty much everything I said they wouldn’t be able to do. Let’s see just how wrong I was.

“The Gorillas have three capable forwards with size who could give the Lakers some issues on both sides of the ball. 6-foot-2-inch center Kylie Gafford averages 13.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG, and 6-foot-1-inch power forward Cathy Brugman averages 13.6 PPG and 4.5 RPG.”

They do, huh? Against the Lakers, Gafford and Brugman combined for a pedestrian 5-of-17 shooting and just eight rebounds.

But wait.

“That’s not all. In the NCAA Tournament, the Gorillas have only used one player off of the bench extensively, 5-foot-11-inch redshirt freshman Madison Northcutt. She averages four RPG, and gives the Gorillas a third capable forward with superior size.”

Northcutt had six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action. That’s not a bad performance, but I made it sound like they had a 7-foot terror coming off the bench.

“…time will tell if (the Lakers) go four games in row with a win despite getting outrebounded. Against the Gorillas, that’s going to be a tall order. Literally.”

The Lakers outrebounded an opponent for the first time in the NCAA Tournament against the Gorillas, 42-32.

“With the pressure the Lakers will face inside, they must have a stellar performance from 3-point range.”

The Lakers shot only 5-of-17 as team from behind the arc, for a shooting percentage of 29.4 percent. Yet, they still got the W.

“But, I think the No. 2 seed Gorillas have all of the ingredients to stifle the Lakers’ crazy run.”

Negative. It was the Lakers who did the stifling, and advanced to their second Final Four in program history. Their 26 wins were the third-most in program history.

“And that, ladies and gentleman, is the great thing about March Madness — anything can happen.”

Maybe the only thing of value I said in the entire column.

I was wrong to doubt the Lakers. They overcame injuries, top-ranked opponents and tuned out pundits like myself who said they couldn’t do it.

The Lakers have a lot to look forward to next season. The only major loss is senior guard Brionna Barnett, but with the emergence of Janae Langs, who has made a living in the fourth quarter, this is hardly an area of concern. Other than that, they return every major piece to the puzzle.

The starting five should look something like this: Taylor Lutz (G), Janae Langs (G), Bailey Cairnduff (F), Kayla Dawson (F) and Piper Tucker (C).

Look for forward Taylor Parmley to get starting-level minutes. The redshirt freshman put on a show in the NCAA Tournament, and made plays when it mattered, including a game-clinching steal against the Gorillas. In that game, she recorded her first double-double with 19 points and 11 boards.

Dawson, the team’s leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, was basically a non-factor in the playoffs with an ankle injury suffered in the GLIAC Championship against Ashland on March 6. If the Lakers were able to do what they did without her, it’s scary to think what they could accomplish with a healthy Dawson in her senior year.

The players bought into first-year coach Mike Williams’ system, and their adherence to the system is only going to improve next season. The defensive-minded coach, with a successful season under his belt, is going to take this team to the next level.

It will be interesting to see what strides Langs’ game will make next year. The softball-basketball dual-sport athlete was a jack-of-all-trades guard for the Lakers who could score, rebound and run the offense all from the guard spot.

Her postseason magic, which consisted of three game-winning shots, seemed to come naturally to her. Regardless, the Lakers will ask for a repeat performance from her next season, and I think she’s more than capable.

The Lakers also return Lindsay Baker, who is basically an automatic 3-pointer off the bench. Look for Baker to try to break GVSU’s single-game 3-point field goal record (11), which is currently held by former guard Kat LaPrairie. Baker broke the record for most 3-pointers made in a season this year (77).

Speaking of the bench, who knows which newcomers will make their presence known in the 2016-17 season? With how loaded the roster already is, any more contributors would provide extra fuel to a quickly propelling Laker machine.

The GLIAC North, while not a tap-in, will come down to GVSU, Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State. SVSU gets GLIAC leading scorer Emily Wendling, a senior to-be, back, and MTU retains almost all of its current unit. Both of these teams, however, were left in the Lakers’ wake during the postseason, and one would assume GVSU is the favorite out of the three.

If there’s anything to take from this, it’s that you shouldn’t doubt the Lakers. They worked with what they had, no matter what the basketball gods put them through, and made one of the more memorable runs in GVSU athletic history.

A fully stocked, fully healthy GVSU squad could make some serious noise next season. It has me almost wanting to say something that rhymes with “jack-to-jack” and “spinal pour,” but I won’t go there. It’s too early.

Don’t doubt the Lakers next season — take it from the guy who did.