Highlight Reel: Class A-B Semifinals
March 19, 2016
The second day of the MHSAA Girls Basketball Semifinals, presented by Sparrow Health System, produced one of the most dramatic finishes in a long time, as the field is now set for Saturday’s championship games.
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Class A Semifinal – Detroit Martin Luther King 56, St. Johns 48
It’s Raining Threes! - Detroit Martin Luther King started the Class A Semifinal against St. Johns hitting three 3-pointers, two by Micaela Kelly, who finished with a game-high 18 points.
Maddie On The Run - Maddie Maloney led St. Johns with 12 points, getting two here in transition.
Class A Semifinal – Warren Cousino 60, Hudsonville 45
Fantastic Fletcher - Kierra Fletcher of Warren Cousino totaled 37 points – 12 in the first quarter.
Hard-Working Eagle - Chloe Guingrich scored a double-double for Hudsonville with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Class B Semifinal – Grand Rapids South Christian 57, Detroit Country Day 46
DeBoer Putback - Jennifer DeBoer of Grand Rapids South Christian led all scorers in the Class B Semifinal game against Detroit Country Day with 18 points, including two on this putback.
Pitts Takes It Down The Lane - Destiny Pitts paced Detroit Country Day with 14 points.
Class B Semifinal – Marshall 43, Bay City John Glenn 42
Boensch For Two - Cassidy Boensch had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Bay City John Glenn in its Class B Semifinal against Marshall. Boensch later made two free throws to give her team the lead with 14 seconds to go, but Marshall scored late to prevail, 43-42.
Here’s Your Winner - With 1.4 seconds left on the clock, Marshall's Nicole Tucker hit two free throws to give her team the 43-42 win.
PHOTO: Warren Cousino's Kierra Fletcher attempts a free throw during Friday's Class A Semifinal win over Hudsonville.
Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)