Did you see that?
March 5, 2012
Check out our must-know scores and news from Feb. 27 - March 3.
(Click on links for coverage.)
Wrestling
We are the Champions, part 2: A group of 56 champions emerged from 896 MHSAA Individual Finals qualifiers -- including St. Johns senior Taylor Massa, who became the 16th in MHSAA history to win four individual championships and the fifth to do so while never losing a high school match. We reported both on Massa separately and on the top stories from our 13 other weight classes. (Second Half)
Competitive Cheer
New winners emerge: Southgate Anderson in Division 1 and Richmond in Division 3 won their first MHSAA cheer championships at the Grand Rapids Delta Plex; Richmond was runner-up in Division 3 last season, while Anderson improved from seventh in Division 1. Gibraltar Carlson and Michigan Center continued their recent successes by claiming the titles in Divisions 2 and 4, respectively. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2-3-4)
Bowling
From no one to No. 1: Eight championships -- four team and four individual -- were awarded over the weekend. And for the most part, favorites prevailed. But the best stories from bowling might have been the Flat Rock girls and Mason boys, who defied expectations in emerging from unranked at the end of the regular season to win their Team Finals. (Second Half Girls Team) (Second Half Boys Team) (Second Half Girls Singles) (Second Half Boys Singles)
Girls Basketball
Unexpected East Lansing: The Trojans are regulars in the later rounds of the MHSAA Tournament. But among Lansing-area teams, Waverly was the biggest contender this winter and ranked No. 2 in Class A at the end of the regular season. But the Trojans extended a six-year postseason winning streak and avenged an early-season loss to the Warriors by winning Friday's District Final, 57-53. (Lansing State Journal)
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Lutheran Northwest Capitalizes on 2024 Semifinal Experience, Takes Next Step
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 20, 2025
EAST LANSING – A basketball circle of life will be completed Saturday for Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest head girls basketball coach Jimmy Mehlberg.
Back in 1992 as a 10-year-old, Mehlberg sat on the bench as his father, Ed, coached Auburn Hills Oakland Christian to the Class D championship.
On Saturday, Jimmy will have Ed (now a Lutheran Northwest assistant) and also a third generation of Mehlbergs on the bench when Lutheran Northwest goes for its first Finals title following a 43-38 win over Calumet in a Division 3 Semifinal on Thursday.
“I definitely remember it,” Jimmy Mehlberg said of Oakland Christian’s 1992 crown. “I was on the bench with him just about every game. I had my kids on the bench with me (today) and had my Dad on the bench. It’s pretty cool.”
After making its first Semifinal trip last year and falling in that game, Lutheran Northwest (21-6) took the next step this time by jumping out to a big lead and then holding off a late Calumet rally.
Trailing 42-30 with 2:59 remaining, the Copper Kings fought back with an 8-0 run to cut the Lutheran Northwest lead to 42-38 with 38.9 seconds remaining after a 3-pointer by sophomore Millie Loukus.
But Lutheran Northwest held firm, going up 43-38 with 22 seconds left on a free throw by senior Morgan Griswold and then forcing a Calumet turnover during the waning seconds before running out the clock.
Junior Paige Macavage scored 14 points, and Griswold added 12 for Lutheran Northwest (21-6).
“I think having the experience from last year, we knew what to expect,” Crusaders junior Charlotte Gramzow said. “We know how the day was going to go and coming out for warmups, we were trying to build our own energy with one another and build confidence within one another. Just keep it relaxed, and I think we did that really well.”
Lutheran Northwest jumped to a 30-16 lead by halftime thanks to a dominant rebounding performance. The Crusaders held a 26-12 rebounding advantage at the break, with 13 offensive rebounds – one more than Calumet’s total for the first half.
Calumet managed to turn that around and finished the game with only three fewer rebounds (37-34), which helped the Copper Kings climb back after trailing by 18 points early in the third quarter. But too big of a hole had been dug.
“I thought early on, their length gave us some trouble,” Calumet head coach Charlie Kemppainen said. “We adjusted a little bit too late to that. I think the fourth quarter was probably a better indicator of who we were all season long. But that’s a credit to them for taking us out of that.”
Sophomore Jess Anderson scored 10 points and Loukas, sophomore Bailey Strom and senior Jackie Kiilunen each added eight points for Calumet (22-6), which stayed in Mackinaw City after its Quarterfinal win Tuesday over Sanford Meridian in Manistique before driving down to East Lansing.
This was Calumet’s second Semifinal appearance over the last five years.
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest players celebrate their Semifinal win Thursday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Crusaders’ Scarlet Brown (1) considers her options as a second Calumet defender closes in.