Linked Up: 12/19/11
December 20, 2011
We've hit a bit of a slow spot with schools out for break and most contests reserved for holiday showcases and the like.
Here are some suggestions if you have some time for some reading between now and the start of 2012.
High school coaches try to bring basketball back to basics (Detroit News)
For most of the last decade, we've heard about the recessing of basketball fundamentals even among elite high school players. Enter Ben Kelso, Marshall Thomas and a number of other Michigan coaches who have pledged to end that trend. Tom Markowski tells us how the Metro Detroit Basketball Coaches Association aims to do so.
Lantzy retires after more than 4 decades as Ike grid coach (Macomb County Advisor & Source)
Utica-Eisenhower coach Bob Lantzy has been his school's only varsity football coach. He took four teams to MHSAA Finals and this fall became one of only nine state football coaches to win more than 900 games. He has retired after 41 seasons, and Kevin Lozon fills us in on the legacy.
Tabahn Afrik poised for greatness in pool for West Ottawa (Holland Sentinel)
The Holland area has its next big swimming star. Dan D'Addona introduces us to Tabahn Afrik, a freshman at Holland West Ottawa who qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 Finals in two events in his first meet this season.
High school basketball: History of class hoops is just that (South Bend Tribune)
"Hoosiers" made Indiana's former one-class basketball tournament known on a grander scale. But Indiana went to classes (similar to Michigan's) beginning in 1997-98. Al Lesar tells us how some in the state are attempting to revert to one class.
Today in the MHSAA: 2/27/18
February 27, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Boys Skiing: Petoskey tied an MHSAA boys skiing record with its eighth straight Finals championship, in Division 2, and Marquette won its sixth straight in Division 1 – Second Half
2. Girls Skiing: Marquette claimed its third straight Division 1 title, while Houghton-Hancock made it an Upper Peninsula sweep with a comeback win in Division 2 – Second Half
3. Girls Basketball: Bethany Baldwin went over 2,000 career points with 41 total in Watersmeet’s 64-46 win over Bessemer in a Class D District opener – Ironwood Daily Globe
4. Girls Basketball: Port Huron upset rival Port Huron Northern 52-49 in overtime to kick off their Class A District – Port Huron Times Herald
5. Girls Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake downed Traverse City St. Francis 52-47 in Class C in a matchup of teams that entered a combined 35-5 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
6. Girls Basketball: Detroit Catholic League Central co-champ Farmington Hills Mercy hung on for a 51-48 Class A win over Birmingham Groves, the co-champ of the Oakland Activities Association White – Oakland Press
7. Hockey: Byron Center took Holland West Ottawa to double overtime before West Ottawa emerged with a 3-2 win in a Division 1 Pre-Regional – Holland Sentinel
8. Girls Basketball: Alycia Patterson’s last second shot got Niles past Buchanan 44-42 in a Class B opener – South Bend Tribune
9. Hockey: Division 1 No. 6 Utica Eisenhower opened its Pre-Regional with a 5-0 win over previously-ranked Rochester United – Macomb Daily
10. Girls Basketball: Big Rapids opened with a 50-28 win over Alma in Class B to set up another matchup with rival Stanton Central Montcalm – Big Rapids News
Also of note ...
Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial's Camree' Clegg, East Lansing's Jaida Hampton, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep's Lasha Petree and Detroit Country Day's Kaela Webb are candidates for this season's Miss Basketball Award – Detroit Free Press