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: 2/14/18
February 14, 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. Skiing: Brighton became the first school in a decade of KLAA championships to claim both the boys and girls titles in skiing in the same season – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
2. Hockey: Division 3 top-ranked Hancock downed Division 2 No. 7 Marquette 5-2 to clinch the Great Lakes Hockey Conference regular-season championship – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
3. Girls Basketball: Howell got Brighton 51-45 to claim the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Boys Basketball: Hillman clinched its fifth straight North Star League title with a 63-50 win over Oscoda in the Big Dipper division – Alpena News
5. Girls Basketball: Erie Mason’s Mary Liedel scored 22 points against Sand Creek to become the leading scorer in Monroe County Region history with 1,679 total – Monroe News
6. Girls Basketball: Clare senior Natalee Kunse went over 1,000 points for her career in a win over Leroy Pine River – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
7. Girls Basketball: Fruitport Calvary Christian sophomore Kelsey Richards scored 29 in a win over Hart to go over 1,000 for her career – Grand Haven Tribune
8. Boys Basketball: East Kentwood’s Ja’Moni Jones got a steal and made a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to send Holland West Ottawa to 14-2 with a 56-53 upset – Holland Sentinel
9. Girls Basketball: Midland Dow continued to shake up the Saginaw Valley League standings with a 54-42 win over Bay City Western – Midland Daily News
10. Hockey: In a rivalry game featuring state-ranked teams, Division 3 No. 2 Calumet got past No. 3 Houghton 3-0 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: East Lansing avenged its early-season loss to Grand Ledge with a 74-67 overtime comeback victory – Lansing State Journal
Girls Basketball: In a matchup of teams that have both been state-ranked this season, Coldwater got past Battle Creek Pennfield 53-50 in overtime to stay tied for first in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference – Battle Creek Enquirer
Boys Basketball: Detroit Pershing earned a spot in the Detroit Public School League championship game with a 60-49 win over Martin Luther King – Detroit News