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: 2/20/17

February 20, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

League titles … District titles … Regional titles … and we even crowned our first MHSAA Finals champions of the winter during a weekend of celebrations. Check out this sizable collection of links to find out more.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state. 

Girls Basketball

Marshall won the outright Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title with a 50-29 win over rival Jackson Northwest – Battle Creek Enquirer

DeWitt earned a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title with a 54-43 win over Haslett – Lansing State Journal

Farmington Hills Mercy clinched the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 45-36 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian – Detroit Free Press

Battle Creek Lakeview finished an outright Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title with a 72-32 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix – Battle Creek Enquirer

Sault Ste. Marie downed Newberry 45-34 to clinch its first Straits Area Conference title since 2007-08 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Ludington repeated as champ of the Lakes 8 Athletic Conference with a 60-40 win over Manistee – Ludington Daily News

Warren Cousino clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red-White tournament title with a 53-34 win over Port Huron Northern – Macomb Daily

Royal Oak Shrine downed Waterford Our Lady 52-49 in the Detroit Catholic League C-D Final to clinch its first league title in 23 years – Oakland Press

Detroit Martin Luther King clinched its sixth straight Detroit Public School League tournament title by downing Mumford 56-33 – Detroit News

Boys Basketball

East Lansing clinched a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title with a 66-61 win over Holt – Lansing State Journal

Kinross Maplewood Baptist won the Northern Lights League tournament by downing Mackinac Island in the final – Escanaba Daily Press

A game-winning 3-pointer gave Sturgis a 52-51 upset of Benton Harbor – Sturgis Journal

Detroit Cass Tech won its first Detroit PSL title in more than 20 years with a 55-47 win over King – Detroit News

Bowling

The St. Charles boys – No. 1 in Division 4 – won their fourth straight Tri-Valley Conference championship and placed three of the top five in singles – Saginaw News

Gaylord’s girls claimed the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Petoskey News-Review

Grand Haven’s boys, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, capped a dominating run through the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red – Grand Haven Tribune

Cheer

Division 1 honorable mention Southgate Anderson clinched its ninth straight District championship – Southgate News-Herald

Top-ranked Gibraltar Carlson made it nine straight Division 2 District titles, finishing four points ahead of No. 3 Dearborn Divine Child and also ahead of No. 2 Allen Park – Southgate News-Herald

Gymnastics

Northville won a close race for the KLAA league meet title, edging Plymouth by fewer than two points – Observer & Eccentric

Hockey

Division 1 top-ranked Brighton downed Division 2 No. 2 Hartland to claim the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association title – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Swimming & Diving

Brighton’s boys earned a share of the KLAA West championship with Howell and Grand Blanc by winning the league meet – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Marquette’s boys claimed their fourth straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship – Second Half

Houghton’s girls outlasted a competitive field to claim the Upper Peninsula Finals title – Second Half

Wrestling

Lowell advanced 13 to the MHSAA Individual Finals in Division 2, including five Regional champions – Grand Rapids Press

Davison is sending 12 wrestlers to the Division 1 Individual Finals, including six who won titles Saturday – Flint Journal