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: 10/19/15

October 19, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first MHSAA Lower Peninsula championships of 2015-16 were awarded in girls golf and boys tennis this weekend. Find links to Second Half coverage of those, plus reports from a handful of other significant events that took place around the state.

Cross Country

The Hudson boys, ranked No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, won the Lenawee County championship Saturday as its combined finishes were one hundredth of a second faster than runner-up Adrian’s – Adrian Daily Telegram

The Utica Eisenhower girls improved from second last season to first in winning the Macomb County Invitational – Macomb Daily

Girls Golf 

Traverse City West won its first MHSAA title, Birmingham Seaholm won its third straight and Spring Lake and Kalamazoo Hackett were repeat champions at the Lower Peninsula Finals – Second Half

Boys Tennis

Novi and Bloomfield Hills shared the LP Division 1 title, Portage Central and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central shared in Division 2, and powers Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Ann Arbor Greenhills also claimed championships – Second Half 

Volleyball

Class B No. 4 Battle Creek Harper Creek downed Class D No. 1 Battle Creek St. Philip in two sets to repeat as Battle Creek All-City champion – Battle Creek Enquirer

Crystal Falls Forest Park, an honorable mention in Class D, won the first Skyline Central Conference tournament in two sets over Munising – Iron Mountain Daily News

Adrian defeated Tecumseh in the final of the 35th Lenawee County Tournament after entering bracket play as the second seed – Adrian Daily Telegram