Today in the MHSAA: 11/30/16

November 30, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Although a handful of teams kicked off girls basketball season Monday, the majority took the court for the first time Tuesday – and wasted little time delivering dramatic finishes and a look at some of what we can expect this winter.

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

Otsego, which won 20 games last season, opened with a nail-biting 33-31 victory over Portage Northern – Kalamazoo Gazette

Jordan Walker scored 33 points as Muskegon Mona Shores downed Grand Rapids Catholic Central 59-52 in a matchup of expected state contenders – Grand Rapids Press

Beecher came back in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but Flint Southwestern emerged with a 42-41 victory – Flint Journal

Reigning Class B runner-up Grand Rapids South Christian also started with a close win, 38-35 over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – Grand Rapids Press

In another low-scoring opener, Bay City Central just edged Traverse City West 32-31 – Bay City Times

Frankenmuth came back from an 11-point deficit to edge Bullock Creek 40-38 – Saginaw News

Lansing Catholic trailed Perry by six points at halftime but came on to win by 28, 56-28 – Lansing State Journal

Charlevoix freshman Elise Stuck had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead her team to a 43-39 win over Petoskey – Petoskey News Review

Belding’s Hallee Breimayer put up 32 points in her team’s 57-52 win over reigning Greater Lansing Activities Conference champion Lake Odessa Lakewood – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Edwardsburg, coming off a District title last season, survived a 37-32 opener against Niles – South Bend Tribune

Southfield Arts & Technology won its first game since the merger of Southfield and Southfield-Lathrup this fall, 64-43 over Birmingham Groves – Oakland Press

Ice Hockey

Hancock continued another strong start with a 5-0 defeat of rival Houghton – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Softball

Gladstone coach Ashley Hughes, who led the Braves to the Division 3 championship in her first season in 2014 and the Semifinals this spring, has resigned amid sad circumstances – Escanaba Daily Press

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