Today in the MHSAA: 1/15/16

January 15, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Thursday provided a substantial appetizer for another big weekend with key basketball games, noteworthy swimming and diving finishes and a milestone wrestling victory.

Boys Basketball

Clarkston earned a key Oakland Activities Association Red edge with a win over similarly state-ranked North Farmington, 60-47 – Oakland Press

Frankfort earned a similarly important win in Northwest Conference play, winning a matchup of Class D ranked teams 65-55 over Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle

For the second straight day, a basketball team made an incredible comeback; this time, it was East Jackson building off a 21-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter to beat Napoleon 42-39 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Olivet junior Delbert Redfield made nine of 11 3-point tries and scored 33 points total to lead the Eagles to a 73-55 win over Lansing Christian – MLive Lansing

Girls Basketball

Warren Cousino handed Grosse Pointe North the latter’s first loss this season, 64-58, to move to 9-1 overall – Macomb Daily

Boys Swimming & Diving

Lower Peninsula Division 3 honorable mention Spring Lake downed No. 4 Hamilton, No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian and Division 2 honorable mention Holland in its best meet of a strong run so far – Grand Haven Tribune

Wrestling

Leslie defeated Olivet (and also lost to Lake Odessa Lakewood) on Thursday, giving Blackhawks coach Todd Stern his 400th career win since taking over as head coach in 1987 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Good Reads

Battle of the Fans V kicks off tonight with our first visit to Yale, a finalist as well in 2015 – Port Huron Times-Herald

Grand Haven’s basketball teams will return to their former gym now part of Lakeshore Middle School – Pirates Pit – on Feb. 6 and for the first time since 2007 as the high school gym will be used for the league wrestling meet – Grand Haven Tribune

Vanderbilt’s boys basketball team has one win this season, but it was the first in nearly two years and a testament to the rebuilding of the program under first-year coach Darren Conn and assistant Amie Byelich – Petoskey News

Today in the MHSAA: 3/4/16

March 4, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The boys basketball regular season finished up in most areas of the state Thursday, as the Individual Wrestling Finals got started and the hockey, girls basketball and boys diving postseasons continued on.

Girls Basketball

After falling to rival Bath only a few weeks ago, Laingsburg came back to win the District battle of co-champions from the Central Michigan Athletic Conference, 41-27 – Lansing State Journal

Boys Basketball

Unbeaten Canton secured the overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship with a 50-47 overtime win over Walled Lake Western – Oakland Press

Detroit U-D Jesuit won the Operation Friendship game between champions from the Detroit Catholic League and Public School League, downing East English 92-76 – Detroit News

Traxton Gordon scored the 1,000th point of his Hesperia career despite a loss to North Muskegon – Muskegon Chronicle

Keegan George also went over 1,000 points for his career, although his Spring Lake team fell to Muskegon Catholic Central – Muskegon Chronicle

From Tuesday, Pickford’s Derrick Edington also joined the 1,000 point club in a 68-63 win over Rogers City – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

The Detroit Free Press introduced the five finalists for this season’s Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Mr. Basketball Award – Detroit Free Press

Ice Hockey

Cadillac scored with 20 seconds to play in regulation to edge Mount Pleasant 3-2 in a Division 3 Pre-Regional – Cadillac News

For the fourth time in five seasons, Brighton ended Howell’s season, this time 3-1 in a battle of Division 1 contenders – Livingston Daily

Warren DeLaSalle just survived Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in Division 3, 5-4 after leading 3-0 early – Macomb Daily

Midland advanced in Division 2 with a 4-1 win over Midland Dow after falling to Dow twice during the regular season – Midland Daily News

After falling to Muskegon Reeths-Puffer in the tournament the last three seasons, Mona Shores came out on top with a 6-5 win in Division 2 – Muskegon Chronicle

Wrestling

Hartland’s Sage Castillo improved to 53-0 this season with a pin in his Division 1 first-round match as the MHSAA Individual Finals kicked off at The Palace of Auburn Hills – Detroit News