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: 3/3/16

March 3, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

It’s impossible for a sports fan to not love this time of year. Why? See some of our most exciting headlines from Wednesday’s action.

Girls Basketball

Saugatuck’s Maddie Stewart scored off her own intentional free-throw miss with 1.9 seconds left in the first overtime, and her team came through again in the second to edge Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 43-42 in Class C – Holland Sentinel

Fruitport Calvary Christian junior Allyson Richards crossed 1,500 career points in her team’s Class D win over Walker Academy of Environmental Sciences – Grand Haven Tribune

Flint Powers Catholic won an annual Class B battle of area powers, downing Goodrich 62-49 – Flint Journal

Saginaw Swan Valley won its first District game in a decade, upsetting Birch Run 54-47 – Saginaw News

Freshman Maizie Taylor scored the game-winner with fewer than 10 seconds to play to lead Midland Dow past rival Midland 49-48 in Class A – Saginaw News

Class A favorite Southfield-Lathrup put up one of its most impressive wins this season, 60-40 over Detroit Renaissance – Oakland Press

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart is arguably the favorite in Class D and proved why again with a 54-34 victory over 19-win Big Rapids Crossroads Academy – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

In another upset that shook Class A, Lansing Waverly downed DeWitt 48-43 – Lansing State Journal

Another upset in Class A was only slight, as Ann Arbor Huron handed Dexter only its second loss, 40-27 – Ann Arbor News

Ice Hockey

Chelsea needed an overtime goal after giving up a pair of scores in the third period to get past Jackson Lumen Christi and advance in a Division 3 Regional – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Gibraltar Carlson scored with 17.7 seconds left to get past Temperance Bedford 3-2; Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central got six goals from Jake Willets, who went over 50 for the season in a win over New Boston Huron – Monroe Evening News