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: 2/25/16

February 25, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

There’s a group of athletes in Michigan welcoming the snow storm sweeping the Lower Peninsula over the last 24 hours – skiers competing for league championships who have been some of the few in action over the last two days.

Boys Basketball

Ludington earned one of its most impressive victories this season, pushing through overtime to get past Muskegon Heights Academy 61-57 – Muskegon Chronicle

Warren DeLaSalle came back from three points down with 34 seconds to play to edge Detroit Loyola 53-52 in a Detroit Catholic League A-B semifinal – Detroit News

Skiing

The Elk Rapids/Traverse City St. Francis boys and Harbor Springs girls won Lake Michigan Conference championships at Boyne Highlands – Traverse City Record-Eagle

From Tuesday, The Bloomfield Hills Marian girls and Rochester Adams boys got a final tune up for Monday’s Finals by winning the Southeast Michigan Ski League meets at Mt. Holly – Oakland Press

Football

One of the winningest football coaches in MHSAA history will be back this fall – former Utica Eisenhower leader Bob Lantzy is taking over at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek – Oakland Press

Good Reads

A group of seniors who have gone to school together since kindergarten are in position to lead Gobles to its third straight perfect basketball regular season – Kalamazoo Gazette

When losing basketball became the ultimatum for Grand Rapids Wellspring’s DonKiece George, he became the student now putting up a 3.4 grade-point average and staying out of the principal’s office – Grand Rapids Press