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: 2/18/16
February 18, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The postseason was in full swing for two sports Wednesday, as wrestling teams battled to make the MHSAA Quarterfinals and ski teams also competed in Regionals with an opportunity to make the final meet of the season.
Girls Basketball
New Baltimore Anchor Bay earned its first league championship in 27 years with a 60-48 victory over Warren Mott that clinched the Macomb Area Conference Blue title – Macomb Daily
From Tuesday, Spring Lake junior Reiko Johnson scored 31 points in a win over Montague to go over 1,000 for her career – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Basketball
Also from Tuesday, Gage Kreski set the St. Ignace career scoring record with 1,997 points after scoring 26 in a win over Brimley – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Ice Hockey
Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Heritage finished the Saginaw Valley League undefeated for the first time since 2009, capping the run with a 4-1 win over Bay City – Saginaw News
Skiing
Cadillac’s boys and girls teams swept their Division 2 Regionals at Caberfae Peaks, with freshman Alex Netzley winning both boys races – Cadillac News
Wrestling
In arguably the night’s most impressive Regional win, Division 2 top-ranked Lowell made its sixth straight Quarterfinals by defeating undefeated and No. 8 Sparta – Grand Rapids Press
Also in Division 2, No. 3 St. Johns just got past No. 7 Eaton Rapids, 32-30, after losing to the Greyhounds in this round last season – Lansing State Journal
Unranked Grand Ledge eliminated No. 4 and reigning Division 1 champion Brighton, then defeated Holt in the Final – Livingston Daily
Sturgis celebrated its first Regional title in school history after downing Battle Creek Harper Creek 49-27 – Sturgis Journal
In a matchup of ranked Division 3 teams, No. 2 Lake Fenton took down No. 9 Lake Odessa Lakewood at Ithaca – Ionia Sentinel-Standard