Today in the MHSAA: 1/18/19

January 18, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A basketball weekend filled with major showdowns got rolling Thursday, but our top performance comes from the pool where a pair of powerhouse neighbors faced off.

1. Boys Swimming & Diving: Ann Arbor Pioneer, No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1, got past No. 2 Skyline 111-75; Skyline also is the reigning LPD1 champion – We Love Ann Arbor

2. Boys Basketball: Oxford won a matchup of unbeatens, 49-46 over Pontiac to move into first place alone in the Oakland Activities Conference Blue – Oakland Press

3. Girls Basketball: Kingsley moved into first place alone in the Northwest Conference with a 47-39 win over Maple City Glen Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

4. Boys Basketball: Pewamo-Westphalia remained undefeated with a 60-56 overtime win over Dansville – Lansing State Journal

5. Girls Basketball: Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s Baylee Baldwin went over 1,000 career points in a victory over Petersburg-Summerfield, and Carleton Airport’s Emily Swiercz tied her school’s record with 33 in a win over Riverview – Monroe News

6. Boys Basketball: First-place Clarkston downed Oak Park 66-52 in a matchup of OAA Red contenders – Oakland Press

7. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 6 Hudsonville held on for a 178-136 win over honorable mention Grand Haven – Grand Haven Tribune

8. Boys Basketball: First-place Madison Heights Madison finished a Macomb Area Conference Silver sweep of second-place Clinton Township Clintondale, 88-84 in overtime – Macomb Daily

9. Girls Basketball: First-place Detroit East English continued to surge in the Public School League East-Town with a 62-36 win over Pershing – Detroit News

10. Boys Basketball: Posen defeated Hillman for the first time since 2012, 68-51 – WBKB

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.