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

Stripes Worn Well (Muskegon Chronicle)

March 1, 2012

Tim Flahive has battled diabetes for all but a few years of his life. But he's also filled half of those years with high school sports as a longtime official based in the Muskegon area.

The Muskegon Chronicle's Mark Opfermann tells the story of Flahive's final basketball game last week -- and makes us appreciate even more the significant role our officials fill to no fanfare.

A powerful excerpt:

He left the court with no fanfare, took off his whistle and shed a few tears.

But Flahive's story isn’t just about sports and an official leaving the hobby he loves. It’s about courage, getting back up and pressing on.

So, I guess it’s a lot like sports after all. But it’s a whole lot more about life.

That’s because when Flahive took the court last week, he did it with half of his left foot missing.

Click to read on.