Today in the MHSAA: 1/19/16

January 19, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

An action-filled weekend included basketball milestones and matchups of Michigan’s top high school wrestling teams in a preview of what we might see at next month’s MHSAA Team Finals.

Girls Basketball

Ellen Doyle scored her 1,000th career point as Gobles improved to 79-5 during her four seasons by downing Saugatuck 42-19 – Grand Rapids Press

Three days after falling for the first time this season, to St. Johns, Haslett came back to deal rival DeWitt its first loss of the winter – Lansing State Journal

Farmington Hills Harrison moved to 9-1 by handing Clarkston its first loss of the season, 54-45 – Detroit Free Press

Jazmin Hildebrand became the first 1,000-point scorer in Martin history and also grabbed 20 rebounds in her team’s 70-48 win over Bloomingdale – Kalamazoo Gazette

Longtime Ithaca coach Bob Anderson, who earlier this season won his 700th game and coached 1,146 girls and boys games combined, retired because of health reasons with his team 9-0; he reportedly had a stroke in 2014 and brain surgery last year – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Boys Basketball

Demetrius Lake scored a Holland record 50 points and made the game winning 3-pointer to get the Dutch past Zeeland West 69-68 – Holland Sentinel

Detroit Allen upended previously-undefeated River Rouge in only a slight upset, 58-47 – MLive-Detroit

Bowling

Macomb L’Anse Creuse North’s Samantha Gainor rolled five games of 200 or higher to win the Macomb County Championships girls singles title Sunday – Macomb Daily

St. Clair Shores Lake Shore’s Nathan Kuffer won matches by six and then 18 pins to claim the boys singles title at the Macomb County Championships – Macomb Daily

Wrestling

Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena hosted four of the top teams in Division 1 on Sunday; Detroit Catholic Central swept matches over Hartland and Grandville, and the top-ranked Eagles finished their day downing No. 2 Davison by a point – Livingston Daily

Also at CMU on Sunday, Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills downed the top two teams in Division 4, Hudson and New Lothrop – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

On Saturday, Dundee won the Hudson Super 16 ahead of field of elite teams including the host Tigers – Adrian Daily Telegram

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.