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.
Today in the MHSAA: 12/12/17
December 12, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs downed Alanson 42-25, but Alanson’s Brooke Nguyen did score her 1,000th career point – Petoskey News-Review
2. Girls Basketball: Rivals Ishpeming and Westwood traded leads late before the Hematites came out on top with two free throws at the end, 42-40 – Marquette Mining Journal
3. Boys Basketball: Class C Beaverton moved to 3-0 with a 56-43 win over Class A Midland Dow in the Chargers’ season opener – Midland Daily News
4. Boys Basketball: Boyne City continued to bounce back from its early loss to McBain by handing Cedarville its first defeat, 63-39 – Petoskey News-Review
5. Girls Basketball: Canton held on for its first win and to hand Novi its first loss despite 37 points by Ellie Mackay – Observer & Eccentric
6. Boys Basketball: Jake Witt continued to star as undefeated Ewen-Trout Creek got past Calumet 67-55 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
7. Football: A group of 13 Upper Peninsula schools with 8-player teams announced the formation of a football-only conference to begin play in 2018 – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Coaches: Marine City Cardinal Mooney boys basketball coach Mike McAndrews writes a guest commentary on the ways he’s been blessed by his two decades on the sideline – Port Huron Times Herald
9. Wrestling: Warren Lincoln hosted its first Tom Costello Invitational on Saturday, renaming the annual event in honor of a 1991 MHSAA champion who died in a crash in August – Macomb Daily
10. Hockey: Plymouth turned its two-game trip to Grand Rapids at the start of this month into a “Father-Son Weekend” filled with activities in addition to games against Forest Hills Northern/Eastern and Grandville – Observer & Eccentric