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: 10/17/17
October 17, 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. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 18 Novi scored the game’s lone goal to upset No. 9 Northville in a District opener – Observer & Eccentric
2. Boys Soccer: Manistee scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in overtime to upset No. 15 Whitehall 2-1 in a Division 3 first-round game – Manistee News-Advocate
3. Boys Soccer: Pontiac won its first District game in program history, downing Armada 3-2 in Division 2 – Oakland Press
4. Boys Soccer: DeWitt took East Lansing to overtime before the Trojans emerged with a 2-1 win in a Division 2 opener – Lansing State Journal
5. Boys Soccer: No. 12 Plymouth also survived a close Division 1 opener, clipping Salem 1-0 – Observer & Eccentric
6. Volleyball: Unranked Lapeer was the big winner of its tri-match, downing Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary and also Class B No. 9 Freeland in five sets – Saginaw News
7. Boys Soccer: Howell broke a tie with Pinckney late to emerge with a 2-1 win in Division 1 after playing the Pirates in overtime two of the last three seasons – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
8. Football: Coming off Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington tying the MHSAA record for football wins (and since breaking it) held by Birmingham Brother Rice’s Al Fracassa, the Observer & Eccentric interviewed the legends together – Observer & Eccentric
9. Multi-Sport Athletes: Grand Haven athletic director Scott Robertson wrote a guest column for his local paper explaining the benefits of the multi-sport experience, citing a recent star at his school known well by fans statewide – Grand Haven Tribune
10. Mascots: We know our school’s mascot, but do we know why that mascot was chosen? The Tri-County Times dives into the backstories of four schools’ mascots in its area – Tri-County Times