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: 12/19/16
December 19, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Sports will slow down over the next two weeks as schools go on break and we roll in 2017. But in advance, take a look at a ton of coverage from the busiest weekend of this winter season so far.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Girls Basketball
Galesburg-Augusta improved to 5-0 with a 33-29 win over previously-undefeated Schoolcraft – Kalamazoo Gazette
Cedarville earned what could become a key win in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference, 43-40 over Pickford – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Boys Basketball
Levi Lehman had a monstrous 25 points and 31 rebounds in Ithaca’s 73-49 win over St. Louis – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Sturgis remained undefeated with a league-opening 44-41 win over Dowagiac – Sturgis Journal
Luke Morrell’s basket at the buzzer gave Plainwell a 60-58 win over Paw Paw – Kalamazoo Gazette
Beaverton remained undefeated with a 43-37 comeback win over Sanford Meridian thanks to 31 points from Carter Johnston – Saginaw News
Saginaw Heritage downed neighbor Saginaw Arthur Hill for the first time since 2000, 46-38 – Saginaw News
Ann Arbor Skyline sent a powerful statement with a 95-92 triple-overtime win over Ann Arbor Huron, last season’s co-champion in the Southeastern Conference Red – Ann Arbor News
East Lansing started on avenging last season’s only loss, to Lansing Everett, with a 59-53 victory – Lansing State Journal
Competitive Cheer
Adrian Madison won the Onsted Invitational with a score of 691.52, only four points shy of its Regional score from a year ago – Adrian Daily Telegram
Hockey
Jake Crespi scored with 15:12 to play to give Division 1 top-ranked Brighton a 1-0 win over Division 2 No. 4 Livonia Stevenson – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Alpena won the Blue Line Tournament with a 2-1 win over East Kentwood – Alpena News
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard scored four goals in the third period to down Division 2 No. 10 Saline 8-6 in a matchup of Washtenaw County powers – Saline Post
Wrestling
DeWitt, No. 2 in Division 2, won the Brighton Invitational just ahead of the Division 1 No. 8 Bulldogs – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Addison downed a group including a number of larger schools to win the Ypsilanti Lincoln Invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram
Division 3 No. 4 Remus Chippewa Hills earned championships at seven weights in winning its invitational – Big Rapids News
Macomb Dakota, No. 4 in Division 1, won the Macomb County Classic ahead of Warren Woods-Tower – Macomb Daily
Oxford, No. 6 in Division 1, was Oakland County champion, ending Detroit Catholic Central’s seven-year hold on the trophy (although the Shamrocks’ top-ranked A team was at an event in Ohio) – Oakland Press
Petoskey went 5-0 against Upper Peninsula teams to win the annual Bridge Brawl at Rudyard – Petoskey News-Review
Sand Creek won its invitational, taking three of four matches by double figures – Adrian Daily Telegram
Gaylord, No. 7 in Division 2, won the Marquette Challenge with three individual champions to remain undefeated – Gaylord Herald Times
Coloma won the South Haven Invitational with a seven-point victory over Niles’ B team – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Good Read
From Brooklyn, N.Y., to East Lansing, from helping build the World Trade Center after dropping out of high school to becoming the Trojans’ boys basketball coach, Steve Finamore’s story is truly fascinating – Lansing State Journal