Today in the MHSAA: 1/21/20

January 21, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Major matchups at basketball events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory made for a highlight-filled weekend and Monday across Michigan, and girls basketball, wrestling, competitive cheer, hockey and boys swimming & diving also contributed headliners as teams braved the mid-January weather.

1. Boys Basketball: Division 3 Flint Beecher downed Division 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 70-61 in a matchup of MHSAA championship contenders – State Champs Sports Network

2. Girls Basketball: Howell handed Brighton its first loss, 43-41, with Maeve St. John connecting on two last-minute free throws – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 7 Hart defeated No. 6 Leroy Pine River 40-20 in the championship match of the Fallen Bucks Memorial Tournament – Cadillac News

4. Boys Basketball: Grand Rapids Christian remained undefeated with a 66-64 win over Wyoming, which also was unbeaten entering the contest – WOOD TV

5. Girls Basketball: Reeya Patel’s basket with 2.5 seconds to play pushed Ann Arbor Huron past previously-undefeated Temperance Bedford 53-51 – State Champs Sports Network

6. Boys Swimming & Diving: Midland Dow – No. 8 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – locked up its 18th-straight Tri-Cities championship, nearly doubling up the field – Midland Daily News

7. Boys Basketball: Detroit Martin Luther King got past Detroit Douglass 55-46 in a matchup of two more Finals hopefuls – Detroit Free Press

8. Boys Basketball: Emoni Bates led Ypsilanti Lincoln on a 13-2 run to close a 75-68 win over Detroit Edison – Detroit News

9. Hockey: Division 3 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central avenged a late December loss to rival Forest Hills Northern/Eastern, winning this time 3-1 – FOX 17

10. Cheer: Stevensville Lakeshore won the Division 2 and overall championships at the Coloma Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Although Niles fell to St. Joseph 59-54, Alycia Patterson went over 1,000 career points – Niles Daily Star

Boys Basketball: Reese Hazelton scored his 1,000th career point on a game-winner to lead Maple City Glen Lake past Saginaw Heritage 51-49 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Girls Basketball: Elise Besonen also went over 1,000 career points in leading Ewen-Trout Creek past Ontonagon – The Upbeat

Today in the MHSAA: 2/21/20

February 21, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Long-range shooting ruled Thursday evening as a triple-overtime 3-pointer finished a league title bout and the state record for 3-pointers in one game was toppled.

1. Girls Basketball: A last-minute 3-pointer in triple overtime pushed Montague past Hart 49-46 and won the Wildcats the West Michigan Conference championship – Local Sports Journal

2. Girls Basketball: Gabrielle Lutchka scored 58 points with an MHSAA-record 16 3-pointers in leading Grass Lake past Manchester 95-31 – Jackson Citizen Patriot

3. Girls Basketball: St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran earned a share of the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White title with a 36-20 win over Three Oaks River Valley – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

4. Girls Basketball: Auburn Hills Avondale downed Oxford 60-47 to clinch the Oakland Activities Association White championship outright – Oakland Press

5. Girls Basketball: Litchfield downed Waldron 49-20 to clinch the Southern Central Athletic Association Central title, its first league championship since 2012-13 – Hillsdale Daily News

6. Bowling: The Division 2 No. 10 Chelsea boys finished a run of two wins in three matches this week to lock up the Southeastern Conference White title – Chelsea Sun Times News

7. Hockey: Power plays paid off big in Division 2 No. 5 Marquette’s 3-1 win over Division 3 No. 6 Houghton – Marquette Mining Journal

8. Boys Basketball: Cadillac moved into first place alone in the Big North Conference with a 65-59 win over Petoskey – Cadillac News

9. Boys Basketball: Marquette avenged its earlier loss to Negaunee with a 61-54 victory in the rematch – Marquette Mining Journal

10. Girls Basketball: Erin Barrette set Menominee’s school record for steals in her team’s 65-17 win over Stephenson – The Upbeat

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Flat Rock earned the outright Huron League title with a 60-44 win over Milan – Monroe News

Skiing: From Tuesday, the Harbor Springs girls and Great North Alpine boys clinched Lake Michigan Conference championships – Petoskey News-Review

Girls Basketball: The three finalists for this year’s Miss Basketball Award were announced – Detroit Free Press