Today in the MHSAA: 12/18/15

December 18, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Holiday break is nearly upon us, but heroics of December, these few included, are setting up what should be an interesting January and February for a number of teams all over the state.

Girls Basketball

Detroit Renaissance might be the best in Detroit this winter – and a contender in Class A – after handing a rare city loss to Detroit Martin Luther King, 68-65 – Detroit News

Muskegon’s Mardrekia Cook drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Big Reds a 55-52 win over Muskegon Oakridge – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Shawn Pardee is again starring for Millington this season – and missed his school record by only a point Thursday with 55 in an 83-77 double overtime win over Essexville Garber – Saginaw News

Frankfort and Traverse City St. Francis traded baskets over the final 20 seconds, with St. Francis getting the last in a 69-68 victory – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Andrew Terry’s fifth 3-pointer of the game gave Warren Lincoln a 61-60 final lead with 4.9 seconds to play against Center Line – Macomb Daily

Girls Swimming & Diving

Gladstone, runner-up at last season’s Upper Peninsula Final, edged Kingsford by three points in a tri-meet; Kingsford was sixth last season – Iron Mountain Daily

Track & Field

Longtime Kingsford athletic director and 2001 MHSAA Bush Award winner Don Edens, Jr., died Tuesday at the age of 70. Edens also was a longtime manager of the U.P. Track & Field Finals – WLUC

Today in the MHSAA: 2/1/16

February 1, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Incredible numbers in girls basketball and boys swimming and a matchup of undefeated rivals led the weekend’s headlines across Michigan. 

Girls Basketball

Southfield-Lathrup doubled up Southfield in the final regular-season matchup between the rivals – the schools are scheduled to merge next year – Oakland Press

Grand Rapids South Christian made 11 3-pointers to stay undefeated and hand the first loss this season to Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 70-50 – Grand Rapids Press 

Benton Harbor’s Kysre Gondrezick continues to climb the MHSAA career scoring list and moved past St. Joseph’s Kim Knuth for seventh place with 39 against Niles to give her 2,460 points – St. Joseph Herald Palladium

Competitive Cheer

Portage Central, Plainwell, host Otsego and Delton Kellogg won division titles at the Bulldog Invitational with Plainwell putting up the top score overall – Kalamazoo Gazette 

Boys Swimming & Diving

Midland Dow won its 14th Tri-Cities Swim Invitational title, and Nehemiah Mork broke multiple meet records including one set in 1982 – Saginaw News 

Wrestling

Six of the 14 champions at the Lenawee County All-Star Tournament came from Hudson – Adrian Daily Telegram

Battle Creek Lakeview won the Bill Evans Memorial Invitational ahead of a field that included Division 4 No. 7 Bronson – Battle Creek Enquirer

Macomb teams dominated the Macomb-Oakland County Challenge, led by undefeated Richmond – Macomb Daily

Unranked Niles won its fourth straight Greater Berrien County Invitational ahead of a field that included Division 2 No. 10 Stevensville Lakeshore – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Good Reads

Fans of all schools will be rooting for Howell coach Ken Richards, who remains the school’s freshman boys basketball coach after being given a 50-50 chance of surviving cancer this past football season – Livingston Daily

Mount Pleasant is mourning the death of longtime coach Jim Powell, who guided more than 4,000 athletes during a 60-year career – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun