Today in the MHSAA: 12/20/18
December 20, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Teams are getting in their final competitions before at least a brief holiday break, and we’re taking one too after today’s list – “Today” will return Jan. 7, although Second Half will continue publishing stories from all over the state during the final week of December and first of January.
1. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary broke a 31-game, 14-year losing streak to Bellaire with a 29-26 win – Gaylord Herald Times
2. Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier improved to 7-0 by handing a first loss to Reading, 57-46 – Hillsdale Daily News
3. Hockey: Evan MacDonald had a hat trick as Division 1 No. 5 Brighton downed reigning Division 3 runner-up Livonia Churchill 4-1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona gave Pellston its first loss of this season, 67-65 – Petoskey News-Review
5. Girls Basketball: Waterford Our Lady made a late run to get past Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 61-56 – Oakland Press
6. Wrestling: Grand Haven came back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat Caledonia 39-33 – Grand Haven Tribune
7. Gymnastics: Escanaba remained undefeated to start the season with wins over Marquette and Negaunee – Escanaba Daily Press
8. Boys Basketball: Portland St. Patrick closed on a 22-5 run to beat Fowler 52-42 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
9. Hockey: Brendan Pellerito had 34 saves as Mattawan shut out Portage Northern 4-0 – JoeInsider.com
10. Wrestling: Division 4 top-ranked Hudson earned a pair of league wins over Blissfield and Onsted – Adrian Daily Telegram
Also of note …
Hockey: The status of high school hockey is on the rise with talent evaluators at the game’s next levels – Observer & Eccentric
Tennis: Longtime coach Paul Bandrowski retired after leading Traverse City St. Francis’ girls and boys teams to a number of strong MHSAA Finals finishes – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Girls Basketball: From Tuesday, Eaton Rapids came back to stun Jackson Northwest 44-41, but the Mounties’ Sydney Shafer went over 1,000 career points – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Boys Swimming & Diving: From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Skyline edged LPD2 top-ranked Dexter 95-90 – We Love Ann Arbor
Today in the MHSAA: 12/18/19
December 18, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 2019 calendar year refuses to finish without making some significant early impacts on this basketball season, with Tuesday including a few that will be remembered.
1. Girls Basketball: Saginaw Swan Valley delivered Hemlock’s first regular-season season defeat in nearly two calendar years, 67-50 – Saginaw News
2. Boys Basketball: Grand Rapids Christian locked down Grand Rapids Catholic Central for a 60-54 win – FOX 17
3. Boys Basketball: Beaverton got past reigning league champ Sanford Meridian 40-38 in a matchup of the two best from the Jack Pine Conference in 2018-19 – Midland Daily News
4. Girls Basketball: Hartland slowed down Okemos for a 41-23 win – State Champs Sports Network
5. Boys Swimming & Diving: Holland West Ottawa had the top finisher in eight races on the way to a 112-72 win over Zeeland – Holland Sentinel
6. Girls Basketball: Carlee Crabtree scored her 1,000th career point as Coldwater earned its first win this season, 62-22 over Hastings – Coldwater Daily Reporter
7. Girls Basketball: Saline moved to 5-0 with a 71-24 win over Dearborn Henry Ford Academy as Ella Stemmer set a school record with eight 3-pointers – Saline Post
8. Boys Basketball: Tyson Acuff scored 44 points including the winning basket in Detroit Cass Tech’s 65-64 win over Henry Ford – Detroit News
9. Girls Basketball: Marquette held on for a low-scoring 35-32 win over Negaunee – The Upbeat
10. Girls Basketball: Morgan Case made a half-court shot at the buzzer to push Blissfield past Erie Mason 50-47 – Adrian Daily Telegram
Also of note …
State Champs Sports Network produced its MHSAA Finals shows for Volleyball, Girls Swimming & Diving and Football