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: 12/10/19
December 10, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Boys basketball season opened Monday across the state and produced a number of highlights – topped by a meeting between teams that finished last season at the Breslin Center.
1. Boys Basketball: In the night’s most power-packed opener, returning Division 2 runner-up River Rouge downed reigning Division 1 champion Ypsilanti Lincoln 63-53 – Detroit News
2. Boys Basketball: Joseph Kimmerer broke Hale’s school scoring record that had stood since 1992 in leading his team to a 67-57 win over Rogers City – Alpena News
3. Boys Basketball: Brady Hunter scored his 1,000th career point as Gaylord St. Mary got past Lake Leelanau St. Mary 78-71 – Gaylord Herald Times
4. Girls Basketball: Howell went on the road and handed Midland Dow its first loss, 57-46 – Midland Daily News
5. Hockey: Portage Central won a high-scoring rematch for the “Canoe” downing Portage Northern 9-5 – WWMT
6. Girls Basketball: Bay City John Glenn won a matchup of annually-strong area programs, 50-39 over Bay City Western – Bay City Times
7. Girls Basketball: Gwinn took Bark River-Harris to a second overtime before emerging with a 61-58 win – The Upbeat
8. Boys Basketball: Pellston’s Blake Cassidy had one of the highest-scoring opening nights with 37 points in his team’s 74-46 win over Mackinaw City – Petoskey News-Review
9. Girls Basketball: Morrice edged Lansing Christian 45-44 in overtime thanks in part to five Olivia Riley 3-pointers – Owosso Argus-Press
10. Boys Basketball: Midland Bullock Creek had 20 steals to lock down Gladwin in a season opener 56-26 – Midland Daily News
Also of note …
Boys Swimming & Diving: From Saturday, Ann Arbor Pioneer – No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – was first and LPD2 honorable mention Battle Creek Lakeview second at the 74th Cereal Bowl Relays – We Love Ann Arbor