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: 2/27/19
February 27, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Hockey Regionals and a few Boys Basketball Districts continued Tuesday, but the evening was dominated by some of the final big-time girls basketball matchups of the regular season – including a rematch of last season’s Class A Final that this time came down to the final seconds.
1. Girls Basketball: In a rematch of last season’s Class A championship game, Saginaw Heritage came back to come out on top again, 55-53 over East Lansing – Saginaw News
2. Hockey: No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle got past No. 10 Grosse Pointe South 3-1 in a Regional matchup of ranked Division 3 teams – Macomb Daily
3. Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial downed Brighton 61-48 to claim the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship – Observer & Eccentric
4. Girls Basketball: Centreville downed Bloomingdale 51-34 to clinch the Southwest 10 Conference championship – Sturgis Journal
5. Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary clinched a third straight Ski Valley Conference title with a 60-29 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Gaylord Herald Times
6. Girls Basketball: Stanton Central Montcalm pulled within one more win of a second-straight perfect regular season with a 48-42 victory over Kent City – FOX 17
7. Hockey: No. 8 Plymouth came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat South Lyon 5-4 in a Division 2 Regional – Observer & Eccentric
8. Boys Basketball: Jimmy Benoit’s putback gave Sault Ste. Marie a last-second Division 2 District win over Cheboygan – WPBN
9. Hockey: No. 9 Alpena avenged last season’s Division 3 Regional loss to Sault Ste. Marie with a 4-0 victory – Alpena News
10. Hockey: Howell moved on in the Division 2 bracket with a 6-2 win over Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Also of note …
Volleyball: Longtime Michigan State University coach Chuck Erbe is taking over at Ada Forest Hills Eastern – Grand Rapids Press
Girls Basketball: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Juliana Paoletti went over 1,000 career points during a win over Clinton – Monroe News