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: 1/10/19

January 10, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

We kick off today’s list of Wednesday’s headliners with a pair of impressive girls basketball wins and a perfect game on the bowling lanes, and check out as well "The Official Report" featuring MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl.

1. Girls Basketball: Detroit Martin Luther King moved to 8-0 by edging rival Cass Tech 56-53 in overtime – Detroit News

2. Girls Basketball: Saginaw Heritage won its eighth straight over Flint Carman-Ainsworth, but it was hardly a cinch as the Hawks held on for a 46-41 win – Saginaw News

3. Bowling: Dallas Casey rolled the first perfect game in Saline history to lead his team to a 29-1 win over Pinckney – Saline Post

4. Boys Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake downed Northwest Conference co-leader Frankfort 66-41 to take an upper hand in the standings – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Wrestling: Stevensville Lakeshore won the final six matches to break away from St. Joseph 42-19 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

6. Girls Basketball: Manton downed first-place McBain 52-39 in Highland Conference play to take over the league’s top spot – MI Sports Now

7. Hockey: Division 1 No. 6 Farmington United improved to 10-2-1 with a 7-2 win over Bloomfield Hills – Observer & Eccentric

8. Boys Basketball: Gwinn needed just about every second of double overtime but downed Houghton 77-76 – The Upbeat

9. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 9 Tecumseh downed Adrian and Ypsilanti Community in Southeastern Conference White matches – Adrian Daily Telegram

10. Wrestling: Division 4 No. 1 Hudson shut out Brooklyn Columbia Central and nearly did the same to Hillsdale in the Lenawee County Athletic Association – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note ...

Officiating: The MHSAA's Mark Uyl, formerly the coordinator of officials before taking over as executive director, discusses officiating. He also has served as one of the most highly-regarded college baseball umpires in the nation –  The Official Report