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: 12/19/18

December 19, 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.

High-scoring individual hoops performances, buzzer-beating wins on the court and some big-time matchups in the pool fill today’s list of Tuesday’s high achievers.

1. Boys Basketball: Wayne Memorial’s Isaiah Lewis went over 1,000 points for his career with 50 in his team’s big win over Dearborn – Observer & Eccentric

2. Boys Basketball: J.D. Rawls set a Mount Morris record with 42 points in a 74-57 win over Otisville-LakeVille – Flint Journal

3. Boys Swimming & Diving: Holland Christian, No. 1 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, continued its run through the state’s best teams with wins over No. 3 Spring Lake and Caledonia – Holland Sentinel

4. Girls Basketball: East Jordan improved to 6-0 with a buzzer-beating win over Grayling, 37-36 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 5 Ann Arbor Pioneer won every race in a big win over LPD3 honorable mention Chelsea – We Love Ann Arbor

6. Boys Basketball: Howell’s Kip French knocked down a 3-pointer with 15 seconds to play to push the Highlanders past Plymouth 44-43 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Boys Basketball: Marquette got past Escanaba 61-51 in a matchup of last season’s top two teams in the Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference – The Upbeat

8. Girls Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake handed Benzie Central its first defeat, 62-59 – MI Sports Now

9. Boys Basketball: Grand Rapids Union gave Grand Rapids Northview its first defeat, 73-60 – FOX 17

10. Girls Basketball: Coldwater held off a Kalamazoo Central comeback to improve to 5-0 with a 54-48 win – Coldwater Daily Reporter