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: 1/8/17

January 8, 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.

Today's Top 10 

1. Wrestling: Division 3 top-ranked Dundee scored 348 points to set a record at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Invitational, breaking its previous record by nearly 50; Division 2 No. 4 New Boston Huron finished runner-up – Monroe Evening News

2. Hockey: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s scored three unanswered goals to upend host Hancock 3-2; OLSM is No. 3 in Division 1, and Hancock is the top-ranked team in Division 3 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

3. Hockey: Brownstown Woodhaven downed Riverview Gabriel Richard 4-2 to win its New Year Tournament and give coach Bryan Sullivan his 400th career win – Southgate News Herald

4. Wrestling: Division 2 No. 3 Gaylord finished 5-0 to win the Grand Ledge Invitational, with a win by tie-breaker criteria over No. 5 Eaton Rapids – Gaylord Herald Times

5. Cheer: Reigning Division 3 runner-up Richmond kicked off this season by winning the Division 1 portion of its home invitational – Port Huron Times Herald

6. Girls Basketball: Lexi Niepoth set a Bellaire record with 27 rebounds to go with 24 points in a 54-21 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Traverse City Record-Eagle

7. Wrestling: Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central won its annual invitational topping a field that included No. 7 Oxford – Oakland Press

8. Wrestling: Adrian improved to 15-1 this season with a championship at its dual invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Boys Swimming & Diving – LP Division 1 No. 5 Northville moved to 7-0 this winter with wins over honorable mentions South Lyon Unified and Canton, and Plymouth – Observer & Eccentric

10. Cheer: Adrian Madison won its invitational by nearly 30 points to top a field of 10 varsity teams – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Kingsford and Iron Mountain filled the gym for the Flivvers’ 72-56 win, a show of support less than a week after two Kingsford classmates died in a car crash – Iron Mountain Daily News