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: 12/12/17

December 12, 2017

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. Girls Basketball: Harbor Springs downed Alanson 42-25, but Alanson’s Brooke Nguyen did score her 1,000th career point – Petoskey News-Review

2. Girls Basketball: Rivals Ishpeming and Westwood traded leads late before the Hematites came out on top with two free throws at the end, 42-40 – Marquette Mining Journal

3. Boys Basketball: Class C Beaverton moved to 3-0 with a 56-43 win over Class A Midland Dow in the Chargers’ season opener – Midland Daily News

4. Boys Basketball: Boyne City continued to bounce back from its early loss to McBain by handing Cedarville its first defeat, 63-39 – Petoskey News-Review

5. Girls Basketball: Canton held on for its first win and to hand Novi its first loss despite 37 points by Ellie Mackay – Observer & Eccentric

6. Boys Basketball: Jake Witt continued to star as undefeated Ewen-Trout Creek got past Calumet 67-55 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

7. Football: A group of 13 Upper Peninsula schools with 8-player teams announced the formation of a football-only conference to begin play in 2018 – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Coaches: Marine City Cardinal Mooney boys basketball coach Mike McAndrews writes a guest commentary on the ways he’s been blessed by his two decades on the sideline – Port Huron Times Herald

9. Wrestling: Warren Lincoln hosted its first Tom Costello Invitational on Saturday, renaming the annual event in honor of a 1991 MHSAA champion who died in a crash in August – Macomb Daily

10. Hockey: Plymouth turned its two-game trip to Grand Rapids at the start of this month into a “Father-Son Weekend” filled with activities in addition to games against Forest Hills Northern/Eastern and Grandville – Observer & Eccentric