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: 2/7/20

February 7, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Northern Michigan provided us with our leading headliners Thursday as league races continued to shift especially in girls and boys basketball.

1. Girls Basketball: Sault Ste. Marie improved to 13-1 and handed St. Ignace just its second loss, 43-29 in a major Straits Area Conference matchup – MI Sports Now

2. Girls Basketball: Paige Kohler went over 1,000 career points in Suttons Bay’s 33-28 win at Lake Leelanau St. Mary – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Girls Basketball: Rochester moved into first place alone in the Oakland Activities Association Blue with a 33-31 win over former co-leader Berkley – Oakland Press

4. Boys Basketball: Traverse City Central pushed back into the Big North Conference race with a 50-37 win over Cadillac – Up North Live

5. Girls Basketball: Davison added a fifth win over its last seven games, 41-40 over reigning Division 3 runner-up Flint Hamady – ABC 12

6. Hockey: Division 2 No. 8 South Lyon Unified scored three goals during the third period to get past Northville 4-1 – Observer & Eccentric

7. Skiing: The Petoskey boys and Traverse City Central girls continued their dominance in the Big North Conference – Petoskey News-Review

8. Girls Basketball: Carney-Nadeau ran its winning streak to nine with a 48-25 win over Rapid River – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Girls Basketball: Pinconning earned the 10th win of its last 11 games, 54-25 over Sanford Meridian – Bay City Times

10. Girls Basketball: Three Rivers welcomed back standout Hadley Miller from injury with a 53-36 win over Otsego – Kalamazoo Gazette