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: 1/16/20

January 16, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A major matchup of two of the Upper Peninsula’s best in girls basketball and a streak-ending performance on the wrestling mat highlight Wednesday’s headliners from across the state.

1. Girls Basketball: St. Ignace handed Pickford its first loss this season, 70-48, in a rematch from last season’s District – MI Sports Now

2. Wrestling: Union City earned its first win over Springport since 2009, 42-33, to make a major move in the Big 8 Conference – Coldwater Daily Reporter

3. Wrestling: No. 3 Brighton earned a big win over No. 4 Hartland, although the Eagles were missing a number of starters because of illness – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Girls Basketball: Lauren Laures became the second 1,000-point scorer in Pinconning history in leading her team to a 37-20 win over Gladwin – Bay City Times

5. Girls Basketball: Jayden Weber also went over 1,000 points for her career in leading East Jordan past Central Lake 63-46 – Petoskey News-Review

6. Girls Basketball: Manistee Catholic Central delivered Walkerville’s first loss this season, 46-40 – MI Sports Now

7. Boys Basketball: Traverse City St. Francis won a matchup of league leaders, 40-32 – Up North Live

8. Wrestling: Also in the Big 8, Reading edged Jonesville 42-39 in a matchup of league contenders – Hillsdale Daily News

9. Boys Basketball: Reese came back from an early 14-point deficit to get past Bad Axe 61-56 in overtime – Bay City Times

10. Hockey: White Lake Lakeland won a high-scoring matchup 6-5 over Milford – Oakland Press