Today in the MHSAA: 1/22/20

January 22, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tuesday was milestone day as four more of the state’s top girls basketball players went over 1,000 points for their careers, headlining an evening that also saw a number of upsets in multiple sports.

1. Girls Basketball: Ellie Droste joined Pewamo-Westphalia teammate Hannah Spitzley in going over 1,000 career points this season, reaching the milestone in a big win over Bath – Lansing State Journal

2. Girls Basketball: AJ Ediger went over 1,000 career points with 21 in Hamilton’s 41-29 win over Zeeland West – Holland Sentinel

3. Girls Basketball: Joanna Larsen went over 1,000 career points with 19 in Centreville’s 66-26 win over Mendon – Sturgis Journal

4. Girls Basketball: Gabi Saxman scored 29 points in Schoolcraft’s 57-30 win over Constantine to go over 1,000 for her career – JoeInsider.com

5. Boys Basketball: Thomas Kurowski tied a school record with 43 points, including four big ones over the final seconds, to lead Sturgis past Battle Creek Central 62-58 – Sturgis Journal

6. Boys Swimming & Diving: Pinckney – an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – got past LPD1 No. 10 Brighton for the first time in a long time, 96-90 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

7. Girls Basketball: Kent City dealt the first loss this season to Morley Stanwood, 75-33, thanks in part to 16 3-pointers – Muskegon Chronicle

8. Boys Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary defeated previously-unbeaten Pellston 59-54 to move up in the Ski Valley Conference – Gaylord Herald Times

9. Girls Basketball: Richland Gull Lake handed Three Rivers its first loss, 73-49 – Kalamazoo Gazette

10. Girls Basketball: Ubly moved into first place alone in the Greater Thumb Conference East with a 31-17 win over Sandusky – Huron Daily Tribune

Also of note …

Football: Recently retired pro Zach Line will take over Oxford from longtime coach Bud Rowley, who retired after this past season – State Champs Sports Network

Today in the MHSAA: 2/17/20

February 17, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first MHSAA winter champions were crowned Saturday – congrats to Marquette on a girls and boys swimming & diving sweep. Find coverage of those meets also on Second Half, and check out this list of others who made the biggest headlines. 

1. Girls Basketball: Detroit Renaissance claimed its first Detroit Public School League overall title since 2011 with an 81-55 win over Detroit Cass Tech – State Champs Sports Network 

2. Boys Basketball: Cass Tech won its third PSL title over the last four seasons with a 66-41 victory over Douglass – State Champs Sports Network

3. Gymnastics: Howell won its first Kensington Lakes Activities Association title in this sport – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Wresting: Division 4 No. 2 New Lothrop celebrated nine District champions among 14 total Regional qualifiers – Owosso Argus-Press 

5. Hockey: Division 1 No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central won a matchup of top-ranked teams, shutting out Division 2’s Livonia Stevenson 4-0 – Observer & Eccentric

6. Hockey: Utica Eisenhower clinched a share of the Macomb Area Conference Red title with a 6-3 win over Division 1 No. 5 Macomb Dakota – Macomb Daily

7. Bowling: The Division 3 top-ranked Flat Rock girls and Monroe boys won Monroe County championships – Monroe News

8. Boys Basketball: Wyoming handed Grand Rapids Christian its first loss, 62-61, to move into a first-place tie in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold – FOX 17

9. Boys Basketball: Ann Arbor Skyline ended Ann Arbor Huron’s perfect run with a 53-40 victory – We Love Ann Arbor

10. Boys Swimming & Diving: Monroe’s Gavin Redden and Howell’s Hunter Gubeno won multiple championships at the prestigious MISCA Meet – MISCA Online

Also of note …

Hockey: St. Clair Shores Unified repeated as MAC White champion with a 6-5 win over Port Huron United – Macomb Daily

Bowling: Traverse City West’s girls and Cadillac’s Division 2 No. 3 boys locked up Great Northwest High School Bowling Conference titles – Traverse City Record-Eagle