Today in the MHSAA: 12/6/17

December 6, 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: East Lansing’s Aazh Nye hit the game-winning shot against DeWitt in last year’s Class A District Final, and did so again Tuesday as the Trojans sank the Panthers 52-51 in a matchup of highly-touted squads – Lansing State Journal

2. Boys Basketball: Following up a major football matchup just a month ago, Canton upset Belleville on the basketball court 65-61 – Observer & Eccentric

3. Girls Basketball: Bay City Western won another matchup of two of the state’s most highly-regarded with a steal and free throws at the end to down Freeland 59-57 – Bay City Times

4. Boys Basketball: Mancelona broke a 43-game losing streak stretching back to the end of 2014-15 with a 50-43 win over East Jordan – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Boys Basketball: After a winless 2016-17, Fruitport also opened with a victory, 54-28 over Holton – Grand Haven Tribune

6. Girls Basketball: Sandusky downed Unionville-Sebewaing 53-26, delivering coach Al DeMott his 700th career victory – Huron Daily Tribune

7. Boys Basketball: Reigning Class A champion Clarkston opened with a 65-55 win over Wayne Memorial, another anticipated contender this winter – Detroit News

8. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor opened the season on an 18-0 run on the way to defeating Dowagiac 77-43 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

9. Boys Basketball: Battling a lingering foot injury, Johnny Shields gave Howell a necessary boost in its 74-68 overtime win over Linden – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

10. Girls Basketball: Pittsford down Hillsdale Academy, but the real story was how the two communities worked together to support someone who surely will remain a friend of both programs – Hillsdale Daily News

Did you see that? (June 3-9)

June 10, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The second of three weeks of spring MHSAA Finals came to a close with four more champions from lacrosse – plus 16 teams still alive in both baseball and softball, eight in girls soccer and 60 in Lower Peninsula boys golf.

See below for some of the biggest headlines from the week that was June 3-9.

Girls lacrosse

Champions of the west: A pair of Grand Rapids-area teams claimed the girls championships Saturday. Rockford defeated Bloomfield Hills United 16-7 in Division 1, while East Grand Rapids repeated in Division 2 with a 16-6 victory over Livonia Ladywood. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)

Boys Lacrosse

East-side excellence: Birmingham Brother Rice came back from an early deficit in the Division 1 Final to win its ninth-straight title by beating Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 14-10. In Division 2, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood scored with 20.2 seconds to play to edge reigning champion Forest Hills Central 10-9. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)

Girls Soccer

Defensive standoff: Top-ranked Plymouth and No. 3 Novi needed a shootout to decide Friday’s Division 1 Regional Final. But Novi won that final round 2-1 to earn a 1-0 win and hand Plymouth its first and only loss this season. (MLive Detroit)

Powers survives comeback: Up 3-0 at halftime, reigning Division 3 runner-up Flint Powers Catholic advanced to within one win of returning to the Finals with a 3-2 Regional Final win over Lake Fenton. (Flint Journal)

Baseball

Oilers upend No. 1: Mount Pleasant, ranked No. 4 in Division 2, beat top-ranked Bay City John Glenn on the way to winning their Regional on Saturday. (Mount Pleasant Morning Sun)

MCC wins big: Muskegon Catholic Central moved on in Division 4 with a 9-0 Regional win over No. 2 Gobles in another of the weekend’s biggest baseball matchups. MCC entered the postseason ranked No. 5. (Muskegon Chronicle)

Softball

Dundee gets its chance: The Vikings won their first Regional championship and defeated two-time reigning Division 3 champion Clinton in the process Saturday at Blissfield. Dundee entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the division. (Monroe Evening News)

Romeo prevails in pair of nail-biters: The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs were down to their final out before defeating Troy in a Regional Semifinal and then beat Hartland 3-0 in the championship game. Both Troy and Hartland were honorable mentions in the final Division 1 coaches poll. (Oakland Press)

Escanaba headed downstate: The Eskymos will face reigning MHSAA Division 2 runner-up Saginaw Swan Valley in a Quarterfinal for the second straight season thanks to a walk-off home run by sophomore Michelle LaFave in a 5-4 Regional Final win over Remus Chippewa Hills. (Escanaba Daily Press)

Boys Golf

SMAC East dominates: Top-ranked Battle Creek Lakeview in Division 1 and Marshall and Battle Creek Harper Creek in Division 2 all qualified for LP Finals, giving the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East three teams in this weekend’s championship tournaments. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

DeWitt outshoots No. 1: Previously unranked DeWitt shot a 313 to edge top-ranked East Lansing by a stroke at their Division 2 Regional at Gull Lake View. (Lansing State Journal)

Boys Basketball

CMU star takes over GRCC: Former Central Michigan University captain T.J. Meerman has taken over the Grand Rapids Catholic Central program after serving as an assistant coach last season at Grand Valley State University. Previously, Meerman coached the varsity at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. (Grand Rapids Press)