Today in the MHSAA: 1/26/18

January 26, 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.

Today's Top 10 

1. Wrestling: Division 1 No. 3 Brighton clinched the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship with a 38-25 win over No. 2 Westland John Glenn – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

2. Boys Skiing: Reigning Division 1 runner-up Traverse City Central and Division 2 seven-time reigning champion Petoskey dominated the Big North Conference opener, with Petoskey winning by half a point – Petoskey News-Review

3. Girls Basketball: A big fourth quarter pushed Detroit Mumford past Detroit Renaissance in a matchup for first place in the Detroit Public School League West Division 1 – Detroit News

4. Girls Basketball: Manton downed McBain Northern Michigan Christian in a matchup of teams that entered tied for first in the Highland Conference – Cadillac News

5. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 1 top-ranked Holland Christian got past No. 7 Grand Rapids Christian 114-63 to claim the Legacy Trophy, named in honor of the late Riley Hoeksema – Holland Sentinel

6. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Grand Haven relied on superior depth to edge Hudsonville 158-156 – Grand Haven Tribune

7. Boys Basketball: Saginaw Swan Valley hung on for a 60-54 win over Ovid-Elsie in a Tri-Valley Conference crossover featuring the first-place teams in the Central and West, respectively – Saginaw News

8. Boys Basketball: Clarkston got past West Bloomfield 61-48 in a matchup of Oakland Activities Association Red powers that also met in the Class A Semifinals last season – Oakland Press

9. Boys Basketball: Scottville Mason County Central, third in the West Michigan Conference, connected on three free throws to force overtime, but second-place Whitehall emerged with a 54-47 victory – Local State Journal

10. Project Unified: The Kensington Lakes Activities Association has partnered with Michigan Special Olympics to form a Project Unified basketball schedule this season, and member school Hartland is featured in this report; the MHSAA provides support and promotes Unified Sports, with teams frequently playing games as part of the March Magic Hoopfest also supported by the Greater Lansing Sports Authority – WHMI

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: From Tuesday, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley downed Macomb L’Anse Creuse North to give coach Kevin Voss his 500th win – Macomb Daily

Today in the MHSAA: 1/20/16

January 20, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Buzzer beaters and milestone basketball victories made headlines all over Michigan today, and check out as well a moving video that tells of the importance of our national anthem.

Girls Basketball

Reigning Class C champion Calumet added another accomplishment to the long list with its first win over Houghton since 1999, 44-31 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Three Rivers’ sophomore Arionne Fowlkes went baseline to baseline for a last-second layup to give her team a 43-41 win over Niles – Niles Daily Star

Class A favorite Saginaw Heritage remained undefeated with a 53-38 win over rival Midland Dow, also ranked in Class A – Saginaw News

One-loss St. Ignace handed Newberry its first defeat of the season, 64-57 – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Cedar Springs also knocked a team from the unbeaten ranks, with Sam Taylor’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds ending Kent City’s perfect run, 50-47 – Grand Rapids Press

Muskegon edged East Kentwood 50-47 after trailing by 10 and on the strength of 26 points and 22 rebounds by senior Mardrekia Cook – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Despite being outscored 30-22 in the fourth quarter, Southfield Christian held on for an 82-79 win over Southfield – MLive-Detroit

Merrill earned its first win since 2013 by downing Coleman 49-36 – Midland Daily News

One-loss Alma handed previously-undefeated Ithaca its first, 56-53, as Dylan Carl hit 3-pointers to send the game to overtime and then win it – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Muskegon Oakridge’s Brady Luttrull drilled a 3-pointer during the final seconds to push his team past Scottville Mason County Central 67-66 – Muskegon Chronicle

Cassopolis followed a strong third quarter by Deoin Gatson to hand Niles Brandywine its first loss, 61-47 – Niles Daily Leader

One-loss Clarkston also handed out a first loss Tuesday, to Rochester Adams, in a matchup of top Class A teams – Oakland Press

Caleb Brown’s only basket for Northport was the game winner during the final seconds of a 51-49 victory over Central Lake – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Nate Dugener’s sixth 3-pointer of the game gave Muskegon Western Michigan Christian a 52-49 win over Holland Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Swimming & Diving

In a matchup of top teams on the west side of the Lower Peninsula, Division 1 No. 6 Zeeland got past Division 2 honorable mention Holland 104-73 – Holland Sentinel

Worth Watching

We ran across and were moved by Virginia Tech’s honoring of veterans at the start of this men’s basketball season. Check out this meaningful presentation and how it relates to providing proper respect during The Star-Spangled Banner.