Today in the MHSAA: 1/29/19

January 29, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Lower Peninsula was snowed out Tuesday, but the Upper Peninsula played on and nearly filled out today’s list with all of the coverage we could find – plus a pair of neat feature stories we included as well.

1. Girls Basketball: Riley Poupore scored 35 points to lead Iron Mountain past Ishpeming 59-48 – The Upbeat

2. Boys Basketball: Dollar Bay pulled away during the closing seconds of a 48-46 win over Ewen-Trout Creek – The Upbeat

3. Girls Basketball: Iron River West Iron County came back from a halftime deficit to edge Kingsford 39-38 – Iron Mountain Daily News

4. Girls Basketball: Baraga edged Chassell 42-39 – The Upbeat

5. Boys Basketball: Hancock downed Calumet 41-35 in overtime – The Upbeat

6. Boys Basketball: Kingsford made 62 percent of its shots from the floor in a 77-53 win over Norway – Iron Mountain Daily News

7. Girls Basketball: Munising took a big early lead and held on for a 48-32 win over Big Bay de Noc – Escanaba Daily Press

8. Girls Basketball: Felch North Dickinson also got out to a sizable first-half advantage on the way to a big win over Eben Junction Superior Central – Escanaba Daily Press

9. Boys Basketball: Bessemer fell just short of Hurley, Wis., 48-46 – The Upbeat

Also of note …

Boys Basketball: Frankfort would not play Buckley 5-on-4 to finish its Jan. 18 game – instead opting to equal things out – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Football/Basketball: Few small towns have enjoyed the level of success in these sports of late as Pewamo-Westphalia, and this series of anecdotes tells a lot of the community’s story – Lansing State Journal

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.