Today in the MHSAA: 2/15/17
February 15, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Girls basketball action was full of highlights Tuesday as teams won league titles, advanced with big wins in conference tournaments and celebrated individual milestones.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Girls Basketball
Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Sophia Karasinski went over 1,000 career points in her team’s 64-23 win over Grand Rapids West Catholic – Grand Rapids Press
Brighton came back from 11 down to defeat Walled Lake Western in a first-round Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament game – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Bath downed Class C No. 4 Laingsburg 53-34 after falling by two in the teams’ first meeting – Lansing State Journal
Port Huron Northern snapped Utica Ford’s 16-game winning streak with a 67-51 victory in Macomb Area Conference tournament play – Macomb Daily
Brethren moved into a first-place tie in the West Michigan D League with a 39-35 win over Bear Lake – Manistee News Advocate
Bloomfield Hills won its 15th straight game, downing Clarkston 52-51 – Oakland Press
Gaylord St. Mary claimed the Ski Valley Conference championship with a big win over Pellston – Gaylord Herald Times
Fruitport Calvary Christian won its fifth straight Alliance League title with a win over Byron Center Zion Christian – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Basketball
Kalamazoo Central downed Battle Creek Central 57-48 to clinch the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title – Kalamazoo Gazette
Marcus Gibbs hit four 3-pointers including the game-winning shot to lead Detroit Cass Tech past East English 73-71 in the Detroit Public School League semifinals – MLive-Detroit
Hockey
In their third meeting this winter, Division 3 No. 3 Calumet earned a 2-1 season advantage on No. 7 Houghton by scoring the final three goals in a 3-2 win over the Gremlins – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16
January 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.
Girls Basketball
Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal
DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal
St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Boys Basketball
Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal
Ice Hockey
Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Swimming & Diving
Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer
Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News
Wrestling
Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit
Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press
Football
Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News