Today in the MHSAA: 2/16/18

February 16, 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. Girls Basketball: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart clinched its third straight Mid-State Activities Conference title with a 61-14 win over Blanchard Montabella on a night during which it celebrated 50 years of girls basketball – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

2. Boys Basketball: Sault Ste. Marie senior Brandon Paul went over 1,000 career points as his team downed St. Ignace 49-18 to claim the Straits Area Conference title – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

3. Girls Basketball: St. Ignace downed Newberry 68-15 to clinch the Straits Area Conference title as coach Dorene Ingalls earned her 400th victory over 19 seasons – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

4. Boys Basketball: Novi Franklin Road Christian clinched the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Red title thanks to a last-second tip-in by Christian Banks for a 45-44 win over Allen Park Inter-City Baptist – Observer & Eccentric

5. Girls Basketball: Hillman claimed a fourth-straight North Star League Big Dipper championship with a 51-38 win over Rogers City – Alpena News

6. Girls Basketball: Reigning Class C runner-up Pewamo-Westphalia finished a regular-season sweep of rival Laingsburg 44-20 to claim the Central Michigan Athletic Conference title – Lansing State Journal

7. Boys Basketball: Petoskey clinched an outright Big North Conference title with an 86-60 win over Traverse City Central, combined with Traverse City West’s win over Cadillac – Petoskey News-Review

8. Hockey: Division 3 No. 3 Houghton downed Division 2 No. 7 Marquette 2-1 to give 19-year coach Corey Markham his 300th win – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

9. Girls Basketball: Flushing downed Ortonville Brandon 71-16 to claim a share of the Flint Metro League title – Flint Journal

10. Girls Basketball: Posen’s Cami LaTulip went over 1,000 career points during a 50-18 win over Fairview – Alpena News

Also of note …

Volleyball: Holland Christian hired former Calvin College assistant coach and assistant athletic director Laura Bindon to take over its volleyball program – Holland Sentinel

Today in the MHSAA: 2/27/19

February 27, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Hockey Regionals and a few Boys Basketball Districts continued Tuesday, but the evening was dominated by some of the final big-time girls basketball matchups of the regular season – including a rematch of last season’s Class A Final that this time came down to the final seconds.

1. Girls Basketball: In a rematch of last season’s Class A championship game, Saginaw Heritage came back to come out on top again, 55-53 over East Lansing – Saginaw News

2. Hockey: No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle got past No. 10 Grosse Pointe South 3-1 in a Regional matchup of ranked Division 3 teams – Macomb Daily

3. Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial downed Brighton 61-48 to claim the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship – Observer & Eccentric

4. Girls Basketball: Centreville downed Bloomingdale 51-34 to clinch the Southwest 10 Conference championship – Sturgis Journal

5. Girls Basketball: Gaylord St. Mary clinched a third straight Ski Valley Conference title with a 60-29 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Gaylord Herald Times

6. Girls Basketball: Stanton Central Montcalm pulled within one more win of a second-straight perfect regular season with a 48-42 victory over Kent City – FOX 17

7. Hockey: No. 8 Plymouth came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat South Lyon 5-4 in a Division 2 Regional – Observer & Eccentric

8. Boys Basketball: Jimmy Benoit’s putback gave Sault Ste. Marie a last-second Division 2 District win over Cheboygan – WPBN

9. Hockey: No. 9 Alpena avenged last season’s Division 3 Regional loss to Sault Ste. Marie with a 4-0 victory – Alpena News

10. Hockey: Howell moved on in the Division 2 bracket with a 6-2 win over Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Also of note …

Volleyball: Longtime Michigan State University coach Chuck Erbe is taking over at Ada Forest Hills Eastern – Grand Rapids Press

Girls Basketball: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Juliana Paoletti went over 1,000 career points during a win over Clinton – Monroe News