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: 1/22/18

January 22, 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 3 No. 1 Dundee, Division 1 No. 7 Oxford and Division 4 No. 1 Hudson took the top three spots, respectively, at the Hudson Super 16 – Adrian Daily Telegram

2. Boys Basketball: Reigning Class D runner-up Buckley and 2017 Class C semifinalist Manton played a classic, with Buckley winning 62-60, while doing so to raise money for a family struggling with a cancer fight and to honor a local coach who died after battling the disease – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Competitive Cheer: Division 4 No. 4 Sanford Meridian Early College edged No. 3 Farwell and No. 7 Houghton Lake to win the 10-team Harrison Invitational – Midland Daily News

4. Hockey: Top-ranked Livonia Stevenson hung on for a 4-2 win over No. 5 Trenton in a matchup of Division 2 contenders – Observer & Eccentric

5. Hockey: Division 3 No. 7 Detroit Country Day handed Birmingham United its first loss this season in the premier game of the Oakland Activities Association/Metro League Showdown – Southgate News Herald

6. Bowling: The unranked New Baltimore Anchor Bay girls and Division 1 No. 2 Macomb L’Anse Creuse North boys won Macomb County championships – Macomb Daily

7. Wrestling: Escanaba won the 17-team 51st U.P. Championships meet, finishing just ahead of Gladstone and Marquette – Marquette Mining Journal

8. Wrestling: Division 3 No. 4 Whitehall claimed its 12th straight Greater Muskegon Athletic Association title, with 11 wrestlers reaching tournament finals – Muskegon Chronicle

9. Boys Swimming & Diving: Lower Peninsula Division 2 honorable mention Battle Creek Lakeview claimed its 27th straight All-City championship – Battle Creek Enquirer

10. Girls Basketball: Battle Creek Central bravely took to the floor and was edged by Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 53-47 a day after the unexpected death of junior varsity coach Julionna Mahar – Battle Creek Enquirer

Also of note …

Football: Longtime Walled Lakes Western coach Mike Zdebski stepped down after leading the team to 160 wins and 17 playoff appearances, to take a coaching job in Arizona – Detroit Free Press

Boys Soccer: Longtime Warren DeLaSalle and Fraser coach Thaier Mukhtar is returning to take over the Pilots’ program – Macomb Daily