Today in the MHSAA: 2/17/16
February 17, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We’re officially two weeks from our MHSAA version of “March Madness,” as basketball teams make final pushes to ready for the tournament while collecting regular-season hardware and memories along the way.
Girls Basketball
Saugatuck’s Kiri Tiemeyer had a triple-double with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, and her team needed all of it in avenging a previous loss to Hartford, 53-47 – Holland Sentinel
Class D contender Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart held on to edge Morley Stanwood 45-40 – Big Rapids News
From Monday, Niles Brandywine is surging, following up handing Stevensville Lakeshore its first loss last week by giving St. Joseph only its second defeat of the winter, 52-47 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Also from Monday, Skyline Central Conference East leader Munising handed West co-leader Bark River-Harris the latter’s first loss this season, 43-31 – Marquette Mining Journal
Boys Basketball
East Lansing remained undefeated and claimed the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title with a 64-54 win over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek needed nearly all of overtime to get past Lake Orion 62-61 and clinch a share of the Oakland Activities Association Blue title – Oakland Press
Kalamazoo Central won a matchup of the top two teams in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East, clinching the league title with a 55-32 win over second-place Battle Creek Central – Battle Creek Enquirer
Shae Somers went over 1,000 points for his career, becoming the sixth Elk Rapids player to do so, while leading his team to a 60-47 win over Harbor Springs – Traverse City Record-Eagle
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.