Today in the MHSAA: 2/18/19

February 18, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Wrestling Regionals, Cheer Districts and more than a dozen hockey, basketball and bowling league championships won over the weekend make today’s list of high achievers perhaps the longest so far this 2018-19 school year – and check elsewhere on Second Half for coverage of our first winter Finals in Upper Peninsula swimming & diving.

1. Boys Basketball: Oscoda tied a school record with its 17th win and clinched the North Star League Big Dipper title, its first conference championship since 1991, with a 61-39 victory over Whittemore-Prescott – WBKB

2. Hockey: Division 3 No. 9 Alpena downed Traverse City Central 5-0 to clinch its first Big North Conference title since 2004-05 – Alpena News

3. Girls Basketball: Detroit Mumford repeated as Detroit Public School League Tournament champion with a 59-49 win over Detroit Martin Luther King – State Champs!

4. Wrestling: No. 2 Brighton qualified a Livingston County-record 13 for the Individual Finals from Saturday’s Division 1 Regional – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Boys Basketball: Wyoming Godwin Heights clinched its 10th straight Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title with a 63-44 win over Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian – FOX 17

6. Boys Basketball: Detroit U-D Jesuit clinched its seventh straight Detroit Catholic League A-B Tournament title with a 63-54 win over Detroit Catholic Central – Detroit News

7. Boys Basketball: Detroit Cass Tech downed Detroit Renaissance 80-56 to win the Detroit PSL Tournament title – Detroit News

8. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor won a matchup of Division 2 championship contenders, 72-62 over River Rouge – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

9. Basketball: Kinross Maplewood Baptist’s girls and boys basketball teams won Northern Lights Conference Tournament titles, Ellie Bell going over 1,000 career points for the girls during their run – MI Sports Now

10. Competitive Cheer: Reigning Division 2 champion Allen Park won its District, ahead of runner-up Dearborn Divine Child – Southgate News-Herald

Also of note …

Gymnastics: Jackson Area finished first and Coldwater second at the South Central Gymnastics League Championship meet, Coldwater finishing its highest since 1989 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

Boys Bowling: Gaylord put the finishing touches on a second straight Northern Michigan Bowling Conference championship – Gaylord Herald Times

Boys Bowling: Division 4 top-ranked Bronson clinched the Kensington Valley Association championship – Sturgis Journal

Boys Basketball: Josh Palo went over 1,000 career points in Howell’s 57-45 win over Novi – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

Boys Basketball: Ovid-Elsie claimed a share of the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference title with a 69-66 double-overtime win over Mount Morris – Owosso Argus-Press

Boys Basketball: Richmond clinched its second straight Blue Water Area Conference title with a 51-41 win over Almont – Port Huron Times-Herald

Bowling: The Rockford girls and Caledonia boys claimed O-K Red championships at the league tournament – Grand Haven Tribune

Boys Basketball: Ionia clinched the outright Capital Area Activities Conference White title with a big win over Lansing Catholic – Greenville Daily News

Girls Basketball: Muskegon clinched the O-K Black championship with a 72-66 win over Jenison – Local Sports Journal

Boys Basketball: Fremont clinched the Central State Activities Association Gold title with a 60-58 overtime win over Grant – Local Sports Journal

Bowling: New Boston Huron’s girls and boys teams swept the Monroe County Invitational titles; the girls are ranked No. 4 and the boys No. 10 in Division 2 – Monroe News

Boys Basketball: Royal Oak Shrine defeated Ann Arbor Greenhills to win the Catholic League C-D title – Oakland Press

Today in the MHSAA: 3/20/19

March 20, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This weekend’s Girls Basketball Semifinals will welcome back three reigning champions and a host of contenders new and old. We’ve linked to coverage of all 16 Tuesday Quarterfinals below and will preview all four divisions later today on Second Half.  

Division 1: Saginaw Heritage locked down Hartland with a 44-24 win – Saginaw News

Division 1: Muskegon sank the go-ahead basket with four seconds to play to get past DeWitt 53-51 – FOX 17

Division 1: Southfield Arts & Technology earned its second Semifinal trip in three seasons with a 62-36 win over St. Clair Shores Lakeview – Detroit News

Division 1: Wayne Memorial booked its Semifinal return with a 50-28 win over Temperance Bedford – Observer & Eccentric

Division 2: Unbeaten Hamilton earned its first Semifinal berth with a 63-34 win over Grand Rapids South Christian – Holland Sentinel

Division 2: Haslett continued its postseason surge edging one-loss Chelsea 46-44 – Lansing State Journal

Division 2: Freeland came back from a halftime deficit to down Cadillac 48-38 – Midland Daily News

Division 2: Reigning Class C champion Detroit Edison moved closer to playing for the Division 2 title with a 63-23 win over Goodrich – Flint Journal

Division 3: Lake City edged Ishpeming Westwood, coming back from nine down to win 50-46 – Cadillac News

Division 3: Pewamo-Westphalia will return to the Semifinals thanks to a 43-19 win over Niles Brandywine – Lansing State Journal

Division 3: Flint Hamady downed Royal Oak Shrine 56-34 to return to the Semifinals – Flint Journal

Division 3: Ypsilanti Arbor Prep is headed to the Semifinals for the fifth straight season after a 59-31 win over Adrian Madison – Ann Arbor News

Division 4: Reigning Class D champion Adrian Lenawee Christian earned a return trip to the Semifinals with a 59-32 win over Fruitport Calvary Christian – Adrian Daily Telegram

Division 4: Undefeated St. Ignace got past Baraga 76-45 to return to the Semifinals – MI Sports Now

Division 4: Fowler continued its playoff rise with a 48-34 win over Gaylord St. Mary – WPBN

Division 4: Kingston moved on to the Semifinals with a 40-27 win over Clarkston Everest Collegiate – WJRT

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Detroit Edison’s Rickea Jackson was named this season’s Miss Basketball Award winner – MLive-Detroit

Football: Scott Barnhart stepped down as coach at Algonac after leading a major turnaround the last few seasons – Port Huron Times Herald