Today In The MHSAA: 2/18/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

February 18, 2021

More league champions were celebrated in skiing Wednesday, with regional champions rising in Muskegon-area bowling and statewide elite facing off in competitive cheer, basketball and hockey.

1. Skiing: Harbor Springs’ girls clinched their 13th-straight Lake Michigan Conference title, and Great North Alpine claimed the boys title – Petoskey News-Review

2. Skiing: The Onekema girls and Benzie Central boys finished league title runs in the Lake Michigan Ski Conference – Traverse City Record-Eagle

3. Bowling: Whitehall’s girls won their first Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship, while Fruitport’s boys repeated – Local Sports Journal

4. Competitive Cheer: Reigning Division 2 champion Allen Park topped reigning runner-up Gibraltar Carlson after the powers were separated by less than a point after Round 2 – Southgate News-Herald

5. Hockey: Division 3 No. 3 Flint Powers Catholic shut out Division 1 No. 4 Saginaw Heritage 5-0 – WJRT

6. Boys Basketball: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s got past Grand Blanc 65-52 in a matchup of highly-regarded contenders – Oakland Press

7. Hockey: Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice downed Division 1 No. 2 Brighton 4-2 – Observer & Eccentric

8. Hockey: Division 1 No. 6 Traverse Bay Reps downed Division 2 No. 8 Traverse City Central 3-1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

9. Girls Basketball: Carly McCrum went over 1,000 career points as Bay City John Glenn downed Alma 41-32 – Bay City Times

10. Girls Basketball: Although New Lothrop lost 52-47 to Linden, the Hornets’ Brooke Wenzlick went over 1,000 career points – Owosso Argus-Press

Also of note …

Athletic Directors: East Grand Rapids’ Tim Johnston, an MHSAA Bush Award honoree this past year, will retire this summer after 38 years in educational athletics – Grand Rapids Press

Today in the MHSAA: 2/19/20

February 19, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of championship celebrations long in the making top one of our fullest lists of headliners this season as league titles were clinched in three sports and star performances shined on the court, ice and hill – not to mention the winningest baseball coach in state history announced his retirement.

1. Boys Basketball: Ravenna downed Muskegon Oakridge 70-36 to earn a share of its first West Michigan Conference title since 1980 – Local Sports Journal

2. Girls Basketball: Lake City clinched a share of the Highland Conference title, its first league championship since 2001, with a 36-26 win over second-place Manton – Cadillac News

3. Boys Basketball: Howell claimed the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title with a 75-71 triple-overtime win over Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Girls Basketball: Hartland avenged its lone loss and moved into first alone in the KLAA West with a 36-33 win over Brighton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. Hockey: Division 3 No. 6 Houghton downed top-ranked Calumet for the first time this season, 3-2 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

6. Skiing: Petoskey’s boys and Traverse City Central’s girls clinched Big North Conference championships – Petoskey News-Review

7. Girls Basketball: Ubly earned a share of the Greater Thumb Conference East title with a 42-31 win over Sandusky – Huron Daily Tribune

8. Girls Basketball: Adrian Madison locked up a share of the Tri-County Conference title with a 49-23 win over Clinton – Adrian Daily Telegram

9. Girls Basketball: Kingsley moved into a tie for first in the Northwest Conference with a 50-38 win over co-leader Maple City Glen Lake – MI Sports Now

10. Boys Basketball: East Lansing downed Okemos 45-43 on a last-second shot, putting the teams in a tie for first in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue – Lansing State Journal

Also of note …

Baseball: Grand Ledge coach Pat O’Keefe, the state’s winningest all-time in the sport with 1,315 victories, retired – Lansing State Journal

Girls Basketball: East Grand Rapids finished a repeat run in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold with a 63-59 win over Grand Rapids Christian – FOX 17

Boys Basketball: Ann Arbor Huron earned the Southeastern Conference Red title with a 57-48 win over Saline – Ann Arbor News

Boys Basketball: Muskegon earned a share of a seventh-straight league title, downing Jenison 86-47 in the O-K Black – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball: Emoni Bates had 63 points and 21 rebounds to lead Ypsilanti Lincoln past Chelsea 108-102 in double overtime – Ann Arbor News

Boys Basketball: Shamar Howard went over 1,000 career points in Lansing Everett’s 57-55 win over Grand Ledge – Lansing State Journal

Boys Basketball: Brett LaFord went over 1,000 career points in Carney-Nadeau’s 62-56 win over Bark River-Harris – Escanaba Daily Press