Today in the MHSAA: 2/19/19

February 19, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

With teams statewide taking advantage of a chance to play make-up basketball games, Monday was full of highlights with league title celebrations galore and two of the best in girls Division 1 facing off for the second time this winter.

1. Girls Basketball: DeWitt handed East Lansing its first loss, 58-46, to create a tie atop the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue standings – Lansing State Journal

2. Boys Basketball: Mount Pleasant edged Midland 57-54 in overtime to clinch a share of the Saginaw Valley League Red title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

3. Boys Basketball: Howell edged Wayne Memorial 58-57 to advance to the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

4. Boys Basketball: Traverse City St. Francis downed Elk Rapids 57-40 to clinch its third straight Lake Michigan Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. Boys Basketball: Sturgis clinched the Wolverine Conference South title with a 49-40 win over Edwardsburg – Sturgis Journal

6. Boys Basketball: Unionville-Sebewaing downed Caro 54-40 to clinch a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title – Huron Daily Tribune

7. Boys Basketball: Oscoda downed Hillman 60-43 in setting a program record with its 18th victory this season – Alpena News

8. Boys Basketball: Tyler Beauchamp went over 1,000 career points as Kingsford downed Menominee 78-68 – Iron Mountain Daily News

9. Girls Basketball: Saugatuck’s Madelyn Moore went over 1,000 career points during her team’s loss to Delton Kellogg – Holland Sentinel

10. Boys Basketball: Canton will face Howell in the KLAA championship game thanks to an 80-51 semifinal win over Belleville – Detroit News

Also of note …

Girls Bowling: From Saturday, Cheboygan won the Northern Michigan Bowling Conference Tournament after tying for first in the league during regular-season competition – Cheboygan Daily Tribune

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.