Today in the MHSAA: 2/22/16
February 22, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A loaded weekend included Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals, Cheer Districts, Wrestling Individual Regionals and title-deciding matchups in girls and boys basketball – plus key contests in just about every MHSAA sport.
Girls Basketball
What’s become one of the top girls basketball rivalries in the state added another incredible chapter as Haslett beat DeWitt 61-59 in triple overtime in a matchup of Class A ranked teams – Lansing State Journal
Despite a nearly new cast this season, Bloomfield Hills Marian completed a Detroit Catholic League A-B championship with a 48-29 win over rival Farmington Hills Mercy in the tournament final – Oakland Press
Detroit Martin Luther King won its fifth straight Detroit Public School League title, just edging Detroit Renaissance 68-66 – Detroit Free Press
Despite a three-point loss to Saginaw, Addyson Tomczak became the second player in Bay City Central girls basketball history to score more than 1,000 career points – Bay City Times
Holt’s Kamrin Reed went over 1,000 career points recently against Okemos, and despite missing her junior season with a torn knee ligament – Lansing State Journal
Boys Basketball
Detroit East English continued to ride the strong play of Jaylin McFaddin and Kamari Newman to its first Detroit Public School League championship with an 86-62 win over Detroit Renaissance – Detroit News
St. Ignace clinched the Straits Area Conference title and Gage Kreski went over 2,000 points for his career in a 84-59 win over Newberry – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Frankfort finished its first back-to-back league titles since 1961-62, winning the Northwest Conference with a 50-48 win over Buckley – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Bowling
Portage Northern edged Portage Central 17-13 thanks in part to a 499 Baker series that ranks among the state’s best this season – Kalamazoo Gazette
Competitive Cheer
Reigning Division 4 champion Breckenridge took its first step toward a repeat, finishing first at the District at Ithaca – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Ice Hockey
Division 2 No. 10 Escanaba and Division 3 No. 3 Calumet finished tied in a matchup of two of the highest-ranked teams from the Upper Peninsula – Escanaba Daily Press
Jackson, No. 13 in Division 1, swept rival Jackson Lumen Christi for the first time, winning the second game this season 4-3 – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Midland Dow, No. 14 in Division 2, came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat No. 4 Romeo 5-4 – Midland Daily News
Swimming and Diving
The Gladstone girls won their first MHSAA championship, riding a strong finish to stay ahead of Houghton and Marquette – Second Half
The Marquette boys won their third straight MHSAA title with a number of U.P. Finals record performances – Second Half
Wrestling
From a loaded Individual Regional at Byron Center, Lowell sent 11 wrestlers on to the MHSAA Finals and Allegan sent seven – Grand Rapids Press
Saginaw Swan Valley’s K.J. Suitor broke his school’s wins record with his 219th in winning a Division 3 Regional title at Richmond – Saginaw News
Good Read
We’ve gotten to see Yale superintendent Kenneth Nicholl in action as an administrator during the last two Battles of the Fans, and he’s also one of our state’s top high school wrestling officials – Port Huron Times Herald
Former MHSAA Representative Council member Bob Doctor has been selected for the Petoskey Athletic Hall of Fame. Doctor was on the Council during the early 1970s and was the school's longtime principal – Petoskey News
Today in the MHSAA: 2/18/16
February 18, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The postseason was in full swing for two sports Wednesday, as wrestling teams battled to make the MHSAA Quarterfinals and ski teams also competed in Regionals with an opportunity to make the final meet of the season.
Girls Basketball
New Baltimore Anchor Bay earned its first league championship in 27 years with a 60-48 victory over Warren Mott that clinched the Macomb Area Conference Blue title – Macomb Daily
From Tuesday, Spring Lake junior Reiko Johnson scored 31 points in a win over Montague to go over 1,000 for her career – Grand Haven Tribune
Boys Basketball
Also from Tuesday, Gage Kreski set the St. Ignace career scoring record with 1,997 points after scoring 26 in a win over Brimley – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Ice Hockey
Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Heritage finished the Saginaw Valley League undefeated for the first time since 2009, capping the run with a 4-1 win over Bay City – Saginaw News
Skiing
Cadillac’s boys and girls teams swept their Division 2 Regionals at Caberfae Peaks, with freshman Alex Netzley winning both boys races – Cadillac News
Wrestling
In arguably the night’s most impressive Regional win, Division 2 top-ranked Lowell made its sixth straight Quarterfinals by defeating undefeated and No. 8 Sparta – Grand Rapids Press
Also in Division 2, No. 3 St. Johns just got past No. 7 Eaton Rapids, 32-30, after losing to the Greyhounds in this round last season – Lansing State Journal
Unranked Grand Ledge eliminated No. 4 and reigning Division 1 champion Brighton, then defeated Holt in the Final – Livingston Daily
Sturgis celebrated its first Regional title in school history after downing Battle Creek Harper Creek 49-27 – Sturgis Journal
In a matchup of ranked Division 3 teams, No. 2 Lake Fenton took down No. 9 Lake Odessa Lakewood at Ithaca – Ionia Sentinel-Standard