Today in the MHSAA: 2/24/16

February 24, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A pair of Michigan’s top scorers earned milestone points Tuesday, while another girls basketball team earned a milestone win for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Girls Basketball

Muskegon Mona Shores junior Jordan Walker, a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, became the fastest player in school history to score 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone with 29 in a 79-54 win over Zeeland East – Muskegon Chronicle

Berkley clinched a share of its first league title since 1988 with a 44-32 win over Birmingham Groves in the Oakland Activities Association Gold – Oakland Press

Boys Basketball

Steven Lloyd became the first player in Clinton Township Chippewa Hills history to score 1,000 career points, adding 17 to his total in a 50-29 win over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North – MLive-Detroit

Lansing Catholic made two free throws with two seconds to play to win a crossover matchup of league co-leaders in the Capital Area Activities Conference, 69-67 over DeWitt – MLive-Lansing

McBain remained undefeated by handing only the second loss this season to Frankfort, 61-54 in overtime – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Holland West Ottawa, which won its first 15 games, lost its second straight, 55-53 to Hudsonville – Grand Rapids Press

Saugatuck’s Blake Dunn scored a school-record 51 points in a 79-52 win over Lawton; girls star Kiri Tiemeyer had a career-high 34 in her team’s 56-31 win over the Blue Devils – Holland Sentinel

Houghton edged Lake Linden-Hubbell 50-48 in a matchup of the two best teams in the northern Upper Peninsula, handing the Lakes their first loss – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Gymnastics

From Saturday, Grand Ledge won its ninth straight Capital Area Activities Conference championship despite trailing Haslett/Williamston/Bath heading into the final rotation – Lansing State Journal

Ice Hockey

Division 1 No. 2 Brighton outlasted No. 8 Utica Eisenhower 6-4 – Livingston Daily

Today in the MHSAA: 1/11/16

January 11, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The first full sports weekend of 2016 included notable performances in a number of sports, highlighted by one of the top swimming and diving meets of the regular season.

Girls Basketball

Ithaca girls basketball coach Bob Anderson earned his 700th win as his team beat Carrollton 66-40; he’s coached both girls and boys teams to success over 27 seasons – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Durand handed Goodrich its first league loss in seven years while staying undefeated this season in the Genesee Area Conference Red – Flint Journal

DeWitt remained undefeated at 8-0 after handing Lansing Waverly its first loss this season in a matchup of two of the Lansing area’s top teams – Lansing State Journal

St. Joseph moved to 6-1 with a 72-35 win over Benton Harbor, a semifinalist in Class B last season – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Saranac was missing its leading scorer, but still managed to get past annual Class D power Portland St. Patrick 41-33 – Ionia Sentinel-Standard

Boys Basketball

Okemos handed Holt its first loss this season and won its first game on the Rams’ home court since 2010 – Lansing State Journal

Ice Hockey

Portage Central earned a win that could boost it into the state rankings, downing Division 1 No. 10 East Kentwood 2-1 on Saturday in Muskegon – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Swimming & Diving

Division 2 No. 1 Dexter scored 409 points to beat No. 4 Warren DeLaSalle by 33 at the annual Spartan Invitational at Battle Creek Lakeview, with the field also including reigning champion Birmingham Seaholm and Division 1 contender Ann Arbor Skyline – Battle Creek Enquirer

Lower Peninsula Division 1 honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills defeated a field that included LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow at the Forest Hills Invitational – Midland Daily News

Wrestling

Unranked Westland John Glenn got past Division 1 No. 9 New Baltimore Anchor Bay to win the Michigan Duals at Bay City Western over a field that also included No. 8 Western and Division 3 No. 5 Remus Chippewa Hills – Mlive-Detroit

Division 2 No. 9 Sparta won the Dave Dunneback Tournament with 247 points, ahead of Lake Odessa Lakewood, Belding and Division 3 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Grand Rapids Press

Football

Mike McDowell returned four seasons ago for his second stint coaching Morenci and led the program to its best finishes in nearly two decades. He recently resigned – Adrian Daily Telegram

Good Reads

Longtime coach Keith Haske remains cancer-free after fighting Stage 4 throat cancer only a year ago – and he’s added significantly to his day, becoming the girls basketball coach in addition to leading the boys program at Traverse City St. Francis. The Record-Eagle’s Brett Sommers documented a typical Haske day – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Carleton Airport senior Jessica Book is her school’s Homecoming Queen this year – and a cheerleader – and a wrestler – and plans to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps and defuse bombs – Monroe Evening News