Today in the MHSAA: 2/26/19

February 26, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Four Skiing Finals champions were crowned Monday – see coverage under “Latest Posts” to the right – as Hockey Regionals and Boys Basketball Districts also got underway and made significant opening-night headlines.

1. Boys Basketball: Detroit Martin Luther King came back from a 12-point deficit to defeat rival Cass Tech 55-51 in double overtime – Detroit News

2. Boys Basketball: Rochester Adams downed two-time reigning Class A champion Clarkston 38-37 also in Division 1 – State Champs!

3. Hockey: No. 5 Rochester United opened the postseason with a 3-0 win over No. 12 Utica Eisenhower – Macomb Daily

4. Boys Basketball: After sharing the Saginaw Valley League Blue title with Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Grand Blanc eliminated the Cavaliers with a 40-39 win in Division 1 – WJRT

5. Hockey: Big Rapids avenged a 3-0 loss three days earlier to Midland Dow by defeating the No. 13 Chargers 6-2 in a Division 3 Regional opener – Big Rapids News

6. Boys Basketball: In a Division 3 matchup of teams entering with a combined 39-1 record, Iron Mountain remained unbeaten with an 87-38 win over Ironwood – Iron Mountain Daily News

7. Boys Basketball: Mattawan also remains undefeated after a 34-31 win over Kalamazoo Central in Division 1 – FOX 17

8. Boys Basketball: Flint Kearsley earned its first District win since 1999, downing Flint Southwestern 78-54 in Division 1 – Flint Journal

9. Boys Basketball: Brighton earned its first District win in a decade, 69-51 over Dexter in Division 1 – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

10. Boys Basketball: Blissfield upset Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 77-74 in overtime in Division 3 – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Autumn Rasner scored 33 points and went over 1,000 for her career in Stephenson’s big win over Rapid River – Escanaba Daily Press

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.