Today in the MHSAA: 2/27/18

February 27, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.

Today's Top 10

1. Boys Skiing: Petoskey tied an MHSAA boys skiing record with its eighth straight Finals championship, in Division 2, and Marquette won its sixth straight in Division 1 – Second Half

2. Girls Skiing: Marquette claimed its third straight Division 1 title, while Houghton-Hancock made it an Upper Peninsula sweep with a comeback win in Division 2 – Second Half

3. Girls Basketball: Bethany Baldwin went over 2,000 career points with 41 total in Watersmeet’s 64-46 win over Bessemer in a Class D District opener – Ironwood Daily Globe

4. Girls Basketball: Port Huron upset rival Port Huron Northern 52-49 in overtime to kick off their Class A District – Port Huron Times Herald

5. Girls Basketball: Maple City Glen Lake downed Traverse City St. Francis 52-47 in Class C in a matchup of teams that entered a combined 35-5 – Traverse City Record-Eagle

6. Girls Basketball: Detroit Catholic League Central co-champ Farmington Hills Mercy hung on for a 51-48 Class A win over Birmingham Groves, the co-champ of the Oakland Activities Association White – Oakland Press

7. Hockey: Byron Center took Holland West Ottawa to double overtime before West Ottawa emerged with a 3-2 win in a Division 1 Pre-Regional – Holland Sentinel

8. Girls Basketball: Alycia Patterson’s last second shot got Niles past Buchanan 44-42 in a Class B opener – South Bend Tribune

9. Hockey: Division 1 No. 6 Utica Eisenhower opened its Pre-Regional with a 5-0 win over previously-ranked Rochester United – Macomb Daily

10. Girls Basketball: Big Rapids opened with a 50-28 win over Alma in Class B to set up another matchup with rival Stanton Central Montcalm – Big Rapids News

Also of note ...

Girls Basketball: Wayne Memorial's Camree' Clegg, East Lansing's Jaida Hampton, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep's Lasha Petree and Detroit Country Day's Kaela Webb are candidates for this season's Miss Basketball Award – Detroit Free Press

From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)