Today in the MHSAA: 2/8/16

February 8, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The weekend provided previews of MHSAA championship contenders in gymnastics, cheer and hockey, and also basketball with a matchup of two girls teams that could come away from this winter with titles and the reigning Class D boys champ shining again.

Girl Basketball

A last-second 3-pointer by Lauryn Carroll gave Ypsilanti Arbor Prep a 50-47 win over previously-undefeated Bay City John Glenn, considered arguably the top team in the state regardless of class – Bay City Times

Detroit Country Day edged Southfield-Lathrup 56-52 in a matchup of contenders in Class B and A, respectively – Oakland Press

Mona Shores locked down the usually-potent offense of rival Muskegon in defeating the Big Reds 55-34 – Muskegon Chronicle

Boys Basketball

Reigning Class D champion Powers North Central remained undefeated by handing a first loss to Crystal Falls Forest Park, 68-54 – Escanaba Daily Press

Southfield Christian just edged Belleville 70-69 for its 12th straight win – MLive-Detroit

Competitive Cheer

Reigning Division 1 champion Rochester finished ahead of a strong field to clinch the Oakland Activities Association Red championship – Oakland Press

Gymnastics

Rockford/Sparta, the reigning MHSAA champion, showed it’s the team to beat again this winter by claiming the championship at the prestigious Canton Invitational. Howell finished second and Farmington third – Canton Athletics

Hockey

The Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League Showcase pitted many of the state’s top teams with some of the key results a 3-0 win by Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson over Division 3 No. 1 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and 4-3 by unranked Houghton over Division 1 No. 3 Detroit U-D Jesuit – MIHL

Swimming & Diving

Warren DeLaSalle’s boys won their fourth straight Macomb County Invitational, finishing more than 300 points ahead of the field – Macomb Daily

Wrestling

Springport won its seventh straight Big 8 Conference championship, setting a league record in dominating its competition this time – Jackson Citizen-Patriot

Allegan won its 12th straight Wolverine Conference title, finishing far ahead of the field and with three individual champions – Kalamazoo Gazette

Niles finished its championship run in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

Good Read

Former opponents no doubt remember facing Marshall basketball standout Kari Searles on the court; many who supported her as a player supported her again Friday with a donation toward her care as she fights lung cancer – Battle Creek Enquirer

Today in the MHSAA: 3/2/16

March 2, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Snowstorms didn’t stop all of the action Tuesday night, as a basketball team continued to make history and a hockey team enjoyed a comeback that should be talked about for years to come.

Boys Basketball

Grand Rapids Christian earned an impressive 82-62 win over reigning Class B champion Wyoming Godwin Heights – Grand Rapids Press

Johannesburg-Lewiston followed Logan Huff’s 32 points and 10 rebounds to come back from five down in the fourth quarter for a 66-62 win over Mio – Gaylord Herald Times

Hazel Park finished an outright championship with a 64-60 win over Birmingham Groves in the Oakland Activities Association Red; the title was Hazel Park’s first since 1996 – Oakland Press

Ice Hockey

Portage Central scored nine seconds into its Pre-Regional game against rival Portage Northern and continued on for a 4-2 win – Kalamazoo Gazette

After trailing by three goals with a period to play, Utica came back to beat Fraser 6-5 in a Division 2 Pre-Regional game – Macomb Daily

Good Read

It’s impossible not to root for North Muskegon’s Olivia Duncan, who will take the floor in a District Semifinal tonight and play a significant role despite also being on the waiting list for a kidney transplant – Muskegon Chronicle