Today in the MHSAA: 3/1/16
March 1, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Four more MHSAA championships were awarded Monday, while the Girls Basketball District Tournament tipped off with a new scoring record.
Girls Basketball
Benton Harbor’s Kysre Gondrezick scored an MHSAA-record 72 points to lead her team past Buchanan 80-78 in double overtime of a Class B District opener – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Reigning Class A champion Bloomfield Hills Marian opened District play with a 44-38 win over Bloomfield Hills, the 600th win of coach Mary Cicerone’s career – Detroit News
Maple City Glen Lake moved to 19-2 with a Class C win over Johannesburg-Lewiston, which finished 18-2 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
Spring Lake edged Fruitport 47-42, ending the latter’s season after it won its first league title – Muskegon Chronicle
Warren Mott earned its first District win since 2001, downing Troy Athens in Class A 50-49 – Macomb Daily
East Lansing eliminated reigning Class B runner-up Haslett – now in Class A – in a District opener, 60-42 – Lansing State Journal
Reigning Class C champion Calumet opened with a 41-34 win over Hancock, one of the most successful teams on the Copper Kings’ immediate path toward returning to East Lansing – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Ice Hockey
Division 1 No. 15 Rochester downed Lake Orion 5-2 in a Division 1 Pre-Regional after being eliminated by the Dragons the last two seasons – Oakland Press
Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Heritage downed No. 8 Flint Powers Catholic 3-2 in a Pre-Regional rematch – Saginaw News
Skiing
The Marquette girls won their first championship in six seasons, finishing first in Division 1 – Second Half
The Marquette boys scored a mere 22 points to hold on to the Division 1 title – Second Half
The Petoskey boys won their sixth straight MHSAA championship, dominating Division 2 – Second Half
The Elk Rapids/Traverse St. Francis girls won by the slimmest of margins to claim a Division 2 title – Second Half
Boys Swimming & Diving
In a meet that finished up Monday, Midland Dow won its 14th straight Saginaw Valley League title – Midland Daily News
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.