Today in the MHSAA: 3/16/16

March 16, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The MHSAA girls basketball field was whittled to 16 teams Tuesday night – here are headlines and links from each Quarterfinal game.

Class A

St. Johns continued its best run in more than a decade by securing a Semifinal bid with a win over Port Huron Northern – Lansing State Journal

Warren Cousino will make its first Semifinal appearance after downing Northville – Macomb Daily

Detroit Martin Luther King needed overtime but slipped past Ann Arbor Huron 58-54 – Detroit Free Press

Hudsonville earned its first Semifinal berth with a 40-32 win over East Lansing – Grand Rapids Press

Class B

Marshall improved to 24-1 this season with a 41-30 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central – Battle Creek Enquirer

Bay City John Glenn continued its best run ever with a Quarterfinal win over Manistee – Bay City Times

Reigning champion Detroit Country Day will return to Breslin Center after downing Detroit Mumford – Detroit Free Press

Grand Rapids South Christian drew another step closer to a second Class B Final in three seasons with a 67-51 win over Dearborn Heights Robichaud – Grand Rapids Press

Class C

Ithaca also extended its longest run ever with a win over Flint Hamady – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Niles Brandywine will make a return to the Breslin for the first time since 2010 after downing Grand Rapids Covenant Christian – Niles Daily Star

Traverse City St. Francis edged reigning Class D champion St. Ignace 48-44 to earn a trip to the Class C Semifinals – Traverse City Record-Eagle

Ypsilanti Arbor Prep dazzled with a 60-22 Class C win over Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett – Ann Arbor News

Class D

Reigning runner-up Pittsford will return to Breslin thanks to a Quarterfinal win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian – Hillsdale Daily News

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart got past Gaylord St. Mary by just a point, 27-26 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun

Waterford Our Lady will make what has become a near-annual trip to East Lansing thanks to a Quarterfinal win over Kingston – Oakland Press

Stephenson won a battle of Upper Peninsula powers, 60-35 over Newberry – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

Did you see that? (June 3-9)

June 10, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The second of three weeks of spring MHSAA Finals came to a close with four more champions from lacrosse – plus 16 teams still alive in both baseball and softball, eight in girls soccer and 60 in Lower Peninsula boys golf.

See below for some of the biggest headlines from the week that was June 3-9.

Girls lacrosse

Champions of the west: A pair of Grand Rapids-area teams claimed the girls championships Saturday. Rockford defeated Bloomfield Hills United 16-7 in Division 1, while East Grand Rapids repeated in Division 2 with a 16-6 victory over Livonia Ladywood. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)

Boys Lacrosse

East-side excellence: Birmingham Brother Rice came back from an early deficit in the Division 1 Final to win its ninth-straight title by beating Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 14-10. In Division 2, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood scored with 20.2 seconds to play to edge reigning champion Forest Hills Central 10-9. (Second Half D1) (Second Half D2)

Girls Soccer

Defensive standoff: Top-ranked Plymouth and No. 3 Novi needed a shootout to decide Friday’s Division 1 Regional Final. But Novi won that final round 2-1 to earn a 1-0 win and hand Plymouth its first and only loss this season. (MLive Detroit)

Powers survives comeback: Up 3-0 at halftime, reigning Division 3 runner-up Flint Powers Catholic advanced to within one win of returning to the Finals with a 3-2 Regional Final win over Lake Fenton. (Flint Journal)

Baseball

Oilers upend No. 1: Mount Pleasant, ranked No. 4 in Division 2, beat top-ranked Bay City John Glenn on the way to winning their Regional on Saturday. (Mount Pleasant Morning Sun)

MCC wins big: Muskegon Catholic Central moved on in Division 4 with a 9-0 Regional win over No. 2 Gobles in another of the weekend’s biggest baseball matchups. MCC entered the postseason ranked No. 5. (Muskegon Chronicle)

Softball

Dundee gets its chance: The Vikings won their first Regional championship and defeated two-time reigning Division 3 champion Clinton in the process Saturday at Blissfield. Dundee entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the division. (Monroe Evening News)

Romeo prevails in pair of nail-biters: The No. 10-ranked Bulldogs were down to their final out before defeating Troy in a Regional Semifinal and then beat Hartland 3-0 in the championship game. Both Troy and Hartland were honorable mentions in the final Division 1 coaches poll. (Oakland Press)

Escanaba headed downstate: The Eskymos will face reigning MHSAA Division 2 runner-up Saginaw Swan Valley in a Quarterfinal for the second straight season thanks to a walk-off home run by sophomore Michelle LaFave in a 5-4 Regional Final win over Remus Chippewa Hills. (Escanaba Daily Press)

Boys Golf

SMAC East dominates: Top-ranked Battle Creek Lakeview in Division 1 and Marshall and Battle Creek Harper Creek in Division 2 all qualified for LP Finals, giving the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East three teams in this weekend’s championship tournaments. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

DeWitt outshoots No. 1: Previously unranked DeWitt shot a 313 to edge top-ranked East Lansing by a stroke at their Division 2 Regional at Gull Lake View. (Lansing State Journal)

Boys Basketball

CMU star takes over GRCC: Former Central Michigan University captain T.J. Meerman has taken over the Grand Rapids Catholic Central program after serving as an assistant coach last season at Grand Valley State University. Previously, Meerman coached the varsity at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. (Grand Rapids Press)