Today In The MHSAA: 3/24/21

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 24, 2021

The final week of hockey and first week of boys basketball playoffs began Tuesday, as the first four ice rink contenders earned trips to USA Hockey Area in Division 2 Quarterfinals – with a matchup of the top two ranked teams one of the highlights of the season so far.

1. Hockey: Top-ranked Byron Center downed No. 2 Hartland 2-1 to advance to the Division 2 Semifinals – FOX 17

2. Hockey: No. 10 Trenton earned its fourth-straight trip to the Semifinals with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Novi in Division 2 – Southgate News-Herald

3. Hockey: For the second-straight season No. 6 Marquette downed No. 9 Traverse City Central in a Division 2 Quarterfinal, this time 1-0 – Up North Live

4. Hockey: No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice advanced in Division 2 with a 6-0 win over No. 8 Port Huron Northern – Oakland Press

5. Boys Basketball: Tugg Nichols’ last-second 3-pointer gave Montague another close win over Muskegon Oakridge, this time 66-63 in a Division 3 District opener – Local Sports Journal

6. Boys Basketball: After two losses to Battle Creek Lakeview over the last week, Battle Creek Central won a third matchup 44-39 in a Division 1 District opener – Battle Creek Enquirer

7. Boys Basketball: Brennan Parachek’s 3-pointer at the buzzer took Dexter past Brighton 52-49 in Division 1 – Chelsea Sun Times News

8. Boys Basketball: Bronson got past White Pigeon 57-54 in overtime in Division 3 – Coldwater Daily Reporter

9. Boys Basketball: Cass City also won in overtime in Division 3, 48-43 over Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker – Huron Daily Tribune

10. Boys Basketball: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central scored during the final seconds to get past Rockford 52-51 in Division 1 – FOX 17

Today in the MHSAA: 1/8/20

January 8, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Tuesday’s statewide basketball slate had just about everything, from matchups between championship contenders to historic wins, record breakers and buzzer beaters.

1. Girls Basketball: Detroit Edison downed East Lansing 56-39 in a matchup of championship contenders in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively – Detroit News

2. Girls Basketball: Farmington Hills Mercy’s fourth-quarter run gave it a 46-34 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian in a matchup of Catholic League Central rivals that both entered unbeaten – Observer & Eccentric

3. Boys Basketball: Escanaba earned its first win over Marquette since 2010, 63-56 – Escanaba Daily Press

4. Boys Basketball: Warren De La Salle Collegiate edged Eastpointe 64-61 in a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams, respectively, in Monday’s Division 1 MPR posting – Macomb Daily

5. Girls Basketball: Pittsford held on to move to 8-0 with a 43-40 win over Reading – Hillsdale Daily News

6. Girls Basketball: Martin’s 52-19 win over West Michigan Aviation Academy gave the Clippers their best start at 7-0 since 1997 – FOX 17

7. Boys Basketball: Pellston’s Blake Cassidy has been one of the state’s top scorers this winter, and he put up a career-high 45 points in Tuesday’s 65-58 win over Johannesburg-Lewiston – Petoskey News-Review

8. Girls Basketball: White Pigeon’s Claycee West broke her school scoring record with 41 points in a 58-39 win over Marcellus – JoeInsider.com

9. Boys Basketball: Ferndale came back to hand North Farmington its first defeat of the season, 52-48 – MLive-Detroit

10. Boys Basketball: Onsted handed Blissfield its first loss 55-53 on a buzzer beater by Cooper Lake – Adrian Daily Telegram

Also of note …

Football: Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee has resigned after eight seasons leading the program to a 70-22 record and two MHSAA Semifinals – South Bend Tribune