Today in the MHSAA: 5/6/19

May 6, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half

Finishes both close and historic highlighted the first weekend of May as top teams navigated the rain in many places in kicking off the final month of the regular season.

1. Softball: Grace Lehto nearly threw a perfect game as Division 2 No. 3 Eaton Rapids edged Division 3 top-ranked Millington to win the “marquee matchup” of the MI Stars Tournament – State Champs Sports Network 

2. Boys Golf: By way of a fifth-golfer tie-breaker, Gaylord – No. 10 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – edged LPD1 No. 6 Grosse Pointe South to win its invitational with a near-school record score – Gaylord Herald Times

3. Track & Field: Zeeland West’s boys won their 12th-straight Holland West Ottawa Von Ins Relays, while Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Grand Haven and No. 7 West Ottawa’s girls shared their meet championship – Holland Sentinel

4. Boys Golf: Nathan Taylor finished as medalist to lead Muskegon Mona Shores to the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship, 30 years after his father won the same tournament – Muskegon Chronicle

5. Track & Field: The Muskegon Reeths-Puffer girls won their 10th straight GMAA title, and the Fruitport boys won their sixth straight – Local Sports Journal

6. Softball: Division 3 No. 7 Standish-Sterling edged No. 3 Sanford Meridian 5-4 to win Meridian’s invitational – Midland Daily News

7. Softball: Division 2 No. 4 Stevensville Lakeshore defeated Schoolcraft in the final to win its invitational for the first time – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium

8. Boys Golf: Troy edged Rochester by 12 strokes to win the Oakland County Division 2 championship – Oakland Press

9. Softball: Muskegon Reeths-Puffer and Division 2 No. 5 Oakridge both won their fourth straight GMAA softball titles – Muskegon Chronicle

10. Track & Field: A total of 61 teams including a number of the best from multiple divisions participated at the Triangle Invitational at Saline – Athletic.net

Today in the MHSAA: 2/5/20

February 5, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Every basketball game is carrying more importance this season with the addition of limited seeding at the District level, and Tuesday saw a bunch that impacted rankings, standings or featured significant individual milestones.

1. Girls Basketball: Michigan Center avenged a December loss with a 65-55 win over Division 3 title contender Grass Lake – Jackson Citizen Patriot

2. Girls Basketball: Grosse Pointe South reshuffled the Macomb Area Conference Red standings, moving into first place with a 50-47 win over previous leader Macomb Dakota – Macomb Daily

3. Boys Basketball: Kalamazoo Central delivered Portage Central’s first loss this winter, 66-44 – FOX 17

4. Boys Swimming & Diving: Zeeland – an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – swam past LPD3 No. 6 Hamilton 103-83 – Holland Sentinel

5. Girls Basketball: Saginaw Heritage earned a 40-36 road win at Freeland – Midland Daily News

6. Boys Basketball: Ke’ontae Barnes’ buzzer beater helped Muskegon Orchard View deliver a second defeat to Fremont, 63-60 – Local Sports Journal

7. Boys Basketball: Undefeated Bridgeport ended Flint Southwestern’s 10-game winning streak, 60-56 – Flint Journal

8. Girls Basketball: Coldwater came back from a 14-point second-half deficit to get past Three Rivers 62-58 in overtime – Coldwater Daily Reporter

9. Hockey: Chelsea moved into a first-place tie in the Southeastern Conference White thanks to a 4-3 win over Saline – Chelsea Sun Times News

10. Boys Basketball: Carney-Nadeau earned an important 53-52 overtime win over Powers North Central – Escanaba Daily Press

Also of note …

Girls Basketball: Makenna Bryant qualified for the MHSAA record book with nine 3-pointers as Cadillac won big over Manistee – Cadillac News

Boys Basketball: Ishpeming held on for an 88-83 win over Houghton despite 63 points by Brad Simonsen – The Upbeat

Girls Basketball: Faith Guritz reached 1,000 career points in Martin’s 58-33 win over Delton Kellogg – Kalamazoo Gazette

Boys Basketball: Menalito McGee went over 1,000 career points in Wyoming’s 61-56 win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central – FOX 17

Boys Basketball: Gavin Fisher scored a school-record 39 points in Fruitport’s 67-56 win over Holton – Grand Haven Tribune