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)

Today in the MHSAA: 3/16/23

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

March 16, 2023

1. BOYS BASKETBALL Niles Brandywine clinched its first Regional title in boys basketball with a 58-35 victory over Centreville in Division 3 – Niles Daily Star

2. BOYS BASKETBALL Rochester Adams also celebrated its first Regional title in this sport with a 68-58 win over Clarkston in Division 1 Oakland Press

3. BOYS BASKETBALL Orchard Lake St. Mary’s advanced in Division 1 with a 56-44 win over North Farmington Oakland Press

4. BOYS BASKETBALL Frankfort stunned Lake Leelanau St. Mary 50-44 in Division 4Traverse City Record-Eagle

5. BOYS BASKETBALL Pewamo-Westphalia upset Grandville Calvin Christian 63-61 with a buzzer-beating tip-inIonia Sentinel-Standard

6. BOYS BASKETBALL Grand Blanc went to overtime but got past Mount Pleasant 59-58 in Division 1Flint Journal

7. BOYS BASKETBALL Ferndale advanced in Division 2 with a 69-50 win over Warren Michigan Collegiate Oakland Press

8. BOYS BASKETBALL Hudsonville Unity Christian got past Grand Rapids Christian 58-56 in a Division 2 Regional FinalGrand Rapids Press

9. BOYS BASKETBALL Saginaw will return to the season’s final week thanks to a 78-58 win over Flint Hamady in Division 2WJRT

10. BOYS BASKETBALL East Lansing has won 12 of its last 14 including 56-43 over Battle Creek Central for a Division 1 Regional titleLansing State Journal

Also of note …

GOLF Spring Lake is mourning the death of longtime coach George Bitner, who led the girls program to three straight Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals titles from 2014-16 – Grand Haven Tribune