Today in the MHSAA: 3/6/20
March 6, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The majority of Michigan’s high school boys basketball teams finished their regular seasons Thursday – and with a month’s worth of fireworks thanks to league title celebrations, big-time matchups and record scoring performances.
1. Boys Basketball: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s got past Detroit Cass Tech 70-65 in overtime in the annual Operation Friendship meeting of league champions – Detroit News
2. Boys Basketball: Negaunee earned shares of two league titles and handed Iron Mountain its only loss this season on a last-second basket, winning 52-51 – Marquette Mining Journal
3. Boys Basketball: Benton Harbor closed the regular season with an 82-72 win over Wyoming in a matchup of title contenders in Divisions 2 and 1 – Grand Rapids Press
4. Boys Basketball: Ypsilanti Lincoln enjoyed 48 points from Emoni Bates in getting past Grand Rapids Catholic Central 79-48 in a meeting of championship contenders in Divisions 1 and 2 – Ann Arbor News
5. Boys Basketball: Sanford Meridian clinched a fourth-consecutive Jack Pine Conference title with a 54-39 win over Farwell – Midland Daily News
6. Boys Basketball: Troy Athens got past Birmingham Seaholm 71-61 in overtime to claim the Oakland Activities Association Blue title outright – Oakland Press
7. Boys Basketball: Three Oaks River valley celebrated the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White title with a 50-29 win over New Buffalo – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
8. Boys Basketball: Traverse City Central earned a shared Big North Conference title with Cadillac thanks to a 63-49 win over Alpena – Traverse City Record-Eagle
9. Boys Basketball: One-loss Carrollton handed Kingston its first, 63-59 – Saginaw News
10. Boys Basketball: Pellston downed Bellaire 57-39 to clinch a share of the Ski Valley Conference championship – Petoskey News-Review
Also of note …
Boys Basketball: Otsego won its third-straight overall Wolverine Conference title with an 81-55 win over Edwardsburg – WWMT
Boys Basketball: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart locked up the outright Mid-State Activities Conference title with a 65-37 win over Ashley – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Boys Basketball: William Dunn became Quincy’s all-time leading career scorer in his team’s 67-57 win over Mendon – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Boys Basketball: Anders Rasmussen set Holland’s single-season 3-pointers record in a loss to Ada Forest Hills Eastern – Holland Sentinel
Boys Basketball: Cole Shiels and Jacob Delmotte both broke the Britton-Deerfield single-game scoring record in a win over Monroe Jefferson – Adrian Daily Telegram
Holland West Ottawa Athletics Complex Recognized with National Award
December 12, 2023
Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex, with architectural firm GMB, has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities.
West Ottawa’s new stadium consists of two turf playing fields. The west field was designed deliberately without a surrounding track to bring the stands and field closer together with a central tunnel beneath the grandstands for the home team to enter onto the field. The same synthetic turf, light posts, and state-of-the-art audio/video systems are utilized on both fields for an equitable experience for all users.
Multiple ground-level entry points with access to the fields, barrier-free locker rooms and multiple seating options with elevator access also create accessibility for spectators, players, coaches, and support staff.
“This facility allows our students the opportunity to play in one of the premier complexes in the state of Michigan,” said Jeff Malloch, assistant superintendent of business services at West Ottawa Public Schools. “We have seen continued interest in lacrosse, football, and soccer, and this complex will be utilized by our community youth from elementary age to high school student-athletes.”
Adding elevated fan experiences, such as a concourse level between the upper and lower sections of the home stands, bigger bleachers, and updated concession stands and restrooms establish a venue for multiple sports and attract the entire community to utilize the facility.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility for West Michigan, and it’s been wonderful to see student-athletes from across the state enjoy the complex’s unique amenities,” said Nate Bosch, a landscape architect with GMB. “The collaboration needed to make this project come to life was an inspiring process to be a part of, and we are so pleased to celebrate this accomplishment with West Ottawa.”
This is the first time a GMB project has been awarded a multi-field facility of the year honor by the ASBA. GMB also has received four Project of the Year honors in the outdoor tennis category and 20 distinguished awards from ASBA for other athletic facility projects over the past 12 years.
(Photos by M-Buck Studio.)