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Burger Assists in Pittsford Finals Run

May 22, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The Pittsford girls basketball team achieved its best finish ever this winter, advancing to its first MHSAA championship game and ending with a 26-1 record. 

Leading the attack for the Class D runner-up was sophomore Jaycie Burger – whose 170 assists were good for 20th-most in MHSAA history for one season. She also averaged 17.1 points per game. 

Click for Burger's entry and the MHSAA girls basketball record book as a whole, and read below for the rest of this week's record book entries in four more sports. 

Boys Basketball

  • Leslie junior Dylan Patton had at least one blocked shot in all 21 of his team’s games this season and finished with 110 to rank all-time among the best in that category. He had a game high of 10, Jan. 20 against Lansing Christian, and averaged 5.2 to go with 15.3 points per game to help the Blackhawks to a 16-5 record.

  • Mackinaw City senior Anthony Elliott also made the blocked shots list this season, tallying 113 for an average of 5.1 over 22 games. He averaged 8.6 points and seven rebounds per game as well, as Mackinaw City finished 17-6.

  • Sophomore Demetrius Lake scored 24 of his game-high 37 points during the second half of Holland’s 65-49 win over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Feb. 10 – with 20 points coming during the fourth quarter. He’s one of 27 players to score at least that many in one quarter.

  • Suttons Bay junior Trevor Petroskey had a career game Dec. 16, despite his team’s 56-51 loss to Benzonia Benzie Central. His 12 steals are tied for third-most for one game in MHSAA history, and he finished his triple-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

    Football

    • Holly’s Jake Zorn set not only a school record but also a Flint Metro League record Sept. 27, 2013, when he threw for 405 yards in a 43-14 win over Flint Kearsley. Zorn, who will graduate this spring, completed 24 of 34 passes and connected for four touchdowns in building his record yardage total.

    Softball

    • Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Hannah Gavle had one of the top run-producing performances in MHSAA history against Grand Rapids Christian on April 28. She hit three home runs – in three straight at bats – and drove in 10 runs total to make the MHSAA records three times. Her third home run was a grand slam and she followed with a two-run double. The 10 RBI rank second for one game all-time.

    Wrestling

    • Grandville won its first dual meet of the 1982-83 season on the way to finishing 16-0 that winter – and didn’t lose another dual until the third meet of 1987-88. The Bulldogs’ string of 88 straight dual meet wins ranks first in MHSAA history (although it does not include a postseason victory – the Team Wrestling Finals were created in 1987-88; prior, postseason team championships were determined by finishes in individual competition). The dual winning streak was stopped by Birmingham Brother Rice, although Grandville went on to finish 22-2 in 1987-88. The Bulldogs’ top undefeated mark during the streak was 20-0 in 1983-84.

    • Coach Jerry La Joie led Gaylord to a 40-2 record this winter, the wins the second most during his 21 seasons guiding the program. He was added with the 11th-most wins in MHSAA wrestling coaching history with a record of 559-127-2. He coached the team in 1993-94, took a season off and came back for good for 1995-96.

    • On his way to wrestling at the University of Michigan, David Johnson won 199 matches with only 14 losses for Jenison from 2004-07. He was the Division 1 champion at 140 pounds in 2006 with a record of 54-2 and finished third at 135 in 2005 and 152 pounds in 2007.

    PHOTO: Pittsford's Jaycie Burger (21) looks for an open teammate as she pushes upcourt during this season's Class D Final. 

    Schoolcraft Ace Could Score & Much More

    By Geoff Kimmerly
    MHSAA.com senior editor

    February 10, 2021

    By Geoff Kimmerly
    Second Half editor

    Gabi Saxman’s Schoolcraft career will be remembered in part because she scored more than 1,000 points over four seasons.

    But 5-foot-6 point guard made the MHSAA record book in two other categories, with 477 assists and 436 steals over those 96 games before graduating last spring.

    She is continuing her career at Western Michigan University this winter, as her former teammates and high school basketball teams all over Michigan kick off their seasons this week.

    Below is a look at recent additions to MHSAA record books in girls basketball, hockey and girls soccer. Click on the headings to view those record books in full.

    Girls Basketball

    Last Feb. 20 was unforgettable for Grass Lake and especially Gabrielle Lutchka. She set an MHSAA record for 3-pointers with 16 to finish the evening with 56 points, which ranks eighth all-time for single-game scoring. As a team, Grass Lake made the record book with 17 3-pointers that night against Manchester. Teammates Abrie Cabana also was added for an achievement last winter, finishing with a .880 free-throw percentage. Lutchka is a junior and Cabana a senior this school year.

    Genesee senior Hayle March tied for 12th-most assists in a game Jan 23, 2020, when she dished 14 during her team’s 61-35 win over Mayville. She also had 12 points, five rebounds and five steals in the victory.

    Kasey DeSmit played a significant part in Hudsonville’s 73-28 record from 2015-18, making the career record book in two categories. She sank 187 3-pointers and tallied 474 assists over those 101 games. She now plays at Hope College.

    Gracie Nowak filled her senior season at Morrice last winter with a number of highlights, perhaps the biggest individually the 18 steals she totaled in a Jan. 17, 2020, win over Webberville. That total ranks as the fourth-highest for single-game steals in MHSAA history.

    Kent City continued to dominate the 3-point shooting lists in 2019-20, with the team connecting on 16 in multiple games and a season-high 17 against Ravenna on March 2. Junior Jenna Harrison finished the season with 86 3-pointers over 24 games, and junior Kenzie Bowers had nine of her team’s 16 in a game against Hesperia. Bowers has signed with Illinois State.

    Kelynn Kujat completed her Frankenmuth career last season among top 3-point shooters all-time, drilling 187 over four seasons and 89 games. She previously had made the record book with 66 3-pointers as a sophomore.

    Nearly 40 years later, Teresa Hudak’s rebounding excellence has reached the record book. The Rogers City standout three times grabbed 26 or more rebounds in a game – with a high twice of 29. She had 342 rebounds as a junior in 1981 and then 385 as a senior the following fall, with the latter total ranking 11th all-time.

    Hockey

    Sean Hogan enjoyed an exciting start to calendar year 1995, making the MHSAA record book twice. He scored four goals in the first period of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ 7-5 win over White Lake Lakeland on Jan. 14, and seven for the game in Our Lady’s 15-4 win over Algonac that Feb. 5. Hogan went on to play at Iona College and has coached multiple American Collegiate Hockey Association programs.

    Girls Soccer

    Nearly 25 years later, Marie Spaccarotella has made it into the record book for her 102 career goals over four seasons for Livonia Churchill from 1993-96. She went on to play forward at University of Michigan, starting 32 games and scoring 21 goals over four seasons.

    PHOTO: Gabi Saxman brings the ball upcourt for Schoolcraft during a game last season. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)