Record-Setter Ranks for 'D' Dominance
April 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Special for Second Half
Trevor Patterson stole the show in Galesburg-Augusta’s 53-35 win over Lawrence on Dec. 15.
The Rams’ senior scored 17 points, but more impressively tied a record with 14 steals originally set by Saginaw Valley Lutheran’s Brian Appold in 1981.
Patterson will continue his athletic career at the college level, but on the diamond for Grand Rapids Community College’s baseball program.
See below for more recent additions to the boys basketball section of the MHSAA record book, and click the heading to view it in full.
Boys Basketball
Hillsdale made team record lists for attempted and made free throws winter, connecting on 369 of 563 attempts over 23 contests. Senior Bryce Drews made the individual free throw list with 165 makes in 221 attempts.
A trio of decades old entries were added for Vermontville Maple Valley. Jeff Hamilton was added for his 120 steals in 1984-85, which at the time would’ve ranked second all-time and now sits 11th. Andy Joostberns had 31 rebounds in a 1979 game against Portland and 300 for the season. And Shaun Thompson was added for 34 straight free throws made over four games from Jan. 23-Feb. 9, 1990.
Marlo Brown finished his four-season varsity career at Southfield Christian in 2016 with 1,074 rebounds to rank sixth all-time on that career list. His highest single-season total was 301 as a freshman. The 6-foot-5 forward currently plays at Northern Illinois University.
Tanner Curry finished his four-season varsity career at Martin in 2017 also among leading rebounders in Michigan history. He grabbed 1,070 – good for seventh all-time – and including a high of 311 over 23 games as a senior. He’s playing football at Saginaw Valley State University.
Big Rapids Crossroads Academy and Walkerville combined for 23 3-pointers in their game Dec. 7, tying for ninth most by two teams combined in the same game. Crossroads had 13, led by Britton Angell who scored 53 points with eight 3-pointers. But Walkerville won the game 90-84.
Portland St. Patrick and Saranac combined for 22 3-pointers on Jan. 2 to also make that two-teams combined list, and the Shamrocks made the single-team single-game list with 17 of those long-distance shots. Brandon Scheurer led the effort with seven 3-pointers on the way to 33 points.
Bear Lake’s 18-4 run this winter included an 82-17 win over Marion on Dec. 19 during which the Lakers scored 44 points during the first quarter to make the record book. Kaiden Hejl led the early run with 14 of his game-high 27 points during the first eight minutes.
Eventual Class B semifinalist New Haven scored 40 points during the first quarter of an 89-54 win against St. Clair Shores Lake Shore on Feb. 24. Romeo Weems just missed making the individual points in a quarter list, putting up 18 of that 40.
More than 45 seasons after grabbing 324 rebounds for Redford Union, Mark Kenney’s accomplishment was added to the MHSAA records. He grabbed that single-season boards total in 1971-72, as a senior, over 21 games as his team finished 17-4.
PHOTO: Galesburg-Augusta’s Trevor Patterson drives during a game against Constantine this season. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)
Ansel On Target for Record Book Rise
April 23, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Comstock junior Daisy Ansel will be one of the seniors to watch in Michigan next girls basketball season after she joined the state’s top shooters of all-time already as a junior this past winter.
Ansel is tied for 24th for career 3-pointers with 181, with that total recently added to the MHSAA record book. She’s made 38 percent of her long-range tries over the last three seasons, and also was added to the records for connecting on 86.5 percent of her free-throw attempts (64 of 74) over 21 games in 2017-18 as the Colts finished 19-2.
Below are more recent record book additions in girls basketball and boys soccer. Click the sport headings to view those record books in full.
Girls Basketball
Traverse City Central senior Margot Woughter earned a spot in the record book with 15 free throws on 19 attempts in a Jan. 19 game against Alpena. She finished with 40 points total in the 62-55 win. Woughter will continue her career at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Former Posen star center Korynn Hincka ranks among the all-time best in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. She was added for 2,198 points, 1,224 rebounds (eighth-most) and 360 blocks (10th) over 98 games from 2011-14, along with a number of single-season entries and a single-game 19 free throws against Fairview during 2012-13. Younger sister Jenna Hincka was added for 170 steals as a senior during the 2015-16 season, which rank eighth. Korynn went on to play at Grand Valley State, and Jenna played a season of softball at Alpena Community College.
Ishpeming set an MHSAA record this winter making 77.6 percent of its free-throw attempts on the way to a 20-4 finish. The Hematites made 274 of 353 tries, led by senior Madigan Johns with 115 makes in 131 attempts. She was added to the individual list for highest free-throw percentage in a season at 87.8 and for her career at 82.2 over the last three seasons.
Coldwater junior Malorie Rzepka made the list for most free throws in a game with 15 in 16 tries against Kalamazoo Central in a 69-63 overtime win Dec. 19. Rzepka’s free throws all came during the second half and overtime.
Westland Universal Learning Academy then-freshman Zahraa Cherkaoui scored all but two of her team’s points Feb. 1, 2017, in a 49-23 win over Hope of Detroit. Her 47-point performance included seven 3-pointers.
Niles Brandywine’s run to the Class C Regional Finals and a 22-3 record included some record 3-point shooting. The Bobcats connected on 153 3-pointers in 639 attempts, making record book lists in both categories. They also made the single-game list with 14 3-pointers against Saugatuck in a 73-37 win on Dec. 5.
Kent City made the Class C Quarterfinals and finished 22-4 also on the strength of 3-point shooting. The Eagles made 198 3-pointers – fourth most in MHSAA history – on the third-most attempts, 737. Kent City made at least 13 3-pointers in three games, with a high of 16 against Hesperia on Jan. 19.
Boys Soccer
As reported last fall on Second Half, Lincoln Alcona senior keeper Conner McCoy broke the national saves record in late September – and finished his high school career with 1,280 over four seasons. His 365 last fall rank fifth for one season after he set the record as both a sophomore and junior. He will continue his career at Finlandia University.
Ryan Wiesniewski capped his four-year Gladwin varsity career in the fall tied for 10th all-time with 144 goals and eighth with 202 career points. He also made the career assists list with 58 and with highs of 46 goals and 64 points as a junior in 2016. He made the single-game goals list with a school record six against Houghton Lake last September.
PHOTO: Comstock’s Daisy Ansel lines up to attempt a free throw during the 2016-17 season. (Photo courtesy of the Comstock athletic department.)