The Northwest Conference and Lake Michigan Conference have completed a 2-year contract to square off in next year’s Lake Michigan Conference/Northwest Conference Challenge. Both Boys and Girls teams will be matched up according to how they finished in the conference the previous season, so we will see some very exciting matchups, and some we don’t see very often. The Girls games are scheduled for December 6th and the Boys games for December 13th. The games will tip-off the 2008-09 seasons.

Here’s the Boys Matchups…

Charlevoix, which won the Lake Michigan boys championship and advanced to the Class C regional, will take on Northwest co-champion Benzie Central. The Frankfort Panthers, who also earned a share of the crown, will draw St. Francis, the runner-up in the Lake Michigan. Other match-ups include: Leland vs. East Jordan, Kingsley vs. Boyne City, Suttons Bay vs. Grayling, Glen Lake vs. Elk Rapids, Mesick vs. Kalkaska and Buckley vs. Harbor Springs. The boys games will be hosted by the Lake Michigan Conference schools.

And the Girls…

Since Charlevoix and Kingsley won the Lake Michigan and Northwest girls titles, respectively, they’ll meet in the marquee game. Frankfort, which tied Benzie Central for second in the Northwest, will face East Jordan, which was second in the Lake Michigan. Benzie will take on Boyne City, the third-place finisher in the Lake Michigan.

Other match-ups include: Glen Lake vs. Kalkaska, Suttons Bay vs. Harbor Springs, Buckley vs. Elk Rapids, Leland vs. St. Francis and Mesick vs. Grayling. The girls games will be hosted by the Northwest Conference schools.

Sounds like a whole lot of fun!

Read Basketball challenge set to tip off in the Record Eagle

Muskegon West Michigan Christian was bigger, faster and stronger as they cruised to a 72-45 win over Leland in the Class D Quarterfinals at Traverse City West. After Leland started the game on a 9-0 run, it was all WMC after that as they advance to take on Cedarville in the Class D Semifinals at the Breslin Center. Marcus Whittaker led the way for the Comets with 22 points as they finished 21-5.

Read WMC swarms Leland in the Record Eagle
Read Warriors roll on to Breslin at MLive.com

Photo: Leland’s Eric Larsen (10) hits the game winning shot over Bellaire’s Riku Lempio with seconds left. Photo by Jan-Michael Stump of the Record-Eagle

Leland used two clutch plays from junior Eric Larsen to capture the Class D Regional title at Traverse City Central with a 48-46 win over Bellaire. The Eagles had knocked the Comets out of the tournament in the regionals last year and had won 4 of the last 5 regionals. Larsen intercepted a Bellaire pass with under a minute to give the Comets a 1-point lead and then later hit the game-winner with seconds left.

“This feels great,” Larsen said. “Bellaire beat us in the first round (of the regionals) last year so it feels nice to come back and beat them. Bellaire played a great game. I tip my hat to them.”

Leland (21-4) now advances to Tuesday night’s Quarterfinal at Traverse City West to face Muskegon West Michigan Christian.

Read Larsen lifts Leland to regional title at the Record Eagle

The Freep’s Son of Swami loves this time of year and he has his annual semifinals predictions all set! He likes the Bellaire Eagles to advance to the Class D finals with a victory over Cedarville. The Eagles will have their hands full, but if they play like they did in the Quarterfinal the other night, they will be tough to stop.

I had never been to a game at Traverse City West with a better (or bigger) crowd. The atmosphere was electric and both teams played well. Bellaire’s Cody Bock was the difference as he drained 6 3-pointers from all over the floor and single-handedly kept the Eagles in the game.

Should be a fun time for the Eagles, my prediction is Bellaire 54, Cedarville 49.

The other northern Michigan team still alive, Charlevoix, takes on a tough Saginaw Nouvel team. SOS doesn’t like their chances, but don’t count them out!

Read SOS can’t get enough of E. Lansing in the Freep
Read It’s back to the Breslin for Bellaire in the Record Eagle

You can follow all the action at MHSAA.com and listen to webcasts of the semis and finals!

Dennis Chase of the Record Eagle takes a quick look at the final week of the boys basketball regular season. Only one team really stand out in the county and that’s Leland. The Comets clinched the Cherryland Conference title on Friday. Suttons Bay, with a little help, could still clinch a share of the Northwest title with a win over Frankfort and a Kingsley loss at Glen Lake.

Read Parity in preps makes for wild league races in the Record Eagle

Nick Edson of the Leelanau Enterprise is asking for your votes and opinions on the top 10 boys and girls basketball players in the history of Leelanau County. You can also vote for the Top 5 county coaches of All-Time as well.

The ballot is available in the January 25th edition of the Leelanau Enterprise or you can send Nick an email with your choices. Please include the players/coaches names and schools. Ballots are due by Friday, February 9th.

Now I have to start compiling my list, but here’s my #1 for each team…

Boys Basketball All-Time Top 10
1. Sander Scott - Northport

Girls Basketball All-Time Top 10
1. Julie Polakowski - Leland

Coach All-Time Top 5
1. Larry Glass - Leland

Let the debating begin…

Mitchell becomes 8th Wildcat to reach milestone
Senior Drew Mitchell scored 31 points to pass the 1,000 career point mark in a 66-53 win over Boyne Falls. Mitchell also pulled down 13 rebounds, grabbed 4 steals, and made 2 blocks. He now has 1,002 career points. Cody Brown added 17 points and Nathan Scherrer 10 as Northport evened it’s record at 5-5. Congrats Drew!

Photo by Anne Marie Mitchell

In other games…

Leland improves to 9-3
Marcus Whittaker led Leland with 21 points to help lift the Comets to a 72-57 win over Manistee Catholic in a non-conference matchup. Matt Lichty scored 16 and Jordan Gibson added 10.

Lakers fall to Elks
Glen Lake fell below .500 with a 46-39 loss to Elk Rapids. Ryan Dyksterhouse led the Lakers with 14 points as Glen Lake’s record falls to 5-6.

Read Prep Roundup in the Record Eagle

Don Miller was selected to be inducted into the MHSAA Hall of Fame this September. Miller led the Glen Lake Boy’s Basketball program for 31 years and to over 500 wins.

Read Miller selected to Hall of Fame in the Record Eagle

Here’s a list of all of the Leelanau County state championships won by our county schools. The head coach is listed after the sport.

Originally printed in the Leelanau Enterprise.

1942 - Leland boys’ basketball - Carl Furney

1944 - Leelanau School boys’ track - John Evans

1959 - Glen Lake boys’ basketball - Harold O’Brien

1977 - Glen Lake boys’ basketball - Don Miller

1978 - Glen Lake girls’ basketball - Ted Swierad
- Leland volleyball - Mike Kenney

1980 - Leland girls’ basketball - Larry Glass
- Leland volleyball - Mike Kenney

1981 - Leland girls’ basketball - Larry Glass

1982 - Leland girls’ basketball - Larry Glass

1985 - Suttons Bay girls’ X-country - Terry Ebright

1986 - Northport soccer - Don Hungerford

1987 - Suttons Bay girls’ X-country - Tim Bedford

1988 - Northport boys’ basketball - Gordie Wick

1991 - Glen Lake girls’ track - Bill Brendel

1992 - Glen Lake girls’ track - Bill Brendel

1994 - Glen Lake girls’ track - Doug Greer

1994 - Glen Lake football - Bill Hollenbeck

1995 - Glen Lake girls’ track - Doug Greer

1998 - Glen Lake/Leland girls’ skiing - Mark Fisher

1999 - Glen Lake/Leland girls’ skiing - Mark Fisher

2000 - Glen Lake boys’ track - Pete Edwards
- Suttons Bay boys’ golf - Todd Hursey
- Glen Lake girls’ cross country - Bryan Burns

2001 - Suttons Bay boys’ golf - Todd Hursey

2002 - Leland girls’ volleyball - Laurie Glass

2004 - Glen Lake/Suttons Bay boys’ skiing - Mark Fisher

2006 - Leland girls’ volleyball - Laurie Glass

Totals by School
Glen Lake - 13
Leland - 10
Suttons Bay - 5
Northport - 2
Leelanau School - 1

Northport fell to Bay City All Saints 85-55 in a Class D Regional Semifinal at Traverse City West. Northport kept it close for a half, but it was All Saints 55-point second half that was the difference. Drew Mitchell led the Wildcats, who finished 14-9, scoring 28 points, grabbing 12 boards and blocking 7 shots. Cody Brown added 13.

Read Wildcats knocked off by All Saints in the Record Eagle

Northern Michigan will be short one more great coach with the retirement of Rene LaFreniere. The Manton Varsity Boys Basketball coach will be stepping down after 22 years at the position. He has a career record of 338-171. Rumor has it that former Manton star Ryan Hiller may be the next head coach.

Read Era nears an end in Manton in the Record Eagle

My View: I always had alot of respect for him. His teams played hard and were always prepared.

Northport survived a furious St. Mary rally and held on for an exciting 53-47 win over the Eagles. Northport led by 14 at the half, but St. Mary used a 15-5 run in the third quarter to close within 1, but couldn’t get over the hump. This was a great basketball game to watch, with both teams playing hard. Cody Brown scored 19 for the Wildcats, Drew Mitchell added 15. St. Mary was led by Adam Koniezka’s 20.

T.C. Christian used a team effort to defeat Leelanau School 63-51 in a score that didn’t reflect how the Sabres controlled the game. They held a 25 point lead going into the 4th before the Thunderbirds mounted a late rally. George Wilkinson scored 39 points to lead Leelanau.

Read Rayders win 3 OT thriller in the Record Eagle

My View: Lots of teams could learn a lesson by watching how hard St. Mary’s played, especially in the second half. They never quit and left it all on the floor. A credit to their coaches and players.

Suttons Bay battled hard, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to T.C. St. Francis 75-53 in Class C District semifinal action. The Glads raced to a 25-9 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Ray Freund scored 13 points and Dan McKisson added 12 for Suttons Bay as they finished the season with a record of 11-11.

Kingsley defeated Forest Area 68-41 in the other semifinal and will meet the Glads on Friday at 7 PM at Suttons Bay.

Read Kingsley, St. Francis set to meet once again in the Record Eagle

The one-two punch of Ray Freund and Dan McKisson was just enough for Suttons Bay to hold off Glen Lake 55-52 in the Class C District opener. Freund scored 22 points and McKisson added 15. Suttons Bay now advances to play T.C. St. Francis on Wednesday. Suttons Bay is now 11-10 on the season while Glen Lake finished the year 6-15. Joey Wiejaczka scored 22 for the Lakers.

Read Suttons Bay slips past Glen Lake again in the Record Eagle

The battle of the boards was one-sided and the game went the same way after the half as Traverse City Christian defeated Leland 63-41 to advance to the Class D District semifinals on Wednesday. Jordan Gibson led the Comets with 15 points and Marcus Whittaker added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Leland finished the season 8-12.

Read Sabres cut through Leland in the Record Eagle