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The Grand Rapids Press reports that:

Dwaun Anderson pulled one of the biggest upsets of the high school basketball season when the Suttons Bay guard was named today as the 31st winner of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award.

Anderson became the first player from a school north of Saginaw to win the award. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard, who led his team to last year's Class C state championship game, has signed to play at Michigan State.

“To be honest, I wasn’t even expecting to get it,’’ Anderson told the Detroit Free Press, which administers the award in conjunction with BCAM. “I just figured that no one from downstate really knows me, so I figured someone from down there would get it.”

You can also read more in the Freep. Anderson averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4.8 assists his senior season and is the third consecutive Mr. Basketball to sign with Michigan State, joining 2010 recipient Keith Appling and 2009 winner Derrick Nix.

Here's a video of a pretty impressive dunk by Anderson and you can also watch some highlights from last year.

Update Thursday, March 17th Last night Leland fell to Manistee Catholic Central in the Regional final 55-43. Congratulations on a great season Comets!

Update Tuesday, March 15th Last night Leland rode a hot hand from Calvin Gibson to defeat Bellaire in the regional opener. The Comets play in Cadillac Wednesday night in the regional final!

Update Monday, March 14th On Friday night Leland defeated St. Mary 55-41. The Comets now travel to Cadillac TONIGHT at 6 PM to face Bellaire.

Update Thursday, March 10th Last night Leland crushed Grand Traverse Academy 81-40 in the opener and Lake Leelanau St. Mary fought past Northport 34-30. The Comets and the Eagles meet Friday at 7. In Class C action, Leelanau was blanked, with Suttons Bay capping a disappointing season with a 72-69 loss to TC St. Francis and 2011 Northwest Conference Champion Glen Lake falling to Elk Rapids 73-60.

Update Tuesday, March 8th Last night was a good night for Leelanau: Suttons Bay, Glen Lake & Northport all advanced!

The Michigan High School Athletic Association has details on the Boys Basketball District Tournaments.

In Class D Boys action at TC Christian, the Northport Wildcats face TC Christian at 7 PM tonight (Monday, March 7). Leland will play Wednesday night (March 9) in the first game at 6 PM vs GT Academy with Northport playing St. Mary’s in the second game at 7:30. TC Christian will have their cafeteria open and will provide dinner for fans or players at a cost of $5each or $20 per family.

In Class C action at Glen Lake tonight, the Suttons Bay Norseman face Kalkaska at 5:30 PM. In the 7 PM game, the Glen Lake Lakers meet Fife Lake/Forest Area. On Wednesday the Suttons Bay will play Traverse City St. Francis at 5:30 and the Glen Lake faces Elk Rapids at 8 PM.

Finals in both Districts are Friday night and we'll keep you updated as to the results right here!

Suttons Bay went down to its first defeat of the season in the regional title game on Friday night as Iron Mountain cruised to a 41-17 victory. You can read about it in the Traverse City Record-Eagle, and congratulations on another great season by the Norsemen!

Although Iron Mountain wasn't good news for Suttons Bay football, Iron Mountain native Tom Izzo had great things to say about Suttons Bay basketball star Dwaun Anderson, who formally committed to Michigan State University last Thursday:

"This was Dwaun's dream coming true," Suttons Bay basketball coach Todd Hursey said. "It's special for a small town player to get a Big Ten scholarship, but Michigan State is one of the premier programs in the country. They're ranked No. 2. They're in the Final Four all the time."

Anderson, who worked on his strength and jump shot during the off-season, led Suttons Bay to a Class C state final appearance last season. He is part of a nationally-ranked class that includes 6-6 forward Brandon Dawson of Indiana, 6-6 forward Brandon Kearney of Detroit and 6-foot guard Travis Trice of Ohio.

"If you look at the four guys we got, they're all winners," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said at a news conference. "They've all either been state champs or been to state semifinals. And they've all been pretty well coached. That was a big thing to me. And the real big thing, they all wanted to be here."

Anderson, who likes to attack the basket, averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists last season.

"A phenomenal athlete," Izzo said. "Not under the radar, because he was recruited by a lot of schools. But under the radar because he's from Suttons Bay, where you're just a stone's throw from Iron Mountain (Izzo's former high school).

Here's a YouTube highlight reel for Dewan from last year:

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that Suttons Bay will play in the state Regional football finals this Friday (Nov 12). The 11-0 Norsemen are coming off a 42-6 crushing of Farwell in Districts and will meet the 10-1 Iron Mountain Mountaineers Friday night at 7 PM in Suttons Bay.

"Big, strong, physical," Suttons Bay coach Joe Trudeau said, sizing up the Mountaineers. "They have the best line, by far, that we've seen this year. We'll have our work cut out for us."

Iron Mountain's lone loss came in the season-opener when the Mountaineers fell to Ishpeming, which is undefeated and in the Division 7 regionals.

"And Iron Mountain led that game 20-6 with four minutes to go," Trudeau said.

This will be Suttons Bay's third consecutive playoff game at home.

Thanks Leelanau Sports Guy for the helmet!

Northport's 5th Annual Y.A.C.apalooza at Braman Hill takes place on Saturday, May 22. There will be a live band playing and many fun games and events with many prizes, events such as; race to e top, karaoke, teacher dunk tank, 3 on 3 basketball, 3 on 3 volleyball and many other events... come join the fun!!!

Schedule of Events

12:00 to 1 3-on-3 b-ball tournament ($100 prize)
12:30 to 2 Twelve Year Reunion band (free hot dogs, pop & baked goods sale)
1:30 to 2:30 Dunk tank, volleyball tournament, kid’s games ($100 prize)
2:00 to 2:30 50/50 sumo suit wrestling
2:00 to 3:00 Washoos tournament
2:30 to 3:00 Race up Braman Hill ($25 prize)
2:30 to 3:00 Karaoke

Join Y.A.C.apalooza on facebook for the latest updates!

Here's a preface to the preface. This comes via our Absolute Michigan web site. You probably know some of the background info we offer but there is some interesting reading, especially if you follow the link to Liko's web site and (under Friends of Sugar Loaf) read the letter from Skip Telgard of the Bluebird.

Today we're bringing you a whole lot of information about a Michigan landmark that is very near and dear to my heart: Sugar Loaf Mountain in Leelanau County. I am indeed a Sugar Loafer. I grew up skiing there, worked as a lift operator and was taken for thousands of dollars in services rendered but never paid for by the last management company to run the resort and was one of the leaders of a movement to try and acquire the resort as a community ski area. That effort was halted when the current owner, Kate Wickstrom purchased Sugar Loaf.

Since then, the resort has lain dormant. Then, about a month ago, Liko Smith emerged on the scene as a potential savior for the resort. Close on his heels were a slew of stories and accusations that have made many question whether we're climbing back on the merry-go-round of disappointment that has become synonymous with the name of Sugar Loaf. Today I'd like to present for your consideration a wide range of information including an interview with Mr. Smith on Absolute Michigan Radio co-sponsored by Traverse Legal, so that you can come to your own conclusions.

Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun has a feature looking at Liko Smith, his business connections and what it would take to resurrect the long-beleaguered ski resort:

Michael Berry, President of the Denver-based National Ski Areas Association, thought that reopening Sugar Loaf was entirely possible. Berry guessed that one could acquire new ski lifts and snowmaking equipment at Sugar Loaf for $4-5 million, and satisfy insurance company standards within two or three months (there are only two or three players in the industry).

...But one ski expert at a Midwestern resort, who asked to remain anonymous, doubted Berry’s optimistic prognosis for Sugar Loaf, and estimated that it would cost at least $10-15 million to buy equipment, make snow, and open the hills. He added that Smith would have to order lifts by next month, or there would be no way to get them in time for next winter.

...“Sugar Loaf would have to pull skiers away from (nearby resorts) Crystal Mountain, Nubs Nob and Boyne. … The market isn’t getting any bigger. Sugar Loaf would have to draw from the existing players.”

Click through to read more and other coverage from the Glen Arbor Sun.

If you'd like to meet Liko and hear more about his plans, there's a $100 Quad Fund mixer at Red Ginger in Traverse City. More about that and more from Liko at likosmith.com. (hint: click the "Friends of Sugar Loaf" for some interesting reading and insight into Liko Smith and the feeling in the community).

By far the most active discussion has taken place in the Friends of Sugar Loaf group on Facebook.

The Michigan State University Spartans basketball team has once again reached the NCAA Final Four. In honor of this, the State Theatre in Traverse City has reworked their Easter Weekend movie schedule (free movies for those stuck at home!) so that you can come and join 600 other crazed Spartan fans and cheer on the team this Saturday on the biiiiiiig screen. Tip off is at 6:07 pm and the doors will open at 4:30 pm.

They are offering this event free of charge, and you can pick up your free ticket beginning at 5 PM sharp today (Wednesday) at the box office. You can also call 231-947-3446 and they'll put tickets aside for you. Limit four tickets per person.

The Suttons Bay Norsemen defeated the Rudyard Bulldogs 76 to 63 in a Class C quarterfinal last night at Lake Superior State University.

The Record Eagle reports Dwuan Anderson scored an impressive 30 points, had 13 rebounds.:

While Anderson was the star, the Norse proved to have too much size and depth for the Upper Peninsula's No. 1-ranked Bulldogs. The Norse led by as many as 14 points in the second half, although the Bulldogs did get as close as seven points midway through the third quarter.

The Norsemen will now take on the Bridgman Bees in the MHSAA Semi-Final at MSU's Breslin Center in East Lansing tomorrow, Thursday, March 25 at 2:30.

Photo credit: Fan photos from Dwaun Anderson by Tara Noffsinger

The Norsemen used their superior height and athleticism in the fourth quarter to pull away in an 80-60 victory in the Class C regional championship game at Traverse City West. Suttons Bay will now play Rudyard at Lake Superior State University on Tuesday, March 23 for the quarterfinal match of the 2010 Class C State Tournament.

Mlive reports:

Mason County Central, the Cinderella story of this year's boys basketball tournament, was in position to pull off a major stunner on Wednesday night.

The Spartans, who had a 5-15 record entering the tournament, were down by just four points, 56-52, against No. 8 Suttons Bay.

But the Norsemen used their superior heighth and athleticism in the fourth quarter to pull away in an 80-60 victory in the Class C regional championship game at Traverse City West.

The Record Eagle said:

Suttons Bay closed the game on a 24-6 run, thanks to 12 points from Dwaun Anderson.

"That's pretty much my role," Anderson said. "It's what I have to do, even if I feel like I can't. I've always got to push myself for my best. Tonight, I didn't think we came out good enough, so I had to turn it on."

Anderson was also key in a second-quarter run that gave the Norsemen momentum going into the half. The Spartans built a 29-23 advantage with Anderson on the bench with two fouls, but he returned for the last three minutes. He immediately drove the baseline and threw down a one-handed dunk from underneath the basket.

Suttons Bay beat St Francis to win the Boy's Basketball District Title on Friday. The Record Eagle reports:

Dwaun Anderson -- who wears 22 for Suttons Bay -- scored a lay-up in the closing seconds Friday as the Norsemen won their first district basketball since 2003 with a 53-51 victory Friday night in the Class C final in front of a packed house.

Suttons Bay will play Boyne City tonight at Traverse City West at 7:30.

Also, Leland took the district title beating  Northport 69 to 36 on Friday.  Leland will play Manistee Catholic Central tonight at Benzie Central High School