Time is flying by as evidenced by the fact this was the last full night of basketball for the month of January. It was also a big night as there were multiple showdowns for first place in multiple leagues, so those chases got a bit clearer on Tuesday. There was also the usual batch of great performances, and Kosmo is proud to hand out his 3 stars for Tuesday's games. Third star Sam McClendon, Orchard Lake St. Mary's - So who out there left the Eaglets for dead? Well St. Mary's showed it was alive and well following an overtime win over state-ranked U-D Jesuit. McClendon was a big reason why, scoring 21 points. Second star Lauren Hung, Waterford Mott - Walled Lake Northern probably felt like it was hung having to guard Hung, who scored 28 points to lead the Corsairs to a victory. First star Kyle Ervin, Birmingham Groves - Main spy Keith D. said the other day that Ervin might be the best-kept secret in the county, and he might be right. Ervin was awesome again, hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift Groves to a 75-73 win over Andover in an OAA Gold showdown. Ervin also had 21 points and 10 rebounds

News has come out that Michigan is ranked No.1 in the nation in college basketball, and Kosmo still has to rub his eyes a little bit at that. A football school No. 1 in basketball? Hopefully Armageddon won't take place tomorrow. But thinking about U-M hoops brings to Kosmo's mind a local high school that's enjoying some hoops heaven also even though it normally is a football school. Yep, this has been quite a winter at Farmington Hills Harrison. The boys team is 10-2 and has a first place showdown in the OAA Blue on Tuesday at Lake Orion. The Hawks have already beaten OAA Blue contenders Seaholm and Lahser this year, so they have been mighty impressive. The same goes for the girls team, which is 13-1 and in a first place tie with Oxford in the OAA White. In fact, other than Clarkston or Country Day, I don't think you'll find another school with a better boys-girls combination right now in hoops than at Harrison. That's certainly not bad for a football school.

Believe it or not, we're getting closer to the finish line for the regular season. Friday marked the last Friday of January, and once we get to February there definitely is a light at the end of the tunnel. It was a slammed night of games as Kosmo mentioned in his preview column on Friday, so it was hard to narrow it down to three performances to highlight. But without further ado, here are Kosmo's 3 stars for Friday's games. Third star Jordan Dasuqi, Clarkston Well I guess Dasuqi is all but recovered from that broken wrist that kept him out of the first few games of the season. In a win over North Farmington that was a game between two of the three teams tied for first in the OAA Red, Dasuqi scored 27 of his team's 50 points. Second star Alyssa Copley, Holly The sensational frontcourt player for the Bronchos was at it again in a 39-30 win over Swartz Creek, collecting 17 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and five blocks to help Holly keep pace in the Flint Metro. First star Kristen Massey, Novi Franklin Road Christian Wow can this girl play. Even though she's at a small school, Massey can play for anybody, as evidenced by the fact she scored 38 over her team's 47 points in a 47-42 win over Ann Arbor Greenhills.

Well it was a light night on Tuesday as many KLAA teams were off and most OAA boys squads didn't play either. But it was still a night of great performances and in honor of the NHL being back in full swing, here are the 3 stars for Tuesday's basketball games. Third star Dana Whiteside, Auburn Hills Avondale - Whiteside was a major thorn in the side of newest Bloomfield, scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a win over the Lakers. Second star Jeron Rogers, North Farmington - This kid is just oozing with potential and will be fun to watch develop over the next two years. He was dominant in a win over city rival Harrison with 28 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. First star Zack Littleson, Rochester Adams - It was so nice to see one of Kosmo's favorite grunt and glue guys break out for a superstar-like performance. Littleson poured in a game high 30 points in a win over Pontiac and hopefully there's more performances like it this season so he can continue to get the attention he deserves

We're at the halfway point for both the girls and boys basketball season, and Kosmo has been impressed with some teams that have fared better than Kosmo thought they would at this point of the year. Here are the most pleasant surprises so far this season, although this is definitely subject to change since there is still more than half a season to be played. It's broken down by 3 boys and 3 girls teams. Boys Farmington Hills Harrison - The Hawks may be the surprise team of the entire OAA, let alone the Blue Division. Harrison is 9-2 on the year and recorded wins against Lahser and Seaholm last week. A heck of a job by head coach Jason Pickett and his boys. Walled Lake Central - Well, so much for this being a transition year for the Vikings with a new head coach. Central is in first place in the KLAA North following an overtime win over league favorite Waterford Mott last week. Lots of credit to first year coach Chuck Spolsky. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - Speaking of teams that lost a lot to graduation and had a new head coach, the Fighting Irish were in that boat to at the start of the season. Following a slow start, there aren't many teams in the area hotter than Notre Dame Prep, which is now 6-3 on the season. Girls Novi - As Kosmo has said many times, if there is a more underrated head coach than Bill Kelp, he doesn't know who it is. The Wildcats didn't seem to have a stacked team going into the season, but here they sit with a 10-1 record. Holly - Sure, the Bronchos fell short at Fenton the other day. However, it doesn't diminish the fact Holly is off to maybe its best start in school history and is a bona fide contender in the Flint Metro. The Bronchos are 9-2. Ferndale - Don't look now, but the Eagles are 9-2 overall and 6-0 in OAA Blue play under first year head coach Eric Lloyd.

There may be fake girlfriends and fake cyclist champions making headlines this week, but thank goodness there's nothing fake about Oakland County sports. It was yet another thrilling winter night, and it's Kosmo's honor and pleasure to present his 3 stars for Friday night's basketball games. Third star Miroslav Jaksic, Walled Lake Western - The Warriors were struggling and in need of a win, and thanks to Jaksic he got it. Jaksic forced overtime with a layup at the buzzer and had 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Western to a win over Lakeland. Second star Elise Gustafson, Milford - The Maverick girls haven't had much to smile about this year, but they sure did tonight thanks to Gustafson, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Pinckney. It was tremendous work and Kosmo happy Milford got to celebrate a win. First star Nick Owens, Clarkston - Kosmo still doesn't know why teams leave this guy open. Southfield did on Friday and Owens made the Bluejays pay, drilling six 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 22 points for the Wolves in a big road win at Southfield. There aren't many sharpshooters like him.

A couple of issues Kosmo wants to touch on this Thursday. One, Southfield-Lathrup made a good move by hiring Keith Stephens as its new football coach last week. Stephens is an experienced and well-respected coach who will get a lot out of the speed and overall physical talents Lathrup has on its roster each year. Kosmo is happy to see a good man and coach back at the helm of a program. Second, the Oakland County bowling championships are on tap this weekend for those interested in watching some bowling. The boys event will be held on Saturday at Cherry Hills North in Clarkston while the girls event will be held on Sunday at Thunderbird Lanes in Troy.

It was a night that featured upsets (FH Harrison boys) statements made (Waterford Mott and Lake Orion boys) and a classic rivalry renewed (Pontiac-Clarkston). Of course it also featured some terrific individual performances. In honor of the NHL returning soon, Kosmo is here to offer his 3 stars for Tuesday night's basketball action. Third star John McCarty and Chaz Miller, Lake Orion - Kosmo is lumping these two into one because they were a two-headed monster in a key OAA Blue battle against Seaholm. Miller scored 25 points and McCarty had 24 to help the Dragons outshine Seaholm star Paris Bass in a 78-55 win. Second star Caitlin Crowley, Walled Lake Northern - Crowley is pretty much the sole reason why the Knights can walk around school on Wednesday with bragging rights over rival Walled Lake Central, as Crowley scored 27 points in a 45-40 Northern win. First star A.J. Freeman, Farmington Hills Harrison - Well, Kosmo certainly didn't see this coming. BH Lahser was thought to be the favorite in the OAA Blue, but Harrison went into the Knights' den and earned a 72-68 win over Lahser thanks mainly to Freeman, who hit eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points. What a job by Freeman and the Hawks.

We may be in the heart of winter, but there was some significant football news that was just released. The rosters for this summer's annual high school football all-star game were announced, and as is usually the case, there will be plenty of Oakland County players who will represent the area for the game that will be held on June 22 at Grand Valley State. Those area players named to play in the game were Greg Webber of Troy, Clark Clancy of Avondale, Andrew Gikas of Lahser, Evin Papuga of Holly, Brandon Bean of Southfield, Cam Thomas of South Lyon East, Nick Wallace of Madison Heights Madison, Jake Doetsch of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, Josh Jones of Walled Lake Western, Isaiah Gourdine of Farmington, Matt Kosmalski of Walled Lake Northern, Derric Williams of Lake Orion, Lucas Cherocci of Brother Rice, Anthony Darkangelo of Catholic Central, Chris Calvano of Clarkston, Jake Slobin of Farmington Hills Harrison and Andrew Wodrich of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. Congrats to all these fine players for being selected and Kosmo knows they'll represent the county well come June. Kosmo also knows there are several of these players who haven't latched on to a college program yet and can't wait to see where they end up on signing day.

Wow, what a night this was. So many great games with significant implications took place all around Oakland County, so the weather outside wasn't the only thing warm (Kosmo never thought he'd say that on Jan. 11, but enjoy!). Not only were games meaningful, but they were close and intense. As a result, there were countless clutch performances. But since Kosmo wants to be like the NHL, he can only give a shout out to three of them. Here are his 3 stars from Friday night's basketball games. Third star Trent Lansaw, Walled Lake Northern - Well, maybe the Knights aren't solely about Gage Throgmorton, who has one of the best names of all-time by the way. In a double OT win over Lakeland, Lansaw scored 26 points to lead his team to victory. Second star Jessica Murphy, Oxford - Wow, Steve Emert really has worked some magic up there in northern Oakland County. Oxford remained unbeaten in the OAA White thanks in large part to Murphy, who scored 25 points in a win over Farmington. First star The Rochester Adams boys basketball team's defense - Holding James Young to 3 points and just 5 shot attempts? Are you kidding me? Kosmo doesn't care if Young was plagued by the flu. Heck he could've had malaria and still been talented enough to put up 15 shots and at least 20 points. That might be one of the best defensive jobs any team in the entire NATION does this year.

Always one that loves public service announcements, Kosmo has a pair of them for Friday. First at Southfield-Lathrup, the school will be announcing who its new football coach will be. Kosmo is honestly not sure what happened to Stephon Thompson, whether he was dismissed or resigned, but either way, Lathrup has gone in a different direction and will name a new coach on Friday during the girls basketball game against Clarkston. Stay tuned for that news. There's also a big event going on Friday at Walled Lake Central, where a cancer awareness game will be held in honor of recent Central graduate Kate Rendi, now a student at Michigan State who just finished her round of chemotherapy treatments. The Vikings will be wearing shirts in honor of Rendi and she'll also be honored at halftime of the game. Both of these should be newsworthy events on Friday and Kosmo can't wait to see who the new coach at Lathrup will be and also how well the cancer awareness game went.

Just about everyone is back and school, and judging from the amount of results that are on MIPrepZone, everyone is also back to playing basketball. Welcome back to the routine everyone, and welcome back to the NHL. That means the real 3 stars are coming to every NHL arena near you, but that still won't stop Kosmo from handing out his 3 stars for hoops games on Tuesday and Friday nights. Here are the best of the best from Tuesday. Third star Dorian Fields, Farmington Hills Harrison boys basketball — There weren't many better all-around performances on Tuesday than the one turned in by Fields, who collected 20 points, eights assists, seven rebounds and three steals in a win over an underrated Ferndale University team. Second star Lauren Hung, Waterford Mott girls basketball — Without a doubt, Hung is one of the top young players in the state and she showed why in a win over Walled Lake Northern, scoring 25 points for the Corsairs. First star Mitchell Olis, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep boys basketball — Well, it's safe to say Tuesday was a night Mr. Olis will never forget. Thanks in large part to eight 3-pointers made, Olis scored a game-high 39 points for the Fighting Irish in a 77-66 win at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard. Wow. Pretty incredible performance.

Happy New Year those in the blogging world and just as he did to finish 2012, your seer is back to offer his 3 stars for a Tuesday or Friday night of hoops games. The NHL might still be out of business, but Koz is happy to carry on the 3 stars tradition in the mean time. Third star Jason Alessi, Birmingham Brother Rice basketball - Alessi is proving himself to be quite an athlete. Already an outstanding kicker and defensive back for the football team, Alessi scored 13 points in a big Brother Rice road win at Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Second star Khalil Malone, Waterford Mott boys basketball- Kosmo has a feeling Malone is about to heat up, and proof of that came in the form of the 25 points he scored in a win over Lakeland. First star Jordan Blackwell, Birmingham Groves girls basketball -Blackwell was a dominant force in the paint in awin over Troy Athens, scoring 27 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a Groves win. Now that's some serious inside play.