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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Canton
3/8/06
3/8/06
Bulldogs, Eagles set to tip
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer [/FONT]
The McKinley and GlenOak boys basketball teams square off tonight in a Division I district semifinal.
Canton Division I
District semifinal at Memorial Civic Center
WHO McKinley (19-2) vs. GlenOak (17-5) WHEN 7:30 p.m. today WHAT’S NEXT? The winner plays in the district final on at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s Massillon-Perry contest.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Canton
3/9/06
3/9/06
H.S. boys basketball district tournaments: Raymar: Top Dog
Thursday, March 9, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer[/FONT]
REPOSITORY BOB ROSSITER RECORD-SETTING SHOT McKinley senior Raymar Morgan puts up the fourth-quarter points that make him the school’s career scoring leader Wednesday at Canton Memorial Civic Center. McKinley beat GlenOak, 71-46, in a Division I district semifinal. Morgan scored 25 points, giving him 1,433 for his career to pass Nick Weatherspoon, who had 1,431.
CANTON - No one needed to make an announcement when Raymar Morgan broke a 37-year-old record Wednesday night.
The entire north side of the arena let the McKinley High School senior know, as fans rose as one to salute him moments after his final basket.
The bucket made Morgan the school’s career scoring leader, helping put the finishing touches on another McKinley win. The Bulldogs beat GlenOak, 71-46, in a Division I district semifinal game in front of 3,121 fans at Memorial Civic Center.
Many of those fans gave the 6-foot-8 Morgan a standing ovation when he scored on a power move in the paint with 2:38 left. The bucket gave him 25 points, pushing his career total to 1,433 to break Nick Weatherspoon’s mark of 1,431.
“It was special,” Morgan said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work, but the record was not my main goal. I just wanted to win the game and get to the district finals.”
The defending state champs advance to a fifth straight district final. The Bulldogs (20-2) will be seeking their third straight district title when they play Saturday against tonight’s Massillon-Perry winner.
Dave Hoover also picked up his 400th victory as a head coach Wednesday, but he said that was “not important.” Morgan’s record and the way he got it, though, meant something to Hoover.
Morgan scored his record-setting points on a simple drop-step move on the right block. “That sums up the way he plays,” Hoover said.
Morgan gets “a lot of blue-collar points,” Hoover said, scoring often on post moves or offensive-rebound stickbacks. Hoover also appreciates that Morgan keeps his focus on the team.
“He’s always been that way,” Hoover said. “He felt no pressure (to break the record) and I never sensed it was on his mind.”
Morgan was aware he was close to passing Weatherspoon, but didn’t know that basket gave him the record. “I just realized it after the crowd went crazy like they did.”
Morgan, who shot 11-for-15 and grabbed nine rebounds, received plenty of help.
Senior guard Marcus Parker had 16 points, four assists and three steals.
“Marcus was very active and played great,” Hoover said. “He pressured the ball well and created a lot of situations with traps. And offensively he got the ball to people and shot well.”
Senior Ricky Jackson added 11 points and five rebounds. Senior Todd Brown had seven rebounds and three assists.
McKinley had a 32-16 rebounding edge, grabbing 17 offensive boards to score 20 second-chance points.
“They’re really big and athletic and we’re really small,” GlenOak head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. said. “But I thought our kids did a great job.”
GlenOak (17-6) was led by Errick McCollum’s 21 points, while Nate West scored 12. The Golden Eagles again gave great effort, as they played their final 12 games minus injured 7-1 junior Kosta Koufos.
“I don’t think that many teams could lose a kid of Kosta’s caliber and go 9-3 and beat the teams we beat and battle like we did tonight,” Greynolds said. “I’m extremely proud of them.”
The Eagles controlled the tempo early. They spread the floor, ran clock and got good shots to lead 13-11 a minute into the second quarter.
But just over three minutes later, the Bulldogs were in control after a 14-1 run. They had forced three turnovers, turned up the game’s pace and led, 25-14.
“Our defense created some things,” Hoover said. “Once we got the lead, we took away some of the strategies GlenOak could use.”
McKinley led 34-22 by halftime and 51-33 after three quarters. The fourth quarter belonged to Morgan. He made all four shots to pass Weatherspoon, who many consider the program’s finest all-time player.
Many may say that of Morgan in the future.
“He’s just another great player who’s left his legacy on Stark County sports,” Greynolds said. “When I was at Buchtel, I felt fortunate to coach against LeBron (James) a couple times. I’ve felt fortunate to have coached against a kid of Raymar’s talent and attitude the last three years. You’ve got to appreciate great players, whether they are on your team or someone else’s team.” Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail:
[email protected]
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
ABJ
Giant victory for Copley over big senior, GlenOak
Aggressive Indians build large lead, hold on to win
By Michael Beaven
Beacon Journal sportswriter
(Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal)
GlenOak guard Storm Sanders (left) pressures Copley guard Andrew Moss battle during first half action at GlenOak High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 2006, in Plain Township, Ohio.
More photos
PLAIN TWP. - Preparing to face Kosta Koufos, a 7-foot-2, 255-pound GlenOak senior, was a tough task for the Copley basketball team.
Copley coach Dana Addis and his players were undaunted, compiling an excellent game plan and executing it. The result was an impressive 50-48 Copley victory Friday night in the opening game in GlenOak's new gym within the school.
The Indians (1-0) came out the aggressors and showed no sign of intimidation. Copley relied on the steady play of senior guard Andrew Moss and a stifling defense to limit Koufos early in the game.
``We were ready, willing and able to do what we had to do,'' Addis said. ``We worked so hard in practice on our matchup zone and ran it to perfection.''
Copley opened the game with an 8-0 lead on the strength of two 3-pointers by senior forward Joseph Horton. The Indians then closed the opening quarter on a 10-0 run to lead 23-6. Moss scored nine points in the quarter.
``I just think they answered the challenge,'' Addis said. ``We could not have asked for a better place to be, to break this gym in.''
The Golden Eagles began the game in nightmarish fashion, shooting 2-for-11 from the field in the first quarter. Koufos, an Ohio State recruit, took just one shot in the quarter, which he missed.
``Most of the week, we talked about doubling down on Koufos and letting the other guys beat us,'' said Moss, who led the Indians with 19 points, five rebounds and four steals.
The Indians extended the lead to 32-8 and then led 32-17 at halftime on the strength of 12-for-25 shooting from the field.
A big reason for the fast start was Copley's experienced starting five, which features four seniors and a junior. The Golden Eagles countered with two seniors, a sophomore and two freshmen.
Regarding the Eagles' slow start, GlenOak coach Jack Greynolds Jr. said: ``A lot of that is being young and excited. We were rushing, we didn't make the extra pass a few times, and we were a little hesitant to get (the ball) inside to Kosta.''
Addis said he expected his upperclassmen to come out fired up.
``That's really one of the things we were counting on,'' Addis said of the Indians' experience. ``Our guards' experience made a big difference.''
The Golden Eagles (0-1) made adjustments at the half and outscored the Indians 22-10 in the third quarter to trail 42-39 heading into the fourth. Sophomore guard C.J. McCollum made four 3-pointers in the Eagles' surge, and Koufos added nine points, including a powerful two-handed dunk and a free throw.
GlenOak closed the gap in the fourth and tied the score at 48 with 2:26 left on a three-point play by Koufos. Copley responded with an offensive possession that ended with two free throws by Moss with 49.9 seconds left.
``I accepted the responsibility to slow the pace down and let them know everything was going to be all right,'' said Moss, who stressed that patience was important at the end.
Seniors Matt Warren (eight points, seven rebounds) and John Morgan (six points, five rebounds) were also pivotal to the Indians' success, along with junior Davon Smith (six points, seven rebounds).
Greynolds said the second half was indicative of the type of team he expects the Eagles to be.
``This is not an easy opener for us,'' Greynolds said. Copley is ``a team that has a lot of seniors and a lot of experience.''
Koufos led GlenOak with 20 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Senior Mark Quinn had 11 points.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Canton
Rally falls short for GlenOak
Saturday, December 2, 2006
By CHRIS BEAVEN
SCOTT HECKEL Copley?s John Morgan (left) swats the ball away from GlenOak?s Kosta Koufos during Friday?s game at GlenOak High School. Koufos scored 20 points in the Golden Eagles? season-opening loss.
PLAIN TWP. The presence of 7-foot-2 Kosta Koufos creates high expectations for the GlenOak High School boys basketball team. Those expectations, though, gave way to reality on opening night in their new gymnasium for the otherwise young Golden Eagles.
With two freshmen and one sophomore starting, GlenOak dug a huge early hole and could not come all the way back against a veteran Copley team. Copley took advantage of early GlenOak mistakes and hung on for 50-48 win in front of a crowd of about 2,000.
?We?ve got two guys with experience and nine guys with no varsity experience,? GlenOak head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. said. ? ... We will be a very, very good team. We?re building. Right now, we?re very young.?
Koufos, an Ohio State recruit, led GlenOak with 20 points and three blocks. And the Eagles showed in spurts why they were picked by league coaches to win the Federal League.
But they also spent long stretches of the night proving they are young. Turnovers, poor decisions, missed shots and not enough post touches for Koufos added up to a 32-8 deficit midway through the second quarter.
?A lot of that?s being young and excited,? Greynolds said. ?We rushed, we didn?t make the extra pass a few times and we were a little hesitant to get it into Kosta.?
GlenOak shot 5-for-25 in the first half, 2-for-13 on 3-pointers, and committed nine turnovers. The turnovers bothered Greynolds most. ?It?s like getting slapped in the face a little bit,? he said. ?Hopefully, it?ll wake us up. We have to take better care of the ball.?
Copley took a 8-0 lead within 2 1/2 minutes and never trailed. The Indians thrived in the early big-game atmosphere.
?This is where we wanted to be,? said Copley head coach Dana Addis, whose team, like GlenOak, won 17 games last year.
With four seniors and a junior starting, Copley dominated the first quarter, leading 23-6. The Indians shot 9-for-13, had a 10-2 rebound edge and forced five turnovers.
?That?s really one of the things we were banking on,? Addis said of his team?s experience. ?That?s why we won. Our guard experience meant everything.?
Senior guard Andrew Moss, a four-year starter, scored 19 points. Nine came in the first quarter. No one else hit double figures, but Matt Warren, John Morgan, Davon Smith and Joseph Horton combined for 28 points and 17 rebounds.
GlenOak started its comeback by closing the half on a 9-0 run. The Eagles finally got Koufos consistent touches. Nine of their 11 second-quarter points came from him.
More Koufos and four 3-pointers by freshman C.J. McCollum got the Eagles within 42-39 entering the fourth.
GlenOak tied the game 48-48 with 2:26 left on a three-point play by Koufos. But two free throws by Moss with 49.9 seconds left gave Copley the win. The Eagles came up empty on their final two possessions.
?I think the second half was indicative of the kind of team we will be,? Greynolds said. ? ... Once we figure out who we are and what we can do, we?ll be pretty good.? Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: [email protected]
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Canton
Federal League Tournament title game: McKinley and GlenOak meet again
Thursday, February 15, 2007
By Chris Beaven REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
They gave Stark County an exciting night of boys high school basketball three weeks ago at a packed Memorial Field House.
The GlenOak Golden Eagles and McKinley Bulldogs look to do it again Saturday night a few miles down the road. They meet in the Federal League Tournament title game at Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Another large crowd is expected for a rematch of GlenOak's 56-55 overtime win that snapped McKinley's 41-game home winning streak.
It was a signature win, one the Golden Eagles have been "looking for for four years," according to head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. The Eagles are looking for their first league title since 1999.
Cont'd...
Federal League Tournament title game: McKinley and GlenOak meet again
Thursday, February 15, 2007
By Chris Beaven REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
They gave Stark County an exciting night of boys high school basketball three weeks ago at a packed Memorial Field House.
The GlenOak Golden Eagles and McKinley Bulldogs look to do it again Saturday night a few miles down the road. They meet in the Federal League Tournament title game at Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Another large crowd is expected for a rematch of GlenOak's 56-55 overtime win that snapped McKinley's 41-game home winning streak.
It was a signature win, one the Golden Eagles have been "looking for for four years," according to head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. The Eagles are looking for their first league title since 1999.
Cont'd...
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