Libbey High School (Toledo, OH)

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Players of Interest:

William Buford

 

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12/03/05

Libbey 78, Sandusky 45

Libbey's William Buford scored 15 of his 20 points in the second quarter and grabbed seven rebounds for the game.

The Cowboys outscored Sandusky 26-9 in the second quarter after the first ended in a 13-13 deadlock.

Brad Sandridge added 14 points and Julius Wells had 10 for the Cowboys. Kelsey Williams led Sandusky with 21 points.

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12/10/05

Libbey 89, Whitmer 47

William Buford led Libbey with 21 points in three quarters of action.

P.J. Pearson added 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Cowboys (2-0, 1-0), and Byron Johnson had 13 points.
Beau Norton paced Whitmer with 15 and Ryan Smith added 12

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12/11/05

ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY'S 80, LIBBEY 63

AKRON - Marcus Johnson led St. Vincent-St. Mary with 15 points,.
William Buford paced Libbey with 27 points. P.J. Pearson added 15 points and 19 rebounds.

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12/17/05

Knights pull away
St. Francis performs in clutch at Libbey

By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


Libbey's youthful and rebuilt lineup went stride for stride for three quarters with a more experienced St. Francis de Sales team last night. But the visiting Knights had a better kick down the stretch in a 62-51 City League basketball victory.



St. Francis (4-0, 2-0 CL), tied with the Cowboys 37-37 after three quarters, then used a 25-14 final period to stay unbeaten.

"The game was played the way Libbey wanted it to be played," Knights coach Nick Lowe said of the tempo. "They wanted an up-and-down, physical game, and that's what it was. But our kids answered. They decided to quit worrying about things, and to play strong and aggressive and let everything take care of itself.

"I think we really grew tonight as a team. We were put in a situation that we hadn't been in yet this season [close late], and they rose to the occasion."

Libbey (2-2, 1-1), which enjoyed its last lead at 37-35 late in the third quarter, let things slip away thereafter as St. Francis used a 9-0 run to take control.

Senior guard Darryl Roberts, the CL's leading scorer last season, paced the Knights with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the line.
Roberts capped his team's crucial 9-0 run with a three-point play for a 44-37 edge

2:32 into the fourth quarter, and Libbey got no closer than three.

Steve Vaculik, the Knights' 6-6 junior forward, contributed 11 points and nine rebounds, and senior L.B. McNeal grabbed 11 boards.

"Things got a little hectic there and we had to stay together as a team," Roberts said. "We knew they were going to be all over us [defensively]. That's just the kind of team Libbey is. So we needed to stay strong as a team, and we did.

"We took care of the ball [in the fourth quarter] and we attacked the rim. We knew if we attacked their press we could get some easy baskets, and we needed to rebound. We did those things in the fourth quarter."

As pivotal as Roberts' scoring and creating were in this game to the Knights, their defense on Libbey sophomore standout William Buford was equally important.
St. Francis held the 6-5 Buford to 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting, with eight of those points coming in the final 4:10. Buford was the only Cowboy in double figures.

"We know William Buford is a premier player in this league, even as a sophomore," Lowe said. "So, our concentration tonight was to stop him. If they were going to beat us, we wanted someone else to beat us."

On the stat sheet, Cowboy coach Leroy Bates needed to look no further than his team's field-goal shooting, particularly from prime territory and especially after halftime.

"In the second half we missed too many easy shots in the paint," Bates said. "With a young team, they didn't seem to see the urgency in hitting the shots you're supposed to hit. We were right there. All the shots we needed were there. All we had to do was make 'em.

"We missed 19 shots in the paint in the game. That tells you these guys still need to mature."

After a respectable 12-of-26 effort from the field in the first half, Libbey led 27-23. But the Cowboys, who start two sophomores and two juniors, were a dismal 6-of-28 after the break.

Contact Steve Junga at:
[email protected]
or 419-724-6461.

 

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12/18/05

LIBBEY 43, AFRICENTRIC 38

COLUMBUS - Sophomore William Buford had 20 points and 11 rebounds last night for Libbey.

Africentric won the state title in Division IV last year, but had to forfeit it because it used an ineligible player.

 

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12/24/05

DAYTON DUNBAR 66,
LIBBEY 60

DAYTON - Daequan Cook poured in 33 points for Dunbar, which made 10 of 15 free throw tries in the fourth quarter to hold off the visiting Cowboys.

William Buford contributed 29 points and 13 rebounds for Libbey (3-3), which closed to within 60-58 with less than three minutes left but could get no closer. Phillip Pearson added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Mark Anderson added 15 points for Dunbar (5-1).

 

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12/28/05

McKinley Classic field provides early test for road to Columbus

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer[/FONT]


Related Stories
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HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL: Hoover falls during tourney

Coblentz’s FTs lift Lake to win

H.S. basketball: Central scores 41 points during 83-75 win over Louisville


McKinley Classic
Tonight’s schedule Columbus Brookhaven vs. Detroit Redford, 6; McKinley vs. Toledo Libbey, 8.
Thursday’s schedule Consolation game, 6; Championship game, 8.
Tickets $8 pre-sale tickets are available at the McKinley ticket office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Tickets are $10 at the door. All seats are reserved.


CANTON - Holiday basketball tournaments often turn into holiday feasts for a host eager to feed itself wins against cupcakes.

McKinley High School boys basketball coach Dave Hoover, though, could care less about fattening up his team’s winning percentage.

That’s why the two-night McKinley Classic, which begins tonight at Memorial Field House, will again provide a tough test for the Bulldogs.
“Any one of the teams here, if they’re not playing well, they could drop two games this week because of the competition,” Hoover said.

McKinley meets Toledo Libbey in tonight’s second game, which should tip near 8. Columbus Brookhaven and Detroit Redford meet in the first game at 6. The winners return to play in Thursday’s championship game, which follows the consolation game at 6.

“You’re going to have to play well as a team and be on your toes if you want to survive these games,” Hoover said. “... That’s the one thing I liked about it (last year). If you’re a team who’s goal is to play in the (state) final four, it’s important for you to be able to put together two good efforts on back-to-back nights against good, high-quality competition.”

McKinley did that in last year’s inaugural McKinley Classic, which featured four teams with a combined 17 trips to the final four since 1992. The Bulldogs beat Brookhaven and Toledo St. John’s on their way back to the final four, where they eventually won the Division I state title.

“This provides a good learning experience for you,” Hoover said. “We didn’t want to put together a tournament where McKinley will be the champion year in and year out. That may happen, but if it does, we’ll have to play well both nights.

“We’re not going to bring in cupcakes. We designed this to be something to get you prepared for what you’ll have to do at the end of March.”

McKinley is 5-1. The lone loss came in its opener to Oak Hill Academy (Va.), which is ranked No. 2 nationally by SI.com’s Dave Krider. McKinley is ranked 11th in that poll.

Raymar Morgan, a 6-foot-8 Michigan State recruit, averages 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. He moved into fifth-place all-time on their career scoring list last week after two games of 30 or more points. His career-high 32 at Boardman gave him 1,050 points over three-plus seasons.

“It’s been a good stretch for him, and it’s not just the numbers,” Hoover said. “It’s how he does it. He goes out and has a 13-for-13 shooting night or he’s 11-for-14. He’s been very efficient.”

Senior forward Todd Brown, a Wright State recruit, averages 12.5 points. Senior guard Marcus Parker scored 10.7, and senior forward Ricky Jackson just misses double-figures at 9.7 per game. Five other Bulldogs see extensive minutes.

The Bulldogs are sharing the ball (22 assists last week at Boardman) and working hard on defense (44.5 points allowed per game). They also do a good job of coming out and taking charge early.

“We’ve pretty much gone out and played to our expectations and our abilities,” Hoover said.

Libbey is a young team that reached the district tournament a year ago. The Cowboys lost some key players as transfers, but they still are dangerous. They are 3-3 after a 66-60 loss to well-regarded Dayton Dunbar.

William Buford and Julius Wells are 6-5 sophomores who are threats on the wing and in the post, respectively. Another sophomore to watch is 6-3 Brad Sandridge. Phillip Pearson, a 6-2 junior, is good shooter and strong driver.

“They could be the most athletically-talented team we’ve played behind Oak Hill,” Hoover said. “And the next night, the (team) waiting to play us may be a step beyond that talent, at least in terms of experience.”

Redford reached the state final four in Michigan’s largest division. It has several starters back and is listed “on the bubble” for a spot in the SI.com top 20.

“They play very disciplined basketball and they are a very good defensive team,” Hoover said.

Brookhaven fell a win shy of its fifth straight trip to Ohio’s state final four last year. The Bearcats are led by guard Mike McGee and 6-7 Jeff Cumberland.

“They usually have a lot of talent and expect themselves to be a top contender in the Columbus district,” Hoover said. “And this year is no different.” Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

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12/29/05

Buford had 22 points in the loss......

Morgan’s 33 points, 18 boards lead the way for Bulldogs
Thursday, December 29, 2005 [FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer [/FONT]

Repository Ray Stewart Gimme that - McKinley senior Ricky Jackson tries to grab a rebound from Toledo Libbey sophomore Julius Wells during Wednesday’s game at Memorial Field House. The Bulldogs won, 81-54, to advance to tonight’s championship game of their McKinley Classic.



McKinley 81, Toledo Libbey 54

CANTON - Not every missed shot ended up in Raymar Morgan’s large hands Wednesday night at Memorial Field House.

It just seemed that way as the 6-foot-8 McKinley senior went about the routine business of putting together another big night.

Morgan scored his career high for the third straight game — and equaled his best rebounding performance — in leading the Bulldogs to an 81-54 win over Toledo Libbey in the McKinley Classic.

The win, before an estimated 2,800 fans, advances McKinley (6-1) to tonight’s championship game against Columbus Brookhaven (6-0).

Tipoff is 8 p.m. Brookhaven won Wednesday’s first game against Detroit Redford on a dunk at the buzzer by Jeff Cumberland.

No dramatics were needed in the second game. Morgan made sure of that with 33 points and 18 rebounds.

“That’s a horse inside,” Libbey head coach Leroy Bates said. “We’ve got some post guys, but not post guys like him. I’m sure there’s very few people in the country like him. You’ve just got to give credit to a great player.”

Morgan, a Michigan State recruit, personally outrebounded Libbey during the first half, 12-10. Five times he scored on putbacks in the opening half, including four in the first quarter to key a 17-2 run.

“It doesn’t really matter how I score,” Morgan said. “I do like to work for points, but I’ll score however my team needs me to score.”

This was Morgan’s third straight game of 30 or more points. McKinley head coach Dave Hoover can’t recall a player of his doing that before. Morgan had equaled his career high with 30 last week against GlenOak before topping it a few days later with 32 at Boardman.

Morgan said he has not thought about his scoring tear.

“I just come out to play, and my team supports me,” he said. “I try to come out aggressive every night.”

He also has the mindset that every rebound will end up in his hands.
“I know it’s not possible,” Morgan said. “But I try to think like that every play.”

Morgan had a double-double within the first minute of the second quarter, scoring 18 of McKinley’s first 23 points.

“He just created some baskets for himself,” Hoover said. “He got a lot of baskets off offensive rebounds, and he found ways to score.”

That effort was needed with the Bulldogs struggling at the start. They trailed 6-2 three minutes into the game, missing their first five shots to go along with three turnovers.

McKinley revved things up, though, using its 17-2 run to take a 19-8 lead. The Bulldogs led by as many as 23 in the second quarter as Morgan showed he could do more than rebound. After coming up with one of his four steals, Morgan led a fastbreak and tossed an alley-oop pass to Todd Brown. The 6-5 senior responded with an emphatic two-handed slam as part of his 10 points.

Morgan also had a couple of first-half dunks, one following a missed shot and the other after a nice pass from Kyrk Freeman.

Freeman joined Harriel Moore and David White in giving McKinley strong play off the bench. They combined for 18 points, 12 rebounds and three steals.
“They gave us quality minutes that helped change the tempo of the game for us,” Hoover said. “Not a lot of what they did will show up on stat sheet. But they tipped balls, they got some rebounds and they made a lot of hustle plays.”

A steal by Moore early in the fourth quarter helped a 17-4 run that put the game away. Moore stripped a ball in the paint and got it ahead to Morgan. He scored, was fouled and hit the ensuing free throw.

“That really got us going,” Morgan said of Moore’s steal.

Libbey (3-4) had closed to within 55-42 before the run.

“They had a little momentum,” Morgan said. “But I thought we kept our heads well.”

The Bulldogs, ranked 11th nationally, impressed Bates.

“They have the confidence and the experience,” the Libbey coach said. “And when you have great confidence, great experience and a great coach like Hoover, good things are going to happen for you.”
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12/31/05

REDFORD 62, LIBBEY 59

CANTON - Detroit Redford (6-1) outscored Libbey 26-18 in the fourth quarter and got 23 points from Corperrayle Harris.

William Buford led Libbey (3-5) with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Phillip Pearson added 11 points.

 

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1/11/06

LIBBEY 69, CENTRAL 52

Wiliam Buford led the visiting Cowboys with 24 points. Phillip Pearson added 12 and Julius Wells had 10.

Sam Bastian led Central Catholic with 15 and Rashad Burton had 11. The Cowboys outrebounded the Irish 31-21.

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1/17/06

Libbey’s coach Bates collects win No. 200

By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


Start shook off a dreadful first quarter to make a game of
it last night against the visiting Libbey Cowboys, trimming a 14-
point deficit down to just three midway into the fourth quarter
of their City League basketball contest.

But Libbey (5-5, 3-1 CL) called timeout, regrouped and outscored
the Spartans 16-4 over the final 4:15 to take a 49-34 victory.

The win was No. 200 in the career of 14-year Libbey head
coach Leroy Bates, who expected a much easier road to his
milestone after eight minutes.

That’s because his Cowboys had dominated Start (6-3, 2-1) to that point, holding the Spartans to 0-for-8 shooting from the field, forcing six turnovers and using 7-of-15 shooting to build a 16-2 lead.

“The kids came out with a focused approach,’’ said Bates,
who started two juniors and three sophomores. “They knew
Start had a good record, and we knew they’d vary their zones and
play man-to-man.

“You can show it to ‘em on a diagram but, with a young group, you don’t know how they’re going to react.’’

William Buford, Libbey’s standout 6-5 sophomore guard/forward, started and ended an 11-0 Cowboy run over the final five minutes of the opening quarter, scoring seven of his game-high 14 points in that span.

Buford hit a three-pointer to spark the surge, added a big two-hand slam off a lob pass in transition, and then converted a layup off a steal to create the 14-point gap.

“I think they felt a little bit of pressure,’’ Start coach Gil Guerrero said of his team’s poor first quarter. “It was a big game for our kids and they they knew it. Maybe I made it too tense for them.’’

But, just as quickly as Libbey built its big lead, the air went out of their offensive attack for much of the next 20 minutes.

Failing to find an effective way to attack Start’s hustling man-to-man defense, the Cowboys cooled off, then went ice cold. They missed their first nine shots in the second quarter as Start drew to within 17-9 on a driving bucket from Robert Lonas (10 points) 2:41 before halftime.

“At the beginning, they moved the ball well and attacked it how we had outlined it,’’ Bates said. “Then, they went dead. So, it’s just a situation where we’ve got to get better at recognition and doing what we need to do.’’

Libbey did hit three of its final four shots before halftime to take a 23-12 edge, but then had trouble just getting shots in the third quarter.

When Spartans Terrell West and Adam Reny sandwiched their team’s only 3-pointers of the game around three Libbey free throws, Start pulled within 28-22.

``We started going inside a little bit to Lonas and [Jeff] Williams,’’ Guerrero said of his team’s comeback, ``then we wanted to go inside-out, and let the shot come to us instead of forcing it. A lot of shots we took in the first quarter were forced.’’

Libbey extended the lead back to nine points entering the fourth quarter, then went scoreless for 3:45 while Lonas scored on a drive, and Williams (12 points) added a putback and a steal-and-layup to bring Start within 33-30 with 4:29 remaining.

That’s when Bates called his timeout and instructed his team to work it inside. They got a third-chance put-back by Phillip Pearson (nine points, eight rebounds) with 4:15 to play and, after Libbey’s pressure defense netted a 10-second backcourt violation by Start, Pearson nailed a foul-line jumper for a 37-30 edge.

“We were right there, even after all the horrendous things we did in the first quarter,’’ Guerrero said. “The kids still pulled together and played hard. They kept hanging in there and there was a chance there in that fourth quarter. We just let it slide.’’

The only thing to interrupt the Cowboys’ game-breaking 12-2 surge was Williams’ putback bucket with 2:56 left. A driving bucket by Buford and his four subsequent free throws — all in a span of 23 seconds — iced things for the Cowboys.

Libbey was 19-of-44 from the field and 9-of-15 from the line, and forced 19 turnovers while committing 12. Brad Sandridge added 11 points for the Cowboys.

 

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Toledo

1/21/06

Titans trip Cowboys as Dunn hits 19


By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


Libbey did many of the things it needed to do to win its City League basketball game against ninth-ranked St. John's Jesuit last night at Savage Hall.


The Cowboys managed to create more than twice as many shots (62 to 29) from the field, almost doubled the Titans (40-24) in rebounding, and were 17-10 to the good side on turnovers.


But efficiency was the crucial factor as St. John's (9-1, 5-0 CL) grabbed a 54-47 victory to remain one of three teams unbeaten in league play.


The Titans hit 19 of their 29 shots (66 percent) from the field in the game, including a superb 11-of-15 effort in the second half, and added 15-of-19 (79 percent) free throw shooting to offset the other statistical shortcomings.


And, when Libbey's standout 6-5 sophomore, William Buford (23 points), tried to rally his team with 12 fourth-quarter points, Titan senior Jonathan Dunn rose to the challenge by notching nine of his team-high 19 points in the final period.


"We went to the hole more and didn't take a lot of outside shots," Dunn said of St. John's second-half shooting efficiency. "The closer you get, the better the percentage."

St. John's final wave was enough to fend off the Cowboys (5-6, 3-2), who were within 46-43 with 2:38 remaining in the game after Buford's last of six fourth-quarter field goals. The Titans iced things down the stretch as Libbey missed six straight shots following Buford's final bucket, and St. John's hit four of six free throws.


"We started off the first half in a poor situation because we weren't making our shots," Libbey coach Leroy Bates said. "We had little runs, but we couldn't sustain anything. If you can't sustain it, and you can't beat 'em at the free throw line, you're going to lose the game."


St. John's looked in control early on, bolting to a 13-2 lead on the strength of 5-for-5 shooting from the field to start the game. When Dunn drove for layup with 2:24 left in the period, the Titans led by 11.


But Libbey, after Bates called two timeouts, finally got untracked after missing nine of its first 10 shots. The Cowboys began to find seams in St. John's defense, and managed to cut off the Titans' passing lanes.


"We had some good transition stuff early and Jonathan was very aggressive going to the basket," Titan coach Ed Heintschel said. "He got [inside] for good shots.


"But that kind of evaporated. We were relying on execution, and they cranked up some pretty tough half-court defense. We just never executed much. We were having trouble screening off the ball. We're not doing a very good job of that, and it shows against a [quick aggressive] team like this."


The net result was an 18-6 Libbey run over the next eight minutes, a surge that put the Cowboys on top for the first time at 20-19 on Julius Wells' transition bucket from the left baseline 2:19 before haltime.


"They [the Cowboys] picked up their defensive intensity and they denied the ball," Dunn said. "We had trouble getting the ball inside."


Ahead 22-21 at halftime, Libbey started the pivotal third quarter by missing its first 10 field goal attempts to extend an 0-for-15 drought that began before the break.


Remarkably, when Phillip Pearson scored from inside to break the string with 3:43 left in the third, Libbey trailed just 29-26. St. John's gained the lead for good at 38-36 on Dunn's foul line jumper with 5:42 remaining.


That basket started a crucial 10-2 Titan run, which Libbey could not overcome.


Contact Steve Junga at:

[email protected]

or 419-724-6461.

Toledo

1/28/06

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

Experience wins Veteran Bulldogs hold off Cowboys

By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


The latest version of the heated City League basketball rivalry between Scott and Libbey was, as usual, played in maximum overdrive and amid chaos on the court at Savage Hall.


And, although a decidedly younger Libbey squad was still even with under six minutes to play, the more veteran 10th-ranked Bulldogs had more bite down the stretch in nailing down a 67-56 victory before a crowd estimated at 5,900.


Grant Maxey, a senior transfer from Start, starred in his first role in the rivalry, leading Scott with 22 points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Kyle Lightner helped ice things by hitting 10 of 15 free throws in the final 1:25 as part of his 16 points.


"We just came out and played together," Maxey said. "We told ourselves [in the locker room] that we were going to play as a family, and that's what we did.


"We were the hungrier team. They were hungrier in the first half, so we [wanted to] come out in the second half, get the ball and score."


Scott (12-1, 7-0) now points to a showdown with fifth-ranked CL co-leader St. Francis de Sales (13-0, 7-0) Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Savage Hall.

The only thing the Bulldogs were pointing to with 5:46 left in last night's game was a way to fend off an upset bid by Libbey (5-7, 3-3).

It was then that 6-5 sophomore Cowboy standout William Buford (24 points, six rebounds) had meshed a 3-pointer from the right corner to knot the score 43-43.


But the upstart Cowboys, who started three sophomores and a junior compared with Scott's all-senior first five, quickly learned a lesson in maturity.


Stepen Woodley (13 points) responded with a bucket 25 seconds later, and Maxey added a transition layup off a steal for a 47-43 edge with 5:05 to play. After Buford answered with a pair of free throws for Libbey, senior guard LeeMark Swain broke things open for Scott.


Scoreless until that point, Swain (six points) calmly sank a 3-pointer from atop the key, then came up with a steal that resulted in his hitting 1 of 2 free throws for a 51-46 lead with 3:44 left.


That sparked a 10-1 Bulldog run, which Swain capped on another transition bucket for a 57-46 lead with 2:20 left.


"LeeMark Swain came in there and gave us a boost," Scott coach Joe Suboticki said. "He's got a lot of quickness and energy, and he made a couple nice shots.


"I think we just made up our minds that we were going to defend [down the stretch]. We didn't do a very good job of that in the first half, and we didn't do a very good job on the boards either. But the last quarter and a half we were at least even with them on the boards, and our defense picked up a lot. That swung the game in our favor."


The final 2:07 of the game was a parade to the foul line as the two teams, refusing to relinquish the chaos, combined for 27 free throw attempts in that span.


"We just had to calm ourselves down," Maxey said. "We had the better bench and the most experienced players. So, we calmed ourselves down and took control."


Libbey's only lead of the game was 6-5 in the first quarter.


"It was a matter of seniors playing against sophomores, and seniors rule," Libbey coach Leroy Bates said. "That's the long and short of it. These [Libbey] guys are still developing. The guys we played had the experience, and they showed it tonight by attacking us even more aggressively when they knew the game was on the line."


Scott was 22-of-48 from the field, 19-of-32 from the line, and forced 24 turnovers while committing 18.


Libbey was 18-of-51 from the field, 17-of-26 from the line, and outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-33.


Julius Wells had 13 points and seven rebounds for Libbey, and fellow sophomore Brad Sandridge added 10 points and six boards.


Contact Steve Junga at

[email protected]

or 419-724-6461.

Toledo

2/1/06

LIBBEY 82, WAITE 51


William Buford scored 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to pace Libbey, which hit 20 of 25 free throws to Waite's 12 of 23.


Julius Wells added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Cowboys.


Darren White-Owens led visiting Waite with 10 points.

Toledo

2/4/06

Libbey 70, Bowsher 55


William Buford led Libbey (8-7, 6-3) with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Julius Wells added 15 points and 10 boards.


Visiting Bowsher (2-12, 2-7) got 25 from Adam Crisp, who hit five 3-pointers.


The Cowboys led 18-10 after one quarter and 37-25 by halftime.

Toledo

2/11/06

Libbey 70, Rogers 47


The Cowboys bolted to a 21-9 lead after one quarter, and used a 20-7 third quarter to break things open in the first game of a City League doubleheader at Savage Hall.


The win by Libbey (9-7, 7-3), combined with Scott's victory at Start last night, clinched the No. 4 seed for the Cowboys in the upcoming league playoffs.


Sophomores William Buford and Julius Wells led Libbey with 19 and 16 points, respectively, and Generio Kizer added 10 for the Cowboys.


Derron Williams topped the Rams (5-12, 4-6) with 16 points.

Toledo

2/12/06

LIBBEY 74, LIMA SENIOR 55


LIMA - William Buford poured in 33 points and Julius Wells added 15 for the Cowboys.

Toledo

2/18/06

City: Buford, Wells pace Libbey


Libbey broke out to a 23-11 lead after one quarter and never looked back in topping Clay 77-58 in the first game of a boys City League basketball doubleheader at Savage Hall last night.


Sophomores William Buford and Julius Wells topped the Cowboys (11-7, 8-3) with 21 points and six rebounds apiece, and senior guard Byron Johnson mixed three 3-pointers into his 14-point effort for Libbey, which torched the nets with 55 percent (32 of 58) shooting from the field.


Clay (8-10, 2-9) got game highs of 25 points and seven rebounds from Wes Taylor. Brad Rucki added nine points and Zac Taylor eight for the Eagles, who never got closer than 15 points after trailing 45-21 at halftime.


The Eagles, who were 21-of-46 from the field, 15-of-21 from the line and outrebounded Libbey 31-29, committed 21 turnovers. The Cowboys were 9-for-12 at the line.

 

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Toledo

2/22/06

Scott rolls past Libbey Bulldogs rally with 18-0 spurt

By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


Libbey had everything rolling its way until late in the first half of last night's City League basketball playoff semifinal against rival Scott.

Then, like a door being slammed shut, the Cowboys' chances at upsetting the fifth-ranked Bulldogs disappeared in the haze of a game-breaking 18-0 Scott run.

That surge paved the way to a 74-59 Bulldog victory before a crowd estimated at 5,000 at Savage Hall. Scott (18-1) advances to tomorrow night's CL championship game against St. John's Jesuit at 7:30 at the same site.

The Titans (15-4) edged rival St. Francis de Sales 44-42 in last night's second semifinal.

"We picked up the intensity," Scott coach Joe Suboticki said of his team's big run. "We were kind of going through the motions, which we have a tendency to do.

"This team's kind of businesslike. They don't show a lot of emotion, so you've got to try to jack 'em up before the game or during a timeout. Once we got down, they figured out, 'Hey, we've got to play.' They picked up the intensity. We really needed to do that because our offense is predicated on our defense."

Libbey (11-8), which was paced by 18 points from sophomore William Buford, hit seven of nine shots during one stretch while building its lead from 11-10 ending the first quarter to 24-15 with 2:53 left in the half.

That's when the door closed.

Scott started its game-breaking run with a 10-0 spurt before halftime. Woodley scored on a put-back at 2:23, added a 3-pointer 30 seconds later, then contributed a conventional three-point play 1:02 before the break.

"In the beginning we were playing real sluggish," Maxey said. "We just knew that we could play better and we knew that we were the more experienced team, and we just proved it."

Lightner opened the rest of the 18-0 spurt 16 seconds into the third quarter with an 18-footer, and Maxey followed with a 3-pointer and a three-point play for a 33-24 Scott edge.

"We've been in that situation before, being down," Lightner said. "We just had to be the veteran team and step up and make shots, make big plays and step up on defense.

"Coach told us to settle down and that somebody had to get fired up. We just got fired up out there and stopped Buford on defense. We played with unity like we stressed all year. That's what I love about our team."

Libbey would pull within 35-32 on a Buford free throw with 2:25 left in the third quarter, but trailed 45-35 entering the fourth and the Bulldogs pulled away in the final eight minutes.

"We had too many turnovers in that period," Libbey coach Leroy Bates said. "It was poor execution. We let Scott get their confidence, and once they got their confidence they began to roll.

Contact Steve Junga at:
[email protected]
or 419-724-6461.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ToledoBlade

BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Loyal to Libbey: Favored Cowboys made best of bad situation

By STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


When the 2004-05 high school basketball season ended, it was easy to speculate that Libbey would be the clear choice as the City League championship favorite and a state-title contender the following year with talented starters Nate Miles, Chris Poellnitz, William Buford, Terry Sandridge and Marcus Outlaw all expected back for the 2005-06 Cowboys.


It was only speculation.


Miles, not long after his sophomore school year ended, announced he had committed to Xavier University and also that he was transferring to the prestigious national prep basketball power Oak Hill Academy. He would ultimately transfer back to Libbey and then transfer to Waite and not play a single minute last season. He ended the year at a school in Texas.

Poellnitz attempted a transfer to Scott for his senior year, but wound up instead at a prep school in North Carolina. It was the fifth transfer in his high school career.

The 6-8 Outlaw, who had arrived from Detroit the year before, transferred to Scott along with fellow senior Sandridge, and joined with another transfer, Grant Maxey (from Start), in helping the Bulldogs to their first City championship in five years.


"We were disappointed, but not disillusioned by that," Libbey coach Leroy Bates said of the defections. "We knew we had a nucleus of fine young people that were committed to our basketball program, so we knew we just had to move on. That's what we did."

The only starter Bates had from his would-be ?dream team? was Buford, who was a sophomore last season.

?After those guys left, my perspective and the perspective of the coaching staff was that we?re here to work with the kids that are at Libbey,? said Bates, who enters his 14th season with a 207-109 record.
The talented younger group of Cowboys were thrown into what was arguably the most challenging schedule in Ohio.

Aside from its two losses to state-ranked rival Scott (21-2) and one to then state-ranked St. Francis de Sales (18-3), five other Libbey defeats came against D-I state champion Canton McKinley, D-II state champion Dayton Dunbar, and to three other teams who reached state semifinals in March ? St. John?s Jesuit and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary from Ohio, and Detroit Redford, which made the Michigan big-school semis.

?The mass exodus of those other guys gave these young people, who were committed to our program, an opportunity to play top-flight competition,? Bates said. ?That made us better, not just for last year, but for three years because most of ?em are just juniors this year. This team will be highly competitive. They have matured greatly from last year?s tough schedule.

?Either you?re going to take lemons and make lemonade, or you?re going to be bitter because you got the lemons. We just took the lemons and made lemonade, and we?re happy about the mix of what we?re going to have to drink this year.?

Buford, who was thrust into the leadership role, blossomed into the Blade?s player of the year, the City League?s co-player of the year and a second-team All-Ohio selection. He led the CL in scoring (22.7 points per game) and rebounding (10.9), and continued to draw heavy college recruiting attention during his summer AAU tournament play.

?We did pretty good against the big teams last year,? Buford said. ?Coach Bates did it to make us better. I think that will benefit us this year because we?ve got a tough schedule this year, too.

?I feel pretty good about our team. We?ve just got to work hard as a team and not separate. I take the challenge as captain of the team to keep everybody together. If I see something wrong, I can talk to the person.?

Buford recently committed to Ohio State University, adding to the blue-chip talent pool being accumulated by Buckeyes coach Thad Matta. He said making the decision early will help him focus.

?Now I can just worry about having fun on the court and doing my schoolwork,? Buford said. ?I don?t have to worry about all the college coaches calling.

?I?m not going to switch my game. I?m going to keep getting my teammates involved because that?s the way we have to win.?

Classmates Julius Wells (10 points, 7.4 rebounds), a 6-5 forward, and Brad Sandridge (7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds), a 6-3 guard, also got a chance to elevate their games. They likely would have seen only limited court time without the exodus.

?Last year [going in] we didn?t have a lot of experience,? Wells said. ?This year we do because of the toughness of the schedule. This year we?re mentally tougher and we?re ready to go.?

?That [tough schedule] motivated us and made us more hungry to win,? Brad Sandridge said. ?We want to get to state. We have the weapons to get down there. It?s just going to take discipline, a lot of discipline.?

Some of that discipline will come from the team?s leader on the floor.

?What William Buford brings to the court is a sense of urgency,? Bates said. ?He wants to get better and he wants his teammates to get better. All those guys feed off each other. Brad is a very competitive person and Julius is very athletic and a competitive person also.?

Joining with fellow returnees James Arnold and Generio Kizer, both seniors, and Brad Burton, a junior, Libbey?s trio of marquee juniors make the Cowboys the clear-cut team to beat in the City League this year.

Contact Steve Junga at: [email protected] or 419-724-6461.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ToledoBlade

LIBBEY


Coach: Leroy Bates, 14th year


Last season: 12-9, 8-3 CL


Top players: Seniors Generio Kizer, 6-4, F; James Arnold, 5-10, G. Juniors William Buford, 6-4, G-F; Julius Wells, 6-5, F; Brad Sandridge, 6-3, G; Brad Burton, 6-2, G.


Outlook: The sky is the limit for the battle-tested Cowboys, who return five starters including the CL's top player in Buford (22.7 points, 10.9 rebounds). Wells (10 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Sandridge (7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds) add solid alternative threats for foes who wish to send gimmick defenses at Buford.


Bates sees improved perimeter shooting and rebounding, and likes his team's size, speed, unselfish play and overall confidence. His main concern with so many talented individuals is maintaining a team focus.


"This team will be highly competitive," Bates said. "They have matured greatly from last year's tough schedule."