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:
sjunga@theblade.com
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

By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer


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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: chris.beaven@cantonrep.com

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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 By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer

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.”
chris.beaven@cantonrep.com