Sidelines: City League celebrates 40 seasons of champions

2/22/2007
BY STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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    John Floyd helps cut down the nets after scoring 24 points to help St. John s defeat Scott in the 2002 City League championship game.

  • In the first City League championship game in 1968, Libbey s Lerman Battle, right, tries to rebound against Ken Raszka
(52) of Central Catholic. Raszka scored 14 points to lead the Irish to a 43-40 win at the University of Toledo Field House.
    In the first City League championship game in 1968, Libbey s Lerman Battle, right, tries to rebound against Ken Raszka (52) of Central Catholic. Raszka scored 14 points to lead the Irish to a 43-40 win at the University of Toledo Field House.

    When Libbey and St. John s Jesuit take the floor at 7:30 tonight for the City League boys basketball championship at Savage Hall, it will mark the 40th anniversary of this title game.

    It is the only contest of its kind among high school leagues in northwest Ohio, and one of few in the state. Most Ohio leagues determine champions based on won-loss league records.

    In Toledo s City League, which was formed in 1926, the idea of a title game came from commissioner Hilton Murphy in the mid-1960s. The league was in the process of expanding from 10 to 12 teams with the entry of Rogers and St. John s.

    Murphy s idea was originally linked to football and the creation of the Shoe Bowl, an annual CL championship game which would be a fund-raiser for the Old Newsboys Goodfellow Association charity.

    The league was split into two divisions (Red and Blue), whose winners would meet in the Shoe Bowl beginning in 1966. The following year a Red vs. Blue game determined champions in basketball and baseball as well.

    Although the Shoe Bowl concept eventually died with the advent of the state football playoffs, the basketball title game is still going strong as the main regular-season target of CL teams.

    Beginning with the 1990-91 school year, the league s Athletic Board of Control adopted the current championship format a four-team playoff culminating in a title game.

    Over the years, some of Toledo s top coaches have guided their teams into these coveted games, and some of the CL s greatest players have participated.

    History shows that winning this title game is a reasonably good indicator of a deep state tournament run. Since the first CL title game in 1968, 14 City champions have advanced to at least the semifinals of the state tourney.

    Three Toledo high schools have won boys state champions (St. Francis in 1983, Macomber in 1989 and Scott in 1990). St. John s was state runner-up in 1993, 1996 and 2004.

    St. John s, which lost to Scott in double-overtime in the CL final last year, is the only nonchampion to reach the state semifinals since the title-game format began.

    Some of the great players to have participated in City championship games include Macomber s Jim Jackson, who later starred at Ohio State and spent 14 years in the NBA, Scott s Truman Claytor, who later started on Kentucky s 1978 NCAA championship team, and St. Francis Todd Mitchell, who led the Knights to the 1983 state title before starring at Purdue.

    It was a real big deal, Claytor said of the CL title game. I remember listening to the games on the radio when I was in junior high, and I always wanted to play in one.

    Claytor played in two, helping the Bulldogs to titles in 1974 and 75, and playing a key role in Scott s journey to the state semifinals in 74.

    Winning the City championship was for bragging rights over all your peers from the other schools on the playgrounds in the summer.

    We wanted to win the City and, after it was over, take it to a higher level. It meant a lot for momentum going into the tournament.

    Claytor s City titles, for him, were on par with his college championship.

    It s a little bit different on the college level, he said. It s big-time basketball and it s more like a business. In high school, you have more of a close-knit relationship with your teammates. Those feelings you have [playing] in high school are some of the best memories of your life.

    Two coaches Scott s Ben Williams and St. John s Ed Heintschel have been dominant, each reaching 15 CL title games and each winning 11.

    My first year at St. John s we started 0-8 and ended up 4-15 playing with a lot of young guys, Heintschel said. But, the next year [1980-81] we won our first City championship [58-57 over Macomber], and no question that gave our program validity. After that, people took us a little bit more seriously.

    I ll never forget, that first championship game ended with [Macomber s] Jerome Chears taking a long shot that seemed like it was suspended in air forever. I can still visualize it now. It hit the back of the rim and, as it bounced out, the horn went off. It was that close.

    In his 28th season, the CL title game is still important to Heintschel, who has a 494-150 career record.

    Our goal is to win locally because you never know what s going to happen at the state level, Heintschel said. No question, the City playoff is a great preparer for the state tournament.

    Although proud of his 11 CL titles, Williams has never been sold on the concept of a four-team playoff.

    Anytime you win a championship it s a highlight of athletic competition, Williams said, and it s great for the kids and the school and the community.

    But basically the new [four-team] format took away from it. I thought it was a big deal until they started that. It watered it down. I preferred the Blue and Red division format.

    Here is a look at some highlights from the first 39 years:

    FIRST & LAST: The inaugural City basketball championship game featured the repeat of defending-champion Central Catholic and a preview of one of Toledo s all-time great teams. Central and coach Jim Zak had the number of Burt Spice s promising Libbey team of 1967-68.

    The Irish had taken a 48-43 league win over Libbey earlier, then withstood the Cowboys rally from a 12-point halftime deficit for a 43-40 victory in the title game.

    Later, Central (23-2) would hand Libbey its third loss in a 20-3 season in the district final, then suffered its own heartbreaking loss to Lima Senior in the regional final.

    Central s 1968 CL basketball title remains the last one ever won by the Irish boys.

    Libbey s tough losses became motivation for the Cowboy returnees. Led by Abe Steward, Libbey (23-2) almost upset a Columbus East team still considered by many as the greatest in Ohio history. The Cowboys final shot hung on the rim before falling out in a 64-63 loss to repeat champion East in the state semifinals.

    NO DEJA VU: One week before the 1973 CL final between DeVilbiss and Blue Division winner St. Francis, the Tigers won the Red Division title to earn a title-game berth with a thrilling 67-66 win at St. Francis. DeVilbiss George Young delivered the victory on a desperation, 25-foot heave at the buzzer.

    The following Friday at the Waite Field House, DeVilbiss seemed poised to create another heartbreak for the Knights, rallying from a 37-22 third-quarter deficit to within 47-46. The Tigers had the ball for the final eight seconds, but this time their last shot missed and St. Francis had the first of its four title-game wins.

    BACKSPIN: Late in the 1973-74 season, Blue Division leader Waite was pounded 68-41 at Scott. Two weeks later it was a much different story at the University of Toledo Field House, as the Indians deliberate game kept things close in a 42-37 loss to the Bulldogs.

    With Waite ahead 20-11 midway in the second quarter behind star forward Gary Jackson (22 points, 11 rebounds), the game was interrupted five times when objects including BBs and ball bearings were thrown from the crowd, presumably a protest from Scott fans displeased by the officiating. The Bulldogs, who were led in victory by Frank Steele s 15 points, had gotten into early foul trouble.

    Waite coach Jack O Connell pulled his players to the bench and contemplated moving them to the locker room.

    As the story goes, when O Connell was asked by an official whether there was a chance that some of the BBs had come from the direction of Waite fans, Waite assistant coach Fred Fails cynically replied, Not unless they ve got a heck of a lot of backspin on em.

    A NEW START: Prior to the 1978-79 school year, Toledo Public Schools adopted an open-enrollment policy to help foster racial integration within its designated districts.

    That year, no TPS high school gained more athletically from the new policy than Start, which won the CL s Shoe Bowl football title in the fall.

    In the winter, coach Bob Pawlak s team, which won just a handful of games the prior year, was bolstered by the transfer of several talented players from other schools.

    Start (20-2) ended Scott s five-year run of City basketball titles by beating the Bulldogs to win the Red Division, then beat St. Francis 62-56 in the CL final.

    Leading the way was Rob Odoms (23 points), a transfer from Woodward. Start would add a CL baseball title that spring for a championship trifecta.

    THE STREAK: One year after St. Francis became Toledo s first state basketball champion, the top-ranked, Todd Mitchell-led Knights had extended their state-best winning streak to 40 games entering their 1984 CL title-game matchup with Scott.

    Playing in front of an Ohio regular-season record crowd of 9,058 at Centennial Hall, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and rolled to a 71-53 win led by 20 points from sophomore Melvin Newbern and 18 from junior Chris Poellnitz.

    Scott (22-4) would later rally to edge St. Francis (22-2) in the district final en route to advancing to the AAA state semifinals and losing 79-78 to Dayton Dunbar.

    JIM S FINALE: Having led his Macmen to a Class AA regional final as a freshman in 1986, to a near upset in the CL final as a sophomore in 87, and to a convincing 83-50 City title-game win over St. John s as a junior in 88, Jim Jackson turned in a gem in his CL finale against St. Francis.

    Jackson, who would help Macomber become Toledo s first public-school boys state champion four weeks later, paced the Macmen in a dominant 91-59 City title game win by turning in a triple-double of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

    PERFECTION: The top-ranked and unbeaten Libbey Cowboys of coach Leroy Bates almost had those achievements spoiled by rival Scott in the 2000 CL final. The Bulldogs were looking to finish off a three-point upset win (62-59 lead) in the closing seconds of regulation before a crowd of more than 7,000 at Savage Hall.

    But senior Libbey guard Marques Fobbs delivered a clutch 3-pointer from 25 feet before the buzzer sounded, and the Cowboys forced overtime. Energized by Fobbs heroic shot, Libbey outscored Scott 11-2 in OT to take a 73-64 win and cap a 20-0 regular season. The Cowboys beat Scott once again in the regional semifinals before ending 25-1 with a state semifinal loss to Bedford.

    RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: In the closing seconds of the 2001 CL final, it appeared that Waite was poised to complete its Cinderella championship run under coach Dave Pitsenbarger.

    Needing to rally from 15 points down in the second half to beat Central just to qualify as the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, Waite then rallied from 14 down in the third quarter to upset top-seeded St. John s in the playoff semifinals.

    In the final versus Scott, Waite led 47-46 as the Bulldogs worked for a final shot. Dennis Springs, Scott s talented 5-5 point guard, penetrated toward the lane, managing only an off-balance 15-footer that became an air ball.

    Under the basket all alone, however, was Scott s 6-10 junior center Derrick Ford, the one player the Indians failed to box out. Ford grabbed the errant shot and laid in the game-winning bucket with 2.9 seconds to play.

    COMEBACK OR COLLAPSE? There is still debate over whether it was St. John s rally or Scott s meltdown that decided the 2002 CL final. But, no matter which way that argument falls, the fact is that the Bulldogs held a 46-28 lead with just 4:27 remaining.

    Titan senior guard John Floyd scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, and sophomore teammate Brian Roberts added 10 of his 14 points in a span of 1:27 during St. John s game-closing 25-5 surge.

    B.J. WAS A BEAR: Perhaps no player, not even Jimmy Jackson, excelled in CL title games like St. John s B.J. Raymond, who was a varsity member for four straight Titan titles (2002-05).

    As a sophomore in 2003, Raymond had 26 points and eight rebounds in a 65-40 win over Libbey. As a junior, he led St. John s with 21 points in a 50-42 victory over Libbey, and, as a senior in 2005, Raymond had 30 points and 10 boards in a 68-61 win over the Cowboys.

    John Floyd helps cut down the nets after scoring 24 points to help St. John s defeat Scott in the 2002 City League championship game.
    John Floyd helps cut down the nets after scoring 24 points to help St. John s defeat Scott in the 2002 City League championship game.

    Note: Prior to the 1967-68 season, the City League title was determined by league record. The league went to a two-division (Red and Blue) format in 1967-68 and a championship game decided title. Beginning with 1990-91 season, the CL installed a four-team playoff format, and teams with the best records earned semifinal playoff berths.

    1927: Waite; 1928: Woodward; 1929: Scott.

    1930: Woodward; 1931: Libbey; 1932: Waite; 1933: Waite; 1934: Central Catholic; 1935: DeVilbiss; 1936: DeVilbiss; 1937: Central Catholic; Woodward; 1938: Waite; 1939:Central Catholic.

    1940: Libbey, Woodward; 1941: Libbey; 1942: Central Catholic, Woodward; 1943: Macomber, Woodward; 1944: DeVilbiss, Woodward; 1945: Woodward; 1946: Macomber; 1947: Woodward; 1948: Central Catholic; 1949: Central Catholic.

    1950: DeVilbiss; 1951: Central Catholic, Macomber; 1952: Central Catholic, DeVilbiss; 1953: Central Catholic, Waite, Woodward; 1954: Macomber; 1955: Libbey; 1956: Macomber; 1957: Macomber; 1958: Scott; 1959: Central Catholic.

    1960: Scott, Woodward; 1961: Macomber; 1962: Central Catholic; 1963: Central Catholic; 1964: Woodward; 1965:St. Francis; 1966: Libbey; 1967: Central Catholic.

    Source: City League office

    CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

    • 1968: Central Catholic 43, Libbey 40, at UT Field House: Central s Ken Raszka leads way with 14 points. Libbey, which was topped by Charles Houston s 13 points, finished 19-3, with all three losses coming against Central. The Irish advanced to the regional finals before being eliminated 67-65 on a last-second basket by Lima Senior 67-65 to end at 23-2 for coach Jim Zak.

    • 1969: Libbey 63, Macomber 43, at UT Field House: Eddie Trail tops five Cowboy starters in double-figure scoring. Led by Abe Steward, Trail and John Houston, the Cowboys (23-2) later lost to top-ranked, eventual repeat Class AA state champion Columbus East 64-63 in the state semifinals when a last-second Cowboy shot rimmed out at the buzzer.

    • 1970: Libbey 72, Macomber 70 (2 overtimes), at UT Field House: Charles Houston leads Cowboys with 23 points and Floyd Carter hits game-winning shot with 17 seconds left in second OT.

    • 1971: Macomber 70, Start 69, at Waite: Cliff Adams 17 points leads Macomber, which overcomes 33-point effort of Start s Craig Lynch.

    • 1972: Scott 60, Libbey 49, at Waite: Gilbert McCormick leads Scott with 16 points and Jodie Biddle adds 15.

    • 1973: St. Francis 47, DeVilbiss 46, at Waite: Mike Kearney s 17 points top Knights, who hold off a Tiger rally from 15-point third-quarter deficit. DeVilbiss had beaten St. Francis on the Knights home court on last-second shot one week earlier. St. Francis ends 18-3 with loss in district.

    • 1974: Scott 42, Waite 37, at UT Field House: Frank Steele s 15 points lead winning Bulldogs; Gary Jackson nets 22 for Indians, who led early and stayed close after losing 68-41 at Scott during season. The Bulldogs (22-3) reach AAA state semifinal before losing 56-54 to Canton McKinley.

    • 1975: Scott 77, Rogers 65, at Waite: Truman Claytor s 22 points and Donald Collins 21 pace Scott in coach Ben Williams first of 11 CL titles. Kim Leonard tops Rogers with 23. Bulldogs eventually finish 20-2 with loss to Macomber in district final.

    • 1976: Scott 50, Rogers 34, at Waite: Donald Collins 17 points lead Scott, which built 30-9 halftime lead. Bulldogs (24-1) suffer only loss 64-58 to eventual champion Barberton in Class AAA state semifinal.

    • 1977: Scott 79, Bowsher 51, at Waite: Marcus Newbern, Steve Grier and Ken Holmes each score 14 points to offset 22 from Rebels Dale McGorty. This is Bowsher s only appearance in a CL title game. Scott ends 20-4 with loss in regional final.

    • 1978: Scott 67, St. Francis 55, at Waite: Steve Grier scores 19 points and Marcus Newbern adds 18 to lead Bulldogs to fifth straight title. Scott (23-2) reaches AAA state semifinals before losing 78-77 to Akron Central-Hower.

    • 1979: Start 62, St. Francis 56, at UT Centennial Hall: Rob Odoms 23 points and 14 from John Jones leads Spartans to first CL title. Start, which also won CL football and baseball titles in 78-79, ends 20-2 with loss in district final.

    • 1980: Scott 75, Libbey 66, at UT Centennial Hall: Jerry Moore scores 19 points and Brian Hughes 17 as unbeaten Bulldogs overcome 20 and 19-point efforts by Cowboys Todd Kynard and Alvin Garmon before crowd of 8,000-plus. Bulldogs end 24-1 with loss to Columbus Linden-McKinley in regional semifinal.

    • 1981: St. John s 58, Macomber 57, at UT Centennial Hall: Bob Borcherdt s 20 points and Brian Miller s 18 help in Titans come-from-behind win. Macomber falls when potential game-winning shot by Jerome Chears rims out at buzzer. This is first of 11 CL title-game wins for St. John s and coach Ed Heintschel.

    • 1982: Scott 51, Rogers 32, at UT Centennial Hall: Jim Smith tops Bulldogs with 15 points and Scott uses 21-4 third quarter to blow open close game. Scott (20-6) advances to Class AAA state semifinals before losing 71-67 in overtime to Barberton.

    • 1983: St. Francis 62, Macomber 52, at UT Centennial Hall: Despite 30 points from Clinton Ransey, the underdog 12-6 Macmen fade in final quarter. Roy Ware tops St. Francis with 24 points and Todd Mitchell and Shawn Reid add 17 apiece for the Knights (27-1) who, four weeks later, became Toledo s first boys basketball state champion by beating Akron Central-Hower 58-49 in AAA final.

    • 1984: Scott 71, St. Francis 53, at UT Centennial Hall: Crowd of 9,058, largest in Ohio prep regular-season history, watches Bulldogs snap defending state-champion and top-ranked Knights 40-game winning streak. Melvin Newbern scores 20 points and Chris Poellnitz 18 to lead Scott, which later finished 22-4 with 69-68 loss to Dayton Dunbar in AAA state semifinal.

    • 1985: Scott 77, Rogers 65, at UT Centennial Hall: Chris Poellnitz tops Bulldogs with 31 points and Melvin Newbern adds 26 to offset 22 from Rams Fred King. Rogers also lost to Scott by same score 10 years earlier in CL final.

    • 1986: Scott 83, Rogers 58, at UT Centennial Hall: Melvin Newbern turns in strong performance in third straight title game with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Bulldogs, who later finish 21-4 with regional loss.

    • 1987: St. Francis 53, Macomber 51, at UT Centennial Hall: 8,500 see Knights edge underdog Macmen, who beat St. Francis 10 days earlier in an amazing 13-11 slowdown win at Waite. Calvin Banks tops Knights with 17 points and Jim Jackson paces Macomber with 24.

    • 1988: Macomber 73, St. John s 50, at UT Centennial Hall: 9,000-plus crowd watches Jim Jackson dominate Titans with 23-point, 20-rebound effort. Macmen finish 19-3 after upset loss to Libbey in district semifinal.

    • 1989: Macomber 91, St. Francis 59, at UT Savage Hall: Jim Jackson turns in third consecutive title-game gem with triple double of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Macmen also get 26 points from David Smith. Jerome Gray leads Knights with 23. Macomber (26-1), guided by coach Bart Schroeder, becomes Toledo s first public-school boys state champion, topping Cleveland St. Joe 75-72 in overtime in Division I title game.

    • 1990: Scott 63, St. John s 48, at UT Savage Hall: Scoop Williams and John White score 19 points apiece to top Bulldogs, who use 21-4 first-quarter run to build lead. Scott (27-1) rolls on to win Toledo s third state title in seven years, beating Cincinnati Woodward 64-53 in the D-I final.

    • 1991: St. Francis 69, Scott 45, at UT Savage Hall: Knights build 37-13 lead and cruise. Jeff Edgecombe leads St. Francis with 17 points. Knights, who boast five D-I college recruits in lineup, later lose to rival St. John s in district final.

    • 1992: Scott 58, St. John s 55, at UT Savage Hall: Steve Wheeler s 22 points lead streaking Bulldogs, who pull upset win to give coach Ben Williams his 11th and final CL title-game win.

    • 1993: St. John s 77, Scott 62, at UT Savage Hall: Denny Amrhein tallies 25 points and Neshaun Coleman adds 24 to lead Titans over regular-season CL champion Bulldogs, who were topped by 21 points from Lesean Howard. St. John s (23-5) advances to D-I state final before losing 62-53 to Cincinnati Elder.

    • 1994: St. John s 52, Scott 41, at UT Savage Hall: Titans use 26-9 fourth-quarter surge to rally past Bulldogs; Denny Amrhein leads St. John s with 13 points and Lesean Howard scores 15 for Scott. St. John s ends 21-4 with loss in regional.

    • 1995: St. John s 52, Central Catholic 45, at UT Savage Hall: Neshaun Coleman, Jake Holmes and Eddie Ziemke tally 11 points apiece to lead Titans, who use 17-7 third-quarter spurt to grab third straight CL title-game win. Jermaine Tate tops Irish with 13 points. St. John s (21-2) is upset by St. Francis in district semifinal.

    • 1996: St. John s 59, Libbey 44, at UT Savage Hall: Jon Walker and Eric Floyd lead the 17-3 Titans with 12 points apiece and Eddie Ziemke adds 11 as St. John s uses a 21-11 fourth quarter to clinch its fourth straight CL crown. Chandler Harris scores 11 points to lead the 9-11 Cowboys, who are the first team to reach title game with losing overall record. St. John s (24-4) advances to D-I state final, losing to Cincinnati LaSalle 59-56 in championship game.

    • 1997: Start 68, Libbey 51, at UT Savage Hall: A crowd of 5,550 sees the first public-vs.-public CL title game since 1986. Desmond Harrison paces Start (16-4) with 20 points, Ryan Williams contributes 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Isa Bonds adds 15 points as the Spartans win their first CL title since 1979. Cowboys Dante Mays scores 15 points.

    • 1998: St. John s 63, Scott 44, at UT Savage Hall: In a parade to the foul line, St. John s hits 31 of its first 33 free throws to provide difference in the game. Ryan Carder leads Titans with 27 points. Freshman guard Danny Williams leads Bulldogs with 20 points. It is the final CL title game for Scott coach Ben Williams.

    • 1999: St. John s 58, Scott 43, at UT Savage Hall: Beaten six days earlier by Scott, St. John s avenges that loss behind the scoring of guards Ryan Carder (14 points) and Adam Galat (10 points). Titans use 10-0 run in the third quarter to take a 39-26 lead. St. John s ends 20-3 with upset loss to St. Francis in district semifinal.

    • 2000: Libbey 73, Scott 64 (OT), at UT Savage Hall: In a thrilling close to regulation, crowd of 7,000 sees Libbey s Marques Fobbs hit clutch 3-pointer to force overtime. Cowboys then cap 20-0 regular season as Ohio s top-ranked D-I team by outscoring Scott 11-2 in OT. Jamaal Mays scores 26 points and Eyuless Palmer 13 for Libbey, which ends 25-1 with 67-61 loss to Bedford in state semifinals. The Bulldogs were led by 17 points from Robert Sanders.

    • 2001: Scott 48, Waite 47, at Savage Hall: A crowd estimated at 6,500 sees Scott s 6-8 junior center Derrick Ford (four points) rebound 5-5 teammate Dennis Springs air-ball miss under the basket and convert a layup with 2.9 seconds to play to lift the Bulldogs to their first CL crown since 1992. Scott is led by Ernest Pace with 17 points and nine rebounds. Waite is paced by 11 points from Jamell Baldwin.

    • 2002: St. John s 53, Scott 51, at UT Savage Hall: Trailing 46-28 after Scott s 6-10 senior center Derrick Ford hit a free throw with just 4:27 remaining, the 20-0 Titans, Ohio Division I poll champions, stage the greatest comeback in CL title-game history before a crowd estimated at 6,000. St. John s 6-0 senior guard John Floyd scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the game s final 10 minutes, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Scott is led by Jason Lawson s 17 points. Ford adds 15 points and 10 rebounds. Titan sophomore guard Brian Roberts scored 10 of his 14 points in a row in a span of 1:27 to spark rally. Titans end 25-1 with last-second 64-61 loss on buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Lakewood St. Edward in regional final.

    • 2003: St. John s 65, Libbey 40, at UT Savage Hall: After losing convincingly at Libbey 64-54 on Dec. 20, Titans avenge that defeat in CL title game behind 26 points and eight rebounds from sophomore B.J. Raymond, who hits 11 of 14 shots from the field. Brian Roberts adds 20 for St. John s, which ends 21-4 with 59-53 loss to Columbus Brookhaven in D-I state semifinal.

    • 2004: St. John s 50, Libbey 42, at UT Savage Hall: Down 39-32 after three quarters, St. John s uses a decisive 18-3 fourth-quarter finish to win its third straight CL title, avenging a 78-66 loss to Libbey at UT in December. B.J. Raymond tops St. John s with 21 points and Brian Roberts adds 13. Ernie Reed leads Libbey with 18 points. Titans later advance to the Division-I state championship game, losing to Hamilton 51-48.

    • 2005: St. John s 68, Libbey 61, at UT Savage Hall: In a close battle to the final 1:13, Titans close with an 8-2 run to secure fourth straight title. B.J. Raymond turns in his third straight sterling effort in CL final with 30 points and 10 rebounds for Titans, who also get 20 points and 11 boards from senior Zach Hillesland. Sophomore Nate Miles tops Libbey with 22 points. St. John s bid for third straight trip to state final four ends early with loss to Scott in district final.

    • 2006: Scott 56, St. John s 51 (2 overtimes), at UT Savage Hall: Trailing most of the game, played before a crowd estimated at 6,000, Scott rallies to force overtime on a putback by Grant Maxey (13 points, 11 rebounds) with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Maxey s three-point play ties game with 29 seconds left in first overtime, and Bulldogs prevail in second OT to snap St. John s run of four straight CL titles. Joe Jakubowski s 15 points lead Titans, who beat Scott (21-2) in district final and advance to state semifinal before ending 21-6 with loss to top-ranked repeat champion Canton McKinley.