March 13th News

By Shaun Spence

March 12, 2008, 10:31PM

Shaun Spence - ohioHSsports.com

Check back each and every weekday for the top prep headlines from across the state. Here are a list of summaries from some of the major stories around Ohio for Thursday, March 13th:

Boys Basketball: Toledo Libbey's William Buford is named Ohio's Mr. Basketball

William Buford, a 6-foot-5 senior from Libbey, received the highest award in Ohio high school basketball when he was named Mr. Basketball. He averaged 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists a game during the regular season. The Ohio State recruit has led his Cowboys to the state tournament where they will meet St. Paris Graham in a semifinal on Thursday at 10:45 in Columbus. Along with his success on the basketball court, Buford carries a 3.2 grade point average. Buford narrowly won the award over his future Ohio State teammate, B.J. Mullens of Canal Winchester. The last Toledo player to win this award was Jimmy Jackson during his playing days at Macomber. Canton Repository

Boys Basketball: Final Four Preview

The Plain Dealer's Final Four preview for all divisions in this weekends' boys state basketball tournament:

Division I preview of the Lakewood St. Edward/Cincinnati St. Xavier and Toledo Whitmer/Newark matchups and the Division I spotlight of Xavier senior forward Walt Gibler.

Division II preview of St. Paris Graham/Toledo LIbbey and Chillicothe/Poland Seminary. The Division II spotlight is on William Buford (Mr. Basketball) of Libbey.

Division III preview of Cleveland VASJ/Sugarcreek Garaway and Ottawa-Glandor/Anna. The Division III spotlight is on VASJ senior guard Ashen Ward.

Division IV preview of Bedford St. Peter Chanel/Worthington Christian and Haviland Wayne Trace/New Knoxville. The Division IV spotlight is on Chanel junior forward Lamar McKnight.

Boys Basketball: Poland Seminary's Fans are Rallied Together

The Poland Seminary High School fieldhouse was filled with students, staff, administrators and community supporters Wednesday, gearing up for today's semifinal basketball game against Chillicothe. The Division II semifinal today at 2 p.m. in Columbus will pit the No. 1 Bulldogs against No. 2 Chillicothe. The winner of the second semifinal will meet the winner of the first Division II semifinal: undefeated St. Paris Graham or Toledo Libbey, which features the 2008 Mr. Basketball - William Buford. The Vindicator

Boys Basketball: Small Towns Represent Teams Well

There are small high schools, then there is New Knoxville. The undefeated Rangers (25-0) have one of the smallest enrollments in the state. According to the latest OHSAA enrollment figures for 2009, New Knoxville has 59 boys in grades 10-12. The junior and senior class combined features a total of only 32 boys. The New Knoxville community, which is an area of 907 people, is strongly behind the Rangers. New Knoxville plays Haviland Wayne Trace (21-4) in the final game on Friday night. Another nearby small town that has a boys basketball team playing in Columbus this weekend is Anna. Last weekend they ended North College Hill's three-year reign as state champion. The small community already sold out their 1,800 ticket allotment for their semifinal game tomorrow and are expected to sell 500 more. Dayton Daily News

Boys Basketball: Cavaliers are Ready to Play

Chillicothe headed to a Columbus-area hotel on Wednesday as they continue their quest for a Division II state champoinship. The Cavaliers (23-2), No. 2 in the final Division II state poll, will play No. 1 Poland Seminary (25-0) on Thursday afternoon at Value City Arena in Columbus. There are plenty of nerves and excitement for coaches, players, parents, and fans. Poland and Chillicothe plays a similar up tempo style headed by their commtiment to full court defensive pressure. Chillicothe coach Gary Kellough believes that turnovers will be the difference for his Cavaliers. Chillicothe is led by Akron recurit Anthony Hitchens, a 5-9 guard averaging 21.3 points per game. The Cavs also feature standout 6-7 forward Ray Chambers, averaging 15.3 points per game. Chillicothe Gazzette

Don't see news from your area of the state? Post a comment below with your local paper's web address and we'll feature your prep coverage throughout the week.