Libby has tight loss to Browning, 56-54

The Libby High School boys basketball followed up their home 68-30 win against Troy last Thursday with a squeaker of a 56-54 loss to Browning last Saturday, making significant gains over their 67-52 loss at Browning less than a month before.

Libby Head Coach Josh Bean said he was pleased with how preparation paid off in helping the Loggers to break the Indians’ press, forcing them to abandon their zone defense to go man-to-man.

“And that’s what you want to do. You want to beat the zone press and make them play you man, because it’s easier to run man offense,” he said.

At the same time, Bean gave Browning credit for how well they did with man defense.

“They kind of got us stirred up a little bit, and we had some turnovers there in that man stuff,” he said. “Once we settled down and realized what was going on, we were fine.”

Bean was also pleased with the contributions that Libby showed in the game, with eight of the Loggers putting points on the board.

“It just makes it that much harder to defend people when you have eight kids score, because, who you gonna leave?” he said. “So that was really nice to see contributions from all over the place tonight.”

Libby senior Ryggs Johnston had lower scoring than his average, bringing in 16 points for the Loggers. Yet, he had made some incredible three point shots, including one from well-past half court.

Bean said that as much as people are surprised when Johnston makes such shots, he has made several over his high school career.

“Any time the ball leaves his hand, it has a great chance of going in,” Bean said.

And, as he usually does, Johnston made a difference all over the court Saturday, from rebounding and guarding to shooting and passing.

“He does everything for us,” Bean said. “His will to win is unlike any other I’ve seen in a while. He just has a burning desire to win, and it shows in everything he does.”

Bean credited Johnston’s golfing experience for some of how he handles pressure on the court.

Dealing with the pressure of high level tournaments gives Johnston the perspective to handle basketball easier, he said. “For him, basketball is fun. The hard part is when he’s got a five-foot putt to win the tournament. That’s pressure.”

But as much as he is a competitor, Bean complimented Johnston for his ability to focus on the team’s success and not just his own.

“The thing is, Ryggs doesn’t have to score 20 a game — he does, because he’s really talented — but he wants to win. So, he’s going to find the people who are open, and give them the opportunity — especially to make layups — and then when it’s big time, a big moment, he’s ready to make the play.”

Leading into the Browning game, Bean said the team spent time breaking down the Indians’ press, looking for vulnerabilities.

And the Loggers definitely paid attention.

“We knew, once we got past the first level of the defense, that we needed to be in attack mode and go at them, because we were going to have numbers offensively, and I thought we did a good job of that,” Bean said.

Despite some turnovers in the first half that helped Browning develop a 32-25 lead, Libby came back to outscore the Indians in the second half.

Limiting layups the Loggers weren’t in place to defend against after a turnover helped with that, Bean said.

“I think when we were able to get back and play our half court defense, we did a good job,” he said.

The Loggers were also disadvantaged in the first half going 6 for 14 at the free throw line, Bean noted.

But, with the improvement over their last meeting and emphasis on building from here, Bean expressed nothing but appreciation for the way the Loggers executed throughout the night.

The Loggers play next at home tonight at 7:15 p.m., when they face Columbia Falls.

Jan. 24

Libby 68, Troy 30

L: 13 18 20 17 - 68

T: 2 9 6 13 - 30

Libby: Ryder Davis 2 points; JJ Davis 3 points; Ryan Christensen 2 points; Chandler Bower 9 points, 2-2 FT; Ryan Goodman 4 points; Ryggs Johnston 24 points, 10-10 FT; Jay Beagle 2 points; Caden Williams 4 points; Ryker McElmurry 2 points; Tim Goodman 6 points, 4-6 FT; Keith Johnson 6 points, 2-3 FT; Kevin Barnes 4 points, 2-4 FT.

Troy: Alex Freund 7 points, 3-4 FT; Dylan Cummings 5 points; Hunter Leighty 2 points; Logan Milde 2 points, 2-4 FT; Trevor Hoagland 9 points; Tyler Gromley 3 points; Moxley Roesler-Begalke 2 points.

Jan. 26

Browning 56, Libby 54

B: 15 17 12 12 - 56

L: 10 15 15 14 - 54

Libby: JJ Davis 6 points; Chandler Bower 2 points, 2-6 FT; Ryan Goodman 7 points, 3-4 FT; Ryggs Johnston 16 points, 0-1 FT; Jay Beagle 3 points, 1-2 FT; Caden Williams 8 points, 4-6 FT.