SUBMITTED TO CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT

 

Liberty High School in Clarksburg will honor its 1978-79 boys basketball team in a pre-game ceremony on Friday, January 31, 2020 before their game versus Preston at 7:30 p.m. 

 

This team, generally regarded as one of the best area teams in the last 50 years, finished its Class AAA season with a 22-3 record losing to 'AAA' champion Princeton 75-71 in the state tournament that year held in Morgantown. The team finished as both Harrison County and Big 10 Conference champs during the season.  

 

Led by starters Scott Carey, Rodney Knight, Bill Leeson, David McCauley and Jeff Ritter, the Mountaineer squad entered the state tournament as a No. 5 seed.  After a close 65-64 opening round victory versus DuPont, the team fell to a tough Princeton team.

  

The Mountaineers were coached by long-time area coach Jim Cleavenger and assisted by the late Tom Harvey, a Bridgeport resident whose name in his memory is on the field house at Wayne Jamison Field. 

 

"Our ‘78-79 team worked so hard to learn to play together," said former Coach Jim Cleavenger. “It was one of the best passing teams I’ve ever coached.  We were able to do some things with spacing that are popular concepts today.  I wish we could’ve played with a 3-point line.”

 

The Liberty High School community would like to celebrate and thank the 1978-79 team for their contributions to Liberty High School.  A framed jersey representing the team will be put on display in the Liberty High school “Hallway of Fame,” located just outside of the gymnasium.

 

There will be a reception for family, friends and former teammates in the school library before the ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows a team huddle at the state tournament, while the entire team with their names is shown below. Photos courtesy of Ryan Lantz.