This twenty part series was posted in 2008 by Buck Frank for the Altoona Mirror-we  have copied and posted the top 3 in the series, we have #18, #19, and #20.  It was a great series for the Altoona Mirror Sports pages.

This is the 18th in a 20-day series on the biggest shots in Blair County high school basketball over the last 50 years. The Mirror is counting down one per day until Sunday.

—Buck Frank, Altoona Mirror
 

Players: Tim Sigrist, Pat Shute, Bishop Guilfoyle

Opponent: Pittsburgh Canevin

Date: Tuesday, March 14, 1967

Site: University of Pittsburgh Fitzgerald Field House

Setting the scene: The 18-6 Marauders met 23-1 Canevin, in its backyard, in the PCIAA Class A western regional championship game.

The shots: After Shute dribbled the length of the court for a layup to pull Guilfoyle within two points with seconds remaining, Sigrist stole the ball at midcourt on an errant Canevin pass. Sigrist then made a 12-foot shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, 61-61. With Canevin leading in OT, 66-65, Guilfoyle was faced with going the length of the court in five seconds. Bill Adams inbounded the ball to Sigrist, who then threw a 35-foot pass to Shute, coming off a Joe Landolfi pick underneath the basket. Shute took two dribbles before hitting the game-winner, a seven-foot jumper.

Mirror excerpt from Wednesday, March 15, 1967: Marauder assistant coach Tony Labriola defines luck this way: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.’’ —Jim Lane

(To view the entire original articles from this game, go to altoonamirror.com.)

Memories:

—Sigrist: “I wasn’t a good ball-handler or a good shot. But [Coach Bill] Gaffey needed my skills at that moment of the game, and I fed off his confidence. I was darn lucky to play a part in that great finish.’’

—Gaffey: “Canevin had played twice on the Pitt Field House floor. We requested a practice on the floor, and the PCIAA denied it. So we threatened to forfeit, and the PCIAA reversed its position. After practice, we took the whole team to a popular smorgasbord in Monroeville and had a great time, but [Tuesday] we returned and had a much better time defeating Canevin.’’

Aftermath: BG went on to win its first PCIAA state title with a 61-57 win over Shamokin Our Lady of Lourdes at the War Memorial in Johnstown. Sigrist went on to play football at Notre Dame and is now, after 35 years of marriage, a grandfather and retired teacher in Rochester, N.Y., and is in his first year as an LPN. Shute played basketball at St. Francis College. He died of cancer March 7, 2007, at his home in Frisco, Texas.

This is the 19th in a 20-day series on the biggest shots in Blair County high school basketball over the last 50 years. The Mirror is counting down one per day until Sunday.

—Buck Frank, Altoona Mirror



Player: Denny Tomassetti, Bishop Guilfoyle

Opponent: Allentown Central Catholic

Date: Friday, March 13, 1970

Site: Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg

Setting the scene: BG, at 20-4, was shooting for its second PCIAA Class A state championship in four years when it met 20-6 Allentown Central Catholic in the state final. Down eight (64-56) early in the fourth quarter, BG rallied to tie it at 74 and had the ball with 11 seconds remaining, thanks to Bob Landolfi corralling the ball after a Tomassetti block and jump ball.

The shot: After a timeout, BG’s Bill Gibbons dribbled through a full-court press to midcourt. He then passed to Tim Lambour, who found Tomassetti open in the corner. Tomassetti’s 15-foot jumper with three seconds left gave BG a 76-74 win and the state title. Tomassetti also hit game-winners the previous season in the diocesan championship and the Altoona YMCA tournament.

Mirror excerpt from Saturday, March 14, 1970: It was mass confusion in the BG locker room with plenty of hugging and backslapping. [Coach Tom] Lane was tossed in the showers fully clothed, but he didn’t mind. — Jim Lane

(To view the entire original articles from this game, go to altoonamirror.com.)

Memories:

—Tomassetti: ‘‘The play was set to go to myself or Tim Lambour on the wing. What it came down to was executing the fundamentals. We did what we were supposed to do and didn’t think about it.’’

—Lane: ‘‘When we called that timeout, everybody in the arena was going crazy. We just wanted to get key people in key spots. Tomassetti was open on the baseline, and his shot went right through. It was very exciting.’’

Aftermath: Thirty-eight years later, BG’s 1970 state title was the last for any Blair County boys basketball team. Tomassetti and his wife, Yvonne, live in Oakmont. He is the chief financial officer for UPMC Passavant.

Have a memorable shot? E-mail bfrank@altoonamirror.com'>bfrank@altoonamirror.com.

This is the 20th in a 20-day series on the biggest shots in Blair County high school basketball over the last 50 years. The Mirror counted down one per day until today.

—Buck Frank, Altoona Mirror, 

 


Player: Cory Gehret, Altoona

Opponent: Aliquippa

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 1981

Site: Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown

Setting the scene: In the PIAA Class AAA western semifinals, Altoona, 22-8 and riding a nine-game win streak, faced the 29-3 Quips, who pounded the Mountain Lions by 20 points during the regular season. Altoona trailed, 60-59, with 1:19 left and worked the clock down to 15 seconds. Following an inbounds pass, Gehret missed a contested layup with five seconds remaining, and Altoona’s Troy Wible immediately fouled Aliquippa’s Dave Klenovich.

The shot: Altoona coach Larry Betar and assistant Dean Esper moved Gehret off the foul line and replaced him with Scott Filler. Klenovich missed the one-and-one. Altoona’s Dave McGinnis grabbed the rebound, turned and zipped it to Gehret, who took three dribbles and just past midcourt let fly a desperation shot that swished as the buzzer sounded for a 61-60 win.

Mirror excerpt from Wednesday, March 25, 1981: For Altoona fans, this thrill surpassed the United States Olympic hockey team’s victory over Russia. No question. —Neil Rudel

(To view the entire original article of this game, go to altoonamirror.com.)

Memories:

—Gehret: “At first [the shot] looked off, but as it got closer I thought it had a chance to go in. Then it did, and chaos broke out. There was a big pile on the court, but I wasn’t in it. A fan, Tom Duncan, had pulled me out, and I was saved from being crushed.’’

—McGinnis: “I remember getting the rebound, looking up and seeing Cory out there wide open. What better person to get the ball to in that situation than Cory Gehret, who in my opinion was the best player in the state that year.’’

—Betar: “That’s one shot that will be forever etched in my mind.’’

—Gehret: “To this day, I have people come up to me to say they were there and remember the shot.’’

Aftermath: Altoona, in its first western final in 23 years, fell to eventual state champ Uniontown, 80-73. Gehret went on to play football at Connecticut. He has two daughters and two sons — all former or current Altoona High athletes. Gehret lives in Altoona and is a project manager/shareholder at Stiffler, McGraw and Associates, Inc., a consulting engineering firm in Hollidaysburg.

Have a memorable shot? E-mail bfrank@altoonamirror.com.