—Buck Frank
Player: Becky Rabold, Hollidaysburg
Opponent: State College
Date: Saturday, March 11, 1989
Site: St. Francis College’s Stokes Building
Setting the scene: The Hollidaysburg Lady Tigers had never won a District 6 title and were in the Class AAAA title game facing a talented State College team that had eliminated them in the playoffs the previous two years. Rabold, a 6-foot-4 center, sprained an ankle in the second quarter and didn’t return until midway through the third quarter.
The shot: With the score tied at 49 and 12 seconds left, Rabold shot a baseline jumper that missed. Joy Hammers followed with another miss, and with four seconds left, Rabold gathered the ball and sank the game-winner in the lane for a 51-49 Hollidaysburg victory.
Mirror excerpt from Sunday, March 12, 1989: In the swarm of arms underneath, Rabold came away with the ball in the middle of the lane, turned toward the basket and sealed the fate with four seconds left.
—Michael V. Emery
(To view the entire original article from this game, go to altoonamirror.com.)
Memories:
—Rabold: “They first advised me not to go back in because my ankle was severely sprained. But adrenaline took over, and I went back out.’’
—Joe Hurd, coach: “That was the first year Hollidaysburg had a full-time athletic trainer in Sue Barkman. In the previous years, my assistant, Sonny Consiglio, or I would have made the decision [on injured players], and we just didn’t have the same level of expertise.’’
Aftermath: Hollidaysburg won two state playoff games before falling to Sacred Heart in the PIAA quarterfinals. Rabold, now Becky Stolarski, lives in Altoona with her husband and 7-year-old son and is the marketing coordinator for Paradigm Solutions.
Have a memorable shot? E-mail bfrank@altoonamirror.com.
