—Buck Frank
Player: Ed Stoehr, Bishop Guilfoyle
Opponent: Greensburg Central Catholic
Date: Sunday, March 4, 1973
Site: Bishop Carroll High School
Setting the scene: BG, 17-7 heading into the PCIAA Class A Western semifinals, faced a team it had already beaten twice in the regular season. After falling behind, Stoehr ignited a BG rally by scoring 22 second-half points to pull Guilfoyle within one.
The shot: Trailing 47-46 with nine seconds left, BG’s Chris Rowan, following a missed Centurion free throw, got the ball to Tim Brady on a break. Brady, with Stoehr on his left and Paul Hasson on his right, fed Stoehr, who took a 10-foot baseline jumper with four seconds remaining. After the ball rolled around the rim several times, it went through the hoop as the buzzer sounded.
Mirror excerpt from Monday, March 5, 1973: [Stoehr’s basket], with four seconds remaining, had everyone wondering momentarily if there would be another game for Guilfoyle. — Frank Polito
(To view the entire original article from this game, go to altoonamirror.com.)
Memories:
—Stoehr: “It seemed like it took forever, spinning around the rim. I remember Chris Rowan jumping up and down [under the rim] each time it looked like it was going to come out.’’
—Tom Lane, coach: “I don’t know how many times it went around the rim, but it was at least six. I never saw anything like it. A few times it almost came out, but it finally dropped through.’’
—Lane: “When Ed would shoot, the ball seemed to spin side to side, the opposite of how it’s supposed to spin. That may have been a reason why it spun around the rim so much.’’
Aftermath: After Stoehr’s 31-point effort and buzzer-beater, BG fell to Pittsburgh North Catholic in the Western final, 73-57. Stoehr and his wife, who have two daughters and a son, live in Altoona.
Have a memorable shot? E-mail bfrank@altoonamirror.com.
