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Tigers fall in final minute

Photo for the Mirror by Tim O’Brien The Tigers’ Ethan Haupt reacts after the loss.

CRESSON — It almost was the greatest of comebacks.

It turned out to be the biggest of heartbreakers.

In about a 3-minute span of the fourth quarter, top-seeded Hollidaysburg turned a nine-point deficit into a one-point lead, and the Golden Tigers appeared to be on the verge of winning back-to-back District 6 boys basketball titles for just the second time in program history.

However, momentum took another swing, aided by the most technical of technical fouls against the Tigers. Central Mountain capitalized and was able to avenge a pair of regular-season losses to Hollidaysburg in the meeting that mattered the most, 65-63, in the D6 Class 5A championship game on Saturday night at the Mount Aloysius College Athletic Convocation and Wellness Center

“I’m still shocked. It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Tiger senior Cory Storm, who finished with 12 points to tie Ethan Haupt for second-most on the team, just one off the pace set by Sam Servello. “We came back in the fourth. We were all feeling really good. I just can’t explain it.”

It requires explanation. Servello scored 11 in the fourth quarter, making three 3-pointers, while Dominic Frucella had a chance for two three-point plays down the stretch and converted one of them. That allowed Hollidaysburg, down 54-45 with a little over 4 minutes left in the game, to grab a 60-59 lead with 1:06 to play.

And it looked like the Tigers were going to put it away as, on the next possession, Austin Finochio forced a Central Mountain turnover along the far sideline.

That’s when one last, crucial twist occurred.

Hollidaysburg tried to rush Nick Viduya into the game for his ballhandling and free throw shooting. However, when the horn didn’t immediately sound to alert the officials, Tiger assistant Jarrod Klausman, in the heat of the moment, left the bench and ran in front of the scorer’s table.

The result was an unusual but automatic technical foul against the Tiger bench that gave the Wildcats the ball back after two free throws.

Kyle Everhart made one of the foul shots to tie it, and then Wyatt Bumbarger caught a Brody Baker pass in the corner and drained a 3 with just 16 seconds to go to put Central Mountain ahead for good.

After a Tiger miss, Central Mountain’s Matthew Storeman made two free throws — Central Mountain was 20-for-23 at the line — and Haupt’s trey with 1.3 seconds left was too little, too late for Hollidaysburg.

“The athletic director (Homer DeLattre) explained to me after the game that it’s the scorekeeper’s job to buzz him in. I guess the scorekeeper told the official ‘I didn’t hit the horn to buzz him in,'” Tiger coach Brad Lear said. “You make your own luck, I guess. At that point, it shouldn’t have been that close.”

Lear was referring to the third quarter, when Hollidaysburg, up three at the half, was outscored by Central Mountain, 20-9, and had to scratch and claw to get back in the game. Justin Neff, the Penn State football walk-on, had three field goals in the third quarter for Central Mountain and was fouled on each of them.

“We pushed the ball up the court instead of bringing it up slow. That created opportunities for me to get into the lane,” said Neff, who finished with 14 points. “We said at halftime they can beat us twice during the regular season, but it all comes down to one game. Those first two didn’t matter.”

Now 17-8, the Wildcats earned a date with the District 10 runner-up in the first round of the PIAA playoffs in two weeks. Bumbarger led Central Mountain with 16, while Everhart netted 13 and Storeman 12.

“Our guys came up with loose balls, we rebounded pretty well, and we made some big shots in key situations,” said Central Mountain coach Scott Baker, whose team outrebounded the Tigers, 30-28, and had 10 offensive boards. “I think we just came up with some loose balls tonight and made some plays that we didn’t make in the previous games.”

Including Bumbarger’s 3 near the end.

“Brody drove baseline and had confidence in me. I just caught it and shot it,” Bumbarger said.

Servello was in a zone for the Tigers in the preceding minutes, even hitting one from several feet beyond the arc.

“In the moment, it feels great. You’re all energized,” Servello said of the comeback. “You just have to have confidence in your shot.”

Nothing was decided in the first half, as Hollidaysburg took a 29-26 lead into the locker room behind Storm’s nine points off the bench. Hollidaysburg trailed by five right off the bat but came back to assume a six-point advantage late in the second quarter when Finochio assisted for field goals at the rim by Frucella and Haupt, followed by a pair of free throws by Servello.

Hollidaysburg finished the year 16-7 after a 1-3 start. Last year, the Golden Tigers advanced to the second round of states after winning District 6 Class 3A starting five seniors, so, despite the loss, this showing might have set Hollidaysburg as a perennial threat to win D6 gold.

“I told the kids in a little note that our culture at Hollidaysburg is expected winning,” Lear said. “Right now, we do not expect to lose. Our goals are the same for every team. You lose eight seniors and all five starters, nobody really gave us a chance.”

“It means a lot,” Storm said. “Everyone doubted us. We knew we were going to make it this far. Just props to Central Mountain. They really came to play.”

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (65): Baker 1 0-0 3, Bumbarger 6 1-1 13, Storeman 3 6-7 12, Everhart 4 3-5 13, Neff 4 6-6 14, Carpenetti 0 0-0 0, Hanna 1 2-2 5, McCann 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 2-2 2. Totals — 19 20-23 65.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (63): Finochio 2 1-1 5, Haupt 4 1-2 12, Collins 2 0-0 5, Frucella 4 1-2 9, Pugh 1 0-0 2, Storm 5 0-0 12, Viduya 0 0-0 0, S. Servello 4 2-2 13, Day 0 2-2 2, Marks 1 1-2 3. Totals — 23 8-11 63.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Central Mountain 13 13 20 19–65

Hollidaysburg 15 14 9 25–63

3-point goals: Central Mountain 7 (Bumbarger 3, Baker, Everhart 2, Hanna); Hollidaysburg 9 (Collins, Haupt 3, Storm 2, S. Servello 3).

Records: Central Mountain (17-8); Hollidaysburg (16-7).

Officials: John Thompson, Steve Searer, Jeff Heider.

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