By John Frederick

For the Mirror

The number of Blair County boys basketball teams that have made it to the PIAA Final Four in the last 50 years can be counted on one hand.

Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic’s 1974 third-place finish in the state tournament was one of that small handful of teams and celebrates the 50th anniversary of their playoff run this spring.

Some exciting basketball was played in these parts in the late 1960s and early ’70s. During that span, and in 1974 in particular, a number of talented teams filled the Jaffa Shrine and area high school gyms.

Altoona Catholic/Bishop Guilfoyle had finished second to Johnstown Catholic/Bishop McCort 22 times between 1943 and 1966.

The Marauders finally won a PCIAA (Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association) state playoff game in 1967 on their way to their first state tournament title in 31 years.

They would win four diocesan titles the last seven years the Catholic school tournament was held, winning another state title on Denny Tomassetti’s buzzer beater at the Harrisburg Farm Show Arena in 1970.

During those years, the Marauders played a murderous schedule for a small school, and 1974 was no exception.

Five of their seven losses came to Class A (later Class AAA) schools, including heartbreakers to Altoona 42-41 and PIAA Class A runnerup Peabody and its legendary coach, Norm Frey, 56-53.

Among their regular-season wins were victories over Erie Cathedral Prep and Pittsburgh City League runnerup Oliver.

BG’s 1974 squad was unlike many teams of the current era for two reasons: The players were each content in playing their own roles, and they came to embrace a very deliberate (opponents would say boring) style of play.

Paul Hasson and Bob McGeary were great shooters. Mike Morgan was a quintessential playmaker; Mike Palazzi, the lone regular taller than 6-foot-1, was the rebounder and inside scorer. Dave DiPietro and Dick Smith were excellent defensive players who were especially extraordinary during the playoff run.

Yet their versatility was noteworthy as well.

Hasson and Morgan were hard-nosed defenders. Smith was a tough rebounder (third on the team despite playing guard) and great passer (second on the team to Morgan in assists). McGeary could handle the ball and score in close. DiPietro averaged six rebounds a game and could score when given the opportunity. His 34 points against Tyrone was a team high for the season.

Playing in the PIAA for the first time, Guilfoyle, coached by Tom Lane, was hardly the favorite in District 6 (let alone the state bracket). BG squeezed in as one of the lowest seeds in the eight-team tournament after weathering a brutal schedule.

The Marauders’ half of the bracket was especially tough. They drew undefeated Bellwood-Antis in the quarterfinal. Seldom tested during their 22-0 regular season, the Blue Devils had aspirations of a long playoff run. But BG’s stifling man-to-man defense and 24 points from Hasson handed B-A its first and only loss, 50-41.

After Mount Union nipped Tyrone and Saint Francis-bound Nick Leasure, BG shut down Trojans’ star guard Sam Posey and the bruising Butch Yelovich for a 59-38 semifinal win.

Homer-Center and its star, Bob Rado, won two blowouts in the other half of the bracket, but BG was again up to the task taking their first district title 59-53 as DiPietro held Rado to nine.

Guilfoyle’s 1974 playoff run was notable for another reason: The PIAA had only three classes in those days and advancing was literally twice as difficult.

The playoff bracket was a bit strange for a few years in the ’70s as well. The District 6 champ got a first-round bye to set up a rematch with Homer-Center in round two. This one was much closer, but a Smith steal and Morgan pass to Palazzi gave BG a buzzer-beating win and a berth in the Western semifinal.

The opponent would be Duquesne and a monstrous front line that had overpowered BG by 14 in the Penn Cambria Christmas tournament.

The Duquesne fans had already made hotel reservations for the Final Four weekend at the Harrisburg Farm Show Arena and a rematch of the WPIAL championship with Midland. (In those days, four teams advanced to the state finals.)

The Dukes were unaware, however, that Lane had convinced the Marauders that they could beat the physically superior team by holding the ball until the Dukes came out of their tight zone.

In what may be the lowest scoring playoff game of the last half century, BG won 28-23, holding stars George Brown and Dane Medich to eight total points.

The western final had a bit of everything, including a dedicated security guard for Lane after he was threatened by Duquesne fans disgruntled over their slow-down loss.

Again taking minutes off the clock on every possession, Lane had everyone believing BG could similarly slow the up-tempo, once-beaten defending state champs to a crawl. Midland was up 15-8 at the half, after the second quarter passed without a single field goal.

But BG was far from finished.

Lane realized the Marauders had to score some points and opened up the offense a bit to see what might happen.

Hasson got hot and BG finally went ahead 30-28 on two Morgan foul shots with 3:07 to go. But Midland wouldn’t concede. Otherwise frustrated by DiPietro’s defense, star Willie Glover hit a baseline jumper to go up 31-30.

Guilfoyle forced a backcourt violation and got the ball with 17 seconds remaining. Morgan drove the middle as time wound down. It was clear there was contact on the drive. But not enough, evidently, and the shot rolled off the rim without a whistle to be heard.

After their loss to Midland, which went on to win the PIAA championship, the Marauders defeated Cocalico in the consolation game.

The fairy tale ending may have eluded the Marauders, but the saga remains one of the region’s most unusual and memorable playoff runs.

John Frederick, a periodic guest columnist to the Mirror sports page, was the student manager for the 1974 Marauders and had a ringside seat for the Final Four run.