Courtesy photo Altoona White won the Building II Athletic Club High School Boys Basketball Summer League championship. Team members include (from left): First row—Brody Brazile, Nate Corle, Mason Lochard, Caiden Cochran. Second row—League director Mark Bennett, Brenden Cruz, Jackson Fennessey, Carson Crawford, Logan Caldwell, Colton Cochran, coach Rick Dickinson. Absent for photo is coach Chuck Saylor.

Perhaps this summer is a sign of bigger and better things to come for the Altoona boys basketball program.

Altoona White came back from 16 points down in the first half on Thursday evening to beat Bishop Guilfoyle, 46-36, and claim the Building II summer league championship.

In fact, Altoona junior high coach Rick Dickinson called it a pretty productive summer for the whole program.

“From varsity all the way down to seventh grade, it’s been our best summer since Coach Pfeffer has been involved,” Dickinson said. “It’s good to see the team winning.”

The league implements a two 20-minute halves system with a running clock, with regular clock stoppages in the final two minutes of each half.

Bishop Guilfoyle, which made it to the second round of the PIAA Class A playoffs last season, led 23-7 midway through the first half. The Mountain Lions erased that deficit, going on a 26-0 run that lasted until the 12:10 mark of the second half.

“Give them credit. They picked up the aggressiveness,” BG assistant coach Josh Baker said. “We talked about taking care of the basketball. We just turned it over too much.”

“It was 25-10 and that was with 6:36 left in the first half, we went on a 26-0 run,” Dickinson said. “I told the kids, ‘Your defensive intensity changed the complexion of that game.’ And we needed it.”

The Marauders’ Jack Singer splashed a three to end his team’s drought.

Singer and Damon Misiura both hit a three later in the half, but the damage had already been done by the Mountain Lions.

Misiura led Bishop Guilfoyle with 10 points in the game.

“The summer went well, especially for our younger guys,” Baker said. “The program as a whole played a lot of basketball. We made a lot of progress, especially with the younger guys.”

Colton Cochran paced Altoona White with 19 points, while Carson Crawford added 11.

BISHOP GUILFOYLE (36): Misiura 2 5-5 10, Shellenberger 3 0-0 7, Baker 3 1-2 7, Ianuzzi 1 0-0 2, Singer 3 0-0 8, Gates 1 0-0 2, Matish 0 0-0 0, Himmelwright 0 0-0 0. Totals — 13 6-7 36.

ALTOONA WHITE (46): Caldwell 1 1-2 3, Cruz 0 0-0 0, Brazile 3 1-2 7, D. Cochran 7 3-3 19, Crawford 5 1-2 11, Fennessey 0 0-0 0, Corle 1 0-0 3, Co. Cochran 1 1-2 3. Totals — 18 7-11 46.

SCORE BY HALVES

Bishop Guilfoyle 25 11 — 36

Altoona White 24 22 — 46

3-point goals: Bishop Guilfoyle 4 (Misiura, Shellenberger, Singer 2); Altoona White 3 (D. Cochran 2, Corle).

Officials: Randy Burkett, Jarryd Burkett.