Altoona led, 32-30 after one quarter and 35-30 early in the fourth period on a three-point play by junior guard Raylin Eyer, before Hollidaysburg rattled off the next six points on buckets by junior guard Kate Steiner, senior forward Makenna Weimert, and senior forward Alana Lightner, whose one-handed layup pulled Hollidaysburg into a 36-35 lead with 3:10 to play.

Altoona prevailed down the stretch, however, closing the game with an 8-3 run on a go-ahead 3-pointer from senior guard Samantha Harpster, a second-chance putback by senior forward Kendall Cogan, and three of four free throws in the final minute by senior forward Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore to grind out a 43-39 victory.

It was a showing that was fitting for two talented basketball programs who both won District 6 championships last year — Altoona in 6A and Hollidaysburg in 5A — and who both also made their presence known in the PIAA playoffs.

“You always want to see your basketball team represent your coaching staff well, and our players played with extreme toughness and grit tonight,” Altoona coach Chris Fleegle said. “For them to play like that means the world to me and my coaching staff.”

12/01/25 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Altoona's Kharisma Davis is smothered by Hollidaysburg's Alana Lightner (left) and Clare Padamonsky.

The Lady Lions’ effort was accentuated by the fact that it was put forth with injured sophomore star Brionna Hudson sidelined for the time being. Several other players picked up the slack, however, with Moore scoring a team-high 15 points and adding a team-high eight rebounds, and Harpster and Eyer chipping in 12 points apiece, with all of Harpster’s points coming on 3-point shots.

“Briona is working her way back,” Fleegle said. “She’s a special player, and we’re not going to do anything to put her at risk. When the doctors say that she is ready, that’s when she’ll be back. Win or lose, we’d never use her absence as an excuse, and we’re going to continue to play as hard as we can with the players that we have available.”

Altoona did just that in prevailing in its season-opening showdown.

“I thought that we played really well together,” Harpster said. “I thought that our defense stepped up, especially in the second half, and our offense did, too. Zae (Zaelinh Moore) does a good job of driving to the basket for us, and either scoring or kicking the ball outside for us.”

Moore said that the Lady Lions’ mettle and determination were important factors in Monday’s success.

“Obviously being without Briona is hard for us because she’s such a good player, but our team has a lot of grit, and we felt that once we put together all the pieces, we could come out with a win,” Moore said.

Hollidaysburg senior standout forward Makenna Weimert led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while senior post Clare Padamonsky corralled a game-high 10 rebounds and scored eight points.

“They’re our senior leaders,” Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said. “That’s what we expect from our senior group. For the first game of the season, between Altoona and Hollidaysburg, this is what you expect – a game with a lot of ups and downs, in which the lead goes back and forth.”

Indeed, the biggest lead of the night, only five points, was held by Altoona on a couple of occasions in both the second and third quarters, before Hollidaysburg came battling back.

Moore saluted Weimert, who she said presented her with a one-on-one challenge on both ends of the court.

“Makenna Weimert is an extremely good player, and she put me to the test both with having to guard her, and with her playing defense against me,” Moore said.

Eyer, whose older sister Melana – a 2025 graduate – was a multi-year star at Altoona, is hoping to make a name for herself in her own right, and Fleegle praised the way that she has developed her game.

“Raylin has always been known as a good shooter but she made some amazing cuts to the basket tonight and scored some key field goals for us,” Fleegle said. “If she continues to evolve that part of her game, she is going to be extremely tough to guard.”

Game notes: Hollidaysburg had a 31-21 advantage in total rebounds, and converted 15 of 40 floor shots for 37.5 percent, while Altoona made 15 of 41 for 36.5 percent … Hollidaysburg opens its Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference season with a home game against Clearfield Wednesday night, while Altoona travels to the Philadelphia area for two games this weekend, against Upper Dublin Friday and Spring Ford Saturday.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (39): Lightner 3 1-2 7, Weimert 4 8-10 16, Padamonsky 4 0-2 8, Sidney 0 0-0 0, Steiner 3 0-0 6, Leighty 1 0-0 2, Gearhart 0 0-0 0, Hayer 0 0-0 0 Totals – 15 9-14 39.

ALTOONA (43): Harpster 4 0-0 12, Moore 5 5-6 15, Cogan 2 0-2 4, Eyer 4 3-3 12, Cuspert 0 0-0 0, Hayward 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0, Harzbecker 0 0-0 0. Totals – 15 8-11 43.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Hollidaysburg 10 6 14 9–39

Altoona 15 4 13 11–43

3-point goals: Altoona 5 (Harpster 4, Eyer).

Records: Hollidaysburg (0-1); Altoona (1-0).

Officials: Brad Martz, Brock Kauffman, Courtney Cecere.