Captains enjoy return home
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Barb (Miller) Gilliland finally served as an honorary captain in the 17th annual Altoona Mirror Classic all-star basketball game Thursday at Penn State Altoona, four years after she was originally scheduled to be recognized.
"It was 2020, and then there was COVID so we had to put that on hold," Gilliland said. "Last year, I had tickets to the Final Four in Houston. It was a great experience."
Gilliland became the first girls player to score more than 1,000 points at Tyrone and was the first Lady Eagle to earn a Division I scholarship when she went to Saint Francis.
She scored 1,366 career points at SFU and was inducted into the Flash Hall of Fame in 1999.
"We played in the Mountain League," Gilliland said. "We did really well my junior and senior year, especially my junior year. I had really good friends on that team. The coach was Kitty Johnston, and she was a great coach and person to play for."
Gilliland and her husband, Chip, live in Virginia and have two daughters.
"It's great to be back here," Miller said. "I haven't seen a girls game in a long time. They have definitely changed the way they are playing. They are more physical and faster. The games are really fun to watch."
Bishop Guilfoyle graduate Tim Lambour also served as an honorary captain.
"It's absolutely wonderful," Lambour said. "It's always nice to come home. I have not been to this gym before, so that's exciting for me. I get to see Bernie Jubeck, who I played ball with. I got to see Rich DeLeo. It's just nice to come home and see everyone."
Lambour played a key role in BG's 1970 Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association championship run and went to Georgetown and was a two-year starter for the Hoyas.
Lambour lives with his wife, Stephanie, in New Jersey. They have two children. He's kept an eye on BG sports, including the Lady Marauders' latest state championship last week.
"I haven't lived in Altoona since 1970 when I left to go to college," Lambour said. "But this is where my roots are including my sister and a very good friend. With BG having the football team as good as they are and the boys and girls basketball, it's exciting."
Hanging tough
Bellwood-Antis senior Lainey Quick had a scare just before the Mirror Classic girls game when she had to limp off the floor and get some medical attention.
But she made it back before introductions and made a 3-pointer in what turned out to be a competitive game.
"I went up for a rebound during layups and twisted my ankle," Quick said. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to play. It felt good that I played through it, hit a 3-pointer and toughed it out."
Blair County teammates Ayla Hileman (Williamsburg) and Jaiden Krull (Altoona) also missed time with minor injuries and returned.
Central PA's Maddie Hopsicker (Juniata Valley) also left briefly before returning with a shoulder injury.
"It got tangled up with the ball and a couple other arms and felt the resistance, and I thought if someone ripped at the ball my arm was going to be coming off," Hopsicker said. "Then someone ripped the ball, and I felt it pop a little bit. It's good now, just sore."
Hopsicker is preparing for track season where she's one of the area's top sprinters.
"I'm really excited for track," Hopsicker said. "I'm trying to do both (track and basketball) in college. Saint Vincent in Latrobe wants me for track and basketball, and I think that's going to end up being where I go. I can't imagine giving up one or the other."
Classic refs
Dave Heim, Damon Rickens and Jared Burkett officiated the boys game.
Heim played in the first Big John Riley Classic, the predecessor to the Mirror Classic, and Rickens and Burkett both played in this version of the game.
Just for kicks
Central's Hunter Smith was called for a kicking violation with 4:35 to play in the third quarter of the boys game.
In addition to being the placekicker and punter for the Dragons' football team, Smith played soccer with fellow Blair County player Elias Ritchey (Claysburg-Kimmel) in a youth league.
"We played in AYSO. It was something to keep me active in the summer," Smith said. "I was playing baseball and basketball at the same time. I was maybe decent. We were little. I played from when I was like 5 until 9 or 10. I always used to slide kick people."