Tuesday March 15, 1967

Altoona Bishop Guilfoyle 67 Pittsburgh Bishop Canevin 66 (overtime)
Pitt Field House, Pittsburgh, PA

The PCIAA Western Regional Class A Championship game and a trip to the State Championship game was on line at the Pitt Field House on Tuesday March 15th.  Pittsburgh Bishop Canevin (the Crusaders) came into the game at 23-1 and the hometown favorite.  Altoona Bishop Guilfoyle (the Marauders), the challenger entered the game with a record of 18-6.  Guilfoyle led 28-25 at the half. It was knotted at the end of three quarters at 44-44.
With 16 seconds remaining, Canevin led by 4 points 61-57 and went to the foul line for a one-and-one.  The game was all but over.  There was no way the Pittsburgh entry could lose such an advantage.  But, the Canevin foul shooter missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Guilfoyle's Pat Shute took the rebound and dribbled the length of the court and pulled up at the top of the circle to hit a jumper as time ticked off the clock.  Guilfoyle went into a full court press and Tim Sigrist intercepted the inbounds pass with just five ticks  remaining on the clock.  He quickly drilled a 12 foot jumper which slipped through the net as time elapsed.  The score was now tied and and the game was sent into overtime.  The unbelievable was suddenly believable for Altoona.
With less than a minute remaining in overtime, Sigrist (who was headed to Notre Dame on a football scholarship) tapped in a basket to tie the game at 65 all.  Cavevin's Burik hit a foul shot with 6 seconds to put Canevin up 66-65.  When he missed the second, Guilfoyle rebounded and called time at the five second mark.  After the timeout, Bill Adams passed in bounds to Sigrist near midcourt who turned and passed upcourt to Pat Shute coming off a pick by Joe Landolfi.  Shute took the pass near the top of the circle, he eluded his defender and fired in the game winning jump shot at the buzzer. "The Canevin fans were stunned as they tried to decipher how the victory had slipped through their fingers."
 Pittsburgh Canevin Coach Ron Cygrymus said, "the game just lasted 5 seconds too long!" Was it luck?  Bishop Guilfoyle Assistant Coach Tony Labriola summed it up this way-"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity!"  Bishop Guilfoyle Athletic Director John Riley credited the Marauder trip to Erie to see the Canevin victory over Erie Cathedral Prep in the quarterfinals the Friday before.  He said, "it helped bring the team together."  In the Altoona Mirror, sportswriter Jim Lane wrote: "Fantastic, unbelievable, incredible.  That's how the game was summed up the Marauder's coach after the 67-66 upset win over Pittsburgh Canevin.
-Fantastic because the Marauders were battling tough odds Like meeting the team favored to win the state crown.  a team that had a 23-1 record and was playing in their own backyard.
-Unbelievable because the Marauders were down by four points with only 14 seconds left in regulation time and rallied to send the game into overtime.
-Incredible because the Altoonans trailed by one with just five seconds remaining in overtime and got the ball three quarters the length of the court and into the hoop in that short span of time."

This was Tuesday, later in the week on Friday, Bishop Guilfoyle defeated Shamokin Lourdes 61-57 in Johnstown at the War Memorial Arena for the PCIAA Class A State Championship.  In those days, the team classifications were A, B, and C, with A being the class for the larger schools.  Tickets for that game: students $1.00 and adults $2.00.

Note: Nine Bishop Guilfoyle players played in the game and all either scored or gathered in crucial rebounds to make it a real "team" victory.
(Credits: Altoona Mirror, Pittsburgh Post Gazette).

Pat Shute's obituary HERE