Panther Pride 2023

Remembering Panther Pride

Lewistown girls earned back-to-back state titles 25 years ago

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel. com

LEWISTOWN — A quarter of a century has passed since the Lewistown Area High School girls basketball team captured the hearts of a community by winning back-to-back PIAA Championships.

During the 1996-97 season, the Panthers won their first-ever state title. They followed that up with a sequel during the 1997-98 campaign that was probably just as memorable and eventful than the original to their rabid fan base. No one could deny the passion the Panthers exemplified during their journey that inspired an entire community.

“Really, it’s like a dream now when I think back to those wonderful years,” said former Lewistown head coach Kevin Kodish, who coached at Lewistown for 27 seasons and two years at Mifflin County High School. After a brief retirement, he returned to coach at Juniata High School for five seasons before retiring for good. Today, Kodish is completing his third team as a Mifflin County commissioner and plans to seek re-election.

“Two years, two state titles and a 63-1 overall record – wow,” Kodish said.

“Also, we were ranked throughout the 1997-98 season in the USA Today Top 25 girls basketball poll.

“I believe our final ranking was 17,” he added.

“Considering that there are nearly 27,000 girls high school basketball teams in the country, being number 17 is staggering.”

Kodish said the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons were magical and full of hard work and thrilling games yet most of all, fun, for the players and coaches involved.

“The runs to the state championships were pressure-filled for the girls, but their dedication to the fundamentals of the game, their strong desire for excellence and their unwavering commitment to each other, their school and their community carried them to the top of the mountain for two consecutive seasons,” Kodish said.

They became Hollywood celebrities for their achievements on the court.

Yet, they never became too starry-eyed to remember their fans. And, despite players like Krista Gingrich, Maggie Johnston and the late Jenna Feathers becoming household names, they never let winning go to their heads.

They were confident, but never cocky. They were a team from the starters to the last person on the bench.

“What was especially nice about both of our playoff runs was that every player contributed in their own way,” Kodish said. “Everyone knew their role and pulled together for the

good of the team.”

Undefeated Feat of 1996-97

Looking back at 32-0, the season couldn’t have been any sweeter for that 1996-97 Lewistown team. The Panthers rolled through a perfect regular season, winning the Mountain League title, despite all-star guard Krista Gingrich missing the first 13 games of the season due to injury.

Lewistown trailed Tyrone by nine points heading into the fourth period in the District 6 Class AAA final but rallied to win by 10 points.

In the Western final, the Panthers trailed Blackhawk 53-47 going into the last quarter but held the Cougars scoreless for six minutes to rally for another double-digit victory. Lewistown captured its first PIAA crown with a 53-45 win over North Schuylkill as Gingrich poured in a game-high 22 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Sweet Repeat in 1997-98

Returning most of the lineup from the previous season, the 1997-98 Panthers capped a 31-1 campaign with a second consecutive PIAA title.

Lewistown fell to Bishop Guilfoyle early in the season, but the Panthers rebounded by winning their remaining games. In the PIAA final, the Panthers beat Berwick 71-57 to capture the coveted gold ball.

‘Tremendous’ Community Support

“The thing I will remember most is the sheer joy on the faces of the players when they accomplished their ultimate mission each season,” Kodish said. “I will never forget the tremendous support our teams received from the Mifflin County community.

“When we left town for a playoff game, there were always signs and balloons along the route out of the area,” he added. “When we left Lewistown for the state title games, people had bedsheets hanging from the second floors of their homes, saying things like, ‘Go Lady Panthers! Bring Home the Gold!’ Simply put, the Lady Panther fans were second to none. No matter the location, our fans packed the gym and made our girls feel at home.”

Opposing teams often felt as a disadvantage even when the games were played on a neutral court.

“One time, we were playing a state playoff game at Altoona, and the opposing coach told me that he believed it wasn’t fair that we got to play a game ’15 to 20 minutes from our school,’” Kodish recalled. “I laughed and told him we were 90 minutes away, and our fans travel as far as necessary. He was stunned that he was mistaken on where our school was located.”

After those seasons ended, many area organizations passed proclamations

honoring the team. The girls were also treated to free meals, and area businesses made t-shirts commemorating the titles, and people lined up to get autographs. They were truly stars.

“I can remember hearing on the radio that “The Lady Panthers will be at Walmart from 11 to 2 today signing autographs. Pick up a championship t-shirt and fill it with autographs,” Kodish said.

Cherished Memories

When contacted for this story, Gingrich replied, “How can it be 25 years?”

Time has flown by for many Panther players. After playing at Division I Duke University, Gingrich remained in the Durham area and working as the senior physician assistant in pediatric orthopedics at Duke University Medical Center. She is married with two young boys.

“The entire community came together to encourage and support us on our journey,” Gingrich recalled.

“In that sense, everyone shared in the accomplishment and had their own piece of the championship.

“People were proud to represent Lewistown and Mifflin County,” she added.

“I also know that the championship was the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication from many people. It also inspired the next generation to follow in our footsteps.”

While hoisting the trophies were magical, Gingrich remembered when exiting the game with Johnston. “Kevin took Maggie and I out at the end together,” Gingrich said.

“I waved to our crowd one last time and hugged Maggie on the sideline as we stepped off the court.”

Johnston agreed, appreciating the achievements more as she grew older. “Such great memories!” she said. “I don’t think I realized at the time how special that team was. What I remember most is the fun times we had together and the way the community came together to support us.”

Johnston now lives in the Tampa Bay area and works in finance. Despite being far away from Mifflin County, she’ll always be a proud Panther.

“I’m just very proud,” Johnston said. “We worked so hard for many years and achieved our goals.”

For Sweeta Hutchinson, the moments with teammates were also special, including bus rides and team meals at the Gingrichs.

“They were definitely really special,” said Hutchinson, who lives in Washington DC with her daughter and works for an athletic apparel company. “I’m still good friends with a lot of the players. I have a lot of memories from playing on the team.”

Working in sports industry and with college athletes, winning a state crown still comes up in conversation, Hutchinson said. “I don’t think we saw ourselves invincible. We would count each game, each win, down from 32. We were not trying to be cocky. It was more confidence. We just stuck to our rituals and traditions.”

And then there were the little moments.

“Before every game Jenna would help me French braid my hair,” said Mackenzie Moser, of Feathers who passed away in 1999. Her memory lives on as the Jenna Feathers Award is given annually to the county’s top basketball player.

“It was really the connections that we had with each other,” Moser added. “Winning a state title was just icing on the cake. The friendships that we made along the way were priceless.”

Moser admits she doesn’t stay in touch with her former teammates as much as she’d like. It’s not easy as she is raising two teenage sons.

“We were definitely confident, and knew what we were capable of,” Moser said. “It was fun, and things were light-hearted, but we knew when we could have a laugh and when it was time to get down to business.”

Those experiences helped to mold players into who they are today.

“Those times taught me some really important life lessons about being a good teammate and friend, the value of connecting with people and if you work hard, you can achieve anything,” Moser added. “Who would have thought that a small Pennsylvania town was capable of beating those big schools, but we did it.”

Tournament Trail Tales

And there were always plenty of remarkable tales along the tournament trail. While fans lined up overnight for tickets, Kodish and Lewistown Athletic Director Tona Williams were frantically making sure there were tickets for players’ families.

“I’ll never forget the night we won our first Western Final against Blackhawk,” Kodish said.

“In the midst of the celebration, Tona mentioned we needed to do the state finals tickets for the parents of the players. I asked when, and she said, ‘To-

night.’

“Indeed, the turnaround time between the games was short, and public sale of tickets had to be set up,” he added. “Tona and her husband, Chris, came to my house that Wednesday night, and I think we were at it until about 3:30 a.m. figuring everything out.”

Remember, there was no automatic or online ticketing at that time.

“Tona had our packet of tickets, and they needed to be done for the families and then offered to the public,” Kodish explained. “We were well short of the amount of tickets we needed to satisfy our fans, so people went to our opponent’s school as well as the boys 4-A schools, looking to purchase tickets to the session that featured our game.”

Never Forgetting Family

Despite all the success, there were sacrifices, especially by Kodish and his players and coaches. Through it all, their families were their biggest supporters.

“As a coach, it was important for me to have a loving and understanding family behind me,” said Kodish, who served as a head basketball coach for 34 years overall. “My mother, who was treasurer for the Panther Club for decades, was the number one Lady Panther fan in my mind, and my wonderful wife Shelly and daughters Katy and Brooke were always there supporting me every step of the way.

“It was so wonderful to have Shelly and my girls behind me,” he added. “Their personal sacrifices of family time were immense, and they deserve more thanks than I can give them.”

Stephen D. KingSupervisor, Director Roger G. Barr, Director Victoria Krouse, Funeral Director

Submitted photo

Lewistown players Krista Gingrich (from left), Maggie Johnston and Heather McElwain hoist the PIAA Championship trophy.

Submitted photo

Jenna Feathers (left) and Maggie Johnston celebrate winning the 1996-97 PIAA title as Sweeta Hutchinson and Enid Dunmire (21) look on at HersheyPark Arena.

Lewistown will always remember Jenna Feathers

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel. com

LEWISTOWN – For all the joy and ecstasy that two PIAA Championships brought the Lewistown Panthers, all of the victories, trophies and celebrations would be put in perspective by the tragic death of Jenna Feathers on Dec. 5, 1999.

Feathers, just age 19 at the time, was the only child of Steven and Susan Feathers of McVeytown. She was their pride and joy and they were her biggest fans.

Certainly, they were her parents. But hearing them talk about Jenna’s play –nearly 25 years later – it was as if they were living and breathing every shot, every steal and every rebound with her.

Now, those memories –along with photographs, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia – are all that remain. To many parents, the thought of a child dying before them is unthinkable, unfathomable.

It was a true test for the Feathers – one that remains today.

“The most important thing is that we got through it,” Susan said. “When it happened, Steve and I sat down and he said, ‘How are we going to do this?’ I said, ‘I don’t know how we are going to do but we are going to do it together.’”

The Feathers knew that despite the unthinkable, they would have to pick up the pieces from Jenna’s death and go on. “I knew women who had shut the door and stopped living; I didn’t want that to be me,” she recalled.

They will be forever thankful for the outpouring of support they received from the Lewistown community. “Our basketball family wrapped their arms around us and it continues today,” Susan said.

The Feathers are involved in the lives of former Panther Kimberly (Maxwell) Kauffman and her family, who also resides in McVeytown. “She and Jenna were best

friends. They knew each other from the time they were four.”

Best Friends Forever Kauffman remembers the good times the two had together – on and off the court.

“Jenna was my best friend and she was by my side no matter what,” Kauffman said. “She was kind and generous and she could typically persuade me to do whatever she wanted. We always laughed because there were times growing up that we were not to do something, but she could be pretty convincing and we typically ended up doing things her way.

“Through the years, we became inseparable and some of our best memories from when we were younger included running around McVeytown, camping out, Country Memories Day and playing basketball at the tennis courts in McVeytown,” she added. “We could see each other’s house from our own, so we were able to walk back and forth whenever we wanted. As we grew up, we took turns driving to school and practice each day together.”

Kauffman feels fortunate to have shared so many special memories with her teammates, especially Feathers. Being state champions ranks right at the top.

“I was not only blessed to have Jenna as my best friend but also as my teammate,” Kauffman said. “Church League basketball was a big part of our childhood with her dad, Steve, as our coach. As we became Lewistown Lady Panthers, the dynamics on the court became different, but we were all one team and we both had our part on and off the court.

“I tell people all the time how our team had such an amazing bond and we were each other’s biggest supporters,” she added. “It is difficult to pinpoint a favorite memory when it comes to Jenna, because there are honestly so many, and no matter where we were, we were having fun

and laughing. Whether it was on the bus, eating pregame dinner at the Gingrich house, decorating our cars for the big games, being on the court, or celebrating accomplishments, so many memories were made.”

Kauffman said Feathers’ death was the most difficult time in her life.

“I was a sophomore in college at Shippensburg at the time, but I came home that weekend because she and I wanted to go to the Lewistown Panther TipOff Tournament and watch the girls play,” Kauffman recalled. “I am thankful I was able to have that last time with her in the LAHS gym that evening.

“Looking back and having the with her as a Lady Panther has been one of the greatest blessings to me and has given me so many memories to cherish,” she added. “Number 23 will forever be a part of me.”

The Feathers have also become close with the families of former Lewistown players Olivia Halfpenny and Molly Dunmire.

“We didn’t just do this by ourselves,” Susan said. “We’re so grateful to have them in our lives.”

And they were equally as moved by the opportunity to know Jenna.

“Growing up, our families were always close,” Kauffman said. “During basketball season, we could always count on them to help make sure McVeytown was decorated in blue and white as our bus drove through heading to Saint Francis.

“Jenna and I always considered each other’s families as part of our own,” she added. “Following her death, that did not change. Sue and Steve are still two of the most important people, not only in my life, but in my family’s life as well.”

Watching Her Play was Magical Susan would talk about Jenna’s games like they were played yesterday. Every detail of every play was ingrained in her mind.

“Anytime she would steal the ball was fun,” Susan laughed. “There was

the game that almost blew the perfect season against West Mifflin at Mount Aloysius (College).

“Nothing was going in the hoop,” she added. “Things weren’t going well at the beginning of the third quarter. She was very good at stealing the ball. We attributed that to being a young girl playing with boys. If wanted to touch the ball, she had to steal it.”

Feathers picked her opponents’ pocket three times in a row and turned them into layups. “That going things going for us,” Susan said. “She did it again in the fourth quarter.”

Jenna also came through in overtime against Central, hitting a big three-pointer to lift the Panthers to victory. There were the state crowns and four District 6 titles.

And there was the night she scored career point no. 1,000 against archrival Indian Valley during the 1997-98 season. “She got it by stealing the ball and going in for a layup,” Susan recalled.

Jenna was a year younger than all-state guard Krista Gingrich and veteran Maggie Johnston. But the trio gelled and put together a run on the hardwood that has been unrivaled.

“We she played with Krista and Maggie, they had a feel of where they were on the court and their style from a very young age,” Susan said.

Despite all the success, Jenna preferred to stay out of the spotlight. “She was uncomfortable talking about herself,” Susan explained. “It was all about the team. When TV-10 wanted to talk to her about her good game, they asked her about the steals she had and the fast-break points, and how crucial it was to get the team going. She just said, ‘But everybody on the team did their part.’”

Jenna was thrust into a leading role when Gingrich was sidelined with a broken foot for 13 games and Johnston was coming off an ACL injury. “Obviously, they were concerned about how Maggie and Krista were doing, but they really focused on pulling together, and not letting their fans down,” Susan said.

“They adored their fans,” she added. “When (Krista and Maggie) got back on the court, it didn’t them long to gel. It was like they didn’t miss a game, off they went.”

The terrific trio had unmatched camaraderie because “the three of them

knew each other too well,” Susan said. “They played off each other very well. Jenna was so very proud to be part of the team.”

Years later, the Jenna Feathers Award is given annually to the top player in Mifflin County. It was an honor that received in 1999. It was later named in her honor after her death.

“They asked me if it would be OK to rename it after her,” Susan said. “Steve and I thought it was a very wonderful tribute.”

The Feathers also established a scholarship fund for a girls basketball player at Lewistown Area High School. “They could it for anything they wanted,” she recalled.

It continued until the Mifflin County high schools merged.

“To me, she was a natural athlete,” Steve said. “She started playing basketball at a very young age. She never gave up and kept driving for her goal.”

Jenna’s gravestone lists all her accolades and awards. It also has a fitting tribute to the fallen Panther: “Some lives go on forever by the hearts and lives they touch.”

For those fortunate enough to have known her, we all miss No. 23.

1996-97 Lewistown Panthers

Schedule/Results

Lewistown (32-0)

Panther Tip-Off Tournament

Lewistown 65, Penn Cambria 37

Lewistown 55, Elkland 48

Lewistown 54, Lock Haven 33

Lewistown 54, Williamsport 31

Lewistown 71, Bellefonte 16

Lewistown 69, Huntingdon 31

Lewistown 73, Bald Eagle Area 31

Lewistown 72, Bishop Guilfoyle 57

Lewistown 68, Tyrone 56

Lewistown 62, Bishop McDevitt 34

Panther Club Holiday Tournament

Lewistown 62, Steelton-Highspire 57

Lewistown 68, University City 47

Lewistown 51, Central 47 (OT)

Lewistown 63, Philipsburg-Osceola 41

Lewistown 58, Indian Valley 41

Lewistown 68, Bellefonte 25

Lewistown 78, Huntingdon 35

Lewistown 69, Bald Eagle Area 24

Lewistown 83, Tyrone 72

Lewistown 62, Williamsport 37

Lewistown 85, Lock Haven 28

Lewistown 74, Central 70 (OT)

Lewistown 79, Philipsburg-Osceola 50

Lewistown 70, Indian Valley 59

District 6 Playoffs

Lewistown 87, Cambria Heights 36

Lewistown 51, Marion Center 33

Lewistown 65, Tyrone 55

PIAA Playoffs

Lewistown 88, Beaver 41

Lewistown 64, West Mifflin 57

Lewistown 64, Central 47

Lewistown 71, Blackhawk 61

Lewistown 53, North Schuylkill 45

Submitted photo

Lewistown players Jenna Feathers (left) and friend Kimberly Kauffman take a photo after helping the Panthers win back-to-back titles.

Submitted photo

Pictured is Lewistown’s 1997 state championship team in girls basketball (1996-97 season.) Seated (from left): Ashley Miear, Krista Gingrich, Sweeta Hutchinson, Maggie Johnston, Mackenzie Moser, Jenna Feathers and Kimberly Maxwell. Standing: Melissa Merrill, Hillary Worley, Andi Zampelli, Enid Dunmire, assistant coach Charlie Funk, head coach Kevin Kodish, assistant coach Ron Mills, scorer Jim Fosselman, Niki Snyder, Heather McElwain, Gina Soccio and Jada Pursel.

Catching up with the Panthers

Column by Sentinel reporter BY GREG WILLIAMS gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

Catching up with the Lewistown girls basketball team – 25 years later.

It’s been 25 years since I dusted off the old files (cleared the cobwebs out of my brain) and dribbled down Memory Lane with the Lewistown Area High School girls basketball team.

When I was starting out as a young sports reporter back in the 1990s, that’s when the Panther girls won back-to-back PIAA Championships. It feels like yesterday, but it’s really been forever and a day. I’ve changed jobs and moved a few times. People change e-mail addresses and phone numbers, so you lose touch. And it’s crazy because you wonder whatever happened to somebody. Now, those players are all grown up.

I’ve stayed in touch a few some folks but I have lost touch with others. Writing about the silver anniversary of the Panthers’ crowns enabled me to catch with where the players are now.

I’ve spoken to Krista

Gingrich over the years and knew she was still in the Durham, N.C., area after playing at Division I Duke University. She is working at the Duke University Medical Center in orthopedics. When Krista was selecting a college and deluged by both the schools and fans wanting to know her final answer. They prayed for Penn State and couldn’t fathom her choice of playing basketball on Tobacco Road for Duke. Gingrich made it clear that her decision was based on academics.

Maggie Johnston headed south to Tampa and is working in finance.

Krista and Maggie – along with the late Jenna Feathers who passed away tragically in 1999 – became household names for Panther fans, who showered the team with love and also Hershey’s Kisses at times. A handful of players wound up in the Virginia-Washington D.C. area as Sweeta Hutchinson is a manager for an athletic apparel company and lives in Arlington, Va., and Rebecca Getz is a stay-at-home mom in Forest, Va. Ashley Miear is in Floyd, Va., and

works as a medical educator for Roanoke Hospital, and Erin Searer is an attorney for Williams and Connelly in D.C. Heather McElwain is the furthest from home as she is a chemistry teacher in Dallas, Texas.

Gina Soccio opened her own bakery in Kent, Ohio, and Melissa Merrill does volunteer work and lives in Pittsburgh. Katie Wear is a human resources director and makes her home in Salisbury, Md.

The remaining Panthers stayed in Pennsylvania. Niki Snyder is a behavioral health technician and lives in Montrose. Kelli Altiery is a sonographer for Penn State Health and now lives in Palmyra, and Heather Wheeler became a clinical dietician and makes her home in Carlisle. Enid Dunmire is now an environmental services manager and moved to Pottstown.

Kimberly Maxwell is an elementary counselor in the Mifflin County School

District but lives in State College. Some have remained in Mifflin County. Mackenzie Moser, Jada Pursel and Hillary Worley all still live in Lewistown, with Haley Knable in McVeytown and Jessy Wear in Reedsville.

Moser is a child resource center specialist for the University of Pittsburgh, while Pursel works for the attorney general’s office and Worley is a probation supervisor. Knable is employed by

photo

Submitted

the United States Postal Service and Wear is a gifted coordinator for the Mifflin County School District. Also, Andi Zampelli works for a wine and spirits importer, but her address is unknown.

Greg Williams is a reporter and Sunday night editor for The Sentinel. A Mifflin County native, he has been writing for The Sentinel since 1991. His column, “Virtually Home,” appears regularly.

Members of the 1997-98 Lewistown Panthers were a close-knit group, as illustrated here during a get-together.

Submitted photo Lewistown product Krista Gingrich (center) went on to play at Division I Duke University and now works as the senior physician assistant in pediatric orthopedics at Duke University Medical Center. She is married with two young boys. She is pictured at Cameron Indoor Stadium (with two former teammates).

Submitted photo

Pictured is the 1997-98 Lewistown girls basketball team. The Panthers won its second straight PIAA Championship during the 1998 postseason. Seated (from left): Katie Wear, Jada Pursel, Kimberly Maxwell, Heather McElwain, Krista Gingrich, Maggie Johnston, Jenna Feathers, Jessy Wear and Heather Wheeler. Standing: Gina Soccio, Hillary Worley, Niki Snyder, Andi Zampelli, scorer Jim Fosselman, assistant coach Charlie Funk, assistant coach Ron Mills, head coach Kevin Kodish, Kelli Altiery, Rebecca Getz, Haley Knable and Erin Searer.

Dippery forms special bond with title teams

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN – One of the Lewistown Panthers’ biggest fans was also one of their youngest and smallest fans.

Five-year-old Taylor

Dippery was courtside at every game with her parents, John and Gwen, during the Panthers’ run to a PIAA Championship during the 1996-97 season.

The fact that Dippery had spina bifida and was bound to a walker at such an early age had not dampened the youngster’s spirit one bit.

Much of Dippery’s admiration was directed to all-state guard Krista Gingrich, who went on to play at Division I Duke University.

“Krista was one of the best players to ever come out of Lewistown,” said Dippery, now age 30 and the head junior varsity girls basketball coach at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg. “My parents used to take me to every game – home and away. It didn’t matter if it was in Altoona or Bald Eagle, we were there. They took me.”

Despite being wheel-

chair bound, she couldn’t be happier being involved with the game she has come to love.

It was hard to miss the enthusiastic Dippery in the front row courtside. Soon enough, Gingrich started coming over to Dippery to share a few words and a hug.

“Taylor was – and is – an inspiration to all of us,” Gingrich said. “She was one of our biggest fans, and I don’t think she missed a game. I remember her always yelling – mostly at the refs – and cheering us on from the sidelines.”

Dippery followed the Panthers through their undefeated run at a PIAA championship. At the state final held at HersheyPark Arena, she attempted to join the Panthers courtside after the game but was blocked by game security.

Fans in the crowd came to her defense, booing security for blocking her path because she “wasn’t staff,” Dippery recalled. Players, including Gingrich, heard the commotion and came over to help her to the floor.

“I guess Krista caught wind of it, and she jumped the barrier and grabbed me out of my parent’s arms,” she added. “She carried me onto the court for the cele-

1997-98 Lewistown Panthers Schedule/Results Lewistown (31-1)

Panther Tip-Off Tournament

Lewistown 77, Williamsport 31

Lewistown 83, Elkland 64

Lewistown 83, Bellefonte 20

Bishop Guilfoyle 65, Lewistown 63

Lewistown 80, Huntingdon 61

Lewistown 82, Bald Eagle Area 39

Lewistown 78, Tyrone 65

Lewistown 89, Bishop McDevitt 32

Lewistown 103, Lock Haven 37

bration.”

Several local TV sports broadcasts showing highlights of the game included Gingrich carrying Dippery.

Dippery was thrilled and a bit overwhelmed at the same time. “At that age, HersheyPark Arena looked like Beaver Stadium to a five-year-old.”

Gingrich gave her pieces for the championships.

“The moment with Taylor I cherish the most happened after our championship game in 1997,” Gingrich said of bringing her onto the court from the stands. “Our whole team was gathered at the end of the court and wanted Taylor to join us.

“When the security guard refused to allow her to cross onto the court, I took it upon myself to jump the security barricade and carried her over to the rest of the team,” she added. “She deserved to experience the celebration with us.”

Dippery’s father worked at the Case-New Holland plant in Belleville and moved to Lancaster. When it closed, the family relocated to Harrisburg after Dippery’s freshman year of high school.

She finished her remaining years of high school at Central Dauphin High School.

Dippery can’t believe a quarter of a century has passed since those magical moments took place. “It seems insane to be honest,” she said of having the time fly by.

Currently, Dippery

Lewistown 61, Hollidaysburg 44

Lewistown 60, Altoona 54

Panther Club Holiday Tournament

Lewistown 85, Everett 63

Lewistown 66, Cranberry 43

Lewistown 78, Central 44

Lewistown 89, Philipsburg-Osceola 46

Lewistown 84, Indian Valley 45 Lewistown 72, Bellefonte 17 Lewistown 97, Huntingdon 49 Lewistown 97, Bald Eagle Area 28

Lewistown 82, Tyrone 44 Lewistown 88, Lock Haven 49

coaches at McDevitt as well as in the AAU ranks.

Gingrich’s niece, Marissa, played for Dippery’s program, albeit at a different age group.

Having Marissa here made the whole thing come fll circle,” Dippery said. “It was pretty cool. Obviously, when Krista played and my parents took me to games,

Lewistown 81, Central 62

that’s what sparked my interest in it. I fell in love with basketball.”

And Dippery has left quite an impression with others, including Gingrich. “She’s still an impression for me to this day, as I help treat pediatric orthopedic issues related to spina bifida,” Gingrich said.

Lewistown 88, Philipsburg-Osceola 38

Lewistown 73, Indian Valley 52

District 6 Playoffs

Lewistown 100, Lock Haven 54

Lewistown 83, Penn Cambria 43

Lewistown 59, Central 42

PIAA Playoffs

Lewistown 94, Seton-LaSalle 44

Lewistown 78, Villa Maria 51

Lewistown 51, Blackhawk 43

Lewistown 59, West Mifflin 35

Lewistown 71, Berwick 57

Submitted photo

Lewistown basketball fan Taylor Dippery is now a JV basketball coach at Bishop McDevitt High School.