Success came early in the high school careers of Craig Fleming, Sarah Grazier and Meagan DelBaggio.
All three filled important roles on their respective teams in their first varsity seasons and all three were recognized as offensive forces capable of taking over a game well before they were seniors.
But early success often is accompanied by disappointment, and Grazier, DelBaggio and Fleming were no strangers to that, either.
When Fleming was a junior in 1988-89, he averaged 19 points per game and won the Mountain League scoring title, but the Eagles struggled through a 7-17 season. DelBaggio and Grazier were Mountain League all-stars in their sophomore and junior seasons from 1994-96, but it wasn’t enough to get the Lady Eagles victories against the league’s top-tier teams.
The group’s perseverance, more than statistics, may be its most impressive attribute.
All three will be inducted into the Tyrone Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday at Tyrone Area High School. The ceremony will take place following the game between the Tyrone Lady Eagles and the Central Lady Dragons, which begins at 5 p.m. Tyrone’s boys will face Central after the ceremony.
It is the fourth class to be inducted into the TAHS Basketball Hall of Fame and Saturday’s ceremony will mark the first time men’s and women’s inductions have taken place on the same night.
As a group, Fleming, Grazier and DelBaggio combined for over 2,600 points and eight spots on Mountain League all-star teams during their careers at Tyrone. Grazier is the girls all-time leading scorer with 1,562 points, DelBaggio is eighth with 1,093 and Fleming is fifth on the boys list with 1,028.
But it wasn’t until late in their careers that their teams were appreciated in the same light that they
were as individuals.
Following Tyrone’s dreadful finish in 88-89, the Golden Eagles, led by Fleming’s 16 points per game, finished the season 25-4, including an 18-0 run in the Mountain League, and advanced to the second round of the PIAA playoffs in 1989-90.
Teammates Grazier and DelBaggio never experienced a rock-bottom season, but during their sophomore and junior campaigns the Lady Eagles were rarely able to compete with the best of the best in the Mountain League. That ended at the end of their junior years when they defeated league nemesis Central in the District 6-AAA consolation game and advanced to the PIAA playoffs. The next season, Tyrone went all the way to the District finals and won the program’s only Inter-District playoff game.
The group’s ability to stay focused on team goals during times of turmoil, combined with their impressive individual numbers, allowed them ultimately to be recognized as outstanding individuals who led outstanding teams.
Along with her school record career-point total, Grazier also holds the TAHS girls records for points in a season (562), free throws made in a game (18), free throws made in a career (335) and career free throw percentage (70 %). She averaged 14.7 points per game for her career and remains the only TAHS player, male or female, to reach the 1,000-point plateau as a junior. She was named to the Mountain League all-star team in her career three times, once on the first team in 1996-97.
DelBaggio was named to the All-Mountain League second team in three consecutive seasons from 1995-97 and is second on the Lady Eagles all-time list for three-pointers in a season and a career. She connected on 50 percent of her shots from the floor in 102 varsity games.
Along with his scoring title, Fleming was named to the All-Mountain League second team in 1988-89 and was the league MVP in 1989-90. He ranks first in the TAHS boys record book in three-pointers in a game (5), season (44) and career.
The trio joins a distinguished group already inducted into the Hall, which was formed in 1999-2000. Barb Miller-Gilliland, Ashley Norris, Nick Leasure, Bill Baker and Doug Fern were members of the inaugural class, while Gendie Haverstein, Tobie Haverstein, Bill Bickel and Bill Gerhart were inducted a year later. Jennifer Diehl was the lone inductee last year.
Following the games, Golden Eagle fans and supporters are invited to attend a reception for the inductees at the Bull Pen Restaurant.
