(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio, photo by Mark Peterson)

Beaver Falls has had a long tradition of success on the high school hardwood, winning four state championships in boys’ basketball (1970, 1994, 2005, 2013) and a fifth in girls’ basketball (1985). But the tradition can be traced back to the late 1970s, where a pair of men who will be honored this weekend made Tiger Basketball a formidable program.

Those two men were Alvin Gibson from the Class of 1977, and Dwight Collins from the Class of 1979; both of whom will be inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club in 2022. Steve Higgins from the Larry Bruno Foundation joined Matt Drzik to talk about the induction of Gibson and Collins on the February 4 edition of A.M. Beaver County, citing these men as anchors for solidifying the Beaver Falls name in the WPIAL.

Higgins pinpointed a game in the 1977 season where Gibson scored 33 points against Brashear, and the Tigers would continue on to a 26-3 season and a silver medal in the WPIAL (losing the championship to Fox Chapel). Collins, in his senior year of 1979, would lead the Tigers to the Class AAA basketball title. Beaver Falls would be champions again in 1980; their third under legendary coach Frank Chan, whom Gibson and Collins will join in the PBC.

To hear the full interview with Steve Higgins, click on the player below!