Tyrone’s Don Wagner and Jim Bigelow, playing for the Penn Warriors of Carlisle, won the state Three-on-three basketball championship in the 65-70 age bracket at Shippensburg University in June 26. The Warriors, repeating as state champions, have now earned the right to represent Pennsylvania in the National Games at Louisville, Kentucky in the summer of 2–7.
The Warriors defeated Lebanon in the championship series. In 2003, in Norfolk, Virginia, with Wagner and Bigelow, the Warriors finished fourth in the National Games, the highest finish ever for a Pennsylvania team.
Bigelow also won gold medals in foul shooting, hit shot, and long and short shooting plus a silver medal in three-point shooting in the 65-70 age bracket at the Pennsylvania Senior Games at Shippensburg University, on June 25.
Bigelow is the only man in the competition in all age groups to win five total medals and the only man to win four gold medals. In a remarkable exhibition of shooting, in the four events, Bigelow connected on 43 out of 46 attempts for a 93 percent effort.
Amateur senior athletes come from all corners of the Commonwealth to compete in Pennsylvania’s largest senior amateur sports festival. The Pennsylvania Senior Games, patterned after the Olympic Games, afford the senior athletes the opportunity to participate for gold, silver and bronze medals in: archery, basketball, shooting, 3X3 basketball tournament, bocce, bowling, casting, darts, football throw, horseshoes, racketball, shuffleboard, softball throw, softball team tournament, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field and a volleyball tournament.
