(Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment in a series of articles about the 1994-1995 Bradford boys basketball team, which finished 27-1 and made the Western Semifinals of the PIAA state tournament.)

History wasn’t on Bradford’s side as the Owls geared up for the state playoffs.

Losers of 12 straight PIAA games, including a heartbreaking 72-70 decision against General McLane in 1994, Bradford hadn’t won a game past the District 9 postseason since 1969.

However, the Owls were eager for the chance to reverse their fortunes a year later, and the community was ready to rally behind the cause.

“Owls Mania around the town and in the school was at a fever pitch at that point,” head coach Dave Fuhrman said. “Store fronts in town were decorated, people lined the streets… That was the best thing about the whole thing is how the community got behind the team.”

And so with the community’s support — and with ‘Hoosiers’ playing on the bus to inspire the players during the trip down to Clarion — the Owls were ready to foray into their first-round matchup with Uniontown, the 8-seed from the WPIAL.

Things certainly weren’t easy for Bradford. After battling back and forth with Uniontown for most of the game, the Owls trailed by five midway through the fourth quarter — a familiar situation for a team that had rallied past Elk Christian a few weeks prior.

“This was one that didn’t have a lot of flow to it. There were 49 total fouls and 58 free throws, so it was kind of choppy with lots of whistles and stoppages,” Fuhrman noted.

And that played into Uniontown’s hands, as the Red Raiders featured a frontcourt that had more size, but not as much endurance or speed.

Still, the Owls once again managed to circle the wagons, thanks in large part to converting multiple and-1 opportunities. Jerry Burgos and Mike Manning each drew fouls on layups and sank their free throws, as the Owls rallied back to take a 59-55 lead late in the game, a margin Bradford held onto for a 65-61 victory, its first state win in 26 years.

“Our guys in the last four minutes, when they really had to, they stepped up and made big plays,” Fuhrman recalled. “They were bound and determined to change that state playoff record, and fortunately they did.”

For as exciting and historic as the win was, it paled in comparison to what happened in the next round.

After earning their first state win in decades, the Owls next faced the No. 1-ranked team in the state of Pennsylvania: the McKeesport Tigers. Once again, the game would be at Clarion University.

“Our guys, I think in the back of their minds, knew we’d get them and really wanted that challenge,” Fuhrman said.

He added, “On the bus ride down, you couldn’t hear a peep. The kids were very focused. It almost felt like we were living (“Hoosiers”) — the small rural town was going to play the big city team.”

This time, though, the Owls found themselves in an unfamiliar position, facing an 11-point halftime deficit. Bradford had initially gone toe-to-toe with McKeesport before foul troubles allowed the Tigers to end the half on an 8-0 run.

“We went into the locker room, and these kids, to their credit, never got rattled,” Fuhrman said. “We said coming out in the second half, that first couple minutes, we’d have to cut into the lead and have it down into single digits so we’re within striking distance going into the fourth.”

In a third quarter defined by runs, the Owls did trim their deficit down to eight, setting up what had to be their best fourth quarter effort of the season if they were to win.

And that’s just what the Owls did. Led by Burgos, Manning and junior Nate Willson, the Owls rallied to tie the game at 69 with 1:12 to play.

After an empty McKeesport possession, Manning hit a pair of free throws, which proved to be the decisive points in the game.

“We were going to hold the ball for the last shot, but Mike got fouled with 24 seconds to go and made both,” Fuhrman recalled.

On their final possession, the Tigers missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, and Jason Wells came down with the rebound to seal what still stands as the greatest win in the history of Owl basketball. The victory moved Bradford to 27-0, and also put the rest of the state on notice.

“These guys had shown they could come back in games past, and I had no doubt they’d come back this time, too,” Fuhrman said, adding, “That was such a great atmosphere that night. I think there were more than 4,000 people at the game. It felt like 200 degrees in the gym, but that was the best basketball atmosphere I ever coached in and the most intense game I was ever involved in.”

Awaiting Bradford in the next round was the Butler Golden Tornado, which defeated Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic by two to advance to the game.

“We knew Butler was a quality team, because you don’t get to the Western Semis unless you’re good,” Fuhrman said.

The Golden Tornado, which entered at 22-7, proved as much, as the teams battled evenly before Bradford took a 38-30 lead in the third quarter, prompting a Butler timeout. The Owls sensed it was their time to put the game away.

“We had a real chance to take control,” Fuhrman said.

Instead, Butler battled back to trim Bradford’s lead to four, 42-38, entering the fourth quarter.

“We had some empty trips where we didn’t score when we had the chance to take control, and that was the story,” Fuhrman said.

In the fourth, the teams traded the lead until late in the game when Butler took a 59-58 lead with about 20 seconds to go, prompting an Owl timeout.

“They had played us man the whole game, so we were pretty much sure they’d come out and stay with their bread and butter,” Fuhrman said. “We wanted to get something going to the basket being down one. We tried to get Burgos isolated on one side of the floor and let him take the ball to the basket, but they stopped that.”

Instead, Manning caught the ball at the top of the key, and drove down the right side of a wide-open lane for a layup. Just as he was coming into the post, Butler’s Chris Barnes left his man in the corner to collapse on the play.

The two collided, but Manning sank his layup.

“I wasn’t one to take it to the hoop, I never was. I was just a different type of player,” Manning said. “But I tell you what, I got the ball and the lane was wide open. There was nobody between the hoop and me, so I drove down the lane. To me, I put it up and it went in, it was as simple as that.”

What happened next, however, remains a sore spot in BAHS history. Manning’s layup was negated, as the official near the play whistled him for a controversial charging call.

“I was really shocked there was any call at all,” Manning said. “Afterward, I still believed we’d still come out on top. I grabbed (Burgos) and said we have to get the ball; it’s not supposed to end like this.”

It was, however, exactly how things ended for the Owls. In the final 4.5 seconds, Butler hit a pair of free throws and Bradford never managed to tie things up again, ending the 1994-1995 dream season with a 61-58 loss and a 27-1 record mired in controversy.

“I would liken the effects of the charge call to a gut punch that leaves you gasping for air,” Fuhrman said, adding, “It’s a very tough call; I just think you let the kids decide the game. It was a tough way for the season to end, no doubt about it.”

However, Fuhrman acknowledged, “It shouldn’t have come down to that. We had opportunities to win the game… We did a few things earlier in the game to make it come down to the last possession when we shouldn’t have.”

And that loss leaves the Owls still wondering “what if” today. Butler was narrowly eliminated a round later by Ringgold, 63-55, in a game Bradford likely would’ve been competitive in.

Fuhrman concluded, “You always wonder what would’ve been if these kids had the opportunity to move on.”