City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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Jerry Tiffan sat in the stands at the Giant Center in Hershey three years ago with a unique opportunity.

His youngest daughter Christina was in eighth grade, sitting next to her dad and watching her two older sisters play for the Spring-Ford girls basketball team. His second youngest Katie, then a freshman, sat on the bench throughout the Rams’ title game loss to North Allegheny. His oldest Emily was on the court, putting the final touches on her senior season and basketball career.

It’s the dream type of moment for a parent that happens once in a lifetime — or for the Tiffans twice.

Jerry will be making the trip up to Hershey once again Friday night as the Rams take on Cardinal O’Hara in the PIAA Class 6A championship at 6 p.m.. This time Katie will be finishing her career alongside Christina at the Giant Center. Emily, currently attending Florida Gulf Coast, will have to tune in from afar.

“Obviously any time you have one of your kids (in a state championship) it’s an amazing thing,” Jerry said. “I do remember it as being an amazing experience … but in the back of my mind there was a chance I could see my two youngest girls at the state finals (too). But all the stars have to align in order to make it as far as we have, so it’s really been a blessing just to see them get this far and hopefully enjoy themselves on Friday.”

The Tiffans have been part of the Spring-Ford girls basketball program for seven years now. Christina will make it eight when she returns next winter. 

Emily, a 5-foot-10 forward, was the lone Tiffan for three seasons, starring alongside classmate Lucy Olsen as they won three Pioneer Athletic Conference titles and broke through for the District 1 championship and a run to the state title game as seniors with Katie on the team.

She was considered a defensive stopper, hyperfocused on defense throughout her first few seasons with the Rams before her offensive game came along as a senior.

“I really enjoyed being able to play against the other team’s best player and seeing what I could do against them and I just put a lot of effort into the defensive end because I thought it was really important,” Emily said. “When the team needed me, I really wanted to step up and (my sisters) used to see me do that in high school.”

Spring-Ford coach Mickey McDaniel said the role passed right down to Katie, a 5-11 guard, who’s drawn the matchup of opponents’ top offensive threats throughout the season. Christina, a 5-foot-8 guard, is her heir apparent and subs in when she needs a break.

“I know everyone likes scoring but for me, especially, getting a steal or tip, I like that more than scoring,” Christina said. “Watching Emily, she would always get really excited, and you could tell defense starts it all. Once one person gets a steal the whole offense gets going, and I think Katie took that on.”

The Tiffan sisters and their brother Trey — who went to Malvern Prep and is now a freshman at Elon playing Division I baseball — competed with each other constantly growing up. 

Jerry put a whiteboard up in the garage where they would write down their fastest times through the agility ladder or shots made that day to encourage some sibling competition.

They played other sports too — all three sisters played tennis for the Rams, who Emily helped win a state title  — but basketball was always the most competitive, especially games in the driveway.

That hasn’t changed much.

“There’s a lot more competitiveness between me and Christina because we’re around the same age and a little bit of the same height, and we’re the same position kind of too,” Katie said.

“In practice it’s good for us because we get to play harder against each other and we know how each other plays. It’s fun.”

Emily’s one year with Katie was unique because the three-year age gap kept them from playing together until they got to high school, unlike Christina and Katie who have played together throughout their lives. 

Christina remembers first playing up with Katie and her classmates like Anna Azzara and Mac Pettinelli when she was in third grade. She played up on travel and AAU teams when she could and saw limited minutes on the varsity team when she joined that group at the high school level three years ago.

Friday night will be the culmination of her time on the court with Katie, who will play at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. next winter.

“It’s really nice to be able to play with her and compete every day in practice,” Christina said. “It’s going to be different when it’s over, but we’ll still always have the opportunity to play at the Y and things like that.”

Emily didn’t continue her basketball career after high school, instead recently shifting her athletic focus to body building. She embraced the opportunity to play with Katie during her final season. Though their final game together ended in a state championship loss, she still has fond memories of the trip to Hersehy.

“It was just really cool to be able to share that experience with her,” Emily said. “I wish I was a year younger, just so I could have played a year with both of them because we’re all super close now and I think if all three of us got to play together then it would have been even more special. But just me watching them both play together now, I’m glad that they’re sharing it.”

This is the program’s fourth state championship game trip, winning it all in 2013 before losses in 2014 and 2021. Katie hopes she, Azzara and Pettinelli can go out on top.

Cardinal O’Hara, led by junior Drexel commit Molly Rullo and senior La Salle commit Joanie Quinn, presents a formidable challenge.

“I was there before,” Katie said. “I didn’t get to play in the game, but I feel like being back we have a more comfortable feel.”

“It’s definitely really cool. Sharing that experience with Emily and now with Christina, it’s a good feeling.”

It should feel a little familiar for her father as well as he watches as another one of his kids finish their high school career with their little sister in a state championship game.

“I’m super excited to watch them play together as any parent would be,” Jerry said. “I’m thrilled, obviously, for Katie’s last game at Spring-Ford and for her to be out there on the court with her youngest sister is just great for me as a parent. It’s a very proud moment, humble moment, we’re just really appreciative of Mickey and everybody and the coaches for giving my girls the opportunity. … For seven years, it’s been a very positive experience for all my girls.”