Story byThe Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa. Mike Mastovich, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa. Wed, December 31, 2025 at 11:35 PM UTC·4 min readThe Westmont Hilltop High School boys basketball program recognized its all-time leading scorer, Gary Pagano, before Tuesday’s championship game in the Hilltopper Classic. Pagano, 73, scored 1,968 career points in three seasons before his 1970 graduation. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-foot-2 guard tallied 705 points as a senior on a 24-2 team. Fifty-five years have passed since he played, but Pagano provided the current Hilltoppers with sound advice during a locker room chat.“I told them, ‘I’m here tonight to celebrate my memories,’ ” Pagano said. “I just told them to go out and make their memories. ‘Just play as hard as you can, and give everything you can, every game that you have because those go quickly, and suddenly, you’re graduating.
