District 2 Boys Recap (Riverside 95, Holy Cross 81)

Written by: Jon K on January 24, 2026

January 22, 2026

Riverside’s Dynamic Duo Keys Road Win over Holy Cross

Riverside 95, Holy Cross 81

DUNMORE – There was a LOT of talent featured on the hardwoods of Holy Cross Thursday evening.  The Crusaders, a perennial juggernaut throughout Lackawanna League Division 2 gyms, found themselves on the short end against a powerhouse opponent that played one of their best games of the entire season.  Riverside’s “Dynamic Duo”, sophomore Division 1 recruit Nico Antoniacci (43 points) and junior Brayden Rose (27 points), are a combo that makes amazing things happen all over the floor and can send opponents reeling.  Whether it’s a triple from way out, a no-look pass for an easy score, grabbing key rebounds, or delighting their fans with a slam dunk – the duo was humming along like the Batmobile and earned a rare road win over the Crusaders, 95-81.  Sock!  Pow!  Zok!  The win keeps Riverside (7-1) within a game of frontrunner Dunmore (8-0).  And while the loss dropped their division mark to 4-4, Holy Cross has finally gotten back to full strength getting incredible efforts from juniors Adam Badyrka (32 points) and CJ Thompson (20 points).  The Crusaders did not fade in the closing moments of this matchup.  These two teams, along with Dunmore and Elk Lake, are going to make the District 2 Class AAA playoff race a must-see this year.

Riverside jumped out to a 10-0 lead through the first 4:45 of the game that featured a slam dunk by Antoniacci and pair of drives to the hoop by Rose.  After Thompson converted a pair of free throws to get Holy Cross on the scoreboard, Badyrka made his own super-hero presence quickly known with back-to-back steals and drives for easy layups over the next 25 seconds to pull his team within four points, 10-6.  Badyrka continued his hot hand with a pair of triples wrapped around scores by Rose (including a slam) cutting it to 14-12.  The Crusaders managed to cut the deficit to 16-15 before Rose scored to end the first period (18-15).

Holy Cross twice cut the gap to a single point after a baseline floater from Colin Farrell (18-17) and again following a drive down the lane by Finn Kennedy (20-19), but that’s as close as they would get the rest of the game.  Antoniacci responded with a strong drive to the hoop for a traditional 3-point play followed by a steal and slam.  It was the start of a game-changing 25-12 run through the remainder of the period.  And the Vikings clearly proved that they are much more than a two-man team as they got Jared Jackson into the offensive flow with a pair of inside scores and strong contributions from Michael Schimefenig.  After being red-hot in the first eight minutes, Badyrka was held scoreless in the second quarter.  Antoniacci and Rose combined for 35 of Riverside’s 45 first half points as the Vikes took a 14-point (45-31) lead into the locker room.   

The two teams played even through the second half with the Riverside lead growing to as many as 18 points (62-44) in the third quarter.  The Crusaders maintained their intensity but we not able to cut to gap below ten points.  Antoniacci netted three more triples over a three-minute span while Thompson and Badyrka combined for 21 of the Holy Cross 28 points in the period.  Riverside took a 72-59 lead into the final stanza.

Farrell brought the Crusaders within 76-66 after his triple and basket off a Riverside turnover.  The Vikes responded with a 5-0 run with an inside score by Kyle Connor and triple by Antoniacci to make 81-66 approaching the middle of the quarter.  Riverside doused any opportunity of a late comeback as they got inside scores from Antoniacci and Jackson plus a baseline triple from Rose to go up by 17 points on their way to a 95-81 victory.    

Riverside was led by Nico Antoniacci with 43 points and Brayden Rose with 27 points.  Jared Jacken added 14 points.  Michael Schimefenig and Kyle Conney combined for 11 points.  The Vikings netted 8 triples and converted 5 of 11 free throw opportunities.

Holy Cross was paced by Adam Badyrka with 32 points and CJ Thompson with 20 points.  Jack Alpert, Finn Kennedy, Colin Farrell, Colin Rittenbusch, and Aiden Hughes teamed up for 29 points.  The Crusaders hit 11 triples and made 18 of 23 free throws.

Both team are back in action Monday night as Riverside (8-0) hosts Mid Valley (3-5) and Holy Cross (4-4) travels to Old Forge (6-2).   

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