Pictured above: Frankie Antoniacci
When captains from all around District 2 gathered for the Coaches vs. Cancer Media Day Nov. 27 at Riverfront Sports in Scranton, Riverside’s Frankie Antoniacci and Dunmore’s Cadie Lewis won the 3-Point Contest as the day’s most accurate long-range shooters.
With the Dunmore girls the last basketball team in District 2 to open its season, Lewis will need to wait to try to translate that success into game action.
Antoniacci put his shooting proficiency right to work.
The Riverside senior scored his first points from beyond the arc, added another 3-pointer before the first quarter was over and hit a third during the third quarter when he finished off his 28-point effort that carried the Vikings past host Wyoming Valley West, 63-46, Friday on opening night on the basketball season.
Matthew Godlewski and Connor Monahan took turns supporting Antoniacci’s lead, scoring 11 each.
Antoniacci scored 11 points in the first quarter when he sandwiched the two 3-pointers around a three-point play, then added another basket.
Godlewski had the other five points as Riverside took a 16-4 lead.
Monahan scored his 11 points in the middle quarters, then Godlewski had six in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings stretched their 31-17 halftime lead to 50-27 when Antoniacci went 4-for-5 from the line while scoring 13 points in the third quarter. Monahan had the other six points.
Emmanuel Lewis led the Spartans with 14 points, including 9 in the fourth quarter. Zach Konopke added 10.
While Riverside was racking up an impressive road romp, many of Friday’s season openers were close.
Of the 15 games involving District 2 teams, 6 were decided by 5 points or less. There was a one-point game, a pair of two-pointers and two more decided by three.
In other Friday non-league games:
Scranton Prep 59, Tunkhannock 56
James Pettinato hit five 3-pointers while scoring 27 points and Kellen Casey drained his second for what proved to be the game-winning basket, completing a Scranton Prep comeback.
The host Cavaliers faced double-figures deficits in each of the first three quarters and still trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter of the game between ranked teams.
Tunkhannock is No. 4 and Scranton Prep No. 6 among Big Schools in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams.
Scranton Prep caught up by the midway point of the fourth quarter and the teams traded the lead the rest of the way, including in the final minute.
Dylan Mateus, who led Tunkhannock with four 3-pointers and 18 points, hit from long range on the right for a 56-54 lead with 53 seconds left.
Casey, who finished with 12 points, answered from the left corner with 36 seconds left to put the Cavaliers ahead to stay.
Tunkhannock had two shots at the lead before Pettinato was fouled while clearing a defensive rebound with 9.1 seconds left. He made both shots for the three-point margin.
Tunkhannock had a shot at the tying 3-pointer with about four seconds left, but the shot bounced off the rim and Casey secured the final rebound about a second before the buzzer.
Ben Chilson added 13 points and Shane Macko 11 for Tunkhannock.
Scranton Prep outscored Tunkhannock at the line, going 13-for-15 on free throws.
Scranton 53, Crestwood 45
Dillon Lazdowsky scored 18 points and Kole Conforti added 15 as defending Lackawanna League Division 1 and District 2-4 Class 6A champion Scranton won at Crestwood.
The teams were tied after the first quarter and at halftime before Lazdowsky and Conforti hit two 3-pointers each in the third quarter when the Knights took a 37-32 lead.
Chaz Wright scored 13 points while Drew Sechleer and Brandon Burbank added 10 each for the Comets.
Nanticoke 50, North Pocono 48
Liam Mullery received an in-bounds and hit a difficult, turnaround, off-balance jumper from more than 15 feet out on the left wing as time expired to lift Nanticoke over visiting North Pocono.
Jaidyn Johnson led the Trojans with 23 points. Gavin Turak added 10 points.
A.J. Nemitz had 16 points to lead North Pocono.
Allentown Dieruff 50, Hazleton Area 49
Hazleton Area trailed after each of the first three quarters on the road before coming back from six down in the fourth quarter to lead in the final minute.
Xion Chapman’s layup with 28 seconds gave Dieruff the win.
Chris Catrone led the Cougars with 16 points.
Mountain View 51, MMI Prep 48
Jackson Gesford scored 15 points as the Eagles picked up the win in the second game of the girls-boys doubleheader that they hosted.
Gesford had a steal for a layup and hit a 3-pointer in the last two minutes of the third quarter to give the Eagles a lead going to the fourth.
MORE FRIDAY BOYS COVERAGE
Holy Redeemer vs. Wilkes-Barre Area: Holy Redeemer speeds into final – NEPA Sports Nation.
Mid Valley vs. Bethlehem Freedom: Freedom holds off Mid Valley – NEPA Sports Nation.
Carbondale vs. Elk Lake: Allen leads Wallace Game victory – NEPA Sports Nation.
Susquehanna-Bradford County Challenge: Raiders roll with 30-point quarter – NEPA Sports Nation.
New coaches win at Wyoming Seminary, Montrose: Rivas, Ortiz win in coaching debuts – NEPA Sports Nation.
