Dunmore’s Luke Franek (35) and Carter Coyle (2) defend Riverside’s Mikey Schimelfenig during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Brayden Rose moves the ball up the court during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Mikey Schimelfenig defends Dunmore’s Carter Sload during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Jared Jackson goes up for a shot during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Nico Antoniacci celebrates with teammate Jared Jackson during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark defends Riverside’s Kyle Connor during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Brayden Rose jumps toward the hoop during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Nico Antoniacci shoots during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Brayden Rose goes up for a shot between Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark (12) and Carter Sload (10) during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan takes a shot against Riverside during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Nate Aviles brings the ball up the court during the game against Riverside at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan goes up for shot during the game against Riverside at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan drives between two Riverside defenders during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Nico Antoniacci passes the ball from the floor during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s head coach Mark Finan talks to his players during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside fans celebrate their team’s win over Dunmore at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Dunmore’s Luke Franek (35) and Carter Coyle (2) defend Riverside’s Mikey Schimelfenig during the game at Dunmore High School on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
DUNMORE — Brayden Rose and Nico Antoniacci made sure the only celebrating that took place would be on the Riverside sideline and in the team locker room.
Driven by an upset loss three weeks ago, Rose and Antoniacci combined for 72 points and powered the second-ranked Vikings to an overwhelming 88-71 win over No. 1 Dunmore on Thursday night in a Lackawanna League boys basketball game.
As it did in the first meeting, the matchup between two explosive offenses drew a sold-out crowd to the Dunmore High School gymnasium. The teams put on a show, and ultimately, the one-two combination of Rose and Antoniacci was too much.
Riverside improved to 17-1 overall and 8-1 in the division. The Vikings also forced a tie for first place with Dunmore (15-2, 8-1) in the standings.
“It is a huge win for us,” said Rose, who scored 41 points and grabbed six rebounds for Riverside. “They beat us the first time. That is our only loss. It feels good to come back and beat them.”
Riverside’s high-powered attack pressed the gas after the opening tip and never decelerated.
Throughout an up-and-down, fast-paced first half, Rose made athletic moves to the basket, attacked the rim, and drained a couple of 3-pointers. In the first quarter, the junior scored 16 points on 6 of 7 shots with a pair of free throws. His intense start helped the Vikings build a 23-14 lead.
“It was nice to get going,” said Rose, who scored 71 points in the two games against Dunmore. “We had to calm down in the beginning. It was a tough crowd. The energy was high. We put points on the board and were able to win the game.
“I had confidence knocking down the shots, getting downhill, and finishing through the contact.”
Dunmore has some firepower of its own. Brayden Canavan and Jimmy Clark rallied the Bucks by combining for 13 points. Carter Sload broke away for a dunk on a fast break that gave Dunmore a 32-30 lead in the final two minutes of the first half.
However, Antoniacci and Rose answered, and Riverside had a 36-34 lead at the break.
After scoring seven points in the first half, Antoniacci turned up his intensity. He pumped in 13 points in the third quarter — all during a 21-4 surge. Michael Schimelfenig started the run with a putback, Rose had a 3-pointer and Max Jackson also had a 3-pointer for the Vikings, who built a 63-43 lead.
“(Nate) Aviles did a great job of not letting me touch the ball in the first half,” said Antonacci, who had 24 of his 31 points in the second half. “I had to keep my composure at halftime and settle in. I had to use a screener to open things up for me.”
In the third, Dunmore struggled from the outside. The Bucks made only 1 of 7 3-pointers in the quarter, and they had only 11 points.
Still, Clark, Canavan, Sload, and Aviles tried to make a charge at the Vikings. Clark scored five points, Sload drilled a 3-pointer, Canavan connected on three free throws, and the Bucks pulled within 68-56.
Riverside slammed the door. Antoniacci scored five, converting a three-point play, and Rose, who now has 966 points in his career, had four, putting the finishing touches on his night before fouling out as the Vikings built a 75-56 advantage.
“Brayden and I have been playing together our whole lives,” Antoniacci said. “We know where we are going to be on the floor at all times. We just find each other, and that builds energy for us.”
Dunmore closed the gap to 81-71 on baskets from Clark and Aviles, but the Vikings closed out the game with Kyle Connor and Jared Jackson providing a 7-0 run at the finish.
Clark finished with 27 points with seven 3-pointers. Canavan had 23 points and Aviles had 12 to lead Dunmore.
In addition to his 31 points, Antoniacci had seven rebounds and three assists.
“This is a big win for us,” Antoniacci said. “This balances everything out with Dunmore and us in the league. You could see the emotion in our locker room after the game. This win meant the world to us.”