Old Forge’s Logan Fanning aims for the hoop during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Ryan Demarco shoots during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Robby Solfanelli shoots during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Arthur Askew prepares to take a shot during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker signals to his teammates during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge players walk to the locker room after defeating East Juniata in the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s head coach JJ Thomas talks to player Ayden Aversa during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Jared Williams holds the ball during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
East Juniata’s Jaiden May defends Old Forge’s Ryan Demarco during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge fans cheer on their team during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The Blue Devils’ bench cheers as their team scores against East Juniata during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Old Forge’s Logan Fanning aims for the hoop during the PIAA first round basketball game at Old Forge High School in Old Forge on Saturday, March 07, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
OLD FORGE – Simply put, if you don’t miss a shot, you can’t lose.
For a stretch Saturday afternoon, it looked like Old Forge wasn’t going to miss.
Yes, the Blue Devils did end up with some blemishes against East Juniata in its PIAA Class 2A boys’ basketball opener.
But not many.
Cameron Parker scored 13 in the first quarter, Logan Fanning matched his teammate in the second, and Old Forge set the nets on fire in a 79-37 victory over the District 4 third-placer to advance into the PIAA second round Wednesday.
“It feels amazing when you see that everything is going in. The confidence just keeps building, not just for me, but the whole team,” Parker said. “For the last four years, I’ve been part of this program, and it’s meant so much to me. It was special to play here one last time. We made a lot of memories. I am so grateful for this experience.”
The victory sets up a date with District 1 champ Delco Christian, which beat District 12 third-placer Vaux on Saturday. The teams met last season in the same spot of the postseason with the Blue Devils coming home with a 59-52 win.
“It’s win or go home at this point,” Fanning said. “You have to play every game like its the last one because any team is dangerous at this point of the game. You can’t take anyone lightly. We know they are looking for revenge and will be hungry. We are also hungry. It’s going to be a great game.”
It was like wash, rinse, repeat for the Blue Devils’ offense.
Release the shot. Watch it fly. See it rip nylon.
Over and over.
Old Forge (19-6) made its first nine shots from inside the 3-point arc, and only missed one 2-pointer in the first quarter.
Most of those came off the hands of Parker, who finished with a game-high 24 points. He buried wing 3-pointers, slashed in the lane for mid-range jumpers, and blew by defenders on the baseline with ease.
It was a Parker layup off a Tigers turnover, followed by a pull-up, mid-range jumper that gave Old Forge a 12-2 edge early before the Blue Devils stretched it out to 25-10 at the end of the first quarter.
“The message that we deliver as coaches is that you can’t worry about who the opponent is,” Old Forge coach J.J. Thomas said. “We are more worried about ourselves, and just getting better every day. We know if we play our style and play our game, that’s going to give us the best possible chance to win. We will watch some film, and look at statistics. But in the end, it’s about us playing our style and our game.”
The good news for East Juniata (10-16) was that Parker didn’t net 13 in the second quarter.
The bad news was Fanning did.
The center pulled down three offensive rebounds for putbacks, and continually battered the undersized Tigers inside, sparking a 19-4 run as Old Forge began to pull away, leading 42-14.
Fanning finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
“We trust each other so much, and getting that momentum going early is super important for us,” Fanning said. “When shots are falling, we are going to keep pushing in transition and letting them go. The second was a good quarter for me, getting a lot of stuff around the rim. It feels good to get every layup to fall right now.”
It was a half to remember as the District 2 champ finished 23 of 33 from the floor with six of those misses coming from 3-point range.
Quite a way for the five starting seniors to end their final game inside the Blue Devils’ gymnasium.
“Really, today was a testament to their hard work and their dedication,” Thomas said. “I told the guys in the locker room that it’s an honor and a privilege to coach this group. This is a group that comes around once every 20 years, and I’m really happy for them. All their hard work is paying off.”
That’s the motivation for the quintet of senior starters. Forget the opponents’ record, and take no one lightly.
Because one loss ends an impressive run throughout their high-school years, and forces the blue and gold jerseys to be put away for good.
“We’ve been playing together a whole lot, and for a long time,” Parker said. “Every time we step on the court, we just have so much fun playing the game together. And that never stopped from age eight to age 18. It’s always been fun playing with these guys.”
Two 3-pointers by Cam Krushnowski pushed the game into the mercy rule early in the third quarter. Wrett Smith and Sam Kopacki combined for 30 of the Tigers’ 37 points, with Smith netting 20.
“It’s a great way to start the playoffs. We are all seniors, so this was our last time playing here,” Fanning said. “We knew we wanted to come out and put on a show for everyone.”
Delaware Valley 56, Abington 54: At Delaware Valley, the District 2 champions continued their exciting playoff run with a dramatic 56-54 win over Abington in overtime in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament.
Sam Wood had an offensive putback off a missed shot at the buzzer for the win.
It was Delaware Valley’s first state-playoff win since 2012.
Trey Newton scored 30 points to lead Delaware Valley, which also won the District 2 Class 6A championship with an overtime win over Wilkes-Barre Area.
Colin McGarvey finished with eight points, and Sam Wood had seven for the Warriors, who advance to play District 11 champion Parkland (23-6) on Wednesday in the second round.