BETHLEHEM — Nico Antoniacci gave everything he had to try and will his team to victory.
Brayden Rose sacrificed his body, leaping over the scorer’s table, landing hard and hitting his head on a post. Jared Jackson gave a physical battle on the boards. Seniors Mikey Schimelfenig and Kyle Connor fought and scrapped for every loose ball, desperate to keep their final season alive.
Riverside players left everything out on the court at Bethlehem Liberty High School.
On this day, however, the Vikings’ grit and determination could not conquer the talent and speed of the defending PIAA Class 3A champion, West Catholic.
Antoniacci scored 36 points, and Rose added 10. Schimelfenig scored four and had four rebounds and two assists. Connor had three offensive rebounds. Jackson led the team with eight rebounds.
Rakim Johnson led West Catholic (15-12) with 20 points, and Kingston Wheatley added 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“I told coach (Josh Aniska), no matter what defense they threw at me, I was going to make shots,” said Antoniacci, a sophomore who will continue to collect NCAA Division I offers. “They sent double teams, and I split them to make some 3s.
“I love this senior class. They left it on the court every single night. I will miss playing with them. I wanted to get it done for them; unfortunately, I couldn’t.”
Riverside players, after a collective shout of “family” in the previously silent locker room, held their heads high, proud of a memorable 25-2 season.
“We are guys who have the heart, and every game we played, we gave it all we had,” Rose, a junior, said. “That’s why we are a family. It stinks to go out this way, but we are happy with what we accomplished this year.
West Catholic, which ended Riverside’s and Holy Cross’ seasons last year, got off to a fast start and maintained a lead throughout the entire game.
Nyeire Farlow buried two early 3-pointers to help West Catholic build a 15-7 lead. Rose and Antoniacci injected life into the team and the fans by scoring four straight to get to 15-11. Schimelfenig hit a layup off an assist from Rose to start the second, and the Vikings had some momentum.
“When we were down, I did everything I could to get to loose balls, just anything to get us some momentum,” Schimefenig said. “This was a great year, and this is one of the best teams at Riverside ever, so it was special to be a part of it.”
West Catholic, as it did all game, had an answer. The quickness fueled a 6-2 surge for a 21-15 lead. Rose and Antoniacci came right back with four, but so too did the Burrs as the see-saw second quarter became intense.
On West Catholic’s final possession, holding for a final shot, Antoniacci made a steal and layup that brought the fans to their feet and brought Riverside to within 27-24.
That carried over to the third quarter. Rose and Antoniacci finally pulled the Vikings even at 27-27. After a technical foul call on West Catholic, Antoniacci’s two free throws tied the game again at 30, and after guard Rakim Johnson made three free throws for West Catholic, Antoniacci drilled a 3-pointer, one of his five in the game, on an offensive rebound and assist from Connor, to lock it up at 33 with 2:20 in the third quarter.
“Coming into this season, we knew that we were undersized,” said Connor, who had four rebounds. “We had a lot of heart out there. I am so proud of how much effort we put in. We worked hard and have no regrets.”
West Catholic responded with an 8-2 closeout of the quarter that put it back in control, 41-35. The lead increased with three straight points to start the fourth.
That’s when Antoniacci started launching 3-pointers and making plays, trying to get the Vikings back in the game.
He had all 15 points for the Vikings in the fourth quarter. However, to make a run at the lead, Riverside had to foul. Johnson made 6 of 10, and Jayden Ortiz-Muhammed finished the game going 4 for 4 to hold off Riverside.
Antoniacci finished his sophomore season with 1,383 career points.
“This was a great group of guys,” Antoniacci said. “We got the league title. We got the district title. We made a great state run. We have a lot to be proud of. We have to focus on the offseason now, and I am going to work hard to be better than I was this season.”