Walking toward the gymnasium in the bitter cold of a late January night, fans called out to those en route that the game had sold out.
It was more than an hour before the tip-off of the Riverside at Dunmore boys basketball game at Dunmore High School.
Inside, as the junior varsity players were battling, fans crammed into the bleachers, shoulder-to-shoulder. Student sections were decked out and eager to support their classmates in the most anticipated game of the Lackawanna League season.
The scene has played out at numerous venues across Northeast Pennsylvania this winter. Interest in scholastic basketball is at a fever pitch.
Riverside’s dynamic duo of Nico Antoniacci and Brayden Rose is like a traveling circus. They are the main attraction wherever they perform and are worth the price of admission.
Competition within the divisions is intense as talented teams are duking it out for championships.
Teams are playing an exciting brand of basketball. Scoring is up, athletic players are racing up and down the floor, and few are hesitant to launch from the 3-point line.
The pace of of the games more resembles what young people see from their favorite college and professional teams.
It is an exciting time and likely to create more energy as teams embark on the postseason.
“I think the increased scoring is due to several things,” Riverside coach Josh Aniska said. “The pace of play has increased. The individual skill level of the players in our area has developed exponentially from where it was 10 years ago. It is becoming difficult to defend the teams and players in the league. It starts with the spacing on the floor, and it seems like there are a lot more players who can dribble, pass and shoot well.”
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2025-26 Lackawanna League Basketball
2025-26 Lackawanna League Basketball
2025-26 Lackawanna League Scoring
Riverside’s win over Dunmore was a back-and-forth clash played at lightning speed. It embodied the style that many teams have adopted.
Teams in the Lackawanna League have historically had success with a methodical approach. Coaches stressed a commitment to fundamentals and defense. It worked well.
Bishop Hannan legend Gerry McNamara ushered in a change when he brought an intense approach and a skillset honed through highly competitive games on the AAU circuit.
So many more players now, more than 20 years later, have followed his lead. Those travel team games are up-tempo, and to succeed requires aspiring players to sharpen their abilities.
Playing that way through the spring and summer has oozed into the high school game.
Riverside and its high-scoring offense are at the forefront, averaging 74.1 points per game.
With Antoniacci and Rose filling it up, Riverside scored more than 90 points in two games this season. In addition, the Vikings have three more games with more than 80 points, including the 88-71 win over the Bucks.
Riverside averaged 85.8 points in its last four games.
The Bucks light up the scoreboard at a 72.5 points-per-game clip. They have knocked on the door of 100 points with 96 against Holy Cross and 97 in a win over Honesdale.
Holy Cross, with its starting lineup intact, scored more than 80 points in two of its last four games.
Division I leader Abington Heights was averaging 63.6 points per game heading into Saturday’s game against Scranton. Their resume includes two games where they scored 84 points.
Scranton Prep is scoring 68.1 points per game. The Cavaliers scored 87 points in a win over North Pocono last Thursday. They had 91 points in a recent win over Executive Education Academy and also surpassed 80 points in a loss to Cathedral Prep on opening night.
Elk Lake scored 70 or more points four times this season, while Susquehanna scored a season-high 85 points in a win over Montrose and has three other games with more than 70 points.
“Sometimes the best defense is to put points on the board,” Aniska said. “You have to try to score as many easy points as possible in transition. For us, we have teams sending guys right at Nico, so the faster we can get him to the basket and make quick points, the better. It doesn’t give teams a chance to set up their defense and face-guard him. So the game is sped up.”
Five players in the Lackawanna League are averaging more than 20 points per game this season, and two others were averaging more than 19.
Since the 2011-12 season, there have been only two years when the league had at least three players average more than 20 points a game.
Lackawanna Trail’s Steve Miller (22.5), Riverside’s Jerry Kincel (21.5), and Lakeland’s Kyle Kiehart (20.7) were the scoring leaders in 2011-12. Lakeland’s Tony Harding (27.0), Honesdale’s Ian Langendoerfer (22.9), and Elk Lake’s Bailey Newhart (20.2) led in scoring for the 2015-16 season.
This season, Antoniacci leads the way with 31.6 points per game. That is the highest league scoring average since Harding’s 27 in 2015-16.
Scranton Prep’s Packy Doherty is second at 22.7 points per game. That would have led the Lackawanna League nine times in the last 15 seasons.
Holy Cross junior Adam Badyrka averages 21.3 points per game, Rose had 41 points in the win over Dunmore to push his season average to 20.7 points per game, and Susquehanna’s Griffin Fisk averages 20.6 points per game.
Dunmore senior Brayden Canavan (19.4) and Abington Heights senior Jordan Shaffer (19.2) are just behind the 20-point scorers.
There are also five players averaging more than three 3-pointers per game.
Antoniacci leads in this category with 3.9 per game. Scranton’s Tony Battaglia averages 3.3, Sload is making 3.2 per game, Scranton’s Jayden Mayers scores 3.1 per game, and Doherty is hitting 3.0 per game.
“Shooting seems to be the emphasis for players as they develop,” Aniska said. “A lot of them are taking it upon themselves. They realize that if you can shoot the ball and put it in the basket, there is a spot for you on the team. It used to be if you could defend, coaches didn’t care if you were good on offense. They would find a place for you on the court. That has kind of reversed. If you can put the ball in the basket, there is a place for you.”