Nick Salerno, right, with injured teammate Ryan DeMarco after Old Forge defeated United on Tuesday in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals at Penns Valley High School. JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker hugs a fan after the Blue Devils beat United on Tuesday night in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals at Penns Valley High School. JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO
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Nick Salerno, right, with injured teammate Ryan DeMarco after Old Forge defeated United on Tuesday in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals at Penns Valley High School. JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF PHOTO
SPRING MILLS — Maybe it was seeing fallen teammate Ryan DeMarco being wheeled into the gymnasium with his surgically repaired leg.
Maybe it was the inspirational shirts players and coaches wore in his honor that had “Pride” across the chest with the letters R and D highlighted and DeMarco’s No. 2 on the back.
Maybe it was the rowdy fans, clad in yellow and blue, who made the more than two and a half hour journey to Penns Valley High School and crammed into the cozy bleachers.
Maybe it was, too, a guardian angel, their late youth coach Artie Lucarelli, looking down.
Well, all of that probably played a part, but in truth, it was all about the determination and will of a talented group of basketball players that would not be denied.
As the final horn blared, players embraced and were showered in Hershey’s Kisses, as Old Forge, the District 2 champion, throttled United, the previously undefeated District 6 champion, 64-48, on Tuesday night in the PIAA Class 2A boys basketball semifinals.
The Blue Devils (22-6) and their fans celebrated the program’s first trip to the championship game since winning it all in 1932. They will face District 7 champion Sewickley Academy on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“When Ryan came in, you know, he is our brother, and it wasn’t just him; this was for coach (Art) Lucarelli,” said Old Forge senior Cameron Parker, who scored 36 points and had three assists. “Then, we have the fans right behind us, and they were erupting after every shot, after every stop and play. The fans really pushed us, and we came out with a win.
“This is all we have ever dreamed about. The Hershey’s Kisses are flying on the court and getting the Hershey’s bars. That is what it is all about. Now that we are in the final, we are going to give it all we have.”
After taking in all the emotion of the pregame, the starters each went over and hugged DeMarco after they were announced to the crowd.
Old Forge wasted little time establishing control of the game. The Blue Devils raced to an 11-0 lead and never looked back.
That early haymaker did more than stun United, which won its first 30 games and came off a dominant 10-point win over Paul Robeson in the semifinals.
When the first quarter ended, Parker had 12 points, and Logan Fanning, the Blue Devils’ 6-foot-7 force in the paint, had eight, including a pair of two-handed slams. Old Forge fans were unglued, and the lead stood at an imposing 20-7.
“We had a big lead, but we knew they could swing a big punch,” Parker said. “They were undefeated for a reason. They can hit big shots. We were confident that we could keep the lead, because our defense was great and we were making shots.”
Naturally, things slowed down slightly in the second quarter, but Old Forge stayed on the attack. United had no answers for Parker’s quickness and athleticism or Fanning’s size inside. In addition, Camren Krushnowski handled the ball with speed and grace against the Lions’ pressure, as he took on the role that DeMarco had all season.
Again, Parker and Fanning fueled the offense, combining for 11 points, Arthur Askew drilled a key 3-pointer and the Blue Devils maintained a 34-19 advantage at the break.
In the first half, Old Forge made 13 of 26 shots and 4 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line. Fanning, the Lackawanna League Division II defensive player of the year, swatted four shots.
“I knew that I had a little size advantage, especially with their big guy getting into some foul trouble early,” Fanning said.
United is a district champion, too, and was more effective against the Blue Devils defense in the second half. Carter Payne scored six of his team-high 17 points that helped cut the deficit to 45-33.
A quick surge in the fourth saw Ryan Felix and Dmitri Worthington hit a couple of 3-pointers, and tension mounted as United closed to within 51-41 with 5 minutes to play. Following a three-point play from Parker, Brody Burkett and Payne scored four straight, and Worthington swished another 3-pointer after a layup by Fanning, and Old Forge fans started to get anxious with a 56-48 lead.
Old Forge settled down, and Parker and his disciplined dribbling and speed forced the defense to foul. He was money from the free throw line, going 8 for 8 down the stretch and finishing 11 for 11 in the game.
“Free throw shooting is huge,” Parker said. “You never want to do it in practice. Our coaches force us to do them for 10-15 minutes, and it’s boring. That is how you win games, though. Making those free throws represents how hard we practice.”
In the end, Old Forge, which endured a daunting regular-season schedule and stormed through the District 2 and PIAA playoffs to this point, proved the more battle-tested team.
Parker was brilliant under the spotlight, and Fanning finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Nick Salerno had four rebounds, Krushnowski had two rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Askew scored three points in the historic triumph.
“This means so much because we have been playing together since we were little,” said Fanning, who could not fight back his tears while being mobbed by fans after the game.
“We have always dreamed of this. We wanted this so bad. We knew that we had to play hard. We practiced hard, and we are so happy about going to Hershey.
“We have gotten so much support from our community, and we are so grateful to represent them.”