Riverside’s Nico Antoniacci shoots during the basketball game against Holy Cross at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Colin Ritterbusch guards Riverside’s Kyle Connor during the basketball game at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Thomas Gavin shoots during the basketball game at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Brayden Rose goes up for a shot against Holy Cross’ Jacob Shedlauskas during the basketball game at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Max Jackson passes the ball around Holy Cross’ Colin Ritterbusch during the basketball game at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Jack Alpent battles Riverside’s Brayden Rose for control of the ball during the basketball game at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s head coach Josh Aniska talks to his players during a timeout against Holy Cross Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside cheerleaders during the basketball game against Holy Cross at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside fans cheer on their team as players run onto the court before the basketball game against Holy Cross at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Riverside’s Nico Antoniacci shoots during the basketball game against Holy Cross at Riverside High School in Taylor on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
TAYLOR — Nico Antoniacci can be held down for only so long.
After struggling from the field in the first half, the sophomore took over the game in the second half, scoring 27 of his 30 points to lead top-ranked Riverside to a 64-46 victory over No. 6 Holy Cross in the Lackawanna League Division II boys basketball opener Friday night before a packed Patrick C. Revello Gymnasium.
“I felt like in the first half I wasn’t being aggressive getting the ball,” Antoniacci said. “Coach got on me a little bit. He told me if we’re going to win by a lot, I have to go get the ball and be aggressive. I made play after play and shot after shot.”
Brayden Rose added 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Mikey Schimelfenig chipped in six points, six assists and four steals for the Vikings (1-0 league, 6-0 overall).
C.J. Thompson scored 20 points for Holy Cross (0-1, 4-3), while Jack Alpert contributed 10 points.
Last season, these teams played four times with each winning twice. The first meeting this season between the rivals was an intense battle as expected.
Rose scored 11 of Riverside’s first 15 points and Antoniacci hit one of two free throws to give the Vikings a 16-7 lead with 6:30 left in the second quarter.
But Holy Cross put together a 10-0 run. Thompson started it with a 3-pointer, then fed Alpert for a foul-line jumper. Finn Kennedy sank two foul shots before Thompson capped the outburst with another 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a 17-16 lead with 3:53 left in the second.
Following a timeout, however, Riverside kept Holy Cross off the scoreboard the rest of the half while scoring the final five points. Rose connected off an inbounds pass, Schimelfenig hit one of two free throws and Antoniacci scored underneath to send the Vikings to the locker room at halftime with a 21-17 lead.
That basket snapped an 0-for-9 shooting start for Antoniacci. He heard about it from coach Josh Aniska at halftime.
“I think it was a little bit of nerves, a little bit of excitement. Holy Cross is one of our biggest rivals and they play very good defense,” Aniska said. “They had a game plan to shut him down and they really did a good job of it in the first half.
“At halftime, I talked to him and told him, maybe not in nice words, that he wasn’t playing up to his standard and the expectations. We need him to lead us and he responded to that the way a player of his caliber should.”
To begin the third quarter, Antoniacci hit his first two shot attempts. He scored off an assist from Kyle Connor, then canned a 3-pointer from the corner, was fouled, completed the four-point play and gave Riverside a 27-18 lead.
“As soon as I saw my first one go in, I knew I was going to make shot after shot,” Antoniacci said. “I had to stay mentally tough in the second half. It was a loud environment. I’m happy we got the win.”
Then he really got going. He hit another 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and a drive-and-dunk with 2:48 left to make it 37-25. Max Jackson came off the bench and sandwiched a 3-pointer and a basket around an Antoniacci layup to extend the Vikings’ advantage to 44-27 with 1:10 remaining in the third. Antoniacci then completed a three-point play and buried a deep 3-pointer from just over the half-court line to send Riverside to the fourth quarter with a 50-30 lead.
He had 19 of the Vikings’ 29 points in the third quarter on 7-for-10 shooting.
“It happens in bunches. It happens quickly,” Aniska said. “He hit like three quick shots and before you know it, a single-digit game now is a 15-point game. He has the ability to shoot the ball from anywhere and get to the rim. When he’s really in a rhythm, too, it’s hard to stop him.”
Holy Cross coach Al Callejas Jr. credited Antoniacci for his performance in the third quarter.
“I can’t ask any more of these kids and the effort they showed,” Callejas said. “I’m trying not to use it as an excuse, but being down two starters, I think we got tired in the third and they went on a run. I thought we did a great job on Nico in the first half. We were trying to limit their runs, but he kind of got going. We missed some assignments, but credit to him. He’s a great player and he took over that quarter. That one eight-minute span cost us.”
In the fourth quarter, Antoniacci went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 54-34. But the Crusaders made one final push. Cole Gavin hit a pull-up jumper before Thompson hit a 3-pointer and tapped in a missed shot to bring Holy Cross within 54-41 with 4:19 left.
Connor, though, hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key off an inbounds play before Antoniacci had three straight baskets to seal it, 63-44, with 1:17 remaining.
Antoniacci was 11-for-16 from the field in the second half to finish 12 for 26 overall.
“Especially for league play, you have to win your home games. We couldn’t afford to lose this one. Second half of league play we’re playing all the tough games on the road,” Antoniacci said. “We’re definitely going to see them more again. Every time we play Holy Cross, it’s a war. You definitely leave the game battled and bruised. But it’s always fun playing them, though.”