Players and fans celebrate after Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan made a buzzer beater shot in the fourth quarter of the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark takes a shot during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Nate Aviles defends Old Forge’s Ryan DeMarco during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark controls the ball during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker passes the ball during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker defends Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark takes a shot at the hoop during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker jumps towards the hoop during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Logan Fanning moves the ball during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker defends Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore players rally together after a time out during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore coaches and fans celebrate Brayden Canavan’s fourth quarter buzzer beater shot during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dunmore players run on to the court during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s head coach J.J. Thomas calls out to his players during the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Players and fans celebrate after Dunmore’s Brayden Canavan made a buzzer beater shot in the fourth quarter of the basketball game at Dunmore High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
DUNMORE — Brayden Canavan heeded his coach’s advice, had great anticipation and made the shot of a lifetime.
With 2.1 seconds remaining, Old Forge attempted an inbound pass from the baseline to half-court in the hope of getting a heave at a game-winning attempt. Canavan, like a defensive back in football, attacked the pass, tipped it and launched a jumper at the buzzer.
A hush fell over the sold-out Dunmore High School gymnasium as the ball descended toward the basket. When it swished through the net, bedlam broke loose. Canavan got swarmed by his teammates and then by the student section that stormed the court.
The wild scene ended a thrilling and intensely played showdown as No. 1 Dunmore earned a 69-66 win over No. 6 Old Forge on Tuesday night in the first-half finale of the Lackawanna League Division II boys basketball schedule.
It’s a finish those who witnessed won’t forget, and it improved the Bucks to 14-1 overall and 7-0 in the division. It also garnered national attention as it was named to top spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays from Tuesday.
“Coach (Mark Finan) in the huddle told me to be ready for a tip,” said Canavan, who scored 26 points, made six 3-pointers and had eight rebounds and three assists. “If there is a tip, there is enough time to get a shot off. Right when I saw that ball, I wanted to get a hand on it, and when I released it, I knew that it was good.
“It felt great to see that shot go in and see all the fans come out on the court and congratulate me. We were fighting all game long. It feels good to get that win at the end of the day and come out on top against a really good team.”
Dunmore and Old Forge (10-4, 5-2), two heavyweight teams, traded body blows, with each gaining an advantage at different stages of the game.
In the first, the sharp-shooting Bucks, led by Canavan who made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the quarter, jumped out to a double-digit lead.
“We knew this was going to be a dogfight,” Canavan said. “We came out strong.”
Old Forge, with Logan Fanning — a 6-foot-6 force in the paint — taking control, chipped away until it closed to within 24-16 at the end of the quarter and pulled even by halftime. Fanning scored 12 points and had six rebounds in the first 16 minutes, and Cameron Parker scored 10 points for the Blue Devils.
Dunmore used another burst of offense to regain the lead. Clark, who finished with 18 points, scored four straight, and Carter Sload drilled two 3-pointers as part of a 10-2 run that gave the Bucks a 48-42 lead that eventually stood at 52-47 with less than 3 minutes to play in the third quarter.
“My teammates always make good shots, and that is what gets me going,” Sload said. “When I get going, that also gives the team a spark, and that’s how we win games.”
Old Forge came right back. Nick Salerno, a player with relentless hustle, grabbed his own miss and started an 8-0 finish to the third. Arthur Askew, Parker and Fanning, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, pushed the lead to 55-52 for the Blue Devils.
The surge continued into the start of the fourth. Ryan DeMarco made two free throws, and Parker, who scored 16 points, converted the second acrobatic reverse layup that he kissed off the glass and through for a 59-52 lead.
Dunmore did not surrender. Clark and Canavan each had a putback that fired up the high-octane offense that has fueled the Bucks’ outstanding season.
Nate Aviles took a defensive rebound coast-to-coast for a layup, and Clark drilled another 3-pointer that deadlocked the two rivals at 61.
“This was a highly emotional game,” Clark said. “Everybody always says that Dunmore-Riverside and Dunmore-Holy Cross are big rivalries. Dunmore-Old Forge is a rivalry. We were fighting the whole game. We were down seven to start the fourth quarter. We have faith in each other, and we hit some big shots.
“This speaks to us staying together as a team and having a belief in each other.”
Old Forge inched ahead on a Fanning bank shot, but Sload sank his fifth 3-pointer of the game, and Aviles made two free throws for a 66-63 lead with 1:05 remaining. DeMarco tied the game again with his only 3-pointer with 43 seconds.
“We told each other that we had to lock in,” said Sload, who finished with 17 points. “We stayed together as a team.”
Dunmore had a chance to win it, but misfired. Old Forge’s Cameron Krushnowski collected the rebound, and the Blue Devils called a timeout.
That’s when Canavan came through in the clutch for the Bucks.
“We played as a team,” Canavan said. “We focused on making good passes and making shots. Our defense made a couple of important stops at the end, too. We made some free throws, and we had great chemistry down the stretch.”