BOYS BASKETBALL: Holiday tourney champs ready for return to league schedule

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Teams from the Lackawanna League get back into regular-season action this weekend after an exciting holiday tournament schedule.

There is an important matchup in Division I, and it is a rematch from the 74th Lynett Memorial Boys Basketball Tournament. Scranton Prep, which went on to capture its 24th championship and is the defending division winner, plays at Scranton on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.

Scranton Prep (5-2 overall, 1-0 in division) defeated the Knights, 73-37, in the tournament at the Lackawanna College Student Union. Packy Doherty, who won the tournament’s most valuable player award, scored 20 points and made four 3-pointers, and Max McGrath scored 11 points for the Cavaliers in the win.

Doherty played in six Lynett Tournament games in his career and finished with 94 points and 13 3-pointers. He has 906 points and 121 3-pointers in three seasons with the Cavaliers.

Scranton (4-4, 1-0) bounced back with a 73-51 win over Holy Cross to claim third place. Tony Battaglia scored 47 points to set a school record and tied the school mark with 10 3-pointers. Battaglia also tied Lamar Johnson for the Scranton program record with his 200th career 3-pointer.

In his career, Battaglia scored 90 points with 18 3-pointers in eight Lynett Tournament games. He is also closing in on 1,000 career points with 918.

Scranton Prep opened the Lackawanna League season with a 60-29 win over Delaware Valley, and Scranton, which has won three of its last four, beat North Pocono, 55-40.

High-scoring Vikings

Riverside (8-0, 1-0) continued to light up the scoreboard during the holiday break.

In wins over North Pocono and Lackawanna Trail at the Taylor Lions Tournament, the undefeated Vikings averaged 79.5 points per game. They also averaged 49.0 points in the first half of each game.

This season, Riverside has scored 60 or more points eight times, with a season’s best of 97 on opening night against Wyoming Valley West.

Junior Brayden Rose scored 60 points, and sophomore Nico Antoniacci scored 48 in the two tournament wins.

This season, the one-two combination has dominated opponents. Antoniacci leads the Lackawanna League in scoring at 31.8 points and 4.0 3-pointers per game. Rose is averaging 16.8 points per game.

Rose has scored 744 points and made 45 3-pointers in his three seasons as a varsity starter for the Vikings. Antoniacci, in his second varsity season, has scored 858 points and made 122 3-pointers.

Riverside gets back into Division II play with a road game at Mid Valley (5-4, 1-0), which reached the final of the Peters Turonis/NBT Bank Holiday Classic, on Saturday at 2:15 p.m.

Both teams had wins in their division openers. Riverside beat Holy Cross, 64-46. Mid Valley, which has won three of its last four games, beat Western Wayne, 65-25.

Fast starters

Valley View fought back to beat Mid Valley, 46-43, to earn its fourth straight Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Holiday Classic at Carbondale Area.

The Cougars improved to 9-0 overall and finished their nonleague schedule undefeated at 8-0. It is the third straight season that Valley View has started a season with nine consecutive wins after the holiday tournament break.

Valley View has had outstanding early-season success in each of its four runs to the Turonis/NBT Bank titles. In 2022, they had a record of 7-1 and were 9-0 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with the only loss coming against Old Forge.

In 2023, the Cougars started the season 10-0 before losing to Scranton in Division I play. Last season, Valley View went 11-0 before suffering a loss to Scranton Prep.

Valley View returns to Division I action on Saturday at home against North Pocono (3-6) at 2:15 p.m.

Badger dominance

Old Forge defeated Pittston Area, 50-38, in the final of the Anthony “Badger” Marseco Tournament last Monday.

The host Blue Devils captured their fifth straight team championship at the holiday event. Seniors Cam Parker and Ryan DeMarco join former standouts Jared Yanniello, Jimmy DeStefano, and Stephen Semenza with four titles at the Badger Tournament.

Cam Krushnowski also had the 100th 3-pointer of his career in the tournament. Parker is closing in on a milestone. He has 819 points in his career.

Homecoming crown

Wallenpaupack (3-4, 0-1) earned a 52-45 win over rival Honesdale at the Jaycees Tournament last Monday night at the Wayne-Highlands Middle School.

It was a homecoming for first-year Wallenpaupack coach Kevin Miller. He was an All-Region point guard at Honesdale during his high school years. He has helped guide the Buckhorns to three wins in their last five games.

Wallenpaupack also avenged a 40-39 loss to Honesdale in the Wayne County doubleheader during the nonleague season on Dec. 12.

Nick VanBuskirk led the way for the Buckhorns with 27 points in the two games.

On Saturday, Wallenpaupack plays West Scranton (3-6, 0-1) at Scranton High School at 1:15 p.m.

Warrior pride

Elk Lake (8-0, 1-0) captured the Susquehanna County Christmas Tournament championship with a 58-44 win over host Montrose last Sunday night.

It was the second straight tournament championship for the Warriors. John Heitsman earned the tournament’s most valuable player award after scoring 37 points in the two wins. Pond scored 41 points in the tourney.

In two seasons, Pond averaged 18.0 points per game, while Heitsman averaged 16.0 points per game.

Elk Lake, the defending Division III champion, returns to league play on Saturday at Carbondale Area (1-7, 0-1) at 2:15 p.m.

Delaware Valley (7-2) had a good holiday break. The Warriors won their Christmas Tournament with a win over Port Jervis, New York, 61-27, and East Stroudsburg North, 68-38.

With its two wins, Delaware Valley leads the District 2 Class 6A power rating standings (.704). The Warriors will play their fourth straight home game when they host Abington Heights (4-5) on Saturday at 6:45 p.m.

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