Mitchell Rusinchak (13) dribbles for Wyoming Area against the defense of Old Forge’s Cameron Parker (4) and Logan Fanning (13).
Tom Robinson | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Area’s Luke Kopetchny goes high for a rebound as Old Forge’s Logan Fanning (13) and Wyoming Area’s Drew Keating battle for position, and Wyoming Area’s Shane Pepe (0) looks on.
Tom Robinson | For Sunday Dispatch
OLD FORGE — Old Forge stormed out to a fast start in the Badger Game, then kept going to win the entire Badger Tournament for the fifth straight time.
Returning all-stars Cameron Parker and Logan Fanning led the way as the Blue Devils handled Wyoming Area and Pittston Area Dec. 27 and Monday in the boys half of the Anthony “Badger” Marseco Memorial Basketball Tournament.
Old Forge 50, Pittston Area 38
Logan Fanning led four scorers in double figures Monday and finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists while leading Old Forge through the championship game.
Camren Krushnowski, who hit four 3-pointers, and Ryan DeMarco, who had six rebounds and four assists, each scored 12 points in the win. Cameron Parker added 11 points.
The defending District 2 Class 2A champion Blue Devils (6-2) opened leads of 13-6 after one quarter and 26-16 at halftime.
Krushnowski hit his first 3-pointer in the first quarter and nailed two more in the second.
Fanning had seven points in the third quarter as the lead grew to 37-26.
Lucas LoPresto led Pittston Area (5-6) with 17 points.
Wyoming Area 76, Northwest 33
Monday’s third-place game was essentially over after one quarter.
Luke Kopetchny scored all 16 of his points and Mitchell Rusinchak all nine of his as the Warriors took a 33-2 lead after eight minutes.
Bruno Pizzano had all eight of his points in the first half for the Warriors, who got scoring from a dozen players.
Noah Kostik had his seven points during the third quarter.
When Wyoming Area held Northwest to two points again in the third, the lead reached 64-12.
Northwest was led by Brandon Remphrey with 16 points and Logan Fath with 12.
Old Forge 67, Wyoming Area 54
Cameron Parker poured in 25 points as Old Forge extended one streak and broke another Dec. 27.
The Blue Devils won for the eighth straight time in the 26th annual Badger Game, which has pitted the two schools against each other, first as a single game, then as part of a tournament. The game and tournament honor the memory of Marseco, an Old Forge graduate and standout athlete who was serving as a coach at Wyoming Area at the time of his death from a traffic accident.
Old Forge ruined Wyoming Area’s perfect record after the defending Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 champions had started the season 7-0.
The Blue Devils took command early.
Wyoming Area’s only lead was at 4-2, then Old Forge held the Warriors to one field goal for the last 6:45 of the first quarter and scored the first basket for the second for a 17-7 lead.
Bruno Pizzano’s 3-pointer from the top of the key brought the Warriors within 19-14 just 1:25 into the second, but Old Forge opened the lead to 18 points at halftime.
Parker had five points, including a long 3-pointer, and assisted on two of the other three baskets in an 11-3 run.
After Shane Pepe tried to slow the Blue Devils down with a 3-pointer, Old Forge scored eight points in a row.
Fanning had the first five points, including a rebound that he turned into a 3-point play, then he passed to Art Askew for a 3-pointer for a 38-20 lead with 1:36 left in the second quarter. The Blue Devils carried a 41-23 advantage into the break.
Parker had 15 of his points in the first half.
Fanning had 10 points and six rebounds on his way to finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Wyoming Area rallied to within 47-39 going into the fourth quarter, but Old Forge went 10-for-13 from the line in the fourth quarter to pull away for good.
Parker hit a 3-pointer and was 5-for-6 from the line for his last eight points in the quarter.
Pepe hit five 3-pointers over the final three quarters to lead Wyoming Area with 16 points. Luke Kopetchny made two 3-pointers while scoring eight of his 15 in the fourth quarter.
Krushnowski scored 11 points for Old Forge. Ryan DeMarco had eight points and seven assists. Parker added six rebounds and two assists to his game-high scoring effort.
Pittston Area 80, Northwest 17
Pittston Area pounded Northwest in the other semifinal, opening leads of 32-2 after one quarter, 50-9 at halftime and 61-13 after three quarters.
Lucas LoPresto scored 12 points, Brennan Callahan added 10 and 11 Patriots scored at least four points.
Stephen Barnic and Jacob Ivey each scored all eight of their points in the first quarter when LoPresto had seven.
Northwest did not have a player with more than five points.
