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Crown Stays in Taylor: Vikings Rally Late to Three-Peat in 3A Thriller

Crown Stays in Taylor: Vikings Rally Late to Three-Peat in 3A Thriller

By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | February 26, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus

The lower bowl at Mohegan Arena was full before warmups ended.

They split in the regular season, each winning on the other’s floor. This one was the decider and it delivered every ounce of drama it promised.

When the final horn sounded, it was Riverside standing tall again.

Riverside 51, Dunmore 48.

The Vikings are District 2 Class 3A champions for the third straight year.

Bucks Blitz Early

If you showed up late, you missed a shock.

Dunmore came out firing and punched first and HARD.

The Bucks jumped out to a double-digit lead in the opening quarter, going up 12 at one point and closing the frame ahead 21-12. Jimmy Clark was red-hot, drilling three first-quarter triples, while Carter Sload knocked down two of his own. Five of Dunmore’s six first-half threes came in that opening stretch, with Brayden Canavan adding the other.

Clark finished with a team-high 16 points, leading a Bucks squad that looked locked in early.

At halftime, it was 30-23 Dunmore, a rare sight for Vikings fans who packed the arena expecting fireworks from District 2’s top scorer.

Instead, they got tension.

Face-Guarded, Frustrated, Then Furious

Sophomore sensation Nico Antoniacci was face-guarded from the jump. He managed just 3 points in the first quarter and 7 at the half, constantly hounded by Dunmore’s defensive pressure.

Brayden Rose wasn’t much louder early, just three after one, but he kept grinding, helping Riverside claw back into range before the break.

The third quarter? Even.

Both teams scored 11 points, keeping it a one-possession game entering the fourth.

Then the stars arrived.

Antoniacci poured in 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, finally finding space and rhythm when it mattered most. Rose finished with 16 points and dominated the glass with 14 rebounds, muscling through contact and living at the free-throw line late.

The climb was complete.

The Play That Sealed It

Down one with time ticking away, Dunmore had the ball underneath its own basket.

One clean inbound and the Bucks could reclaim control.

But Mikey Schimelfenig had other plans.

In a blink, he jumped the pass from Nate Aviles, stealing the inbound and flipping the game. Rose stepped to the line and calmly buried two clutch free throws to push Riverside ahead by three.

Dunmore’s final heave at the horn fell short.

Pandemonium.

The Numbers Tell It