PIAA BOYS BASKETBALL: OLD FORGE ROLLS TO 63-31 WIN OVER SAYRE IN OPENING-ROUND OF CLASS AA STATE PLAYOFFS (20 PHOTOS) (2025-03-08)
Valley Sports ReportOLD FORGE — District 2 champ Old Forge rode a red-hot second quarter to a 24-point halftime lead on its way to a 63-31 win over Sayre in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA boys basketball playoffs.
"It was a tough loss," said Sayre coach Paul Blythe.
"I thought we were really prepared coming in with film study and game plan.
"Old Forge is a very good squad," added Blythe. "They are Top 10 in the state for a reason."
Both teams struggled a bit offensively in the first quarter, and Old Forge took a 12-6 lead into the second quarter.
The Blue Devils were nearly perfect in the second quarter, scoring on every possession but their first and outscoring the Redskins 28-10 to up their lead to 40-16 at the half.
Cameron Parker scored nine of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter, while Logan Fanning and D.J. Fox added seven and six points, respectively, to fuel the second-half onslaught.
Seniors Ryan Ressler and Zach Senese, who had a pair of 3-pointers, led Sayre with six points apiece, and senior Nick Pellicano added four points to account for all of Sayre first-half points.
Old Forge kept it rolling in the third quarter with five 3-pointers in a 17-4 blitz that upped the lead to 57-20 heading into the final eight minutes.
Ressler and Pellicano led Sayre with eight points apiece, while senior Hudson Trump scored seven points, and Senese added six.
Parker led Old Forge with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while Camren Krushnowski scored 11 points, including their 3-pointers, and Fanning and Arthur Askew added nine points apiece.
The Redskins wrap up the season with a 17-9 record, and graduate eight seniors.
"We lose a great group of young men," said Blythe.
"Nick Pellicano is our 'Mr. can do it all,' Zach Senese our sharp shooter, Ryan Ressler is the power inside and Hudson Trump the all-around do-it-all guy.
"Theo Molina the little engine that could for us, Edwin Rivera our first-year guy and an incredible young man, Donte Rubeck who gave his all playing and running indoor track, and Mason Rucker, who is arguably the heart of our team and worked just as hard as anyone day-in and day-out.
"We lose a lot going into next year, but we have gained so much as a program by having these men playing in our system," added Blythe. "It’s been an honor to coach them the last three years, and they will go down as one of the best Sayre teams to play the game."
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre's Hudson Trump. IN TOP PHOTO: Sayre's Nick Pellicano. ... PHOTOS BY NICK VANDERPOOL.
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