City of Basketball Love

Eugene Rapay (@erapay5)
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After a lopsided win over Lower Merion earlier in the season, Ridley would be remiss to to expect the same results.

Especially in their rematch on Tuesday night, with the game holding so many implications. A win for Lower Merion would give the Aces a shot at landing in the Central League playoffs and end Ridley’s undefeated streak in league play.

On the other hand, a win for Ridley would bring the Raiders one step closer to finishing the season with a perfect record in league play. It would also put the Aces out of the Central League playoff picture.

“We knew when we beat them last time, they were going to come out and play their hardest to get a spot in the playoffs,” Ridley senior guard Brett Foster said. “So we had to play our hardest.”

The game was much closer this time around, but the result remained the same. Ridley came out on top, beating Lower Merion 53-47.

Not only did the Raiders (18-1, 15-0 Central League) spoil the Aces’ senior night festivities, but they also put a league playoff spot out of their reach.

It was made possible in part to a large contribution by Foster. He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half in an effort to close out the game.

Once Lower Merion (14-7, 10-5 Central League) began to press and increase the intensity on the defensive end, it played right into his ability to blow by his defender and drive into the paint. He sliced his way into the Lower Merion defense, attacking the basket and finishing inside. When he was sent to the free throw line, he was able to deliver from there as well.

“We know with [Foster’s] ball handling ability it gives us a nice weapon on offense,” Ridley head coach Mike Snyder said. “When teams press, we have a nice weapon right there with him. He played another good game, we just need him continue on.“

Foster’s performance was key in closing out the game, as Lower Merion did not make it easy for the Raiders to walk away with the win.

Lower Merion’s K.J. Helton knocked down a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to trim Ridley’s lead to just 39-35 going into the fourth quarter.

It was the first time the margin had been so slim since the opening minutes of the game. It was a resurging basket that the Aces needed after forcing a turnover on the other end just seconds before.

“They kept switching their defenses a lot and our kids were having some trouble with what was going on,” Snyder said. “There were a couple of times where I think we weren’t composed and we were just trying to do things without exactly knowing what we wanted to do. There were some turnovers, some quick shots, we just always need to be a little more composed on the floor.”

It was the lowest point in the game for Ridley, who had kept Lower Merion in check for the most part.

The Raiders had built a big 18-7 first quarter lead off of a balanced scoring effort. Ridley picked apart Lower Merion with its ball movement. The Raiders made the extra pass to the open man for the easy basket. The made shots off of intricate passes gave the Aces fits as they quickly found themselves falling behind due to solid play by Ridley’s defensive effort.

“He preaches that, move the ball,” Ridley forward Julian Wing said. “If you have a better shot, you can get an even better shot with an extra pass.”

Lower Merion slowly settled into the game, but a shot at the buzzer by Mike Patterson gave Ridley a 27-20 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, the Aces had spurts of scoring where they crept back into the game, but ultimately, their efforts were not enough.

Wing finished with a double-double to help Ridley come out on top. He scored 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Lower Merion was paced by Terrell Jones’ 12 points, while Helton added 11.

With Lower Merion now behind them, the Raiders move on to close out the regular season with Garnet Valley (13-7, 8-7 Central League).

A win would not only mean an unblemished record in league play during the regular season, but it would grant them a bye come league playoff time. That bye means the No. 4 seed in the Central League would be out of luck -- and the loss locks Lower Merion into the No. 4 spot.

Now the Aces have to root their hardest for the Jaguars and hope for the upset, but Ridley won't be taking their final regular-season opponent lightly.

“Well in high school basketball, anything can happen,” Snyder said. “If we don’t come out ready to play, Garnet is a playoff team and they can put a lot of points quick. If we’re not ready to play, things won’t go as well as we plan. It’s up to the players to come ready to play. We’ll get them ready with X’s and O’s but they have to be ready to play because Garnet is going to the playoffs.”