Local favorites Ridley, Chester belong on Temple’s big stage

Every February, the District One seeding committee receives its fair share of criticism for the placement of teams in its most prestigious event.

Occasionally lost in those narratives is the meritocracy of the Class AAAA Tournament, how it weeds out teams by degrees, 32 minutes at a time.

As Tuesday night’s semifinals at Temple University winnow the field of four to one pair of combatants for Friday’s final, it’s hard to argue with what has transpired in the bracket’s top half.

Since Jan. 1, No. 4 seed Ridley and No. 9 Chester have two combined losses. They’ve played 35 games. Making the case that those two shouldn’t be tipping off at Temple at 7:30 would be a fool’s errand.

On the one hand, you’ve got Ridley, which just flat out wins games, 25 of the 26 they’ve contested in a historic season. The Central League champs may have been fortunate to shrug off a sluggish start and withstand No. 29 North Penn’s upset bid in a 51-49 first-round survival. But since, a 14-point banishment of Perkiomen Valley and four-point downing of Spring-Ford, both anchored by late-game resolve, proves the Green Raiders’ credentials.

Chester, on the other hand, was consigned to a low seed after incurring a 2-5 start. Since, the Clippers have won 17 of 18.

Though the role of presumptive favorites rests with No. 2 seed Plymouth Whitemarsh — which meets No. 11 Lower Merion in the first semi at 6 — Chester is the only team with three double-digit postseason victories. The Clippers nearly doubled-up No. 24 Council Rock North, winning by 26 points, then trounced No. 25 Hatboro-Horsham by 22 and No. 17 Central Bucks East by 16. The seeds indicate that No. 4 Ridley should present the sternest test yet, but the same is true in the opposite direction.

Of the pair, it’s perhaps surprising that Ridley has the more polished postseason credentials, returning to the semis, where it dropped a 44-41 decision to Plymouth Whitemarsh last year en route to fourth in the district and a first-round states ouster.

“They’re a little better at figuring some things out as the season goes on, figuring out the right basketball plays to make,” Ridley coach Mike Snyder said. “That (PW) game there was just one of many steps that the kids have had to go through along the way to get back to where they were last year.”

The Clippers, 23-time district champs and eight-time PIAA titlists, won the tournament in 2014, but only five players on the current roster contributed, only two significantly. One of those, guard Marquis Collins, remains out with a shoulder injury. Chester tumbled out in the second round last year, then lost to Coatesville, this year’s dethroned top seed, in the first playback round.

Ridley and Chester have met 10 times in the postseason, the Clippers winning all but the 1986 quarterfinal, when a Matt Blundin-led squad claimed a 65-48 win. The last time the teams met in the playoffs, Chester notched a 79-53 win in the 2007 district quarters.

This year’s matchup pits opposing forces. The Green Raiders operate a short bench, rotating seven or eight players. The Clippers have 14 who have appeared in at least 11 games. Ridley has found success lately by going small against guard-oriented opponents. Against Chester, which has shut down several significant post threats recently, Ridley must balance the need for ballhandlers against the press and mitigate the length provided by Maurice Henry and Jordan Camper, a decision Snyder reckons will involve some trial-and-error in the moment.

The individual stars are known by now. Khaleeq Campbell and Brett Foster are adept point guards who can drive, shoot and score. The blend of athleticism and low-post fearlessness displayed by Jamar Sudan and Julian Wing are similar. Ridley’s Ryan Bollinger is a more consistent individual scoring threat from the wing than Chester sans Collins, but the Clippers possess a passel of shoot/drive options like Stanley Davis, Ahrod Carter, DeShawn Hinson and Jahmi Bailey-Green.

Tempo is a consideration, with Ridley preferring a more composed pace that allows it to work in the halfcourt and Chester adroit at speeding teams up with steals and transition buckets. But the Green Raiders’ guards can also create mistakes and can play an accelerated game for stretches as well, though perhaps not as habitually as the Clippers.