Ridley ready for upset-artists Wilson in first round of states
Ridley’s run to the District One semifinals and a third-place result followed from the fourth seed with which they entered the tournament.
The Green Raiders’ opponent in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament Saturday is on a different kind of run.
Ridley takes on Wilson, the fourth seed from District 3, in the opener at 3 p.m. at Strath Haven.
The Bulldogs (18-10) entered the District 3 tourney as the 14th seed. They ran roughshod over Northeastern, 78-58, to earn their way into states. That game was powered by 6-foot-3 forward Christian Sload, who scored 37 points.
The Bulldogs’ momentum is tempered by two losses in lackluster performances, downed by District 3 champ Reading in the semifinal, 71-44, and dropping the third-place game, 54-37, to Spring Grove, an affair in which they surrendered the first 21 points.
Wilson runs hot and cold. They have explosive potential, as illustrated by Sload, scoring in the 70s on occasions like Northeastern. But their last two games show the potential to be contained in the 40s.
That plays into the strengths of Ridley (26-2), which allows an average of 42.3 points per game and has permitted 50 of more points on only five occasions (though they’ve done so in each of their last three outings).
Sload is likely to draw Julian Wing as his defender, with his length and athleticism. The Green Raiders have a good track record in bottling up leading scorers this postseason – Perkiomen Valley’s Justin Jaworski was kept to 12 points, Spring-Ford’s Matt Gnais to 14 – though Sload is a taller challenge.
Still, Ridley’s potential to score points in rapid-fire bursts seems particularly potent against a low-scoring opponent. If Brett Foster is getting to the basket and forcing turnovers on the perimeter and Ryan Bollinger is hitting shots, Ridley can create distance quickly.
Ridley’s squad is also still evolving. That was evident when Sean Bingnear provided a boost late in the regular season and in the first round of districts. The latest to step up is guard Damir Fleming, who has scored 29 points in his last two games after providing just 28 combined in the team’s first 26 outings.
