Ridley boys beat Spring-Ford with three-pointers

Brett Foster drove the lane and kicked the ball to an open Ryan Bollinger in the left corner. Bollinger swished a three-pointer as the Ridley student section roared.

One fan in a Kevin Durant Seattle SuperSonics jersey did push-ups on Ridley's gym floor.

Just seconds after Spring-Ford had taken its first lead in a District 1 Class 4A quarterfinal Friday night, Ridley had taken the lead back, 36-35, with five minutes left.

Moments later, Foster drove again and lobbed the ball to a wide-open Liam Thompson on the left wing. Thompson buried a three-pointer to put the Green Raiders up, 39-35. They never trailed again, winning, 54-50, and advancing to the district semifinals at Temple University for the second straight season. Ridley will play Chester on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

"Once I shot it, I had a feeling it was going in," Bollinger said of his three. "I had an opportunity the time before, but I passed it up. So next time, I knew: I'm shooting this."

The senior captain scored 11 points, including three three-pointers. "I've been playing with him since seventh grade and he's always been a good shooter," Foster said. "So whenever I drive, I know if I kick to him he'll knock it down."

Foster, also a senior captain, started fast and carried his team on the way to 21 points. In the first quarter, Foster banked a three-pointer on Ridley's first possession, swished one on the next, and sliced into the lane for two layups. Ridley led, 17-2, after one.

But Spring-Ford outscored Ridley by 17-4 in the second quarter, making it a two-point game at halftime. "It was their press," Ridley coach Mike Snyder said. "They were getting steals. We were making bad decisions."

Ridley and Spring-Ford played a close third before Bollinger and Thompson put the Rams away in the fourth. "We could go through practice and they may not say three words," Snyder said. "I don't think they get nervous."

Spring-Ford 2 17 8 23 - 50

Ridley 17 4 9 24 - 54

SF: Charles Drummond 7, Nigel Cooke 17, Matt Gnias 14, Nestor Diaz 2, Cameron Reid 6, Ryan Fitzpatrick 4.

R: Liam Thompson 6, Brett Foster 21, Ryan Bollinger 11, Kylon Hicks 6, Julian Wing 10.