Boys Basketball: Bollinger’s big threes are a key for Ridley

RIDLEY TWP. >> Ryan Bollinger exudes a quiet confidence when he’s on the basketball court. The Ridley senior doesn’t need to say much, he just lets his play do the talking. Bollinger’s quick wrist was a destructive force in the fourth quarter of Ridley’s 54-50 victory over No. 12 Spring-Ford in the quarterfinal round of the District One Class AAAA tournament Friday night.

The fourth-seeded Green Raiders advance to the district semifinals for the second consecutive year. A showdown Tuesday night with No. 9 Chester at Temple’s Liacouras Center awaits.

If it wasn’t for Bollinger’s cool delivery from beyond the arc, who knows if the Green Raiders survive the Rams, who returned from the dead after a woeful start. The visitors stormed back from a 17-2, second-quarter deficit, eventually grabbing a pair of short-lived, one-point leads in the final stanza. And the only reason they couldn’t build on their advantage was because of guys like Bollinger, who came through in the clutch. Bollinger’s first 3-pointer of the fourth quarter gave Ridley (25-1) the lead to stay. Liam Thompson swished one from long distance moments later, and Bollinger’s second trey with 2:20 to go was the dagger.

“It’s huge,” Bollinger said. “None of us can be nervous when we’re taking shots, but we have to be confident. Every time we hit them, it’s a huge momentum swing because the crowd goes wild and we get ourselves pumped up.”

The long ball was the Green Raiders’ ticket to the district final four. Never mind that All-Delco Brett Foster was magnificent, particularly in the first quarter, when he scored 10 of his game-high 20 points. In the first half, Foster accounted for five of his team’s nine field goals. The low point for Ridley was an anemic second quarter that turned what could have a been a blowout into something far more exciting and nerve-wracking for the Ridley faithful. Spring-Ford didn’t go away, Foster cooled off a bit and there was some doubt that Ridley could hold off a furious comeback by the Rams, who trailed by three points going into the fourth quarter. And the primary reason Ridley was in front to start the final period was because of Julian Wing, who ignited the barrage of 3-pointers with two of his own in the third quarter.

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Ridley’s Ryan Bollinger, right, here defending against Spring-Ford’s Nigel Cooke, hit a pair of 3-point shots in the fourth quarter to help the Green Raiders get up and pull away down the stretch en route to a victory Friday night. (ANNE NEBORAK – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)