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Ridley College Rallies From 17-Point Deficit in 89-87 win over Father Henry Carr

By Jahnick Lambert, 01/25/17, 9:00AM EST

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After competing in a tense contest against Vaughan S.S, Father Henry Carr (3-3) were back for another featured matchup to extend their 3 game winning streak. Standing in their way however was Ridley College (4-6) who recently had their streak broken but were eager to get back on the court and make a push towards the top. Sitting at the middle of the pack, both squads would look to put forth a significant effort if they wanted to catch up to the competition leading the league.

 

Henry Carr’s Mychael Paulo was crucial part of their previous victory and they looked to him early to lead the team’s offense. Because of their size disadvantage, most of the Crusader offense was generated through the mid-range with screen and rolls and baskets in transition to their ability to constantly force turnovers. Unfortunately for them the mismatch also exploited by Ridley College mostly due to 6’10 Jaden Bediako roaming the paint and dominating the offensive glass. He converted many 2nd chance opportunities and would prove to be a crucial figure as the game wore on.

 

Despite starting the 2nd quarter with a 23-22 lead thanks to a late 3-pointer by Aleks Simeunovic (32 points on the game), Ridley College were far from pulling away from their opponent. Their offense looked to be flowing behind some excellent ball movement but early foul trouble for Bediako would send the game’s tallest player to the bench. With the paint free from his defense presence, Henry Carr would get to the rim more frequently which opened up their outside shooting. With 2 minutes left in the quarter the Crusaders offense caught fire in the form of an 8-2 run to give them a small 42-38 lead into the halftime break.

 

Until the midway point of the game the biggest lead by any team was a mere 6-points and Henry Carr didn’t delay in growing that number within the first few minutes of the frame. Behind another 11-2 run capped off by a deep 3-pointer by John Akende, the Crusaders would find themselves up 13 after less than 4 minutes of play. However that would be the last basket they score for an extended period and the Tigers would take the opportunity to make their comeback. Bediako would get back on the court to clog the paint and disrupt the Henry Carr offense. Simeunovic’s hot hand continued and would help them cut the lead to 3. The Crusaders would once again respond with a run and this time it was Carlo Dubria who would be absolutely electric. Sinking 3 triples in a row along with 4 steals, Henry Carr would grab their largest lead and seemed to seize the game for good. Ridley College stayed competitive often converting fast break buckets while the defense lagged behind,. but still trailed 72-60 heading into the 4th.

 

Now facing a double-digit deficit to start the quarter it would take a full 10 minutes of effort if they wanted to have a chance.  Once the game was underway and Bediako was on the court, the Tigers found their form and came back in a hurry by cutting the lead to a mere 5 points within 3 minutes.  The momentum was firmly on the Tigers’ side and Henry Carr were visibly shaken.  The Crusaders seemed to lose their aggression in fear of the evident size mismatch that did not bode well when their shots weren’t falling. Ridley College owned every loose ball in the final 5 minutes and the offense showcase put on by Cameron Bett (15 points, all in the second half) and Simeunovic was a sight to behold as they sliced through defensive gaps. The Tigers would take a 5-point lead with less than 50 seconds left behind a score by Bett but Henry Carr’s Anthony McNish would later tie the game up at 87 with a key and-1 play with 16 seconds to go. In the end, it would be the Tigers’ size advantage that would lift them to victory as Bediako once again converted a put-back score with less than 2 seconds remaining. On the following play he blocked a John Akende layup attempt at the buzzer to give his team the 89-87 win in front of their rowdy home fans. 

 

Ridley College find themselves back on the right track thanks to a stellar 4th quarter performance and have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Although still below .500, they are taking steps in the right direction and look to be hitting their stride for second half of their season. They travel to Athlete Institute Prep for a challenging game against the number 2 team in the league on January 31st. Tip-off at 7pm. Father Henry Carr on the other hand, see their win streak come to an end in heartbreaking fashion but will have to bounce back quickly as they host Thornlea S.S on January 26th. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:45pm.