Ridge Beats Hunterdon Central in Final Seconds, 45-41

The Red Devils took the lead in the second half of a nail-biting competition against Hunterdon Central on Thursday that was decided in the last seconds of the game.

With 1.5 seconds to go, senior guard Nick Cefalo, sunk two final free throws to put the game out of reach, making the final score 45-41.

The Ridge continued their tradition of strong third quarter performances. The Red Devils came out a new team after the half, stepping up an already solid defensive performance while aggressively penetrating to outscore Hunterdon Central 32-26 in the second half.

The Devils played aggressively after the break, attacking the hoop on offense and swarming the paint for defensive rebounds. This was in contrast to the first half, which consisted of insufficient penetration in the paint and rebounding.

In the first quarter, as they did all game, they executed clean, crisp passes while searching for the perimeter shot. Despite having some good looks at the basket, their shots would not fall. Hunterdon Central was able to capitalize on this, and led 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same; yet the Red Devils kept it close, falling behind by only five points. Despite their difficulty scoring, they were able to avoid falling too far behind through solid defense, forcing numerous turnovers.

Unfortunately for Ridge, Hunterdon continued to dominate the boards, both with defensive and offensive rebounds.

The Red Devils entered the second half down 13-15. Through solid defense and aggressive offense they continued to keep pace with their opponents throughout the quarter.

Exchanging shots, the Red Devils remained down between three and five points throughout most of the quarter. Ridge surged at the end with a 6-0 run, outscoring Hunterdon 12-9 in the quarter. Ridge's improved second-half play proved to be the difference one again for the team.

The Red Devils entered the fourth on top, 25-24. They continued to increase their lead throughout the quarter, leading by 8 towards the end.

Hunterdon then went on a run, bringing the score to 43-41, but with 7.2 seconds to go, the Red Devils retook the floor to resounding cheers. Through solid defense they got the ball back with 1.5 seconds to go, and were able to decisively close out the game with free throws.