Furious Rally Falls Two Points Short, Ridge Loses to Top Seeded Plainfield 58-56

For the past three seasons, the Ridge and Plainfield boys basketball teams have squared off in the state tournament with the Cardinals taking the advantage each of the first two times.

Unfortunately for Ridge, the third time wasn't a charm.

Nick Cefalo's layup attempt with time expiring wouldn't fall as the No. 4 Red Devils fell to top-seeded Plainfield 58-56 in front of about 2,000 fans at Plainfield High School in the North 2, Group 4 semifinal Saturday.

The loss ended Ridge's season at 23-6.

 "I thought it was going to come down to the last possession and it did," said Ridge coach Mark Taylor, fighting back tears. "I love this team, and I don't feel that we lost today."

Despite facing a seven-point deficit with 1:16 left in the game and a four minute scoreless stretch, Ridge never folded in the fourth quarter. Conor Skea nailed a bucket and Andrew Madlinger converted a steal into a 3-point shot on the right side with 56 seconds left in the game to put Ridge within one possession at 54-52.

The game turned into a free-throw competition as Plainfield (24-3) hit 4-of-6 free throws on its next three possessions and Cefalo responded with four straight free throws to keep the deficit at two points.

Star junior Tyrone Johnson (19 points) stepped to the line with 6.9 seconds left, looking to finally put the determined Ridge squad away. But he failed to connect on both ends of the double bonus, giving Ridge a chance to go ahead or send the game into overtime.

Following a timeout, Cefalo got off his shot under some defensive pressure but the ball rolled off the rim, ending the rally attempt for the Red Devils.

"Coach told me to take the ball to the rack and I did it," said Cefalo, who finished with 10 points. "I got the ball to the basket, but I just should have finished."

Foul trouble plagued Ridge in the final quarter, costing the team its hottest outside threat in Madlinger (21 points), who drilled five 3-pointers before exiting with his fifth foul with under a minute remaining. The team also lost a key interior presence when starting forward Tom Gambino was disqualified with 3:44 left in the game.

"When we cut it to two, I thought we were going to win the game," Taylor said. "I felt the calls were a little inconsistent, but it is what it is."

With Gambino out of the lineup, Plainfield went to 6-6 center Justin Sears, who responded with six consecutive points on a bucket and four free throws. Sears, who registered 10-straight second-half points at one point, had eight of his 14 rebounds in the first half for Plainfield, which held a 26-25 edge in that category.

"Our coach told me to go to the glass all game because we were more athletic," said the sophomore Sears, who finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds. "We just thought we could get the rebound and go back up and get the foul."

Through much of the second half, Ridge was trying to play catch-up with Plainfield as the Cardinals failed to put the opposition away.

In the second half, the Cardinals led by as many as eight points, but Ridge valiantly clawed back into the contest, including holding its final lead, 45-44, after a 3-pointer by Madlinger with 6:24 remaining in the game.

Even after losing Madlinger to an early season injury and the transfer of starter Ishaq Pitt prior to the season, Ridge managed to rise above adversity with a Somerset County championship this season and a second straight trip into the sectional semifinals.

"Anytime you can get 20 or more wins in a year, it's a great year," Taylor said. "This group of kids never quit. They just kept coming. And with Christian (Frisoli), Andrew (Madlinger), and Nick (Cefalo), you just couldn't have a better group of senior leaders who carried this team as far as they could."