Ridge Red Devils Overcome Two Tests For Victory

Ridge Red Devils head coach Mark Taylor wasn't gun-ho about his team playing Warren Hills Regional Tuesday night. The reason?

It was rudimentary. His team is in the middle of exam week.

"I wish we didn't play this week to be honest," said Taylor about playing basketball through exams.

But play they did, and despite some uneven moments, the Red Devils squeezed out a 48-38 victory over the Blue Streaks on its homecourt to stretch their overall record to 11-3 and 6-0 in the Skyland Delaware West. It was Ridge's third straight victory and fifth in its last six games.

"I'm proud of the kids," Taylor said. "They found a way to win. We didn't take care of the basketball and we had more turnovers than any other game of the year.

"We didn't shoot well. We were 3-of-17 from three-point line. That's very unusual for us."

The academic fatigue and shooting problems took its toll, but the Red Devils withheld a comeback attempt by Warren Hills Regional, whom they defeated 37-24 on the road in the season opener. Ridge led 40-26 entering the fourth, but the Blue Streaks pared it to seven when junior guard Stanley Ogedegbe drove for a lay-up with a little over a minute left in the game.

But Ridge's defense, which forced quick and mostly hurried shots throughout the game, buckled down the next two possessions when Ogedegbe missed back-to-back 3-pointers. Ridge closed out the game out at the line by making eight free throws in the final minute, which coincidently were the only points the team scored in the fourth. And it was fitting that junior forward Tom Gambino closed out the free-throw marathon with two makes because it got him to 12 points, a new career-high. His previous high was 11 against Irvington on Dec. 28.

"I was trying to help my team win the game," said Gambino, who came into the game averaging 4.1 points a game, about his point total. "I think I kind of knew [about approaching career-high point total] but one of my coaches told me at the end of the game I did get it."

Ridge controlled the pace of the game despite its mistakes – 16 turnovers – because the perimeter of Nick Cefalo, Andrew Madlinger and Conor Skea controlled the passing lanes – the trio combined for 11 steals – and also helped the team dish out 13 assists on 16 field goals. Cefalo scored 13, handed out six assists -- several of them went to Gambino on uncontested lay-ups -- and collected three steals.  Madlinger finished with nine points in only his fourth game back from a broken wrist he sustained to his shooting hand prior to the season.        

"It's not 100 percent yet but the screw is in," Madlinger said about his wrist. "It can't break again. I have to do a little adjustment and my shot is not totally back. But everyday, with practice, it stretches out more and heals and so it's coming back."

Skea scored just five points but both of his buckets came at critical junctures. His three-pointer at the first half buzzer was the perfect elixir to the Blue Streaks' first comeback attempt.

Ridge led 15-5 entering the second quarter but hit only two field goals over a seven-minute stretch when the Blue Streaks made their push. After Ogedegbe scored on consecutive possessions to cut the margin to 22-17, Skea took a pass from senior Rob McCarthy and heaved a shot from the left side near midcourt with under a second left. The shot hit the backboard and fell through the net to give Ridge an eight-point lead going into halftime, but more importantly, it gave them a shot-in-the-arm.

"Skea's shot before halftime gave us a jolt," Madlinger said.

The other basket came at the third-quarter buzzer when he twisted his way through the lane for a lay-up that put Ridge up by 14 entering the fourth. It was the Red Devils' last basket of the game.

The tests were there, one in the classroom and the court, but now Ridge can prepare for a two-game road swing: the Red Devils play at Gill St. Bernard's on Thursday and Phillipsburg on Friday.

"It's exam week," Taylor said. "I told the kids after the game, 'It's a win. It's over and we move on and go home and study.'"