By Matt Smith
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.