Ridge senior sophomore Gabe Kielb goes to the basket in the first quarter against Summit on December 23, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
The Ridge boys’ basketball team allowed Summit the first two points of the game, but the Red Devils scored the next 16 to take a doube-digit lead they would never relinquish, in a 52-50 win over the Hilltoppers Friday afternoon in Basking Ridge.
Senior Luke Kreitz had 14 points by halftime – including a pair of treys – and led Ridge with 19 points on the afternoon, while fellow senior Quinn Dashefsky added 13.
Summit (1-2) had seven different players score, but none had more than six, as Jack Baker had three field goals in the game. Ridge held the Hilltoppers to just ten points in each half.
The Red Devils played solid basketball all the way around: good ball movement and shot selection on offense, with physical rebounding, and defense that forced Summit into turnovers and poor shots early on, setting the tone nearly from the get-go.
It’s Ridge’s best start since their terrific run in 2014-15 to the county and state North 2, Group 4 final. They would finish that year 24-4, falling to Gill St. Bernard’s in the Somerset County Tournament title game, and to Linden in the sectional final, after beating Columbia in the semis to get there on a buzzer-beater by Derek Lyons.
Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge senior Luke Kreitz and head coach Bill Lester:
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