The Ridge boys’ basketball team was shorthanded again Saturday – down some key players – but they hung in tight against an unbeaten Delbarton team in the opener of the Rose City Classic up at FDU-Madison Sunday afternoon.

Despite a career high from junior Gabe Kielb – who had 22 points, including a pair of treys – Ridge dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 50-47 loss that came right down to the wire at the Ferguson Recreation Center.

The two played it close in the early going, with the Green Wave leading 11-9 after one, but they put some distance between themselves and the Red Devils over the next eight minutes, holding Ridge to just one second quarter field goal en route to a 22-16 halftime lead.

Ridge started to figure it out in the third, despite a number of perimeter shots still not falling, driving more to the basket, looking for contact. And the strategy paid off, as they got Delbarton in the bonus and hit five free throws in the third, even taking the lead back at one point.

The game was tied 31-31 after three.

And it kept playing tight, with ties at 34, 40 and 42, the last with just 1:16 to go. Nick Treue’s trey put Delbarton up by three with :48.6 to go, and after and and-one put them up six, Ridge got a bucket to cut it to four.

Still, down by six again with :16 to go, Sidd Narayanabhatla hit from downtown with 0.3 seconds left, and got fouled. Aiming to intentionally miss the free throw, the shot missed the rim – a violation – and once the inbound was touched, that was the ballgame.

Delbarton improved to 4-0 with the win, and was led by Gunther Neumann’s 13 points. Narayanabhatla finished with 16, including a pair of triples, for Ridge.

Click below for postgame reaction with Ridge head coach Bill Lester, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: