By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — First-year head coach Anthony Givens put his trust in Jayden Ridley-Smith.
And the senior guard didn’t disappoint.
Ridley-Smith scored all 20 of his points in the second half including the go-ahead bucket with less than two minutes remaining as Vertus Academy erased a double-digit deficit to beat host Eastridge, 93-86 in the opening round of the Al Masino Tip-Off Tournament, Friday night.
Ridley-Smith’s pull-up jumper coming out of timeout with 1:32 left in the game gave Vertus its first lead at 86-84.
Jayden Ridley-Smith gives @VertusAthletics its first lead of the game at 86-84. pic.twitter.com/ZNpUNPQPPc
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 3, 2022
The basket was the 5-foot-8 guard’s third over an eight- possession sequence.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM RON ANDREWS HERE.
“He’s a streak shooter,” Givens said “When he’s on, he’s on. So, I got to believe in him.”
Trailing 71-61 late in the third quarter, Ridley-Smith sparked a 9-0 Vertus run with his third 3-pointer of the frame. His fourth triple of the night made it a one-possession at 79-76 with less than four minutes on the clock.
“I told him to ‘do his thing. Be patient, let it come to you,'” Givens explained. “Call for a screen or something and just let it come to you. Once he got a screen and got his first shot to fall, it’s over.”
Marcus Ridley scored eight straight, and his second 3-pointer knotted the game for the first time since the opening tip at 84-84.
Marcus Ridley connects, and we are tied at 84 with 1:32 to go. pic.twitter.com/lm3GLiB5ym
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 3, 2022
The Warriors hit 12 triples in the game – 10 of those came in the second half.
“I told our guys to calm down. It’s never over. It’s never over in any game. I just told our guys to calm down and hit our shots. We started hitting some shots, and we started to believe in ourselves and next thing you know we were coming back.”
Jayden Ridley-Smith connects on one of his three triples in the quarter, but @VertusAthletics trails @EastridgeHoops 71-64 heading to the fourth quarter. @SecVBBasketball pic.twitter.com/2dNp7gO92z
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 3, 2022
The rally occurred while starters Emere Fulton and Reginald Pough were on the bench disqualified with five fouls.
“We got a great bunch of guys, great group of guys that sit on that bench and can come in at any time and give great minutes. I’m really blessed to have these guys this year.”
Ridley and Pough scored 14 points apiece. Fulton added 12. Terrance Clark and Talhah Ali both had 11 points. Qamar Turner (6), Malachi Davis (3) and Dah’Mere Brown (2) also scored for the Warriors.
The comeback overshadowed a career night from Eastridge’s Cordell Young who scored 44 points. The 5-foot-9 guard connected 14 times from the floor including two 3-pointers and converted 14 of 20 free throws.
Cordell Young steal and conversion. pic.twitter.com/P2rGH3AeaZ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 3, 2022
Young scored eight points as Eastridge opened the game on a 10-2 run.
Cordell Young scored 23 points in the first half and opens the third quarter with an and-one. @EastridgeHoops 50-39 pic.twitter.com/XZmEAzBrmT
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 3, 2022
Zy Switzer added 11 for Eastridge. Jelyn Collins (7), Ty Kunzer-Borrelli (6), Ayden Pomales (6), Jalonie Pittman (6) and Amere Rodgers (2) also scored for Eastridge.
Vertus will face Northeast in Saturday’s championship game. A 5:15 p.m. tip off is scheduled.
Eastridge will take on Eugenio Marie de Hostos Charter School in the consolation game slated for 3:30 p.m.
*Article updated to reflect correct point total for Eastridge’s Cordell Young.
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