The Ridley Tigers Roar to Gold!
By Ava Edghill ’25, Staff Writer; Edited by Faith Nickel ’27, Staff Editor
On Tuesday, March 4th, Ridley came alive for the Prep Boys Basketball OSBA quarter-finals against Bill Crothers School. For the occasion, students from upper through lower school were dismissed early from their last-period classes and were gathered in the fieldhouse to watch the big game! Students, teachers, staff, and family filled the stands with their excitement and left no empty seats at the game’s inception. Sporting their Ridley gear, the crowd was saturated with cheers, cowbells, and signs of their favourite teammates. Likewise, the Ridley Cadet Band members serenaded the gym with their incredible talents, adding an upbeat, electric spin to the loud atmosphere. There was even a special halftime game arranged by the school Prefects called “Guess That Basketball Baby.” Shoutout to Clare Pawsey ’25, Avery Katzman ’25, and Denise des Vignes ’26 for taking home the gold medals for that game!
It is safe to say that the Basketball boys made the Ridley community proud. With their perseverance, drive, and teamwork, they secured the win, with the final score being 92-75. A big congratulations to all the boys, especially to Caleb Roberts ’25, who scored 14 points, Griffin Collinson ’25 (17), and Quinten Ethier ’25 (21). The team’s efforts did not go unnoticed, and they left the other team shaking in the dust.
However, the Ridley heat doesn’t stop there as the Prep Boys Basketball team advanced to the OSBA semi-finals where they had another astounding game in which they won 89-77 against Crestwood Prep—a win which would lead them to play in the finals against Hodan Prep on Saturday, March 9th at Scarborough Pan Am Sports Centre. This final game certainly had Ridley supporters on the edge of their seats. With gold on the line, the boys gave their all in an intensely heated game. Ridley took the lead at halftime with a close score of 35-27. As the game continued and the time dwindled, the energy in the room ascended as Jaxen Baker ’26 sealed the match by making a game-solidifying 3-pointer late in the 4th quarter, which would put the Ridley Tigers up by 5 with just 23 seconds remaining. The boys would secure the gold in the OSBA Men’s Championship, representing Ridley and making everyone proud. OSBA Men’s Championship, representing Ridley and making everyone proud. Congratulations to the team for this well-earned accomplishment, and big shoutouts to Caleb Roberts ’26 for winning final MVP and being named a 1st team OSBA All-Star along with Griffin Collinson ’25 and Quinten Ethier ’25 who were named 3rd team All-Stars. Congratulations to coach Victor Raso for being named OSBA’s Coach of the Year. Go Tigers!
