BENSALEM — The 10-point lead the Bonner & Prendergast boys basketball team built in the third quarter had been cut down to just three in fourth, Upper Dublin opening Tuesday night’s final period with back-to-back 3-pointers from Justin Ragsdale then Kobe Bazemore.

But the Friars’ Kam Jackson found DaShaun Holden open for a 3 from the right corner that Holden drained to double the margin. After a Ragsdale free throw, the Bonner guards connected once more, Jackson swinging the ball to Holden for another right-corner triple in the PIAA Class 5A second-round contest.

“That’s actually my cousin so I know what he can do, I trust in him, I believe in him,” Jackson said of Holden. “So knowing he going to make the first one and then the second one I hit ‘em, I said make the next one. And he made it, built up our confidence, made us keep going and we just built from there.”

The Friars held off the District 1 champs down the stretch for a 67-58 victory at Bensalem, knocking UD out of states in the same round and same place as last year.

“This game has a little bit of the third (Plymouth Whitemarsh) game feel, where it was like, all right we’ve just got to get there at the end and then knock it out but we just couldn’t,” Upper Dublin coach Derek Brooks said. “Every time we got it close, it was like a five-point game, either we’d miss a shot or they bury a 3 and it’s just, you’ve got to get two or three stops in a row there. That’s just a hard team to get stops on.”

Bonner’s Korey Francis scored 12 of his game-high 28 points in the third including the first five of a 7-0 run that put the Friars ahead for good. Jackson and Holden each hit three 3-pointers, Jackson adding 13 points and Holden 10 as Bonner (21-6) advances to faces Springfield in the quarterfinals Friday at Cardinal O’Hara.

“We never played them ever,” Jackson said. “Never been a Delco-versus-Delco in a while I feel like. So just knowing we just got to go out there and do what we do and to get farther.”

Last season, Bonner & Prendergast routed UD, 59-37, snapping the Cards’ 28-game win streak, but then fell in the quarters to Upper Moreland 46-45.

“We can’t sit on this game because last year we sat on this game, we got comfortable and we lost the next game,” said Jackson, an All-Catholic League first team selection. “But again, we shouldn’t have lost so just knowing that this game just is a statement game and we just have to keep being hungry.”

Tuesday’s rematch with the Friars was a much-closer affair, but the result remained the same for the Cardinals, trying to reach their first state quarterfinal since 1985.

“I thought we could beat this team,” Brooks said. “If we were a little bit better tonight, we would have beat this team. So they’re a great team but I think we have a lot of talent too. And, you know, this is what you want, this is what you play for.”

Justin Ragsdale, despite picking up his fourth foul at 5:18 in the third, scored a team-high 21 points for Upper Dublin (25-5). The junior posted 13 points in the fourth, hitting three of his four 3-pointers in the quarter before eventually fouling out in the game’s final minute.

“He was fantastic,” Brooks said of Ragsdale. “And he does a good job of not fouling, even some plays he did get called for a foul, it wasn’t bad plays by him, I thought. He was fantastic tonight. And he’s been so good since basically the last month. The start of the SOL tournament (to) now, he’s been our best player. He has been fantastic.

“So I’m hoping he can carry that momentum into next year. Him and Horace and some of the other guys that are going to be coming back cause I think we’re going to have a very good team next year as well.”

UD will graduate three seniors – Bazemore, Brandon Altman and Noah Cohen – from Tuesday’s starting lineup, the class being a part of a three-year run of success that included three states appearances, two District 1 Class 5A championships and two SOL Tournament titles.

“This is the first group we coached from a freshman to a senior and we just have some great kids, dedicated kids who have been such core pieces to this program,” Brooks said. “Kobe, Noah, Brandon have played since sophomores and I think we’re 77-11 those last three years, something like that. And with all the championships we’ve won, it’s hard to put into words just how valuable they’ve been and core pieces, these are guys that are the first day of open gym in April.

“So, going to miss them tremendously, it’s going to be hard to even imagine them not being around. But just grateful to have coached them.”

UD’s last lead came at 12-10 after two Bazemore free throws, but Bonner scored the next four to go up 14-12 at the end of the opening quarter.

The Friars extended their advantage as large as 10 in the second quarter, Francis’ transition bucket capping a 10-2 run to make it 24-14. The Cardinals, however, responded with a 10-1 burst – a Ragsdale three followed by Cohen’s jumper pulled UD to within 25-24. Holden connected on a three but a Jackson IV’s basket had the Cards down 28-26 at the break.

Jackson IV scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to knot things at 28 early in the third only for Francis to hit a three then get a basket off an inbounds. Aydin Scott’s putback had the Friars up 35-28.

A Bazemore basket snapped the 7-0 run but Francis’ 3-point play on a baseline drive – which drew Ragsdale’s fourth foul – made it 38-30 at 5:18.

“We know that there’s going to be adversity in the game,” Jackson said. .So just knowing we’ve been doing it all year, staying together, talking to each other.”

Jackson IV’s 3-pointer had UD down 38-33 before Bonner & Prendergast scored seven of the next nine, pushing its lead back to 10 after two Francis free throws at 1:27 in the third.

After a Ragsdale 3-point play with 58.3 seconds, Francis’ basket sent the Friars to the fourth up 47-38.

Back-to-back threes from Bazemore and Ragsdale had UD down 47-44 but that was as close as the Cardinals would get. Holden’s two triples gave Bonner a 53-45 lead and from there the margin never dipped below five.

Jakeem Carroll was fouled on a three at 3:17 and converted all three at the line, putting the Friars ahead 58-50. Two Scott free throws at 2:02 made it 60-51. UD could only cut the deficit to six twice, the last time at 62-56 after Ragsdale hit two foul shots with 1:08 left.

Bonner & Prendergast 67, Upper Dublin 58

Upper Dublin 12 14 12 20 – 58

Bonner & Prendergast 14 14 19 20 – 67

Upper Dublin: Justin Ragsdale 5 7-9 21; Kobe Bazemore 7 2-2 17; Horace Jackson IV 5 2-2 13; Noah Cohen 2 0-0 5; Bryce Kukla 1 0-0 2; Totals 20 11-13 58.

Bonner & Prendergast: Korey Francis 9 8-11 28; Kam Jackson 5 0-0 13; DaShaun Holden 3 1-2 10; Jakeem Carroll 2 4-5 8; Aydin Scott 3 2-2 8; Totals 22 15-20 67.

3-pointers: UD-Ragsdale 4, Bazemore, Cohen, Jackson IV; B-Holden 3, Jackson 3, Francis 2.