staff reporter
The Maple Ridge Ramblers senior boys’ basketball team finished the regular season with a pair of losses last week, as they fell to Walnut Grove and WJ Mouat secondary schools.
The Ramblers fell victim to suffocating defence and deadly-accurate three-point shooting as they lost 69-50 to the Walnut Grove Gators on Feb. 7. Max Neumann led the Ramblers with 20 points and 10 recoveries. The big men contributed as well, with Joel Lutz notching 12 points and seven rebounds, while Jacob Durkovich had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
On Friday, the Ramblers faced the WJ Mouat Hawks in a game that went back and forth. In the third quarter, the Ramblers looked like they were pulling ahead, taking a 38-31 lead, but Mouat had came back to draw within two points by the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Mouat drained three straight three-pointers and didn’t look back, defeating Maple Ridge 63-55. Durkovich led the Ramblers with a triple double by scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and picking up 10 recoveries. From the outside, Neumann had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight recoveries, while Lincoln Clarke scored 14 points.
With a 5-3 league record, the Ramblers advance to the AAA Fraser Valley East finals, which begin Thursday at Walnut Grove secondary in Langley.