staff reporter
The Maple Ridge Ramblers senior boys’ basketball team kicked off its season against Fraser Valley rivals at Enver Creek’s preseason tournament last weekend, coming away with a 2-1 record, good for second place.
The Ramblers opened the tournament with a 64-40 win over host Enver Creek. The Ramblers held a slim 30-26 lead at half-time, but the team stormed out in the second half, allowing only 14 points against.
Max Neumann led the Ramblers with a double-double, netting 29 points and 11 rebounds. Pavel Niemirski drained 11 points from the outside.
The Ramblers defeated Charles Best 75-40 in their second game of the tournament. Again point guard Neumann lit up the scoreboard with 28 points.
Jacob Durkovich had 18 points in the paint with 10 rebounds, while Joel Lutz had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Lincoln Clarke and Tyler Pipke had outstanding defensive games.
In the tournament final, the Ramblers faced league rivals, the Walnut Grove Gators. The Ramblers led 22-20 at the end of the first quarter, but at the mid-point of the second quarter, the Gators erupted with a 16-0 run, raining three-point shots. The Gators never looked back, beating the Ramblers 70-50.
Neumann led the Ramblers with 16 points and five recoveries, while Durkovich had 11 points and seven rebounds. Amit Rakhra contributed 10 points.
Neumann and Durkovich were named to the tournament’s first all-star team.
The Ramblers will get a chance for revenge this weekend as they play in the Walnut Grove tournament.
The Ramblers junior girls’ basketball team also finished in second place at the annual Kiwanis Classic Basketball Tournament.
The Ramblers opened the round robin tournament with a one-point loss to the eventual tournament champions Walnut Grove, 28-27. Walnut Grove hit the winning shot with less than 30 seconds to go in the game. The Ramblers were led by Rae Samuelson who scored 10 points and Jane Grisley who scored nine points.
In the second game of the tournament, Ramblers faced Mark Isfeld secondary from Courtney, coming away with a 44-36 victory. Grisley led the way offensively with 18 points. Samuelson added 10 points.
In the final game of the tournament for Maple Ridge, the Ramblers beat Abby Traditional 55-41. Lindsay Charron and Grisley both had strong games on the offensive end with 19 points each. Chantelle Stewart and Samuelson had seven points each. Melissa Fung played a strong game defensively for the Ramblers.