The Pitt Meadows Marauders Air Force claimed first place in the AAA Fraser Valley North Playoffs and earned the No. 1 seed at the Fraser Valley championships as they topped the No. 5-ranked senior AAA boys' basketball team in the province, the Terry Fox Ravens, for the second time in a week on Friday.
After a 71-68 overtime win over Terry Fox on Feb. 10 in the final game of the regular season, the Pitt was able to put their league rivals down a week later with a 68-62 win in regulation.
The win guarantees Pitt Meadows, the No. 2-ranked team in the province, the No. 1 seeding in the Fraser Valley AAA championships, which get underway Wednesday.
That means Pitt will enjoy home court advantage until the tournament shifts to the Langley Events Centre for the final two days of play on March 2 and 3.
The Marauders advanced to the Fraser Valley North final after beating league rivals, the Centennial Centaurs of Coquitlam, 81-54 Thursday night at home.
Maple Ridge enters Fraser Valleys at lucky No. 13
The Maple Ridge Ramblers didn't fare as well in their opening game of the AAA Fraser Valley East playoffs, as they were beat by a single point by Sardis secondary Thursday night, 56-55.
The Ramblers rallied from behind to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but were ultimately beat by a single foul shot.
Max Neumann had a stand-out game with 23 points, six rebounds, and four recoveries. Jacob Durkovich had 12 points and six recoveries.
The Ramblers bounced back from that loss, however, winning their next two games to claim the lucky No. 13 seed in the 32-team Fraser Valley AAA championships.
After a slow start, the Ramblers again turned it on late to defeat Chilliwack secondary 57-50 on Friday. Neumann led the team with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine recoveries. Jacob Durkovich had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lincoln Clarke hit some key shots to finally put the Ramblers in the lead in the late third quarter.
In the third game of the playoffs, the Ramblers started firing on all cylinders again, with a 71-58 win over Abbotsford Collegiate. Neumann scored 26 points. Pavel Niemirski did not miss a shot from outside, scoring 15 points. Joel Lutz also played strong inside with 14 points, six rebounds and five recoveries. Jacob Durkovich played a steady game with 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Ramblers will play their first Fraser Valley qualifier game this Wednesday against Lord Tweedsmuir at 6:15 p.m. at White Rock Christian Secondary.
SRT knocked out
In AA Fraser Valley action, Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School were knocked out Thursday night, 76-52, by Abbotsford Christian. The loss means SRT won't qualify for the AA provincial championships March 7 to 10 in Kamloops.
Two MR schools at A finals
The Fraser Valley A tournament gets underway this Wednesday at Trinity Western University, with Meadowridge School taking on Unity Christian at 3 p.m., and Maple Ridge Christian facing Langley Christrian at 8:15 p.m.