The Maple Ridge Ramblers fell 58-40 to the third-ranked Riverside Rapids at the Fraser Valley senior girls’ basketball championships Tuesday in Port Coquitlam.
The Rams trailed 31-29 at halftime, but were outscored 27-11 in the second half.
Ramblers head coach Don Herman was proud of his team’s effort, but the players “ran out of gas” in the fourth quarter, after point guard Kate Head left with an wrist injury.
Jane Grisley led Ridge with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Liz Murphy added six points, four assists and seven boards, while Grade 9 Paige Bell had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Ramblers opened the valley playoffs Monday with a 40-18 win over Earl Marriott of White Rock.
“Both teams played very nervously to start, missing open shots and turning it over,” said Herman. “We have a number of sick girls right now who have not been able to practice the past week and it showed.”
While the game lacked flow, Grisley battled through double-team coverage and finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Head had seven points, four assists and seven rebounds, while Bell grabbed 11 boards.
The Ramblers were to play Yale on Thursday at Gleneagle secondary.
Wrestlers shine
Nine members of the Maple Ridge secondary wrestling team qualified for the B.C. high school championships last Saturday in Surrey.
Libby McDonnell led the Ramblers, winning gold at the Upper Fraser Valleys.
Dionte Hurtado, Wolfie Wallace and Cam Hicks all earned silver.
Overall, the girls’ team placed fourth, while the boys finished fifth out of 17.