A tough, competitive league season and Fraser North zone tournament that saw three teams from the Tri-Cities advance to the BC School Sports AAAA girls basketball provincial championships has Port Coquitlam’s Riverside Rapids well positioned, says head coach Paul Langford.
Hard work and a commitment to defence earned the Rapids the third seed in the provincial tournament, that begins Feb. 26 at the Langley Events Centre, said Langford.
It also propelled Riverside to a Fraser North title when it defeated the Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils in the championship final Feb. 16 at Simon Fraser University, as well a win over British Columbia’s top-ranked AAAA team, North Vancouver’s Argyle Pipers, earlier in the season.
“The girls are all bought in and do the extra things like getting up shots and working out seven days a week,” said Langford of his charges that finished second in last year’s provincials, losing the championship final to the Seaquam Seahawks, 79-73. “We lost a lot of scoring from last year and we are trying to make up with defence and all-around scoring.”
The biggest departure to graduation was guard Avery Sussex, who led the Rapids to its first provincial championship in 2023 as a junior.
She’s been capably succeeded by Jorja Hart with strong support from fellow seniors, Mikella Campanile, Maliyah Mendoza and Annabelle Neufeld. The back court belongs to juniors Natalie McCuutheon and Kaitlin Vergara, who play with speed and energy.
As well, Langford said, Riverside’s junior team is playing at provincials this week in Chilliwack and some of its players may be available to the senior side next week.
The Rapids opens its quest for a second provincial championship against 14th-ranked Tweedsmuir at 4:45 p.m. Feb. 26 on the LEC’s south court.
The Blue Devils will also be in Langley as the seventh seed. Its opening day game is against no. 10 Kelowna Owls at 6:15 p.m., also on the south court
The 15th-ranked Heritage Woods Kodiaks will begin its tournament play against the defending champion Seaquam, which is the second seed. That game is at 7:45 p.m. on the south court.
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