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PHOTOS: Riverside Rapids fend off Gators to advance to 2022 BC AAAA basketball provincial final

The top-seeded Port Coquitlam school will go for gold in Langley on Saturday (March 5).
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer

Calm, cool and collected.

That could arguably be the best way to describe the Riverside Secondary Rapids as they weathered the waters, fended off the Walnut Grove Gators and surged to a 76-60 victory in the first semi-final at the 2022 BC AAAA senior girls basketball provincials in Langley.

Defense was the story of the night for Paul Langford's squad, who will be making his first appearance in a championship final since 2009.

In that year, Langford's Rapids lost in overtime and claimed silver medal.

He said the best course of action for a chance to win it all on Saturday (March 5) is to let the girls do their own thing.

"I have to get out of the way," he said in an interview post-game with the Tri-City News.

"I blew it because I call the timeout earlier [in the fourth quarter]. And, and I think my whole team was in shock because I very rarely called timeouts. Those kids like to improvise and I need to stay out of the way."

The first 10 minutes of the contest saw both teams held to a lower-than-expected 15-14 score in favour of the top-seeded Rapids.

But in the second frame, Avery Sussex and Jorja Hart proved why they are two of top athletes at the tournament, working well together on both sides of the ball and propelling their team past a struggling Gators offense.

At one point, the crowd began to chant "overrated," and though it's not clear who it was directed at, Hart tells the Tri-City News the secret to good communication is to focus on each other as a team.

"We just tuned it out. We don't listen to any of that. And I think we just proved them wrong with how we played tonight," the forward said.

"I think really it's just about good sportsmanship. And we're all really close and keep each other calm. And I think that as long as we're all in a good headspace, we can do anything."

Hart finished with 17 points in the semi-final, while Sussex led Riverside's scoresheet with 32 points.

Natalie Curley dominated the glass with 13 rebounds, including six on offense and seven on defense.

Riverside gained speed and grit to its largest lead of the contest — 36-25 at half-time.

The Gators were able to gain some momentum in the third quarter with some much-needed buckets, but another last-second offensive push by the Rapids had them with a comfortable 53-41 cushion.

Walnut Grove wasn't done yet pulling to within seven in the late stages of the fourth quarter.

Riverside, however, kept up the composure they illuminated from start to finish to advance to the final by a score of 76-60.

The green, white and blue are set to take on their School District 43 (SD43) — Terry Fox Secondary — for the title tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. from centre court at the Langley Events Centre (LEC).

The #3 Ravens defeated the #2 Okanagan Mission Huskies 83-76 in the second semi-final.

The gold medal match is slated for tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

For $8, you can watch it via a live-stream courtesy of Ten Feet Sports and Entertainment (TFSE).