Ramblers Rebound to Earn a Comeback Win over the Polars

December 9, 2023

Maple Ridge v. Prince George

A rainy afternoon at the base of Grouse Mountain, we have the Maple Ridge Ramblers facing off against the Prince George Polars.  The Polars are going to have one final night in Vancouver before heading home, and you know they are going to be motivated to finish this tournament off in style with a W. 

The spectators are enjoying a balanced first quarter with both teams stepping up defensively and making their opponent earn every point. Both the Ramblers and the Polars showed up ready to compete and give this crowd a show. At the end of the first quarter, Maple Ridge is up 17-13. 

A couple of quick buckets for Prince George to start the second quarter has them all tied up at 17. #4 for the Polars, Jules Tersago, keeps the momentum rolling by taking the ball hard to the rim to complete the “and-1” three point play. Prince George takes a 3 point lead with plenty of time left in the half. The Polars have taken advantage of their opportunities and pushed their lead up to 6, but the Ramblers have plans to counter that by jumping into a full court press and adjusting the pace of play. The plan has worked, at least momentarily, as they finished inside after forcing a turnover. When the pressure is on, it comes down to good decision making and remaining calm amongst the chaos; always difficult, but especially early in the season when your halfcourt sets and press break are still half-baked. 

An energized first half from both teams has Prince George up 31-24 at the half. 

Halftime Fact #1: Polar bear skin is actually black, and they can swim constantly for days at a time. 

Halftime Fact #2: Fortnite sees 44.7 million players in one day, a new record. 

Both teams have started this half just like how they finished the last, full of beans. With both teams playing their fourth game in 3 days, there are no signs of fatigue. Prince George has dropped back into a 2-3 zone D, giving the ramblers a different look to contend with. At times, it morphs into a 1-2-2 when they extend defensively and put pressure on the perimeter. Maple Ridge continues to sit in their zone D and test the Polars three point shooting.  Prince George has continued their strong play extending their lead to 14 with under two minutes left in the Q. It seems the Polars have a few gamers on their team, as we have heard them run both “Fortnite” and “Fortnite Update” as offensive sets. End of Q3, Prince Goerge up 55-39.

Far from out of reach, the Ramblers are looking to get their final quarter of this tourney trending towards a tight finish. They are relying on the 3 ball to do some of the damage, and just like that they have shrunk that lead down to 5. With a big steal at midcourt leading to a wide open layup, the Ramblers are down just 3 with 6 minutes to go!  Prince George is looking to reverse the momentum and put this game out of reach. They were able to increase their lead back to 6 momentarily, until the Ramblers knocked down another 3 with under 3 minutes remaining. Disciplined execution from Maple Ridge has them down just a single bucket and in possession of the ball with 2 minutes to go.  A thrilling end to this one - a tough finish by the Ramblers at the rim ties the game with just over a minute remaining, followed up with a nice pass inside to give them a 2 point lead. The Polars have a floater rattle around the rim and miss, putting them in a must foul situation. A Ramblers miss on the first free throw and a make on the second, gives the Ramblers enough to complete an epic comeback! What. A. Game.

Final Score: Maple Ridge: 68 - Prince George: 66.

Player of the Game: #13 Maple Ridge, Nathan Haynes, 17 pts

No Regrets.