Maple Ridge’s senior girls’ basketball team conquered the province in 2024 — and they’re running it back this season with nearly the same roster
A dominant 2024 SCAA season ended with the Ravens finishing 6-0 in the regular season before cruising through the playoffs and the GBSSA Final. Their average margin of victory through those nine games was 46.66 points.
That dominance carried into Brampton, where Maple Ridge captured the AAA OFSAA championship — the school’s first provincial title, and the region’s first since Innisdale in 1986.
"With a lot of us being in grade 11 and we had grade 10s, we were a pretty young team," returning starter Reese Burleigh said. "Just knowing we were the top team in Ontario, that's a pretty crazy thing to think about."
With just two graduates, the rest of the championship roster returns — a rare luxury in high school sports, let alone for a defending provincial champion.
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"Some of them we started coaching when they were in grade nine, and now we're seeing them through their grade 12 year... there's nothing better," head coach Connor Laronde said. "It feels like the players make me better as a coach, and I feel like I make them better as a player, and that relationship just continues to grow."
Laronde has been at the centre of Maple Ridge’s basketball rise. A business teacher by day, he also coaches the school’s senior boys’ team, which went unbeaten in the regular season before claiming the 2025 SCAA title.
The Ravens consider themselves confident heading into this season, led by Burleigh, Rylie Tutty, and Avery Miles; all of which are set to be in the starting lineup for the season opener.
"We have high expectations for ourselves," Burleigh said. "We know that we can do those things because of the time that we spend focusing on details and focusing on the things that we know are going to get us where we want."
Their identity is built on pressure. The Ravens press full-court from the opening tip and push the pace offensively, a style that overwhelms opponents.
"It definitely flusters a lot of teams," Burleigh says. "Putting that pressure on right away is definitely a way to kind of get in their heads."
"We're taking a lot of those things that we got good at last year, and we're fine tuning them while also bringing in some new stuff so that it just gives teams so many things that they have to deal with in order to beat us," Laronde said.
Burleigh is among three players on the team drawing recruiting interest from colleges. While not everyone on the team has long-term plans in basketball, the ambition is there.
"A few of them have those goals for sure, at least in their mindset," Laronde said. "Reece and Avery have both had a bit of an interest in that, so I think they're looking to pursue it as best they can."
The two seniors that graduated after the 2024 season, Azalea Duncan and Julia Hamilton, each had big impacts on the team's championship season. Duncan, specifically, was named as a key leader on and off the court, as well as an off-ball threat.
Other names to watch include Kira Pappas, similarly praised for her defense and rebounding; and Morgan Catling, who returns after missing last year with a knee injury.
For Laronde, this season is as much about growth as results. After climbing the mountain last year, Maple Ridge now has to defend its place at the top.
"This year, we have a target on our back," the coach recognizes. "Every good tournament we go to, every team is going to give their best game. Last year we had, we had a little bit of that, and we had games where our youth definitely showed... Now the battle is going to be if we be mature enough, and if we can play like veterans. Can we do that when every single team that we play this year is going to play their best game?"
Later this fall, Maple Ridge is co-hosting a tournament that includes the defending A and AA OFSAA champions, providing a strong mid-season test.
Burleigh believes the answer lies in consistency.
"Teams are going to be coming for us, but we want to be mentally consistent, knowing that nothing's going to to handed to us, but also be confident in what we're doing."
Maple Ridge's season opens Monday at home against defending GBSSA A-division champs Nouvelle Alliance (0-1).
“Nothing is going to be handed to us,” Burleigh adds. “That’s why we’re in the gym every day practicing.”
