Most tests are learning opportunities.

The Riverside Rapids are eager to show that they've done their homework.

The senior AAA girls basketball team dropped their second game in the span of a four days - and just their second loss of the season - but remain resilient in their goal.

Riverside was edged 73-67 to the No. 1-ranked Brookswood Bobcats last week, and followed that with a 71-67 decision over Yale to retain their hold on second place in the Fraser Valley AAA Tier 1 league.

The win over Yale on Thursday came despite missing three players to exams and three to injury, and saw the Rapids clutch-up to complete a come-from-behind effort.

Trailing by six points at the half, the Port Coquitlam crew pulled even late in the game when Natalie Carkner hit a three-point shot, followed by Denise Spacek's trey that put them ahead with two minutes left in the game.

They successfully fended off Yale's rally attempt to pick up their fifth league win in six games.

"We pulled out a gutsy effort," recalled Riverside coach Paul Langford. "[Yale] were lights out, just unbelievable to start. We did everything we could to cool them off."

Carkner finished with a game-high 18 points, while Spacek and Laiken Cerenzie contributed 17 points apiece.

It came on the heels of their second straight loss to the Bobcats, another close contest that highlighted a growing heated rivalry between the two schools.

Staring at a 12-point deficit at the half, the Rapids closed the gap but couldn't bridge the gap completely, echoing their result from the Centennial Top-10 final two weeks earlier.

"We got down early and struggled in their gym," Langford said. "We came back and gave it a go, but we didn't get our shots going and no one stepped it up."

Although they have lost guard Chelsey Sanchez for the season and are still missing forward Megan Sherwood, both to injury, the squad has passed through the pre-exam stretch with some valuable lessons absorbed.

Now slated second in the latest provincial rankings, the team can focus on getting stronger.

"We had a good run to start off the year," noted the coach. "Going undefeated for [25] games was nice, but it can get in your head after a while. We're just trying to get healthy again and get more consistent."

After yesterday's league encounter with the 0-3 W.J. Mouat Hawks (past The NOW's deadline), the senior girls league takes a week off for exam purposes. Their next test comes Feb. 2 against Fleetwood Park.

FOX IN EMERALD HUNT

The Terry Fox Ravens senior boys basketball team marched into the final with plenty of momentum.

The Vancouver College Fighting Irish then proceeded to grab it back.

The Fighting Irish captured its own Emerald Tournament title on Saturday, upending Terry Fox 83-69 in the final.

Coming off a huge performance in the semifinal, where they toppled No. 1-rated AA Mission 66-53, the Ravens had a difficult time hitting the basket consistently against No. 6-ranked Van College.

It started out promising enough, with the Port Coquitlam team pushing ahead 22-19 early in the second quarter, with Ryan Sclater cashing in 15 of his team's points.

Both teams had runs that appeared to change the game - with the Irish going on a 13-0 run, and Fox following with a 10-0 run of their own to tie it up 32-32. Vancouver's six-foot-eight post Abu Khan pulled the home fans off their seats with a 15-foot jumpshot that gave the host team a huge edge heading into the second half.

Sclater led all scorers in the game, connecting for 32 points en route to a first-team all-star selection.

Adding 21 points in support was Jesse Crookes.

The Ravens had opened the tourney with a 75-72 win over No. 5 White Rock Christian.

sports@thenownews.com