Connell way too strong for Royal girls

ROYAL CITY - Connell defeated Royal in prep girls basketball, 79-21, just before the start of the Christmas break, and the score could have been even worse.

After blowing out to a 48-11 halftime lead, the Eagles backed off on offense. The defense was consistent, however, holding the Knights to quarter scores of 4, 7, 4 and 6 points.

"We fought really hard against one of the top teams in the state," coach Phil Daubel said. "Our effort was good, but we still keep giving the other team too many chances on the defensive end."

The Knights were led by the eight points of Flor Araujo. Becca Lee and Kayla Smith scored four each. Dory Floren pulled down eight rebounds.

The Royal girls are 0-8. They will return to the floor on Jan. 5 against Ritzville at Royal.