Royal boys pounce on Kittitas

ROYAL CITY - Coach Pete Christensen threw his entire team at the Kittitas Coyotes and came up with a smothering man-to-man defense that led the Royal boys to a 49-24 season-opening prep basketball victory at Royal on Saturday.

The Knights were especially tough in the first three quarters, allowing two, four and six points. The score was 35-12 going to the fourth period. The Coyotes' leading scorer had seven points.

"It was an exciting game to get the season started with," Christensen said. "The boys played with intensity the entire game, which allowed us to use all the players."

Everyone contributed, from the players on the floor to those on the bench. The team had 12 assists and 12 steals. Seven boys scored.

Teddy Mead was the workhorse, putting up 12 points and bringing down 12 rebounds. Chase Christensen led the scoring with 13 points, and Riley Lefler had 12.

Austin Walz and Lefler had four rebounds each, and Jonathan Partida led in steals with three. Mead was the leading shooter, hitting five of his 10 field goal attempts.

The not-so-good news for the Knights was team shooting. They made only 32 percent of their 2-pointers and 28 percent of their 3-pointers. And they committed 14 turnovers.

Christensen will get a better look at his team this week. The competition will be stiff, starting tonight at Warden. Highland will visit the Knights on Friday, and Royal will travel to always tough Chelan on Saturday. Christensen will be looking for improved shooting and the same defensive effort.

"This group of guys is exciting to coach, and I had a ball watching them play," Christensen said. "We will be taking things one game at a time and working on staying focused for the entire game. They are playing as a team, and they are positioned to grow and develop even further as the year progresses."