Royal hoops girls off to good start despite loss

ROYAL CITY — There were two different Royal High girls basketball teams on the floor against Goldendale Saturday night.

It’s likely new coach Bud Wilhelm will want to keep the one he saw win the second half. It nearly came all of the way back from a 12-point halftime deficit.

Goldendale won the contest, 59-54, with a solid first half while Royal was still finding its bearings. The Timberwolves built a 29-17 lead.

Goldendale scored 30 more points in the second half, but the Knights cranked up their offense for 20-15 and 17-15 third and fourth periods.

The comeback was led by the coach’s own freshman daughter, Emma Wilhelm. She came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 14 points.

Veteran senior Knights basketballer Jennifer Ledezma scored 13 points and another freshman, Josie Phillips, came up with eight. But Phillips was lost to fouls well before the game ended.

“Our two captains, both seniors, Staci Hebdon and Sophie Rodriguez, played very well,” Wilhelm said.

Hebdon scored eight points, and Rodriguez had six. Savanna Buster, another senior, was a spark off the bench, scoring five points in the fourth quarter.

“The girls played with a lot of heart,” Wilhelm said. “We got down early by double digits and had to battle back in the second half. The home town crowd helped a lot by staying extremely energetic.”

The players’ efforts were noticed by the fans. Even though they lost, they were given a standing ovation.

“That meant a lot to the team,” Wilhelm said.