Knights defeat Warriors in SCAC tourney

ROYAL CITY – Royal and Wahluke opened the South Central Athletic Conference district tournament against each other Tuesday night, with the Knights advancing to the district semifinals with a 74-40 win over the Warriors. 

“The boys put in a lot of work, and we know that this is the really exciting time of the year,” Royal head coach Greg Jenks said.  

Both teams traded punches throughout the first quarter; Royal took an early 4-0 lead, which the Warriors responded to with a three-pointer by sophomore Rex Buck for a 6-4 lead. Royal then took the lead back on a three-point play from sophomore Grant Wardenaar. 

The Knights extended the lead to 15-9 near the end of the first quarter, but a buzzer-beating three from Wahluke sophomore Icker Lopez cut into the Royal lead, making it a 15-12 ballgame entering the second quarter. 

“The guys just got after it,” Wahluke head coach Anfernee Cortez said. “We always talk about starting fast and executing, getting the ball up the court and getting back on defense. Limiting how many possessions they get, those kinds of things. I think the guys were feeling good, and that goes off of what we always talk about – having that confidence to go out there and execute right off the bat.” 

After all of Wahluke’s first-quarter points came from beyond the three-point arc, the Knights adjusted their defensive strategy. 

“All the action that they were doing high, we were dropping instead of staying high to cover the three-point line,” Jenks said. “As soon as we got that fixed, things changed.” 

The Warriors were held without a field goal the entire second quarter; the only points scored by the Warriors were on free throw attempts.  

“We started losing a little bit of steam there,” Cortez said. “Shots weren’t falling, we were settling a little bit and not looking to attack how we would want. Those longer shots led to quick transition points for them, which kind of dug us a hole.” 

“We really focused on one shot per possession,” Royal sophomore Fischer Livingston said. “That helped.” 

Royal held a 33-15 advantage at halftime, extending the lead to 59-30 by the end of the third quarter. The Knights eventually won the game 74-40. 

“In that second quarter, we stayed patient,” Jenks said. “We didn’t try and go for steals, we just stayed in front and extended the defense ... tonight, it was all nine guys. Everybody that went in the game played well. That was really fun to see.” 

On top of playing well on the defensive end that opened scoring opportunities in transition, the bulk of Royal’s scoring came in the paint throughout the first half.  

“I just knew that I could get into the lane any time, and they weren’t stopping the ball on the break,” said Livingston, who scored eight of his 12 points in the first half. “I would just go to the rim, and was finishing in the first half. Just kept going.” 

Livingston was one of four Knights to finish in double figures; Wardenaar led all scorers with 22 points, followed by 13 points from senior Trent Jensen, 12 points from Livingston and 10 points from sophomore Dax Jenks. 

“That is who we are,” Jenks said. “We know Grant’s more than likely going to be our leading scorer, but out of the other eight – who's going to hit double figures, it’s changed all year long. We expect it to keep changing moving forward. Hopefully, that makes us tough to guard.” 

Wahluke freshman Kobe Corrales led the Warriors with 14 points. With the loss the Warriors fall into the consolation bracket, where they will face Wapato Friday at 6 p.m. 

“The big thing is we identify on what didn’t go well and what went well, and then we put it behind us,” Cortez said. “We go out there and set the practice plan, prepare to go out there for the next game and be ready to play better.” 

Royal advances to the district semifinals, where they will host Cashmere on Friday at 6 p.m. The winner earns spot in the district championship game against either Zillah or Chelan on Feb. 21 in Wenatchee and automatically punches their ticket into the state tournament. 

“We’ve got to set the tone early come Friday,” Jenks said. 

Box score 

WAH: 12-3-15-10 40
RYL: 15-18-26-15 74 

    Wahluke senior Diego Perez (4) dribbles the ball up the floor against Royal on Tuesday.
  

    Royal sophomore Fischer Livingston (12) drives toward the rim in the first half against Wahluke on Tuesday.
  

    Royal senior Grant Wardenaar, in white, drives toward the basket while being defended by Wahluke freshman Kobe Corrales, in black. Wardenaar led the Knights with 22 points, while Corrales led the Warriors with 14 points.