Wardenaar sinks 41 points as Knights earn blowout win

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (7-1) stormed the hardwood to defeat the Naches Valley Rangers 75-29 on Tuesday. Head coach Tim Ravet said the win was good to get the team back in a rhythm after suffering a loss earlier this week.  

“To come out and at least play inspired and hard was a good step in the right direction to get our wheels back underneath us, and hopefully continue to build (momentum), and to get ready for when we play them again,” Ravet said.  

After a steady start in the first quarter that saw the Knights take a 13-6 lead, they turned up the heat in the second quarter to take a commanding 29-9 lead over the Rangers. Strong paint presence by Grant Wardenaar and facilitation by Fischer Livingston helped Royal dominate on the court. In the second half, they continued to build that momentum by outscoring Naches Valley 46-20 to secure the win.  

“I think when they make the ball, the best athlete on the floor and move it, and it doesn't get sticky and they share it, it comes back to the better players. They start to trust each other; they make four or five passes instead of one and shoot it. They can trust that they can move the ball and get a great shot,” Ravet said.  

Wardenaar utilized his height to take over the game early in the first quarter. He found the basket inside the paint consistently while also contributing to the Knights' effective ball movement.  

In most cases, the ball never rested in the hands of a player for more than a second. As soon as a player makes contact with the ball, they are already turning to pass it to the next guy. This quick passing scheme opened a lot of scoring opportunities for Royal. This approach plays into what they want their identity to be, Ravet said.  

“We try to make it about defense, and then have it not be a sticky ball. It's really hard to guard when you move the ball and share it,” he said.  

While the defense held the Rangers to just three points in the second quarter, Royal’s offense picked up the pace. While Wardenaar continued to dominate the paint, other players like Jerry Fielding were getting open for three pointers. Royal also excelled at rebounding their own shots and putting the ball back up for points. By halftime, they led 29-9 and had all the momentum.  

In the third quarter, Livingston continued to facilitate and take shots at the bucket. On multiple occasions, he took advantage of the Rangers' turnovers and scored easy fast-break points. Royal continues to find ways to improve and outscored Naches Valley 19-10 in the third.  

The fourth quarter turned out to be the Knights’ best-performing period of the night. As Wardenaar kept heating up, the three pointers began to fall left and right. With his dribbling ability in traffic, alongside his height, he found several openings for perimeter shots. Royal put up 27 points to seal the win while Wardenaar finished with 41 for the game. Ravet said he had a quiet breakout performance.  

“It was a quiet 41 because he made other people better, and that’s way harder to guard than him having 41 and everybody else scared to shoot it. I was proud of the way he moved the ball, he shared it, but he also knows that he's got to get his (shots) too in order for us to be a team that can play with anybody,” he said.  

With the win, the Knights hope to build momentum and stack wins going forward. On Friday, they will travel to College Place to play at 7:15 p.m.

BOX SCORE:  

NVLY: 6-3-10-10: 29 

ROYL: 13-16-19-27: 75