Knights girls remain optimistic, despite semifinals loss

YAKIMA — The Royal Knights (22-5) fell short 42-27 in the semifinals of the 1A state basketball tournament to the King’s Knights. Loss aside, Head Coach Farrah Wardenaar and the Royal girls are holding their heads high.  

“So proud of the girls,” she said. “They hit four threes in a row, all by different people. So what do you do? It came to the point where you want to score a decent amount, so to only lose by 15 (points) to a number one seed, I think for our program that's a step in the right direction.”  

Royal started slow in the first half, scoring a single point in the first quarter, but the defense was strong. They bounced back in the second quarter to cut their deficit to 17-8 by halftime. However, a series of three-pointers blew the game open for King’s as they stormed their way to victory Friday.  

“I think they did great. I think they had this no-fear attitude, which is great. Sometimes, I don't even know if they realize what they just did. Like to lose the number one team by 15, that's not bad. We're young, (and) we'll be back next year,” Farrah said.  

The first quarter was a defensive battle for RHS as they struggled to get into a rhythm on offense. They kept the game within reach thanks to tight defense by Graycie Kast, Maggie Frank, Briana Cedillo and Lauren Wardenaar. At the buzzer, Frank was fouled, which allowed her to shoot a pair of free throws, which got Royal on the scoreboard.  

In the second quarter, offense picked up for RHS as Lauren drilled a three-pointer to cut the score to 7-4. King’s managed to score three more before Kast cut the score to 10-8. From there, King’s went on a scoring run that helped them take a 17-8 lead at halftime.  

Lauren drilled a two-pointer to open the third quarter, but four straight three-pointers by King’s allowed the game to get out of hand quickly for Royal. They led 31-10 by the end of the third.  

However, despite the game drifting out of reach, Royal was determined to finish strong as Lauren, Cedillo and fellow Knights went on a tear in the fourth quarter. They managed to outscore King’s 17-11.  

Despite the strong effort to the final buzzer, King’s secured the 42-27 win and advanced to the 1A state finals. Royal will play the loser of Zillah vs Lynden Christian at 1 p.m. Saturday in Yakima.  

Despite the loss, Farrah and the Knights will leave Yakima with a lot to be proud of. This is their first state appearance since 2001 and made a run to semifinals.  

“We’re so excited. Our two goals coming into this (was) we wanted to make it to Saturday, and we wanted to move our name up on the wall, and we got to do that yesterday, when we beat Bellevue Christian. When your girls don't know what they're stepping into, it's the little victories,” the coach said. 

BOX SCORE: 

ROYL: 1-7-2-17: 27
KNGS: 7-10-14-11: 42

    The Knights’ Maggie Frank (5) eyes a teammate as she looks to pass the ball during their game against King’s Friday.
  

    Lauren Wardenaar (14) hustles down the court on a fast break in the 1A state tournament semifinals against King’s Friday.
  

    The Knights’ Briana Cedillo (11) shoots a three-pointer against King’s in the semifinals of the 1A state basketball tournament Friday.