Funny how things worked out in South Central A Conference boys basketball. Royal gets another shot at Granger and Zillah.

After getting thumped by state powers Granger and Zillah in the pre-season, I had a feeling the experience would be good for the Knights.

Those games gave Royal, the tallest team in the conference, a taste of the speed at which the game is played at district.

Wouldn't you know it? Royal ended up in the same bracket with Granger and Zillah. Of course, the Knights must beat the Spartans on Thursday to get to the Leopards on Saturday.

Royal could have avoided Granger and Zillah by taking first or third in the East, but the Knights took second. Zillah and Granger were first and third in the West.

Granger may come into this tournament without the confidence of the last dozen years. Its first loss was to class 2B White Swan, 65-51. Then it lost once to Naches and twice to Zillah.

Now the Spartans have to start the tourney on the road. That hasn't happened in a decade.

No team really likes the road. The baskets look different in foreign gyms. The lighting isn't the same.

The Spartans lost their last game of the regular season at Zillah and could still be thinking about that.

On the other hand, this is still Granger. It finished No. 2 in the West last year and went on to the district crown and third at state.

So Thursday's game comes down to what Royal has learned in its 11-8 season and the first Granger and Zillah games. If the Knights impose their height advantage, convert the easy opportunities and play with 32 minutes of intensity, they can win Thursday.

Then they can think about doing it all over again against Zillah on Saturday and advancing to state.

Saying, "anything can happen at district," Royal coach Pete Christensen's goal after the first Granger and Zillah games was to get his team into position for a chance.

He did that. Now anything can happen.