ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights girls basketball team travelled to Tempe, Ariz., to compete in a three-game tournament where, following a Tuesday afternoon victory over Bear Creek, the Knights would go 3-0. This now places the knights 8-1 as they head into the next half of the season. 

“You go on a trip like this, and it’s really fun for the kids because they bond; they spend a ton of time together,” said Knights head coach Farrah Wardenaar. “There’s something to be said for going and spending five days with your teammates; you learn a lot about each other.” 

The Knights began the competition Saturday afternoon against Chaparral High School, where they earned a 17-point lead in the first half to stay above their opponent for the bulk of regulation to win 54-33. Monday, the Knights returned to the court to face Scottsdale Christian Academy, where they earned a dominant 71-22 victory.  

Going into Tuesday’s game against a fellow 1A Washington team, Bear Creek, the Knights continued with their aggressive playstyle.  

“We were excited to play them to see how we measure up with teams in our league from around the state,” said Wardenaar. 

The Knights started strong to earn a 15-point game lead over Bear Creek in the first quarter. Royal remained ahead through the second quarter, holding their opponent to only nine additional points scored to go into the half 37-16. 

In the third quarter, the Knights' defense was on full display as they held Bear Creek to their lowest scoring quarter of the game with three points while tacking on an additional 12 for themselves. With Royal adding on an additional 16 in the fourth quarter to the opponent's nine, the Knights would earn themselves their third victory, 65-28, to go undefeated in Arizona. 

“We played a solid game, we had very few turnovers and kids were making shots,” said Wardenaar. “Our press is looking good, so it’s all starting to feel like it’s coming together.” 

The long weekend was especially great for building up the team chemistry, said the coach. She compared this trip to the summer camp they attended in Gonzaga, where they decided their key to success this season was going to come through their synergy as they focused on each other and being about the team. 

She said the energy is high as they head into the next half of their season with an 8-1 record, which is the best start for the team in three years.  

“It’s exciting, they’re seeing that they can beat all different types of teams. We’ve had to adapt some, a couple teams pressed us, (but) we handled it well,” said Wardenaar. “Different players are stepping up and doing things, so it’s been fun to see.” 

As Royal moves forward with the basketball season, she said that the team will still need to work on their patience as they look for open shots rather than trying to force plays to happen.

“Overall, it’s getting better,” said the coach. “We’re starting to gel, we’re starting to understand each other, and all those things take a little bit.” 

The Knights’ next game will be on the road Saturday at 3:45 p.m. against Zillah. 

BOX SCORES:  

GAME ONE:  
ROYL: 29-10-6-9: 54
CHPR: 12-3-6-12: 33 

GAME TWO:  
ROYL: 20-20-23-8: 71
SDCR: 9-3-2-8: 22 

GAME THREE:  
ROYL: 22-15-12-16: 65
BCRK: 7-9-3-9: 28 

    The Royal Knights team lines up together for a group photo following Saturday’s game against Scottsdale Christian Academy. Head Coach Farrah Wardenaar said this trip was great for building team chemistry early in the season.