ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (9-1) won their third straight game Saturday, defeating the Kiona-Benton Bears 90-42. Head coach Tim Ravet said his players did a good job executing the defensive game plan.   

“When we don't reach and just stay sound on defense, keep things in front of us and get deflections. We're pretty solid on defense. It's when we get out over our skis and reach and lunge when we get beat, but we're trying to do a better job of that, so hopefully that'll start to carry over into big games,” Ravet said.   

The Knights controlled the game from the start, running zone defense and putting the ball in the net on offense. Their rhythm on both ends allowed them to outscore the Bears 46-23 in the first half. They continued their dominance in the second half to secure the win behind Grant Wardenaar’s 40-point performance.   

“He didn't start on Friday because he was having trouble getting his eye open after being sick, so he didn't start Friday. But, I think he had six or seven dunks on Saturday, so that was exciting,” Ravet said.   

Wardenaar and the Knights were cooking offensively in the first quarter. While finding success from midrange and in the paint, Wardenaar, Anderson Brown and Graham Palmer knocked down three pointers to give them a 27-11 lead.  

In the second quarter, Royal continued to limit the Bears on defense while Dax Jenks, Fischer Livingston and Palmer helped build their lead. Ravet said ball distribution was key coming into this game, and it paid off.   

“They're starting to share the ball better. When you make the ball the best athlete on the floor, and you're a willing passer and want to find the guy (that’s open), you're way harder to guard when you're making the ball the best athlete, I think it's been a little sticky in some of our games, but I think we're starting to move it a lot better now,” he said.   

The third quarter had Wardenaar’s name written all over it, accounting for 21 of their 26 points in that period. Major Andra, Livingston and Jenks also put up buckets as Royal ran away with the game.  

“They hit some big shots. They're shooting deep trees, just the idea of people willing to shoot 25-footers makes people realize that you got to make them feel uncomfortable from 25 feet in, and that's having your hand over the shooting pocket, making players that are good shooters feel pressure all the time,” he said.   

In the fourth quarter, Royal finished the job behind Wardenaar, Palmer, Jerry Fielding, Henry Brown and Manny Ruvalcaba. With their third straight win under their belt, Ravet is focused on one game at a time.   

Royal travels to Riverside Jan. 13 to play the Rams at 5:30 p.m. Their last loss came against Zillah, and they will have a chance to avenge that Jan. 16 on their home court at 7:15 p.m. However, Ravet treats every game like it’s a big deal, he said.   

“I don't think you want to make too big a deal out of any game. They're all big; in that 32 minutes that you got, you have to put a lot into that. Hopefully, we just keep getting better and understanding each other better, and the players understanding what each guy can do, and play to their strengths, trying to stay away from the weaknesses. The more they're in the gym and the more they're getting reps at everything, the stronger they're going to get,” Ravet said.   

BOX SCORE:  

KBTN: 11-12-11-8: 42  

ROYL: 27-19-26-18: 90  

    The Knights’ Anderson Brown (23) eyes the ball while on offense against Naches Valley earlier this season. Brown contributed five points in Royal’s win against Kiona-Benton Saturday.
  

    The Royal Knights Head Coach Tim Ravet calls out plays to his team during their game against Naches Valley earlier this season. Ravet said his players have gotten better at distributing the ball on offense.