Royals Win 4 in A Row
By Nathan McShinsky

After the Royals started the season 2-6, they have bounced back and won seven of their last nine. That streak includes the last four in a row to improve to 9-8 with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Win @ Thetford

The Royals traveled to Thetford Academy last Wednesday, Feb. 7, to play in a big Division III match-up, and they stayed the course with a 54-47 victory. 

In the first the Royals struggled to get started as they were only able to put up a four-point quarter with Pete Doyle-Braman hitting a jumper with 5:08 to play and the only other basket of the quarter was by Joey Kinnarney at the buzzer. However the Royals defense kept them tight as they only trailed the Panthers 10-4.

The Royals used the momentum from the buzzer beater and ran with it as they started the quarter on an 11-0 run. The Panthers’ first hoop in the second came with 1:26 left in the half. The Royals won the quarter 16-6 and had the lead 20-16, going into the half.

The Royals came out in the third strong and had a seven-point lead, 31-24 with 8:00 to play. The SoRo defense came up big again with another stop from the 4:40 mark until there was 36 seconds left. 

In the fourth both of the teams’ offenses took over the game as they combined for a 46-point quarter, 23-23, as both scored early and often. In the quarter for the Royals Nick Enright and Miles Ellis both stepped up big as they combined for 19 of the team’s 23 points, including the last 10 that came in the final 1:30 of the game.

Ellis led the way for SoRo with 18, 10 of them coming in the final quarter and Enright who added 13 points, nine coming in the final quarter as he went six-for-six from the strip. Thetford was lead by Jason Gray with 14.

Win vs. Whitcomb

The Royals hosted Bethel Friday night. With Whitcomb’s visit to the Palace it was the first time the Hornets Head Coach Jamie Kinnarney had coached in the Palace since he made the switch at season’s end last year. The Royals controlled the game from the start using a 18-9 first quarter to give the Royals the win 57-29. 

South Royalton won with a big team effort. Eleven boys dressed and all 11 scored. The Royals were led by Darren Slack with 14, Ellis had nine, Enright six, Joey Kinnarney and Nate McShinsky each had five, Ki Walker, Pete Doyle-Braman, and Chris Chapman all had four, with Cal Wilmot, Dale Manning, and Jake Timian added two apiece.

Bethel was lead by Mike Ennis with 14 and Deven Hill added 6. 

At the start of the second half the Royals were ready to play ball and came out big in the third defensively and just kept putting up the numbers on the board offensively as they held the Hornets to four while adding 14. 

In the fourth quarter the Royals again played great defense and held Bethel to just five points, while adding nine.  

Win @ Lamoille 

On Monday, Feb. 12, the Royals rode up to Hyde Park to take on the Division II Lamoille Union Lancers. SoRo lost Enright, their senior co-captain, and starting point guard due to a dislocated pinky early in the second quarter. The Royals responded real well and came home with a big win 38-31 with an already short handed bench due to illness and injury as they finished the game with eight of its 12 players.

The first quarter ended with a 13-12 Lamoille lead. The Royals had fallen into a 17-12 gap in the second before they rallied and ended the quarter on a 9-0 run to give them a 21-17 halftime lead.

In the third the Royals defense put up another impressive quarter giving up just four while they added 10 to give them a 10-point lead, 31-21. 

The Royals were led by Darren Slack with 10 points and Cal Wilmot with seven, while the Lancers were led by Kirk Patch with 15.

The Royals (9-8) close out their regular season with weather permitting after Wednesday when they hosted Rivendell with Thetford coming to the Royal Palace on Friday 16, for senior night. Six Royal seniors will play their last high school game in the Palace. The Royals go to The Sharon Academy on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

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