By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
Spirits were high as the Royall girls basketball team traveled to Blair-Taylor on Feb. 28 for a rematch with Blair-Taylor in a Division 5 regional semifinal game.
After losing to B-T back in late January, Royall was ready to turn the tables on the Wildcats and force an upset within the bracket.
The ball seemed to bounce Royall’s way in the first half, as the team was able to stay ahead of its hosts and take a 1-point lead into halftime. Things continued in Royall’s favor in the second half, but late in the game, B-T managed to overtake Royall and started to pull away, eventually going ahead for good and winning 65–58.
Royall’s offense shot efficiently, going 20–43 from 2-point range and 3–6 in 3-point range. The Panthers were just 9–16 in free throws, compared with Blair-Taylor’s 16–20 effort at the charity stripe.
Emma Gruen led Royall with 17 points in the win. Gruen was 7–12 from the floor and 3–3 in free throws. Cheyenne Harris added 11 points; Madeline Wainwright, 9; Jessica Brueggeman, 8; De’Yona Jones, 8; and Paige Britzman, 5.
B-T freshman Lindsay Steien led all scorers with 18.
Brueggeman and Harris each recorded seven rebounds. Gruen had six assists; and Harris, five. Wainwright had four steals.
Royall ended with 21 turnovers to the Wildcats’ 12. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Panthers 20–9 in offensive boards.
Royall 51, New Lisbon 47
The Panthers kicked off regional action with a narrow 4-point win over rival New Lisbon on Feb. 25. Royall led 39–18 at halftime, but a persistent New Lisbon team mounted a comeback in the second half and forced Royall to go down to the wire to earn the win.
Cheyenne Harris led all scorers with 14 points. Harris connected on a quartet of 3-pointers and was 2–3 at the free throw line. Jessica Brueggeman added 11, and De’Yona Jones had 10. Emma Gruen had 9 points and six rebounds. Also, Brueggeman had four steals and three blocks.
New Lisbon’s Mya Delgado scored 13 to lead the Rockets.
Royall finishes the season 16–8 overall and were tied with Necedah for third place at 9–5. Last year, Necedah and Royall tied for second place. Bangor won the league for the sixth straight season, and Cashton moved into second place after taking fourth a year ago.