By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
The momentum from a win over Necedah was short lived, as Royall fell in its rematch with league-leading Bangor on Friday night, and then dropped a nonconference contest to Kickapoo on Monday evening.
The Panthers will see how their playoff path sets up after this weekend’s regional seeding meeting. The Panthers are one of just four teams with a winning record in the regional and the only one besides Bangor that has at least 15 wins.
Royall 55, Necedah 46
An early deficit wasn’t enough to stop the Panthers as they attempted to end a four-game losing streak to Necedah on Feb. 6.
Royall fell behind early, but bounced back just before halftime to take a 25–21 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Panthers worked the boards hard to try to eliminate second-chance attempts by the Cardinals’ offense. Offensively, Royall was steady and continued to increase its lead for most of the half. Necedah made a late-game push, but the Panthers were able to run the clock on their final possessions and force the Cardinals to foul and put them on the line. Royall ended 11–13 in free throws, led by Dane Hyer with a 6–6 performance and Jaydyn Enzenbacher with a 4–4 finish.
Enzenbacher finished with a team-high 17 points. Hyer had 14 and also led the team with 12 rebounds. Seth Brown pulled in 11 boards and scored 8.
The win moved the Panthers into sole possession of second place.
Bangor 85, Royall 61
Royall’s hold on second place by itself ended when the team took a 24-point loss at Bangor on Feb. 9. Royall moved back into a tie with Necedah; the two have matching 8–3 records.
In Friday’s game, Bangor was quick to leave no doubt that it was the league leader for a reason, as the Cardinals pulled away from Royall by halftime and held a 44–27 lead.
The second half was closer, but the home team continued to lead before finishing the season sweep of the Panthers.
Hyer led Royall with 16, and three players —Enzenbacher, Keith Travis and Cameron Logan — each had 9.
Bangor had four players in double figures, led by Grant Manke with 20.
The Cardinals finished with 10 steals and were 31–62 in shooting. Royall was 18–62 in shooting and was outrebounded 43–28.
Kickapoo 61, Royall 42
Friday’s loss at Bangor might have still hung over the Royall team when it traveled to Kickapoo on Monday night and fell to its Panther partners 61–42.
Hyer led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Enzenbacher added 11.
Royall will host Brookwood on Thursday as league play continues. The Falcons are just a game back from Royall in conference standings.