High School Girls Basketball

Battle of the Unbeaten

By: Todd Enders, "Royal Times"

The Wynford Royals and the Riverdale Falcons went head to head in North Central Conference (NCC) play in a battle of the unbeaten. The battle between these two teams kept the "House of Thrills" tradition alive at W.R. Donnenwirth Gymnasium where the Falcons defeated the Royals, 59-57. This was an intense match up for 32 minutes. The Falcons got off to a fast start taking an 18-12 first quarter lead where they ran off the last 10 points of the first quarter. The Royals did not let this deficit affect them. The second quarter continued in fierce combat with the Royals outscoring the Falcons 19-13. The Royals put together a nine point run with the help of Ellie Richmond connecting on three 3-point field goals to end the second period with the Royals and Falcons tied at 31-31. The second half was no different than the first half with each team continuing to battle. The Royals started the third period strong, but the Falcons would not give up, leading at the end of third period 42-41. The final period was the difference in the game with the Falcons getting to the foul line 16 times and the Royals only eight.  Even though the Royals were 6 of 8 from the line, the

Falcons were able to hit 13 of 16 maintaining their lead and controlling their own destiny.  Coach Taylor-Sheldon said, "We needed to make some big shoots down the stretch, but we turned the ball over. This caused us to foul and put Riverdale at the line." The Royals were led in scoring by Ellie Richmond with 21 points. Coach Taylor-Sheldon commented on Ellie's game saying, "The biggest part of her improvement is her outside shooting and she is so much more poised making her game more balanced." Also making a major contribution to the Royals was Brenna Quinn, finishing with a 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Royals fall to 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the league. The Royals still control their own destiny in the NCC by winning out and looking forward to a rematch with the Falcons for a shot at a co-championship.

In junior varsity action, the Royals continued their winning ways by defeating the Falcons, 37-35, in overtime. This game also was a thriller in the "House of Thrills. The Royals started the game by utilizing their inside game with Sarah Ogden. Sarah contributed seven of her game high 14 points during the first period with the Royals leading 13-9. The Falcons made a run during the second period outscoring the Royals 9-6 and cutting into the Royals lead, 19-18, at intermission. The Royals struggled with the Falcons full court pressure the entire game, but it

showed most of all during the third period. The Royals only managed to score three points, while the Falcons scored seven, allowing them to take a 26-22 lead. The Royals were determined to continue their undefeated NCC record during the fourth quarter and overtime by outscoring the Falcons 15-10. The foul line was the determining factor, just like the varsity game, with the Royals hitting 7-12 and the Falcons 8-10. The only difference was the Royals coming away with the win. The junior varsity girls improve to 10-1 overall and 6-0 in the NCC. The girls are back in action Tuesday, traveling to Buckeye Central at 6:00 p.m. to take on the Bucks.