The Royal Knights host the Cashmere Bulldogs in a crucial early-season game for both squads.
Cashmere Girls Basketball is perfect thus far, with a 2-0 record. The girls started their season off beating Connell 39-31. The Bulldogs started slow, trailing 18-13 at the half; however, they were able to turn it around in the second half, in which they outscored the Eagles 26-13. Sophomore Guard Kinsley Miller led the charge for the Bulldogs with a 14-point performance, which included three threes. Freshman Adi Lyons and Junior Addie Talley were also focal points for the Dawgs, with each contributing at least 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Even though Cashmere won, it was definitely an inconsistent showing from the Bulldogs. “The first game was pretty rocky, but after that game, we started to figure out how to work better with each other and limit the other team to one shot. I think the first game we were trying to get our footing and work through nerves, but as we began to settle, we started to play better,” said Miller when asked about the game.
Cashmere then travelled to College Place for a Saturday showdown in which they turned the tables, winning big 65-24. The story again was the Bulldogs’ stellar defense, allowing just two points in the first quarter and seven in the second. However, their offense also looked much improved from game 1, putting up 41 points in the first half. The Bulldogs were once again led by Cashmere female Athlete of the Week Kinsley Miller, who poured in 18 points. Junior Addie Talley also had 18 to go along with a mammoth 14 rebounds and 5 steals.
The Royal Knights are also undefeated. They have played 3 games thus far, all of which have come in the form of blowouts. However, their most significant win came against Connell. Leading the Knights to the win was Freshman Laurean Wardenaar. She finished with 27 points, 18 of those coming in the first two periods. Royal easily won, and it looked like Connell never really stood a chance. Royal had a very balanced attack with several players playing big roles in the win.
The big story for this game is that Royal beat Connell 69-38 while Cashmere only managed to win by 8. However, Cashmere definitely deserves some slack as it was their first game of the season and coach Brandon Eygabroad’s first game coaching the Bulldogs, while Royal played Connell in their third game. When asked what the biggest key to success against Royal is, Miller had this to say: “Our biggest keys to success against Royal will be limiting them to one shot on offense and getting the rebounds. Offensively, we will need to be playing together and keeping things slow and steady, and limiting our turnovers.”
This will be an exciting matchup in which Royal is favored, but Cashmere has the talent and heart to upset. This will be a very competitive game, and I encourage you to support the Bulldogs either in person at Royal High School Gymnasium or online on the Royal SD Live YouTube channel. The game is at 5:15 on Saturday, December 20th.
