The Lakeland Royals were coming off of their first lost as they hosted the Florida Flight at Kathleen High School here in Lakeland Florida this past Saturday. Their desire was to put the loss behind them and focus on this game and get back on the winning track. The Royals are tied for first place in the FBA which made this game even more vital to win. The Flight were also coming off of a loss to the same team, The Central Florida Blazers that beat the Royals by only 2 points.
The game got under way with both teams being very cold from the field. The first several from both teams featured air balls and many turnovers from what would normally have been sure handed players. Fortunately for the Royals both teams were cold from the start. Finally the shots started dropping for both teams. However, the first quarter was a foul laden quarter. The Royals amassed 17 fouls in the first quarter as the calls were definitively going one sided.
However the first quarter saw two coaches that were making great decisions and it appeared like a chess match between two masters. The first quarter ended with an uncharacteristic score of 14 to 11 Royals. The Royals have never had that low of a score in any game that they have played.
The second quarter got off to a good start for both teams. The foul calls continued to slow down the game as the Royals continued to be the focus of the officials for some reason. The first half lasted nearly sixty minutes with all the fouls being called. However, the Royals managed to outscore the Flight 29 to 21 in the second quarter. It was an incredibly long and hard fought battle as both teams were determined to win this vital game. For the Flight it was going to be a turnaround for their season but for the Royals it was to remain in first place in the FBA.
It is amazing that an expansion team with the youngest ever and first ever female owner in the FBA, to be in this position their first year. The Royals have managed to put together an exemplary coaching staff and a great team of players. Four of the Royals players are being looked at by teams in Europe to play professional basketball at the end of this season. “This is what this team is all about” says owner Amy Rhodes. “Myself and Coach Thornton and our staff work hard to find opportunities for our players to go to the next level. Coach Thornton and Assistant Coach Howard have reached out to those teams so that these players are on their radar. They are working hard to help them succeed in their dreams.”
The second half got underway with both teams trading baskets. The battle remained close and tempers began to get hot between the players and the benches. Let’s just say there was a lot of yelling going on! However, the players focused on their task of playing basketball to the best of their ability. The Royals began to get dialed in as the three pointers began to hit their mark. Tyler Williams got a hot hand from the three point line and was getting the opportunity to be open. However, these were catch and shoot shots as the Flight played very tight defense. The third quarter ended with the Flight outscoring the Royals 27 to 21 in the quarter but the Royals maintained a 62 to 59 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was nothing short of amazing for the Royals. The Royals poured in an amazing 43 points in the fourth quarter to the Flights 33! As the Royals got hot the Flight’s frustration began to show. The Royals really put together a great game during difficult circumstances. However, they stayed focused the entire game. The clutch player of the game was Tony Hershkovi who came off the bench in the fourth quarter and scored 10 points and had 9 rebounds. At then end of the game the Royals pulled out the victory with a 105 to 92 final score. I would be amiss if I didn’t tell you that the game ended with a punctuation mark. The Flight missed a shot with under 8 seconds left and passed the ball full court to Cyrus Barnes who then lobbed the ball up for Ivan Smith for a spectacular slam it home. It was definitely a message that they will not be deterred from their goal.
The Royals were lead by Cyrus Barnes with 29 points 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Tyler Williams with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and Ivan Smith with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. The Royals played an all around good game. However, they had way to many turnovers. Fortunately for the Royals the Flight did not capitalize on them.
This game was a very hard-fought game but the Royals were able to close it out and show why they are number one in the FBA. The Royals next game at home is June 18th 7 PM at Kathleen High School against the Palm Beach Titans who the Royals beat earlier this year in West Palm Beach. The Titans will be coming to town looking for revenge and the Royals will be looking to stay at the top of the league. It should be a fun game. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance go to www.lakelandroyals.org