This past Saturday the Lakeland Royals took on the visiting Palm Beach Titans. Both teams have only lost one game and the one game the Titans lost was to the Royals on the Titans’ home court, so they were here to take that back.
The Lakeland Royals were down four men, two of their starters, due to illness or injury and so the bench was going to have to step up if the Royals were to remain in sole first place in the FBA.
The game started with the Royals usually flurry racing out to a 7-point lead. The Titans seemed overwhelmed as the game started and it looked as if the Royals would take control early. However, the Titans settled down and began to match the Royals’ scoring and intensity. Both teams traded shots and each played a very good first quarter. However, the Royals raced out to a 10-point lead behind the great shooting and a 32-point quarter for a score of 32-22 Royals at the end of one.
The second quarter was a quarter of runs. The Titans would get a run of 6 to 8 points and then the Royals would match that with a run of their own. Using the bench very smartly, the Royals continued to put pressure on the Titans. The Titans only managed 17 points in the second quarter to the Royals’ 21. The quarter ended with the Royals up by 14 with a score of 53 to 39.
The second half started with the Titans determined to make this a game. They came out shooting and played hard defense for the first several minutes but then the Royals turned on the jets. Massive slam dunks, fast breaks, and tight defense led to the Royals scoring 34 points in the quarter to take a commanding lead and seemingly putting this game away with a 30-point lead by the end of the quarter. The score at the end of three was Royals 87 to the Titans 57.
However, the fourth quarter was all Titans. It seemed the Royals, with a short bench, had run out of steam or had taken the game for granted with a 30-point lead. That is something you cannot do against any team in the FBA. The Titans began to put on a show that the Royals did not match. Several times the Titans came to with 5 points but they could not get any closer than that. The Royals were held to only 28 points in the fourth quarter while the Titans amassed a huge 49-point quarter! The Titans showed great determination to not get blown out and to turn this into a game. At several points in the fourth quarter it looked like the Titans would pull it out but they just couldn’t get over the hump and the Royals squeaked out a win in what should have been a blowout. The 30-point lead was reduced to only nine by the end of the game with the score Royals 115 to Titans 106.
This shows the competitiveness that is in the FBA at this time. However, the Royals, a first-year expansion team, have taken over first place by 2 games. They will face the Brevard Bobcats in Melbourne, Fl on July 10th and then they will host the Central Florida Blazers, the only team to beat the Royals this year, at home on July 16th at 7 PM. Home games are played at Kathleen High School in Lakeland. This will be the Royals’ last home game while they have 4 more away games to end the season. This game could determine if the Royals stay number one in the FBA.
It is going to be a challenge for the Royals to close out the season on top since most of their games will be on the road but Coach Thornton believes they have the ability to do it. The Royals will have to eliminate the turnovers and the down swings in intensity if they are to remain at the top of the league and secure the number one seed going into the playoffs.
For now, the Royals are number one in the FBA, which has taken everyone, except for the Royals themselves, by surprise. No one thought a new expansion team, with a new owner, the youngest owner, and the only female owner in the FBA with new coaching staff would be able to put together such a competitive team. That is except for Owner Amy Rhodes and Coach Thornton. Now the FBA is on notice that the new expansion team is the team to beat heading into the final games of the season and they are all gunning for them. Make no mistake about it, the Royals have a huge target painted on them right now and the rest of the FBA are determined to bring them down. However, the Royals are determined to stay on top and refuse to be intimidated or defeated. If they are to remain on top they will have to be healthy and they will have to bring their A-game to every game that they play. It is going to be an interesting wind down to the season. It is certainly going to be a challenge and it is going to be fun to see if the team that has shocked the FBA can stay on top.