Royal Knights (Royal City, WA) backers were in high spirits Tuesday as they witnessed their basketball squad thwart the host Kiona-Benton Bears (Benton City, WA), 65-54 in a league bout.

With the win, Royal upgrades its record to 3-2 on the season. The Knights travel to Zillah (Zillah, WA) to play the Leopards in a non-league bout on Friday, January 6. The Leopards go into the bout with a record of 5-1. Zillah won 63-53 in their recent league bout against La Salle (Union Gap, WA)

Next up, the Bears play the Connell Eagles (Connell, WA) in a 1A South Central - East bout, on Friday, January 6. Kiona-Benton will attempt to upgrade on its 4-4 season record. The Eagles go into the bout with a 4-5 record after their 48-44 league loss to College Place (College Place, WA).