Basketball Game Preview: Roy Royals vs. Box Elder Bees

The Roy Royals will take on the Box Elder Bees at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Roy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.7 points per game this season.

Roy came up short against Bountiful on Friday, falling 72-51. While losing is never fun, the Royals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the RedHawks are ranked 15th).

Roy's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jesse Jones, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 16 points along with seven rebounds and three steals, and Ben Stirland, who posted 15 points. The dominant performance also gave Stirland a new career-high in boards (three).

Meanwhile, Box Elder waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They managed a 51-46 victory over the Falcons.

Box Elder's win came from a few key players Roy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Carter Buchanon, who went 5 for 10 en route to 18 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Mayson Jeppsen, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards.

Roy has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-12 record this season. As for Box Elder, their win bumped their record up to an identical 3-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Roy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Box Elder struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Roy came out on top in a nail-biter against Box Elder when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 65-63. Will Roy repeat their success, or does Box Elder have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.