Basketball Recap: Royal Valley Snags Eighth Victory in Last Nine Games

Royal Valley extended their postseason success on Tuesday against Heritage Christian Academy. They enjoyed a cozy 58-43 victory over the Heritage Christian Academy Chargers. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while the Chargers are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Averie Stithem

Points (Career)

03/04/25 vs Heritage Christian Academy	13
01/25/25 vs Rock Creek	8
02/14/25 vs Silver Lake	7
12/06/24 vs Jackson Heights	7
02/07/25 vs Perry-Lecompton	6

Royal Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Averie Stithem led the charge by dropping a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Those 13 points gave Stithem a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Athena Broaddus, who posted 11 points and five boards.

Royal Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in nine consecutive matches.

Despite the defeat, Heritage Christian Academy had strong showings from Mia Vinson, who went 11-for-25 en route to 24 points and seven rebounds, and Elsa Anderson, who shot 50% from the field to rack up 12 points. Vinson's big performance that morning made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points.

Royal Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.2 points over those games. The loss snapped Heritage Christian Academy's winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 13-9 record.

Royal Valley didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 62-47 defeat against Osage City on the 7th. Heritage Christian Academy does not have any more games scheduled as of now.