The Royal Falcons will face off against the La Grange Leopards at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Royal is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.4 points per game this season.
Royal is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Stafford on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Royal had to suffer through an 87-43 loss at the hands of Stafford. The defeat continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now lost seven in a row.
Zaelyn Shelton
| 02/11/25 @ Stafford | 4 |
| 02/07/25 vs Harmony School of Innovation | 3 |
| 01/03/25 vs Almeta Crawford | 3 |
| 12/17/24 vs Harmony School of Innovation | 3 |
| 12/17/24 vs Harmony School of Innovation Sugar Land | 3 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Zaelyn Shelton, who posted eight points and eight rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Braylon Reado, who put up eight points and five boards.
Even though they lost, Royal smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 23-23 at halftime, La Grange was not quite Bellville's equal in the second half on Tuesday. They lost to the Brahmas on the road by a 56-41 margin. While the Leopards didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Brahmas 11-6 in the first quarter.
Despite the loss, La Grange saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Brandon Mathis went 7-for-12 en route to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and seven blocks. Mathis has been hot for a while, having posted two or more blocks the last ten times he's played. Oliver Gunn was another key player, putting up nine points and five boards.
La Grange's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 9-1 and their overall record down to 23-9. As for Royal, their loss dropped their record down to 13-18.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Royal has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like La Grange struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Royal against La Grange in their previous meeting back in December of 2019, as the squad secured an 87-47 win. In that game, Royal amassed a halftime lead of 46-21, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Monday.
