Basketball Recap: Zaelyn Shelton and K.J. Keller Secure Win for Royal

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Almeta Crawford, Royal was happy to have turned things around on Tuesday. They walked away with a 64-51 win over the Fort Bend Willowridge Eagles. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 69-56 back in January.

Zaelyn Shelton

Rebounds

01/24/25 vs Sealy	12
12/06/24 vs Columbia	12
02/04/25 @ Fort Bend Willowridge	11
12/07/24 vs New Caney	10
11/23/24 @ Columbia	10
+ 22 more games

Leading Royal to victory were K.J. Keller and Zaelyn Shelton. Keller went 8 of 17 en route to 21 points and eight boards, while Shelton dropped a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Royal is 6-3 when Shelton posts eight or more boards, but 6-14 otherwise. Jaylan Palmer was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

Royal smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Despite the loss, Fort Bend Willowridge still got an impressive performance from Ernest Hampton, who went 8 for 12 to rack up 22 points and five rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Hampton a new career-high in shooting accuracy (67%). Another player making a difference was Dylan Thompson, who posted nine points.

Royal has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-17 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points over those games. As for Fort Bend Willowridge, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost 14 of their last 18 games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 6-18 record this season.

Royal didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 73-23 victory against Harmony School of Innovation on the 7th. As for Fort Bend Willowridge, they have also already played their next contest, a 79-37 loss against Stafford on the 7th.