Girls basketball preview: Sections

For the Royals girls basketball team, the journey to state is just beginning.

Coming off an exciting end-of-season win against the Eden Prairie Eagles, the Royals will play their first section 6AAAA playoff game on Wed., March 1, at 7 p.m., in the Lindbergh Center. Their opponent will be the Minneapolis Washburn Millers.

While the Royals have had an extremely successful regular season, ending with an undefeated record of 26-0, and receiving the first seed in the section tournament, the Millers have not had the same triumph in their regular season. Ending with a record of 7-19, the Millers are seeded last in the section.

Differences in scoring between the two opponents are also very apparent. The Millers score an average of 27.5 points per game, a miniscule amount compared to the Royals’ average of 69.5 points per game.

“We are pretty confident, everyone is going to get some good minutes in this game, and it’s going to be really fun,” said Lucy Swift, senior. “Hopefully, it will prepare us for the upcoming games if we are able to have more.”

Despite the very valid confidence going into the game against the Millers, the Royals are still preparing for an intense game, continuing their season long emphasis on their defensive game.

“We are working on lots of defense, and going over all of our plays, as we have a very large playbook to choose from so we have to stay fresh on all of them,” Swift said.

Swift also mentioned the Royals’ goal of making it back to the state championship this year, a goal in which the Royals will embark on beginning with their matchup with the Millers.