Royal Adds Westlake to List of League Victims, 77-64

Almost everything Royal High’s basketball team has touched this season has turned Highlander green and gold and, after drubbing Westlake in a Marmonte League game Wednesday night, the team can add another victim to the list of black-eyed challengers.

Royal led by nine points after one quarter and by as many as 20 late in the fourth quarter before disposing of Westlake, 77-64.

Royal (16-3 overall, 5-0 in league play) turned a battle of the league’s only undefeated teams into, well, a royal blowout.

“They played a great game,” Westlake Coach Greg Hess said. “They looked real tough.”

Westlake (10-6, 4-1), for the most part, didn’t. The Warriors got off to a poor start by hitting only six of 22 shots in the first quarter and they were only 11 of 39 at halftime.

“We were trying to be too cute, and part of that is my fault,” Hess said. “I was trying to be too cute as a coach.”

Unfortunately, the numbers got uglier despite Westlake’s eight-minute shooting drill at halftime. Westlake finished just 26 of 73 from the field and connected on only 16 of 42 shots in the key.

“After a while, I thought there was a lid on the basket,” Hess said. “I was going to put some money up there and see if it fell through.”

Part of Westlake’s shooting woes could be blamed on a Royal defense that included a mixture of zones and man-to-man pressure that kept the Warriors off balance.

“Royal played good defense and got good position on us,” Hess said. “They forced us to take shots that we don’t normally take.”

That wasn’t a problem for Royal, which finished 29 of 57 from the field and 16 of 20 from the free-throw line. Royal never allowed Westlake within 10 points after a point midway through the second quarter.

“I felt it was important for us to get out on them from the start,” Royal Coach Joe Malkinson said. “We did a good job of maintaining our lead.”

Russell Myers, the school’s all-time leading scorer, finished with 25 points and Jared Byrne added 24. Chris Moriarty and Jeff Buckley each had nine points and Greg Laranjo had seven assists.

“Jared Byrne played real well, and I thought Moriarty and Buckley gave us some good minutes,” Malkinson said.

“Overall, it was just a good team effort.”

And perhaps another step toward the school’s first Marmonte League title?

“This race is a long way from being over,” Malkinson said.