Host Royals show off their Pride

December 7th, 2023

Handsworth vs Nanaimo

The second “Spirit Game” of the afternoon at Handsworth was the host Royals taking on the visiting Nanaimo Islanders. The crowd showed up again and there wasn’t an empty seat to be found in the new Handsworth gymnasium. Prior to tip off students, staff, friends and family all quieted down for a 5-minute video tribute to Quinn Keast and what the No Regrets Tournament is all about.

In the early going, to no surprise, the pace was high with both teams trying to impress the jam-packed gym. Royals senior, Ashton Bain, looked to be the Swiss army knife of the team as he led fast break points, pulled up for deep jumpers and was also the big post man in the post.  This type of athleticism caused all sorts of match up challenges for the visiting Islanders. On offence the Islanders created positive ball movement and dangerous looks but struggled to find the net as they only managed to put up 8 points in the first quarter. The Royals walked into their first team chat feeling fortunate to be in the lead.

The Royals utilized the home-court advantage in the second and really pushed their lead. Ashton continued his all you can eat buffet of stats with boards, buckets and assists reminiscent of a young Kevin Durant.

At half the Royals had a commanding 34-16 lead.

Halftime Note: During half the Handsworth dance program put on an extremely impressive set of performances that were equally as impressive as the Royals first half of basketball. Congrats to the program on these amazing sets.

In the second half, the Royals star shooting guard Cale Watson continued his proficient scoring as he knocked down mid-range jumpers at a highly efficient rate. His movement off the ball was critical to getting these open mid-range looks. 

With the game out of reach in the 4th quarter (57-32 Royals) both coaches reached to their reserves for some energy and playing experience.  With a long tournament of games ahead, both coaches are aware of the importance of fresh legs and keeping the whole team involved.

Congrats to the Royals on the 66-44 win during a highly entertaining and competitive game. Both teams will continue their No Regrets tournament aspirations on Friday!

Final Score: Handsworth 57, Nanaimo 32

Player of the game: Ashton Bain