The Wynford Royals’ season and home opener for the 2015 boys basketball season was a thriller Tuesday night.
Wynford scored a 69-68 victory over Mansfield Temple Christian Crusaders. The Royals shot 23 for 52 including four 3-pointers with 17 assists, while Temple Christian shot 22 for 45 including nine 3-pointers with seven assists.
“That team was scrappy, they were quick,” first-year Wynford boys basketball head coach Jason Engel said of Temple. “They played hard.”
The Crusaders had a 13-17 lead in the first quarter but Royals’ point guard Zach Hoffman’s layup in the second quarter tied the game for the first time 22-22. The Royals were ahead 37-26 by halftime.
“We missed some chances early on,” Engel said. “But in the first game, you know, it’s who comes out and makes less mistakes and I guess we made a couple more plays.”
In the fourth quarter, the lead switched back to Temple Christian at 58-54 but Wynford regained it with three turnovers.
Nick Standridge led all scorers with 27 points and two 3-pointers for the Crusaders. Jacob McClelland added 14 points, while Abe Kurtz chipped in 11 points.
“Everybody stepped up and played as hard as they possibly can,” Temple Christian boys basketball head coach Brad Humble said.
Alex Crall led the Royals’ scorers with 18 points with two 3-pointers and five rebounds. Jack Reed and Jordan Creel both added 14 points, while Nate Sparks tallied 12 points.
Engel is looking to improve the Royals’ defense.
“If we want to do the things that we want to do and compete for Northern 10 (Athletic Conference Championship), we got to start communicating better on defense,” he said.
The Royals lost its match to Shelby 78-53 on Saturday.
