Royals earn first win, 116-101, over Sacramento
December 15, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
King County Royals News Release
SEATTLE -- As a powerful storm wreaked havoc outside and left more than a million people without power, there was no shortage of energy in the King County Royals as they earned their first win of the season Thursday night, defeating the Sacramento Heatwave, 116-101, in an American Basketball Association contest at the Wellness Center at North Seattle Community College.
The two teams played evenly through the first 12 minutes, with the Royals gaining an early 29-27 advantage, thanks to 13 first quarter points by guard Randy Green. King County (1-3) was able to extend their lead to double digits on two separate occasions in the second quarter, before settling for a 59-52 lead going into halftime after guard Kyle Keyes nailed a three-pointer as the quarter ended.
The third quarter saw King County push its lead to 18 points with 2:12 to play in the period, before Sacramento went on a 8-0 run the rest of the way to pull the margin back to ten at 87-77.
The fourth quarter proved to be very spirited, as Sacramento (3-6) was able to trim the deficit to one on a Mark Maxwell lay-in with 5:48 to play. But after that, the Heatwave ran out of gas as King County was able to finish the game with a 16-2 run to secure the victory.
Sacramento was playing its third game in three nights, as they finished their Washington state road trip 0-3. Their other two losses on the trip came Tuesday and Wednesday against the Bellingham Slam.
The Royals were led by dynamic performances from Green and Keyes, who scored 34 and 28 points, respectively. The duo led five King County players in double figures.
Sacramento was led by forward Edward Walden's 22 points. The Heatwave received excellent play from its two centers, Maxwell and Doug Whittler, who scored 19 and 11 points, respectively, and also combined for 20 rebounds.
The Royals return to action this Sunday, Dec. 17 as they look to start a win streak against the Bellingham Slam. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Wellness Center at North Seattle Community College.
For more information, call the King County Royals at (360) 734-7526 or visit their website at www.kingcountyroyals.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...
American Basketball Association Stories from December 15, 2006
- Aeros bounce back to down RiverCatz 130-112 - Arkansas Aeros
- Riverhawks light up Twin City 128-105 - Quad City Riverhawks
- Champions fall to Kings - Anderson Champions
- Buzz Have A Cure For The Poison - Maywood Buzz
- Riverhawks Sign Purple Heart Receipent - Quad City Riverhawks
- San Diego beats Tijuana with great comeback - Tijuana Dragons
- ABA adds Corpus Christi expansion team - ABA
- Royals earn first win, 116-101, over Sacramento - King County Royals
- LHR Christmas Spectacular at Silverbacks Game - Buffalo Silverbacks
- Rome Knights: surprise of the night - Rome Legions
- Wildcats defeat Dragons, 124-118 - San Diego Wildcats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
