Nathan Beitler/MDN Nedrose senior Derek Heinert drives the ball down the court as Royals sophomore Will Rau defends against him on Monday night, Jan. 12, at Max High School.

The South Prairie-Max Royals are back on an even record at 5-5 after their home game victory at Max High School over the Nedrose Cardinals on Monday night, Jan. 12.

Senior center Jaret Eklie kicked the game off early in the first quarter with a rebounded layup, punching the first two points on the board for the Royals. South Prairie-Max quickly put up another four points to give themselves an early six-point lead. The Cardinals were quick to respond, with sophomore Brickson Burckhard putting up Nedrose’s first two points. The Cardinals also worked their way up to six points, tying the game at 6-6. The Royals didn’t let the tie last for long, as they went on another six-point scoring run, giving them the lead at 12-6. The rest of the quarter played out similarly to the first few minutes. As soon as the Cardinals began to catch up to the Royals, the Royals pulled ahead time and time again. The first quarter of the game ended with the Royals 19-15.

The Cardinals were the first to score in the second quarter of the game. Sophomore guard Jaydon Wills put the ball through the hoop to cut the Royals’ lead down to 2 in the first minute of the second quarter. The Royals once again widened their lead and kept it wide, leading by as much as 19 before the end of the first half. The Royals led at the end of the second quarter at 49-30. Jaret Eklie led the Royals in points at half time with 15, followed close behind by Ethan McCall at 13. The Cardinals were led by senior Derek Heinert with 11 points, followed by nine by sophomore Jaydon Wills.

Jaret Eklie punched in another two points for the Royals to start the second half of the ball game. The Royals went on another short run, scoring eight unanswered points to put them above the Cardinals by 27 points. The Cardinals were able to score eight unanswered points of their own, but their previous deficit under the Royals prevented them from making meaningful headway. The Royals were able to maintain their comfortable lead through the remainder of the third quarter. Eklie fittingly closed out the third quarter with a two-point layup, giving the Royals a 19 point lead at 64-45. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Royals already had a comfortable lead, but they were not slowing down. The Royals kept up the pressure against the Cardinals, leading by as many as 30 points at 82-52. The Cardinals scored an additional 10 points to the Royals’ two through the rest of the quarter, but they were unable to make up the difference. The buzzer in the fourth quarter sounded, ending the game with a Royals victory at 84-62.

Jaret Eklie ended the night with 27 total points, leading the Royals in scoring with more than a quarter of the team’s total points. Ethan McCall followed close behind at 26, almost 20 points more than his game average. Nedrose was led by Jaydon Wills with 17, followed by Derek Heinert at 16. The Royals approved to an even record on the season at 5-5 and the Cardinals fell to a record of 2-7. The Royals will be back on the road for their next game at the head to

Parshall High School on Monday, Jan. 19. The Cardinals will return home for their game against Stanley this Thursday, Jan. 15.