Royal girls swept

Seneca freshman Grace Varo (10) takes a shot over Wauzeka-Steuben senior Elizabeth Wright (21) and junior Natalie Wright (21) as teammate Emma Manning (14) eyes the shot attempt. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

Royals ninth grader Lily Payne launches a pass over Hornet defenders Kylie Manning (14) and Elizabeth Wright (3). (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

Senior Maya Buffington (3) dribbles around Hornet defender Kylie Manning (14). (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)

Junior Dhyllan Kemp (22) grabs a rebound amongst a group of Royals including Emma Manning (14), Lydia West (2) and Grace Varo (10). (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
By Derick Kelly
The Seneca Royals girls basketball team continued conference play last week with a trio of games. First up for the Royals was a trip to Wauzeka-Steuben last Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Hornets defeated the Royals 56-8. Seneca returned home two nights later to host the Kickapoo Panthers. The visitors from Viola jumped out to a 29-13 halftime lead before claiming a 53-28 victory.
Seneca traveled to Soldiers Grove last Friday night to take on North Crawford. The host Trojans held a 22-20 lead at halftime before holding off the Royals in the second half to earn a 44-39 victory. The Royals fell to 3-14 overall and 3-8 in the Ridge & Valley Conference with the loss. Seneca wrapped up their home schedule this past Monday night when they entertained Wonewoc-Center in a non-conference contest. The Royals wrap up the regular season tomorrow night at De Soto.