LAKE WALES, Fla. - No strangers to postseason play, the Royals have finished the 2020-21 regular season as Sun Conference Regular Season Champions.
With the regular season Sun Conference title in hand, Warner will enter the TSC tournament as the #1 seed. The Royals will take on the #8 seeded Southeastern University here in Lake Wales on Tuesday in the opening round.
Last night's game against the Mariners turned into one of the biggest wins the Royals have displayed this season. As the clock turned 00:00 at the end of the first half, Warner was trailing 32-43. Though at home they've amassed a powerful 11-1 record this season, it's been slightly tougher on the road as they entered the game 5-4 when away from Lake Wales. When the game was on the line, the Royals turned to one of their freshmen that has played a pivotal role all season. We asked Logan West, in the biggest game of the year you had 4 steals and made a clutch three pointer to help stretch the lead. How did you hit that shot? "I was able to make that shot because believe it or not the night before the game coach had us doing shoot around and the one thing that he told us and it stuck to me was shoot at the spots your comfortable at , so I was able to get to my spot from a great pass from Rod to knock down the shot."
Rod Boggan had a massive night for the Royals going 8-14 from the floor, hitting 2-3 from beyond the arc and nailing 10-12 free throws. Hitting 10+ free throws has been a good sign for the second year Royal and sophomore. He was asked how he feels under pressure when he's at the free throw line and the game is on the line. "I feel the same as ever, I don't think too much about pressure because I know how much I practice free throws. If the game is on the line I want to be the one that determines the outcome. This is a quote that I have posted to my wall, everyday you have a choice, wake up and chase your dream or stay asleep and continue dreaming."
Quickly embracing a leadership role, Darryl Mercer Jr. finished last night's game with 20 points and 6 boards. Mercer is finishing up his third season in a Royals uniform and two of the three seasons his team has won the TSC Regular Season title. He said, "This one is a little sweeter than the first, especially because of the unique circumstances and all the adversity we had this year. It felt like everyone wrote us off after last year, then we recruited young and everyone really just thought we were "rebuilding", but to see us accomplish this as a veteran now is so much more exciting! Two out of three years, not bad if I say so myself! Go royals!"
Another household name now for the Royals is Joseph Martz. Martz has been a staple in the Royals lineup and is the guy to call on when you want something done. A junior as well, he's been with the Royals for two Regular Season TSC titles. Martz said, "Like my first, we put in the work day in and day out to get ourselves to this point and the feeling of securing our spot in the National Tournament, it feels second to none. I'm so proud of what we have accomplished as a team and I think when we play our game together that we will always control our fate, and tonight was just another example of that."
The Royals will host The Sun Conference tournament opener facing off against the #8 seeded Southeastern Fire. At the helm of the Royals is their head coach Sean Hanrahan. Hanrahan has led the Royals to a National Tournament appearance in six out of the last eight seasons. With being named the 2020-21 Sun Conference Regular Season Champion, Hanrahan said, "We have had so many good teams at Warner, each one is special in a different way. This group has definitely faced more adversity than any other group. From coaches quarantining to losing two starters, one that was 6'6 and the other a 6'8 starting center. With the loss of three guys, we became the youngest team in the conference, and only seven varsity players available for several games. The team and our University believed in our goal, honestly, we started 1-2 in the conference, and we weren't sure what to expect. Not based on talent, but based on our youth. These guys believed in each other and learned almost overnight. We went 14-3 the rest of the season. I am so thankful to our President, Dr. David Hoag and the leadership team for letting us play this year. It was truly a blessing."
The Royals will enter postseason play with a guaranteed trip to the NAIA National Tournament. As for The Sun Conference Tournament, the Royals will host SEU on Tuesday night in the Turner Athletic Center. Warner is 11-1 on the season when playing on their home court with a home winning percentage of better than .800% over the past six seasons.
The Royals Sports Network will have all of the Royals TSC action live so be sure to stay tuned.
