By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The Ridgetown Royals won the 2026 LKESAA South Conference senior girls basketball championship. The Royals are, front row, left: Joey Kerr, Kiki White, Irelynn Harburn, Londyn Quick and Maria Brown. Back row: Emily McGuire, Lia O’Rourke, Audrina Boersma, Regan MacFarlane, Alayna Smith, Peyton Benoit and coach Brittany Northcott. Absent is coach Darren Ebare.
There was a double coronation at Ridgetown District High School recently.
The Royals’ senior girls and boys basketball teams were both crowned LKESAA South Conference champions in decisive fashion.
The Royals defeated the Harwich Raleigh Wildcats from Blenheim in both championship games on March 2.
The Ridgetown boys were 31-17 winners for the school’s first South Conference championship banner since 2018, while the girls were 27-11 victors for their first title since 2022.
“A fantastic group of athletes and a great group of kids,” Royals’ boys coach Greg Terry said. “They were very easy to coach, they were gym rats, they worked hard.”
“This was a group that was disappointed if we cancelled practice,” said Terry.
The championship victory capped a perfect 10-0 season for the Royals, who went 5-0 in the South Conference regular season and also defeated two Chatham schools twice – McNaughton and Indian Creek – in exhibition games.
The Royals went straight to the final after the Merlin Colts forfeited the semifinal game.
The championship game got off to a slow start, with the game tied 2-2 after the first quarter, before Ridgetown took a 9-7 lead into halftime.
But the Royals came out on fire in the third quarter as they outscored the Wildcats 12-2 to take a 21-9 lead heading into the final period.
Ridgetown outscored their guests 10-8 in the final quarter to seal the championship. Bennett Campbell scored 10 of his game-high 12 points in the second half to lead the Royals. Cam Wilmer scored eight points, Taylen Sheeler had six, and Boston Bedell added five.
Carson Burk led the Wildcats with six points, all coming in the fourth quarter. Harley Hill and Nathan Larsh had four points each, Grayson Ions had two points, and Logan Scade hit a free throw.
Terry said Bedell was the best point guard the Royals have had in over a decade.
“He’s our floor general, he has great vision,” Terry said. “We don’t keep all of the stats, but he certainly would have led the league in assists.”
The coach said Campbell “was a force to be reckoned with” every game, and along with Wilmer, was the team leader.
Bryer Bedford and Sheeler were the lone Grade 7 starters, “and they did a great job,” Terry said, as the team consisted of six Grade 8’s and five Grade 7’s.
The coach said the overall team defence was their biggest strength as they never allowed 20 points in any game.
“We focus a lot on offence, but they were a great defensive team,” Terry said. “The 17 against Harwich Raleigh was the most we allowed all year.”
Along with the championship banner, this Royals’ squad will be remembered for their dedication, determination, team unity and enjoyment of the game.
“One of the most fun teams I’ve had in a long time,” Terry said.
The Royals’ senior girls’ team shared many of the same characteristics as the boys.
“They have a love for the sport, they were ready to go every game,” said coach Brittany Northcott. “They wanted to practice every single day; they were disappointed if we didn’t have a practice. We were ready to go to every game.”
The girls went 4-0 in league games and posted strong showings in exhibition games against McNaughton and Chatham Christian.
They advanced directly to the final after the Wheatley Warriors forfeited the semifinal game.
And in the final, the Royals took all of the mystery out of the game as they ran off to an 11-2 start and never looked back.
The Royals increased the lead to 19-4 at the half and 25-9 after three periods.
Kiki White scored nine of her game-high 19 points in the first quarter alone. She scored four points in the second and third quarters and capped her night with another bucket in the fourth quarter. Londyn Quick, Regan MacFarlane, Irelyn Harburn and Lia O’Rourke all scored a basket to round out the Royals’ offence.
Natalee Burk had four points for Harwich Raleigh, Lydia Kuchta had three points, Ryla Babin and Mallory Payne had a bucket each.
Northcott said White’s skill and leadership inspired the rest of her teammates.
“Kiki brought a lot of leadership; she helped orchestrate things on the court,” she said, adding that White’s time playing with the Chatham Wildcats OBA team certainly helped her development.
“Her improvement from last year to this year was just crazy,” Northcott said. “It was great to see the improvement from all the girls from their Grade 7 year and the growth they showed this year.”
Maria Brown, Alayna Smith and Harburn were the other Grade 8 starters, while O’Rourke was a Grade 7 starter as the team had six Grade 8s and five Grade 7s.
“We had a good bench, no matter who I put on the court, they knew what they were doing,” Northcott said. “They were a great team to coach.”
