Lady Royals Fall in One-Point Road Battle at Montreat

The Lady Royals came up just short Wednesday evening, dropping a tightly contested road game to Montreat College, 93–92, at McAlister Gymnasium.

The game featured 10 lead changes and remained close throughout all four quarters. Johnson trailed by one after the opening period, 21–20, but used a strong second quarter to take a 45–39 lead into halftime. Montreat responded in the third, edging back in front, before the teams traded baskets down the stretch in a dramatic final period.

The Lady Royals outscored Montreat 30–32 in the fourth quarter but was unable to convert late enough to regain the lead in the final seconds.

Emery Tollett led the Lady Royals with a game-high 27 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in 39 minutes of action. Olivia Bolduc followed with 19 points, while Gibson Boykin chipped in 13 points. Shamiya Francis provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points on a perfect 4 of 4 shooting.

Johnson shot 46.6 percent from the field and forced 18 Montreat turnovers, but the Cavaliers held a rebounding advantage and shot nearly 57 percent overall.

Montreat was led by Sarah Williams with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Rymiah Sanders added 26 points in the win.

Johnson moves to 8–10 overall and 7–5 in conference play following the loss.