The Royals needed just two minutes in the second half to match the feat, starting a rally that briefly gave Roy the lead.

But Bonneville bottled things up from there and turned back the Royals for a 46-39 victory in a boys basketball matchup Wednesday, moving the Lakers to 3-0 early in the Region 5 schedule.

“We knew Roy was going to come out aggressive … and it’s hard to sustain defense at the level we were playing in the first half,” Bonneville head coach Kyle Bullinger said. “What we did to get back were the simple things … it’s rooted in communication.

“We made some shots, stopped making some silly turnovers and started talking to each other.”

Trailing 21-11 at halftime, Roy’s Devin Nelson knocked down a corner 3 just five seconds into the second half and scored on a drive to get the Royals going.

After a brief Bonneville answer, Ben Stirland swished a triple, Colby Frokjer tipped home a putback for a three-point play and, to beat the shot clock, Bryce Goodwin’s wing 3-pointer rolled over the rim, up, and down through the net.

That capped a 9-0 run for the Royals, putting the home team ahead 29-27 with 1:45 left in the third.

“We did a really good job moving the ball, sharing the basketball, setting screens and just playing better team offense,” Roy head coach Ryan Hannah said. “Fourth quarter, they made a couple adjustments and … it just felt like they hit their big shots and we missed ours.”

Davis Degroot took charge from there. The Bonneville junior made a free throw to tie the game 30-30 at the end of the third, warming him up for a big fourth.

Degroot hit an early 3 and knocked down another shot with 4:55 left, keying a 13-3 Bonneville run to give the Lakers a 41-32 lead. Degroot scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the final frame and Roy couldn’t make up the deficit from there.

Ben Tesch was Bonneville’s spark in the second quarter that helped his team build the 10-point halftime lead, scoring six of his co-leading 14 points in the stanza. Colby Dunyon, who Bullinger called his defensive anchor and who returned from a second-half injury, added six points.

“I think Ben and Davis are both at their best when they’re attacking the basket. They’re so selfless and they always look to get others involved, but sometimes what’s most important for us is to them and take the initiative because of their athleticism and skill,” Bullinger said.

“And Davis, it seems like every time our team needs a big play in a big moment … Davis comes in and makes the huge play.”

Tesch, Degroot, Bryson Landis and Jackson Call each pulled down six rebounds for the Lakers (6-6, 3-0).

Frokjer scored a game-high 15 points for Roy (2-10, 0-3 Region 5), ending his team’s scoring drought of 6:50 with a tough spin-and-fade baseline jumper to beat the first-quarter buzzer. He added seven rebounds.

Tripp Randall scored six points and blocked three shots, and Nelson and Stirland each added five points.

Roy won the third quarter 19-9 but otherwise scored single digits in each frame.

“I think we played pretty tough defensively and had some guys step up and demonstrate some of their abilities that we’ve been waiting to come out,” Hannah said. “So we’re moving in the right direction.”