Zillah boys basketball coach Mario Mengarelli said Friday morning that he was finally feeling recovered after leading the charge to put on the annual SunDome Shootout on Monday and Tuesday.

And just in time for another challenge – third-ranked and unbeaten Royal comes to town Saturday to renew a budding rivalry atop the SCAC standings.

When the SCAC East and West joined to become one prior to last season, the Knights took on the role of the top conference challenger to the perennial state-contending and top-ranked Leopards.

“This is my 10th season and the Zillah rival has revolved over the years,” Mengarelli. “It’s nice to have (that challenge).”

Royal (7-0 overall, 4-0 SCAC) and Zillah (9-0, 5-0) split four games last season. Each won on its home court in the regular season, with the Knights winning the district championship at home and the Leopards taking the game for third place at the Class 1A state tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome.

Zillah’s lineup got a boost at the Shootout when two-time SCAC Player of the Year Dekker Van De Graaf, the program’s all-time leading scorer, returned after missing four games with an ankle injury.

With his minutes monitored, Van De Graaf scored eight points against Bainbridge and 12 versus Cascade Christian. His return was as seamless as Mengarelli could hope.

“Sometimes when a player returns it throws off the dynamic,” Mengarelli said. “That was something I was concerned about, but with his approach it really makes the game.”

At 12.8 points per game, Van De Graaf is one of four double-figure scorers for the Leopards, along with Memphis Jones (15.3 ppg), Jayden Saenz (11.9) and X Castilleja (11.3).

The matchup got a little extra umph this summer with Tim Ravet taking the Knights’ reins.

Ravet guided Kittitas and his state-record-scoring son Brock, now one of his assistants, to a 2B state-title three-peat, and followed that by guiding Ellensburg’s girls to the 2A final three straight years, winning the title on the first.

As usual, the Knights got a late start to the season as they were busy winning their sixth straight football championship.

“That’s been the toughest part,” Ravet said of the delayed beginning of the season. “But that is part of the culture, they know how to win.”

Grant Wardenaar, the quarterback for the football team, hasn’t been bothered by the transition to basketball. The left-hander scored 42 points in the season opener and is averaging nearly 31 points 

per game.

Manny Ruvalcaba also averages double figures at nearly 13 points a contest.

Ravet is eager for Saturday’s matchup to see how the Knights stack up after a few starters graduated.

“This game will be a measuring stick,” he said. “It’s cool that it’s lived up to the hype, now we have to play, and it’s not the Super Bowl, but a measuring stick.”

The preceding girls game also will be a top-10 matchup.

Zillah’s girls are 5-0 in league play and 8-1 overall. The second-ranked Leopards could join the boys team atop the polls after defeating 2A No. 2 Deer Park in overtime to cap the Shootout, ending the Stags' 68-game regular-season winning streak.

Makenna Klitzke, who scored 37 points Monday against West Valley, leads the Leopards at 20.7 points per game, while Bella Valadez averages 14.4 an outing.

Royal is ranked ninth and 8-1, its only loss to SCAC rival Wapato. Freshman Lauren Wardenaar, the daughter of girls coach Farrah Wardenaar and sister to Grant, is averaging nearly 21 points for the Knights, who are looking for their first state berth since 2001.

Briana Cedillo (13.4 ppg) is the second leading scorer for Royal.