Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The Centre Dufferin District High School Royals boys' basketball teams are starting off the season with a strong performance.

Centre Dufferin has had a strong basketball program over the past several years, featuring a lot of talent on the court. Many players are also club players, bringing a lot of experience to their high school teams.

The season got underway with the first games on Dec. 1.

Junior

The District 4 Junior boys' basketball schedule has five high schools competing this year.

In addition to Centre Dufferin, there are teams from Erin District High School, Wellington Heights Secondary School, Westside Secondary School, and Emmanuel Christian High School.

The District has an eight-game regular-season junior schedule before the playoffs.

The lowest-ranking team at the end of the regular season will not have a berth in the playoffs.

The playoffs include a semi-final game between four teams, with the winners advancing to the district championship game.

The Royals junior team won their first game of the season, leaving the court with a 59-26 win over Westside from Orangeville on Dec. 1.

Their second game resulted in a 50-30 loss to Erin District High School on Dec. 3.

The juniors will have three road games before returning to their home court on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to host Emmanuel Christian High School.

Senior

In the District 4 senior division, five teams are entered this year.

In addition to Centre Dufferin, teams from Emmanuel Christian High School, Erin District High School, Westside Secondary School, and Norwell District High School are entered in this year's competition.

The senior division has an eight-game regular season schedule. Only the top four teams will make the playoffs, which are scheduled to start on Feb. 18, with semi-final games. The winners of those two games will go on to compete for the District championship on Feb. 23.

The Royals senior team won their first game of the season on Dec. 1, with a 57-41 win over Westside.

They took a 69-55 loss to Erin District High School in their second game on Dec. 3.

The Royals senior squad will have three road games before returning to their home court on Feb. 4 to host Emmanuel Christian High School.