OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce scored the first 11 points and never trailed, beating San Domenico 52-37 in a boys junior varsity game Thursday. The Jayhawks (2-2) built their margin on a 42-18 edge in rebounding and bounced back from a loss.
Zac Gottschalk opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and followed with a basket. Mikael Akpala then set up the next scores, a 3-pointer by Sanil Saxena and a basket by Micah Riebel, and a free throw by Max Roston-Saul capped the 11-0 start. Riebel added two more baskets as Head-Royce led 17-4 after one quarter, and a Richard Jones free throw pushed the lead to 18-4 early in the second.
San Domenico answered with a 7-0 run to get within 18-11, but Jonah Greenberg and Jones scored on consecutive trips to restore the cushion. A Riebel 3-pointer made it 25-14, and Akpala's basket and Gottschalk's 3-pointer on an Akpala assist sent the Jayhawks into halftime ahead 30-15. Greenberg's basket and a Riebel free throw after the break completed an 8-0 run and produced the largest lead of the night at 33-15.
San Domenico's best stretch followed. The visitors scored eight straight points to cut the deficit to 33-23, and after Riebel answered with five points, they kept coming, pulling within 40-34 and again at 42-36 on a basket off a turnover. Head-Royce responded with seven straight points. Greenberg scored, Akpala added a basket, and Jones finished a Gottschalk assist and made a free throw for a 49-36 lead. San Domenico was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, and Akpala's 3-pointer accounted for the only points of the period.
Riebel led Head-Royce with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting and added eight rebounds, five steals and a block. Greenberg finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, scoring eight of his points in the third quarter, when San Domenico made its push. Akpala filled the box score with seven points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, and four of his assists came in the first half. Gottschalk and Jones each scored eight points, with Jones making 3 of 5 shots from the field.
Neither team shot well, but Head-Royce made 20 of 65 field goal attempts (30.8 percent) while holding San Domenico to 12 of 44 (27.3 percent). The Jayhawks grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to one for San Domenico, which helped them take 21 more shots than the visitors. Head-Royce also recorded 12 steals. San Domenico stayed in range at the free throw line, where it made 10 of 20 attempts, and scored six points off 14 Head-Royce turnovers.
Head-Royce improved to 2-2 on the season with the win.