The Head-Royce boys junior varsity basketball team beat De Anza JV 57-53 on the road Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Jayhawks improved to 5-3 and won their third straight game. Sophomore Jonah Greenberg had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and a pressing defense that made 28 steals kept Head-Royce in front for most of the night.
Head-Royce opened with a 7-0 run. Greenberg scored off a turnover, Zac Gottschalk followed with a three off a Greenberg assist and then added a basket. De Anza answered, and the teams were tied at 11, 13 and 15. De Anza held its only lead at 15-13. The Jayhawks responded with a 7-0 run. Greenberg, Micah Riebel and Richard Jones each scored a basket, and a Gottschalk free throw made it 20-15. Riebel's three and Luke Silva's three, set up by Greenberg, helped Head-Royce take a 28-23 lead into halftime.
Head-Royce opened the second half with eight straight points. Greenberg had three of them, and Ezra Goldfarb's three pushed the lead to 34-23. A Greenberg basket off a Goldfarb assist made it 38-26, but De Anza scored the next eight points to pull within 38-34. Silva answered with a three off a turnover, Riebel scored and Greenberg made a free throw. Silva then hit another three off a turnover to restore a 12-point lead at 47-35. De Anza made its biggest push after that. A 9-0 run, capped by a three off a turnover, cut the margin to 47-44.
Head-Royce steadied from there. Riebel made two free throws, and Greenberg scored three straight baskets, the second on a feed from Riebel, for a 55-47 lead. De Anza hit a three to get within 55-50. Goldfarb made both of his free throws for a 57-50 cushion, and a De Anza three in the closing sequence set the final margin.
Greenberg shot 9 of 18 from the field and added five offensive rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. Riebel scored 13 points and added seven steals, three assists and four rebounds. Silva, a freshman, made 3 of 4 shots, all from beyond the arc, for 9 points. Gottschalk had 6 points and four rebounds, and Goldfarb added 5 points, six steals and three assists. Jones scored 4 points and had seven steals and a block.
The defensive pressure made up for a rough shooting night. Head-Royce shot 32.8 percent (22 of 67) and 6 of 26 from 3-point range, while De Anza shot 46.9 percent and won the rebounding battle 33-25. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 26 times, but they held a 17-15 edge in points off turnovers. De Anza made only 4 of 11 free throws and 3 of 10 from beyond the arc. One De Anza player was credited with 9 points and five rebounds.
Head-Royce is now 5-3 and has won three straight.