Head-Royce scored 17 straight points in the first half and never trailed on the way to a 57-43 win at College Prep on Friday, Jan. 27. The Jayhawks improved to 7-0 and extended their winning streak to seven games.
The Jayhawks scored the first seven points of the game. Marcel opened the scoring with a free throw, Andre and Uche Okereke each scored off turnovers, and Bryce added a basket for a 7-0 lead. College Prep answered with a 3-pointer off a turnover and pulled within 10-6. Head-Royce then ran off 17 unanswered points. Johnny scored three points to start the run, Andre added six, Osagie converted a three-point play and Micah hit two free throws before Jaden scored on an assist from Osagie to make it 27-6. Jaden then hit a second-chance 3-pointer, the team's only make from beyond the arc, and Head-Royce took a 30-10 lead into halftime.
The Jayhawks kept scoring early in the second half. Okereke hit two free throws, Bryce added a second-chance basket and a free throw, Micah scored off a turnover, and Marcus finished an assist from Gus. Josh's free throw made it 41-13, the largest lead of the night at 28 points. College Prep then scored 13 straight points behind three 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 41-26. Marcel ended the run with a basket and scored seven of the Jayhawks' next eight points, and Head-Royce answered with a 7-0 run for a 54-32 lead. Marcel's basket started it, Micah scored on a feed from Bryce, and Bryce finished a three-point play off a turnover. College Prep scored 11 of the final 14 points, mostly at the free throw line, but got no closer than 14.
Marcel led Head-Royce with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, went 4 of 7 from the line and grabbed four rebounds, three on the offensive glass. Eight of his points came after halftime. Bryce added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals without a turnover, and he made 4 of 5 free throws. Andre had eight points, a team-high seven rebounds, a team-high three steals and a block. Micah scored seven points on 2-of-3 shooting, and Jaden added five points and two steals. Eleven Jayhawks scored.
Head-Royce shot 44 percent (18 of 41) from the field and 20 of 29 from the free throw line. The Jayhawks held College Prep to 27 percent (11 of 41) shooting, although the visitors made 6 of 14 from 3-point range. Head-Royce had 11 steals and outscored College Prep 14-3 in points off turnovers. The Jayhawks also won the rebounding battle 26-15, grabbed eight offensive rebounds and held a 5-0 edge in second-chance points. They had nine assists to College Prep's two.
College Prep outscored Head-Royce 33-27 after halftime, but the 20-point halftime cushion held up. Head-Royce is 7-0 on the season.