OAKLAND, Calif. Micah Riebel scored 25 points and the Head-Royce boys junior varsity scored the first nine points, never trailing in a 66-36 win over International JV on Friday, June 23, to open the 2023 summer season at 1-0. The Jayhawks controlled the glass and forced 14 steals, and International never got closer than four points after the opening minutes.
Head-Royce set the tone right away. Seabass Heredia-Zulaica made two free throws, Riebel followed with a two and a second-chance three, both set up by Sam Gulaid, and Gulaid scored on a putback for a 9-0 lead. International answered with back-to-back threes to pull within 9-6, but Tua Montoya hit a three for Head-Royce, and after an International basket off a turnover made it 12-8, the Jayhawks took over.
The deciding stretch was a 14-0 run that turned a 12-8 game into a 26-8 lead. Jonah Greenberg and Gulaid scored inside to start it, and Riebel then scored eight straight points on a three, two second-chance baskets and a free throw before Mikael Akpala finished the burst on a feed from Greenberg. Head-Royce kept adding on from there, with Greenberg and Riebel scoring off turnovers, and an 8-0 run later pushed the margin from 38-14 to 46-14. Greenberg started that spurt with a second-chance basket, Gulaid scored, and Riebel added two more, one on an assist from Heredia-Zulaica after a turnover. The Jayhawks led 63-36 after the first period, and the only points of the second period came on a Head-Royce three that closed the scoring.
Riebel led all scorers, going 10 of 24 from the floor, 2 of 7 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 at the line. He also grabbed five rebounds, all on the offensive end, and posted six steals. Gulaid recorded a double-double with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a game-high 15 rebounds, six of them offensive, to go with two assists. Greenberg added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, made both of his free throws and had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Ezra Goldfarb contributed four points and three steals, while Akpala and Heredia-Zulaica each scored four points. Heredia-Zulaica also had two steals. Montoya finished with three points.
The team numbers backed up the lopsided score. Head-Royce shot 39.4 percent (26 of 66) against 32.6 percent (14 of 43) for International and went a perfect 10 of 10 at the free throw line. The Jayhawks outrebounded International 31-21, including a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass, and turned those extra chances into 13 second-chance points while allowing none. Head-Royce also held a 6-4 advantage in points off turnovers. International did most of its damage from the perimeter, making 5 of 13 attempts from 3-point range.
Head-Royce improved to 1-0 on the summer with the win, starting its season on a one-game winning streak.