Jayhawks smother American High 43-23 to stay unbeaten

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
American High	19	0	4	0	23
Head-Royce Boys Varsity	38	0	5	0	43

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Final

American High

Head-Royce Boys Varsity

Jayhawks smother American High 43-23 to stay unbeaten

Head-Royce held American High to 16.1 percent shooting and used a 10-0 first-half run to improve to 4-0.

Head-Royce Athletics · Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023

OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce held American High to 5-of-31 shooting from the field and pulled away for a 43-23 victory on Saturday, Nov. 11, improving to 4-0 on the 2023-24 season and extending its winning streak to four games.

The early minutes were a back-and-forth affair. Bryce Clepper opened the scoring with a free throw, and the lead changed hands eight times in the opening stretch. American High's last lead came at 10-8 on a 3-pointer. Jaden Recker answered with a 3-pointer off a Micah Riebel assist to put the Jayhawks back in front 11-10 and start an 8-0 run. Osagie Enabulele followed with a basket off a turnover, and Recker added a second-chance 3-pointer, set up by Topher Sah, for a 16-10 lead. American High never led again.

Leading 19-14, Head-Royce took control with a 10-0 run. Johnny Williams scored on back-to-back possessions, Malcolm Weekes finished a feed from Zach Gottschalk, Riebel scored on a Williams assist and Williams turned a turnover into a basket for a 29-14 advantage. Clepper, Sah and Gottschalk, with a second-chance 3-pointer, added baskets as the Jayhawks carried a 38-19 lead into halftime.

The second half was a low-scoring stretch, and Head-Royce held a 5-4 edge after the break. Riebel scored on a second-chance basket assisted by Marcus Lefkovits, and Clepper made two free throws to push the lead to 42-19, the largest margin of the game at 23 points. American High closed with a free throw and a 3-pointer before Williams capped the scoring from the line.

Williams led Head-Royce with 9 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Clepper scored 6 points, going 4 of 6 at the free throw line, and led the team with 4 assists. Riebel added 6 points and 3 assists, and Lefkovits scored the Jayhawks' first two field goals on his way to 4 points and 2 offensive rebounds. The bench contributed 16 points. Recker made 2 of 3 from 3-point range for 6 points and grabbed a team-high 4 rebounds, Sah scored 5 points on 2-of-2 shooting, Gottschalk added 3 and Weekes chipped in 2.

The team numbers told the story. Head-Royce shot 17 of 33 (51.5 percent) from the field and assisted on 11 of its 17 baskets. American High shot 16.1 percent and scored 10 of its 23 points at the free throw line. The Jayhawks won the rebounding battle 23-12, including a 6-2 edge on the offensive glass that produced an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Head-Royce (4-0) returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, when it hosts Bentley JV.

Box score

Head-Royce Boys Varsity		Pts	FG	3PT	FT	OReb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF
11	Johnny Williams*	9	4-5	0-1	1-2	0	3	1	1	1	5	0
3	Bryce Clepper*	6	1-3	0-0	4-6	0	3	4	0	0	1	4
2	Micah Riebel*	6	3-8	0-3	0-0	0	3	3	0	0	1	1
4	Marcus Lefkovits*	4	2-3	0-0	0-0	2	2	1	0	1	0	4
5	Osagie Enabulele*	2	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1
12	Jaden Recker	6	2-4	2-3	0-0	2	4	0	1	0	1	2
13	Topher Sah	5	2-2	1-1	0-0	1	3	1	0	0	0	0
15	Zach Gottschalk	3	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	0	0
10	Malcolm Weekes	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
14	Mikael Akpala	0	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Totals		43	17-33	4-12	5-8	6	23	11	2	2	9	14
FG 51.5% · 3PT 33.3% · FT 62.5% · * starter

American High

Individual stats were not tracked for American High. Team totals: 23 points, 5-31 FG, 3-13 3PT, 10-14 FT, 12 rebounds.

37 scoring plays, with the running score

Head-RoyceBryce Clepper free throw0-1
American HighTeam basket2-1
Head-RoyceMarcus Lefkovits basket2-3
American HighTeam basket4-3
Head-RoyceMarcus Lefkovits basket4-5
Head-RoyceBryce Clepper free throw4-6
American HighTeam three-pointer7-6
Head-RoyceMicah Riebel basket7-8
American HighTeam three-pointer10-8
Head-RoyceJaden Recker three-pointer10-11
Head-RoyceOsagie Enabulele basket10-13
Head-RoyceJaden Recker three-pointer10-16
American HighTeam free throw11-16
American HighTeam free throw12-16
Head-RoyceTopher Sah three-pointer12-19
American HighTeam free throw13-19
American HighTeam free throw14-19
Head-RoyceJohnny Williams basket14-21
Head-RoyceJohnny Williams basket14-23
Head-RoyceMalcolm Weekes basket14-25
Head-RoyceMicah Riebel basket14-27
Head-RoyceJohnny Williams basket14-29
American HighTeam free throw15-29
Head-RoyceJohnny Williams basket15-31
Head-RoyceBryce Clepper basket15-33
American HighTeam free throw16-33
Head-RoyceTopher Sah basket16-35
American HighTeam free throw17-35
American HighTeam free throw18-35
Head-RoyceZach Gottschalk three-pointer18-38
American HighTeam free throw19-38
Head-RoyceMicah Riebel basket19-40
Head-RoyceBryce Clepper free throw19-41
Head-RoyceBryce Clepper free throw19-42
American HighTeam free throw20-42
American HighTeam three-pointer23-42
Head-RoyceJohnny Williams free throw23-43

	Head-Royce	American High
Field goals	17-33 (51.5%)	5-31 (16.1%)
Three-pointers	4-12	3-13
Free throws	5-8	10-14
Rebounds (off.)	23 (6)	12 (2)
Assists	11	4
Steals	2	2
Blocks	2	0
Turnovers	9	8
Fouls	14	9

Halftime	Head-Royce 38, American High 19
Biggest Head-Royce lead	23
Biggest American High lead	2
Lead changes	8
Ties	0
Longest run	Head-Royce 10-0