Head-Royce made six 3-pointers in the first half and took an 18-point lead into the break, then kept Marin Catholic from getting closer than 16 after halftime in a 61-39 boys basketball win Thursday. The Jayhawks improved to 8-1 on the season.
The game's first minutes brought both of its lead changes. Head-Royce went ahead 1-0 on a free throw, and Marin Catholic took its only lead of the night at 2-1. The Jayhawks answered with a 9-0 run, which included a second-chance basket and a basket off a turnover, and closed it with a 3-pointer for a 10-2 edge. They led the rest of the way. Three more 3-pointers, each answered by a Marin Catholic basket, pushed the margin to 19-8.
Head-Royce kept adding to the lead. A 3-pointer made it 30-16, and after Marin Catholic scored, the Jayhawks put together a second 9-0 run: a second-chance basket, another field goal, a basket off a turnover and a 3-pointer for a 39-18 lead. Marin Catholic hit its only 3-pointer of the game to make it 39-21 at halftime.
Micah Nyamuzuwe opened the second half with a putback. Bryce Clepper added two free throws and a second-chance basket, and Jaden Recker scored off an offensive rebound to make it 50-31. The third quarter ended with Head-Royce ahead 51-33. In the fourth, Johnny Williams scored on a feed from Osagie Enabulele and added a free throw. Micah Riebel followed with a free throw and a basket. Enabulele then scored off a turnover on an assist from Clepper for a 59-35 lead, and Marcel Pierre-Louis scored on a pass from Topher Sah to make it 61-37. Those two scores produced Head-Royce's largest lead of the night, 24 points.
Williams finished with 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting and made his only free throw. Clepper had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. Riebel scored 4 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, two of them offensive. Enabulele had 3 points, 2 steals and an assist. Recker added 2 points, 2 offensive rebounds and 2 steals, and Malcolm Weekes also had 2 steals.
Head-Royce shot 23-of-54 (43 percent) from the field and 6-of-22 from 3-point range. Marin Catholic shot 17-of-43 (40 percent) and 1-of-7 from deep. The Jayhawks had 13 steals, forced 11 turnovers while committing 8 and outscored Marin Catholic 8-2 on points off turnovers. They also won the rebounding battle 30-21, including 10-3 on the offensive glass, which led to a 10-0 edge in second-chance points. Robert Dibble led Marin Catholic with 4 points, and seven teammates scored 2 each.
Head-Royce (8-1) returns home to host Bentley JV on Tuesday, Jan. 9.