OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce's defense took over from the opening possession on Tuesday, and the Jayhawks beat Concord JV 75-15 to move to 7-5 on the season. Head-Royce had 19 steals, never trailed and held Concord JV scoreless over the final 29 points of the game.
The Jayhawks scored the first 12 points. Davis Lynch opened the scoring with a 3-pointer off a turnover, assisted by Ezra Goldfarb. LaMarr Covington and Nick Taubes followed with baskets, including a second-chance 3-pointer from Taubes, before Concord JV scored its first basket to make it 12-2.
Concord JV cut the deficit to 18-7 on a free throw, and Head-Royce answered with an 8-0 run. Covington scored six straight points on two baskets and two free throws, and Taubes finished a pass from Covington to make it 26-7. Later, with the score at 28-11, the Jayhawks added a 10-0 run. Covington scored, Taubes converted two passes from Covington, Owen Curry added a basket and Taubes scored again for a 38-11 lead.
Concord JV's last point came on a free throw that made it 46-15. Lynch then hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 29-0 run to the finish. Curry and Covington added baskets, and Covington scored three times off turnovers during the stretch. Jackson Benson scored on a pass from Covington to make it 72-15, and Covington closed the game with a 3-pointer that put Head-Royce ahead by its biggest margin, 60 points.
Covington led the Jayhawks in nearly every category. He scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting and added 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 9 steals without a turnover. Taubes, a freshman, scored 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting and had 4 assists and 4 steals. Lynch made all three of his 3-point attempts, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with 3 assists and 3 steals. Goldfarb, a sophomore, had 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 5 assists, 3 steals and 4 points. Curry scored 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting, Benson, a freshman, added 4 points and sophomore Lawrence Liu had a rebound.
The team numbers showed how one-sided the game was. Head-Royce shot 34 of 56 (60.7 percent) from the field and had assists on 21 of its 34 field goals while committing only 6 turnovers. Concord JV shot 5 of 16 (31.3 percent), made 4 of 13 free throws, had 17 turnovers and did not record an assist. The Jayhawks outscored Concord JV 19-4 in points off turnovers. Head-Royce also won the rebounding battle 33-19, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds and holding a 9-2 edge in second-chance points.
Head-Royce, now 7-5, returns to action when it hosts Bentley JV on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
