OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce held Concord High to 17.8 percent shooting and turned 17 steals into a steady stream of easy baskets in a 70-17 win on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The Jayhawks improved to 12-1 and have now won five straight games.
Head-Royce never trailed, and the game was never tied. The Jayhawks opened with a 6-0 run that began with a basket off a turnover. Concord High did not score until it turned a Head-Royce turnover into a basket that made it 6-2. The Jayhawks answered with a second-chance basket, then scored three straight times to go up 14-4, and they stretched the lead to 20-6 soon after.
The Jayhawks pulled further ahead with a 7-0 run, including a three-pointer and a basket off a turnover, that turned a 20-8 edge into a 27-8 lead. After Concord High scored to make it 27-10, Head-Royce put the game out of reach with a 13-0 run. A three-pointer started it, three straight baskets followed, and two free throws sent the Jayhawks into halftime ahead 38-10. They scored off a turnover after the break to finish the run at 40-10.
Concord High scored only seven points in the second half. A second-chance basket and two more scores off turnovers made it 46-12, and a three-pointer pushed the lead to 49-13. Concord High scored to make it 49-15, and Head-Royce answered with an 18-0 run, its longest of the night. Free throws, a second-chance basket, two straight baskets off turnovers and a three-pointer made it 62-15, and the Jayhawks kept going until they led 67-15. Concord High scored once more to make it 67-17 before a Head-Royce three-pointer closed the scoring and gave the Jayhawks their largest lead of the game, 53 points.
No individual statistics were recorded for Head-Royce, and the box score showed a team effort. The Jayhawks shot 30 of 56 from the field (53.6 percent), made 5 of 16 from three-point range and hit 5 of 7 free throws. They assisted on 18 of their 30 field goals and blocked six shots.
The defense set the tone. Head-Royce's 17 steals led to 24 points off turnovers, and Concord High made just 8 of 45 shots from the field, went 0 for 8 from three-point range and made 1 of 4 free throws. The Jayhawks also won the rebounding battle 39-20, and their 10 offensive rebounds produced six second-chance points, while Concord High had none. Head-Royce committed 11 turnovers, and Concord High turned them into six points.
Head-Royce (12-1) returns to action when it hosts Bentley JV on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
