Jaden Recker came off the bench to post a double-double and lead an 18-0 second-half run as Head-Royce pulled away for a 75-52 win at College Prep on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The Jayhawks won their fourth straight game, improved to 27-2 and beat College Prep for the second time in a week after an 89-50 road win on Jan. 30.
Head-Royce never trailed. College Prep tied the game at 2-2 after Uche Okereke's opening basket, and then the Jayhawks scored the next 11 points. Johnny Williams, Recker and Malcolm Weekes each hit a 3-pointer, and a second-chance basket by Williams made it 13-2. Williams scored 11 of Head-Royce's first 21 points as the lead grew to 21-9.
College Prep answered with a 7-0 run to pull within 21-16. After a basket by Osagie Enabulele, College Prep scored seven more in a row to tie the game at 23-23. Head-Royce responded with an 11-0 run. Williams scored twice off turnovers, both times on assists from Marcel Pierre-Louis, and Pierre-Louis added two free throws and a second-chance basket. Topher Sah also scored in the run, which ended with Head-Royce ahead 34-23. Two free throws by Williams made it 36-24 at halftime, and Williams had 18 points at the break.
College Prep stayed close early in the second half and pulled within 47-38 on a 3-pointer off a turnover. Head-Royce pushed back with baskets from Micah Nyamuzuwe and Pierre-Louis and a 3-pointer from Recker. Pierre-Louis then hit a 3-pointer on a pass from Mikael Akpala for a 57-42 lead. College Prep answered with a 3-pointer, and the Jayhawks followed with the 18-0 run that decided the game. Recker scored 11 points in that stretch on a basket off a turnover, two free throws, a 3-pointer and two second-chance baskets. Marcus Lefkovits added a basket and a 3-pointer, both off turnovers, and Micah Riebel also scored off a turnover. The run put Head-Royce up 75-45, its largest lead of the night at 30, and College Prep scored the game's final seven points.
Williams led Head-Royce with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also made 7 of 11 free throws and had five rebounds and three steals. Recker finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds (five offensive), five steals and three assists, and he went 3 of 8 from 3-point range. Pierre-Louis had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists with no turnovers. Lefkovits scored nine points with two steals and two blocks. Akpala had three assists and did not attempt a shot.
The Jayhawks shot 38.9 percent from the field, and 21 of their 28 field goals came on assists. College Prep shot 34.7 percent and made 3 of 17 3-point attempts. Head-Royce won the rebounding battle 43-32, grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outscored College Prep 11-4 in second-chance points. The Jayhawks also had 14 steals, won the points-off-turnovers battle 15-7 and got 28 points from their bench.
Head-Royce moved to 27-2 and has won four games in a row.