OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce came back from an early six-point deficit with a 14-0 run and pulled away for a 57-37 win over Jefferson High in a summer boys basketball game Sunday, June 9, improving to 2-1. The Jayhawks shot 52.8 percent from the field and made all 13 of their free throws.
Jefferson High scored the first six points and still led 10-4 after answering a second-chance basket by Jack Peay, assisted by Mikael Akpala. Head-Royce then scored the next 14 points. Micah Nyamuzuwe started the run with a basket and a free throw, Bryce Clepper made two free throws to cut the deficit to 10-9, and Nyamuzuwe's next basket gave the Jayhawks an 11-10 lead, the game's only lead change. Nyamuzuwe followed with a second-chance 3-pointer off a Peay assist, Jonah Greenberg scored off a turnover and Nyamuzuwe added another basket for an 18-10 lead.
Jefferson High never got closer than five points after that. Greenberg scored four straight points on a basket and two free throws, and Jackson converted a turnover into a basket on a Greenberg assist for a 24-13 lead. After a Jefferson High 3-pointer made it 26-18, Head-Royce answered with an 8-0 run. Greenberg made two free throws and scored off another turnover, Lamarr Covington went 2-for-2 at the line and Peay added a second-chance basket for a 34-18 lead. Following two Jefferson High free throws, Covington made two more and Akpala hit back-to-back 3-pointers, assisted by Peay and Clepper, for a 42-20 lead, the Jayhawks' largest of the game.
Jefferson High had its best stretch after a Clepper 3-pointer made it 45-23, scoring seven straight points to pull within 45-30. Nyamuzuwe answered with a basket, and Peay scored on a feed from Nick Taubes. Taubes later scored off a turnover and hit a second-chance 3-pointer assisted by Max, and Jayan closed the scoring with a 3-pointer on a pass from Lil O.
Nyamuzuwe led Head-Royce with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added three rebounds, an assist and a block. Greenberg scored 10 points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting and 4-of-4 at the line, and he added three steals, a block and an assist. Clepper had seven points, including a 3-pointer and four free throws. Peay scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting and had a team-high four rebounds (three offensive) and two assists. Akpala and Covington each added six points, and Taubes had five points on 2-of-2 shooting with three steals and two assists.
Head-Royce won the possession battle. The Jayhawks outrebounded Jefferson High 18-11, grabbed eight offensive rebounds to Jefferson High's two and outscored the visitors 10-0 in second-chance points. They also finished with nine steals, outscored Jefferson High 8-0 in points off turnovers and had 10 assists to the visitors' five. The Head-Royce bench added 20 points. Jefferson High shot 44.4 percent (12-of-27), made 4 of 8 3-point attempts and went 9-for-9 at the free throw line.
The win improved Head-Royce to 2-1 this summer.