OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce protected the ball and scored in bunches Sunday, beating Saratoga High 66-63 to improve to 3-1 in the 2024 summer season. The Jayhawks committed only four turnovers against 10 for Saratoga High, and they answered a late tie with six straight points to win their second game in a row.
Saratoga High controlled much of the opening stretch. Jack Peay scored the first basket on a second-chance two, but the visitors went ahead 4-2 and built their largest lead at six points, first at 21-15 and again at 23-17. Head-Royce then took over with an 8-0 run. Micah Nyamuzuwe hit a three on a Bryce Clepper assist, Alex Jones tied the game at 23 with a three of his own, and Jonah Greenberg made two free throws for a 25-23 lead.
After a Saratoga High three put the visitors back in front 26-25, the Jayhawks scored the next seven points, capped by a Jones three off a turnover that made it 32-26. Head-Royce later added another 8-0 run, as Sanjay Ernst hit a three, Peay scored three points and Clepper finished a basket for a 43-30 lead, the Jayhawks' largest of the game.
Saratoga High fought back. Six consecutive free throws cut a 50-39 deficit to 50-45, and a second-chance basket tied the game at 57, the fifth tie of the afternoon. Head-Royce responded immediately. Peay scored on a feed from Micah Riebel, Nyamuzuwe converted a turnover into a basket on another Riebel assist, and Nick Taubes followed with a two for a 63-57 lead. Riebel made two free throws and Lamarr Covington added one, so Saratoga High's three-pointer at the finish only set the final margin.
Peay, a sophomore, led Head-Royce with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, went 3-for-3 at the line and grabbed four rebounds. Nyamuzuwe, a senior, added 10 points, two steals and a block. Covington scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting with three rebounds and two assists. Clepper, also a senior, handed out a team-high five assists to go with six points and two steals. Off the bench, Jones scored six points on a pair of threes.
The Jayhawks shot 48 percent from the field (25-of-52) and made 10 of 11 free throws. They assisted on 15 baskets, recorded nine steals and held a 5-0 edge in points off turnovers, while the bench contributed 20 points. Saratoga High kept pace with 8-of-13 shooting from three and 17-of-18 shooting at the line, and it won the rebounding battle 25-21. Head-Royce made six more field goals, however, and outscored the visitors 56-46 on baskets.
With the win, Head-Royce improved to 3-1 and extended its winning streak to two games.