OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce held off Freedom High 54-50 on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, to improve to 8-2 in summer play. Andre Iguodala II scored a team-high 18 points, and Nick Taubes hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late after the Jayhawks saw a 16-point lead turn into a deficit.
Head-Royce started fast. Micah Riebel opened the scoring, Micah Nyamuzuwe made two free throws and Iguodala scored off a turnover for a 6-0 lead. Bryce Clepper and Iguodala added baskets, and Sanjay Ernst made a 3-pointer off a Lamarr Covington assist to make it 14-2. Freedom High answered with 11 straight points to get within 14-13.
The Jayhawks pulled away again. Jack Peay made two free throws, and after a Freedom High basket made it 16-15, Head-Royce scored the next nine points. Peay scored on a putback, Nyamuzuwe scored off a turnover, Riebel converted a basket and a free throw, and Iguodala finished a Clepper assist for a 25-15 lead. Iguodala kept attacking with four free throws and another basket off a turnover. His 3-pointer made it 36-23, and Taubes hit a 3-pointer off a Nyamuzuwe assist to make it 43-27, Head-Royce's largest lead of the night.
Freedom High came back. A 9-0 run, with five of those points coming at the free throw line, cut the lead to 43-36. Mikael Akpala answered with a 3-pointer off a Luke Silva assist, but Freedom High then scored 12 straight. Two 3-pointers, a basket, a free throw and a second-chance 3-pointer gave the visitors their first lead at 48-46. Peay tied the game with a basket and put Head-Royce back in front 49-48 with a free throw. Freedom High went ahead 50-49, and then Iguodala found Taubes for a 3-pointer that put the Jayhawks up 52-50. Iguodala made two free throws to close out the win.
Iguodala, a senior, shot 5 of 10 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He added three steals, two blocks and the assist on the deciding basket. Peay, a sophomore, scored seven points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Clepper went 3 of 4 from the field for six points and added five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Off the bench, Taubes scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting from 3-point range. Nyamuzuwe added six points and Riebel scored five.
Head-Royce shot 43.9 percent (18 of 41) from the field, while Freedom High shot 39.1 percent (18 of 46). The Jayhawks gained a big edge at the free throw line, making 13 of 19 while Freedom High made 9 of 11 and was called for 22 fouls to Head-Royce's 14. Head-Royce also won the rebounding battle 26-23, came up with nine steals and forced 12 turnovers, which led to 10 points. The bench added 12 points.
The win was the fourth straight for Head-Royce, which moved to 8-2 in the 2024 summer season.