OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce turned a two-point deficit into a win with a closing 6-0 run, and the Jayhawks beat McClymonds 43-39 on Friday, Nov. 29, to open the season 1-0. Nick led the boys junior varsity with 22 points, and his five 3-pointers carried an offense that made eight shots from beyond the arc.
The game was close from the start, with eight lead changes and seven ties. Davis scored the first basket, but McClymonds answered with a 6-0 run for a 6-2 lead. Nick made 3-pointers on consecutive Head-Royce scoring trips to tie the game at 8, and Kian's 3-pointer off an assist from Davis put the Jayhawks ahead 13-11. McClymonds scored twice off turnovers to take an 18-16 lead, but Davis hit a 3-pointer that gave Head-Royce a 19-18 edge after the first quarter.
Neither team scored much in the second quarter. Luke made a 3-pointer for a 22-20 lead, and Head-Royce led 22-21 at halftime. Baskets by Ezra and Cam, the second one off a turnover, stretched the lead to 26-21, the Jayhawks' largest of the night. McClymonds then went on a 6-0 run to lead 27-26. Nick answered with a 3-pointer, then made two free throws and a basket on an assist from Sam for a 33-29 lead. After McClymonds tied it at 33, Nick added another 3-pointer and a free throw to make it 37-33.
McClymonds scored the next six points, one basket coming off a turnover, and led 39-37. Head-Royce closed the third quarter with a 6-0 run of its own. Davis tied the game with a basket off a turnover, assisted by Nick, and then scored again on a pass from Luke for a 41-39 lead. Nick made two free throws for the final 43-39 margin. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
Nick finished 6 of 14 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point range and 5 of 8 at the free throw line, with six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Davis added 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and four assists. Sam did not score but had team highs of nine rebounds and three steals, along with four assists, three of them on Nick baskets. Ezra had 4 points and seven rebounds, and Luke scored 3 points with two assists off the bench.
The 3-point line decided the game. Head-Royce shot 31.3 percent overall (15 of 48), below McClymonds' 34 percent (17 of 50). But the Jayhawks made 8 of 23 from 3-point range against 3 of 17 for McClymonds, a 24-9 edge. Head-Royce also won the rebounding battle 35-25 and had 15 assists to six for McClymonds. The Jayhawks committed 23 turnovers to McClymonds' 13, and McClymonds scored 8 points off turnovers and 6 second-chance points.
Head-Royce is 1-0 on the 2024-25 season.