Head-Royce scored the game's final six points to beat East Union 60-55 on Saturday, Dec. 28, and improve to 9-5. Bryce Clepper carried the Jayhawks through the second half, scoring 12 of his 15 points after the break and assisting on the last two field goals. The win was the Jayhawks' third in a row.
Head-Royce opened fast. Micah Nyamuzuwe hit a three off a turnover on the game's first possession, and Nick Taubes followed with a three of his own for a 7-2 lead. With the Jayhawks up 13-9, the bench took over. Alex Jones scored on a layup and then hit a three, and Jack Peay added another three to finish an 8-0 run that made it 21-9. That 12-point margin was the Jayhawks' biggest of the game.
East Union answered with a pair of threes during a 6-0 run that cut the deficit to 23-18, and it stayed close from there. Head-Royce kept its lead behind a three from Peay and baskets from Mikael Akpala and Sanjay Ernst. Ernst hit a three off a Clepper assist to send the Jayhawks into halftime with a 36-30 lead.
East Union went to the free throw line in the second half and slowly closed the gap. The Jayhawks led 46-43 after two Jones free throws, but East Union scored twice in a row to take its first lead at 47-46. Clepper then scored all eight Head-Royce points over the next stretch. He answered with a basket, and after East Union went back up 51-48, he scored inside and then hit a three for a 53-51 lead. His free throw made it 54-53 after a tie. East Union retook the lead at 55-54, the last of six lead changes. Peay then scored on a feed from Clepper, and Akpala hit a three, also assisted by Clepper, and a free throw to seal it.
Clepper finished with 15 points, eight assists and two steals, and he made 8 of 14 free throws. Peay added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2 of 3 from three-point range, and blocked two shots. Akpala had 8 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jones scored 7 points off the bench with two assists and two steals, and Ernst had 5 points and five rebounds, three of them offensive. Sam Gulaid also grabbed five rebounds.
East Union shot better, 47.8 percent to the Jayhawks' 43.2 percent, and outrebounded Head-Royce 26-24. The Jayhawks made up the difference at the line and beyond the arc. They made 14 of 22 free throws, while East Union made 7 of 18, and they made 8 threes to East Union's four. Head-Royce also forced 13 turnovers, committed only seven, and got 14 points from its bench.
Head-Royce improved to 9-5 on the season with its third straight win.