OAKLAND, Calif. The Head-Royce boys junior varsity team was down only three points late in the third quarter before De La Salle Frosh scored 17 straight points, and the Jayhawks lost 49-36 at home on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Head-Royce committed 31 turnovers, fell to 1-3 on the season and has now lost three games in a row.
Head-Royce started fast. Lil O made a free throw and then hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Owen for a 4-0 lead. Owen followed with two baskets, the first on a feed from Lil O after a turnover, to make it 8-2. That six-point lead was the Jayhawks' largest of the night. De La Salle answered with an 8-0 run, helped by a 3-pointer off a turnover, to go ahead 10-8. The game stayed close from there. Jackson tied it twice, first with a basket and then with two free throws. Lil O scored on a pass from Jackson to put Head-Royce back in front at 14-12, and Kian's 3-pointer made it 17-14. De La Salle then made four straight free throws and led 18-17 at halftime.
Owen's second-chance basket gave Head-Royce its last lead at 19-18. De La Salle came back with an 8-0 run, including two baskets off turnovers, and led 26-19. Lil O kept the Jayhawks close with a 3-pointer, a basket and a free throw, and Makaio scored off a turnover on an assist from Kian to cut the gap to 30-27. De La Salle then hit two 3-pointers to lead 36-27 after three quarters. The run continued into the fourth, as four more baskets off turnovers made it 47-27. That 20-point margin was the visitors' largest lead. Jackson ended the drought with a 3-pointer assisted by Owen, and the Jayhawks closed on a 6-0 run. Cam scored twice off turnovers, and Clayton added a basket off a turnover on an assist from Makaio.
Lil O led Head-Royce with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and added two assists and two steals. Jackson scored seven points with two assists and two steals. Owen had six points on 3-of-5 shooting, a team-high seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and the team's only block. Adagio had a team-high four steals and four rebounds. Cam scored four points off the bench.
Head-Royce shot better from the field, making 14 of 34 shots (41 percent) while De La Salle made 17 of 49 (35 percent). The turnovers and the boards made the difference. De La Salle scored 18 points off turnovers to the Jayhawks' 10. The visitors also won the rebounding battle 27-21 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, which led to seven second-chance points. Head-Royce forced 23 turnovers and made 15 steals, but it went 4 of 10 at the free-throw line, while De La Salle went 11 of 15. The game had three lead changes and four ties.
Head-Royce is now 1-3 this season.