OAKLAND, Calif. The Head-Royce boys junior varsity basketball team lost 47-42 to Bentley JV on Friday, Feb. 7, after building an 11-point lead in the first quarter. Bentley JV scored 12 straight points across halftime to take control. The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 1-5 and extended their losing streak to five games.
Jackson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer off a pass from Kian, then hit another from Lil O to put Head-Royce up 6-1. With the Jayhawks leading 9-7, they scored nine straight points. Kian made a 3-pointer, Lil O hit a 3-pointer off a turnover, Makaio made a free throw and Finn scored off a turnover on an assist from Clayton to make it 18-7. Bentley JV answered with eight straight points. Baskets from Lil O and Clayton and a free throw from Adagio pushed the lead back to 24-17, but Bentley JV closed the quarter trailing only 24-22.
Bentley JV tied the game at 24 early in the second quarter with a basket off a turnover. Owen made two free throws and Kian hit a 3-pointer to put Head-Royce up 29-24, but Bentley JV scored the next six points to take its first lead, 30-29. Jackson's basket, assisted by Lil O, put the Jayhawks back in front 31-30. Bentley JV answered with two baskets for a 34-31 lead. Kian tied the game at 34 with a 3-pointer, and Clayton scored to give Head-Royce a 36-34 lead.
That was the Jayhawks' last lead. Bentley JV tied the game with a second-chance basket, then scored off a turnover and made two free throws to lead 40-36 at halftime. The run continued after the break with a basket, two more free throws and another basket off a turnover, making it 46-36, Bentley JV's largest lead. Clayton scored the next six points on his own with a free throw, a basket and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 46-42. Bentley JV made a free throw to finish the third quarter up 47-42, and neither team scored in the fourth.
Clayton led Head-Royce with 12 points off the bench, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and had a team-high five steals. Kian added 11 points and made three 3-pointers. Jackson scored eight points and had two steals. Owen had a game-high 12 rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Lil O finished with five points, three assists and three steals, and Adagio had six rebounds.
The two teams shot almost the same from the field: 32.6 percent for Head-Royce and 32.7 percent for Bentley JV. The Jayhawks made 8 of 23 attempts from 3-point range, while Bentley JV made 1 of 14. Bentley JV made up the difference elsewhere. It scored 12 points off 21 Head-Royce turnovers, while the Jayhawks scored five points off 15 Bentley JV turnovers. Bentley JV also won the rebounding battle 35-27, with 16 offensive rebounds and a 6-0 edge in second-chance points. It made 12 of 27 free throws, compared with 6 of 15 for Head-Royce. The Jayhawks had 13 steals, and their bench scored 15 points.
Head-Royce is now 1-5 on the season.