OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce girls basketball fell to Branson 72-18 on Thursday, Nov. 20, as the Jayhawks committed 47 turnovers against a Branson defense that came away with 32 steals. The loss dropped Head-Royce to 0-3 on the season.
The Jayhawks scored first. Ella Smith put back a miss for a 2-0 lead, which was Head-Royce's largest of the night. Branson answered with a free throw and then took the lead for good on a second-chance basket at 3-2, the game's only lead change. Emmy Mitchell scored inside to cut the deficit to 7-4, but Branson then ran off 23 straight points, 12 of them on second-chance baskets and baskets off turnovers, to open a 30-4 lead.
Mitchell ended the drought with two free throws, but Branson followed with a 9-0 run, including a three-pointer off a turnover, to push the margin to 39-6. Head-Royce found its best stretch of offense from there. Abigail Kim scored, Missgana B. converted a feed from Smith, and Smith finished a pass from Kim, as the Jayhawks traded baskets to stay within 44-12. Kim added a second-chance basket to make it 48-14.
Branson closed the game on its own terms. An 8-0 run pushed the lead to 56-14, and after Osa Enabulele scored for Head-Royce, Branson scored the next 16 points to reach 72-16, its largest lead of the game at 56 points. Kara Waldrop had the final say with a second-chance basket off an assist from Kim.
Smith led Head-Royce with a double-double of sorts on the glass, finishing with 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting, a game-high 12 rebounds (three offensive), two steals, one assist and one block. Mitchell also scored 4 points, making both of her free throws, and added four rebounds and a team-high three blocks. Kim had 4 points, four rebounds and a team-high two assists, both on scoring plays. Enabulele, Missgana B. and Waldrop each scored 2 points, with Missgana B. and Waldrop combining for the Jayhawks' 4 bench points.
Ball security decided the result. Head-Royce shot 8 of 26 from the field (30.8 percent), but the 47 turnovers limited the Jayhawks to 26 shot attempts while Branson took 79. Branson scored 32 points off turnovers, while Head-Royce had none. Head-Royce won the overall rebounding battle, 32-29, but Branson grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and turned them into 25 second-chance points. Branson shot 32 of 79 (40.5 percent), including 5 of 18 from three-point range.
Head-Royce is now 0-3 and has lost three straight games to open the 2025-26 season.