OAKLAND, Calif. Head-Royce wiped out a six-point deficit with a 15-0 run in the first half and pulled away for a 58-47 win over Santa Rosa on Monday. The Jayhawks improved to 10-4 and won their third straight game. They made 17 of 18 free throws and committed only three turnovers.
Sanjay Ernst opened the scoring with a basket off a turnover and a free throw for a 3-0 lead, but the lead changed hands early. Ernst tied the game at 7 on a feed from Alex Jones. Santa Rosa then scored five straight points to go up 12-7 and kept the lead through the middle of the half. A Santa Rosa basket and two free throws made it 24-18, the visitors' largest lead of the night.
Head-Royce answered with 15 unanswered points. Waylon Miller hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Nick Taubes, and Taubes followed with a 3-pointer set up by Makaio Popp to tie the game at 24. Taubes then scored inside to give the Jayhawks a 26-24 lead they never gave up. Ernst made two free throws, the Jayhawks added two more, and Azaan capped the run with a basket and a free throw for a 33-24 lead. Taubes answered a Santa Rosa 3-pointer with a basket, and Head-Royce led 35-27 at halftime.
Santa Rosa scored first after the break to cut the gap to 35-29, but Head-Royce went on a 6-0 run. Jack Peay scored on a putback, Loryan Boyette-Tindall converted a turnover into a basket and Ernst made two free throws for a 41-29 lead. Boyette-Tindall later scored on a two and then hit a 3-pointer from Jones to make it 47-33, Head-Royce's largest lead at 14. Santa Rosa followed with a 6-0 run, including four free throws, to pull within 47-39. Peay stopped the run with a basket and scored again on a pass from Taubes, and Taubes hit a second-chance 3-pointer from Ernst for a 54-43 lead. Peay made three free throws down the stretch as the Jayhawks went up 58-45.
Taubes led Head-Royce with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, and added three assists without a turnover. Peay had 12 points and five rebounds (three offensive) and made 4 of 5 free throws. Ernst scored nine points on 2-of-3 shooting and went 5 for 5 at the line. Boyette-Tindall also scored nine, making 4 of 6 shots, and had two steals. Jones went scoreless but had three steals and two assists. Off the bench, Miller scored five points and Azaan added three points and two steals.
Santa Rosa shot 47 percent (16 of 34), while Head-Royce shot 38 percent (18 of 47), but the Jayhawks made up the difference in other areas. Head-Royce had 10 steals, forced 12 turnovers and outscored Santa Rosa 4-2 in points off turnovers. The Jayhawks grabbed eight offensive rebounds to Santa Rosa's two, outscored the visitors 7-0 in second-chance points and won the rebounding battle 20-16. They also made 94 percent of their free throws, and Santa Rosa went 13 of 14.
Head-Royce is now 10-4 and has won three games in a row.