HONOKAA — The turtles tried to run like the rabbits from Honokaa, and that wasn’t such a good idea but it worked for a while.
HONOKAA — The turtles tried to run like the rabbits from Honokaa, and that wasn’t such a good idea but it worked for a while.
Hawaii Prep, often deliberate and disciplined, can play at any tempo because the ball is in good hands with sophomore point guard Jonah Hurney, who may not score the most points, but always leads his team in stability.
Behind Hurney’s steady play and 16 points, the resourceful Ka Makani prevailed over the Dragons 44-39 in a key BIIF Division II basketball game on Monday night at Honokaa Armory, showing that a solid ball-handler can make a world of difference.
With the win, HPA (5-2) remained in the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular season title, which includes an automatic berth to the HHSAA state tournament.
Jonas Skupeika scored 17 points to lead Ka Makani, which shot 45 percent (13 of 29) on field goals and 68 percent (15 of 22) from the free throw line.
Ka Makani went 9 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter or the final eight minutes. That kept the game interesting until the very end.
Kysen Datuin scored nine points off the bench, and Koa Callihan added eight points for the Dragons (5-3), who struggled with their shooting touch from all over the place: 35 percent (14 of 40) from the floor and 44 percent (7 of 16) from the line.
In the first quarter, HPA outscored Honokaa 22-10. The visitors, who morphed into floor running rabbits, forced nine turnovers and scored 10 points off giveaways. Ka Makani, who dropped five layups, fed the Dragons a taste of their own medicine.
“We looked pretty good in the first quarter, but that was too fast for us,” HPA co-coach Fred Wawner said. “Honokaa baits you at playing at that speed. They’re good at that speed.
“We hung around until the fourth quarter, and good things happened. We made it a possession by possession game and the kids found a way. To get a win in this environment, we’re excited to win.”
Both teams stepped on the brakes for the other three quarters. That’s the preferred pace for Ka Makani, who aren’t all that deep in top-shelf scoring depth; it’s basically Skupeika and Hurney, who shoot and everyone else fills in a role.
The warts of playing uptempo ball are players get tired and have a tendency to commit ill-advised fouls. Skupeika and Dylan Ngango Dikobo fouled out. Callihan from Honokaa fouled out.
The Dragons had 19 turnovers, one less than Ka Makani. But the packed house at Honokaa Armory, which holds about 700 fans, would agree that the home team’s giveaways were extremely painful, especially every one of its six in the fourth quarter.
Jonathan Charbonneau scored on a three-point play to give Honokaa a 38-35 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the hosts went to a four corners offense to drain the clock.
It helps to have a ball-handler who can beat a defender off the dribble to create a mismatch at the basket and sink clutch free throws if a team decides to spread the court with a late lead.
That’s Waiakea’s greatest strength with Calvin Mattos, Noah Ferreira and Louie Ondo, who all have that dual skill-set, a reason the Warriors are undefeated.
Unfortunately, the Dragons kept turning the ball over, fouled far too much and sent HPA to the free throw line.
Hurney scored 14 points in the first half, swishing a pair of 3-pointers and all four free throws. He made 2 of 2 free throws in the second half, the latter that provided the visitors with a 40-39 lead with 1:44 remaining.
In some ways, Hurney resembles Mattos. They’re both left-handed, play with composure and share the ball without a second thought. And like Mattos, Hurney is clutch from the line; he made 6 of 6 free throws, each one nothing but net.
When the ball is in Hurney’s hands, Ka Makani may not always get a good look because they don’t have the ball movement like Waiakea or Konawaena, but they won’t have a lost possession either. Hurney, with his steady ball-handling, gives his team a chance to run the offense, and in close games ball security is the most important thing.
“We need Jonah to play like a senior, even though he’s only a 10th grader,” Wawner said. “The good thing about him is he won’t let a mistake affect his next possession. His game continues to grow, and he keeps us in the game. We can’t get the ball up the floor without him.”
On both ends of the floor, the Dragons couldn’t get their transition game in gear.
Off a miss or make by HPA, Honokaa couldn’t run the floor and get an easy layup because the visitors hustled back on defense.
Defensively, when Honokaa applied a full-court press, Ka Makani reversed the ball, threw over the top and dropped in layups. Their press break offense was so effective the Dragons pulled their press back.
HPA packs its 2-3 zone in pretty tight, and it’s really tough to get dribble-penetration with all that length. The Dragons just couldn’t deliver enough entry passes to 6-foot Kamuela Spencer-Herring, who’s a nice post scorer and nifty kickoff passer; it’s too bad his teammates often missed from long range.
And that’s the best way to defeat the tall Ka Makani: stick a 3-pointer in their face. Datuin and Charbonneau hit one trey each; Hurney buried a pair and Skupeika had one 3-pointer.
Speaking of Skupeika, who kept dribbling to his right and had four layups, the Dragons didn’t hedge on him and force him to go left. When he was fouled, the senior forward made 2 of 7 free throws.
Oh, BTW, Skupeika knows how to make a timely play. Before Hurney’s tying and go-ahead free throws, Skupeika snagged a rebound off a missed Honokaa free throw and passed to Hurney, who got fouled and swished his free throws.
HPA hosts BIIF Division II runner-up Kohala on Wednesday, plays at Keaau on Saturday and has an interesting battle next Tuesday. Ka Makani will host its clone, St. Joseph, which is also a deliberate and disciplined team.
Wawner had the feeling that HPA may run into Honokaa in the four-team BIIF playoffs. The two neighbors seem destined for a rematch.
“We executed our press break and it was good for us to face that kind of pressure,” he said. “I think we’ll see them again.”
In the junior varsity game, Honokaa won 48-46.
Hawaii Prep 22 5 8 9 — 44
Honokaa 10 13 12 4 — 39