Konawaena point guard Austin Ewing was supposed to pass, which is in his job description, but it’s a good thing that he’s a clutch shooter.
Konawaena point guard Austin Ewing was supposed to pass, which is in his job description, but it’s a good thing that he’s a clutch shooter.
Ewing hit an off-balanced jump shot as time expired and the Wildcats prevailed over Kamehameha 44-42 in the BIIF Division I boys basketball semifinals on Friday night, keeping hope alive for a title fourpeat.
No. 2 seed Konawaena (12-1) will play No. 1 Waiakea (13-0) for the BIIF championship at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Wildcats are seeking their fourth straight BIIF title while the Warriors last won a league crown in 2009.
“It was a great game and they played us basket for basket,” Konawaena coach Donny Awa said. “It came to the last possession. Austin is so athletic that he can get his shot off.”
The season is over for No. 3 seed Kamehameha (9-4), which loses senior starters Bayley Manliguis, Pukana Vincent, Kaeo Batacan and Colin Calip.
In the fourth quarter, Solomon Kia hit a baseline jump shot off a dribble-drive assist from Manliguis, that tied it 42-42 with 2:27 left.
From there, it got crazy. It was turnover city. There were three straight giveaways, adding to the drama and loud atmosphere.
The Wildcats took an early shot and missed, and the Warriors snagged the rebound but turned the ball over with 1:41 remaining.
Then more excitement was added to a boiling pot of emotion.
The Wildcats committed a giveaway with 1:21 left.
The Kamehameha faithful exploded for the golden opportunity.
But the Warriors turned the ball over with 35 seconds left, their 14th giveaway and most painful of the entire season. The Wildcats finished with 12 turnovers; some led to points, but none were fatal.
When Ewing inbounded the ball, there was less than five seconds on the clock. He got the ball back and shot a jumper from the free throw line. By the time it swished through the net, the game was in the books, adding another buzzer-beat in the BIIF semifinals for the day.
In the BIIF Division II semifinals, Manato Fukuda sank a layup at the buzzer as St. Joseph stunned Hawaii Prep 42-41.
Ewing scored 15 points and Austin Aukai added eight points to lead the Wildcats, who shot 42 percent (15 of 36) from the floor and made 8 of 14 free throws.
Vincent and Solomon Escalante scored nine points each and Nalu Kahapea added eight points for the Warriors, who converted 45 percent from the field and sank only 1 of 3 free throws.
The Warriors didn’t attack the rim like Kona. Instead they fired from long distance. Vincent had three treys, while Batacan and Manliguis nailed one 3-pointer each.
Ewing and Paka Cacoulidis each had a 3-pointer in the second half.
In the third quarter Vincent drilled two timely 3-pointers, hitting the first to close Kona’s lead to 30-28 and his second to get the Warriors closer, 36-35 with 24 seconds left until the final eight minutes.
Konawaena led 22-19 at halftime as both teams played with different styles.
The Warriors just couldn’t get entry passes to their tough-nosed 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Kahapea, who had two points in the first half, so they started shooting from long distance and buried four 3-pointers.
The Wildcats attacked the rim, soaring for layups or working the ball inside with their precision post passing.
Ewing was a layup machine with four drives to the hoop for eight points in the first half. But when the fourth quarter arrived, his clutch shooting carried his team to victory and a fourth consecutive appearance in the BIIF championship.
“In that situation, timing was running down, and we had to do something,” Awa said. “I think Saturday against Waiakea is going to be another one like this. Waiakea is undefeated, and we’ve been playing pretty good.
“It’s a relief that we won and are going back to states. But the goal is to win the BIIF championship.”
Kamehameha 11 8 16 7 — 42
Konawaena 10 12 14 8 — 44