Kamehameha-Hawaii relegated Kamehameha-Kapalama to little brother once again.
Isaiah Laeha swatted 25 kills before leaving with an apparent injury and the Big Island Warriors beat their Oahu brethren 25-15, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18 at Kalani High in Honolulu to advance the HHSAA Division I semifinals for the fourth time in five years.
BIIF champion Kamehameha-Hawaii (15-0) hit .302 behind Laeha (.345) and Chase Carter, who compiled 12 kills and hit .450. Addison Enriques added 12 kills and 14 digs.
Late in the match, Laeha was on a training table with his ankle wrapped in ice, though his status for Thursday’s 7 p.m. match against Moanalua at its gym was uncertain.
ILH runner-up Kamehameha-Kapalama (12-5), which hit just .191., won its last state title in 2011 on the Big Island, but Kamehameha-Hawaii has been a thorn in its side ever since, beating it four times in the quarterfinals. In each instance, Kamehameha has gone on to face Moanalua (15-0), the OIA champion, which has yet to beat the Warriors in that span.
On Wednesday, Na Menehune tripped Lahainaluna 25-16, 25-16, 23-25, 25-12, getting 27 kills from Austin Matautia, who hit a robust .550.
For Kamehameha-Hawaii, Jai Makuakane added 29 assists and 12 digs. Neither Kamehameha school served all that well. The Big Island Warriors had just won ace with nine service errors, while Kapalama had no aces and 11 errors.
Of course, the big elephant in the room is top-seeded Punahou, which has won four consecutive state titles, beating Kamehameha-Hawaii in the finals three times. On Wednesday, the ILH champion Buffanblu (16-1) swept Kahuku and will face OIA runner-up Mililani in a 5 p.m. semifinal at Moanalua.
In a consolation match Wednesday at Moanalua, BIIF runner-up Waiakea (12-4) swept McKinley 26-24, 25-18 and will face Waipahu at 4 p.m. Thursday at Kalani for seventh place.
Division II
BIIF champion Konawaena and runner-up Pahoa each were swept in the quarterfinals in Honolulu.
At Farrington, the Wildcats lost to Damien 25-19, 25-16, 25-18. Benjamin McKinley and Kealii Kuahuia each smacked nine kills for Konawaena (12-2), which faces Kaimuki in a 5 p.m. consolation match Thursday.
At Iolani, top-seeded Hawaii Baptist, the five-time champion, overwhelmed the Daggers 25-10, 25-9, 25-13. Keinan Agonias led Pahoa with four kills. The Daggers (10-3) face Farrington in a 6:30 p.m. consolation match Thursday.
