Vince Ulloa and the Kamehameha boys basketball team can’t wait to see what the second week of 2017 has in store for the them. ADVERTISING Vince Ulloa and the Kamehameha boys basketball team can’t wait to see what the second
Vince Ulloa and the Kamehameha boys basketball team can’t wait to see what the second week of 2017 has in store for the them.
Week 1 was a doozy, and the Warriors twice snapped victory from the jaws of defeat.
The Warriors’ comeback victory in double overtime Thursday night at Hawaii Prep might turn out to be the best game of the BIIF season. Even so, it was only the second-most dramatic ending of their week.
Kamehameha’s victory Tuesday at Keaau finished with a play worthy of making an ESPN top 10 list – check it out on www.hudl.com – with Solomon Escalante receiving a loose ball and stepping into a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Ulloa said, “just competing to the end and staying poised and working together.
“We were very fortunate. We’ve played a lot of close games so far, and we’ve been on the other end, too.”
Barn burner No. 1: Leading by five with about a minute to go, the Warriors (2-1) were on the verge of putting away the Cougars, but Ulloa said Rico Handy (game-high 20 points) and Keaau never stopped pushing, forcing turnovers and hitting free throws to take a one-point lead.
With the clock under 10 seconds, Escalante rebounded his own missed shot and was attempting a turnaround jumper when the referees whistled Kamehameha for a timeout, though Ulloa said he never called one.
Then came a top play nominee.
Cody Cook, a 6-foot-4 forward, tried to inbound the ball from the baseline by Keaau’s basket, but Handy leaped to deflect the pass and attempted to keep the ball in play and toss it out of harm’s way, but Escalante was waiting for it near the top the key, and, as cool as he other side of the pillow, sank a shot from 1-2 feet beyond the 3-point line for a 50-48 victory.
“(Solomon) is very even keel,” Ulloa said. “Tough loss for Keaau because they fought back.
“It was close, but the shot went through at the buzzer. They never did put it up on the scoreboard. We just went to the locker room.”
Barn burner No. 2: With Matija Vitorovic hitting 3-point shots en route to a 25-point effort, Hawaii Prep took it to Kamehameha through three quarters.
“They punched us in the gut,” Ulloa said. “It took is a while to single up on (Matija).”
The Warriors stayed in striking distance thanks to Nalu Kahapea, who powered his way inside for an uber-efficient 28 points, finishing 10 of 12 from the field and 8 of 10 from the line, Ulloa said.
Kahapea fouled out in the fourth quarter, but Kamehameha rallied from a 46-40 deficit to force overtime, and it hung tough by allowing only nine points in two extra sessions, pulling away at the free throw line in double OT.
“Fortunately, kids stepped up when we were without (Nalu),” Ulloa said.
“One of our problems is we haven’t been executing early in games, so we get ourselves in trouble,” he said “But the kids never stop fighting.”
Kamehameha practiced Saturday, and at the end of the workout Ulloa told his players to stay off their feet – the schedule does not let up.
The Warriors host Hilo (2-1) on Monday – the Vikings should be smarting coming of a 62-32 loss to Konawaena – and the Wildcats (3-0) visit Kamehameha on Wednesday.
“Konawaena looks scary good,” Ulloa said. “We’re focused on Hilo now because they are next, and we expect another battle until the end.
“It’s important that we try to play our style and try to attack from the inside with Nalu.”
