KEAAU – Kamehameha got a good lesson in resilience against the defending champs: It’s not how you start but how you finish.
KEAAU – Kamehameha got a good lesson in resilience against the defending champs: It’s not how you start but how you finish.
The host Warriors shook off a sluggish start and defeated Waiakea 79-76 in a BIIF Division I game on Tuesday night at Koaia Gym, watching a 3-point attempt for a tie by Calvin Mattos rim out as time expired.
Solomon Escalante scored 15 points, Nalu Kahapea added 14 points, going 10 of 14 on free throws, while Payton Grahovac dropped four 3-pointers for 12 points and Isaiah Nakoa-Oness had 10 for Kamehameha (5-2), which converted 52 percent (23 of 44) from the field and sank 24 of 37 free throws.
Mattos scored 24 points, including 21 in the second half, to lead Waiakea (4-1), which shot 50 percent (25 of 50) from the floor and made 19 of 34 free throws. Shaun Kojima added 16 points, Wes Amuimuia 14 and Jayden Opiana eight points.
The visiting Warriors took a tough one on the chin. The loss knocks them from the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the first berth to the HHSAA tournament. Konawaena (5-0) sits alone in first place.
The host Warriors gained a bit of security in the Division I standings. The win makes their life a little easier to reach the four-team BIIF playoffs, which start Thursday, Feb. 9 at Hilo Civic.
Waiakea plays at Kona on Monday, Jan. 31 in a rematch of last season’s BIIF championship, won the Warriors 60-40. Mattos scored 24 points and his four other teammates who combined for 34 points graduated.
But first the defending BIIF champion Warriors get a stiff test against Hilo, which visits on Thursday. It’s always an intense battle when the two crosstown rivals tangle. Last season in the BIIF semifinals, Waiakea survived against the Vikings 68-66.
It was an inauspicious start for Kamehameha, which got beat down the court after a miss on the game’s first play and Opiana dropped a layup in transition.
On the next possession, Kamehameha committed a turnover, and Opiana scored on a putback in a first quarter that went Waiakea’s way. The visitors had two layups in transition and two putbacks in the first quarter; the hosts had none.
Kamehameha had a much better second quarter, working its inside-out game with more success. Kahapea scored on a putback while Isaiah Ignacio and Escalante attacked the rim and dropped in layups.
In the third period, Grahovac bombed in two 3-pointers while Escalante and Kastle Quiocho added one apiece. Waiakea had just two long balls, one from Amuimuia and Kojima.
In the decisive third quarter, Kamehameha outscored Waiakea 30-15, shooting 9 of 17 from the field, including three treys with two by Grahovac, who finished with four triples. Even better, the hosts had no turnovers.
But in the fourth, Waiakea made it interesting, outscoring Kamehameha 26-17 in the final eight minutes, and getting easy baskets with layups, five in all, compared to one by the host Warriors.
A key play came on Kahapea’s 10th rebound for another double-double. After Escalante missed the second of two free throws, Kahapea, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, grabbed the offensive board and was fouled.
He sank one of two free throws for a 79-76 lead with 11.6 seconds remaining. Instead of attacking the basket, Waiakea worked the ball for one shot, an off-the-dribble move for a clean 3-point attempt. But the ball rimmed out, and Kamehameha survived.
In the JV, it was Kamehameha 42, Waiakea 40.
Waiakea 17 18 15 26 — 76
Kamehameha 13 19 30 17 — 79
Hawaii Prep 42, St. Joseph 26
Matija Vitorovic paced Ka Makani again with 24 points, and Michael Hanano scored 10 at Hilo Civic for Ka Makani (3-2), which became just the second Division II team to lift its record above .500.
Keegan Scanlan scored 10 points for the Cardinals (2-4), who mustered just six points in the middle quarters.
In JV, HPA won 47-12.
HPA 9 9 9 15 –42
St. Joe 10 3 3 10–26
Kealakehe 61, Pahoa 43
The Waveriders improved to 4-2, dropping the visiting Daggers to 1-6.