KAILUA-KONA — Kealakehe has been perfect for just more than a month, and after a pair of big wins over Division I foes, the Waveriders are heading into the playoffs on the highest note possible.
Just 24 hours after shaking off a two-set deficit and completing a comeback for the ages against Kamehameha — the four-time defending BIIF D-I champs and state runners-up from a year ago — the Waveriders blasted Waiakea 25-14, 25-16, 25-10 in their regular season finale on Wednesday night, earning the second seed and home court in the BIIF semifinals.
“We have just fought hard and stuck together as a team, one point at a time,” Kealakehe head coach Kahinu Lee said, reflecting on his team’s last two games. “We have a lot of positive momentum going right now. That’s important for us.”
Waiakea is relegated to the No. 3 seed and will meet the Waveriders for the rubber match on Monday at 6 p.m. with a berth in the D-I title game and a spot in the state tourney on the line.
The BIIF championships are slated for April 25 at Konawaena’s Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.
The Waveriders (11-2) made things less complicated by winning the game in straight sets. If the match was extended to a fourth set against Waiakea (11-2), it would have come down to a breakdown of individual set scores.
The difference in home court ultimately ended up being a thrilling 33-31 first set victory for Kealakehe against Waiakea back on March 10, a match which the Warriors eventually went on to win in four sets.
“This is my fifth year back here and we have never hosted a playoff game in that time,” Lee said. “It’s big for us.”
Kamehameha (10-2) has one game left against Kohala on Thursday, and with a win, the private school Warriors will be the top seed in the Division I tournament. Kamehameha owns the tiebreaker against Waiakea and Kealakehe, having lost to both in five sets and winning in three.
Kamehameha will face Hilo, which is locked into the fourth seed.
Kealakehe was dominant wire-to-wire against Waiakea. The Warriors hung with the ‘Riders early, but in the final two sets Kealakehe imposed their will and raced out to big leads, never being truly threatened.
A big boost for Kealakehe has been the return of Ikaika Pali. The ‘Riders’ junior setter went down with an ankle injury last time Kealakehe saw Waiakea, but was credited with 33 assists this time around.
“It has helped a ton to have him back,” Lee said.
Waiakea also had a hard time dealing with the size and power of Kealakehe’s big three — Anthony Trevino, Isaiah Hooper and Ismail Souza.
Trevino routinely sent Waiakea defenders scrambling with his powerful swings, notching a game-high 12 kills in the game. Hooper — a sophomore standout — added eight kills while Souza had four blocks.
“I’m not looking too much at matchups,” Lee said. “I just told my boys to control the ball on our side, work together and be positive.”
This is Lee’s second stint at Kealakehe. The former University of Hawaii standout led the Waveriders to consecutive league titles from 2001-03 and the banner hangs in the gym as a reminder of the program’s former glory.
Kealakehe could be on the edge of something special, but as crunch time arrives, the Waveriders are sticking with what got them into this position in the first place — taking it one point at a time.
“It’s all pretty exciting, but we have a lot of work to do,” Lee said. “We have practice tomorrow and we have to get ready for Waiakea. We know they are going to bounce back strong so we have to be ready.”
