KEAAU – Kamau Maka’ike is a perfect example of Kamehameha’s hit smart strategy. He can hit hard or take something off his fastball. And he was simply efficient against Waiakea, which often swung for the fences.
Kamehameha relied on its effective hitting and tough defense to beat Waiakea 25-19, 20-25, 25-11, 25-21 in a key BIIF Division I match on Monday night at Koaia Gym.
The private-school Warriors (7-0) kept pace with Hilo (7-0) in a race for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the league’s first berth to states.
The public-school Warriors (7-2) will likely have to earn a state spot in the four-team league playoffs, which looks like an up for grabs opportunity with defending BIIF champion Kealakehe still dangerous and in the hunt.
Hilo will host Kamehameha on Saturday in a monster matchup. The winner will jump into the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular season title.
Sometimes stats do tell the whole story.
Kamehameha finished with 38 kills and 23 unforced errors for a plus 15-point differential. Waiakea totaled 51 kills and 53 giveaway points for a negative 2-point differential.
It’s a tough challenge when you’re often beating yourself. That’s something Maka’ike just doesn’t do. He can get kills from the front and back rows and relies on finding holes, like his roll shot from beyond the 10-foot line.
The 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter put down 20 kills. The Baclig brothers, Blake and Blane, added six kills each, and Chase Hunter-Bridges had three kills.
“Kamau played a nice, intelligent game,” Kamehameha coach Sam Thomas said. “We got the middles involved to get one-on-ones on the outside. We were lucky to get the momentum in Game 4 and hang on.”
Kamehameha senior Kamahao Kawelu piled up 32 digs and stabilized his team’s serve-receive passing, often sending on-the-money balls to setter Davin Masanda.
Makana Kaehuaea-Credo relied on his whiplash right arm to knock down 20 kills, hard-hitting Cole Shiroma added 17 kills, and junior middle Samson Thomas had nine kills for Waiakea.
Take away two years in 2018 (when Kealakehe won the BIIF title) and 2015 (when Hilo was the runner-up) and it’s been a Warrior battle for the seat as the league’s best. Kamehameha won it from 2014 to ’17. Waiakea captured it in 2009, ’11, and ’13.
The two Warrior teams usually take turns knocking each other from the mountain. The era of the Enriques brothers reign, with Evan, Emmett, Avery, and Addison, concluded in 2017. With Nalu Kahapea gone, it’s Maka’ike’s turn to serve as Kamehameha’s big gun but he has a team-first attitude.
“It was one of our best games of the season,” he said. “We played together as a team and stuck to our game plan. We wanted to have steady defense and keep the ball in play.”
The host Warriors had solid ball-control, from Kawelu’s passing to Masanda’s setting, and won a lot of battles in transition.
For example, Maka’ikea closed the first set off a free ball. Kamehameha closed the second on a 7-0 run, which included five Waiakea unforced errors. The visiting Warriors hit into the net on set point.
In Game 4, Maka’ike accounted for three kills during a five-point run for a 22-15 cushion. He later closed match point with his last kill.
More often than not, the back-and-forth battles had one of two results: Waiakea had an error or Maka’ike came up big for his team.
“I wanted to swing smart and keep my shots in,” he said. “If not, I wanted to keep the ball alive.”
He’ll meet his volleyball twin in Hilo junior Kaala Deitch, who’s about the same size and carries the same hitting style. Deitch hits hard and smart and jumps over tall blocks. But Maka’ike likes the momentum his team is bringing to the Vikings gym.
“If we play like how played tonight and keep the ball alive, it’s definitely going to be a good game,” he said.