At least, Hilo knows it can beat the league’s best and that coach Bruce Ferreira can maintain his sense of humor on what’s turning into a roller-coaster season.
The Vikings spoiled Waiakea’s Senior night with a 78-69 victory in a BIIF Division I boys basketball showdown Monday night at the Warriors Gym.
Kaukahi Alameda put on an athletic display of his wide-ranging hoop skills and scored 24 points to lead the Vikings (6-3), who moved into second place in the standings and shot 50 percent from the field, including 5 of 14 from long distance.
Hilo had wonderful balance with Rayson Padilla (12 points), Lamaku Pana (11), RJ Solmerin (10), and Guyson Ogata (9), who all lightened Alameda’s scoring load.
What if anything did Hilo’s victory prove?
“That we’re inconsistent,” Ferreira joked.
Luckily for the Vikings, he’s only a part-time comedian at his team’s expense.
Putting on his coaching hat and turning serious, he gave a good answer.
“When we play as a team, play disciplined defense, and work the ball around, we can play good basketball,” he said.
Kia’i Apele kept soaring the rim and scored 28 points to lead the Warriors (7-1), who shot 45 percent from the field, including 6 of 14 from 3-point range.
Apele didn’t have quite the scoring help that Alameda enjoyed. Keegan Scanlan got 14 points and Dominic Rodriguez added eight points.
Alameda didn’t hit any 3-pointers, but he did everything else. He dropped in transition layup, dribbled into the lane for jump shots and sank 6 of 8 free throws.
There have been a few dark times for the Viks, who lost to Hawaii Prep (54-44), Kohala (70-67) and to Konawaena (59-57). The last one hurt a lot, and Alameda brought a torch to the game and provided a bright light against the Warriors.
When a big came out to defend him, Alameda cranked it into high gear and dribble-penetrated to the rim. He was a blur in transition and fearless while attacking the rim.
He and Apele are the BIIF’s version of steak and lobster. Both are prime dinners and you can’t go wrong with either one.
“He stepped up,” Ferreira said. “He played with so much heart and determination. We’ve had a few letdowns, and he made sure that wasn’t going to happen again. Even if we went down, he was going to play with heart and determination.”
If there was a key moment in the game, it came during the second quarter when Pana hit a 3-pointer to stretch Hilo’s lead to 32-26 with under five minutes until halftime. He drained Waiakea’s momentum, at least temporarily.
“He played excellent defense, and he did a good job rebounding the ball,” Ferreira said. “He can shoot too.”
The 6-foot-1 Pana played bumper-car defense against Elijah Blankenship, Waiakea’s smooth inside post, holding him to just six points.
The win comes at a good time because the BIIF playoffs are right around the corner, and teams are jockeying for position in the postseason.
“It’s been a rough ride right now,” Ferreira said. “We know Waiakea will be the No. 1 seed. But Nos. 2, 3 and 4 are up for grabs. We want to take care of business.”
In the second quarter, Hilo went up 41-31 with 1:40 until halftime when Ogata scored.
Then Apele took what the defense gave him. He saw a seam, slashed into the lane and drew a foul. He sank both free throws, and Scanlan scored on a layup to cut Hilo’s lead to 41-35 at the break.
The Viks closed the third quarter with an 8-0 run to take 58-47 lead into the final eight minutes.
With five minutes left, the Vikings started to milk the clock. With ball-handlers like Alameda, Galima, Solmerin and Padilla, the Warriors were forced to trap with double teams.
The best way to beat a trap is to anticipate it and pass to the open player. Hilo ran a clinic on how to beat a press and scored a few times. The visitors finished with 10 turnovers, including only two in the fourth period. Waiakea had 16 turnovers, including eight in the final period.
“We’re glad to have Mason back,” Ferreira said. “He missed the last three games for us. He can really take care of the ball for us. He may not get 20 points, but he’ll get 10 points and take care of the tempo.”
Galima got seven points, more than enough for the Viks, who next travel to play Honokaa on Wednesday.
Waiakea, which plays at Kealakehe on Wednesday, honored six seniors: Apele, Scanlan, Rodriguez, Makana Kaehuaea-Credo, Nicholas Lucas, and Keelen Andres.
Kohala 55, Kamehameha 53: O’Shen Cazimero scored 19 points, including a coast-to-coast layup to give the Cowboys the lead for good in the final minutes as Kohala won on the road to remain unbeaten.
The Cowboys (8-0) withstood a 30-point performance from the Izayah Chartrand-Penera as the Warriors (5-3) had their five-game winning streak snapped.
After Cazimero scored on a another layup to give Kohala a 54-51 lead, Chartrand-Penera was fouled when he scored on the other end but couldn’t convert the three-point play.
Kamehameha fouled Cazimero, who made one of two free throws, and Kohala doubled Chartrand-Penera, who missed a long shot as time expired.
Koby Agbayani and Moses Emeliano each had 13 points each for the Cowboys.
Ka’u 56, Honokaa 55: Izaiah Pilanca-Emmsley scored 18 points and the visiting Trojans denied the Dragons on the final possession to surge into fourth place in D-II.
Kyson Toriano added 15 points for Ka’u (2-8).
Emery Eberhard led the Dragons (1-6) with 15 points.