KEAAU — Kamehameha raced to an early lead, and Hawaii Prep just didn’t have the size or speed to prevent a 50-29 loss in a BIIF basketball mismatch on Thursday night at Koai’a Gym.
Darius Olloway was a 2020 starter, and Braedy Yamada, Logan Watterson, and Jake Iwasaki came off the bench for the Division I Warriors, who won the BIIF title that season.
Olloway and Yamada scored 11 points each, Logan Enos added six points, Watterson had five, and Iwasaki hit a 3-pointer for Kamehameha (2-0), which finished with 15 turnovers and led 26-6 at halftime.
“We just want to compete and play hard. We’re working on our defense,” Kamehameha coach Mea Wong said. “Positioning is our main priority. We were in help-side defense early and often, and overall good effort for us.
“I think that’s how it’s going to be, somebody different every night. Braedy got hot early. We got some, some guard who can create, and a lot of depth. We’re tall and long, so we’ve just got to put the pieces together.”
Tre Walker started on the 2020 Ka Makani team that won its fourth straight BIIF Division II title, and Bear Wawner came off the bench.
The senior duo will likely have to carry HPA in various ways (ball-handling, shooting, and defense) to reach a sixth straight state tournament appearance.
Wawner buried a 3-pointer and scored 11 points, and Walker also scored 11 points while juniors Sam Landers and Nick Sebastian added four points each for HPA, which finished with 19 turnovers.
Yamada was hot early. He swished a pair of 3-balls for a 14-2 lead after the first quarter. HPA didn’t score until Walker hit a baseline jumper with 3:56 left to cut Kamehameha’s lead to 9-2.
In the second quarter, the Warriors outscored the inexperienced Ka Makani 12-4.
Iwasaki swished a 3-pointer for a 19-2 lead, and Yamada drained a 3-ball for a 26-4 cushion with under a minute.
Wawner made two free throws, and Walker scored with 21.3 seconds left for a 26-6 Kamehameha lead at the break.
In the third quarter, HPA played a little better against the Kamehameha backups. However, the Warriors still won the quarter, 17-11.
Ka Makani junior guard Jahmyl Dugay hit a 3-pointer, and Wawner scored seven points, including a triple to cut the Warriors’ cushion to 43-17 with 23.2 seconds remaining.
Freshman Nixis Yamauchi scored, Yamada scored while Watterson and senior Kaiolana Acquaro converted 3-pointers, the latter for a 39-11 lead.
Olloway and Enos scored consecutive baskets to push the Warriors ahead 43-17 entering the final eight minutes.
Kamehameha junior guard Michael Mahuna drained a 3-pointer for a 50-25 cushion with 1:28 left, and HPA senior Roi Endo hit a bucket with under a minute to close the scoring and send the drained Ka Makani on a bus ride back home.
Girls
Pahoa 49, Christian Liberty 41: Florie Tagabi nailed seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help the Daggers hold off the visiting Canefire, who got a standout effort from Kamille Febo-Santiago.
Febo-Santiago scored 27 points and made four 3s as Christian Liberty (0-3) trailed just 20-19 at the half.
Jaylynn Kaawaloa-Alidon made her presence felt in the third quarter for Pahoa (2-3), scoring 13 of her 15 points in the second half. Kuuipo Sylva added nine points.
Each team scored eight points in the fourth quarter, when Tagabi made her final two 3-pointers
Febo-Santiago, a junior, consistently got the free-throw line, finishing 7 of 11.