HHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Honokaa's Jonathan Salsedo and Komakana Fernandez dove over the scorer's table for a loose ball yesterday during the Dragons' loss to Kahuku in the first round of the state tournament.
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Red Raiders lean on Ale to advance to quarterfinals
The senior guard scores 28 of his 34 points after halftime
For Okesene Ale Jr., the playoffs are simply mind over matter.
The senior guard scored 28 of his game-high 34 points after halftime as Kahuku rallied for a thrilling 67-63 overtime win against Honokaa last night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.
HHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL
At Radford/McKinley H.S. gyms and Stan Sheriff Center
Seeds: 1. Iolani. 2. Kaimuki. 3. Kamehameha-Hawaii. 4. Baldwin.
YESTERDAY
At Radford H.S. gym
Game 1: Kahuku 67, Honokaa 63, OT
2: Kalaheo 93, Waimea 36
At McKinley H.S. gym
3: Kamehameha 51, Lahainaluna 49
4: Campbell 64, Saint Louis 63
TODAY
At Radford H.S. gym
5: Kahuku vs. Baldwin, 6 p.m.
6: Kalaheo vs. Iolani, 8 p.m.
At McKinley H.S. gym
7: Kamehameha vs. Kamehameha-Hawaii, 6 p.m.
8: Campbell vs. Kaimuki, 8 p.m.
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Kahuku (19-7) will face fourth-seeded Baldwin (21-9), the Maui Interscholastic League champion. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. at Radford's James Alegre Gym.
Honokaa (12-6), the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up, plays Waimea tomorrow in a 10:45 a.m. consolation game at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Ale's 3-pointer from the right wing gave Kahuku the lead for good, 66-63, with 2:04 left in overtime. Kevin Unga, who set a timely screen to free Ale, followed with a key defensive play a moment later. He leaped out of bounds to retrieve a rebound after Jonathan Salsedo missed a perimeter shot.
Honokaa was in good shape, however, after Kahuku's Shiloah Te'o missed two free throws with 1:40 left. However, the Red Raiders sprang a box-and-one defense on Honokaa freshman sensation Auwae DeRego. He was triple-teamed on the sideline and turned the ball over with 1:04 left.
Manti Te'o hit one of his two foul shots to give Kahuku a 67-63 lead with 25 seconds left, and Honokaa never threatened again.
The Red Raiders needed every bit of energy and poise to get past a young, but talented Honokaa squad.
"I told myself, from 2 minutes left (in regulation) and overtime, we can't lose this game," said Ale, the OIA's top scorer at 23 points per game.
Honokaa coach Cheyenne Meyer wasn't happy with the officiating.
"The guy carries all game long," he said of Ale. "I don't want to sound like sour grapes, but how can we defend that?"
Still, Ale was clutch, nailing all four of his 3-point tries in the second half and overtime. He shot 12-for-22 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds, but shot just 6-for-13 from the foul line. As a team, Kahuku struggled from the line (17-for-40).
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Kevin Unga looked for an opening against the defense of Honokaa's Auwae DeRego and Damien Sabater-Hart last night.
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"We underestimated them big time," Ale said. "That was a big mistake."
Unga added 13 points and nine boards for Kahuku, which met Honokaa in a nonconference game on the same court in December. Both teams have improved dramatically since that close game, won by Kahuku.
DeRego led Honokaa with 18 points, including three key 3-pointers. However, he was just 3-for-7 on free throws as the Dragons faltered down the stretch from the charity stripe. Jacob Galdeira added 17 points.
Kahuku outrebounded Honokaa 30-21 and shot 49 percent (23-for-47) from the field.
After Komokana Fernandez scored on a layup, Honokaa led 57-52 with 1:24 left in regulation.
However, Ale shook free of Salsedo's man-to-man defense and hit a 3-pointer from 22 feet out to bring Kahuku within 57-55. After DeRego missed a pair of foul shots, Ale hit a pull-up 17-footer to tie the game at 57 with 40 seconds left.
Honokaa's hopes for an upset rose again when Galdeira sank a pair of foul shots with 19 seconds left.
However, Ale used a screen to get open for a 16-foot jumper from the right wing to tie the game at 59 with 7 seconds to go. Salsedo was unable to get a shot in the corner off before the buzzer and the game went into overtime.
Honokaa |
13 |
15 |
12 |
19 |
4 |
-- |
63 |
Kahuku |
12 |
12 |
18 |
17 |
8 |
-- |
67 |
HONOKAA--Komokana Fernandez 4, Tramaine Baquiring 9, Jestin Salazar 2, Jacob Galdeira 17, Efren Gonzales 0, Jessie Robianes 0, Jonathan Salsedo 1, Kien Aveiro 8, Auwae DeRego 18, Damien Sabater-Hart 4.
KAHUKU--Iona Teriipaia 0, Devin Unga 3, Shiloah Te'o 4, Okesene Ale Jr. 34, Ian Fujinaga 0, Tiavte Oto 0, Kevin Unga 13, Manti Te'o 4, Jacob Kahawaii 9, Anthony Siilata 0, Charles Bell 0.
3-point goals: Honokaa 5 (DeRego 3, Baquiring 2), Kahuku 6 (Ale 4, S. Te'o, Kahawaii).
Kalaheo 93, Waimea 36
The Mustangs rolled to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter and breezed to victory over the scrappy Menehunes.
Chase Moses scored 13 points off the bench to lead Kalaheo (20-10). Tyler Caswell manned the post and had seven points, six rebounds and two blocks in limited action. Marvin Judd added 12 points, while Elias David, Koa Siliga and Kahua Hollinger each tallied 11 as the Mustangs advanced to the quarterfinals. They will meet top-seeded Iolani in the 8 p.m. game today at Radford.
Brendan McDaniels led Waimea with 14 points. Chad Barba added 11 for the Kauai champions.
Kalaheo |
30 |
12 |
28 |
23 |
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93 |
Waimea |
6 |
13 |
9 |
8 |
-- |
36 |
KALAHEO--Elias David 11, Chris Tumaneng 0, Koa Siliga 11, Donte Price 0, Mana Guerreiro 9, Kahua Hollinger 11, Jacob Anderson 6, Marvin Judd 12, Cheynne Lishman 6, Jeff Whitworth 2, Chase Moses 13, Deaux Burns 5, Tyler Caswell 7.
WAIMEA--Kyle Achuela 0, Chad Barba 11, Vincent Vea 0, Braxton Garma 0, Alden Lahip 3, Kasey Okihara 0, Bradley Frasco 2, Rolden Villanueva 0, Calsen Agrade 0, Brendan McDaniels 14, Dana Tayco 0, Keelan Sakuda 1, Chris Newcomb 2, Vincent Geronimo 3.
3-point goals: Kalaheo 3 (Hollinger, Judd, Siliga), Waimea 1 (McDaniels).